A.P. Lit Is at the Book Club After Party: March 31, 2015

Focus: How can we write effectively about our book club novels?

1. Warming up: Brainstorming a list of concrete examples for each book and performing a quick sample close reading together.

2. Enjoying your book club timed writing

HW:
1. This Friday marks the end of 12 weeks. If you have any make-up work from the past six weeks (including poetry responses) or a revision of your critical review, you must turn it in by this Friday.

2. Make sure your big blog post is ready for me to look at tomorrow.

3. If you own your own copy of Waiting for Godot, start bringing it to class this week.

A.P. Lit Is Looking at the Big Picture: March 30, 2015

Focus: What larger themes in your novel can you start to pin down?

1. Warming up: Prompting you to think thematically about you book club novel

a. Read through the list of prompts for Free Response #3, marking the ones that might apply to you book club novel.

b. Narrow down your choices: Please highlight THREE prompts that speak directly to your novel.

c. As a group, brainstorm together how you would respond to each of the three prompts. What would your overarching argument be? What would your 2-3 supporting arguments be? What specific examples (setting, symbols, dialogue, motifs, moments, etc.) would you bring in?

d. Pick one of your documents with the three highlighted prompts to turn in to Ms. Davidson before the end of class. Make sure all of your names are at the top. 

e. I will select one for your Tuesday writing tomorrow.

Click here for online version of the prompts for Free Response #3

2. Developing your big question blog posts; complete these before class tomorrow.

Please remember to bring in specific passages, specific symbols, moments, words, etc; the more specific you get, the better the close readings and the more complex the themes.

HW:
1. Finish your big question blog; tomorrow will be your Tuesday writing on your book club book.  

2. If you have your own copy of Waiting for Godot, start bringing it to class on Wednesday (we begin waiting on Wednesday).

A.P. Lit Is Book Clubbing: March 20, 2015

Focus: Is the ending in the beginning?

1. Warming up with Vonnegut, beginnings, and endings: War in Reverse

How do the final pages of your book club novel offer a reversal (or a reflection) of the first pages?

2. Enjoying your penultimate day of book clubs

3. Comparing your answers from yesterday's multiple choice and arriving at consensus, maybe

HW:
If you're done with your book club novel, then nothing. Nothing at all. Have a nice spring break, everybody!

A.P. Lit Strums the Eolian Harp: March 19, 2015

Focus: How do we approach a perfectly good poem or piece of prose laden with multiple choice interrogations?

1. Warming up by reading the poem aloud with our MMM approach:

a. What story do the images and verbs tell? Tone?

b. What story do the sentences tell?

c. How would you section this poem? What's the most important shift?

d. Let's sketch (as in actually draw) the central metaphor here. Who's the harp? Who's the breeze? What does it all mean??!!

2. Speed dating through the multiple choice questions

3. Trying a prose multiple choice passage

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading/syllabus for tomorrow.

2. Revisions of critical review essays.

A.P. Lit Is Book Clubbing: March 18, 2015

Focus: What is your book's hero gaining and/or losing?

PLC: Shortened Class

1. Offering you a few thoughts about nontraditional heroes; has your hero reached any kind of turning point/shift/realization?

2. Enjoying your penultimate day of book clubs!

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading (hopefully, the rest of the book) and syllabus for Friday.

2. If you're revising your critical review, the sooner, the better. Remember to highlight all changes on your new your draft and attach it to your old one.

3. Next poetry response not due until April 6.

A.P. Is Strumming the Eolian Harp: March 17, 2015

Focus: What are the hardest poetry multiple choice sections we're going to see on the test, and how do we approach them?

1. Warming up with a dramatic reading of "A Dialogue Between the Soul and Body"

Moments (imagery, diction, metaphors, sounds, etc.)
Movements (shifts, ends of long sentences...consider how you would section the poem)
Multiple meanings (theme and tone)

What is the soul's complaint about the body?
What metaphor does the soul use to describe the body?

What is the body's complaint about the soul?
What metaphor does the body use to describe the soul?

What imagery and diction stand out?
What tone do the imagery and diction create? (Exercise that vocab)

Unravel the metaphor in the final two lines: What is being compared to what and why?

2. Trying out the multiple choice on your own; discussing your processes as a class

3. Reading and responding to "The Eolian Harp"

4. Speed dating to discuss your multiple choice selections

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading/syllabus for tomorrow.

2. Next poetry response is not due until April (I'm hoping that you'll have a somewhat homework-free spring break).

A.P. Lit Is Book Clubbing: March 16, 2015

Focus: How can we read our book club novels like professors?

1. Warming up with a little Foster...

"The [hero's] quest consists of five things:

(a) a quester
(b) a place to go
(c) a stated reason to go there
(d) challenges and trials en route
(e) a real reason to go there" (3)


As you come to the end of your book club books, trying pairing an early scene with a later scene and see what it reveals about the transformation of characters, symbols, settings, and other motifs.

2. Meeting your book clubs and (possibly) considering the nature of the quest in your novels

3. Wrapping up

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading for Wednesday.

2. If you have had your conference with me and would like to revise your critical review essay, now is the time, friends. I would aim to revise before spring break.

3. Poetry responses due Monday, but if you'd like to knock it out before spring break, I will gladly take it on Friday.

A.P. Literature Is Shaking Hands with a Place: March 13, 2015

Focus: What does it mean to be an artist?

1. Enjoying our final poetry project presentation, brought to you by

2. Warming up with my favorite Andy Goldsworthy quotations

3. Watching Rivers and Tides with a focus on what it means to be an artist (any kind of artist)

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading/syllabus for Monday, March 16.

2. Next poetry response due next Monday. 

A.P. Lit Is Presenting Poetry: March 11, 2015

Focus: How can our own creativity shed light on poetry?

PARCC: Shortened Class Today

1. Browsing through the poetry packet with a reflective focus: Look through the poems that were presented yesterday, and for as many you can, jot down one thing you learned from its presentation

2. Enjoying your poetry projects!  Audience members: Think about what you can bring to each presentation as well. Thoughtful questions? Positive feedback? Your own interpretations?

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading/syllabus for Monday, March 16.

2. Next poetry response due next Monday. This week might be a good time to knock it out.

A.P. Lit Is Presenting Poetry: March 10, 2015

Focus: How can our own creativity shed light on poetry?

Please turn in your poetry essays.

Reminder: You will have a fire drill during third hour.

1. Browsing through the poetry packet with a singular focus

2. Establishing the order of project presentations

(Wednesday classes will be short)

3. Enjoying your poetry projects!  Audience members: Think about what you can bring to each presentation as well. Thoughtful questions? Positive feedback? Your own interpretations?

HW:
1. Your first hour class will begin at noon tomorrow (if you are a junior taking the PARCC test, please arrive at your normal time and bring your headphones).

2. Assigned book club reading/syllabus for Monday, March 16.

3. Next poetry response due next Monday. This week might be a good time to knock it out.

A.P. Lit Is Turning Down Frank: March 9, 2015

Focus: Why does Eveline turn down Frank, and how can I write about that effectively?

1. Warming up with happy Monday thoughts

2. Exploring "Eveline" together:

a. If you were writing an essay about the setting in this story, which three lines/phrases would you focus on?

b. If you were writing an essay about symbolism in this story, which three lines/phrases would you focus on?

c. If you were writing an essay on imagery in this story, which three lines/phrases would you focus on?

d. If you were writing an essay on characterization in this story, which three lines/phrases would you focus on?

3. Having a look at the unofficial rubric and two sample essays from our own scholars

a. With your partner, you're going to focus on one particular aspect of one essay (Ms. Leclaire will let you know which ones). Discuss the essay and your assigned task together, and write down some of your ideas and questions.

b. You will have two minutes to teach your task to the rest of the class. Help us all leave class with a stronger understanding of this essay.

Tasks include...
1. Organization (topics of paragraphs, order of paragraphs, focus within each paragraph, transitions)
2. Textual evidence (choice of quotations, number of quotations, and lead-ins)
3. Style (writer's diction and syntax)
4. Analysis of quotations (close readings of quotations and connections back to prompt)
5. Thesis and topic sentences (clarity, specificity, debatability, provability)
6. Use of literary elements (implicit or explicit discussion of symbol, setting, imagery, etc.)

4. Workshopping your essays

HW:
1. Poetry essays and projects are due tomorrow. 

Essayists: You must have a HARD COPY of your essay ready to turn in at the beginning of class.

Project people: Be ready to present tomorrow. Finish filling out your rubric prior to class so you can hand it to me right before you present.

2. Juniors: Click HERE for a PARCC tutorial so that you understand both how to navigate the Language Arts test and what kinds of questions you can expect to see.

3. Assigned book club reading and syllabus for next Monday, March 16 (your next poetry response is also due this day).

A.P. Lit Is Responding to Poetry: March 5, 2015

Focus: How can we develop our poetry projects and presentations?

Click here to see the schedule for next Wednesday and Thursday.

1. Warming up with a few presentation guidelines

2. Conferencing with Ms. Leclaire on your papers and projects (optional)

3. Working on your projects and papers, which are now due Tuesday

Paper reminder: The explication portion of your essay should entail multiple body paragraphs (think of this part as a Tuesday writing).

HW:
1. Essays are due Tuesday, and all project people must be ready to present on Tuesday.

2. Juniors: Click HERE for a PARCC tutorial so that you understand both how to navigate the Language Arts test and what kinds of questions you can expect to see.

3. Assigned book club reading and syllabus for next Monday, March 16 (your next poetry response is also due this day).

A.P. Lit Is Book Clubbing: March 4, 2015

Focus: Why can't your characters just stay happy? What do they gain in the face of conflict?

1. Warming up with Ian McEwan and why novels can't just be happy

2. Enjoying book clubs, day 4 (if you were absent Monday, please assess your Socratic value)

3. Wrapping up

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading and syllabus for tomorrow.

2. Thursday will be a project/paper work day.  Bring anything that may be of help in your creative process (laptop, ear buds, playdough, what have you).

A.P. Lit Is Writing About Prose: March 3, 2015

Focus: What do we need to practice in our prose timed writings?

1. Warming up with your Beloved timed writings

2. Offering a few reminders about what to look for in prose timed writings

First inch and last inch

Point of view

Setting/symbols

Change in character or relationship (usually at the end)

3. Trying out a prose timed writing (40 min)

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading and syllabus for tomorrow.

2. Project proposals due tomorrow.

3. Thursday will be a project/paper work day.

A.P. Lit Is Book Clubbing: March 2, 2015

Focus: How can Vonnegut help us understand our book club books (even the ones not written by Vonnegut)?

Please turn in your poetry responses and help yourself to a new packet!

1. Warming up with a little Vonnegut:

• Vonnegut on "How To Write a Short Story

2. Enjoying intellectual discussions: Book Clubs, Day 3

3. Assessing your own Socratic value thus far:

8/9: I was completely prepared and brought my book club to new heights. I could not have done much better, and I helped my book club understand parts of my book that they may not have otherwise considered.

6/7: I was prepared each day and contributed thoughtfully to our discussions.

5: I wasn't quite as prepared as I should have been, but I did contribute once or twice.

3/4: I was a distraction to my book club.  They would have been better off without me.

1/2: I insulted members of my book club, alienated myself, and was a general disgrace to the English language. My book club made me sit in the corner.

NP: I was a non participant, either because of absence or extenuating circumstances.

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading for Wednesday.

2. Complete your next poetry response for Monday.

3. Work on your poetry essay and projects, which are due in one week; project proposals due Wednesday at the latest.