boards open and snowed-out parties

E3H students:

The Portrait boards, which I thought I had opened before vacation, are now open for business. (I guess no one had missed them until Thomas G wanted to post on Monday and sent me a message.)

To everyone:

Because of the snow day right before break, we never had our parties, which included, of course, Secret Santas. You all bought presents and, I assume, may still have them? If you'd like, I will allow a "party" makeup on Tuesday when we get back. We'll actually be in workshop mode that day, but you can bring in goodies and gifts as well.

--kt

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vacation conferences

I have been asked: Is it possible to have a conference over vacation?

The answer, of course, is yes, but it is a bit, um, complicated. As you know, the definition of a conference involves dialogue, which leaves emailing a draft for feedback off of the list of possibilities.

However...

If we (or any of you) met online for chats, that could most definitely count as conferences. Here is how it would work:

• Meet up on AIM, iChat, facebook, Gmail chat, or any other online interface;
• Send the latest version of your piece(s) via email;
• Discuss;
• Print out the chat for evidence of conference.

If you would like to meet me for a conference:

My best suggestion is to get yourself a Gmail account. They are free (and, BTW, the very best of the free email accounts out there). Once you get an account, add me to your contacts. My address is ktsunspark@gmail.com. I am almost always online, but I am not always available. I should appear in your chat list with a little green dot signaling that I'm here; go ahead and try me. Please understand, though, that there are three possible outcomes:

1. I'll say it's a bad time.
2. I won't answer at all (because I'm actually not at the computer).
3. I'll give you the conference.

Don't take offense at (1) or (2); just leave me a message and send the email with your piece, for later. We'll catch each other. (BTW: Gmail chat messages "wait" for the recipient; I'll get it even if I'm offline when you send it.)

So that's how to do it.

Meanwhile...

Merry Christmas!!!!

--kt

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about annotations

I got an email from one of my sophomores asking about her annotations grade. She said that she did not think I had been fair in my assessment, that she had done better than the "√-" I had given her, and that she had heard that others had done half the assignment and gotten better scores. Maybe I had really not read these carefully enough? So I wrote this back, and I thought I'd share it, since some of you might also have similar concerns:

The grades were based on the annotations that you actually did, so if someone did fabulous annotations for three chapters I gave them a score based on the quality of those annotations while noting that they had only done those three chapters. They still--obviously--have to do the rest over break or the score will adjust downward to reflect the fact that it was only partly completed.

As to yours, I admit that I read them quickly--I read ALL of them more quickly than I had planned in order to get them back a day earlier than I had initially planned--but I do seem to recall that you needed more specificity and a lot more notation about Steinbeck's style (his use of varying structures, repeated phrases and words, etc.), the kinds of descriptions he gives to characters, symbolic elements, etc.

None of this is bad. It just means that I want you all to focus more, and I do tend to give lower scores on those first annotations (which of course can be changed completely anyway) so that you will see what I am looking for. Still I do acknowledge that I could be wrong about yours: you have it in front of you and I do not. And everything last Thursday was an enormous rush, as you might imagine when I thought I had two days to do something and found myself condensing it into one. (And thank goodness that I did so.) I apologize if I underscored yours. But don't worry too much: it isn't going into the gradebook until I see the "final" version.

If you are a junior, just substitute things about Joyce for things about Steinbeck in those paragraphs. And all of you look at the previous post for the vacation assignments as well as at last Friday's post for specifics on annotation.

Happy Holidays! Hope you're sufficiently bundled!

--kt

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the rise of snowzilla

As the Abominable Snow Monster of the North rises from the southwest (huh?), we again take our leave...possibly for weeks, but definitely for tonight. So in order to make things as clear as possible, here is what is expected from all of you in the next two weeks:

If you are a member of the Creative Writing class:

You have a portfolio due the day you get back. I'm available for feedback via email if need be over break. If absolutely necessary, contact me and we'll arrange an online chat for a conference.

If you are a member of the E3H class:

Your Writing Workshop continues. So does your Reading Workshop. But the most salient issue right now is your shared literature. Portrait of the Artist is ongoing, and you should read through Chapter Four during the break. While everyone will do this at his or her own pace, I'd suggest (for better online conversations) the following schedule:

• Chapter Two: 12/23
• Chapter Three: 12/30
• Chapter Four: 1/3

Annotate thoroughly and participate in online discussions. (I'll be hanging out there too.)

If you are a member of the E2H class:

You also have both Writing and Reading Workshops ongoing, but your shared literature (The Grapes of Wrath) is your most important element at this time. You have the Great Depression Interview Project due when we return. But you should also continue reading, annotating, and discussing the text online. The next chunk to read is the one encompassing Chapters 7-11, which I have labeled "Packing a Life." Following that is the one that goes from Chapter 12 through Chapter 16, "On the Move." Then the much smaller 17-19 section, which I have called "Crossing the Desert" follows. As you read each section, annotate thoroughly (far more thoroughly than you did the first section, I might add).

As you finish each section, go online and join the discussions, which will presuppose that participants have finished those chapters of the book. Though you'll all read at your own paces, for help with the online discussions, I'll suggest the following schedule:

• "Packing a Life": 12/23
• "On the Move": 12/30
• "Crossing the Desert": 1/3

I'll be hanging out in the conversations.

And now, for your viewing pleasure...



:-)

j: snowzilla returns: this time it's personal
music: christmas has come: erin sitton

--kt

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tuesday

j: skate away
music: river--joni mitchell

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warning: pagan crossing

I hope you enjoyed the Dar Williams song today; it's one of my personal seasonal favorites. I'll be sharing a few more of my personal favs as the week wears on...

E3H:

Finish Chapter One. I will be collecting books to grade annotation on Wednesday, and you'll be doing more reading and annotating over the break. I have not yet determined how much. (Somewhere between the end of Chapter 3 and the end of the book, I suspect.)

E2H:

Finish Chapter 6. I will be collecting books to grade annotation on Wednesday, and you'll be doing more reading and annotating over the break. I have not yet determined how much. (Somewhere between the end of Chapter 15 and the end of the book, I suspect.)

CW: confs confs confs......

and now a holiday word from the Kinks...



j: just a week to solstice
music: the christians and the pagans--dar williams

--kt

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new books!!!

So we have these new novels to start! Yay!

As I said in class today, both of these novels are a challenge to the class reading them, but both contain rewards. The Grapes of Wrath is a long piece, but its faithful rendering of the struggles of the Great Depression (I hope that's not something we end up calling the old Great Depression...but given our current economy, who knows?) tell us of things that 21st Century students in Lake Forest cannot comprehend in any other way. And Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man, as challenging as its structures make it, shows a young man coming to terms with issues connected to growing up, issues that still concern young people today.

Besides, both of these books contain beautiful writing. :-)

So...let's get specific...

You need to annotate the book, so a note about annotations:

Annotate the book as you read by highlighting and writing notes in the margins or even adding post-its if need be. Annotations can be many things:

• Be Personal: How do you feel about a character or event? Has such and such a character or person ever reminded you of something that’s happened to you. How well do your relate to the novel. Does it ring true? Do you love or hate or empathize with a character.
• React: Be blunt. This is boring; this character is petty and I can’t stand him; nobody I know would do this under these circumstances. Be prepared to justify such comments in class discussion.
• Note wordplay: What “games” does the author play with language? When does the pure word choice, whole phrases and sentences, or figurative language call attention to itself? What ideas do you have about why this might be?
• Cross reference: If a certain word or concept or image comes up on a certain page and you see it come up again, note that recurrence by putting the page number in the margin. For instance, if the main character makes reference to a favorite character from a book and many pages later that same book comes up, go back and find the pages and make a marginal note where they occur. Why? Because tracing patterns will lead to an understanding of how the novel is structured and work like blazing a trail through a forest of words. Cross references help you find and remember patterns that lead to ideas about the novel. This will help for class and online discussion and writing papers.
• Circle unfamiliar words: This can save you interrupting your reading to look up words on-line or in the dictionary. You can ask about them later and note definitions in the margins so you can re-read those sections.
• Pose questions about things you don’t understand: If you do this, you will make a positive contribution to discussion when you ask them in class or online. Your questions will often be similar to other class members; besides, many who didn’t have a question about a certain passage will still have a lot to learn too.
• Make Outside Connections: If something from outside of the book strikes you as connecting to the book, discuss it. Or even (if it can be done) paste something about it into the book from the web. Your brain fires synaptic connections a million miles a minute: let them be a part of your annotations too!
  

E3H:

I'm going to ask you to begin reading the text this weekend. The first two pages contain Joyce/Stephen's earliest memories. As you read this section:

Imagine yourself a young child and write about a very early childhood memory (possibly even your absolute earliest memory), but write it as if you were the age you were then. For instance, if you were 3 and fell off a Big Wheel and skinned your knee, write the story the way a 3-year-old would tell it. Do this in the online "Childhood Memories" board.

Following this section, you will find the rugby match we mentioned in class (pages 4-7, ending in "All in! All in!"). After reading this section carefully, I want you to try to parse the stream of consciousness within it in a graphical illustration. Visualize it in any format you'd like, bonus points for creativity. Be specific, when you create it, about placing plot elements onto it.

Example: show Stephen's conversation with Nasty, show his reflection about Cantwell, etc.

Online, discuss this scene:

• What are some of the things on Stephen’s mind?
• Which of them are most important?
• How do we know?
• What is the importance of the “All in, All in” at the end?

The specific reading for Monday is through through page 39 (the Xmas dinner), but you should continue on as you can to page 61 (the pandybat incident), which is the end of the chapter. All of these will be fodder for in-class and then online discussion next week.

Next week: MT: Portrait W: Counselors Th: Readathon F: party

Don't forget the yellow-striped readathon pieces!

E2H:

Your specific assignment, as I noted in class, is to read through the fifth chapter of the book. Get through at least the first three chapters by Monday, but try to move through all five; it's not really all that much.


Start keeping track of characters in a notebook: there are a lot of them and it may become difficult if you do not.

Annotate the book as I note above, but also discuss online on the boards I am providing. Consider some fundamental questions as you read:

• Who is Tom Joad? Why was he in prison and what does that tell us about him?
• What do we learn about Jim Casy?
• What does the way Steinbeck describes things tell us?
• Do you sense a metaphor (or more than one) in the turtle chapter?
• What's the deal with Joe Davis's boy?
• What do we learn about the Joads from Chapter 5?

Don't forget the green-striped readathon pieces!

CW:

Ya'll know...

Don't forget the blue-striped readathon pieces!

j: it's freakin' cold
music: cold outisde--lowen and navarro
silly 70's: beach baby--first class

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essays' end

OK, E3H and E2H: it's time to bring this two-week essay process to a close. Bring 'em in tomorrow:

Black draft on top.
Multicolor draft paper-clipped below.

And buy the books! You'll need them this weekend: Grapes of Wrath (sophs: $16) and Portrait (jrs: $10). Cash or checks only.

Also, it's time for the readathon!!!

Don't forget: Your name (or a pseudonym including the number of your class period)
A Good Title
My Name

and... the stripes! Sophomores Juniors Seniors


j: perchance to dream
music: stranger than dreams--lowen and navarro

--kt

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killer karaoke

Karaoke rage is not unheard of in Asia. There have been several reported cases of singers being assaulted, shot or stabbed mid-performance, usually over how songs are sung.

Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” has reportedly generated so many outbursts of hostility that some bars in the Philippines now do not offer it on the karaoke menu anymore. In Thailand this year, a gunman shot eight people dead after tiring of their endless renditions of a John Denver tune.

And a good time is had by all.

E2/3H: today's revisions focus on the conclusion and title.

A couple of words about these:

A good conclusion does not simply repeat things already said, nor does it start new arguments about interpreting the text. Rather, though it probably summarizes your arguments, it takes them to some new plane, perhaps a more universal one, perhaps one that ties back to an opening idea you used for the essay.

There is nothing wrong (and lots right) with using a well-chosen quotation from the text or from somewhere else to help make your point here, though again you should avoid new textual interpretation; that's the job of a body paragraph.

As far as the title is concerned:

Clever and interesting is good, but obscure is just plain weird. If your title's connection to the subject of your essay is not readily apparent, you might consider using a subtitle (as in A study of transcendentalist thought in Thornton Wilder's Our Town). Indent this, center it, and single space it with a smaller-than-usual font size.

CW: 28/9 and counting...



j: Q
music: theme from avenue q; quidam--cirque du soleil

--kt

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hi from beautiful peoria

I'm at Bradley University and it's cold outside. I'm glad that, at this moment anyway, I'm not outside with the chilly air. Instead I am in a hotel room typing a blog to you all.

E3H/E2H:

This weekend's revision color is actually BLUE. Yes, I know I wrote orange on the white board, but I screwed up: orange was yesterday's color.

3H: Tonight ends the special run of the art terms board. Focus this weekend on your essays. Use the Asher essays board.

2H: I've opened an OT/H&M essay feedback board; use it to post essays or parts of essays for feedback. Help each other! (Remember the dreaded quotation marks; just deal with them...)

CW: I hope you enjoyed Pete today; he was certainly full of great advice and information. Those who bought his book: I think you'll find it to be a good read.



j: will it play in peoria?
music: rudolph the red nosed reindeer
silly 70's: how do you do?--mouth and mcneal

--kt

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Snow? again?

It's 5:30. I'm in my classroom. Does anyone know why?

E3H/E2H: Today's revision focus is transitions. Today's revision color is purple.

And on we go, into funland:

j: speed the plow
music: speed of sound--coldplay

--kt

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angels whom we've heard were high...

Wait. That's not right...

(Though something was up at the end of that song today...)

So I hope you got the drift of the lesson today re: variety being not only the spice of life, but also the spice of essays. Be aware of that as you work through your essays this evening in Draft Three: The Green Draft.

Meanwhile,

E3H continues to work on the online stuff that starts here, and

E2H redrafts diligently, and

CW remembers that WINTER BREAK IS COMING......

calling all angels...



j: night of the zippo
music: angels we have heard on high

yesterday:

j: SNOWZILLA!
music: let it snow! let it snow! let it snow!--nelson rangell

--kt

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