English 11S - EXTRA CREDIT!!!

If you respond to this post with a mini-review of the book you're reading for your final, or you share here what you're writing about for your final, you will receive one HW grade of extra credit. This can replace a missing assignment or be added as an extra grade. Posts should be 6-8 sentences in length. See my post as an example. THANKS!!! - Mr. Templeton

AP Lit - Get Your Present!

I don't know why seniors would still check this blog, BUT, if you are, I have a present for you. I made CDs for my senior students of some sweet, sweet tunes for the summer. It kicks off with The Avett Brothers (above) and their song At The Beach, and there is not a better song out there to start the summer with. It also features Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues, which is where the image below is from. It was essentially the first music video, with Dylan tossing down cue cards with the lyrics written on them. It the pictured image, the line is: "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." That's poet Allen Ginsberg in the background. Also featured are Wilco, Warren Zevon, Nickel Creek, and Nina Simone (above), the coolest woman eva. Swing on by this week so I can hook you up. Supplies are limited - get 'em while they're hot!

Senior Memory Book

Senior Memory Books are now due Tuesday, May 29. Take the weekend and make 'em nice!

The Curious Incident

In this space, you can earn extra credit by posting comments and/or questions about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Your posts should include this information:

- a short quotation
- a comment about why you think the quotation is important or what it shows the reader
- a question about the quotation, the book, or autism.

OR

You can write a detailed response to a quotation, comment, or question that someone else has asked. A detailed response would probably be between 5-8 sentences and would include a developed perspective, not just a response such as "Yes, I agree with you," or (even worse) 'lol.'

REMEMBER: Please do not include your full name on your posts. First name, with last name's initial is plenty. Thanks, and happy posting!

Use YAHOO email address!!!

Yo. The Gorham server is down, so please use my yahoo email address if you're trying to reach me over vacation. The address is: tempe04@yahoo.com. Best of luck to seniors on your author projects; best of luck to juniors on your dystopian position papers.

Taylor Mali Reading at Bowdoin

Taylor Mali is one of the most successful slam poets in the country. He has won individual and team awards at the National Poetry Slam and prides himself on his ability to educate and entertain. He is also wicked funny. So, he's reading at Bowdoin College on Thursday, April 19 at 8:00 p.m.

Here is one of his poems from his website: www.taylormali.com. These poems are dramatically better when read aloud, and you can hear him read them on his website too. This one is called "Like, totally whatever, you know?" a poem about the failures of modern language...

"Like, totally whatever, you know?"

In case you hadn't noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you're talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you're saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences - so-called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true
as opposed to other things which were, like, not -
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It's like what I've heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I'm just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like . . .
whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we've become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.

Essays STILL Due

AP Literature scholars: your essays on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead are still due tomorrow, 4/6. If you need help, my email is: kent@gorhamschools.org and Ms. Cantelo's email is: jessica.cantelo@maine.edu. Cheers.

Martha Cooley reading!!!

OK. So, I have to say that I am incredibly, incredibly pumped about this. Martha Cooley is reading at Books, Etc. in Falmouth on Saturday, March 17 at 3:00 p.m. Her first novel, The Archivist is truly spectacular. It has gorgeous writing, fascinating characters, a compelling storyline, and interesting changes in perspective. I have not yet read her latest novel, Thirty-Three Swoons, but it's on my list o' books to read. If you like books, you should go. If you think you might ever want to write anything, you should go. If you're hoping for a memorable St. Patrick's Day, you should go. Here is the Books, Etc. website for directions and information: www.mainebooksetc.com. SEE YOU THERE!

Fahrenheit 451 Posting

English 11 Standard students reading Fahrenheit 451 may post questions, comments, thoughts, and connections here for their classmates to respond to.

If you are posting, please do not include your full name. First name, Last name initial will do. Your post should include:

- a short quotation with questions or comments, OR:

- general questions or comments about the book, OR:

- a connection you've found to censorship that others might find relevant, OR:

- a specific response to what someone else has written.

You will receive extra credit for each posting or response. We will use these first to block out missing homework assignments; from there, you will receive 10/10 on new extra grades.

1984 Posting

English 11 Standard students reading 1984 may post questions, comments, thoughts, and connections here for their classmates to respond to.

If you are posting, please do not include your full name. First name, Last name initial will do. Your post should include:

- a short quotation with questions or comments, OR:

- general questions or comments about the book, OR:

- a connection you've found to government surveillance that others might find relevant, OR:

- a specific response to what someone else has written.

You will receive extra credit for each posting or response. We will use these first to block out missing homework assignments; from there, you will receive 10/10 on new extra grades.

Brave New World Posting

English 11 Standard students reading Brave New World may post questions, comments, thoughts, and connections here for their classmates to respond to.

If you are posting, please do not include your full name. First name, Last name initial will do.
Your post should include:
- a short quotation with questions or comments, OR:
- general questions or comments about the book, OR:
- a connection you've found to cloning that others might find relevant, OR:
- a specific response to what someone else has written.

You will receive extra credit for each posting or response. We will use these first to block out missing homework assignments; from there, you will receive 10/10 on new extra grades.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - Period 3

For extra credit, please write a comment in response to this posting. Your comment should:

- include a quotation
- include your ideas about it
- include stunningly intriguing questions for your classmates to consider

You may also respond to posts for extra credit.

For each posting (comment/response), you can receive 10 points of extra credit. The most extra credit you may receive is 30 points (as in 30/30 on an extra grade). Feel free to post more than three times, though, because this could be very cool.

Remember the posting rules, please: no full names, and be nice to each other.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - Period 4

For extra credit, please write a comment in response to this posting. Your comment should:

- include a quotation
- include your ideas about it
- include stunningly intriguing questions for your classmates to consider

You may also respond to posts for extra credit.

For each posting (comment/response), you can receive 10 points of extra credit. The most extra credit you may receive is 30 points (as in 30/30 on an extra grade). Feel free to post more than three times, though, because this could be very cool.

Remember the posting rules, please: no full names, and be nice to each other.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - Period 5

For extra credit, please write a comment in response to this posting. Your comment should:

- include a quotation

- include your ideas about it

- include stunningly intriguing questions for your classmates to consider

You may also respond to posts for extra credit.

For each posting (comment/response), you can receive 10 points of extra credit. The most extra credit you may receive is 30 points (as in 30/30 on an extra grade). Feel free to post more than three times, though, because this could be very cool.

Remember the posting rules, please: no full names, and be nice to each other.

English 11S - Lord of the Flies Paper

Consider the following question: How does William Golding use symbols to enhance the themes and character development in Lord of the Flies?

Over February vacation, pick a symbol and five quotations that relate the symbol to either a theme of the novel or one character's development in the book.

Hamlet Viewing Thursday!!!

CANCELLED!!! CANCELLED!!!

Elliott J. has reserved space at the First Parish Church in Gorham to view the Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet from 4:30-8:30 p.m. (new time!) on Thursday, February 15! Many thanks to Elliott for doing this and I hope some of you can take advantage of this opportunity. Elliott tells me there will be a projector and everything, and maybe even some 3-D glasses. Crazy.

Due to the weather, this viewing will not take place. To review, I suggest you check out the Simpsons version of Hamlet on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=JAMVD-roQYU.

Please send me an email if I can be helpful at all before your exam tomorrow.

AP Lit: Hamlet Assessment Friday and Extra Credit Opportunity

On Friday, February 16, I will treat you to a typical college-level Shakespeare assessment. It will consist of two basic sections:

• Speaker Identification. You will be presented with twenty quotations from the play. You need to correctly identify the speakers and spell their names correctly. Even Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Even Hamlet. This section is worth 40 points.
• From those twenty quotations, you need to select two quotations to write short analyses about. The short analysis should consist of addressing this general question: what is the significance of this quotation to the work as a whole? To go about doing so, it would be a good idea to:
  -Formulate a response to the question that will serve as a thesis, or a point you’re trying to articulate.
  - Pay close attention to the elements of the quotation that support this point. In terms of close reading, we are again concerned with tone, diction, syntax, perspective, and the placement within the plot of the play.
  

All of you math majors out there will quickly ascertain that this section is worth 60 points, to give us a nice, round 100 point assessment.

This exam is closed-book. It is also closed-sparknote.

Extra Credit

For those of you who have been hankering to rock a diorama, mobile, or interpretive dance, here’s your time to shine. What I’m looking for is an original, creative presentation of your understanding of Shakespeare. Here are some ideas:

- Write and perform an original song from Hamlet’s perspective, or another character from the play. A friend of mine once had her students write blues songs for Hamlet and Ophelia.
- Make a CD as a soundtrack to this play. Include liner notes to explain why the songs you selected are included and why they appear in their order. Your soundtrack should match the progress of the play. In other words, it might be inappropriate to have “Werewolves of London” playing during the “To be or not to be” soliloquy.
- Create a graphic novel version of one scene of Hamlet. You can do this yourself or by using software. Although this should be obvious, you should not select a scene that is only two pages in the play.
- Write and record an episode of The Daily Show reporting on the events of Hamlet. Can you imagine the field day Jon Stewart would have with this?
- Write a response to either Sonnet 130 or Sonnet 138 from the mistress’ perspective in sonnet form. I would imagine the mistress in Sonnet 130 would have some things to say about her lover’s own attractiveness or the ‘touching’ valentine she received.
- Write a soliloquy for Ophelia before she commits suicide.
- Create a visual representation (a poster, mobile) of one of the themes of the play. Include pictures as well as quotations from the play.
- Write and perform (in class or on video) a parody of Hamlet. If you’ve been cursing me every night for making you read this play, here’s your chance to really skewer it.

This is but a beginning. I trust that you are all MUCH more creative than I am, so you can push it from here. If you are going to do this, you must have the project ready to go on Monday, February 26, and you have to let me know that you’re doing it by Friday, February 16.

This extra credit is worth a 100% on a 30 point assignment. That will probably help your grade with 1 or 2 points on the quarter.

AP Lit: Hamlet Reading Schedule

1/29: Act I

2/2: Act II

2/5: Act III

2/9: Act IV

2/13: Act V

ENGLISH 11 S - Lord of the Flies Reading Schedule

Guiding Questions:
- What is human nature?
- How does society impact human behavior?
- How do authors use symbolism to create meaning in their work?

Reading Schedule:
1/24: Chapter 1
1/26: Chapter 2
1/30: Chapters 3 and 4
2/2: Chapter 5
2/6: Chapters 6 and 7
2/9: Chapters 8 and 9
2/13: Chapters 10 and 11
2/16: finish Lord of the Flies

Richard Ford reads in Portland!

Richard Ford, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award (Independence Day) is reading from his new novel, The Lay of the Land, this Wednesday.
12:00 p.m. - Portland Public Library. FREE!
7:00 p.m. - SPACE Gallery, Congress Street, $5.
This is an incredible opportunity to hear one of the more respected writers of contemporary American literature read his work. Let me know if you need directions!

Hours at the Grind

To celebrate Martin Luther King Day, I will be at the Gorham Grind from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. to help on papers due next week. Feel free to come by, sip some coffee, talk about books, and maybe we'll get around to your papers. You can use this as a tune-up too for next week when we do your feedback sessions.
IF THE WEATHER IS BAD, DO NOT RISK DRIVING INTO TOWN! I am here (as I write this, Monday morning) at the Grind, but DO NOT risk it if the driving looks bad.

AP Open Essay Prompts

In a comment for this post, I've put all the AP open essay prompts from 1970-2005. I hope these help as you think about future papers for the course.

AP Lit: Women in Literature Essay

Due: 1/12 or 1/16 - take your pick!
Goal: Develop a sound thesis using close reading of quotations.
Length: 3-5 pages (not 2.5 pages).
Topic: Your thesis. You may use AP prompts to help create your thesis.
Weight: 100 points on 2nd quarter.

You will sign up for your feedback session beginning next week in class.