Syllabus for Week 4, April 14

THE ODYSSEY BEGINS NOT WITH ODYSSUES, BUT HIS SON Telemachus. The first four books are a bildungsroman, or coming of age story. At the poem’s start, Odysseus has been away from home for nearly 20 years. He left to fight in Troy on the day his son Telemachus is born. Raised in a single parent home, Telemachus has lacked a male role-model, is the classic sullen, angst-filled teenager, angry that he has to deal with all these men trying to marry his mom. Enter the goddess Athena, who encourages him to demand these party-animals leave his house, to call a meeting of elders to ask their aid in seeking news of his lost father, and to depart on his own journey of discovery. It’s an odyssey within the Odyssey.

TUESDAY, April 15

• Starting with our quiz on book one. It will have the same format as the PSON quizzes: 10 multiple-choice questions, and 5 matching.

• Finishing the few remaining speeches that we have left over from Friday.

• Starting a documentary on the Greek Gods, keeping notes in the BACK of your Odyssey book. Pay attention to the Olympian gods mentioned, including: Zeus, Demeter, Dionysius, Apollo.

• Ending today with summary of books two and three, which our edition omits (Telemachus visiting two kingdoms, which are the opposite of what’s happening at his home, in Ithaca.

• HW: Read and annotate book four (after reading the summary of books 2 and 3). Quiz on Thursday!

THURSDAY, April 17

• Quiz on book four.

• Review of annotations in books 1 and 4, lecture on Telemachus and what we learn about ancient Greece.

• Finishing documentary on Greek gods.

• Reading the above graphic novel about the goddess Athena.

• HW: Read book five. We meet Odysseus for the first time. Keep notes on what we learn about him. What’s his condition? What does he do all day on Ogygia? How does he respond to Calypso’s offer of help in getting back to Ithaca?

Syllabus for Week 3, April 7

You want the ESSENTIAL edition, not the full (all black cover) edition.

AFTER WE FINISH OUR INDEPENDENT READING SPEECHES, we will begin reading our penultimate unit of study: Homer’s Odyssey! We will check books on Friday. Everyone who has a book will get an Odyssey bookmark. Also, please remember to use the audio files while reading the book. You should also make good use of the University of Pennsylvania Classics Department’s web resources. There’s no end of resources to help you with your reading of the epic poem, including stopping into the Academic Assistance Center. Not only will you get entered into a gift-card raffle, but you’ll also get some quick answers to your questions on Homer’s poem.

WEDNESDAY, April 9

• Because students were not prepared to begin speeches, we will finish our preparation for these.

• HW: Get your copy of Lombardo’s The Essential Odyssey, by Homer.

FRIDAY, April 11

• Finishing speeches. Once done…

• Introduction to Homer’s Odyssey.

• HW: Read book one. Use the bookmark to help you keep track of characters. Use the audio to help with name pronunciation. Write out the questions you have in the margins. I will answer questions AFTER our reading quiz on Monday.

• Curious to know more about Odysseus? Here’s a 1/2 hour lecture about the mythic hero that we will watch next week.

Odyssey Resources

Click on image above to access audio to “The Essential Odyssey” audio files, including book summaries for chapters that are omitted.

Need help with pronunciation of a name, or timeline for Odysseus’s journey home? University of Pennsylvania Classics Dept. has got your back.

Read this graphic novel version of the epic poem BEFORE you read each book of Lombardo.

Syllabus for Week 2, March 31

Need a place to look up words from Mercutio’s speech? Use the Oxford English Dictionary…available to you through NT’s library!

WE HAVE FINISHED SHAKESPEARE’S PLAY, and we ended third quarter with a close reading of an iconic sonnet by the Bard, “My mistresses eyes are nothing like the sun.” A key to reading and understanding Shakespeare is reading the poetry aloud, following the punctuation to help you understand the sentence structure, and finally—perhaps most important—repetition. Repeated listening, with practice in reading meaning—combined with notes, vocabulary, explanatory notes—will crack open understanding. We will finish by tackling the most complex, and perhaps most beautiful speech: Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech. Scholars will also prepare speeches on independent reading, which will be delivered next week. We’ll turn then to our penultimate unit of study: Homer’s Odyssey!

TUESDAY, April 1

• Independent reading for 20 minutes. Our focus here with be selecting a part of your reading for “dramatic interpretation.”

• Watching a short introduction to Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech.

• Small group reading of handout on the aformentioned speech.

• HW: Careful re-reading of Mercutio’s speech. If you need to finish or re-watch any of the performances listed below, please do so!

  • Look up words;

  • Read out the speech, TWICE, aloud.

WEDNESDAY, April 2

• Today, we are going on a deep dive into Mercutio’s speech. What does it MEAN?

  • Read speech around, one word per person.

  • Read it again, this time ONE line per person.

  • Read it one last time, each reader completing a colored “chunk” of text.

• When answering questions in the boxes, start with this resource. Read through the notes on Shakespeare Online to help you complete the large format Q&A worksheet on the speech.

• A good resource for looking up words is ShakespearesWords, a dictionary of language no-longer-in-use.

• Another interesting source for information on Queen Map, but of specious origin.

• Refer to the notes in the Folger edition of the play as your definitive resource on questions.

• HW: Finish answering the questions inside the boxes (NOT the last question at bottom).

A brief overview of Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech starts around minute 18:30

You want the ESSENTIAL edition, not the full (all black cover) edition.

FRIDAY, April 4

• Reminder: Independent Speeches start next week. We have an odd schedule, two late starts, and no anchor day. Practice your speech at home. Make sure you know how to access your review slide AND mirror your iPad.

• Independent reading.

• Returning to Mercutio. (You should have completed all the answers to the questions in boxes.) What is this speech ABOUT?

• For the second part of class, we will watch the Globe Theater’s performance of The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, picking up with 2.5, Mercutio’s death.

• HW: Share your slide with Ms. Craig (craigl@nths.net) and Mr. Easton (eastonp@nths.net). Practice your speech. Obtain your copy of The Essential Homer’s Odyssey by Stanley Lombardo.

Mercutio's Queen Mab Speech

National Theater Version

1968 Zefferelli Version

1994 Lehrman Version

Click here to view the Globe presentation of the Queen Mab speech, starting at minute 2:30

Syllabus for Week 11, March 18

This week, we will complete Romeo and Juliet by working on character analysis, a Shakespearian sonnet, and the Shakespeare Uncovered documentary.

TUESDAY, March 18

• My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun-Shakespearean Sonnet.

• Continue working on character analysis.

• Turn in your annotated book for Act 5.

• H.W. None.

WEDNESDAY, March 20

• Independent reading for 20 minutes.

• Continue working on character analysis.

• Watch a documentary.

• H.W: If you have not annotated Act 5, please do so by Friday, March 21st.

FRIDAY, March 21

Syllabus for Week 10, March 11

This week, we are starting Act 5 of Romeo and Juliet.

TUESDAY, March 11

• Silent reading 20 minutes.

• Six Sentence Summary of Act 5. Group work slide-show presentation.

• Act 5, Scene 3-Probs’t reader response handout.

• H. W. None.

WEDNESDAY, March 12

• Silent reading 20 minutes.

• Slide-show presentation.

• Character facts.

FRIDAY, March 14

• Silent reading 20 minutes.

• Character Analysis.

• H.W. Read and annotate Act 5: Circle vocabulary words, questions you have, and themes of fate, love, and opposites.

Syllabus for Week 9, March 3

WE LEAP INTO ACT FOUR. AS THE FRIAR’S PLAN goes into place, we should consider the feasibility of his plan. Romeo and Juliet go from meeting at a dance and thinking “Hey, I like you” to “let’s-get-married” in less than 24 hours! The Friar believes that marrying them might resolve the long-standing family feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. Will it? Romeo is banished, and Juliet set to marry Paris. How will faking her own death help? Why can’t Romeo and Juliet—while either together or apart—see their situation with more clarity? Was their love and relationship realistic in the first place? Will this “fake your own death” plan convince the Capulets and Montigues to reconcile their hatred of one another?

TUESDAY, March 4

• Silent reading 20 minutes.

• Act 4 comprehension questions(group work).

• Fear- Write about the moments when you were really frightened. Provide specific details and write no less than eight sentences.

• H.W. Storyboard 5 for Tuesday, March 11.

WEDNESDAY, March 5

• Vocabulary activity of Act 4(group work).

•  “Who’s responsible for Juliet’s “Death”?-Activity

• Fear- Take five minutes and write about the moment/time when you felt scared.

• Read Juliet’s Soliloquy.

FRIDAY, March 7

• Read for 20 minutes.

• Read and annotate Juliet’s soliloquy: 1. Circle unknown words. 2. Find five fears Juliet has before taking the potion.

• Fear and Juliet’s conscience- Partner activity. When you complete your partner activity, work on the Act 5 storyboard.

• Draw one of the dark fears that Juliet mentions. Write a caption to accompany your visual presentation (if time allows).

Syllabus for Week 8, February 25

THIS WEEK WE ARE MOVING PAST ACT TWO, INTO ACT THREE. Now that Romeo and Juliet are married, why WON’T they live happily ever after? What gets in the way of their happiness? Much is said in the play about the potential roadblocks: fate (either God, or some unknown force, is working against them; family (their parents hatred for the other family prevents their happy relationship); hatred (human beings are programmed for violence, and peace, love and happiness is not our natural state). What do YOU think? What prevents Romeo and Juliet from living a long, happy life?

TUESDAY, February 25

• Silent reading.

• Love connection handout.

• Hatfield’s and McCoy’s handout and reading.

• Read Act 3, Scene 1 with audiobook.

WEDNESDAY, February 26

• 20 minutes of silent, independent reading.

• Once done, create your slide for the independent reading speech.

  • Open a copy of the blank google slide here.

  • Make sure you save the new copy with your last name and part of the book’s title.

  • Share the slide with us: eastonp@nths; devdars@nths.net; craigl@nths.net

  • Delete the title and sample slides, leaving only the blank template. Begin making changes to your slide, adding the cover, title and author, publication date and length.

  • You can base your no-spoilers summary on reviews from New Trier Library’s NovelList+ database, found here. That is also a great source of genre information, audience information. (Full access free for NT students while connected to network.)

FRIDAY, February 28

• 20 minutes of silent, independent reading.

• Watch the fight scenes, two different versions.

• Complete the fight scene comparison handout.

• Act 3, Scene 1: “Social Media Scandal” activity.

Syllabus for Week 7, February 18

WHEN READING LINES IN SHAKESPEARE, practice “projection,” aka speaking loudly to the point furthest away from you. This is NOT shouting. Rather, it’s a technique whereby professional performers merely “turn it up” so that everyone can hear them, even when whispering on stage.

Watch II.ii performed at the Globe Theater above.

WEDNESDAY, February 19

• Collect storyboards on act two.

• Silent reading.

• We will watch the Globe Theater’s performance of the balcony scene, 2.ii

• Practicing the same scene, switching roles in that scene with a performance-partner.

• HW: Re-read 2.2, circling vocabulary words that confuse you. In class on Friday, you will write the MOST problematic words for you on the white-board.

• Bring TWO copies of your Jay essay as well as your copy of Patron Saints of Nothing. Mr. Easton will be conducting writing conferences during class.

FRIDAY, February 21

• Mr. Easton will work with students individually, looking at the PSON essay in the hallway during class today.

• Write Shakespearean words on the board from Act 2, Scene 2.

• Silent reading 20 minutes.

• Vocabulary activity.

• If not done, we will practice projection with Act 2, Scene 2, in hallway, the balcony scene.

• The “Love Connection” handout, examining the play so far and the theme of love.

• We will end class, the last 10 minutes, reading act three and starting storyboards.

• HW: Reading act three, and completing storyboards for the act. Remember to add headings for the scenes, dialogue with the image, and a detailed written description below!

Baz Lehrman's 1997 film "Romeo + Juliet"

Here’s a link to the film. NOTE: you may have to download and play the film from your computer. If you do so, please delete the file when done viewing.

Syllabus for Week 6, February 10

SHAKESPEARE SCHOLARS WILL OFFICIALLY BEGIN to practice their reading and performance of the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet this week, beginning with the “preface,” a poem spoken by the Chorus that summaraizes the entire play. Also this week, we will finish watching the 1997 film Romeo + Juliet and begin character studies of key roles (Romeo and his parents, Juliet and hers, Mercutio, Tybalt, Benvolio, and the Nurse)

TUESDAY, February 11

• Post-it question: Questions you have about act one?

• Independent reading for 20 minutes.

• Finish the film version of the play.

• Finish/collect storyboards via Canvas and project examples of student interpretations of Act 1.

• HW: Review Act 1, the graphic novel version to help you better understand the play. Pay special attention to the fifth scene! How does the artist show what Romeo and Juliet are doing during the delivery of their lines?

• Look up and write down definitions for vocab words in prologue on page seven.

• Students will sign up for writing conferences with Mr. Easton in class on Thursday.

THURSDAY, February 13

• Reading and practicing vocal techniques: the prologue. Practicing “flow”—making the prologue sound like a professional actor is reading.

• Sharing out with Ms. D the vocabulary from the prologue—we will have one language expert looking up words as needed.

• Questions on the prologue, once we have a better understanding of vocabulary!

• After break, Character study. In partners, open this PDF and show a character to your partner. Have them tell you a) what notes they have from the film; b) what ever else they know about that character. Cover all the characters on your film notes! Go in any order. Add to your own notes as you discuss the characters.

• Time permitting, we will have silent reading.

• HW: Read Act 2 of the play (p. 65-111—that’s 23 pages over 5 days!). Pay careful attention to the summary at the start of each scene. You will complete a storyboard for this act.

Graphic Screenplay of R&J (Copy)

Do you like comical books? If so, here’s a link to a modern, yet a verbatim match to the Elizabethan play by Shakespeare.

Audio files for Romeo & Juliet

Click on the image above to access the acts one through five audio files.

Also…looking for an e-copy of he play? Here’s a link to the Folger Library website. The whole play is here, and searchable.

Syllabus for Week 5, February 3

THE OBJECTIVES FOR THIS WEEK ARE to acquire background knowledge for reading Romeo and Juliet and to understand the culture and beliefs of the Elizabethan Age people when Shakespeare wrote it. Additionally, watching the film will prepare you to learn about the characters, get used to the Shakespearian language, and, most importantly, enjoy the beauty of the performance.

TUESDAY, February 4

• Independent reading for 20 minutes.

• Rewatching three clips from Leonore Will Not Die, and Great Books discussion

• Quiz on pages 267-301

• Finishing by returning the novel / reviewing notes in google spreadsheet on Jay.

• HW: Finish reading the novel for class tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY, February 5

• Anchor day (40 minute class)

• Ms. D will introduce herself.

• 10 minutes of independent reading.

• Overview of essay on Jay, PSON.

• HW: read Ms. D’s handout on Shakespeare, Elizabethan period, and Romeo & Juliet.

FRIDAY, February 7

Daines and DiCaprio as Juliet and Romeo

• Independent reading.

• Easton—Overview of play.

• Devdariani—Into storyboards

• Watching the film, Romeo + Juliet.

• Focus on characters, taking notes on the Montague side AND the Capulet.

• Last 10 minutes of class, return to story-board project. What will my 3 images/storyboards be?
  HW: Read carefully Act 1, Scene 5, pages 51-61.

• Finish your 3 storyboards.

• Make sure the BRAINSTORMING worksheet for PSON is done by Tuesday.

Syllabus for Week 4, January 27

THE OBJECTIVE READING QUIZES ARE DESIGNED to give you quick feedback on your reading and annotation. Several scholars are missing an opportunity to improve their reading and annotating, based upon that feedback. These low-stakes, comprehension based quizzes should tell you how well you are or or not reading. We are going to finish the novel Patron Saints of Nothing this week, and begin our transition into Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, one of the greatest, tragic love stories of all time. But your ability to read, think, and write out that thinking is key to your enjoyment of Shakespeare. This will be a chance for you to step-up to a challenge!

TUESDAY, January 28

• Shortened day due to late start.

• Review of the syllabus.

• Scholars have two assignments that require completion. We will spend 15 minutes on these.

• Returning to PSON. Everyone should have read, through and including page 287. We will end class today with 20 minutes of SSR so that anyone who is behind can get caught up. n Paper.”

• HW: Read up through and including, “All the Darkness in the World,” ending on page 301. This needs to be done by class on FRIDAY.

• Friday’s quiz will cover pages 267-301.

WEDNESDAY, January 29

• Anchor day.

• Starting with independent reading, 20 minutes.

• 20 minutes of catch up reading and annotating in PSON.

• HW: Prepare for Friday’s quiz.

This is the book you will need starting in two weeks. You should buy the LARGER edition (costs approx. $10).

FRIDAY, January 31

• Finishing the film, “Lenore Will Never Die.”

• Discussion: The film is titled “Leonor Will Never Die.” And though the film’s story ends with Leonor in her hospital bed, the film ends with her dancing to a music video. How does this connect to our novel?

• HW: Returning to PSON, reading “A Seed” (pages 302-303) and “Every Detail of this Finite Moment” (page 304) and “Our Separate Ways” (pages 305-309).

• The quiz on pages 287-301 will happen in class on TUESDAY.

Filipino film about death, loss

Click on the image above to watch the shortened version of this film.

Syllabus for Week 3, January 21

WHAT IS THE LEAST OBVIOUS, MOST INTERESTING WAY in which Jay Reguero grows as a person? And what are the characteristics that help him transform his identity? This week you will begin brainstorming a claim about the main character from The Patron Saints of Nothing using this google sheet. Some of you already met our student teacher, Ms. Devdariani, as she was my substitute teacher last week. She will begin observing our class on Tuesday, January 28, and will occasionally teach a lesson before taking over our class full time, and teaching Romeo & Juliet. If you haven’t purchased that book, DO SO THIS WEEK.

WEDNESDAY, January 22

• Independent reading.

• Quiz #6 on last weekend’s reading in PSON, covering

• Reading the next two chapters in PSON, “Darkness Interrupted” and “New Life.”

• Ending class by working on the shared google-sheet, “Patron Saints Characterization Paper.”

• HW: Read the next chapter, “Headfirst Across the Muddy Grass,” pages 286-287. Also, finish the notes on the google sheet, characterization assignment on Jay. There will be a quiz on today’s in-class reading, as well as the above chapter.

FRIDAY, January 24

This is the book you will need starting in two weeks. You should buy the LARGER edition (costs approx. $10).

• Silent, sustained reading.

• Starting a film today, “Lenore Will Never Die.” This is a Filippino film that describes a loving son’s attempt to care for his aging mother who suffers an injury that results in a coma.

• HW: You have two google-sheets to complete. First, I want to see details on your next independent read. Writing about your book will help with your oral presentation.

• Second, you need to complete the brainstorming sheet on Jay Reguero.

Syllabus for Week 2, January 13

PRACTICE YOUR ANNOTATION TECHNIQUE in The Patron Saints of Nothing with this list of questions/tasks. Please remember that your independent reading book is something you should bring TO CLASS each day, and LEAVE WITH the book each day. A key part of this assignment is that you WANT to read the book, and that you CAN read it during down times, at home, outside of school. That’s key to building better reading skills. Our student teacher, Ms. Devdariani, will begin observing our class the week after next, Tuesday, January 28. For the first two weeks, she will observe and occasionally help students in small groups, so that she can get to know you (and so you can get to know her). I will be your primary teacher through the end of Patron Saints, and she will take over teaching Romeo & Juliet.

TUESDAY, January 14

• Independent reading. Some scholars have forgotten that you should bring your book WITH your each day. Part of this assignment is that you CARRY and KEEP your book with you. That’s important! If you don’t like your book enough to carry it, you should get a better book!

• Quiz #4 on last weekend’s reading in PSON.

• Reading together in PSON.

• Vocabulary crosswords, with partners.

• HW: Read the next chapter, “To Flood,” pages 224-230. Bring color pencils, markers, or crayons to class tomorrow. Also, decide on your “theme song” for your life as a scholar in your first year at New Trier.

WEDNESDAY, January 15

This is the book you will need starting in two weeks. You should buy the LARGER edition (costs approx. $10).

• Silent, sustained reading.

• Art project: re-creating the Philippine home of Jun and Reyna, as portrayed in “The Wide Eyes of the Lost.”

• HW: Reading the next chapter, “Its Center Unsolved,” pages 231-232. Also, finish the crossword started in class on Tuesday.

FRIDAY, January 17

• Today we will have silent, sustained reading.

• Quiz on the last two chapters we have read (the first of which we read together in class, so…)

• After break, we will listen to the next chapter, starting on page 231, “Its Center Unsolved.”

• Time permitting, we may provide more time to finish crosswords and drawings of the Manilla Metro slums.

• HW: Read the next three chapters in PSON.

Semester 2, Week 1 Syllabus: January 6

FOR THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF SEMESTER TWO, we will finish reading The Patron Saints of Nothing. For this last third of the novel, you will be write about what’s happening WITHIN the novel, and how that INTERSECTS with your life experience. Remember to use this list of questions/tasks. We will also continue your independent reading. (The second oral presentation will combine what your did last time—an overview of the writer’s work/life, a summary of your book’s content and a review—and this time add a dramatic reading from the book, one that runs 1-2 minutes in length.) Finally, we will have a student teacher this quarter, and Ms. Devdariani will be leading our class through a reading/performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo & Juliet.

MONDAY, January 6

• Starting to review your final paragraphs on the short story, “The Turtle.”

• HW: Behind in PSON? You should have read up to and including page 189 for class on Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY, January 8

This is the book you will need starting in two weeks. You should buy the LARGER edition (costs approx. $10).

• Silent, sustained reading.

• Revising your paragraphs that you wrote for the final. That assignment is on Canvas…you need to do it as a google doc, highlighting/changing the color of text to reflect your changes.

• PSON crossword #1!

• HW: Reading the poem, “A Litany for Survival".” Remember our poetry rules: a) read it aloud; b) read it at least three times; c) annotate for what you notice (what leaps out at you—whatever the poet does)

FRIDAY, January 10

• Today we will have silent, sustained reading, but an article about poverty in the Philippines. Here’s a link to that article.

• Great books style discussion on the poem you read for homework.

• HW: Returning to PSON, reading two chapters together and using the guided annotation questions. Read ““The Wide Eyes of the Lost” on p. 190-201 and “A Universe Where People Do Not Die for Doing What Is Right” on pages 202-216.