Thursday, December 9, 2010

Class Minutes for Thursday December 9th


1. Prayer

2. Key Quotes
We examined a quote said by Jack in Lord of the Flies: "We don't need the conch anymore."
Jack represents a totalitarian dictator who rejects the symbol of democracy and order, the conch. This is allegorically significant. 

3. Paragraph Revision
We revised our paragraphs of setting in Lord of the Flies, focusing on:
  • Thematic topic sentence - applies to humanity/the world in general
  • PEE supporting the argument - evidence links to theme/use direct quotes
  • Rhetorical devices/style
4. Prep for Allegory multi
 
We reviewed the structure of a multi-paragraph.
Theme: Without the restrictions of society, humanity's inherent evil prevails.
How does Golding use allegory to communicate this message?
3 types of allegories in Lord of the Flies:
  • Political: Jack = totalitarian, axis; Ralph = democracy, allies; the conch is a symbol of democracy
  • Psychological (Freud): Jack = Id; Piggy = super-ego; Ralph = ego
  • Religious: Garden of Eden and Humanity's fall
5. Homework: Read Chapter 7
 
 
Thanks Ryan!

Class Minutes for Tuesday December 7th

David...

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Class Minutes for Friday December 3rd 2010

English 11 Notes
Friday December 3rd, 2010

Prayer

Word Game

Find symbolism, context, and significance within the following words:

1) Sandcastle
2) Painted Face


Chapter 4 text framing notes

We received a worksheet, Ch.4 text framing notes, and filled in the blanks for better understanding of chapter 4

Reviewed chapter 4


The Beginning of Disorder

We received a worksheet, the Beginning of Disorder.
  • choose three events from the worksheet and guess what each mean
  • review answers to check if you were correct

Chapter 5

Read chapter 5 for homework
 
Thanks Gloria

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Class Minutes for Wednesday December 1st


1- Prayer: First week of advent
2- Quiz: Chapter 1-3, not for marks
3- Venn Diagrams: Ralph vs. Piggy/ Ralph vs. Jack. Write about their similarities and differences about their maturity, charisma, wisdom and appearance.
4- Group Character Work: We were given a character from the novel “Lord of The Flies” and had to include things about their appearance, behaviour, traits and relationships with other characters, what famous characters are they most like, what activities/hobbies they would enjoy and jobs that they could be good at.
5- Ch.4 Predictions: We had to predict events that would happen in the next chapter, some of the predictions were:
-     They won’t survive.
-     They will end up going against each other, in particular Ralph and Jack since they had disagreements with each other in chapter 3.
-     It will become a disaster since there is no shelter and the people are not really doing their jobs.

Thanks Rochelle

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Class Minutes for Monday November 29th 2010

1. Prayer
2. Chapter 3: 3 Minutes 3 Columns

We predicted the meaning of three difficult words found in chapter three based on other words that make sense int he context and word families. We then looked up the actual definitions.

3. Setting in "The Painted Door" paragraphs

Ms Meakes discussed the importance of connecting of ideas in our body paragraphs to the theme and using relevant quotes. We got back our setting paragraphs and updated our writing logs.

4. Lord of the Flies Setting

Good and evil are both present
-Man brings evil
-Humans are inherently evil
-Lack of authority results in disorder
-Golding thinks that both good and evil are present in humans and the circumstances bring out one or the other
-Juxtaposition is putting two things side by side to highlight the contrast of them or in order to draw a comparison.

We wrote a paragraph answering the question: How does Golding use setting to communicate a larger idea?

Thanks Lorenzo

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Class Minutes for Wednesday November 24th

1.Prayer

2. Chapter 2: 3 Minutes 3 Columns 
-We were given sentences with bold words. We tried to predict what they mean, then we find the actual definition. Ms Meakes gave us two hints - a: think of other words that sound the same; b: try to think of other words that would make sense in the spot in the sentence. 

3. Review Two Text Framing Notes
-We filled in the blanks.

4. Leads
-We learned how to write strong introductions.
-We found examples from magazine articles to practice.

5.Personal Composition Independent Corrections
-We got back our personal composition and filled out our writing log. 

Homework: 
-Read Chapter 3 in Lord of the Flies.
-Finish the Island Sketch that was assigned on Monday.

Thanks Adelia

Monday, November 22, 2010

Class Minutes for Monday November 22nd

1) Prayer
2) 3 Minutes 3 Columns: we were each given a worksheet, with 3 columns; we were to predict the meaning of the bolded word in each sentence, then find the actual meaning. This activity helps you to practice using context clues to determine the meaning of new words.
3) Chapter 1 Questions: discuss the questions we had to write for homework on chapter 1. Asking questions while you are reading helps to cement the information. It will also help to guide your future reading.
4) The Island-Setting: we were given 20 minutes to work on a sketch (title: This Belongs to Us) of the island as the boys see it, from the top of the mountain. The sheet given had notes and criteria. This is to be completed for next class.
5) T-Chart: as a class we made a t-chart of Golding (author of Lord of the Flies) and Rousseau (philosopher) each man had a different view of the human race. Golding believed that without rules, and systems like schools, the human race would be savage and wild. Rousseau on the other hand believed that every person was good, and searched for good.
6) Homework: read Chapter 2 “Fire on the Mountain”, finish The Island sketch, and do the worksheet Chapter 1&2 Text Framing Notes. All due Wednesday. * Note: EXTENSION ON THE ISLAND SKETCH. PLEASE FINISH FOR MONDAY

Thanks Mineesha! 

Friday, November 19, 2010

Class Minutes for Thursday November 18th

1. Prayer

2. Re-visit survival question from last class and add/revise answer.

The students commented that they revised their answers to reflect our need to work together. Other new survival qualities included focus, empathy, a sense of purpose, and emotional strength. A common idea drawn from the readings was that community or "sticking together" was important to succeed.

3. Context of Lord of the Flies
LOTF was written by William Golding after the second world war. Before the war, Golding was a school teacher. Being a part of WWII caused Golding to revise his ideas on humanity. LOTF centers around Golding's idea that all humans have evil in them and in the absence of authority and law, we descend into chaos and savagery. Furthermore, LOTF takes it's basic idea from an earlier novel entitled Coral Island. In Coral Island  a group of boys is stranded on a tropical island and they prosper. They are great friends, they fight pirates, and they convert the aboriginal people to Christianity. Golding argues that LOTF is a more-realistic portrayal of what would result from a group of boys being stranded on an uninhabited island.

4. Reading Chapter One
  • Page 1 and 2 : "fair" is used 9 times. "Fair" literally means that Ralph has light coloured hair. However, the sense of "justice" is also being linked to Ralph.
  • Ralph as "Adam": the scene is set in a natural paradise, Ralph surveys all that he can see, there is a mention of fruit, but interestingly, Ralph brings his "snake clasp belt" with him, instead of meeting the snake in the garden. 
  • Ralph starts out in a typical English school-boy's uniform. This uniform is a symbol of civility and order. Minutes later, he has stripped off all his clothes and is enjoying the freedom of the island. Ralph's stripping of his clothes represents a stripping away of civility and order. 
  • Several times Ralph is mentioned in connection with light: golden, glimmering, sunlight, fair
  • Good/Bad words: We charted the words with positive and negative connotations.
    • Good: enchantment, incredible, glittering, dazzling, golden, effloresence, God, brilliance
    • Bad: apprehension, coarse, uncompromising, thrust, shrieked, pain, devil, reluctantly, scar, witch-like cry
5. Homework: finish reading chapter 1 and write 10-15 questions that you have about the chapter.  Block 1-2 must also hand in both c/c thesis statements on Monday.

6. Electronic editions: The electronic copies of LOTF can be found as a pdf and as an application.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Class Minutes for Tuesday November 16th

1. Prayer

2. Who Survives?
We answered a three part question: In a disaster situation, who lives, who dies, and why?

3. Survival Simulation
Based on a Northern Canadian winter plane crash scenario, we had to rank items as most to least useful individually and as a group before comparing our work to the answers provided by a survival specialist. It turned out that the best plan was not to go for help, but to remain as a group near the crash site and wait to be rescued.  Many people felt more prepared after discussing their options with a group, while a few felt like they were best on their own.

4. Word Families
We looked at the origins of the word survivor, which comes from two Latin words meaning over and live. We then discussed the meaning of other words with the same root.

5. Other Texts
There were four texts which all centered around the idea of survival.
  • Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales: we used a word cloud to predict what this text would be about. Then we read key points revealing, among other things, that empathy, purpose, calm, and focus will help a person to survive. 
  • "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions" by John Donne: this is the classic text in which the "no man is an island" metaphor comes from. It also contains the metaphor of being chapters of a common book. 
  • "All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten" by Robert Fulgham: "hold hands and stick together"
  • "No Man is an Island" by Craig and Marc Kielburger
6. Homework: choose two of the texts and write a compare and contrast thesis statement on the topic of survival. 

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Published Classmates!

Congratulations to Cole and Jordyn for being selected for publication in Re:Verse, an online magazine (ezine) for young poets! You can check out their work here.

Class Minutes for Wed Nov 10th

1) Prayer

2) Class Discussion
We discussed the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" that was read for homework.

3) Mystery Envelopes
We split into eight groups and each group was given a question about "The Yellow Wallpaper". We switched so everybody was given a chance to answer each question. The answer key is posted in Moodle.

4) Compare/Contrast Thesis Statements
We compared and contrasted Oreos and Ritz crackers as a class and wrote a thesis based on the info collected. For homework we wrote two thesis statements on the short stories read in class, with loyalty and isolation as prompts. A compare/contrast thesis has three parts: one "difference statement/preview statement" about each topic, and a sentence starting with "however, both . . . " that shows a thematic link between the two items being compared.

Thanks Cara!

Class Minutes for Monday Nov 8th

1. First we finished off our "Painted Door" paragraphs about how setting related to theme.
2. Marked paragraphs using S.T.A.R. method
3. did an exercise where we had to place what we thought was the proper punctuation in the following sentence "woman without her man is nothing"  which demonstrated the importance of punctuation and of point of view/bias.
4. Yellow Wallpaper Jigsaw excercise
to introduce the concept of women's rights and liberation, post-partum depression, and the context of "The Yellow Wallpaper". 

Thanks Jal

Essay Competitions

There are two essay competitions that are available at the moment. Both have mid-December due dates. If you would like to enter these contents, you may submit a copy of your essay to Ms Meakes. She will mark your essay and if it is better than one of your in-class essays, it will replace that mark.

Contest 1: The Patrick Webb Essay Competition

Contest 2:  The Vancouver Foundation of Art, Justice, and Liberty






Friday, November 5, 2010

Class Minutes for Thursday November 4th

1. Prayer

2. Setting in "The Painted Door"
As a class, we did a short brainstorm about what we could write regarding the setting of the story. Ms Meakes explained that in order to get a "6" on the paragraph, we would need to have a thematic base for our argument. Sinclair Ross uses the setting to reveal theme, therefore the paragraph should explain how it does this.

3. Writing the Paragraph
Class time to begin paragraph response.

4. Mark Update
Ms Meakes gave printouts of updated marks. This will still change before the report card due to the addition of the PC and the literary device quiz.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Class Minutes for Tuesday November 2nd

1. Prayer

2. Literary Device Quiz 2.0
We reviewed answers to the previous literary device quiz. After we reviewed, we wrote a second literary device quiz on the same concepts.

3. Return Tattoo
After handing back our tattoos, Ms Meakes explained the marking scheme and asked us to return the tattoos so she could post them in the classroom.

4. Setting in "The Painted Door"
We did a free-write (continuously writing for 2min and 30 seconds) on the question " What is the significance of the author's choice of setting in "The Painted Door"? Consider both the location and the climate."

5. Taking Class Minutes
Ms Meakes explained that students will now be responsible for taking minutes during class. She suggested using the class plan on the whiteboard as sub-headings for the notes. Starting next class, one student will be assigned to take notes each day.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Class Minutes for Friday October 29th

1. Prayer

2. Literary Device Quiz
The students wrote the original literary device quiz for the final time. The score that they achieve on this quiz will be the one that is entered in their gradebook.

3. "The Painted Door": Film Study
We finished viewing "The Painted Door" and discussed the differences between the film and the text. In both the film and the text, the setting is very important. The students realized that the storm is a symbol for Anne's struggle. In addition, the storm/blizzard creates the situation in which Anne and Steven are temped and able to commit adultery. Finally, vast, empty prairie with the small isolated cabin is symbolic of Anne's loneliness and emotional isolation.

4. Writing Log: Symbolism in the Lottery
Ms Meakes returned the paragraph on Symbolism in "The Lottery". Students filled out their writing logs for this writing piece.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Class Minutes for Wednesday October 27th

1. Prayer

2. "The Painted Door" Reading Quiz
-If you missed this, please see Ms Meakes to make it up

3. Anticipation Guide Agree/Disagree Discussion
Students lined up around the room according to the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with statements on the anticipation guide. The class discussed their opinions. Importantly, it is both okay and important to listen to other points of view and to constantly re-evaluate opinions.

4. "The Painted Door" Film
Students watched the film and contrasted it with the short story. This will be discussed next day.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Class Minutes for Wednesday October 20th and Monday October 25th.

Due to the grade 11 mass on October 21st, we've had a bit of mixed up scheduling in English 11.  Blocks 1-3 and 1-5 did the same tasks/classes, but in opposite order.  Here are the two classes for Wednesday and Monday.

Class A
1. Prayer

2. Publish PC
Students used the library computers to polish their draft PC's. Taking into account the comments from their peers and their goal setting during the writing log process, the students typed and edited their PC's to hand in for marks.

Class B
1. Prayer

2. Review of Literary Device Terms
Ms. Meakes reviewed some of the more difficult terms on the quiz.

3. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
Smartboard presentation on modifiers, how to identify dangling and misplaced modifiers, and how to fix the grammatical errors.

4. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Task
Students corrected and illustrated dangling and misplaced modifiers in order to demonstrate their understanding of this grammar error.

5. Anticipation Guide for "The Painted Door".
Students completed anticipation guide before reading the short story.

--------------------------------------------

Homework: (to complete for Wednesday October 17th)
1. Finish the dangling/misplaced modifier activity if you missed this class.
 2. Read "The Painted Door" and complete the anticipation guide.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

MISSING CLASS ON WED OCT 20th

**This note only applies to those students who are missing English 11 in period 1-3 on Wednesday October 20th. **

In order to catch up with the rest of the class, and to be prepared for class next week, please do the following.

A. Go to the moodle page
B. Download the Explanation of Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Powerpoint, the Misplaced Modifiers Explanation and the Misplaced Modifiers activity. View the powerpoint, read the notes, and then complete the activity described in the "activity" word document. Please note that you only need to do one sentence.
C. If you are confused, see Ms Meakes or send her an email.
D. On the moodle page, download "The Painted Door" Pre-reading guide.  Complete the guide.
E. Read "The Painted Door" for Wednesday's class.

On Monday, we will go to the library to finish the PC's. Please be prepared to work!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Class Minutes for Monday October 18th - PC Draft

1. Prayer

2. Personal Composition
50 minutes to write a first draft. Prompt based on the silent conversations had before reading "The Rocking Horse Winner".

3. Peer-Editing
10-15 minutes to read a peer's work and highlight a rubric based on their draft. Students will have an opportunity to edit based on the feedback and publish on Wednesday (1-5) or Monday (1-3).

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Class Minutes for Thursday October 14th - Personal Composition.

1. Prayer

2. Literary Device Quiz

** note: We did the following in different orders depending on the block. However, all the content is the same.**

3. Sources for A PC

The students ranked a list of possible sources of information for a PC from most important to least important. We then had a class discussion about which sources were more persuasive than others. Some key ideas are that anything specific is going to be better than a generalized account. In addition, classic literature, unique personal experiences, and current events are good examples while tv shows and other references to pop-culture are not.  The pop-culture references do not have any clout (good reputation) behind them, so they do not add any intelligence or authority to the writer's persona.

4. PC Thesis statements

Ms Meakes demonstrated the process of moving from a prompt to creating a thesis statement. Key ideas were to focus in on an arguable claim, to put the claim in your own words, and to add developmental points (supporting information).

5. PC Outline

While reading through the provided outline, we added a few notes. They were as follows: the introductory paragraph needs a general statement in addition to the thesis.  The concluding paragraph should have two sentences, one summarizing each body paragraph, followed by the concluding statement.  Each student should choose two or more rhetorical devices to incorporate into their writing. These can include any from the list that Ms Meakes gave out and/or repetition for effect and the power of three.

6. Trouble Stories - Independent Corrections, Spelling Demons, and Writing Log

Based on feedback from Ms Meakes, students filled out their independent corrections and spelling demons for their trouble stories assignment.  After completing corrections, the students received their feedback (based on the style section of the rubric) and filled out their writing log.

7. Homework: fill out the PC outline so that you are ready to write your PC next class.  You may choose any of the prompts from the silent conversations list. (Posted on Moodle) If you need help, email Ms Meakes or see her Friday after school.

Class Minutes For Tuesday October 12th.

1. Prayer

2. Literary Device Quiz

3. Rhetorical Device Search
In pairs, students used their list of rhetorical devices to find and identify examples of devices in editorials from The New Yorker. They shared their findings with another pair.

4. Text to World Organizer
Using three quiet conversation promts of their choice, students filled out the text to world organizer in order to help them come up with ideas for their PC.

5. Format of A PC
Information from notes given last day.

6. Homework:   Finish the text to world graphic organizer, change the three chosen prompts into theme statements.


Thursday, October 7, 2010

Class Minutes for Thursday October 7th - "The Rocking Horse Winner" Class 2

1. Prayer

2. Literary Device Quiz - attempt #3

3. 1 Question, 1 Comment Discussion
In groups, the students shared their questions and comments about "The Rocking Horse Winner". They responded to the questions/comments and then did a self-evaluation of their speaking and listening skills. 

4. "The Rocking Horse Winner" and the Oedipus Complex

Ms Meakes gave a short explanation of the Oedipus myth and Freud's concept of the the Oedipus Complex. Students did a think-pair-share answering "does the Oedipus myth relate to "The Rocking Horse Winner"? How?"

5. Personal Composition
Students were given a package explaining personal writing and personal compositions. The first page and the "focus" section were explained.

No homework from today's class.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Class Minutes for Tuesday Oct 5th - "The Rocking Horse Winner"

1. Prayer

2. Literary Device Quiz # 2

3. Focus Questions

-Students chose one or two questions from the list of four and wrote answers. Class discussion of answers.

4. "The Rocking Horse Winner" as a Fairy Tale
A list of fairy tale characteristics, divided into characters, plot, major ideas, and language, was given. In groups, students compare "The Rocking Horse Winner" to a fairy tale and contribute to class notes on the board.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Class Minutes for Thursday Sept 30th - Lit Devices Quiz and Tattoo Paragraph

1. Prayer

2. Literary Device Quiz
Class will rewrite quiz every class until everyone scores above 80%

3. Review Smiley Face Tricks
 -Repetition
-Starting the sentence with a verb/adverb
-The power of three

4. Time in the computer lab to write a paragraph explaining the symbolism of your tattoo (focus on style)

5. Homework: Read "The Rocking Horse Winner" for next class. Write one question and one comment about the story.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Class Minutes from Tuesday Sept 27 - Rhetorical Devices

1. Prayer

2. Revising "The Lottery" Paragraphs
25 minutes to finish revising "The Lottery" paragraph.  Make sure to indicate (using STAR) how the draft has changed.

3. Rhetorical Devices
Ms Meakes gave out a list with explanations of common rhetorical and persuasive devices. We should keep these as reference throughout the year.

4. Quiet Conversations
We had different questions and statements to respond to, which we passed around, in order to have quiet conversations on important ideas that will appear in our next short story "The Rocking Horse Winner".

5. Homework:  Study for Literary Device Quiz next class
For Tuesday: Read "The Rocking Horse Winner" and write one question and one comment about the story (please try for intelligent, insightful, and literary type questions/comments, not simple plot comprehension questions and comments)

Friday, September 24, 2010

Class Minutes for Friday Sept 24th - Rubrics, Tattoo, STARs Revision

1. Prayer

2. Marking with the Rubric
We used a paragraph from a former student (on symbolism in "The Lottery") to mark together. We used the rubric.

3.Tattoo Assignment
Ms Meakes explained and assigned the tattoo assignment. There were ten minutes to start the planning process. The drawing is due next class. The paragraph will be completed in an upcoming class.

4. STARs revision.
STARs is a way of revising written work. "S" stands for substitute, "T" is take out, "A" is add,  and "R" is rearrange.

5. Revising "The Lottery" paragraphs
Time to start revising "The Lottery" paragraphs based on the STARs and comments given by Ms Meakes,

6. HOMEWORK: complete the image for the tattoo assignment. It should be between 1/2 and 1/3 of a page in size.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Class Minutes for Wednesday September 22nd - Rubrics and :) Style Tricks

1. Prayer

2. Rubric
We discussed the grade 11/12 prose response rubric. Highlights of the discussion were the names for the categories (exemplary, accomplished, developing, beginning, and incomplete/incorrect); the "descriptors" included in each section of the rubric; and how the six writing traits fit into the rubric. 

3. Smiley Face Style Tricks
We spoke about three different ways to "add spice" to our writing.
A. Starting our sentences with a verb/adverb
B. The Power of Three
C. Repetition for Effect

4. Trouble Stories
Using the smiley face style tricks and a "power triplet" we wrote personal compositions about a time that we were in some sort of trouble.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Class Minutes for Monday Sept 20th - "The Lottery" class 4 and 6 Traits

1. Prayer

2. Discussion/ Review of The Lottery film questions

Many people seemed to be disturbed by the film adaptation. In 1-5, most people preferred the short story to the film.  Many people in both classes expressed the opinion that the theme in the film version was different because of the mayor's explanation of the reason for the lottery. The specific reason of prosperity, they argued, means that "tradition without reason" does not apply to the film.

3. Creation of Portfolios

Everyone needs to make a 4-pocket portfolio with the following sections: Writing Log, Personal Compositions, Literary Compositions, and Reference.

4. 6 Traits of Writing

Ms Meakes introduced six qualities that all good writing has. The six qualities are ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions. Ms Meakes gave a handout with a list of characteristics that fit within those six traits. Students chose one focus characteristic from each trait and identified any characteristics that they did not understand.

5. Ticket Out the Door: six characteristics to work on. 

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Patrick Webb Essay Competition


If you're interested in flexing your essay-writing muscles and possibly getting $200 or $300 as a reward, check out this essay competition for students in grade 11 and 12.  If you would like more information, or help with getting started, send me an email (meakes@acrss.org) or see me at school. 
-Ms Meakes
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Patrick Webb Essay Competition 2010-2011: Students Tackle Life Issues 
The first topic in the Patrick Webb Essay Competition for grades 11-12 secondary students follows from the decisive defeat this year of Bill-384, which would have legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada . What dangers, the students are asked, might have emerged if the bill had been passed. The second topic for the senior secondary students indicates that a number of legislatures in North America are considering “window on the womb” laws that would requite women thinking about abortion to first witness ultrasound pictures of their unborn babies. What, the students are asked, do you think might be the benefit of such laws? Studies have already suggested that such pictures can cause the mother to bond with the child she is carrying.
THE PATRICK WEBB ESSAY COMPETITION – 2010-11
COMPETITION A
The competition is open to grade 11 or 12 B.C. secondary school students, and is designed to encourage students to recognize the dignity of every human life.

First Prize                                                         $300
Second Prize                                                     $200
 ESSAY TOPICS (600-700 WORDS):  CHOOSE ONE.
Topic 1. Bill 384, which would have legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada, was defeated in the House of Commons on April 21, 2010 by a vote of 228 to 59. Many people in the country breathed a sigh of relief including many handicapped citizens. What dangers do you think might have emerged if the bill had been passed?
Topic 2. Writing in Time magazine (June 1, 2009), columnist Nancy Gibbs noted that a number of U.S. states were considering enacting “window to the womb” laws that would require women thinking of having abortions to first witness ultrasound pictures of their unborn babies. What do you think might be the benefits of such laws?
 The deadline for essays to be received is December 15, 2010
Further info here

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Class Minutes for Thursday Sept 16th - "The Lottery" class 3

1.Prayer

2.In-Class Paragraph Draft (30 minutes)
“Comment on Shirley Jackson’s use of symbols to reveal theme. Your topic sentence must be theme-based.” Focus on style. (Sentence length, word choice, transitions, quotation integration)

3.The Lottery Film Adaptation
Guiding Question: How do literary devices translate to film?
We watched an excerpt from the film focusing on how the director tried to create tone and mood, how he tried to create foreshadowing, how he incorporated symbols, and how he conveyed the theme.

4.Homework: Finish the film worksheet.

Class Minutes for Tuesday Sept 14th - "The Lottery" Class 2

1. Prayer

2. Symbolism in "The Lottery"
Jackson uses symbols to convey her message. There names of many of the characters are important because they give clues (foreshadow) the outcome of the lottery.  For example, Mr. Graves’ name represents death and Mrs. Hutchinson’s name is symbolic of the historical figure Anne Hutchinson, who was banished because of her heretical beliefs.  Two of the important and central symbols of the story are the black box and the three-legged stool.

3. Review of theme statements
A theme has two parts: a subject (topic) and a predicate (the author’s opinion or message on that topic).

4. Theme statement for "The Lottery"
In the short story, “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson uses the symbols the black box and the three-legged stool to suggest that tradition can be dangerous without reason. 

5. Homework: None. Next class there will be an in-class paragraph on symbolism in "The Lottery"

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Minutes for Friday September 10th - "The Lottery" Part 1

1. Prayer

2. Brainstorm: "Lottery"
Most of the words associated with "lottery" were positive. Generally, lottery has a positive connotation.

3. Controversy Article
We read the first few paragraphs of an article that detailed the controversy that the short story "The Lottery" caused.  The story was banned in South Africa, and caused many readers to cancel their subscriptions to The New Yorker.

4. Predictions
Based on our knowledge of Shirley Jackson (who also wrote "The Possibility of Evil") our brainstorm, and the article we just read, we made predictions about the story. Many people thought it would have a twist or dark ending.  Some people predicted that it would be about evil or be a dystopian story.

5. "The Lottery"
Ms Meakes read "The Lottery" to us.  After the first paragraph we noticed that the mood of the story was cheerful and light, however the ending was dark.

6. Think - Pair - Share

  • Was the ending a surprise? Why or why not?
    • Some people were surprised, others were not. Most who were not surprised thought that Shirley Jackson would put in a twist to show the imperfections of a seemingly perfect place, just as she did in "The Possibility of Evil".
  • Were there any clues?
    • Yes! The boys were collecting rocks at the beginning of the story (foreshadowing). The townspeople were quiet and seemed nervous, nobody wanted to acknowledge anyone else. They smiled instead of laughing at each other's jokes. 
  • What is the primary device in this story?
    • Situation irony - usually we expect that winning a lottery is a positive event.
7.  Video on technical literacy in the classroom 
It is important for us to learn how to use technology to communicate in powerful ways.  Learning these skills will help us run with the literacy stampede.

8. Homework: register (using a gmail address) on the class blog.

Ekphrastic Poems

Do you remember our Ekphrastic poetry assignment from the end of grade 10?  There is a zine for young poets called Reverse and they are calling for submissions of Ekphrastic poetry Here.  You could submit your assignment or an entirely new poem. The deadline is October 1st. (Wouldn't it be cool to be a published author?)


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Minutes for Wednesday September 8th

1. Prayer
2. Think-Pair-Share: Why is English important?
  • to get a job
  • to communicate with people around the world
  • for higher education
  • foundation of our society
  • many of the "superpowers" of history spoke English
3.  Q: What should you do if a stampede of bulls runs towards you?
      A: run along with them, even if you can't keep up

4. Watched video: Shift Happens 2010
gave many statistics about how quickly the world is changing. We were surprised by how quickly jobs are invented and how fast technology is advancing.

5. Literacy Stampede
The literacy stampede is upon us. "Literacy Stampede" means that things change so quickly that we need to keep up or we will be overrun.  We need to elevate our reading and writing to a competitive level so that we are able to be successful.  Most jobs now evaluate writing during the hiring process.

6. Course Outline given out and moodle access password is "flies"

7. Exit Slip: reactions to our literacy stampede discussion or goals for English 11

Register for Literacy Stampede