Thurs. Oct. 31 Commas, Shakespeare Quiz, test review

Today, you wrore a quiz on Shakespearean terms in which you had to follow the instructions exactly in order to get the mark.
I then handed out your test (poetry) for you to review. As a class, you were very successful on this test, which is awesome!
I then reviewed the rest of the "commas" exercise concerns that we didn't complete on Tuesday.
Finally, you went to the library and signed out your own copy of The Merchant of Venice which you will need from this class onward.

Tues. Oct. 29 Commas review

Today, we discussed the comma sentences/rules you as a class had the most trouble with. The quiz you were to have today has been moved to Thursday (really helpful to absent students!), and the test you wrote will also be examined then.

I also added a number of words to your Shakespeare vocabulary. Thel will appear many times, are not "appropriate" but, if not understood, are very confusing. If you were not here, you will need to look up the meanings on your own and also determine whether they are connotative (positive or negative) or denotative.

Wench
sirrah
fie
impotent (archaic meaning)
slattern

Fri. Oct. 25 Shakespeare assignments

Today, we finished our introductory discussion of Shakespeare. We specifically examined the language. In order to get you guys to "see" how the language has evolved, I located some work by others in which they took modern lyrics and rewrote them in archaic (Old English) language. You were then given a worksheet on these to complete for Tuesday (if you were not here, it is in your portfolio and is due on Wednesday).

I also gave you a lilst of words that you have to be able to know the modern meanings of for a quiz you will have on Tuesday. I have pasted the list below so you can stay caught up.

'gainst     means     against
thou        means     you
ne'er        means     never
'gins        means     begins
sooth       means     truth
thy          means      your
thee         means     him/her
whence   means     where
hast         means     has
quoth      means     said
o'            means     of
i'             means     in
doth        means    does
is't           means    is it
o'er         means    over
hath        means    have
thine       means    belonging to
'twere     means     it were
'tis           means    it is
afeard     means     afraid
durst       means     dared
ere          means     before
suit         means     request
soft         means     quiet/wait
tarry        means    wait
a'            means     he

Wed. Oct. 23 Shakespeare Intro Cont.

Today, we discussed the entertainments on the other side of the Thames (Bear-baiting, womanizing, theatre) focusing on the importance of theatre as escapist entertainment. We ended our discussion after introducing a pandemic (the Black Plague) and explaining its effects on society. For those who haven't done so, be sure you get late assignments in as I have to make up the new RTI sheet for Friday.

Mon. Oct. 21 Shakespeare intro

Today, we discussed your prior knowledge about Shakespeare and his times. I then introduced you to his background (childhood, schooling, marriage, family, children), his move to London (plays, conditions of the city) and the impact of religion on the society (Henry VIII and his daughters; James). The bell rang at the point that we were discussing the entertainment of the times in London city itself (church, pubs, executions).

Thurs. Oct. 17 Commas

Today, I handed out a copy of your marks to each of you. We then reviewed comma rules as this is an area the class needs to work on. I also gave you exercises to complete for your next class, which is Monday.

Fri. Oct. 11 Exam

Today, you wrote your first exam. The focus was on comprehension and analysis (in this case, poetry), and comprehension of terms.

Wed. Oct. 9 Pretest

Today, you did a pretest activity to prepare you for your exam on Friday. It was a competition game called a Teams/Games/Tournament (you competed against others for a prize). Be ready for the exam on Friday by studying the terms and reviewing your "How to Read Poetry" sheets for the analysis (see also that I have omitted some of the steps. These are on your test prep sheet

Mon. Oct. 7 Poetry Analysis; Test Prep

Today, we marked the analysis and questions for the poem "Billy Paris." I then gave you a sheet entitled "Poetry Test: Test Prep Sheet." Use this to prepare yourself for Wednesday when you will have a pre-test. On Friday, you will have the exam itself.

Thurs. Oct. 3 Poetry Analysis

Today, we reviewed the poem "Ernest Mott" to discuss the steps to active reading as well as to remind the students of expectations (neatness, use of full sentences, what interrogative sentences are, layout, questioning).
We will have the exam for this unit on Wednesda. In order to study, I gave you a practice reading ("Billy Paris") and questions to answer using process of elimination (crossing out the obvious non-choices to arrive at two possiblities, one of which is then circled). Study your literary terms sheet and poetry analysis layout in preparation.

Tues. Oct.1 Poetry cont

Today, we discussed the poem "Jamie." I also defined the word "ambiguous". We didn't get all that far, but the discussion was worthwhile and relevant. Basically, we stopped after defining literary terms. We still need to discuss the theme, summary, and purpose. In addition, we still need to discuss "Ernest Mott" which I had you hand in (we will do this on Wednesday). If you want to prepare yourself for the upcoming exam, study the literary terms I have given you as well as the steps to reading poetry (which you will have to demonstrate an understanding of).