Thurs. Apr. 5, 2012 -Animal Farm online novel
- Open-book poetry test (43 marks). You can use your textbook, The Poet's Craft.
- When you finish, finish term one assignments or read Animal Farm quietly until all students have completed the test. Finish reading ch. 5 for Tuesday.
Tues. Apr. 3, 2012 - Final class on poetry blogging
- Complete all four poetry blogging assignments and finish the Louis Riel Poetry questions. If finished, use lab/library time for reading more poems or library materials.
***Email completed blog with your full name and block in subject line. ***Paste the link to your blog in the body of the email.
Mon. Apr. 2, 2012 - Class 4 of 4 on Poetry Blogging
- Sign into your blog at Blogger.com - Work on poetry assignment #2 - Class 4 activity. See an assignment example below: ***Email completed blog with your full name and block in subject line. ***Paste the link to your blog in the body of the email.
- If you finish early, help the United Nations World Food Program feed the world by playing Free Rice.
Nature and Invention
Instructions for Drawing:
- Sign into Google Docs. Select Create New. Select Drawing.
- Click Insert. Select Text box (type or paste poem into text box)
- Add other artistic elements. When finished, click the arrow next to Share. Select Publish to the Web.
- Copy the Embed Code. Paste the code into your blog's Edit HTML view (at the bottom). - Change the dimensions near the end of the code to w=450 h=400 so it will fit your blog. - Click Publish Post on your blog. See the sample below:
***Short Stories Quiz: Tues. Mar. 27 (33 marks) Label plot diagram (5); Match terms (10); 3 paragraphs (18). ***Homework: Complete the information form (6 marks)***
Fri. Mar. 30 - Class 3 of 4 on Poetry Blogging
- Sign into your blog at Blogger.com - Work on poetry assignment #2 - Class 3 activity. See an assignment example below:
- If you finish early, help the United Nations World Food Program feed the world by playing Free Rice.
Thurs. Mar. 29 - Class 2 of 4 on Poetry Blogging
- Sign into your blog at Blogger.com
- Work on poetry assignment #2 - Class 2 activity. See an assignment example below:
Although John Scott's poem "I Hate That Drum's Discordant Sound" certainly contains a relevant message about the turmoil and devastation that is brought about by war, Edward Markham's poem "Outwitted" has greater relevance to the lives of most people in the world today. "Outwitted" is a short poem with a simple message. The poem's theme of "love thy neighbour" has relevance to many kinds of relationships such as families, friendships and the workplace. Sometimes family members do not get along, and it can take months or years for them to resolve issues that have caused a "falling out." Similarly, friendships may be disrupted and later be repaired as a result of one or both parties' efforts to re-connect. Finally, workplace relationships can be restored through the efforts of a caring mediator. Even though "Outwitted" is a very brief poem, its universal theme has widespread relevance for many people around the world.
Wed. Mar. 28 - Class 1 of 4 on Poetry Blogging
- In the computer lab, set up your blog at Blogger.com (sign in with your Google Docs username and password. Do not make a new account). You can customize your blog's privacy and comment moderation settings through your Blogger Dashboard "settings" and "comments" tabs. - Work on poetry assignment #2 - Class 1 activity. See an assignment example below:
Love and Loneliness
All you need is love. John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.
Mother Teresa
Love and Loneliness
(a poem with borrowed lines)
Love and loneliness are two sides of that coin called emotion
(Of course there are others such as jealousy and devotion)
Love is a sailboat on calm blue seas
With sunnyskies and a warm soft breeze.
I love thee with a love I seem to lose. *
Could it really be the end of this cruise?
Now loneliness is a submarine that hardly surfaces for air
It is a child, homeless man or woman with an outcast stare.
My false friends leave me here to die alone **
Where is that coin? All I have is a stone.
In life we spin the coin:
Love - we win;
Loneliness - we lose.
* Line borrowed from "Sonnet 43: How Do I Love Thee" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
** Line borrowed from "Wabanaki Song" translated by Charles G. Leland
Tues. Mar. 27/12 - Short Story Unit Quiz
- Short Story Unit Quiz (33 marks) *** allowed hand-written term notes only
- Start work on the Louis Riel historical poetry assignment. Answers must be in complete sentences.
On February 17th, 2009 the Canadian Press reported that Louis Riel's final poems had been made public for the first time. Read the story and watch the video to learn more. Complete the questions (under the Assignments and Handouts heading in the right margin).
Mon. Mar. 26/12 - Review the Interactive Short Story Unit to prepare for the quiz tomorrow. Be sure to cover the elements/components of the short story and terminology.
- Use the same web site to listen to and read "Never" by H. E. Bates on p. 120 of Inside Stories II.
- Complete terminology notes using the long sheet handout.
- Complete your literary terms slide show.
**Bring your story notes on Tuesday to support your paragraph writing.
Here is a film production of the story starring Vincent Price.
Thurs. Mar. 15 - Forgiveness in Families
- "Forgiveness in Families" was written by Canadian author Alice Munro Munro is considered one of the world's best short story writers.
- Munro won the prestigious Man Booker Prize in 2009. It is the biggest international award for short story writing.
- Read the story on p. 93 and complete notes on the terms from the blue handout.
Wed. Mar. 14 - North End Faust
Today, we're reading "North End Faust" by Ed Kleiman
The title of the short story "North EndFaust" contains a double allusion. These two allusions relate to the main character's place of residence in Winnipeg and to his faustian behavior as a university psychology professor. See the definition of faustian.
Tues. Mar. 13 - God Is Not A Fish Inspector
- You'll be reading "God is Not a Fish Inspector" (Inside Stories II p. 42)
- Read the story and complete the terminology notes according to the long sheet instructions. Mon. Mar. 12 - The Metaphor "The Metaphor" is a short story written by Nova Scotian writer Budge Wilson. Wilson has been in the news recently for writing the prequel to Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. Before Green Gables was published in February 2008. In a YouTube video, Wilson explains how it felt to take on such a formidable writing task.
Read this story and complete terminology notes according to the long sheet instructions.
Fri. Mar. 9 - Ashes For the Wind
Read "Ashes for the Wind" and complete terminology notes according to the long sheet instructions. "Ashes for the Wind" was written by Colombian journalist and author Hernando Téllez. Although Téllez wrote this story around 1945, the problems of Colombia's internally displaced persons (IDPs) persist today.
This Refugees InternationalYouTube clip, produced in 2008, outlines the scope of the IDP problem in Colombia.
An April 2008 news agency report provides another view on Colombia's IDP crisis.
In 2009, LinkTV produced a documentary, Stories That Kill, about the state of journalism and freedom of expression in Colombia.
Thurs. Mar. 8 - Harrison Bergeron
- Read Harrison Bergeron (see stories link). Complete terminology notes according to the long sheet instructions. Harrison Bergeron was written by American author Kurt Vonnegut. In this YouTube clip, Vonnegut offers advice for short story writers. After reading "Harrison Bergeron," do you think that Vonnegut has followed his own advice?
- Vonnegut offers eight rules of short story writing.
Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
Start as close to the end as possible.
Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
