Developing da Vinci

We are just over a week away from presentations, so you should be close to preparing yours, if you haven’t already started.

English 12

We will begin by reading the short story “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl. You should be able to tell me what type of irony is being used in the story based on yesterday’s lesson.

• Editorial: A newspaper article written by or on behalf of an editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue.
• Elegy: A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.
• Emotional Appeal
• Epic: A long poem, typically derived from oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures. Written in formal language.
• Epilogue: A section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened.
• Epiphany: An appearance of sudden and striking revelation.
• Epigram: A pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way. ”Little strokes/Fell great oaks.” – Benjamin Franklin
• Epitaph: A phrase or statement written in memory of a person, esp. on a tombstone.

Here lies my wife,
I bid her good-bye.
She rests in peace
And now so do I.

• Euphemism: is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener. Example: “passed away” instead of “died”.
• Expert Testimony

Time remaining will be spent on your narrative essays – due on Monday, May 27th.

English 8

We will begin with silent reading.

Today you will work on your Where I’m From… poems.

Here is a template to help you (if you need it).

1. Write down your favourite thing to eat. Describe some of the characteristics if you can. (I am from macaroni and cheese with breadcrumbs on top, fresh from the oven.)
2. Think about your journey to school every day. Record the stores, parks or landmarks you pass on the way to school. (I am from the coffee shop on the corner of Elm and Princess Streets.)
3. Write down a favourite family saying.
4. Describe an old toy or a keepsake that you will never throw away (for example, a model car, a photograph, a concert ticket stub).
5. Describe the place where you keep that special item (in a drawer in my bedside table, in my wallet; on a shelf in the garage).
6. Name the place you wish you could return to when you have more time and/or money. (My grandmother’s home in Jamaica.)
7. Think about holiday food, songs, and traditions. Describe them. ( I am from tourtiere on New Year’s Eve.)
8. Write about daily happenings. (I am from an alarm clock that always rings right on the dot of 6 a.m.)

Student Examples

“I’m From the Woods….”      by Nick

I’m from the woods and the creek behind my fence
From the gray wooden backyard deck.
I’m from the honeysuckles,
The pear trees by the neighbor’s garden
From the creek when I swing over it.

I’m from the yellow walls of Grandma’s kitchen
From the Yorkshire pup, the coolest thing in my family.
I’m from macaroni pictures of the Ark
From “I just can’t snap my fingers and make it happen” and from David the Gnome in summers long ago.

I’m from my mom’s side of the family,
From roasting turkeys for each holiday,
From when Papaw yelled at his boss and got fired
From the family pictures in the big wooden cabinet and
From the family gathering when we drag them out.

I am from those moments.
A root that no one sees, but walks all over
An important part of the tree.”

Where I’m From….               by Lauren

I’m from baths in the kitchen sink,
From Downy and Mom’s perfume
I am from flowers by the fence  (yellow and springy
they tasted like crayons).
I am from the ivy crawling up the house,
The baby tree whose sturdy trunk shot from the ground
A mirror image of my planted feet.

I’m from sprinkles and plastic table donut shops
From Bert and Ernie
I’m from stupid heads and dot dot I got my cootie shot
From don’t touch this and don’t touch that.
I’m from Hymn No. 96 and why is this piece of bread so small?
And bible crafts made from neon pipe cleaners.

I’m from Bill and Darlene’s branch
From hot soup and freshly baked corn bread
From the Well, when I was little’s and the snowy games
Told to me by Green Bay Packer season ticket holders
In the storage room are boxes
Overflowing with shiny, color-coated memories
Bundles of dreams kept alive
To ask my mother about.

I am from those moments
A leaf changing color with the weather
Time only strengthens the branch that holds me.

Your carefully edited and neatly presented poems will be due on Monday, May 27th.

English 12

We will begin with silent reading.

• diction: word choice
• didactic: intended to teach
• dilemma: A situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, esp. equally undesirable ones.
• dramatic monologue: A dramatic monologue is a poem that shares many features with a speech from a play: one person speaks, and in that speech there are clues to his/her character.

Irony is the difference between appearance and reality.

Dramatic Irony
The reader knows more about the events of a story than a character within it. Characters’ beliefs become ironic because they are very different from reality, and their intentions are likewise different from the outcome their actions will have.

Verbal Irony
The words of a character have a hidden meaning as well as an apparent one.

Situational Irony
There is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.

Structural Irony
A double level of meaning is continued throughout a work by means of a participant in the story whose judgment is impaired by prejudice, personal interests or limited knowledge.

I will share another example of a narrative essay, and you will have time to work on your own. Topic: The best gifts are the simplest.

Developing da Vinci

We’ll begin with a brain warm-up.

You’ll then have time to work on your inquiries.

English 12

We’ll begin with silent reading.

What do you think about this article?

Chronological Order: organization of events based on the time they occur.

Climatic Order: to save the most important, or interesting, for last.

Colloquialism: An informal expression that is more often used in casual conversation than in formal speech or writing. “I wasn’t born yesterday.”

Colloquial Language

Cliche: A trite or overused expression or idea. “The best thing since sliced bread.”

Essential Elements of Narrative Essays (from YOURDICTIONARY)

The focus of a narrative essay is the plot, which is told using enough details to build to a climax. Here’s how:

• It is usually told chronologically.
• It usually has a purpose, which is usually stated in the opening sentence.
• It may use dialogue.
• It is written with sensory details and vivid descriptions to involve the reader. All these details relate in some way to the main point the writer is making.

All of these elements need to seamlessly combine.

Learning Can Be Scary

This excerpt about learning new things and new situations is an example of a personal narrative essay that describes learning to swim.

“Learning something new can be a scary experience. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was learn how to swim. I was always afraid of the water, but I decided that swimming was an important skill that I should learn. I also thought it would be good exercise and help me to become physically stronger. What I didn’t realize was that learning to swim would also make me a more confident person.

New situations always make me a bit nervous, and my first swimming lesson was no exception. After I changed into my bathing suit in the locker room, I stood timidly by the side of the pool waiting for the teacher and other students to show up. After a couple of minutes the teacher came over. She smiled and introduced herself, and two more students joined us. Although they were both older than me, they didn’t seem to be embarrassed about not knowing how to swim. I began to feel more at ease.”

Tips on Writing a Narrative Essay

When writing a narrative essay, remember that you are sharing sensory and emotional details with the reader.

• Your words need to be vivid and colorful to help the reader feel the same feelings that you felt.
• Elements of the story need to support the point you are making and you need to remember to make reference to that point in the first sentence.
• You should make use of conflict and sequence like in any story.
• You may use flashbacks and flash forwards to help the story build to a climax.
• It is usually written in the first person, but third person may also be used.

Remember, a well-written narrative essay tells a story and makes a point.

English 12

We will begin with silent reading.

We will review a number of terms today.

Blank Verse: is any verse comprised of unrhymed lines all in the same meter, usually iambic pentameter.

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun

Free Verse: is an open form of poetry. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech.

Bias: Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Caricature: A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person, animal or object to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.

Case Study: A particular instance of something used or analyzed to illustrate a principle.

Catastrophe: The action at the end of a tragedy that initiates the denouement or falling action of a play. One example is the dueling scene in Act V of Hamlet in which Hamlet dies, along with Laertes, King Claudius, and Queen Gertrude.

Cause and Effect:

Chorus: An actor in Elizabethan drama who recites the prologue and epilogue to a play and sometimes comments on the action.

Comedy:

Comic Relief: An amusing scene, incident, or speech introduced into serious or tragic elements, as in a play, in order to provide temporary relief from tension.

You will have some time to work on your Journey Projects and/or synthesis essays.

Developing da Vinci

You will be working on your inquiries.

Developing da Vinci

You will be working on your inquiries.

English 12 

We will begin with silent reading before reviewing a number of terms and devices.

Today, we will discuss active voice and passive voice. (Here’s a helpful link.) Your writing will usually be much more clear/effective if you use active voice.

Active Voice = Subject + Action + Object (if any)

• Mrs Corman gave the assignment.

Passive Voice = Object + Action + Subject

• The assignment was given by Mrs Corman.

We will discuss another example of allusion in the novel: “The Ant and the Grasshopper”. This will also give us an opportunity to discuss allegory,  fable and moral.

www.dltk-teach.com/fables/grasshopper/mstory.htm

Disney Version (for fun): www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM1DgihKHVI&feature=related

Fable: a short, allegorical narrative making a moral point, traditionally by means of animal characters who speak and act like human beings.

Anti-climax is an unexpected twist in the plot, an incident marked by a sudden diminishment in intensity or significance.

“In moments of crisis I size up the situation in a flash, set my teeth, contract my muscles, take a firm grip on myself and, without a tremor, always do the wrong thing.”
(George Bernard Shaw)

• Antithesis: Using opposite phrases in close conjunction.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
English novelist (1812 – 1870)

• Apostrophe: Not to be confused with the punctuation mark, apostrophe is the act of addressing (talking to) some abstraction or personification that is not physically present: For instance, John Donne commands, “Oh, Death, be not proud.”

• Anecdotal Evidence: Non-scientific support. Uses personal stories (narratives).

• Aside: In drama, a few words or a short passage spoken by one character to the audience while the other actors on stage pretend their characters cannot hear the speaker’s words.

• Audience

• Autobiography: A non-fictional account of a person’s life – usually a celebrity, an important historical figure, or a writer – written by that actual person.

If there is time, you will work on your essays.

English 8

We will begin with silent reading.

I will introduce the Imagery Project, and you will have time to search for poems.

Imagery: the mental pictures that readers experience, whether by literal description (using the senses), or through allusion, simile or metaphor.

You need to:

• Pick a poem that is rich in imagery.
• Word process or hand write it on a fair sized piece of paper.
• Make an inventory of images.
• Using photographs, magazine pictures, drawings… show the imagery on the page.
• Memorize and prepare to “perform” your poem.
• Be prepared to explain/discuss your choices (orally).

English 12

We will begin with silent reading.

Today is the last day you will have to work on your synthesis pieces.

If you finish early, you can work on your Journey Projects.

Developing da Vinci

You will be working on your inquiries today.

English 12

We will begin with silent reading.

I will share a couple of examples of the Journey project with you.

You will have time to work on your synthesis essays.

English 8

We will begin with silent reading.

We will be working on poetry for the next three weeks. We will read and listen to the poem “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon, and then analyze it using TPCASTT. You will work through the poem: first individually and then with a partner. We will then discuss it as a class.

We will look at student samples of “Where I’m From” poems.

You will have some time to work on your own poems.

English 12

We will begin with silent reading.

You will be working on your synthesis piece for “The Chrysanthemums” and ” Touching Bottom”.

English 8

We will begin with silent reading.

Based on feedback, you will complete the good copies of your The Outsiders essays – due today.

English 12

Your reading journals are due today.

We we will begin with silent reading.

We will read the second story for our comparison/contrast literary essay (synthesis): “Touching Bottom” by Kari Strutt – Imprints 12, pp. 124-131. You should create a Venn diagram or a t-chart to organize points of comparison and/or contrast between this short story and “The Chrysanthemums”. Suggested areas of focus are symbolism, character, or theme.

Developing da Vinci

You will be working on your projects in the library.

English 12

We will begin with silent reading. By the end of the day, you should have read up to Section 13 (p. 333). You have a reading journal due tomorrow.

We will begin another synthesis assignment. Today you will read the short story “The Chrysanthemums”. Suggested areas of focus are symbolism, character, or theme.