It's Oooooverrr......

The book everyone loves to hate, the one you have dreaded all year, is complete. Hopefully that makes you very happy, but hopefully you also enjoyed the discussion and the bigger ideas that can be gained from that text.

***Do NOT forget to be reading Lear. It must be completed by next Tuesday, March 6...

Monday, 2/27
HOD Discussion
(All with me)

Tuesday, 2/28
All with Byrd

Wednesday, 2/29
HOD work
(Sub)

Thursday, 3/1
Group 1- Becky and Anne Therapeutic Thursday
Group 2- MC work (Bring practice test #3 completed)

Friday, 3/2
HOD Essay work
Finish discussion
JOURNALS DUE

"The Horror, the Horror!"

Although I certainly hope you kept my plea in mind as you read, one way or another, this book will be completed this week.

Tuesday, 2/21
HOD Part I discussion, check of questions
Part II for homework

Wednesday, 2/22
HOD Part II discussion, check of questions
Read Part III for homework

Thursday, 2/23
Group 1- MC Work (poetry)
Group 2- Therapeutic Thursday
Poem for homework

Friday, 2/24
Part III discussion
HOD in-class work and finish for homework: Synthesis questions, HOD MC work

***JOURNALS NOT DUE UNTIL 3/2

Our Digital Selves

I did this NY Times lesson last year for the first time with my AP class and it ended up being one of my absolute favorites. It starts with a look at marketing with Mac/PC ads, then moves into a discussion about our own personal computers and what they say about us. We then read an article about the Salman Rushdie electronic archive display that is at Emory University, and talked about the changes in archiving and what lies ahead. My favorite question (and answers) from that discussion was "Does our technology shape us or do we shape our technology?" We had an incredible conversation with Group 2 about this topic and one comment that stuck with me was in regard to twitter and teenagers (but could apply to all social media). One student made a point that people will post things on twitter that they would NEVER stand in a crowded public area with friends, family, and strangers, and yell. It was such a great way to make that particular point. Anyway, the last step of this lesson was to create a simulated digital desktop for a character from Macbeth and wow... did they deliver!!! I am posting pictures of them because they are THAT wonderful... all of them. Enjoy!

(They could either do digital versions or paper/poster versions.)

Three Day Week and a Plea from ME

What an exciting time! Headed up on a FIVE.DAY.WEEKEND. I want to say, to the perhaps two of you who check this blog, that I am kind of dreading this week and next because I think it has become fashionable and legendary to hate Heart of Darkness. I don't who started it, many years ago, but I do know that everyone thinks it's the "in thing" to hate it. I would like, VERY MUCH, for you to open your minds and ignore your biases against it and give it a fair shot. It is a dense book, but very short. There are complex themes, but big ideas that generate great discussion. It is dark (hence the title), but chock full of imagery. JUST GIVE IT A TRY. OK?

Monday, 2/13
Presentation of Macbeth Desktops
If time remains, work on multiple choice practice.
DUE: Desktops

Tuesday, 2/14
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!
Presentation of Mac projects and memorization.
If time remains, work on MC practice.
DUE: Mac project/memorization

Wednesday, 2/15
Intro to HOD
Read Part 1 for homework. If you have a busy Tuesday night (21st) planned, go ahead and read Part 2 as well over this long weekend.

Macbeth AP MOVIE NIGHT!!!

I didn't feel like we had time to take out of class to watch the three hour Macbeth film, so I just showed it at my house last night and invited whomever would like to come to watch. I think there were about ten or so kids who came, and we ate rotel dip and ice cream (though not at the same time) and watched the three hour movie. It was quite an interesting version of the story, I will say... original text and all.

I'm Too Tired for a Clever Title

Or a picture. Sorry. Welcome to real life, friends. It's not all fun and wit and entertainment when you're a grownup. ;)

I really hope that this week goes as well as I expect because I loved this activity last year. And don't forget, Thursday at 5, if you are coming. I'll send directions later.

Monday, 2/6
Lady Macbeth Then and Now
Work on final multiple choice work

Tuesday, 2/7
Our Digital Selves lesson (analysis)

Wednesday, 2/8
Our Digital Selves lesson (application)
FINAL MAC MC DUE

Thursday, 2/9
Group 1- TT
Group 2- Practice AP MC

Friday, 2/10
Either finish Our Digital Selves (relate)
OR, if we finish early,
Macbeth Seminar

AP Resources

Here are a couple of great resources/references for you in your study for the AP test.

The first is some flashcards on the Quizlet site. Give this a try!


Second is a great place to find a comprehensive list of allusions.


And a wonderful site for literary terms...

"Oh, what a tangled web..."

When I looked at this word web, that little saying is the first thing that came to my mind. Interestingly enough, it fits the plot of Macbeth perfectly. I did a little word webbing with Mac last year, but this year I added this element at the very end of the play. I must say, I LOVED it! I wrote Macbeth and Murder on the board. The first student to volunteer had to added a word and connect that word to one of mine. From the second student to the last, they had to add a word and make two connections to words already on the board. The depth of their insight, the interesting perspective some of them presented... I was in English teacher heaven!!! It might have been my favorite new activity this year. I can't wait to try it out with my English IV classes!

One Round of Therapeutic Thursdays...

Last year I started something with my AP Class called Therapeutic Thursdays. Thursday is my very favorite day of the week. It has all the anticipation of the weekend with none of the dread feeling of it slipping away. I decided that, in order to incorporate a regular student-centered activity and also to expose them to a book that I did not have a class set or NOR did I have time for them all to read, I would start an every Thursday activity. Students are partnered together and they select a chapter out of either How to Read Literature like a Professor or How to Read Novels like a Professor , which they then present to the class and lead the class in discussion. They are also responsible for bringing food and drinks that day. The food can range from very simple to as complex as they wish. Because I now have my class only 45 min a day all year, each group has a Therapeutic Thursday every other Thursday. (And yes, I get to eat EVERY Thursday...) :)

Last week, we had Chinese food (with chopsticks) and discussed the creation of and identification with characters in novels.


This week, we discussed Ghosts, Werewolves, and Vampires in literature and enjoyed chips and dip and some incredible Reese's cup cookies. Possibly the most interesting point to come out of today is that the character of the vampire, etc, represents the dark side that exists in everyone.