English 11: Vocabulary TEST! STUDY

Study all 75 words. This is the real thing!

BCTELA contest entries are due tomorrow. If you were absent today, bring two good copies of your poems and a copy of your short story or your personal essay.

I returned the Section B essays today. Some of you need to study the format. Go to yesterday's blog and read the sample. Read peer samples. Review the template on yesterday's blog.

Focus on Style, content, format and proofreading.

Section A: We started section A today with the two poems on education. Tomorrow, we will read the poems together, make notes, create an introduction together and then you will write the first two body paragraphs and the conclusion.

Friday's class: We will go over all of the stories, Othello, L of Flies, and your novel so that you have a gigantic chart with all the themes, characters, conflicts, events and quotes ready to study over the weekend.

You can start studying now by reviewing essays and paragraphs you have written this year and the corrections. Don't make the same mistake twice.

Today: I collected the USSR forms and all overdue work.

Well done.

Writing 12: All submissions and contest entries due . . .

You will have tomorrow's class to finish your contest and submission entries. We are not in the lab, however. There are 13 computers here. If you can complete all the work tonight, you will be ahead of the game and be able to focus on studying for exams.

TONIGHT: Complete the Aerie and Polyphony Assignments. Key here is to

ALL SUBMISSIONS DUE TOMORROW BY THE END OF CLASS.

I WILL HAVE YOUR MARKS READY FRIDAY.

English 10: Study for your provincial exam! Big Vocab. Test.

You have completed at least two practice exams. More exams available on-line. Practice. Practice. Practice.

Tonight: Re-read your section C composition, the criteria, the corrections, and the topics. Check to see if the sample that you wrote would fit all the topics listed on the sheet. (These topics are from former examinations). A new topic will be somewhat similar but worded differently.

Think of another story that you could write so that you have all of the topics covered. If you would like, write a new one so you feel really prepared.

Dialogue: Re-read how to punctuate speech. If you cannot find the handout, there are extra handouts on my desk. Grab one.

Tomorrow: BIG VOCAB. TEST! ALL 75 WORDS. Plus, we will prepare for section B. You will feel ready to study for the big day. Make sure you know obvious terms such as metaphor, symbol, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, irony, alliteration. Other terms will be there to distract you. For a complete list, visit this link: Literary Terms

Most of these terms we have covered. We have covered all of the key terms. Check your notes.

FRIDAY: Music and Poetry and Treats to relax our way into the provincial exam. If you have not already signed up to bring refreshments, please do so. Prepare two poems to read to the class or bring your guitar and sing a song. Marks awarded for eye contact, audibility, flexibility in tone, enthusiasm, talking to the audience, introducing the poems etc.

Exam Day: Tues. Feb. 3rd at 9 a.m. in the big gym. Arrive 15 minutes early. Bring any English texts or USSR texts that you are finished reading and return on the cart at the door to the gym. 

Bring water. 
Wear layers. 
Be comfortable. 
Make sure you have eaten. The exam is 3 hours long. 
Bring two pens and two pencils, an eraser, all in a plastic bag. 
Get a good sleep. 

 

English 10: Finish reading the end of Act 5, Scene 3

If you were absent today, you need to finish reading all of Act 5 and get all the notes you missed today.

All overdue work must be submitted by Wed.

USSR forms are due Wed. No lates accepted as I must complete the report cards by Friday.

We will watch Romeo and Juliet tomorrow. I do like the modern version but I think to understand it in terms of Shakespeare's time, it's best to see the original film version first. You can watch other versions on Netflix.

Writing 12: Prepare for you THREE MINUTES OF FAME

We have a list prepared. We are not going to have an MC so each reader will announce the next reader. Please sit at the front. The first five readers sit facing the audience. After you five go, we'll have the next five come up and sit facing the audience, etc. and proceed through all 25. I know it can be scary but once you do it, you will want to do it again. Support your peers by reading your work.

That is the Spartan spirit.

There will be prizes.
Please be prepared and do not go over your three-minute limit. Time yourself tonight as you practice. Know what you will read and how you plan to introduce it. Please talk to the audience as you would a friend. Nothing to fear. We will be there snapping and clapping and appreciating your work.

Wed: Manuscripts due. They must also be emailed to me. Thanks.

After I collect the manuscripts, we go to the computer lab to send a story to Aerie International and one or more to Polyphony H.S. You could send two 1500 word or less stories to each magazine.

I will give you all the cover pages for the BCTELA contest, the Claremont Review contest and the Claremont Review submission.

You may double submit to most magazines except do not send the same story to The Claremont Review and to the Claremont Review submissions as that could be embarrassing.

C.R. Contest:You send 1 story or 3 postcard stories to The Claremont Review contest. (no name on the story) Attach the story to the entry form. You have already paid for this contest so be sure to get this in.

C.R. Submission: You send up to 5 post card stories (not used for contest) or any combo of long and short stories (again not sent to contest). Let me know if you need a small envelope or a large envelope. (All items for publication must be submitted by Thursday to get the marks). You will have all Wed. and all Thurs. to accomplish these tasks. Put your name on these stories.

BCTELA (one story, 1500 word max. You may double submit) No name on story. Attach the story to the contest entry form. Contest is judged anonymously.

Aerie International (1500 word max. Not a good idea to double submit unless you are really organized and keep track of what you sent where so you can say contact the mag. to say, sorry, My DOG story is no longer available as the CR just took it. Some folks hate that as they put a lot of effort into reading and editing your story and just when they are about to contact you, you contact them and say, Sorry, Mac. I'm choosing another magazine).

Polyphony H.S. 1 to 3 stories (depends on how many poems you sent them. You are allowed to submit a maximum of 5 pieces, I believe. Check their guidelines.

English 11: Preparing for the in-class essay and for the exam

In-class essay tomorrow: Bring all notes and quotations that you plan to use. The topic is below. You will have the entire period in which to write and revise and polish your essay. This essay imitates section B on the final exam.  Length: 700 to 1000 words. A sample student in-class essay is below.

Part B of the exam is a course-content essay. 

You need to choose a thesis from the list and write a formal, literary essay that discusses both pieces (Othello, L of Flies, short stories or the novel you read in January). You will be given a list of the titles and the authors.

To get a good mark on this section, it is a smart idea if you can quote from the stories. If you cannot quote, be sure to paraphrase as you must provide evidence for each opinion and you must explain how the evidence proves your thesis.

To Prepare:

Study your literary must-haves list. Study all the works we read. Know the names of the characters, the themes, symbols, conflicts, motifs. Re-read the literary paragraphs you have read, your notes, re-read synopses on-line, etc.

You must study for this section. It is worth 50% of the exam.

Tomorrow's topic: We do not see what is really there. We see what we want to see. Without a firm grasp of reality, one cannot make reasonable, humane decisions. Chaos reigns.
Introduction: 5 sentences (75 to 100 words)
Hook: Excellent wretch or damned whore? A fun-filled island or a place of death.
Thesis: We do not see what is really there. We see what we want to see. Without a firm grasp of reality, one cannot make reasonable, humane decisions. Chaos reigns.
First Body Summary: In Othello, by William Shakespeare, Iago convinces the moor that Desdemona is an adulterer and as a result, Othello can no longer conceive of her goodness and chaos results.
Second Body Summary: (based on your understanding of the book read)
Repeat the thesis in an emotional way: Outrageously, perception is guided by belief. Until we are able to see the truth, lies and deceptions evade reality.

IT WILL BE A FOUR PARAGRAPH ESSAY.
THE INTRODUCTION:HOOK, THESIS, FIRST BODY SUMMARY PLUS AUTHOR AND TITLE, SECOND BODY SUMMARY PLUS AUTHOR AND TITLE, REPEAT THESIS

FIRST BODY PARA. IS ALL ABOUT ONE story, play or novel Length: 300 words
THESIS
FIRST OPINION
FIRST EVIDENCE (QUOTE OR PARAPHRASE)
FIRST EXPLANATION
TRANSITION
REPEAT
TRANSITION
REPEAT
CONCLUDE
TRANSITIONAL SENTENCE TO THE NEXT BOOK

SECOND BODY PARA (300 words)

(SAME AS THE FIRST BUT YOU DISCUSS A DIFFERENT BOOK)

CONCLUSION: 50 words
THESIS
FIRST BODY SUMMARY
SECOND BODY SUMMARY
END WITH A HOOK OR REPEAT THE THESIS EMOTIONALLY

STYLE:

• persuasive tone
• formal diction (Use vocab. list. signifies, elucidates, illustrates, portrays, depicts)
• literary must-haves
• sentence length (short, medium, and long sentences)
• Vary how the sentences begin
• have good transitions
• use the #3 style for incorporating quotes
• Use synonyms for nouns (The ignorant general, the suspicious moor, the insolent aunt,
• don't use THIS< THAT< HE< SHE Use persuasive nouns, synonyms, explanations)
• use brackets, dashes, semi-colons, colons

Sample In-class essay: The sample uses three stories. You may use three but are required to discuss TWO.

Sample Student In-class Essays

      It is not easy to maintain an imaginative, colourful society. Society, according to the stories, we studied, is often a violent, or uncommunicative wasteland. The adult world has little to offer its children. The story, “The Fall of a City”, by Alden Nowlan has a kid being parented by two drab, unimaginative adults who corrupt his mind and destroy his ambition for the future. “Want to Play House?”, by Leon Rooke, has two nameless children, representing all children, acting out the horrible lives of their parents as if it is just a game—they think violence is a way of life. “First Date”, by Debra Nikkel, has a young man discovering the truth about society and how it can be very incommunicative and “fake” while on a date with a girl. Without good role models for our children, we have no future.

      “The Fall of a City”, by Alden Nowlan has an ambitious child at the prime of his childhood being overruled by his unimaginative, ridiculing aunt and uncle. When Teddy plays with his mini-civilization in the attic, he is on top of the world; he literally and figuratively is better than his guardians because he values and uses his imagination, but when his aunt calls him “down” to dinner, the interruption ruins his thoughts. The aunt’s appearance with a stooped posture and red, swollen hands implies that she is a stereotypical housewife trying to get all the day-to-day work done and she wants Teddy to be the same. She cannot imagine a different future for herself or for Teddy. When Teddy stares at his uncle at the table, the rain pelts gloomily like white marbles in the gray sky behind him and he relates the face of his uncle to that of Duke Zailkla, the tyrant of his civilization. Teddy understands that his imagination is important but is too young to put this understanding into words. Teddy’s uncle is also the tyrant in Teddy’s real life, especially when he laughs at Teddy for playing with “paper dolls”. Teddy’s ambition and imagination is being corrupted by his aunt and uncle so that he becomes like them. They are the only vision of the adult world presented in the story. Teddy’s imagination, which is the key to his future in society, is now reformed. Ruined. His aunt and uncle, being stereotypical guardians, have nothing but boredom to offer for his future—they are making society incommunicative and unimaginative. Parents greatly affect a child’s outlook.

     In the story, “Want to Play House?,” two children are attempting to act out the lives of their parents as if violence and abuse are a mere game, a way of life. The narrator is telling “you” what to do, and when she instructs the little boy to come in and not worry about kissing, it shows just how unaffectionate adults can be, and how kids pick up behaviours easily, accept as normal what they see—miscommunication between their parents offer nothing but future harm for the children. Again, the little girl instructs the boy to “do whatever you want. Strangle me if you want.” It is compelling the boy to take on a violent activity as part of the game. The future for this boy may bring harm to others because the example his parents set assure him violence is “okay”. It is especially violent when the little girl instructs the boy to take the butcher’s knife and chase her with it. What kind of world is it where children grow up thinking society accepts harmful people? This violent attribute could have only been influenced by the parents. Children are impressionable and when they see their parents do something, they think it is okay. Society, to these children, is portrayed as violent through the parents’ examples. The “game” of playing house becomes more and more abusive and strange resulting in planning a murder of the mother in order to show just how far we as a society have come in our acceptance of family violence. The wasteland is evident in this story as these two innocents live in such a corrupt environment they think it normal to imitate it. Another story that questions society’s corruption and complacency is “First Date”.

     “First Date”, by Debra Nikkel, is about an average man discovering how shallow people can be. He makes this discovery while on a first date with a woman who represents the fake and superficial values that some people accept. When she tells the narrator that her thoughts on politics is how her work schedule is decided, she is unknowingly revealing her lack of depth. She also says that she goes to the tanning salon to soul search which implies two things. She, herself is fake, represented by her fake tan. Also, how traditional values of soul-searching have, in present day, been overrun by material and superficial tasks. Nikkel’s hilarious depiction of Daphne allows the reader to laugh his/her way to the conclusion that we do indeed live in a desolate and unmeaningful wasteland—nothing much of value to inspire our children. We must set a better example. Paco, the Mexican waiter with blonde hair, is a prime example of how people think they can succeed through a superficial altering of one’s appearance. With society thinking that blonde hair and sun tanning is the way to find one’s soul, the narrator is flabbergasted. He can no longer tolerate this plastic society. He must question his own motivation for the date—he is in fact there to prove his masculinity to his friends who cannot understand his heartbreak for a previous girlfriend. He leaves the restaurant but at the end of the story the reader is not sure if he will be able to withstand the pressure to become plastic and superficial. Society is still an incommunicative wasteland at the end of “First Date.”

      During the reading of all the short stories, the world is not portrayed as an ideal location for our children to grow up in. Society in these stories is unaffectionate, incommunicative and violent. “The Fall of a City” shows how children can be corrupted and forced into thinking society is boring and incommunicative; Alden Nowlan was right, losing one’s imagination is “The Fall of a City.” “Want to Play House?” portrays society as being accepting of violence—through bad examples set for children, they have nothing but harm and depression to look forward to. “First Date” forces children to think you can be more successful through superficiality, which is the complete antidote of how one should succeed. Children are the future, but there will be no future when we allow them to become corrupt. We cannot allow what we think is normal to affect the ever-growing minds of children, for, they will only turn out like us—the violent, unimaginative, fearful adults.

English 11: New poem on a person (typed) due Tuesday . . .

Monday: Your paragraph is due. Double spaced. Be sure to check yesterday's blog for details. Today we read poems in the package and poems in our text to get into the mood for writing a poem on a person. Due Tuesday.

Monday: Bring your novel and all your post-it notes. What does your novel say about appearance versus reality? We will discuss it on Monday. You will choose a book to compare it to. Tuesday: In-class essay.

Bring all your notes from the year to class on Monday. Thanks.
Next week will be fun.