There is a new conference schedule up. Check it out.
Film: Started to watch "Garden State." More tomorrow.
E2CP: Discussed Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants." No new HW.
E3H: Discussed SD's friends. Read on to page 243 tonight, but the goal is 269 tomorrow night. It's a big jump, I'm afraid, but that is how the chapter is divided. I'd suggest reading beyond tonight's assignment.
WORD OF THE DAY*: OBSEQUIOUS * Click word for information.
Film: Today we discussed concepts from the "Mise en Scene chapter (Chapter 2). We'll continue that tomorrow and then watch a couple of films... Reviews due tomorrow!
E2CP: Today was WW. Don't forget that the current piece is due two weeks from today. Essays are due tomorrow. Bring books.
E3H: Today we did WW stuff. Tomorrow we will return to our buddy Stephen. Don't forget the short (8-page) reading assignment for tomorrow, which includes the Dedalus Basket theory in all of its crazy glory.
Here is a talent to amaze and mystify:
And here is something simply wonderful:
WORD OF THE DAY*: INDEFATIGABLE * Click word for information.
Would you be so kind as to do me the honor of accompanying me to the Turnabout Dance? --Miss Y
Dear Miss Y,
I will be happy to do so as long as you don't wear that yellow dress you wore to the church thing last Tuesday. It made you look like a five and a half foot chicken. --Mr. X
Dear Mr. X,
I will have you know that I happen to like that yellow dress. Five and a half foot chicken indeed! I cannot understand your need to tease so. And what makes you think that I would ever wear the same dress to two dances in two weeks? As if! --Miss Y
Dear Miss Y,
Well that is good to know. I had visions of doing a fast dance with you and having everyone think I was dancing with an epileptic hen. --Mr. X
Dear Mr. X,
I suddenly feel that this is no ordinary teasing. --Miss Y
Dear Miss Y,
Well, to be fair, you were no ordinary chicken. --Mr. X
Dear Mr. X,
My daughter regrets to inform you that she will be unable to attend the Turnabout Dance tonight. She seems to have come down with a sudden case of pneumoniastrep throatprojectile vomitingdance fever a severe headache. She begs me to send her regards and wishes you a fine evening.
Miss X's mother.
The above message was brought to you by the Committee for a Healthy, Entertaining and Appropriate Turnabout (CHEAT)
Um...anyway...
Film: After discussing CK once more, the HW for the weekend is:
For Monday: write a 2-page (double-spaced, 12-pt, one-inch margins) essay exploring how "Citizen Kane" illustrates some of the photographic techniques we have seen in Chapter One.
For Tuesday: Your weekend movie review (focusing on photography this week) will be due Tuesday.
E2CP: We spent time today discussing the narrator in ""The Yellow Wallpaper."
For Monday: WW; write a 1-plus page essay discussing any two of the 4 short stories we read this week as examples of feminist literature.
E3H: We discussed Davin's story and the "tundish" incident today. Over the weekend, read through 235; annotate carefully. WW Monday.
WORD OF THE DAY*: GUILE * Click word for information.
For you non-theatre types out there, that title is part of a classic theatre game. (If you want to learn it you'll just have to join theatre!) BTW: There's a play Friday and Saturday!
Film: Yes, we did it! We finished CK today. Tomorrow we will be discussing it and its relationship to various elements and aspects of Chapter One. There will be an essay over the weekend.
E2CP: Several of you had not yet read "The Yellow Wallpaper." Goodness know why not. One assumes you are doing so right now--well, right after reading this message. For tomorrow,
Find ten specific things, positive or negative, that the first person narrator does for the story that help explain the author's choice. Write them in a bullet list.
Also: Here is how to make a Vocab Admit Card:
On a notecard, write the Word of the Day on one side.
On the other, write its definition and a sentence containing it.
E3H: How well do you read? I gave the assignment in 7th Period but I forgot to do so in 8th. So I'm wondering how many in 8th will have it for tomorrow and how many will add it to the weekend...
For tomorrow: read through 227 (that part I gave) and...
As you do so, create a chart of Stephen's college friends. Write their names as you meet them. Next to the names write some defining characteristic once you are sure of it, and a page number we can find evidence of it. Bring this to class tomorrow.
Also: Here is how to make a Vocab Admit Card:
On a notecard, write the Word of the Day on one side.
On the other, write its definition and a sentence containing it.
WORD OF THE DAY*: QUIXOTIC * Click word for information.
Tomorrow's Conferences: Everyone who has yet to have one this cycle. (Come early; it's going to be crowded...)
The State of Our Classroom is getting stronger. I could list all sorts of reasons, but I don't feel like it. Just trust me. :-)
Film: Continuing CK after discussion of Oscar contenders and what the list means about film.
E2CP: Discussion of the three Chopin stories.
From now on: Come into class with an Admission Pass that consists of the Word of the Day, its definition, and a sentence containing it (and of course your name).
For tomorrow: Read "The Yellow Wallpaper," (487) another feminist piece from a similar time period.
E3H: Read in Ch 5 through 205. (Annotations will not be due until next week.)
You may have heard that President Obama gave his State of the Union Address last night. You didn't? Well, I will present it for you in a nutshell.
First, please rise for our National Anthem:
And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States:
WORD OF THE DAY*: ABERRATION * Click word for information.
Film: Our literature is "Citizen Kane," so we returned to it after continuing the discussion of Chapter One for a bit. If you do not own a book, GET ONE!!!
E2CP: We discussed Chopin's "Story of an Hour" and tonight your assignment will be to read the other two Chopin short stories in the book and, in your journals or notebooks, write three points of comparison among the three pieces and three dissimilarities. You will not need to turn this in but I will check it tomorrow.
E3H: We're back to SD and his wild, wild life. In Ch. 4, he found that the priesthood was not for him, opening the door for...what? Re-read the final pages, the epiphany to find out. And consider what his odd name has to do with all of this.
WORD OF THE DAY*: AUGMENT * Click word for information.
And now, we return you to your regularly scheduled English teacher...
Film: Today we discussed the beginning of Chapter One. Of course, by "we" I mean "one student and I." Maybe we can do better than that in the future? :-) More on Chapter One tomorrow.
E2CP: Today we were in WW. Of course, by that I mean "the class was scheduled to have a Writing Workshop." Whether you actually took advantage of that is another story. Beginning next week, your in-class WW effort will be entered into the gradebook as an individual grade.
Tomorrow, we will be in the Short Fiction book. Bring it. No story required tonight because you do have a little matter of an essay on ATDOAPTI to write. :-) (See Friday's blog for specifics.)
E3H: Today, we were in WW. Tomorrow: Chapter Four! (Yes, we will finish Portrait before we are all old and gray.)
Here are our hairy songs of the day:
and...
WORD OF THE DAY*: VILIFY * Click word for information.
I need a double shot of whatever vitamin it is that is supposed to help with memory. (I forget.)
:-)
This festival planning has me in knots, and I keep forgetting to post my blogs! But it's nearing midnight and I just remembered and, though I need to be back at school at 5:30, here I am.
Film: Tody we stopped and went over some major points so far in CK, then wtched some more. BUY THE BOOK and read and take notes on Chapter One.
E2CP: Yes we did! We finished Absolutely True Diary today. Assignment(s):
If you didn't do it for today, then for Monday: 1-page personal essay exploring your personal reaction to the idea that the book is supposed to get you thinking about your own need for "escaping and confronting familial and community expectations."
For Tuesday, a more analytically oriented piece, about two pages long, that focuses on this thought by Junior's friend Gordy (p 132): "Well, life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community." How does Junior discover this to be true? How does the book leave him in his "struggle"?
Writing Workshop Monday!
E3H: We had RW today! For Monday, annotations in Ch 4 will be due. It's also WW.
And now, a look into the future...
WORD OF THE DAY*: ABDICATE * Click word for information.
Yes, let future historians note that it was on this day, January 18, 2012, that frigid, ugly, nasty winter at last came to the midwest this year. Let us hope it does not enjoy a prolonged stay.
Film: We began watching "Citizen Kane."
E2CP: After returning final exams and discussing vocab quizzes, the assignment was to take your own final exam and the school rubric and in a one-page typed essay either support or argue with your score. Quote from both the rubric and your essay. We also had 25 minutes of RW. Back to the book tomorrow.
E3H: After returning Vocab and final exams, the assignment was to take your own final exam and the school rubric and in a one-page typed essay either support or argue with your score. Quote from both the rubric and your essay. Afterwards we went back to hell, examining the first of the spiritual pains.
Loving me some Mittster:
WORD OF THE DAY*: SPURIOUS * Click word for information.
Today we all got a foothold on Semester 2, 2012, and the Great Reset is off and running! Welcome, too, Film class, to the Wonderful World of the Topham Blog!
Not much to say today but that I hope it's going to be a great semester (and that the current cold snap ends quickly). Otherwise...
Film: Today we discussed why we study film--as a continuation of the study of story-telling that is innate to human nature. As the world changes we find new means of telling stories and right now film is our best way; it is important to understand the techniques directors use to manipulate their audiences while getting those stories to work. Bring books, notebooks, something to write with, an open mind and a desire to learn every day and this will be a pretty cool way to spend second semester.
E2CP: Vocab Test today. Tomorrow we go over it and the final exam, and then we move back into the book.
E3H: Vocab Test today. Tomorrow we go over it and the final exam, and then we go back into the book. Annotations due tomorrow.
WORD OF THE DAY*: INTREPID * Click word for information.
Ever experience a bad Powerpoint presentation? This guy is the master:
I am almost fully finished with grades. At this moment, to my knowledge, I have three CW portfolios left and that is it. (Sorry, Justine, Alex and Kevin, but they'll be done soon.)
Grades should be correct right now. If they are anything but that, let me know immediately.
Anything yet to be graded will be posted to PowerSchool during the week. You may see me or email me Thursday or Friday if there are issues; nothing should be missing at all by then.
Tomorrow is the English Final. Not much to say about that. Good luck!
A few words for all about next week...
But first a goodbye:
CW: I've truly enjoyed this class. I hope that you have too, as much as you've indicated on the Final Projects and all. Thank you for all of the excellent suggestions for next year. I will try to use as many of them as I can. I'm definitely going to try out the Blogfolios. I think that the notion of establishing a once-a-week "class review" day, at least for the first quarter, is excellent. Having time in the first week to set up WS and other structural things is also a fine idea. These and other things I will implement next fall. If you come up with anything else, drop me an email! (Or stop by. You can always stop by!)
OK, now: let's talk to those who are coming back...
To all: Don't forget that there is a Vocab Test Thingie on Tuesday, right away, when we return.
E3H: Finish Chapter 3 annotations for Wednesday back. We'll be moving through the rest of Portrait in the next few weeks. Also, it might be a good idea to take a look at the English offerings in the Student Guide to Courses. We'll be discussing them a bit when we return, but you have some big registration decisions to make!
E2CP: In the few days of that first week back, we will finish our novel and write about it; then we will be moving on. Short stories are our next stop before another novel pops up in February.
OLD PEOPLE DANCING!
I found one with a grandma dancing to "Rack City" but the song is too obscene to link to...
Oh, yes, they are coming. I hear them being printed right now. Listen. Cup your hand over your ears. Can't you hear it? The faint "clack clack clack" of the copier? It's coming. It's coming soon.
CW: Nothing left but to enjoy each other's presence...and to check out each other's final projects. Look for them here:
E3H: Today we took our practice final. Tomorrow I am going to have you work with each other (and the rubric) to see what these partial essays suggest about the quality of the essays that would be written if time permitted. (You will have a RW on Friday.) All remaining ex cred projects will go on Monday. We will save the vocab assessment until the second semester.
E2CP: Today we too our practice final. Tomorrow I will go over them with you and talk about some of the things I observed in each of them.
And once again, here is the ACTUAL EXAM ESSAY PROMPT:
Write an essay that explores an important idea suggested by
this story.
That idea may relate to a character or characters in the story, a dominant
theme that emerges from it, or literary techniques the author uses to convey
its central concepts. You may also use a combination of these approaches if you
prefer.
Before you begin writing, plan your essay using any strategies you have found
helpful—brainstorming, outlining, free writing, webbing, etc.
Focus your essay on a strong thesis statement; use mapping statements, mapping
points, or some other clear plan to establish the paper’s organization; and
prove your
arguments with solid textual support.
Remember, this essay is an exploration of ideas, not a plot summary.
Hi, everyone, and welcome back to another (or your first) year at LFHS.
What you have heard is true. The English teacher has lost her ever-loving mind and is not going to be giving any grades at all in her classes this year. Not. One.
There will be no percentages, no numbers, no scores, no letters, no anything that will count toward anything that will end up being averaged for a final grade. But before you call in the men with the white coats, let me explain:
As I hope you have read in the doc your son or daughter (I have always hated the phrase "your student" when addressed to a parent) should have showed you, there is a wealth of research that indicates that grades--or the need to achieve them--are the single greatest thing that stand in the way of a great education. Studies show that the most influential thing a teacher can do to help a student grow academically is to allow him or her to self-grade. Most teachers would rather climb Mt. Everest dressed only in a swimsuit.
But the thing is: our academic system is severely broken. We say that our goal is to get our students to master Common Core Standards, and that is all well and good. But if that is truly the goal, then why do we care how long it takes them to master them? I'm serious. Think about it this way:
Try to remember back to when you were learning how to ride a bike. Oh, it was scary. You needed all kinds of support at first, lots of help from Daddy or Mommy. Then they let go and you were very, very wobbly. Probably you fell off, maybe several times. It took quite a while before you completely mastered the skill. But when you had...you had it down perfectly for the rest of your life.
Now imagine if you were being graded on that learning experience the way schools grade you. We would not score those first scaffolding attempts with Mommy and Daddy, but then...oh, you failed those quizzes when you fell off. And those wobbly rides? C's at best. Then a bunch of B's probably before you finally settled into 100% forever. But if we graded you right at that point, you'd probably average, oh, 83% or so. Why?You've mastered the skill perfectly. So why do you not get 100% if that is what we say we care about? Why on earth do we care about all those earlier times when you didn't have it down yet?
That will be what we go for here. Students will know what the goals are. They will understand what an "A" student looks like. And they will know when they have mastered an objective. Those who do so earlier than others will become tutors to those who have not yet done it: everyone gains from this and the newly learned skills, instead of being quickly forgotten as things studied for a test usually are, will continue being applied as masters tutor their classmates.
That is an awful lot to imagine will happen because I don't give grades this year, but what the heck: if you don't dream big, you never win big, right? The research is behind this, as is the school administration. I'm happy--well, actually I am excited--to pilot this concept at LFHS. As always, I'm glad to discuss this or anything else with you.
