11/20/09 - After finishing the last chapter of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, today we discussed the final image that the reader has of the characters of both Victor and the creature.  Since the class did such a great job collecting cans for the food drive last week, we had a pizza party to celebrate their success.  The AP students collected nearly 200 cans last week and deserved the celebration.  The assignment is to complete the ten terms for the Annotated Glossary which is due on Monday, November 23rd.  We are also finishing the last two Book Club meetings.  The students should select the next book for the Book Club groups and begin reading it.  Have a nice weekend!  ALL MAKE-UP WORK MUST BE TURNED IN NO LATER THAN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD!      

11/19/09 - Now that we are nearly finished with the first trimester, I felt like it was time to introduce the multiple-choice questions to the AP students.  We started by reading two different passages and answering the multiple-choice questions for each one.  The students checked their own papers as we went through the correct responses.  These practice activities will be scored, and the students can earn points back from incorrect answers by writing down the reason why the correct answer is the best choice.  This took the majority of the class today, so we'll continue and discuss chapters 22-24 tomorrow in class.  The assignment is to read chapter 24, finish the comparison of Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley's paragraphs, and complete the TPS-FASTT for the poem "Mutability."  ALL MAKE-UP WORK MUST BE TURNED IN NO LATER THAN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD!    

11/18/09 - Just as a reminder, there are three Book Club meetings tonight - Kite, Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights.  They are being held at either Taco Time or Macks, so don't forget.  Our focus today was discussing the death of Henry Clerval and the creature's reaction to Victor destroying his companion.  We also identified the threat that foreshadowed death on Victor and Elizabeth's wedding night.  The students should be actively working on the Frankenstein Log because it will be due on Tuesday.  The Annotated Glossary (10 terms) is due on Monday, November 23rd.  With the end of first trimester just around the corner, be sure to get all the make-up work in no later than Monday, November 23rd!  The assignment is to read chapters 22-23 tonight.

11/17/09 - Due to the difficulty of the vocabulary in Shelley's novel Frankenstein, we continued to focus on vocabulary again today.  For the first 20 minutes of class, the students finished the Vocabulary #1 Workshop from the novel.  We checked the worksheet and then discussed some of the passages found in chapters 18 and 19.  We also identified the difference in mood that the character, Henry Clerval, brought into the plot.  As a pre-reading activity, I gave the students the vocabulary list from chapters 21-24 to complete for tomorrow.  The assignment is to read chapters 20-21, finish vocabulary worksheet, and work on the Frankenstein Log which is due on Tuesday.  ALL MAKE-UP WORK MUST BE TURNED IN NO LATER THAN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD! 

11/16/09 - We started with the poetry analysis of William Wordsworth's poem "Mutability" on XJK page 770.  The reason we focused on this poem today was because Mary Shelley alludes to it in chapter 10 of Frankenstein.  Following the discussion of the poem, we reviewed the events from chapters 16-17.  In chapter 16, we identified that this was the first time when the monster actually wanted revenge and looked for opportunities.  Following the discussion, the students worked on "Frankenstein Vocabulary Workshop #1."  Since we basically ran out of time, today, we will start class tomorrow by finishing the worksheet.  The assignment is to read chapters 18-19, continue working on the Frankenstein Log, and reading the Book Club selections. 

11/13/09 - At the first of the hour, we went through the vocabulary worksheet from chapters 16-20.  Next, we discussed chapter 14 and the DeLacy family's background and chapter 15 and the monster's reading choices.  We finished turning in the cans for the Key Club's food drive, and our class turned in over 180 cans of food.  Nice job!  The students will be rewarded for their efforts next Friday with a "Level 4" activity.  The assignment is to read chapters 16 and 17 over the weekend.  Please remember that the Book Club meetings are scheduled for next week, so finish the books.  The students should also be completing the Frankenstein Log as we're reading the chapters.  As a final partner activity today, the students paired up to analyze a paragraph written by Mary Shelley and then the same paragraph revised by Percy Shelley.  They had to determine the personality of each writer through this analysis.  Have a nice weekend!

11/12/09 - Due to the demand of the Partner Project concerning Frankenstein and the monster in nature, I spent a little time today discussing chapters 12 and 13.  I also gave them the next vocabulary worksheet - chapters 16-20 for pre-reading purposes to complete for tomorrow.  The remaining class time today the students completed the Partner Project, worked on the Frankenstein Log, started the vocabulary worksheet, and started reading chapters 14 and 15. 

11/11/09 - After checking the vocabulary worksheet today, we briefly discussed chapters 10-11.  The students decided that Shelley wrote these chapters to evoke sympathy for the monster and for his cruel treatment from Victor.  One element of the Romantic Period is the idea that nature cures the ills of a person or a society.  The majority of the hour today was a work day for the students.  They got into groups of three to identify passages in chapters 7-11 that dealt with Frankenstein and nature; Frankenstein's monster and nature; and Frankenstein's mental state.  The project will be extended over to the first part of the hour on Thursday.  The assignment is to read chapters 12 and 13 and to continue working on the Frankenstein Log.

11/10/09 - In order to help the students with the annotation of a passage and responding to questions about that passage, I prepared a segment of chapter 9 for the students to complete as a Reading Check today.  For the first five minutes of the Reading Check, the students were required to annotate the passage by identifying important words or phrases that stood out.  For the final ten minutes, the students responded to the two questions about the passage.  Next, we spent some time discussing the character of Justine and her reaction to being accused of murdering William.  As a review, we identified places in chapter 9 where Victor goes into nature so that nature can heal his soul which is an element found in the Romantic period.  The assignment is to complete Vocabulary 10-15, read chapters 10 and 11, and continue working on the Frankenstein Log.

11/09/09 - We started class with a discussion of the TPS-FASTT poem for the week - "Ozymandias" by Percy Shelley - XJK page 1078.  This will be due on Friday.  Next, we correct the vocabulary words from chapters 6-10.  The bulk of the class discussion today was the idea that the creature is now a presence in the novel.  The students identified that it had been two years since the monster's creation and six years since Victor had been home for the action in today's assignment.  I also gave the students a handout entitled "Textual Studies in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein."  We discussed the parts of the handout: allusions, Prometheus, Paradise Lost, and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."  While I presented some additional information about allusions in a Powerpoint, the students took notes.  The assignment is to read chapters 8-9 - pages 107-130 and to continue completing the Frankenstein Log.  Don't forget that the Book Club meetings are coming soon, so keep reading!  

11/06/09 - The students turned in the TPS-FASTT poetry analysis for Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."  Our discussion today focused on Victor and his response to giving life to the creature.  For part of the hour, the students worked in pairs to make an inference on the theory of education that Mary Shelley seems to believe after reading about Victor's intellectual progress.  The students examined the following factors as they related to Victor's education: family, other people, readings, university education, and outside factors.  Part of the activity involved examining the relationship of Victor to his family.  I also gave the students the vocabulary list for chapters 6-9.  The assignment is to read chapters 6-7, complete the vocabulary worksheet, and continue working on the Frankenstein Log.  Don't forget that the Book Club meetings are coming up soon!  Have a nice weekend!

11/05/09 - We started class today by completing a Reading Check for chapters 1-3 of Shelley's novel Frankenstein.  The students selected three items or quotations and wrote about each one.  Following the Reading Check, we corrected the vocabulary worksheet for chapters 1-5.  I emphasized the importance of trying to figure out the meaning of the words through Context Clues, which will help the students during the AP exam.  We discussed the Romantic characteristics that both Walton, the ship's captain, and Victor, the student, had in common:  desire to explore the unknown; inspired by grand ideas; strong emotional ties; understands the need for a close personal friend; terrible sadness; and enduring hardships.  The assignment is to read chapters 4-5 pages 57-78 and complete the TPS-FASTT poetry analysis for "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."  The AP students should also be working on the Frankenstein Log and reading their Book Club selections.

11/04/09 - Since today was a Late-Start Day, we spent the majority of the time discussing the four letters in the prologue of Shelley's novel Frankenstein.  In order to emphasize the importance of expanding the students' vocabulary knowledge before the AP test, I will assign a vocabulary worksheet every 5 chapters.  The students should try to figure out the words using context clues first and then refer to the matching section on the back.  We finished identifying the elements of Gothic literature and discussed the subtitle of the book "A Modern Prometheus."  I also introduced the Frankenstein Log to the students and encouraged them to complete the log as we read the novel.  The assignment is to complete the vocabulary worksheet on chapters 1-5 and read chapters 1-3 - pages 27-56 for tomorrow.

11/03/09 - At the first of the hour, I passed out the calendar for November and reminded the students of the Book Club Meetings and the Annotated Glossary dates.  Next, we continued our discussion of Coleridge's ballad "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."  Following the ballad, I talked about Mount Tambora's eruption in 1816 that created the situation for several important books.  The last part of the hour we identified many of the elements found in literature during the Romantic Period.  The AP students took notes during today's presentation.  The assignment is to read Letters 1-4 for tomorrow and to continue working on the TPS-FAST poetry analysis of "The Rime...". 

11/02/09 - To finish the activity we started on Friday, we went through the actual scores for the twelve student essays on the passage from Petry's novel The Street.  Before starting Shelley's novel Frankenstein,  I showed the students a Powerpoint presentation about Coleridge which included a summary of the ballad.  We spent some time reading through Part I of Coleridge's lyric ballad "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."  Since we didn't finish reading the entire ballad in class, the assignment is to finish reading and annotating the rest of the ballad for tomorrow.  The students also got into their Book Club groups and picked the day and time for each group's Book Club Meeting.    

10/30/09 – At the first of the hour today, we spent some time discussing the thesis statements that the students wrote for the 2009 Question #2 prompt about the prose passage from The Street.  We identified some of the difficulties of coming up with a strong prompt for this passage.  Next, the students got into their 11 o’clock appointment group to complete a Scoring Workshop on some student essays.  Each group read the essays aloud and scored them from 1 to 9 (remember that there were two essays scored at 4, 5, and 6) for a total of 12 student essays.  First, the students separated the essays into + for the 5 and up range essays and – for the 4 and below essays.  The students also used a highlighter to identify (or try to identify) the thesis statement in each student essay.  The assignment is to score each of the 12 student essays and to read the Book Club selection over the weekend.  Have a nice weekend!    

10/29/09 - We spent some time today going over the poem "The Possessive" by Sharon Olds.  The students completed a Pair/Share activity identifying their thesis statements and their five details with support.  Following the discussion of the poem, I read a passage aloud and ask the students to write down anything that they remember from the passage.  Next, I passed out the passage to the students, divided the class in half, and read the passage aloud again.  This time half the class highlighted all the nouns in the passages and half the class highlighted the verbs in the passage.  After the reading, we discussed what the "nouns" and the "verbs" told us about the meaning of the passage.  Finally, I allowed the students to unfold the paper and read through the prompt on the top.  This passage was the 2009 AP Question #2 (prose) from last year's test.  The homework tonight is that once the students have considered the prompt, they need to write a thesis statement that responds to the prompt.  Then, list five details you would select and explain how each of these details supports your thesis.  

10/28/09 - We compared the SPOTTTS poetry analysis with the TPS-FASTT poetry analysis and decided that the "types fast" method is a more critical method of analysis.  As a group, we completed an OPTIC activity using Norman Rockwell's painting "Breaking Home Ties."  The students started by identifying details without making any kind of a judgment.  They also completed a Pair/Share activity with the painting by using the details to make a judgment, an inference, and a conclusion about the Rockwell painting.  The assignment is to continue reading for the Book Club meeting coming up.  The students should read, annotate, and complete the instructions on the handout for the poem "The Possessive" by Sharon Olds.   

10/27/09 - In order to continue working with the "Close Reading" unit, we continued with our critical analysis of Louise Gluck's poem entitled "The School Children."  The students got into their 1 o'clock appointment group and completed a Pair/Share activity discussing the chart the students completed as homework last night.  Following the Pair/Share, as a class we wrote down any words or phrases that dealt with the four areas: school, children, mother, and teacher.  From our list of words and phrases, we determined the meaning of the poem, the theme of the poem, and the structure of the poem.  Next, I introduced the students to the new format for our poetry analysis - TPS-FASTT (Types Fast) and passed out a handout listing the requirements for each area.  The assignment is to continue reading the Book Club selection and complete a TPS-FASTT analysis of Gluck's poem "The School Children."

10/26/09 - After attending an AP workshop all day on Saturday, I came back to class with some new and exciting ideas to help the students understand thesis and critical analysis better.  At the first of the hour, we went over a handout that I received at the conference about writing a thesis statement and its importance to the overall success of the essay.  A thesis statement MUST contain two parts: a subject and an opinion or assertion about that subject.  Students must realize that they will have to take a risk when critically analyzing any piece of literature.  We altered the calendar somewhat and worked on the elements of a close read with a poem entitled "First Grade" by Ron Koertge.  Next, we read through Louise Gluck's poem "The Schoolchildren" to determine the parent's point of view concerning sending students off to school.  The assignment is to read through the Gluck poem again and complete the graph identifying the parts of the poem.  Don't forget to respond to the question on the bottom of the graph.