EXTRA CREDIT BLOG - So Long, Farewell

DUE WEDNESDAY JUNE 18th
Dear Students  (of both the 3rd and the 9th period),

So, as the school year draws to an end, I would like to sincerely express my gratitude to you as a group for making the year a memorable one. We’ve had some good times, some bad times, and I’m not going to lie, some rather frustrating times during which I just wanted to cry and/or scream alternately for the lack of effort I witnessed. However, the delights far outweighed the vexations. Despite some of the trials and tribulations and the turbulent waters, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our conversations – both those related to the literature and writing and those about generalities and themes of life. I feel that we’ve created a classroom environment that fostered learning, sharing and honesty (yes, I know some of you didn’t read the assigned material and that some of your responses were not entirely your own – but I still hope you learned something of value from our time together). I appreciate that you’ve trusted me with your experiences and stories (your secrets are safe with me) and that you’ve listened to mine in return. I can say with sincerity that I appreciate the fact that both groups generally lifted my spirits when I was down, and I shared welcomed and much needed laughs with. I know school and life can sometimes be trying and stressful, but with the generally pleasant and friendly atmosphere created in our room I hope that all of you felt comfortbale enough to express yourself without judgment. I hope your summer is full of mirth and enchantment. I hope that you find some time to get lost in a book and imagine an alternate world. I hope that someday, sometime, you use something that you’ve learned in my class. I hope that you find adventure, and kindness and love. This is not a goodbye (since it is my truest wish that I see you sometime in the future, in a crowd, on television receiving an award), but it is a farewell…at least for now.

I love you all.

Mrs. Ell

For the final blog response, write me (and the class) a letter of farewell. Suggestions for things to include – your honest opinion of the experiences in the class, what you most enjoyed, what you disliked, what you think could be changed about the course. If you’d prefer not to post your opinions publicly, I understand. You may email me instead. Please, do not ignore this assignment - I would really like to hear from you. If you choose to be rude or inappropriate, I will instead deduct points instead of giving you extra credit.

Blog 24 - Awards and Movies

DUE MONDAY JUNE 9th, 2014

In honor of the Tony Awards this weekend:

The Academy Awards, and many other organizations like it, were created to honor achievements in film. To win an Oscar is considered the highest honor in the industry, especially for whoever takes the Best Picture Award, which was taken most recently by “12 Years a Slave”. Although this was a phenomenal movie by the standard of the Academy, what was your favorite movie released in 2013? What was it that you liked about it? Was it Oscar-worthy in your opinion? Also, what is your favorite movie of all-time? Why? Make sure to give enough detail, emotion and description to validate your choice. Complete one paragraph on the movie you enjoyed this year, and one for all time favorite.

Topic Browse

Browse the following sites for research paper topics that may be of interest to you for further study.  Choose 3 topics and complete your topic browse organizer sheet from class.

http://www.procon.org/
http://idebate.org/
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/200-prompts-for-argumentative-writing/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

http://www.midway.edu/library/topics

 

http://robjohnfrank.com/research-paper-topics/

 

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/research-topics-for-high-school-students.html

 

http://123writings.com/research-paper-topics

Research Paper Worksheets



As usual, Click on the image to download the packet for the research paper. There are many more pages here than what I handed out - they will help you organize if you're stuck.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Primary and Secondary Sources from Lina Ell

Blog 23 - Create a Prompt

DUE Wednesday May 14, 2014
For this week's blog, write up a prompt that you think will be interesting for students to tackle. You need to write clear and specific instructions, include a question and several things to consider when answering your query. Your prompt should be about the length of the ones I generally give you. You can include a link to a video or image that you think would be appropriate with the question. Be creative and original - you may not use anyone else's idea, so browse through the posts above yours.

A minimum of 10 sentences (including guided questions for your topic).

Two Sample Body Paragraphs of Side-by-Side Literature Comparison - "Cask of Amontillado" and "Masque of the Red Death"

The stories of “Masque of the Red Death” and “Cask of Amontillado” are alike in that they share a minor theme, although their main subject matter differs greatly. "The Masque of the Red Death" could be seen as a story reprimanding the rich who indulge excessively in luxuries at the expense of others. This can be deduced from the fate of Prince Prospero and his "thousand hale and light-hearted friends", who lock themselves in a palace to ensure their protection from the Red Death and provide themselves with "all of the appliances of pleasure", leaving the rest of the world to "take care of itself", and their subsequent gruesome deaths. Likewise, Fortunato of "The Cask of Amontillado", a rich, loved aristocrat who indulges excessively in such pastimes as "drinking too much", is brutally murdered by Montresor, confirming Poe's hatred of both aristocracy and those who overindulge. Despite this shared minor theme, the major themes of the stories differ, with "The Cask of Amontillado" recounting how Montresor takes his revenge on Fortunato, and therefore being primarily a tale of revenge, while the grisly end of Prince Prospero and those who seek a safe haven with him in his palace indicates the main theme of "The Masque of the Red Death" to be death, how no one can escape it and how it comes unexpectedly, "like a thief in the night".

Finally, the emphasis that each story places on characters varies greatly, although the characters themselves do share some similarities. "The Cask of Amontillado" has many details about the two characters, while "The Masque of the Red Death" doesn't really develop them since they are not really necessary in order to convey a message. For example, its protagonist, Prince Prospero, is the only person to speak throughout the tale, and even still, readers learn little about him, other than that he is a wealthy, selfish monarch who is supposedly "happy, dauntless and sagacious". On the other hand, "The Cask of Amontillado" features a couple of well developed characters, most likely because it is a psychological thriller, for which interesting characters are necessary, as without intriguing characters there can be no interesting psyches to be examined. One of these interesting characters is Montresor, the diabolical narrator of the tale who takes his revenge against Fortunato for supposed insults, and, though fundamentally different, he could be described as sharing some character traits with Prince Prospero of "The Masque of the Red Death". This is evident from certain events in "The Cask of Amontillado" which indicate Montresor to be rather inconsiderate of other people, ignorant of the consequences of his actions and nonchalant at the prospect of the death of others, just like Prospero. The other main character in "The Cask of Amontillado", Fortunato also resembles Prospero in some ways, most notably that they both seem to enjoy festivities, such as the carnival in "The Cask of Amontillado" and the masquerade ball in "The Masque of the Red Death". Additionally, they both have ironic names, as they both suffer gruesome deaths at the end of the story in which they feature, and are consequently neither fortunate nor prosperous.

Also, click here for an essay outline on "Cask of Amontillado" which could also serve as a good example of format; however, this one is not a comparison, so be careful and double the suggestions - one for each story used. 

Blog 22 - Spring Break

DUE FRIDAY APRIL 25, 2014

Discuss your Spring Break vacation. What did you do? What did you plan to do? Did you accomplish everything you set out to accomplish? Since the spring is generally symbolic of a rebirth or renewal, is there something that you plan on changing about yourself for the remainder of the school year? As usual, a minimum of 2 detailed paragraphs is required.

Literary Analysis Organizer AND Intergrating Quotations



"Intergrating Quotation" CLICK PICTURE

"Literary Analysis Organizer" CLICK ON PICTURE




Short Story Options - Digital Versions of Some Long and Short Famous Pieces

http://americanliterature.com/twenty-great-american-short-stories
http://americanliterature.com/short-story-of-the-day
http://americanliterature.com/twenty-five-great-american-novels
http://americanliterature.com/short-stories
http://americanliterature.com/short-story-collections

Short Stories from Class

"Three Skeleton Key" by George G. Toudouze

"Charles" by Shirley Jackson

"The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs

"Three Skeleton Key" Questions

"The Death of the Moth" by Virginia Woolf



“Charles”

1.Find the irony in the story. Explain it. Introduce a quote which supports your opinion and explain what the quote means and how it relates to irony (5 sentences)

2.Find the theme in the story. Explain it. Introduce a quote which supports your opinion and explain what the quote means and how it relates to theme (5 sentences)

3.Explain the motivation of Laurie – support with detail from story.

4.Explain the motivation of Charles – support with detail from story.

“Three Skeleton Key” has its own questions, so does "The Death of the Moth." For each question on “The Death of a Moth” make sure to answer the question (with a topic sentence), give a quote which supports what you are saying, and explain the quote and the relationship to the topic of the question. Hint: The first question of "The Death of the Moth" refers to theme.

“Monkey’s Paw”

1.Find the theme in the story. Explain it. Introduce a quote which supports your opinion and explain what the quote means and how it relates to theme (5 sentences)
2.Explain the main character(s): what kind of person/people are they? How do you know? Introduce a quote which supports your opinion and explain what the quote means and how it relates to them (5 sentences)
3.Find the symbolism in the story. Explain it. Introduce a quote which supports your opinion and explain what the quote means and how it relates to the meaning of the symbol (5 sentences)

Blog 21 - Value of the Arts

DUE TUESDAY APRIL 8, 2014
Think about the following topic:

Many people consider the arts--literature, music, painting, and other creative activities--unnecessary because they provide us with nothing more than entertainment. Yet the arts are extremely valuable because they have much to teach us and also because they help find meaning in life. Post a link to an image, song, movie or any other creative piece that relates to your response - analyze the value of that piece in the second paragraph in relationship to your argument. If you don't think the arts are valuable, post a link to a piece that supports your argument on that side of the issue.
Assignment:
Is the main value of the arts to teach us about the world around us, or to only entertain? What can we learn from the arts about society, culture, human behavior, morality and values? 

Plan and write a 2-paragraph response in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and specific examples. As always, include a 2-3 sentence response to someone else's blog post--building upon it, disagreeing with it, or re-thinking it.

Literary Analysis - Comparing Two Stories Side by Side

Literary Elements from Lina Ell

Literary Analysis from Lina Ell

Symbolism and Figurative Language Worksheets

CLICK ME for worksheets

Blog 20: History Remembered

There are many inventions that should be remembered in the 20th century. One very huge invention that took a huge toll was the iPhone. The only phone that was a portable computer and phone combined. Along with other features and the iPhone has also improved throughout the years as well.  It has helped people throughout their daily lives and with work purposes.  It help society with work, everyday life, and stay in touch with others.

There are many inventions that possibly changed history but one stands out more than others. That inventions was the telegram. It was the first invention that allowed people to communicate. It was the start of something new and big. This helped greatly because now instead of sending mail you could call that person. Another great outcome was that now instead of sending messengers during war all you had to do was call. It made a lot easier for everyone back then. 

Blog 20: History Remembered

DUE Friday March 21, 2014
The twentieth and twenty-first century saw great changes. In your opinion, what is ONE change that should be remembered about the twentieth or twenty-first century? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.
Additionally, for the second paragraph, choose another historical era (from any country and any time period). Explain an invention, achievement or idea that, according to you, changed history. Again, detailed examples and specific explanations are key to receiving full credit (Don't allude to an incident or generalize).

Please do not repeat the information provided by other people. Be creative and original.

Tense Shifts AND Worksheet

Tense Shifts from Lina Ell
 

CLICK the image to download the worksheet.

Blog 19

Not many elements of popular culture influence my identity. I try not to base my characteristics off of anyone and anything but certain people/ criteria does influence which makes me who I am today. One element that does influence me is music. Music is just a great way to get the mind off of anything, whether you happy or sad, and music can also have a strong message to it. Some people like Eminem write most if not all their music based on the struggles of their childhood/ life and this influences me because it almost makes me feel that no matter how tough life can be if you work hard for what you want and set your mind to it, you can be anything. From other music i have heard a lot of it has to do with these singers who seemed to be bullied or had a tough time in school and they talk about how they don't listen to any of them. They talk about how people judge but they don't care what they think. This in particular i have borrowed and it has made me a better person because now i don't care what anybody says about how i look or what i wear or even how bad I'm doing. I just have this personality to not care what people think of me or what they say because they're nobody to me. 

On the flip side i do reject a lot of trends in todays society. A good example would be fashion magazines. A lot of people dress according to these magazines and I'm one who doesn't agree with that. One should dress to their own style. Dress they way you want and how you want it. Another example would be basing who you are towards movies. To me, movies are not the best choice to borrow ideas towards your personality. I feel as though movies aren't real so in the real world, things might not work out the same as in the movie world. If anything i would say music is the strongest category in influencing people because of their message or lyrics in a song. 

Blog 19: What Influences You (in Pop Culture)?

Due Friday March 14th, 2014

Young people are highly influenced by popular culture. They attempt to define themselves on the basis of what they see on television, in newspapers and magazines, and in the movies. In fact, young people accept the values of popular culture as their own, believing that those values are central to their personal development and social acceptance.
Assignment: What elements of popular culture (movies, books, music, trends, fashion, television, technology, games, behaviors, etc) influence your identity? What have you borrowed (and from what source) to construct your attitude toward life and your personality? Explain what cultural trends do you reject? Give specific titles, details, explanations to receive full credit. A minimum of 2 paragraphs for this topic is required ,with at least a 2-3 sentence response to another person's blog post--building upon it, disagreeing with it, or re-thinking it.

The Literacy Shed Website

Click on the Image for a link to the website.

Questions after viewing a minimum of two videos:

1. Give the title of the video and the genre you found it in.

2. Provide a brief description of what you saw (plot). If the video is open to interpretation or ambigous, tell me what you think is going on.

3. Analyze - did you like/dislike it? Why? Focus on specific elements such as story, mood, animation style, music, etc.