Syllabus, April 24

EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED A REVISION which reflects the discussion we had during the revision conferences. These should be completed and turned in BEFORE we meet in the library. If you haven't done that, you haven't held up your end on the research. 

MONDAY

• Careful analysis and discussion of "Smudging" and "Barbie-Q."
• HW: Re-read the poem and story tonight. 

TUESDAY

• Reviewing two non-fiction articles, one related to Barbie as  pop-culture metaphor for American attitudes toward women. the second a CQR article from Proquest about feminism in America. 
• HW: Gather your materials for the test tomorrow. You will need: a) your copy of The Awakening, b) a printed copy of the poem "The Smudging" (check your email!), and c) the packet of supplementary materials for the novella, which includes the Cisneros short-story, "Barbie-Q."

WEDNESDAY

• In class essay on Chopin's The Awakening.
• HW: Finish the novella. Also, finish the study guide of chapters 34-36--the later is due Friday.

THURSDAY

• In Library room H for revision of junior theme. 
• HW: Additional research: you need to identify a published and note-worthy American poem, short-story, and art work that relates to your novel's theme. You will want to read, annotate, and complete the Excell multi-genre spreadsheet prior to revising your paper. 

FRIDAY

• In Library room H for revision of junior theme. 
• We will also be in the library on Monday. The revised junior theme is due ONE week from this coming Monday, May 8. From that point, we will be officially done with the research project. 

"Future of Feminism" by Sarah Glazer, CQR

Philadelphia author Miriam Peskowitz, 41, says most employers don't enable women to combine work and parenting. She runs a Web site for feminist mothers, www.playgroundrevolution.com

Are women returning to a 1950s mindset? In the following article, Glazer explores some of the evidence in her attempt to answer her key research question: Has feminism failed to provide equal rights to American women?

Reading Emily Dickenson

From Mr. Wukas comes to us this article about the poetess Emily Dickenson, and a recent attempt to scan all hand-written drafts of her poems:

Reading Emily Dickinson, by Stephen Akey

Image of first draft, "I'm Nobody! Who are You?" 

Syllabus, April 17

WHEN YOU TURN IN YOUR REVISION, please remember to include your revised "works cited" page. Next week or the week after, we will spend three days in the library identifying an American poem, short-story, and art work that you will incorporate into your thematic analysis of your novel. These works must be by publilshed, known writers/artists. In the mean time, we're finishing Chopin's novella, and will begin preparing for an essay on it. 

MONDAY

• Fourth period will review the published literature on Kate Chopin's use of F. Chopin's "Impromptu Fantasie Op. 66 for C minor." 
• HW: Finish the study guides for chapters 31-33 tonight. You should have read through chapter 36 by class tomorrow. 

TUESDAY

• Close reading of chapters 35 and chapter 37 today in class, together. "Won't someone think of the children?!?!"
• HW: Finish "The Awakening" for class on Thursday...no class on Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY

• No class for ACT testing. 
• HW: Finish the novella. Also, finish the study guide of chapters 34-36--the later is due Friday.

THURSDAY

• What does the ending of the novella mean? We will begin revieiwing the poems.
• HW: Reading poems in our Awakening packet of materials. You should also finish the study guide--due Friday. 

FRIDAY

• Continuing to discuss the feminist poems...specificlly, we will look at "Smudging" which was emailed to you yesterday. W: Annotations are due Monday. I have decided to change the date of the test to Wednesday. On Monday, we will discuss "Bar-bie-que," a story by Sandra Cisneros. 
• Re-read the poem "Smudging" and likewise read and annotate the aforementioned story. Do review your annotations, as I will collect and check those early next week.

Kate Chopin's use of Chopin's "Fantasie Impromptu Opus 66" in C sharp

Buy Now on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/Chopin-Erez Tzvi Erez plays Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Opus 66, recorded 2003 on a 1912 Bosendorfer piano. P & C Niv Classical Records. www.nivmusic.com

Syllabus, April 10

WE FINISH WRITING CONFERENCES this week. Remember, after our meeting, you have ONE week to finish your revision. Next week, we will spend some time in the library, identifying one short story, one poem, and one artwork by a well-known, American writer/artist. Your final draft of the multi-genre research paper will incorporate these works into your theme. This week we will continue our reading of The Awakening, and we will begin studying the art work of Mary Cassatt, a contemporary of Chopin's.

MONDAY

• Analysis of the Cassatt painting, "The Boating Party," and then beginning the documentary on Cassatt. We will keep notes on the documentary for a compartive, multi-genre paper between Cassatt's work and Chopin's novella. 
• HW: Read chapter 23 through 25

TUESDAY

• Finishing the documentary on Mary Cassatt: A Brush with Independence. 
• HW: No homework.

WEDNESDAY

• Discussion: In what light do we see Edna's relationship with her father, the Colonel? And why does she become fascinated with Alcee Arobin? Time permitting, we will begin chapter 26 together. 
• HW: Reading chapters 26 through and including 29. 

THURSDAY

• Reading the Black Feninista, and beginning to look at American feminist poetry. 
• HW: Reading chapters 30 through and including 32.

FRIDAY

• Analysis and discussion of poems from our Awakening packets. Same lesson for the period that will not meet today, but meets Monday.
• HW: Reading chapters 33 through 36, due Monday/Tuesday.

Syllabus, April 3

WE BEGIN OUR WRITING CONFERENCES this week. It is very important that you make this appointment, and if you cannot, that you reschedule it at least a day in advance. If you are staying home sick--which I would prefer that you do, if you are sick--please email me as soon as you know you will not be in attendance. This conference is a graded assignment, and not fulfilling these requirements will result in a zero for this assignment. 

MONDAY

• Overview of  where we are academically as we start quarter four. I've just collected your first draft of junior theme. Students start writing conferences--wherein we will read your essay together, discuss revisions, and select the thematic focus of your American poem, short-story, and art work--this week. We have also read through and annotated carefully chapters 1-4 in Chopin's The Awakening. Today we will carefully read chapters 5 and 6, looking for the connotative word choice and imagery that Chopin uses to make her tone explicit. 
• HW: Reading 'The Problem Without a Name," the first chapter in The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. 

TUESDAY

• Quarter grade reports. Subsequently, we will review the introductory documents on Friedan
• HW: As you continue your reading in chapters 7 and 8, remember that you should annotate for anything relating to the role women are expected to play (in home, as parent, in society), as well as the influence of nature upon Edna.

WEDNESDAY

• No classes for SAT testing. 
• HW: Read chapters 9 through 11 tonight.

THURSDAY

• xxx
• HW: Read chapters 12 through 14. 

FRIDAY

• xxx
• HW: Read chapters 15 through 22. 

Syllabus, March 20

LAST WEEK WE FOCUSED UPON JUNIOR THEME. THAT FIRST DRAFT is due Wednesday. Remember, 4-5 pages is your target. You should present the experts view of your American novel's theme, as well as your take on their analysis. Likewise, you should have a works cited page. That should be stapled to the back. We will schedule writing conferences for the week we return from break, and begin our reading of Chopin's The Awakening.

MONDAY

• Today will be our last day in the library for theme. The first draft is due Wednesday!
• HW: We've read the first four supplementary articles in our packet, three on Chopin and the novella, and one on Creole culture. Read the first chapter in the novella tonight, annotating for: what role are women expected to play (in home, as parent, in society) and the influence of nature upon Edna Pontillier.

TUESDAY

• Discussion of your annotations, and we will listen to chapter two and three together. 
• HW: Essays are due tomorrow. Single sided. Stapled. With title, heading with name and date, and a thoughtful title. 

WEDNESDAY

• Collecting first draft of junior themes. We will return to the packet of materials, starting by reading together, "Looking for Kate" by Elaine Apthorp (document #5). Students will also sign up for writing conferences, meetings that will begin once we return from break. 
• HW: Read chapters four through six tonight. 

THURSDAY

• Grade reports today. While junior theme drafts will not be graded, they will be marked as completed or not. I will also return this quarter's materials relating to Beloved and theme. We are then going to do some close reading of chapter three through six, scanning for passages that reveal Kate Chopin's attitude towards women, their roles, and how Edna thinks and feels about her life. 
• HW: Read the documents relating to Betty Friedan in our supplementary packets. 

FRIDAY

• We will review the notes relating to yesterday's close reading assignment. We will then watch a portion of the novella's film adaptation. 
• HW: NO HOMEWORK ON BREAK. You need to step back from studies and rest, refreshing yourself intellectually. So take that break.

Reading + Writing = Thinking

Scholars, do not make the mistake of not writing while you read. We will start our analysis of Chopin's novella with some practice on this skill. You will read three of the articles in our supplementary materials packet, #1, 2 and 4. These include an anonymous biography and two book reviews (by Cantwell and Stripe). While reading these, I want you to take notes on the themes in the novel. Knowing nothing about the novel, what can you deduce about the novel's themes from these articles?

This is the exact skill you must master when preparing for your junior theme. When reading chapters of books and articles about your author or novel, what can you cull from the reading to help you better understand your theme?

Author's will rarely directly address what you are looking for thematically. You are going to have to read your sources carefully--skimming them, re-reading portions closely, taking thoughtful notes as needed (writing summary and your evaluation of the ideas presented)--if you are to effectively write about your novel's theme. 

Syllabus, March 6

OUR NEXT UNIT OF STUDY WILL BE THE AWAKENING by Kate Chopin. As with Beloved, you will want a hard copy of this novella. During this unit, we will examine other literary text that explore women and gender identity in America. 

MONDAY

• Meeting in research groups to discuss Beloved and to share claims. In group, scholars should troubleshoot these claims. Are terms defined? Does the writer get to the MOST significant idea? Is the claim debatable and provable? Which additional sources fit most thoughtfully within this argument, as evidence? 
• HW: Writing your first draft. 

TUESDAY

• Meeting in computer lab 377 for work on the Beloved essay. I've emailed out two messages: one on how to punctuate poetry, using direct citation, and one that links to the Douglass and Du Bois texts that we've studied. 
• HW: Essays are due tomorrow. Single sided. Stapled. 

WEDNESDAY

• Collecting the essay on Beloved. We will have a final discussion on the novel: Why is Sethe able to survive the horrific life-experience of slavery? What price is paid for her freedom, such as it is?
• HW: Revisit your junior theme novel. Re-read your annotations. 

THURSDAY

• 4th and 9th period meets in the library.
• HW: Have an outline for your paper in class tomorrow: it should include a claim, your reasons in seperate sentences, and your evidence from the other sources identified. 

FRIDAY

• No class for 4th period (will meet in library on Monday). 9th period meets in the library (no class on Monday).
• HW: Revised annotated bibliography of novel-sources due Tuesday.

Notes on Beloved Essay

What is the most important idea that Morrison wants her audience to understand about the novel? Knowing that, what should the reader realize (about America, race, something else outside of the novel)?

Criteria: This must be a multi-genre essay: sources of various types. I will grade your paper based upon how you use these sources, in terms of organization; in support of what idea; setting up, direct citation, commentary explaining the quote.

Avoid structuring your essay as follows:

Here’s my idea: X

This poem says this about X. This story says this about X. This speech says this about X. And, of course, the novel says X. Papers that use this type of structure are often either too simplistic (in terms of the claim) or not sufficiently significant. You must start with the MOST important idea, and add to it what you realize about the topic as a result. If either of those are lacking, you will not have a strong claim, and thus will struggle to make connections with different sources. 

Syllabus, February 27

WE ARE WRAPPING UP A UNIT ON RACE & IDENTITY, and should begin writing a paper drawing connections between Toni Morrison's Beloved and: a poem, a spiritual song, a short-story, a documentary, and other literary source(s). This will be a multi-genre, argumentative essay that will model your junior theme research paper. 

MONDAY

• Pop-quiz on the documentary assigned over the weekend. Then working on a crossword on Beloved, due Wednesday.
• HW: Spend one-half hour on the crossword, finishing only that much of the crossword. Also, please pay attention to and take notes if possible on Colson Whitehead's presentation on his novel, The Underground Railroad, for possible use in your Beloved pape

TUESDAY

• No classes meet for seminar day. 
• HW: I will collect crosswords tomorrow. 

WEDNESDAY

• Class discussion of  (or, if needed, re-reading) "The Kind of Light That Shines in Texas," by R. Knight. We will keep notes ala great-books format. 
• HW: Essay on Beloved is due Wednesday. Using the novel and at least three of the following, write an argumentative paper that explains what Toni Morrison want’s her readers to understand about the Black experience in America. Length approx. 4-5 pages. Typed. 1” margins. Double spaced. Due Wednesday March 8.
• a poem (from the packet we’ve studied)
• a documentary (Many Rivers to Cross or Birth of a Movement)
• an essay (either from W.E.B. Du Bois or Frederick Douglas)
• a song (from the packet of spirituals)
• a short story (“The Kind of Light That Shines in Texas”)
• a lecture (Colson Whitehead’s lecture at NTHS, 2/28/17)

THURSDAY

• Finishing the conversation on the short story. Subsequently, we will brainstorm claims and supporting reasons for the paper on Beloved. 
• HW: Have an outline for your paper in class tomorrow: it should include a claim, your reasons in seperate sentences, and your evidence from the other sources identified. 

FRIDAY

• Writing day. Come to class prepared to write. 
• HW: Rough draft due Monday. Have a hard copy in class to read to your classmates.