17 Monday Nov 2014
Using Monday’s practice process with Lady Macbeth as a guide, and working entirely on your own, complete the tension-within sheet for Macbeth, including your own statement of a central tension within Macbeth the man.
Be sure to bring the completed sheet with you to Tuesday’s class.
03 Monday Nov 2014
Posted in agenda, film viewing, Macbeth
learning goal: what are my main reactions to the portrayal of Lady Macbeth in these two film interpretations? For example, do I see new facets of her character, or do I see existing ones more clearly?
write YOUR name in YOUR book, to mark it clearly as YOURS
film interpretations of Lady Macbeth’s entrance (and its revelations Macbeth’s character)
29 Wednesday Oct 2014
learning goal: identify the acting exercise that produces the strongest insight about an individual character or a particular line/set of lines
we’ll run through this series of exercises, culminating in an entry in your class notes that responds to today’s learning goals (page numbers come from the 3rd edition, 2014) Acting troupes will be randomly selected to perform the results of any one of these exercises.
p.28 #1 (acting troupes): “Duncan, beware!” & dramatic irony
p. 28 #2 (individual): Duncan’s journal
p.30 #1 (troupes): “If it were done . . . ” speak separate sentences
p.30 #2 (troupes): euphemisms removed
p.32 #1 (whole class) Macbeth surrounded by many Lady Macbeths
entry in class notes: identify the acting exercise that produces the strongest insight about an individual character or a particular line/set of lines. Explain the exercise and the insight. How does this insight affect your overall understanding of the play so far.
30 Tuesday Sep 2014
Posted in agenda, feedback, film viewing
learning goal: how do minor details reveal aspects of a person’s overall perspective?
print complete poem draft, with working title
swap with partner
on back, partner writes out favorite line(s)
continue watching Rashomon, keeping an eye out for differences in each new character’s perceptions
29 Monday Sep 2014
Posted in agenda, film viewing
learning goal: What contemporary news story about child labor evokes the strongest response in me? What specifics in this story explain my emotional reaction?
During today’s class, work on the draft of your persona poem.
Bring a complete draft to the start of Tuesday’s class.
24 Wednesday Sep 2014
Posted in agenda, film viewing, short stories, submission
learning goal: identify at least two symbols in Kurosawa’s 1950 film, Roshomon, which is based on Akutagawa’s 1923 short story, “In a Grove”
In all sections we will watch the first part of Kurosawa’s film. In E block (Wed), we will start the film after everyone has submitted her/his revised short story to TURNITIN (by 12:10).
The stories for blocks F and A are due at the start of Thursday’s class.
23 Tuesday Sep 2014
Posted in agenda, discussion, feedback
learning goal: what are several basic principles of punctuating dialogue that I can infer from a published short story?
On the distributed copy of Camus’s short story, “The Guest” (272-3), mark different locations that illustrate basic principles punctuating dialogue.
Give to a partner the most recent draft of your story, along with a copy of your up-to-date QMark Tally Sheet. Ask this partner to write marginal comments about (a) punctuating dialogue (b) your Qmark issues and (c) any other concerns or compliments s/he wants to offer.
Spend the remainder of class revising your own story draft, based on the basic principles of dialogue, partner feedback and your own observations.
Before the start of this week’s block class*, submit your revised story to TURNITIN. Look for the box called “Short Story further revisions.”
*except for E block, whose stories will be due midway through the block class, since those students meet a day earlier than the other two sections
26 Tuesday Aug 2014
Posted in agenda, discussion, listening, short stories
learning goal: recognize multiple ways to develop a character’s basic personality
topic: narrator and reader in “The Ultimate Safari”
by yourself, then in pairs, then as large group:
In your class notes, as specifically as possible, explain–with examples*, how Gordimer creates a conflict/tension/difference between the narrator and the story’s audience. In how many different ways does Gordimer establish the conflict between the narrator’s and reader’s perceptions? How would you characterize the basic nature of the narrator? (What adjectives would you use?)
When referring to examples in your notes, use this basic protocol: p. 3, col. 2 “So we started . . . “
19 Tuesday Aug 2014
Posted in homework, short stories
In your class notes, copy at least three brief passages that support your answer to this question: Would Daru “have acted differently if he had foreseen the note on his blackboard”? (adapted from 280, #2)
Remember a digital copy of the story resides on the “WORLD FICTION” page of this course blog.
02 Friday May 2014
Posted in agenda, direct instruction, discussion, Samurai's Garden
in groups of three, learn and re-tell the Kiowa story provided in class
in same groups, forge consensus on tone of designated passage from novel–find single adjectives to represent primary and secondary tones (what specific aspects of the passage contribute to this tone?)
other possible topics for analysis section of journal (see below*)
work on journal or reading
*
Possible topics for analysis section: tone, diction (pattern of word choice), connotations, character development, imagery, organization, etc.
