Oct. 28 - Nov. 1: Animal Farm

Term deadline is Wed. Nov. 6th.
In-class essay on Animal Farm: Tues. Oct. 29 - Wed. Oct. 30
Animal Farm Unit Test on Mon. Nov. 4
Animal Farm Questions and Answers for review.
Animal Farm test paragraph question
George Orwell biography questions and answers.

Thurs. Oct. 31 - Fri. Nov. 1     Animal Farm novel
- View the Animal Farm movie and review notes for the test on Monday.

 

Tues. Oct. 29 - Wed. Oct. 30      
- Tuesday and Wednesday classes will be available to complete an in-class essay on the novel Animal Farm (32 marks).
- Use your quote worksheet, outline, and novel to complete a five paragraph in-class essay.
- The essay criteria marking sheet will be distributed in class. Review the criteria carefully before you start to write, while you are writing, and before you hand in your essay.

Mon. Oct. 28    
-  Finish reading Animal Farm. Complete the vocabulary and questions for study.
- Collect quotes on the quote worksheet (18 marks). DUE Tuesday, Oct. 30.
You will be using this quote collection for the in-class essay assignment on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Oct. 21 - 24: Poetry / Animal Farm

Blk. D Finish Open Book Poetry Quiz (p. 117-251 The Poet's Craft).

Tues. Oct. 22 - Thurs. Oct. 24        Animal Farm novel

- Read and review ch. 1 - 7 Animal Farm questions. 
- View George Orwell biography.  Review questions and answers.
- Continue reading to the end of chapter 7 by Monday, Oct. 28.

Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novella that can be described as a roman à clef (French for "novel with a key"), which is a work describing real-life behind a façade of fiction.
Although Animal Farm is short, it can be read and interpreted on several levels:

A "fairy tale" or "fairy story" can mean any far-fetched story that may feature folkloric characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and talking animals, and usually enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events (Wikipedia).

A fable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, that features animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized (given human qualities), and that illustrates a moral lesson (a "moral"). Fables can be described as a didactic mode of literature. They frequently have as their central characters animals with the ability to reason and speak (Wikipedia).

In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods, ideally with the intent to bring about improvement.Although satire is usually meant to be funny, the purpose of satire is not primarily humour in itself so much as an attack on something of which the author strongly disapproves, using the weapon of wit (Wikipedia).

An allegory is a form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in the narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself (Microsoft Encarta).

To appreciate the deeper satirical and allegorical elements within Animal Farm, it is important to have an understanding of the author, George Orwell, and the historical and political dynamics of his time.

View parts 1 -5 of George Orwell's biography and complete the questions (see Assignments and Handouts link):
George Orwell - Part 1
George Orwell - Part 2
George Orwell - Part 3
George Orwell - Part 4
George Orwell - Part 5  

Mon. Oct. 21 
Blk. D: Complete the open book poetry quiz (Start Part 1 section; finish Part 2 written response).
If finished, complete your homophone poem, or use the time for completion of missing assignments.
Blk. A: Lab 2 is booked for blog completion; quiz completion for students absent on Friday.

Oct. 15 - 18: Poetry

Open Book Poetry Test on Fri. Oct. 18 (p. 117-251 The Poet's Craft).

Fri. Oct. 18
- Open book poetry test (43).
- Finish your poetry assignments: Louis Riel questions and homophone poem.
A Poem about hands:



- AK47 Team Poetry: This is a brilliant example of personification/extended metaphor in a poem presented at an event in Ottawa in 2009.




Tues Oct. 15 -  Thurs. Oct. 17 
It's/Its/You're/Your Quiz: Login to Socrative and enter 52231
Blk. A - Class 2 of 4 on Poetry Blogging (see samples below)
Blk. D - 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.
- When finished, review pages 117 - 251 of The Poet's Craft textbook in preparation for the open-book poetry test on Friday, Oct. 18.
- 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 on File. 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:

Oct. 7 - 11: Short Stories / Poetry

Short Stories Unit Quiz (33) on Tues. Oct. 8
All 4 rough copy paragraphs (20) due  Wed. Oct. 9 (2 media topics and 2 short story topics from last week's post)

Fri.  Oct. 11 - Class 3 of 4 on Poetry Blogging

Blk. A- Silent reading or paragraph and Louis Riel question completion.
- View DVD "Writing Effective Paragraphs."
- Finish the homophone poetry lesson today (homophones explained). Use the homophone list to help create your poem.

Blk. D- 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.

People and Places

Before Two Portraits of My Mother

I love the beautiful young girl of this

portrait, my mother, painted years ago

when her forehead was white, and there was no

shadow in the dazzling Venetian glass

of her gaze. But this other likeness shows

the deep trenches across her forehead’s white

marble. The rose poem of her youth that

her marriage sang is far behind. Here is

my sadness: I compare these portraits, one

of a joy-radiant brow, the other care-

heavy: sunrise—and the thick coming on

of night. And yet how strange my ways appear,

for when I look at these faded lips my heart

smiles, but at the smiling girl my tears start.

By

Émile Nelligan (1879-1941)

Born in Montreal

Thurs. Oct. 10, 2013

- Block A: We are working on the homophone poetry lesson today (homophones explained). Use the homophone list to help create your poem.

- Block D: The lab is booked to continue work on poetry blogging assignments.
Sign into your blog at Blogger.com
- Work on poetry assignment #2 - Class 2 activity. See an assignment example below:

                                         War and Hope                                             

I Hate That Drum's Discordant Sound

by John Scott

Outwitted

by Edward Markam

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. Oct. 9, 2013

- The lab is booked.
- 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

LOVE

LONELINESS

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 sunny skies 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. Oct. 8 - Short Story Unit Quiz

- Short Story Unit Quiz (33 marks) *** hand-written notes must be given to Mrs. H. before your class starts if you want to use them for the paragraph section.
- 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 to learn more. Complete the questions (also under the Assignments and Handouts heading in the right margin).

Mon. Oct. 7 - Interactive Short Story Unit Lab Review 
 

- 20 min. of class time to finish rough copy paragraphs.
Lab 120 is booked:
 - Review the Interactive Short Story Unit to prepare for the quiz on Monday. Be sure to cover the elements of the short story and the glossary.
- Use the same web site to listen to and read "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.