English 20 Final Exam 08

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
Plato
(427 BC-347 BC)

We must constantly make decisions in daily life. Some decisions are simple choices (e.g., Coke or Pepsi) while others affect people’s entire lives. Furthermore, every decision has consequences and often there is not a clear alternative. Decisions involve weighing alternatives and considering the consequences. Does conforming to the beliefs and actions of the majority make a person a “good citizen”?

When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice. -William James

Write an essay based on literature you have studied in which the author examines conformity. What idea(s) does the writer develop regarding a conformity?

 

Search the net, search blogs, search your mind. Synthesize, hyperlink, and trackback.

 

Your writing should be a synthesis of the 5 paragraph essay AND a blog post.

Time: 2.5 hours
Submit a printed copy to your teacher and a trackback to this post.

English 30 Poetry Assignment

Respond to each of the following in a well-considered post in your blog.
Limit your selection of detail to a separate poem for each response.

  1. Explain how image and symbol reinforce theme in a poem.
  2. Explain how facts about a writer’s life are relevant to your understanding of a poem.
  3. Explain how a poem can reflect a poet’s personal psychology.
  4. Explain how your own experiences affect your interpretation of a poem.

Trackback each post here.

Novel Study Preflight Checklist

Read a Novel from the Reading List:

Tracback a “map” of your response here.

Suggestions for Approaching Poetry

  1. Assume that it will be necessary to read a poem more than once. Give yourself a chance to become familiar with what the poem has to offer. Like a peace of music, a poem becomes more pleasurable with each encounter.
  2. Do pay attention to the title; it will often provide a helpful context for the poem and serve as an introduction to it.
  3. As you read the poem for the first time, avoid becoming entangled in words or lines that you don’t understand. Instead give yourself a chance to take in the entire poem before attempting to resolve problems encountered along the way.
  4. On a second reading, identify any words or passages that you don’t understand. Look up words or passages that you don’t know; these might include names, places, historical and mythical references, or anything else that is unfamiliar to you.
  5. Read the poem aloud (or perhaps have a friend read it to you). You’ll probably discover that some puzzling passages suddenly fall into place when you hear them. You’ll find that nothing helps, though, if the poem is read in an artificial, exaggerated manner. Read in as natural a voice as possible, with slight pauses at line breaks. Silent reading is preferable to imposing a “te-tumpty-te-tum” reading of the poem.
  6. Read the punctuation. Poems use punctuation marks – in addition to the space on the page – as signals for readers. Be especially careful not to assume that the end of a line marks the end of a sentence, unless it is concluded by punctuation.
  7. Paraphrase the poem to determine whether you understand what happens in it. As you work through each line of the poem, a paraphrase will help you to see which words or passages need further attention.
  8. Try to get a sense of who is speaking and what the setting or situation is. Don’t assume that the speaker is the author; often it is a created character.
  9. Assume that each element in the poem has a purpose. Try to explain how the elements of the poem work together.
  10. Be generous. Be willing to entertain perspectives, values, experiences, and subjects that you might not agree with or approve.
  11. Try developing a coherent approach to the poem that helps you to shape a discussion of the text.
  12. Don’t expect to produce a definitive reading. Many poems do not resolve all the ideas, issues, or tensions in them, and so it is not always possible to drive their meaning into an absolute corner. Your reading will explore rather than define the poem. Poems are not trophies to be studied and mounted. They’re usually ore elusive. And don’t be afraid that a close reading will damage the poem. Poems aren’t hurt when we analyze them; instead, they come alive as we experience them and put into words what we discover through them.

Canadian Poetry Unit Plan

I’ve selected three mini-units for our study of Canadian Poetry:

Throughout your study, think carefully and creatively about responses to your course focus questions. Maintain a connection to characters you’ve already studied. Extend your discussion of image, symbol, and archetype. Consider: Principal Images of Heaven and Hell and Principal Images of Innocence and Experience.

Short Story Unit Plan

Given:
I have a variety of online etexts of classic short stories.
Each story is linked to a discussion forum of the author.
I have a Short Story Study Guide template. I figure this template will suffice for a multi-threaded response from a blog. Design a clear “map” for me to follow for assessment.
I have a list of Critical Questions(each topic linked to a discussion forum as well). Pick and choose whatever question you like to fill out your guide.
I have a page of Focus Questions for the entire course. Choose your overall thematic focus from this list.
I have a bank of exams for each of the short stories (view a sample quiz, oh, you’ll need the hint for the password).

Your Task:
First, work alone on any one story, all your work on one story should be in your own blog(dedicate one post as a “map”). 3 days. Quiz #1: November 14.
Second, work in pairs on another story, all your work must link collaboratively between your two blogs. 3 days. Quiz #2: November 19.
Finally, work alone or in pairs (or larger groups) on a third story, your response can be in an acceptable collaborative format. 3 days. Quiz#3: November 23.

Weight:
Quiz 20%, Study Guide 80%.(x3)

Consider:
A novel study and a variety of poems remain as requirements in the course. Diploma Part A: January 15, 2008. The Novel should be done before Christmas break to allow for poetry study in January. Consider extra readings from the reading list.

Trackback your 3 responses here.

Hamlet: Final Response

Choose a focus for your final response to Hamlet.

Synthesize alternative points of view, (include links to sources: your posts, STJ blogs, etc.).

Review your responses throughout our study:

Writing tips:

Trackback.

PS: “To thine own rubric be true.”
rubric.png

November 9th is the “cut off” day for submission of my marks to the office.
Any assignment to be (re)submitted for grading must be “in my hand” before 2:00PM November 9th.

Kimberley Klein Wins $10000 Scholarship

Congratulations Kimberley! The two runners up, Jess Kim and Shelley Batts, will each be awarded $1,000.
The remaining 7 finalists in the top 10 will be sent a $100 award for their participation. This includes:

  • Thomas Peters
  • Matthew Burden
  • Grant Brisbee
  • Paul Stamatiou
  • Shane Lavalette
  • Stephanie Collins
  • Karin Dalziel

Any surprises?

Kimberly Klein was a clear first place choice by many STJ bloggers.

Apathy versus Action(LOTF)

Read, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Discuss the novel with the following focus: How and why must we act upon our knowledge, values, and abilities for the well-being of others?
Related Questions:

  • How can we justify a position or action?
  • What moves us to action? What forces encourage apathy?
  • How can we act to make our views and decisions felt?
  • How can society be improved?
  • Does conforming to the beliefs and actions of the majority make a person a “good citizen”?

Trackback.

UPDATE:
Extra Credit: Contribute and embed the following discussion of archetypes into your post using the PostRSS plugin.

[rsslist:https://pingo.snowotherway.org/rss.php?tid=170]

Student blog will win $10,000 Scholarship

One blogger chosen by “the internet” will win $10,000 US scholarship … for keeping a blog.

As the ratio of high school student blogs I read to the number of college student blogs I read approaches infinity, I think it a good time we troll a few of the best college bloggers in the US.

All STJ student bloggers have been involved in assessment of one another’s blogs since the beginning of STJ iblogs in 2006. I’m certain we’d pick a deserving “Final Four” from the list of 20 finalists.

I’m curious to know for what blogs STJ bloggers vote.

Submit your comment (or trackback) here with a brief reason/detail/example justifying your vote for the $10,000 US scholarship.

Consider our recent emphasis on structure and voice: How are these college bloggers defining themselves through voice? What structures/patterns do successful bloggers adopt? What role do comments play in the development of the blog?

Yaaar, there be pirates in one of the blogs . . . but don’t let that influence your vote.