Wednesday, September 23, 2009

ENG II Honors

How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent. Please read the first two segments for class and be prepared to liberaly discuss in class. Please click on adjacent link and print or write out the study questions, so we can answer them in class. See you tomorrow...toodles!

Canterbury Tales Remix

Okay Class Appreciate Because I am typing this directly into the blog because I cant cut and paste.

Destination: Ivy and Adrian's Wedding, Las Vegas, Nevada

Mode of Transport: A greyhound bus departing from Hollywood, Florida

Narrator: The Bus Driver (Michael Dominguez)

Story Telling Theme: Each person on the bus wil be giving a toast at the reception. These toasts will serve as our "stories". They will, 1. explain how your character knows either the bride or groom, and 2. be written in rhyme (like the original tales). Thy should also aim to be clever and entertaining, as those are among the criteria I will be grading you on (and later on judging to determine the winners)


Tips for a wedding toast: To help develop your character sketches:

adapted from: http://weddings.about.com/theweddingparty/a/toastwriting.htm

Before you begin:

Start off by writing down thoughts freely about the bride and groom and your relationship to them.

Make sure to answer all of the questions:

1. How do you know them?

2. Why did they choose you to make this toast?

3.How would you describe each of them? What are the first five adjectives that come to mind?

4. What was the groo like before he met the bride? How has he changed knowing her? (or vice versa if you know the bride)

5. How did they meet? How did the groom tell you about her or vice versa?

6. If your character is married, you may wish to think about marriage advice you have received or have learned.

7. Are there any particularly ausing anecdotes that illustrate who the bride and/or groom is?

Beginning: Start off by introducing yourself, as not everyone in the room will know who you are.
You might say "Excuse me everyone,if I could have your attention for a moment. I'd like to take a few moments to say a few words about our bride and groom. I'm ________, _______'s
longtime good friend (brother,siste, cousin, etc.)

* This might also an opportunity for you to say something about your 48 hour bus ride.

Middle
Tell a funny story about the bride and or groo, give your thoughts on love and arriage, tell the story of how they met, or talk about how you have seen the change through their relationship.. Give interesting details.

Closing:

It is often good to wrap up your toast wth wish,traditional toast, or blessing for the bride and groom. Raise your glass with a resounding congratulations, cheers, l'chai or salud, and don't forget to drink to your own toast.



The first draft of your character is due next class (Thursday) we will wok on a revision in class
We will also start blocking your performance which will also be recorded for a grade on monday. You will be dressed in full costume (part of your grade as well)

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

English IV Canterbury Tales Remix

Please see sidebar for complete instructions on this page: On the left hand column Any questions email :) me

Friday, September 18, 2009

Thursday, September 17, 2009

English IV Period 6 Canterbury Tales

Guys in case your brains were abducted by aliens... Your homework was as follows:

1. Translate entire prologue into modern language that anyone could understand.
2. Read and complete first 5 exercises of Harvard link.

If you are interested in downloading from Itunes the Canterbury Tales Podcast here is the info:

World Literature Podcast: Subscribe to it ad d/l the Canterbury Tales

Any questions e-mail me.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Canterbury Tales..The right way!

Hello my Eng IV Bambis'. In an effort to prepare you guys for the real world of college, I decided to experiment a little w my lesson. To the left column of the blog you will find newly posted links for your class: One will link you to a modern translation of The Canterbury Tales and the other to a Harvard University course on Chaucer and the stories. You are solely responsible for The General Prologue, The Knight's Tale, The Miller's Prologue, The Miller's Tale, and The Wife of the Wife of Bath's Prologue, and The Wife of Bath Tale. Click on the Harvard Course Link which says SYLLABUS for ENG 115 B when it takes you to the next page, click on the link w the same name, then scroll down to their first assignment, click on it and complete it. It will be due on Wednesday's class. If you have any questions email me. YOU WILL LEARN AND YOU WILL LIKE IT!!!!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Eng II Honors Two Kinds Amy Tan

Hello Bambis'

Your homework is to finish reading Amy Tan's "Two Kinds" and answer the study questions, specifically answer only the Discussion and Writing questions. Next class we will complete the Spoon River Videos. By our first class next week, which is on Tuesday, you must have both the Garcia Girls and Caramelo and be ready to go! The nine weeks are going by at warp speed...progress reports are right around the corner. Be dilligent with your work. Email me w any questions.

-Miss Gayol

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

My ENG IV Kids

Hey guys..here is a reminder in order to clarify any discrepancies for class. Due next class you must turn in the study questions for Beowulf handout as well as the graphic noverl/comic book of Beowulf. I added a a links area for your class. You are responsible fr reading and knowing all of the information contained in the links. I suggest that you print a copy of the info and keep it in your folder for class. If you have any inquiries do not hesitate to contact me.

Monday, September 7, 2009

??

Hi miss, its jose from 4th period. Yes, white meat jose, not french. I wanted to know if we had to use the poem we read in class, or could it be any of the poems in the worksheet?

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Step By Step Instuctions -Poetry Explication

No fear students..your step by step is here!

Writing the explication:

The explication should follow the same format as the preperation: begin with the large issues and basic design of the poem and work through each line to the more specific details and patterns.

The first paragraph:

The first paragraph should present the large issues; it should inform the reader which conflicts are dramatized and should describe the dramatic situation of the speaker. The explication does not require a formal introductory paragraph; the writer should simply start explicating immediately. According to UNC's Professor William Harmon, the foolproof way to begin any explication is with the following sentence: "This poem dramatizes the conflict between......" Such a beginning ensures that you will introduce the major conflict or theme in the poem and organize your explication accordingly.

Here is an example. A student's explication of Wordsworth's" Composed upon Westminster Bridge" might begin in the following way:

This poem dramatizes the conflict between appearance and realitry, particularly as this conflict relates to what the speaker seems to say and what he really says. From Westminster Bridge, the speaker looks at London at sunrise, and he explains that all people should be struck by such a beautiful scene. The speaker notes the city is silent, and he points to several specific objects, naming them only in general terms: "Ships,towers,domes, theatres, and temples"(6) After describing the "glittering" aspect of these objects, he asserts that these city places are just as beautiful in the morning as country place like "valley, rock or hill" (8,10). Finally, after describing his deep feeling of calmness, the speaker notes how the " house seems asleep" and that "all mighty heart is lying still" (13,14). In this way, the speaker seems to say simply that London looks beautiful in the moring.

Class , you see how this student analyzes using text in order to support his analysis? I want you to do the same :) Back that analysis up!

The next paragraphs:

The next paragraphs should expand the discussion of the conflict by focusing on details of form, rhetoric, syntax, and vocabulary. In these paragraphs, the writer should explain the poem line by line in terms of these details, and he or she should incorporate important elements of rhyme, rhythm, and meter during the discussion.

The student's explication continues with a topic sentence that directs the discussion of the first five lines:

However, the poem begins with several oddities that suggest the speaker is saying more than what he seems to say initially. For example, the poem is an Italian sonnet and follows the abbaabbacdcdcd rhyme scheme. The fact that the poet chooses to write a sonnet about London in an Italian form suggests that what he says may not actually be praising the city. Also, the rhetoric of the first two lines seems awkward compared to a normal speaking voice: "Earth has not anything to show more fair./Dull would he be of soul who could passby"(1-2) The odd syntax continues when the poet personifies the city: "This City now doth, like a garment, wear/The beauty of the morning:(4-5). Here, the city wears the morning's beauty, so it is not the city but the morning that is beautiful.

The conclusion???

The explication has no formal concluding paragraph; do not simply restate the main points of the introduction! The end of the explication should focus on sound effects or visual patterns as the final element of asserting an explanantion. Or, as does the undergraduate here, the writer may choose simply to stop writing when he or she reaches the end of the poem:

The poem ends with a vague statement: "And all that mighty heart is lying still!" In this line, the city's heart could be dead, or it could simply be deceiving the one observing the scene. In this way, the poet reinforces the conflict between the appearance of the city in the morning and what such a scene and his words actually reveal.

Tips to keep in mind:

1. Refer to the speaking voice in the poem as "the speaker" or "the poet". For example, do not write " In this poem, Wordsworth says that London is beautiful in the morning." However, you can write, "In this poem Wordsworth presents a speaker who...." We cannot absolutely identify Wordsworth ith the speaker of the poem, so it is more accurate to talk about "the speaker" or "the poet" in an explication.

2. Use the present tense when writing the explication. The poem, as a work of literature, continues to exist!

3. To avoid unecessary uses of the verb " to be" in your compositions, the following list suggests some verbs you can use when writing the explication:

dramatizes asserts contrasts addresses
presents posits juxtaposes emphasizes
illustrates enacts suggests stresses
characterizes conects implies accentuates
underlines portrays shows enables


Good Luck Guys!



Saturday, September 5, 2009

Poetry Explication

Hello my little ENG II H Genius Crew:

I hope you appreciate what follows..because your dedicated teacher typed it by hand. I look forward to reading you finished essays. Have a great weekend.

Miss G.

Poetry Explications:

A poetry explication is a relatively short analysis which describes the possible meanings and relationships of words, images and other small units thst make up a poem. Writing an explication is an effective way for a reader to conect a poem's conflicts with its structural features. This handout reviews some of the important techniques of approaching and writing a poetry explication, and includes parts of two sample explications.

Preparing to write the explication:

1. Read the poem silently, and then read it aloud (if not ina testing situation). Repeat as necessary.

2. Consider the poem as a dramatic situation in which the speaker addresses an audience or another character. In this way, begin your analysis by identifying and describing the speaking voice or voices, the conflicts or ideas, and the language used in the poem.

The Large Issues:
Determine the basic design of the poem by considering the who, what , where, when and why of the dramatic situation specifically:

What s being dramatized? What conflicts or themes does the poem present, address or question?

Who is the speaker? Define and describe the speaker and his/her voice. What does the speaker say? Who is the audience? Are other characters involved?

What happens in the poem? Consider the plot or basic design of the action. How are the dramatized conflicts or themes introduced, sustained, resolved, etc.?

When does the action occur? What is the date and or time of day?

Where is the speaker? Describe the physical location of the dramatic moment.

Why does the speaker feel compelled to speak at this moment? What is his/her motivation?

The details:

To analyze the design of the poem, we most focus on the poem's parts, namely how the poem dramatizes conflicts or ideas in language. By concentrating on the parts, we develop our understanding of the poem's structure, and we gather support and evidence for our interpretations. Some of the details we should consider include the following:

Form: Does the poem represent a particular form (sonnet, sestina, etc.) ? Does the poem present any unique variations from the traditional structure to that form?

Rhetoric: How does the speaker make particular statements? Does the rhetoric seem odd in any way? Why Consider the predicates and what they reveal about the speaker.

Definition of RHETORIC:
The art of speaking or writing effectively. 2. A skill in the effective use of speech. Type or mode in language and speech 3. Verbal Communication.

Syntax: Consider the subjects, verbs, and objects of each statement and what these elements reveal about the speaker. Do any statements have convoluted or vague syntax?

Vocabulary: Why does the poet choose one word over another in each line? Do any of the words have multiple or archaic meanings that add other meanings to the line? Use the Oxford English Dictionary as a resource.

The Patterns:

As you analyze the design line by line, look for certain patterns to develop which provide insight into the dramatic situation, the speaker's state of mind, or the poet's use of details. Some of the most common patterns include the following:

Rhetorical Patterns: Look for statements that follow the same format.
Rhyme:Consider the significance of the end words joined by sound; in a poem with no rhymes, consider the importance of end words.
Patterns of Sound: Alliteration and assonance create sound effects and often cluster significant words.

Visual Patterns: How does the poem look on the page?

Rhythm and Meter: Consider how the rythm and meter influence our perception of the speaker and his/her language.

I will post a couple more guidelines by tommorow. This should help get you guys started on your papers.

Best of Luck

Miss G

PS email me w concerns

Thursday, September 3, 2009

I will edit

Kids i will re-submit the handouts i realized the poor reading quality after I posted I apologize

Poetry Explication..
























































Hello my brilliant ones (10 H) Here are the guidelines to writing your poetry explication. Enjoy!




















PS Have a wonderful an safe holiday weekend and I will see you all on Tuesday :)










Hi Miss Gayol!

Hey Miss Gayol....Its Alexandra from your 2nd period class....you know, the one that came in late early this morning....I wanted to know if the poem we that we had to write of ourselves was for a grade, because I didnt exactly finish up to 14 lines in the time that I had.... I also wanted to tell you that I love the poems we went over today...especially the sincity-like one "Dora Williams"....Oh and i also wanted to give a shout out since you said know one has left any comment on the blog from 2nd period yet.....so yea...hope im the first one! =)