3...2...1...

and then, she said, those portfolios just had to be turned in!!!

If you are in E3H, it's time!!!! Those portfolio things are due on Monday!!!!! As to anything else: several folks (including me) have suggested that you bring munchies of some kind to make it a party, but if you intend to do so I suggest that you plan that early in the weekend, as you will not have time even to think about it on Sunday...

If you are in fifth period, you might contact Matt Ochalski, who has been discussing organizing the ordering of pizza. If you wish to use the General Discussion board to organize, please feel free.

If you are in E2H, you need to get together if possible with your scene mates this weekend both to work on your scenes and to work on your books. Be sure to find places within your dialogue to do something unexpected: little moments where you stop to think, where you ponder giving a different answer, where your blocking interrupts the speech, etc. Make the scene as realistic as possible. Scenes and books are due on Wednesday. Monday is RW.

If you are in Drama then it's time to perform! Scenes are due on Monday, so spend the weekend honing them and making them as perfect as possible. Scored scripts due on Monday, and journals will be collected next week on normal due dates.

And now a gift for the weekend, with love to fifth period:



j: that creepy crawly feeling
music: creep--radiohead

silly 70's: neanderthal man--hotlegs


--kt

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february thunderstorms

Ah, global warming. Don't you just love it?

Today in E3H, we were supposed to talk about Fate, but instead we discussed those darned portfolios, which BTW are due in four days now...(we'll be in a lab tomorrow)

In E2H, we discussed Willy and Biff and their relationship vis a vis Willy's tragic flaw, and then we worke don scenes, which is what we'll also be doing tomorrow (after discussing Ben for a bit).

In Drama, there was scene work. More of that tomorrow, for scenes are due on Monday!!!

Now, as you proofread those portfolios, remember the vital importance of being grammatically correct:



j: when moebius strips go bad
music: river winding--catie curtis

--kt

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ashes, ashes...

So, it's the day after Fat Tuesday, commonly known as Ash Wednesday, and all is approximately well...

If you are in E3H... go back to the boards...and, oh yes, there are these portfolio thingies due in four days...

If you are in E2H... we'll be doing scene work tomorrow.

If you are in Drama... we'll be working on scenes tomorrow. Bring completed drafts of your scored scripts to share with your partners.

Here is how not to park a car:



j: ashes, ashes, we all fall down
music: falling--kim richey

--kt

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laissez les bontemps roullez!!!

It's Fat Tuesday! Grab a beignet and a (non-alcoholic) hurricane and sit down to some jambalaya and cornbread and have a great evening.

(Just don't tell anyone where the beads came from!)

In E3H, we're back in the LABS tomorrow for more WW, but meet in the classroom.

In E2H, we have DOAS scene work tomorrow.

In Drama, it's scenes scenes scenes tomorrow!!!!

and now, live from New Orleans...

j: laissez les bontemps roullez

music: take me to the mardi gras--paul simon

--kt

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are we dancer?

If not, can we at least admit that we enjoyed the crap out of the end credits of Slumdog Millionaire? :-)

Hi, all!

Let's talk Monday, shall we?

Today in E3H, we spent some time discussing portfolios and fate, two subjects which are clearly intertwined this week. For those (in period two) who did not get the message: I made an executive decision after class today that eliminated the requirement for the fourth piece. You now have only three pieces required for the portfolio. The trade-off is that I am no longer accepting Works-In-Progress. You may submit a fourth piece if it is finished (and I encourage you to do so, as those who can will receive extra consideration), but if it is not portfolio-worthy it will hurt the overall grade. Instead, please add it to the "Other Works" section.

Note about the "Other Works" section:

In this section, you may (at your option) include for my reference the latest version of any or all pieces that you have written for this class. If you choose to avail yourself of this option, please include a brief letter discussing these pieces overall and what they say about your growth or work this year.

We'll be doing lab work tomorrow, but meet in the classroom.

Today in E2H, we worked on scenes. We'll keep doing that later in the week, but tomorrow we will be in Writing Workshop and we have lab time booked. Meet in the classroom.

Today in Drama we talked Oscars and then did some scene work. More scene work tomorrow. Memorize!!!



j: cut the cord
music: human--the killers

--kt

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two weekends left...

five school days remain...

do you know where your portfolios are?

E3H: We will be discussing the role of FATE in both Oedipus and Antigone on Monday. Please continue discussions on the Oedipus boards and start some on the Antigone boards.

E2H: Your assignment re: your final DOAS scene work is online on the E2H page. Continue online discussions. Monday we will be examining themes and motifs.

Note that workshops are Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

Drama: Work on memorization (due Monday). As both an aid to memorization and an aid to comprehension of character and scene, do two things this weekend:

1. Slow down by typing out your lines.
2. Start to score your script.

Scoring a script can be done in any number of ways, but in all of them the actor examines his or her lines, movements, objectives, etc. in detail, through a microscope. Some actors color-code their parts, finding connections everywhere and visualizing them through tabs or post-its or highlighters. Some make lists. Others have their own techniques. Here is a relatively simple one that works for me, and for almost any scene:

Divide the page into two columns, or (and I recommend this approach) make a two-column table. In the first column, type in each thing that happens in the script, whether it is a movement, an entrance, a line of dialogue, or whatever. Put each of these on separate lines with a space between them. In the column opposite the first, record the objective of each and every event in the scene. (Remember that an objective is stated as a verb that can be accomplished and measured within the scene itself.)

Your page will look something like this:

Linda enters	to investigate a noise
She calls "Willy?"	to calm fears that it could be a burglar
Willy says "It's all right. I came back"	to put her at ease
Linda says "Why? What happened?"	to control mounting confusion
Linda moves down the stairs	to purge the mental picture of Willy in an accident
She says "Did something happen, Willy?"	to voice rising panic

Begin work on this. Type up your scene in column form. (You can go back in and add blocking later, once you know it.) Type the lines for all characters. Once you finish, use this as a memorization tool, but also start asking yourself why your character does some of these things, and type in possible answers. (Note: if you are not using a table: since you will be adding things to this document, it would be best to type the objective directly after the action. You can cut and paste to move it later, but if you tried to put it into a column form now, it will just get messed up later on. Try putting it in a different color.)

OK...have a great weekend!



j: global warming
music: february--dar williams

--kt

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portfolios? anyone? bueller?

Portfolios -11 and counting...

E3H: In Second Period we will be discussing and wrapping up Portrait; in Fifth we'll be discussing Oedipus and Antigone...

E2H: DOAS continues...

Drama: Continue working on memorization of your scenes! Also, if I have not collected your journals, they are overdue, and if I have, continue doing entries.

Today's journal suggestions were:

• Life Drawings: written depictions of interesting people you encounter during your lives
• Emotional Portraits: discussion of what a specific emotion is from various perspectives
• The Roles We Play: discussions of the roles we find ourselves playing in our lives
• Acting Observed: observations of acting, formal or informal, that we observe in our lives

Remember: four entries per week plus any assigned and required topics.

Here is another piece from ImprovEverywhere:



--kt

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bone chandeliers

Isn't Europe just a hoot? :-)

E3H: In Period 5, we are finished with our project presentations, so we spent the period bringing Portrait to a close, discussing why it ends the way it does in Chapter Five and making comparisons to Asher Lev. We'll be in workshop tomorrow. Period 2 still has a couple more projects and that discussion to look forward to...

E2H: The new Funeral board is open!

Drama: I only got three journals...I need the rest tomorrow! Decent work for the most part on the classroom improv, folks, though not everyone was prepared. Remember, prepare these things and make firm and dynamic choices!

Work on your scene memorization.

Girls: I need a volunteer for Ex Cred...anyone want to do a second scene? Haley needs a partner (or at least a shadow partner if Alex shows up at some point). You may use the script in this scene as long as you do not stare at it, but you have to know the scene well enough to make Haley's scene work because it is her grade...



--kt

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you call that a long weekend?

Why not four days off and three days on? :-)

(And do it every week!)

E3H: Portfolio - 13 days and counting...

Also... post on Oedipus and read Antigone by Thursday. Tomorrow we will be in workshop mode...lots o' conferencing.

E2H: we're in workshop tomorrow. Thursday we'll be back in DOAS.

Drama: Arrgh! I forgot to collect journals! OK, all of today's will be collected tomorrow; allof the rest on Thursday. See last Thursday's blog for 10-beat classroom entry assignment and Friday's for addenda. Also, read and familiarize yourselves with your duet scenes...

And now a fun little video:



--kt

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dear mr. president...

Please give me an extra day off of school!

OK?

Thanks!

E2H: You worked on a specific scene today. Here are the questions that were written on the board:

• what themes were present in this scene?
• what do we learn about willy here?
• what do we learn about other issues here?
• if the goal of tragedy is to make us feel pity for the main character and fear that the flaws in that character's personality might be present in our own and lead us to similar fates, is there anything in this scene that could point us toward these emotional responses?
• how does this scene connect to any specific moments elsewhere in the play?
• point to key lines in the scene and explain why they are key; what do they mean in terms of the rest of the play?

In your groups, continue this discussion online. Also, continue other board postings (esp the new boards) throughout the weekend.

More to come...

E3H:

Continue those board discussions about Oedipus...and don't forget that the Portrait projects are due on Tuesday! (Oh yes, and it is Portfolio Day - 17!!)

Drama:

We only had six people here today, but that did not prevent us from accomplishing a lot. Those who were here presented their entrances. We discussed them and explored the importance of asking lots of questions about each of the ten beats designated in last night's assignment. You should always make very specific choices. We'll have everyone (even those who went today) present on Tuesday.

In addition, we selected scenes for performance. I gave out three duet scenes to those who were here; I have several other two and three person scenes to hand out. We'll be focusing on these next week.

Next week also, we will begin the Journal schedule as follows:

Mondays: Jenny, Madison, Julia, Haley
Tuesdays: Rohan, Alex, Marina
Wednesdays: Harrison, Ellie, Courtney
Thursdays: Taylor, Spencer, Jimmy

(For next week, Monday and Tuesday will be collected on Tuesday.)

For those who missed it:



silly 70's: the night chicago died: paper lace

--kt

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for those who can see

Apparently Internet Explorer suddenly has decided that it no longer likes my blog. :-(

So, if you can see this...

E3H...

We're smack dab in the middle of a discussion of what Aristotle thought was the most important stuff to deal with when thinking about tragedy. One element of particular importance, he noted, was audience, and I mentioned today that our buddy Stephen Dedalus also thought audience of some significance, as he discussed in Chapter Five the notion of bringing about the tragic emotions of pity and fear. We'll be talking about that (and other things) tomorrow...and maybe online tonight?

E2H...

We got ourselves all caught up in the middle of Willy's dreamworld. Tomorrow we have to start sorting it out. We're going to start taking this play apart scene by scene to figure out what the heck is going on. Meanwhile, tonight, there are several new thematically diverse boards open for your discussion pleasure.

Drama...

Here is your assignment for tonight, for performance in class tomorrow. (Let's see how many of you are actually checking this thing!)

Prepare the following short improv:

1. enter an imaginary classrooom
2. look for a place to sit
3. move past "others" to sit down
4. once seated. change your mind and take a different chair
5. interact with an imagined classmate
6. take notes on a lecture or discussion
7. attempt to get the teacher's attention, but fail
8. do something interesting!
9. let something in the circumstances make you angry
10. leave the imaginary classroom

Note: the leaving should not be due to the end of the period; you decide to leave. As far as "doing something interesting" is concerned, try to keep it at least remotely possible that it could happen within the scene you're creating; let it spring from being ignored, for example. It's always better to stay within the scene than to impose something from outside.

Practice this. (Of course, silly: You always practice a performance!)

j: tranquil nights
music: nights in white satin--moody blues

--kt

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Cough, Sneeze, and Hack, Inc.

It's been a fine day. If by "fine" you mean awful. I did come across a cool video to share, though. It's an old one, but if you've never seen it you should; it's really uplifting. It even made me smile, and that takes some doing today!



Basically, for tomorrow, E3H will be doing Oedipus, as previously scheduled for today. I think tomorrow is scheduling day for E2H, but I'll have to check when I'm back in school. And Drama will perform the improvised scenes you worked on today in class.

Have a better day than I.

--kt

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spam spam spam spam

Important Update:

I will not be in tomorrow. I will instruct the sub to give 3H and 2H WW time and leave something specific that builds on today for Drama. If a lab (by some miracle) is available, you might be able to go there.

Have a nice day. (I can pretty much guarantee that I won't.)

--kt




I have no clue whether I'll be here tomorrow or what shape I'll be in if I am, but here's where we are, basically, today:

E3H had WW today and will be discussing Oedipus tomorrow. (Post!)

E2H had WW today and will be back in DOAS tomorrow. (Post!)

Drama discussed objectives, evaluations and tactics today, along with the scenes observed last night. We did some improvised scenes to show subtext as well. HW is to begin combing through TV shows, movies and/or plays for examples of anything we've discussed already and to record it in your journals. I will not collect journals until next week.

--kt

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35,000 cookies!

I have this to say about that:



:-)

OK, then:

E3H: You should be finished with Oedipus the King by now; join the online discussions! WW tomorrow!

E2H: You should be finished with Act One by now; join the online discussions and read Act Two. WW tomorrow!

Drama: The assignment I made in class is your journal entry for tonight. Here it is again: Observe a real life "scene" (which you may or may not be part of) and then explore the ten elements of it in your journal:

Define your relationships.

2. What are your objectives?

3. What obstacles are in your way?

4. What strategy can you form to get what you want?

5. What specific tactics will you use within that strategy?

6. What text will be spoken while you employ these tactics?

7. What is the implied subtext of this text?

8. What is the interior monologue that is going on in your head during all of this?

9. At what moments does your partner do something that makes you pause, consider, or reject several different answers in evaluation of what response would be best?

10. What beat changes occur within the scene that signal some kind of transaction has been completed and another has started—e.g. a conversation has changed, a tactic is changing, a new person is entering, a new objective is being pursued, etc.

--kt

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in praise of warmer days

They say it will be in the fifties tomorrow!

Hallelujah!

E3H: Read Oedipus the King. Boards are open. Portrait projects are now due on 2/17.

E2H: Read Act One for Monday, Act Two for later in the week (Thursday?). Boards are of course open.

Drama: This is the starting point for your discovery of self.

Examine your body carefully in all of its aspects. Observe yourself and record the results.

1. Standing still: Where do you place your weight? Where are you centered? Do you lean? Do you slouch?
   
2. Sitting: How erect are you when you are seated? Do you sink into the chair or floor? Do you lean? In what direction? Do you cross legs? Arms? Do you sit on some part of yourself? How much space do you take up? What curves do you have in legs, arms, spine, the tilt of your head?
3. Facial Expression: Do you have a "typical look"? Any runners-up? Do you make eye contact with others frequently? Intensely? How long before looking away? Do you squint, narrow eyes, do anything else with eyes? Do eyebrows move? Do you wriggle your nose? Purse your lips? Suck in your cheeks? How often do you smile? Does your smile happen suddenly or slowly? Are you easy to read or poker faced?
4. Tempo and Rhythm: Do you move quickly, slowly, or in between? Is there a constant tempo? Do you land with full weight or glide along the ground? Are your steps heavy or light? Do you stress each move with any part of your body when you walk? Is there a relationship between your speed and your rhythm? Are you fast and erratic? Slow and steady?
5. Motion: When walking, sitting or leaning, what contacts the surface below you? Is the contact flat and solid, or gradual and curved? When you are about to move, do you prepare to move (shift weight, adjust clothing, etc.) or just take off? When you stop, is there some similar adjustment period? Or do you just land and stop? When you sit, do you support yourself as you come down, as with your hands? Are your movements fluid or jerky? How obvious is your shift of gears when you change speeds or directions? Are your moves straight and assertive? Or are they weak and indirect? Do you ease into furniture sideways, curve across a room, sidle up to people?
6. Gestures: Are your arm gestures expansive and wide or tight and economical? Do you gesture frequently? Can you sit on your hands without going crazy? Do you have any predictable, repetitive moves? Are any of them unique to you? Do you have any props you always seem to be playing with (rings, necklaces, pens, etc)? Do you literally demonstrate your feelings or experiences physically in such a way that someone who doesn't even speak English could figure out what you are saying by watching your gestures? Are your shoulders a part of your gesturing? Do you lean in to make points?
   

There is a lot more to come. This will do for this weekend. :-)

And now for something totally random and wonderful:



--kt

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a penny for my thoughts

Not that they are worth a penny. They aren't worth even that plastic pull tab thingy that seals your orange juice bottles. (What's that called anyway?)

Tomorrow, in a classroom near you...

E3H will hear about the Story of Oedi and the Sphinx, unless they are 2nd period E3H, in which case they won't because they'll be registering...

E2H will discover the relationships that are there to be discovered within the Loman household.

Drama will do something drama-y.

(Tonight, Drama: reflect on your monologues! This one is required!)

j: an unexpected occurrence
music: annie get your gun--squeeze

--kt

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another day bites the dust

And another one's gone and another one's gone...

Hello, everyone. Once more, this is your friendly neighborhood English teacher reporting for the daily blog. Here's the scoop for today:

E3H: Period 5 registers tomorrow. Go straight to your counselor. Period 2, we're moving on to Tragedy-land!

E2H: We're already in Tragedy-land! Death of a Salesman tomorrow. Read the first couple of scenes of the play (through the conversation between the sons). And go online for posting about (among other things) the American dream.

Drama: If you have not yet performed, work on your piece tonight. It will be the fourth day of performances, and though you won't be judged any harsher than day one, it's certainly time to have it ready.

In your drama journals:

Exercise: Record those conversations if you have not turned them in.
Entry: What is your history with formal acting? What specific times can you recall when you have played parts in your daily life?



j: humpday shuffle
music: stuck in the middle with you--stealer's wheel

--kt

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thoroughly marred and chilly

It's cold today!
But not in May.
So see the play...
That's what I say. :-)

Hey, everyone...

Tomorrow is an extra Writing Workshop day in E3H because it's useful.

We're introducing tragedy in American theatre in E2H, and your Grapes essays are due.

Drama continues performances, and you homework tonight is to eavesdrop on two conversations and record them in writing along with what made them interesting to you...

Here's hoping you all have a thoroughly sham-wow of an evening.



j: a little more musical/schoolday camouflage
music: forget about the boy--thoroughly modern millie

--kt

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Happy Groundhog Day

So good old Punxatawney Phil is only right 28% of the time? Well, that makes me feel a bit better when the fat little rodent keeps seeing his bloody shadow!

E3H and E2H: We have Writing Workshop tomorrow!

Drama: Today we went over the Course Syllabus (link off of Drama page, to the right), and began performances. Performances continue tomorrow.

See you when it's not Groundhog Day anymore...unless it still is!!!!



J: deja vu
music: deja vu--crosby stills and nash

--kt

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Monday's conferences

The following folks have conferences tomorrow and should check back this evening to see the new conference schedule once I have it attached to the link in order to find out the time of your appointment:

Anna Z
Tyler L
Sammy D
David D
Elizabeth P
Emmy N
Nate B
Lindsey T
Azul C
Ashley B

--kt

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