Hamlet - Day 3 #Hashtags

We started today with a short quiz - a check for your level of understanding at this early stage in our reading.

Then, with your groups, you explored an assigned section of Act 1, scene 2:

• lines 1-40
• lines 41-66
• lines 67-89
• lines 90-121
• lines 165-196
• lines 197- end of scene

After a short discussion of what happens in those lines you created three Hashtags to represent it.

What are hashtags? They are short bits of language used to do several different things:

• a word or phrase used to identify a key idea
• a word or phrase used to comment or show a perspective / opinion
• a word or phrase used to link that idea to similar ones appearing elsewhere on social media
• a word or phrase used to allow others to search for and find it

For your three hashtags, you created two of them with people in your group, and one of them used language from your assigned section of the text.

#FewWordsBigIdeas

#Methinks

#TooMuchInTheSun


6th period

8th period

Hamlet - Day Two - Ghosts

Today we spent some time writing and thinking about ghosts:

• What do they usually do?
• When do they appear?
• What might they mean / represent?

We shared answers to those questions, and then some ghost stories, as a way of talking about the ghost that appears in Act I, scene 1.

You also met with your small group for the first time in a new room configuration - you will stay with these groups throughout our study of the play.

With those groups you read Act 1, scene 1 and discussed these questions:

• What does the ghost look like?
• What do the characters want to know from it?
• What is the back history we learn in this scene?

Don't forget to check the calendar for your homework - you are reading Act 1, scene 2 this weekend.

Hamlet – Day One

Today, we started off by talking about memorable lines from movies. We heard everyone’s favorite lines, and wrote a bit about what makes these quotes so memorable.

Then, we worked with some of the most famous lines from Hamlet, pairing up to create two-line performances.

I handed out the calendar for Hamlet, and discussed expectations for journals and discussions throughout the unit (see bottom of the calendar). Be sure to reference the calendar for assigned readings. Readings are due on the day that they are listed.

College Applications and Essays

First of all, congratulations on completing your first major assignment for this class. Our work with Antigone led to several good discussions and raised powerful ideas. I am looking forward to reading your interpretations of it all.

Second, you need to purchase a copy of William Shakespeare's Hamlet and have it in class for Thursday. The bookstore has them available, and I know Half-Price Books in town has copies too. I recommend having the same copy of the play as we will be using in class. Although there are no new scenes, there are different versions based on different original sources (the First or Second Folio, the Quarto, or others).

For today we will focus on those of you who are completing applications for college. Obviously there are many different things people will be doing next year. Furthermore, if you are filling out applications and writing essays, you will be at a different stage than others in the classroom. I am devoting this day to discussing the college application process to  do a few things: help demystify it, realize others are doing it, and learn strategies to help you write the best possible essay.

I started by sharing the chart on this page, showing which factors play the most important role in the decision-making process in the college admissions office.

I shared these examples of especially powerful and effective essays. Many colleges and universities publish successful essays on their website - do some Googling to find others!

I showed you this handout, including three sample essays and a helpful list of thoughts to keep in mind to help with your writing.

I also gave you this fun example of a totally different approach to the essay.

Antigone - Day 6

In class we discussed how to structure your essay. I gave you detailed descriptions of each section of the essay, naming what to make sure you include.

• Here is a link to a digital version of the notes

Here are a few highlights:

• Single-text analytic essay
• Introduction does not include a dictionary definition, rhetorical question, or random quotation
• Arguable thesis - not just a re-statement of ideas present in the text
• Topic sentences for each paragraph - also called a sub-claim - a component of your thesis to be addressed in this section
• Extensive use of evidence from all parts of the play
• Analysis of all evidence including a sense of the literary features (tone, word choice, structure, etc.) as well as a clear sense of why this evidence matters to help prove your thesis
• An overall organization clearly flowing from one point to the next
• Avoid using first person or second person
• Conclusion re-states the thesis and main points from the paper and then thoughtfully suggests further implications or alternate perspectives within the text
• Personal / Hybrid essay
• Select one story / example as your focus - something that happened to you, a current event, another text, etc. - not a variety of smaller connections
• Have a clear topic and focus for the essay - this does not necessarily have to be in the form of a thesis. This is an exploration of an idea, not an argument about it.
• Create a structure that places your story next to the text during each section of your essay. The closer the two are to each other, the more opportunities you have to make connections, comparisons, and contrasts.
• Use detailed evidence from both stories
• Analyze and explain what the evidence is meant to show
• Creative project
• Remember you are still creating and proving a thesis about the play with your project
• The reflective writing is an important component of the project - be sure to read the details about it

Please let me know if you have further questions - good luck with it!

Antigone - Day 5

At the start of class today you received back the paragraph you wrote in class yesterday about Tieresias. It included feedback based on the same rubric we've been using to guide our work with explications. After that I shared this example paragraph with you - it is a paragraph I put together using some of the best comments I saw in your work:

• Sample Antigone explication

Then you wrote short explications about the description of the deaths of Antigone and Haemon. We shared these in class as a way to discuss the end of the play.

For tomorrow, I recommend you do these things:

1. Make sure you've carefully read (and re-read) the entire play.
2. Make sure you read the critical essay I shared with you yesterday.
3. Decide which type of essay you want to write: single-text analytic, personal / hybrid, or creative. Make sure you know the expectations for each one.
4. Read through this list of suggested questions for discussion. Select a few that might be of interest to you - ones you might want to write about for your essay. Be prepared to discuss them tomorrow.
• Antigone discussion questions

Antigone - Day 4

Welcome back! I hope you had a great weekend. If you celebrated the holiday, I wish you a sweet and healthy new year. If you aren't celebrating the holiday, I wish that for you too!

As we get into this short week, please keep in mind your first major essay for this class. It is about Antigone and it is due Monday for 1st and 6th periods, and Tuesday for 8th period.  Remember your choices are between a single text analytic essay, a personal / hybrid essay, and a creative project. You can find detailed descriptions of those here.

We'll get back into things with a return to the dialogues you read with a small group at the end of last week. We'll then have a short in-class writing assignment about the play, again using the explication rubric you've seen over the past few weeks.

For tomorrow, please read this essay in preparation for class.

Lastly, don't forget your journal entries. They are due on the day the essay is due next week.  Here is a link to the rubric I will use to evaluate them.

Antigone - Day 3

In 6th and 8th period classes, we spent some time talking about 9-11 and the meanings of this day. We shared personal reflections and read a poem from Billy Collins.

Then we turned our attention to the different essay options you have for this semester. I reviewed the ones you can find on the blog under the "General Handouts" tab - Notes on Essay Options

Lastly, we looked at some of the developments in the play. We re-read Creon's opening speech and added him to the chart of characteristics and values. Then you worked in small groups to read an assigned section of the play.

Antigone - Day 2

Our focus for today was on values and priorities, as well as when they come into conflict.

• In personal writing you noted your own values and priorities, some of the sources of them, and an example of a time when two or more values came into conflict with each other.

Here is an example of a recent story about values coming into conflict: Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk, refused to authorize marriage certificates for gay or lesbian couples because it went against her religious values, even though the Supreme Court recently said these marriages were legal.

• Here is a link to one of many recent articles about Kim Davis
• Here is a link to an article with more in-depth analysis

Ultimately we will bridge this question back to the play, to discuss the different ways in which those characters both experience and cope with conflicting values.

Antigone - Day 1

Welcome back! I hope you had a fun and restful Labor Day weekend!

Today we will start our work with Antigone. Please be sure to check and understand the calendar for the next two weeks, since the essay you write for this play will be your first major assignment of the year.

In class you worked with a partner to read the opening dialogue between Antigone and Ismene. In your notebook you made a simple chart to keep track of the characteristics of these two women, as well as the different values present in their conversation. By "values," I mean the factors that might influence their decision-making. We will discuss both what those values are and the ways in which characters create a hierarchy of them, and why.

Tonight you are reading through line 514 and adding Creon to the chart we made in class.

Oedipus the King - Day 5

Today we will finish the group presentations of your assigned passages from the end of the play.

Following that, we will discuss your previous work with explications, and then go over your assignment for the weekend.

• Final Oedipus Explication

Oedipus the King - Day 4

Today we worked in groups to examine the final pages of the play. In your group of four you re-read an assigned passage. Then you worked on a way to perform it for the class, including sound effects, soundtrack music, and scenery as needed.

• Here are the groups and assigned passages

Oedipus the King - Day 3

Predictions!

Today we explore questions related to the idea of making predictions and, as they are called in the play, prophecies. Do we believe in them? Do we believe the future is pre-determined? If we are told the future, can we still change it? Can our own actions makes predictions come true, or not?

We discussed the ways in which Oedipus, Jocasta, and the Chorus spoke of predictions in the play up to line 915.

We also clarified questions about the plot, trying to keep track of the flurry of information and revelations in this section.

You also wrote and submitted an explication. You will receive these back with commentary based on the rubric we used in class on Monday.