Predict Ending—due May 11

Predict the ending briefly. What will happen to Othello, Desdemona, Iago, and others?

Summarize & Judge–due May 10

1. What has happened so far?

2. What is the best part of the story so far?

3. What is the worst part of the story so far?

Different Narrator Focus—due May 4

Write the inner monologue of a character other than Jack. Become that character with the first person pronouns "I, me, my". Include 400+ words.

The Tree of Life—due April 30

Submit your comments at 12:20 p.m. each day.

Make multiple entries—one each for Wednesday (1-4), Thursday (5-8), Friday (9-12)—to write all you can, considering this narrative. Focus and write with the time you have.

1. Write about grace (which the mom represents).

2. Write about nature (which the dad represents).

3. Write about thinking, cognition, awareness.

4. Write about the setting.

5. Write about the time shifts.

6. Write about the relatability of the narrative. Mr. Massmann rightly says this is where the film thrives: each scene creates a major opportunity to connect your own life in a relatable, poignant way.

7. Write about the point of the narrative.

8. Write about the defiance.

9. Write about the connections.

10. Write about the forgiveness.

11. Write about the difficulty.

12. Write about ______________ (your choice).

"Unless you love, your life will flash by."

"Wonder."

"Hope."

See this too, found by Mr. Massmann. Powerful. Kent Jones. “Like The Thin Red Line and The New World before it, The Tree of Life is a war film. The war is between a mother and a father over the souls of their sons, and while no blood is shed and the war is fought across dinner tables and patches of grass, it is no less emotionally violent than the wars of the previous films.”

How is the tree of life metaphor/allusion applicable here?

Extra credit: read & write about this review of the film by J.R. Jones.

LitCharts Poetry—due April 22

1. Find a poem you really, truly enjoy at LitCharts.com.

2. Study it, understand it.

3. Summarize the poem with 50+ words

4. React to and connect with the poem with 250+ words.

Life of Pi Chapter Analysis—due April 13

classicfm.com

Answer all these questions about the chapter or chapters you selected. Enter multiple comments, all with your last name included. Stay up.

1. Why is your chapter placed where it resides (within the book, not looking for actual physical settings where the character/s move around)? Why is it exactly in that order?

2. Why are the chapters near yours placed nearby? Rank your chapter with four others nearby in a classification system you devise.

For example: most to least entertaining, gory, funny, informative, spiritual, poetic, visual...

3. What are your chapter’s seven best literary devices (metaphors, similes, setting, irony…) or smooth, impressive, evocative sentences? Are they funny, insightful, significant, meaningful, whimsical?

4. What does your chapter do to/for the reader? Teach, direct, mislead, frustrate, anger, inform, incite, entertain, motivate, connect, relate...

5. How much research did your chapter require Martel to do in order to write it well? Martel invests around a decade for each of his books—to add authenticity and authority. Does the book show any cultural stereotypes or cultural assumptions? Or is the book able to avoid those successfully? Are all the characters represented with the dignity they deserve?

6. What else should your chapter have that Martel did not include? Why/how would this addition help readers gain insight, perspective, something they can use?

7. What emotions is Martel conveying through your chapter? How do you sense these emotions? What diction has an especially powerful connotation? Quote 3+ sentences/phrases word for word/verbatim. Cite them with parentheses and properly placed punctuation.

8. Martel cut dozens of other chapters, perhaps mailing them with addresses to/from Bolivia and Siberia. He also rewrote each chapter dozens of times. When/where is the statement “less is more” true? What evidence of great revision does your chapter show? Where did Martel not include information in a great way? Quote 2+ sentences/phrases.

9. What functions of plot mechanism does your chapter accomplish for the plot overall? Does it move action, develop character, cause befuddlement or intrigue, pique interest in a new area, introduce action-causer or progress-halter, expand worldview, inform to mis/lead, redirect the focus, refine an interpretation? Quote sentences/phrases to show evidence.

NCRC—due April 8

Write 150+ words about your successes and challenges after trying some NCRC practice questions at this link.

The Island—due April 1

A. Type your group number and your explanation of the island.

1. Real algae and meerkats

2. Hell
3. Heaven
4. Purgatory/Limbo
5. Corpse (& garbage heap)
6. Eden/Utopia/Fantasy
7. Divine intervention gift (body of a god)

B. Copy & paste sentences from the novel that prove your explanation is the correct one. Include page numbers that the sentences are on.

C. Explain why you chose these sentences to prove your explanation.

Include your last name(s).

Stems—due March 29

 

Use stems on the right to write 314+ words about Life of Pi.

Stems—due March 24

Dr. Frederick Treves at npr.org.uk

Type 450+ words, using the stems on the right, about the narrative involving friends Joseph Merrick & Frederick Treves. Really explore the characters and their motives.

Change in the Narrative—due March 18

Write 400+ words about change as it appears in The Elephant Man. Or link a video of yourself speaking 300+ words about change in the narrative.

"Signs & Symbols" by Nabokov—due March 12

React to the story by Nabokov, who seems to be sparring with the reader and the reader's tendencies to hunt for symbols and meanings. The more you write, the more extra credit you can earn.

Extra Credit Task—due March 12

Write about something in the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and/or The House on Mango Street. A lesson you care about. A character you connect with. A setting you can imagine. You pick. The more you write, the more extra credit you can earn.

React to Mr. Massmann—due March 10

cinephilefix.com

Write 400+ words to react to Mr. Massmann's presentation. You pick your angle.

Cuckoo's Nest Novel—due March 5

Google "Cuckoo's Nest full text". Read five pages of any part of the novel. Remember: the novel is told in first person by Chief Bromden. Summarize what you read. Connect what you read to what you viewed. Include 400+ words.

Consider "command+F" to find key scenes: baseball, Turkle, Combine, fishing, painting, Santa, control panel, Vera...

Should or Should Not—due March 3

Christopher Lloyd as Taber

Pick a friend or family member. Genuinely convince them that they should or should not see this narrative with 400+ words.

Stems on Cuckoo's Nest—due March 2

Will Sampson as Chief Bromden

Use the stems on the right to write 300+ words about this narrative.

Connections—due March 1

 

How does this Jack London quote relate to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? Write 300+ words.

What's the point? — due Feb 24

racheljablonski.com

What is the point of stories like this plot, which pits a (mostly) good individual against a (mostly) corrupt system? Write 150+ words.

Something that Compels You—due Feb 19

This is Maxwell Taber (played by Christopher Lloyd in the film version) from the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which I couldn't put down once I started.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros compels me. Fascinates me. Interests me. I can't put it down once I start.

Find something that compels you. Read it. Enjoy it. Become fully fascinated. Find something you cannot avoid. You simply have to know more.

You'll need more than one comment bubble to submit the following. Just include your name in each comment. 

1. Summarize what you read with 100+ words. Include the link or origin.

2. What is best about what you read. Write 100+ words.

3. What did you learn? Write 100+ words.

4. Why does this interest you so much? Write 100+ words.

5. How is this useful to you? Write 100+ words.

6. To whom would you recommend this? Why? Write 100+ words.

7. Type the three most interesting sentences word-for-word. Why did you choose these three? Include 100+ words.

Prequel, Sequel, Missing Scenes—due Feb 11

Write 400+ words of a prequel, sequel, and/or missing scenes for The Color Purple and/or The Shawshank Redemption.

3 Stories—due Feb 11

How do these three stories connect? Write 450+ words here as a comment.

The Shawshank Redemption — The Color Purple — The Coffee Bean

Also, this is the link to write your short stories to 5th graders, which are due Wednesday, February 10.

Stems—due Feb 5

Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple:

thoughtco.com

 Using stems on the right, write 300 words about this narrative.

First Impressions—due now (Feb 2)

What are your three first impressions from this story? Make it quick. We have more to study.

Comparison—due January 29

In what ways is The Shawshank Redemption similar to anything else (movie, show...) you've ever seen? Answer with 300+ words.

Autobiography—due January 28

How does the narrative relate to your life?

Take a theme (hope, truth, friendship, toughness, planning, giving, overcoming, doubt, hopelessness, regret) from the film, perhaps, and apply it to your own life, autobiographically. Include 400+ words.

Joseph Campbell—due January 26

 

Joseph Campbell from brittanica.com

How does The Shawshank Redemption fit Joseph Campbell's "hero's journey"? (Google it.) Include 400+ words.

Lists—due January 22

1. In an order that you specify, list the people. Explain your list.

2. In an order that you specify, list the places. Explain your list.

3. In an order that you specify, list the plot events. Explain your list.

4. In an order that you specify, list the powerful film angles/techniques. Explain your list.

Shawshank Stems—due Jan 22

 Use the stems on the right to write 300+ words about the film.

Hope—due January 21

How is this narrative about hope? Answer with 450+ words.