Monday, December 16, 2013

Days 82-87!

As promised, today we will begin our work on our semester essays. Below, you will find pretty much everything you will need for the essay, including the literature that cannot be found in your text book.

Don't forget! If you are planning to retake the vocabulary quiz, you can make it up during your respective final time period!

Semester Test Prompt
Semester Test Rubric
Semester Test Outline
Semester Test Outline Option 2      Interactive Essay Map


Literature not found in text book:
"Upon the Burning of Our House"- Anne Bradstreet
"To My Dear and Loving Husband" - Anne Bradstreet
"In Memory of..."- Anne Bradstreet
"Half Hanged Mary"-Margaret Atwood
"Self-Reliance"- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I Sit and Look Out" -Walt Whitman
"The Masque of the Red Death" -Edgar Allan Poe
"The Cask of Amontillado"-Edgar Allan Poe

Friday, December 13, 2013

Day 81!

Happy Friday!

We will spend today finishing Joyce Carol Oates' "Where is Here"! Once we have finished that, we will talk about how her writing is similar and different from Edgar Allan Poe's.

On Monday, we will begin work on our semester essays. As I've mentioned, you will pick one of our three essential questions and develop a 5 paragraph essay that includes text evidence from three different pieces we've read so far this year.

The questions are :

What makes American literature American?
What is the relationship between literature and place?
How does literature shape or reflect society?

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Day 80!

T-Minus 100 days to go!

Today, we will start by grading our Poe Choice Story group members based on their participation and contribution to your group presentation.

Then, we will move on to our next author, Joyce Carol Oates!

Oates is a more modern author (she's still alive), but I don't want to spoil too much for you since you'll be reading about her today.

First, you'll read about her life, and then we will read her story "Where is Here?" It's going to be a blast!


On another note, we will be taking a quiz on the first 12 vocabulary words next week. If you would like to join the class and study from Quizlet, click HERE to ask to be invited!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Day 79!

Today is the day! Today we will present our  group findings on each of the Poe Choice stories!

As each group is presenting, please be sure to be filling in your Gothic Elements Charts for each story!

If we have time, we will grade each group member based on their individual contribution to the presentation.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Day 78!

Happy Tuesday!

Today we will finish up with our Poe Choice stories! You will begin in groups with the other students who read the same story as you. Together, you will discuss the three questions you were to answer along with the gothic elements of your particular story.

Then, as a large group, you will need to create a brief presentation that answers all three of the questions as well as all of the elements on your Gothic Elements chart.

  • Your presentation should include: 
    • Answers to each of the three questions, including text examples
    • A brief synopsis of the story
    • Images to highlight the characters, plot events, and themes
    • Each of the Gothic Elements on your chart


Then, we will break down into groups with people who read the other stories, and you will be responsible for "teaching" about the Gothic Elements of your story.

After each person has presented their story, discuss the following questions:

  • What similar techniques does Poe use in each of these stories?
  • What makes each of these stories "Gothic"?

Monday, December 9, 2013

Day 77!

Happy snowy Monday!

Today, we will take some time to finish working with the stories you started to work with on Friday. The people who are reading "Fall of the House of Usher"will most likely have more work left to do since that story is a few pages longer than the others.

After you have completed your reading, please answer the questions that are posted on Friday's blog. Make sure you answer them using complete sentences, that your answers address the main question, and that you use evidence from the text (word for word quotes!).

Also be sure that you fill out the Gothic Elements chart for your story! Be specific; you will discuss your story with others who have not read it later!

If you finish early, you should be reading your free reading book until the rest of the class finishes.

If everyone gets done, we will group up based on your respective story to discuss the questions and make sure that everyone is on the same page. As a large group, you will need to create a brief presentation that answers all three of the questions as well as all of the elements on your Gothic Elements chart.

    • Your presentation should include: 
      • Answers to each of the three questions, including text examples
      • A brief synopsis of the story
      • Images to highlight the characters, plot events, and themes
      • Each of the Gothic Elements on your chart


Then, we will break down into groups with people who read the other stories, and you will be responsible for "teaching" about the Gothic Elements of your story.

After each person has presented their story, discuss the following questions:

  • What similar techniques does Poe use in each of these stories?
  • What makes each of these stories "Gothic"?
For you "Fall of the House of Usher" people, here is a link to a .pdf version of the story so that you can work on your questions at home tonight! Fall of the House of Usher




Friday, December 6, 2013

Day 76!

Happy Friday!

Today we will begin by finishing The Simpson's version of the Raven if we did not get to finish it yesterday.

Then, we will move on to our next Poe stories! Yay! You will be assigned to read one of the following stories, "The Fall of the House of Usher",  "The Masque of the Red Death", or "The Cask of Amontillado".

You will have time to read your story either individually or with a partner. I have also provided links to websites that have the audio of each story below. If you choose to listen to the story, please do so using headphones. You will also still need to follow along with the text as you listen.


The Cask of Amontillado Audio
The Fall of the House of Usher Audio
The Masque of the Red Death

After you complete the reading, please answer the following questions, please be sure to fill out your Gothic Elements worksheet as you read too!


  1. How does Poe use language to create the mood of this story? List specific examples from the story to support your answer. 
  2. How does Poe use the setting to help establish the mood of the story? List at least three details about the setting (using text evidence) that help to establish the mood.
  3. How does Poe foreshadow, or hint at, the ending of this story? Consider how he uses setting, characters’ actions, and language to do this. Give specific examples. 

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Day 75!

Good morning!

If you missed yesterday, there was a reason there was not a new post. Yesterday was a "re-do" day of Tuesday. You were all given another chance to do your assignment from Tuesday's class over. Since the re-do, most of your comic book cells are looking better!

Today we will go through "The Raven" stanza by stanza. We will discuss how our pictures represent what is happening to the narrator in the poem.

After that, we will return to the questions you answered about the poem. We will talk through those and see how your answers may have changed since initially reading the poem.

1. In the very first line of the poem, which words contribute to a dark, mysterious Gothic mood?
2. For whom is the speaker grieving?
3. What element of Gothic literature does the Raven's speaking introduce into the poem? Explain.
4. How is the speaker's psychological distress increasing?
5. a)With what emotion does the speaker first greet the Raven? b) As the poem progresses, how does the speaker's attitude toward the Raven change? c) In what way is the word nevermore related to the emotional change?
6. a) What does the speaker eventually order the Raven to do? b) At the end of the poem, what does the speaker mean when he says the Raven is "still is sitting" above the door?
7. a)What is the relationship between the Raven's shadow and the speaker's soul at the end of the poem?  b) In your opinion, what does the Raven finally come to represent?


THEN, we will watch this sweet video version of "The Raven" thanks Simpsons!

If we get time, we will start on our next story! Yeehaw!

Monday, December 2, 2013

Day 73!

Good Tuesday to you all! 

I am sorry that I can't be there with you today. I know you all are very broken up about it too. :) 

As discussed yesterday, you have several things to complete today. 
  • To begin: Please finish reading "The Raven" and answer the questions that were assigned to yesterday during class. (See yesterday's blog post for those--one set of answers per group). Turn these in to your class tray when you are finished, or share them with me if you did it on a Google Doc. 

  • Next step: I talked a little bit about this yesterday, but today we will be creating class comics of "The Raven" . Each of you has been assigned one stanza of the poem (Mr. Wells will let you know what stanza you are). Based on your stanza, you are to create a comic book cell of just your stanza.
    • Each comic cell should include: 
      • The number of the stanza
      • One or more images that represent what is going on in your stanza
      • Important quote(s) (at least one) from the stanza that represents the main idea
      • Color
      • Detailed drawings; no printed images from the internet. This should be done by hand. If you're going the stick figure route, I want to see unbelievable stick people! 
      • All images must be appropriate and related to your stanza--this is graded! 
      • These should be the size of a regular sheet of paper: there are materials on the side table for you to use. Please put them away neatly when you are finished. 
    • Once you have completed your image, please tape it in numeric order in the designated area of the room (1st and 4th are on the front dry erase board, 6th is on the back wall). As you tape them up in order, the comic will come together as a whole. It's going to be so RADICAL!! This is due before you leave today!  

  • With the remaining time:  Get to know your free reading book....READ some pages! Then, answer the question that is posted on the Reading Workshop Blog. This will be due on Thursday! 

Day 72!

Happy Monday and welcome back from your long weekend!

I hope you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend, and that you are so excited to be back in class!

Today we will start with the vocabulary if we did not get to it on Wednesday (so that's 1st and 6th period).

After that, we will move on to reading some Poe! Holla! We will start with his famous poem "The Raven".

As you are reading, please answer the following questions:

1. In the very first line of the poem, which words contribute to a dark, mysterious Gothic mood?
2. For whom is the speaker grieving?
3. What element of Gothic literature does the Raven's speaking introduce into the poem? Explain.
4. How is the speaker's psychological distress increasing?
5. a)With what emotion does the speaker first greet the Raven? b) As the poem progresses, how does the speaker's attitude toward the Raven change? c) In what way is the word nevermore related to the emotional change?
6. a) What does the speaker eventually order the Raven to do? b) At the end of the poem, what does the speaker mean when he says the Raven is "still is sitting" above the door?
7. a)What is the relationship between the Raven's shadow and the speaker's soul at the end of the poem?  b) In your opinion, what does the Raven finally come to represent?

If we get time, we will take a look at this sweet video.

REMEMBER:  Your next book choice is due TOMORROW!