Regarding the Hunger Games

....Dear Everybody......
I've said this a few,  times but I'll say it again. 
(http://rhskhernandez.blogspot.com/2011/07/second-book-ideas.html)
Don't do The Hunger Games This is not an AP list book, and it is not appropriate for the second novel.
It is a Young Adult literature book. 
It is a part of a trilogy. 
Let me give you some perspective about this book.
The Hunger Games has a Lexile score of 810....that means it's a 4th- 5th grade book....
The Awakening one of the books we will read this semester scores between 1100 1200 that's supposedly 10-12th grade level.
The Bluest Eyes is about 930 which is 10-11th. 
So The Hunger Games


“The heat is horrible, but worse than the heat is the smoke, which threatens to suffocate me at any moment. I pull the top of my shirt up over my nose, grateful to find it soaked in sweat, and it offers a thin veil of protection. And I run, choking, my bag banging against my back, my face cut with branches that materialize from the gray haze without warning, because I know I am supposed to run


Notice the small words and pretty simple sentence structure. Lots of I. 
Now Jane Eyre and The Hunger Games  are considered  9th grade level readability books on the Flesch Kincaid scale....let me kick you a paragraph. 


This lane inclined up-hill all the way to Hay; having reached the middle, I sat down on a stile which led thence into a field. Gathering my mantle about me, and sheltering my hands in my muff, I did not feel the cold, though it froze keenly; as was attested by a sheet of ice covering the causeway, where a little brooklet, now congealed, had overflowed after a rapid thaw some days since. From my seat I could look down on Thornfield: the grey and battlemented hall was the principal object in the vale below me; its woods and dark rookery rose against the west. I lingered till the sun went down amongst the trees, and sank crimson and clear behind them. I then turned eastward.



Both of these are pretty much two scene about two characters dealing with their environment, but they are very different in terms of syntax and structure. So that scale is not really accurate to me.  Anyway you get the idea. What I'm saying is that The Hunger Games is not going to help get you trained up for AP lit class.  Honestly, most of the summer reading from the county is at a low readability but high interest area. So...read it for fun, not for class. 


Citaitons forth coming. 

The Dojo has a Docket: Unofficial Schedule for Month of August

So some people have been asking, what's the day to day grind going to be like? Well that's hard to stay I'm still developing it, but I can give you the rough draft for the first month or so.
By the way, we don't actually have some of the books I mention under the date so you'll be dealing with zerox copies. With that said, PLEASE GET A 3 RING BINDER.

Also some of this is inverted style teaching. I.E. In a regular class, for instance math, you do the lesson and then when you go home you do the work. Sadly, the work is when you have questions, but there is no one to guide you at home. So for many of the reading assignments simple definition and example (I'll warn you now, sometimes you'll have to read over the weekend) and then in class we will do what most people would have assigned as homework. I think this keeps people from giving up at home because they, "don't get it."

In case your wondering I took a picture of the first assigned reading so you could get an idea of how much it will really be. the Sharpie is there as a frame of reference. Click to enlarge.

This is not everything we are doing in class, but I've found that most students want to know how much of my life am I going to have to give up on to be able to do you class. I've left the assignments off on purpose. Some of you are a little overzealous :D

First Semester Pacing--August

Week 1 August 9th Possible Nightly readings Perrine's Connotation and Denotation Pages p.686-692	Diagnostic Information: Poetry and Drama diagnostic test Presentation Discussion Essay Topics Possible Readings: "When my move swears that she is made of truth" by Shakespeare  Assignments: Total Possible Pages for this week: 6
Week 2 August 15th--ESSAY DUE THIS WEEK Possible Nightly readings Bedford Close Reading: Analyzing Poetry and Fiction p.19-24 Perrine's Tone p.804- 809 DiYannip.787-793	Basics and Remediation Presentations Historical Notes on 16th Century Literature Poetry:  Diction, Tone, and Mood Possible Readings: The flea by John Donne The Apparition by Jon Donne Since there's no help Michael Drayton Assignments: Total Possible Pages for this week: 18
Week 3 August 22 Possible Nightly readings Bedford p. 26-30 Perrine's 822-830 DiYani 799-802	Basics of Poetry: Figurative Language--Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Apostrophe, Metonymy, Symbol, Allegory, Paradox, Overstatement, Understatement, and Irony Presentations Possible Readings: A valediction: Forbidding Mourning by John Donne To the Virgins to Make Much of time by Robert Herrick Peace by George Herbert Hymn to God My God, in My Sickness The Sun Rising by John Donne Batter My Heart, three-personed God by John Donne Assignments:  Total Possible Pages for this week: 15
Week 4 August 29  Perrine p.822-830 DiYanni 817-820, 824-829	Basics of Poetry: Sound Devices—Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance, Internal Rhyme, End Rhyme, Rhyme scheme, onomatopoeia presentations Possible Readings: Assignments:  Total Possible Pages for this week: 16

None of this is in stone yet, I still need to let a few people read it and advise and suggest. I just thought I'd give you a heads up because I know 1. You are all very busy people with multiple AP classes, jobs and sports and 2. Many of you are worriers. So to help you I wrote this up. Normally I'm not this structured, but I got the impression that you guys needed this from me. You know what they say, "Cry at the dojo, laugh on the battlefield." 

Keep Calm and Carry on

KHdz

P.S. If you needed a podcast for this class....what would you need it to address?

Literary Terms

Some people have stated that they don't know what to write about exactly. Here are some suggestions.

AP Literature Terms

Ap English Glossary

I will warn you in advance that these are not MY definitions or MY lists. So, use at your own risk. I have provided these because I didn't have one readily available on this computer.  I hope they assit those of you in need of them. Also, also you can just google Literature Terms, but make sure you find several definitions of the same word to verify and evaluate the credibility.

Bloom's Taxonomy or Someone Find Me a Mushroom

Some people have been asking why just summary is not going to fly. Let me take you to the chart of intelligence--that's my name for it sometimes, you can't google that and find anything---This ia a Bloom's Taxonomy chart.

Knowledge 0 point zone

Useful Verbs	Sample Question Stems	Potential activities and products
tell list describe relate locate write find state name	What happened after...? How many...? Who was it that...? Can you name the...? Describe what happened at...? Who spoke to...? Can you tell why...? Find the meaning of...? What is...? Which is true or false...?	Make a list of the main events.. Make a timeline of events. Make a facts chart. Write a list of any pieces of information you can remember. List all the .... in the story. Make a chart showing... Make an acrostic. Recite a poem.

Okay, this is the lowest form of intelligence. This is like memorization at best, blind obedience at worst. This is useful, but alone is useless. Who really cares that the capital of Georgia is Atlanta? So what? Do something with it.
Lit Example: Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter.

Comprehension 1 point

("Mario-star__2")

Useful Verbs	Sample Question Stems	Potential activities and products
explain interpret outline discuss distinguish predict restate translate compare describe	Can you write in your own words...? Can you write a brief outline...? What do you think could of happened next...? Who do you think...? What was the main idea...? Who was the key character...? Can you distinguish between...? What differences exist between...? Can you provide an example of what you mean...? Can you provide a definition for...?	Cut out or draw pictures to show a particular event. Illustrate what you think the main idea was. Make a cartoon strip showing the sequence of events. Write and perform a play based on the story. Retell the story in your words. Paint a picture of some aspect you like. Write a summary report of an event. Prepare a flow chart to illustrate the sequence of events. Make a colouring book.

Okay, let's say you find a Mario mushroom and grow up a little bit. Now that you are a little bigger, I'll let you know, this is the land of summary. As we all know, Mario can't get all the way through the game with just a mushroom. If you summarize the text, AP exam will end you.

This,at best, is a middle school execution of information. An example of comprehension would be to being able to define a capital of a state and then being able to find GA on a map and then being able to point to Atlanta.
Lit Example: Hester Prim is standing on the scaffold in the early chapters of  The Scarlet Letter. 

Application 1 point zone

("fire_mario_smb3")

Useful Verbs	Sample Question Stems	Potential activities and products
solve show use illustrate construct complete examine classify	Do you know another instance where...? Could this have happened in...? Can you group by characteristics such as...? What factors would you change if...? Can you apply the method used to some experience of your own...? What questions would you ask of...? From the information given, can you develop a set of instructions about...? Would this information be useful if you had a ...?	Construct a model to demonstrate how it will work. Make a diorama to illustrate an important event. Make a scrapbook about the areas of study. Make a paper-mache map to include relevant information about an event. Take a collection of photographs to demonstrate a particular point. Make up a puzzle game suing the ideas from the study area. Make a clay model of an item in the material. Design a market strategy for your product using a known strategy as a model. Dress a doll in national costume. Paint a mural using the same materials. Write a textbook about... for others.

If you find a flower, Mario has fire, now you're more powerful. How would knowing where the Capital is be helpful?
Lit Example: If I could ask Hester Prim one question, I would want to know why she remained in that town rather than leaving.

Analysis-2 points zone

("/super-mario-3-power-ups-cape" )

Useful Verbs	Sample Question Stems	Potential activities and products
analyse distinguish examine compare contrast investigate categorise identify explain separate advertise	Which events could have happened...? I ... happened, what might the ending have been? How was this similar to...? What was the underlying theme of...? What do you see as other possible outcomes? Why did ... changes occur? Can you compare your ... with that presented in...? Can you explain what must have happened when...? How is ... similar to ...? What are some of the problems of...? Can you distinguish between...? What were some of the motives behind...? What was the turning point in the game? What was the problem with...?	Design a questionnaire to gather information. Write a commercial to sell a new product. Conduct an investigation to produce information to support a view. Make a flow chart to show the critical stages. Construct a graph to illustrate selected information. Make a jigsaw puzzle. Make a family tree showing relationships. Put on a play about the study area. Write a biography of the study person. Prepare a report about the area of study. Arrange a party. Make all the arrangements and record the steps needed. Review a work of art in terms of form, colour and texture.

Now, if you, in the words of Skyla and Drake, "are fancy," you find a feather and get a super hero cape, you can transcend the mediocre standards of high school freshman you can analyze.

VERY short Lit Example: What's the problem with Dimmsdale, Hester's baby's daddy and a preacher,  living with Chilingsworth, Hester Prim's husband who was thought dead?

Evaluation 3 points zone 

("art_superMarioBros3HammerSuit-300x187")

Useful Verbs	Sample Question Stems	Potential activities and products
judge select choose decide justify debate verify argue recommend assess discuss rate prioritise determine	Is there a better solution to... Judge the value of... Can you defend your position about...? Do you think ... is a good or a bad thing? How would you have handled...? What changes to ... would you recommend? Do you believe? Are you a ... person? How would you feel if...? How effective are...? What do you think about...?	Prepare a list of criteria to judge a ... show. Indicate priority and ratings. Conduct a debate about an issue of special interest. Make a booklet about 5 rules you see as important. Convince others. Form a panel to discuss views, eg "Learning at School." Write a letter to ... advising on changes needed at... Write a half yearly report. Prepare a case to present your view about...

Become Hammer Mario to thrown down and use amazing thoughts. Use your hammers to build up  or tear down the craftsmanship of the literary work--that's evaluation

VERY short Lit Example: The Scarlet Letter is an excellent example of American Gothic Romantic literature because of it's address of secret sin, guilt, and the truth coming out in extreme situations.

Notice: This is kinda like a thesis statement. 

Synthesis and Creation 3/4 points 

("Mario-star__2")

Useful Verbs	Sample Question Stems	Potential activities and products
create invent compose predict plan construct design imagine propose devise formulate	Can you design a ... to ...? Why not compose a song about...? Can you see a possible solution to...? If you had access to all resources how would you deal with...? Why don't you devise your own way to deal with...? What would happen if...? How many ways can you...? Can you create new and unusual uses for...? Can you write a new recipe for a tasty dish? can you develop a proposal which would...	Invent a machine to do a specific task. Design a building to house your study. Create a new product. Give it a name and plan a marketing campaign. Write about your feelings in relation to... Write a TV show, play, puppet show, role play, song or pantomime about...? Design a record, book, or magazine cover for...? Make up a new language code and write material suing it. Sell an idea. Devise a way to... Compose a rhythm or put new words to a known melody.

(Dalton)

Now, if you get just crazy, find a star to  make you invincible You are trying to put info together and design things. 

VERY short Lit Example: Compose a essay where you create  an essay combining the themes in The Scarlet Letter and Brave New World. 

"art_superMarioBros3HammerSuit-300x187"Top Shelf Gaming: Top 5 Mario Power Ups ."Web. 27 Jul 2011 <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOBbgHl9QZ0U9C__qhKFOwogrBoWsJ-RBx0o2Ia6vGXYaqWR-IbXUZcf-z213Fs5NO3GTlp-3t28tM9W9kQ84-65bDb8U7iVGfLuAuVP1TWMcYhqCIr7xtmGzb61vSW59dAocCZ7HKfQ/s1600/art_superMarioBros3HammerSuit-300x187.jpg>.

Dalton, J. & Smith, D. (1986) “Extending Children’s Special Abilities – Strategies for primary classrooms”  pp36-7

"fire_mario_smb3" Top Shelf Gaming: Top 5 Mario Power Ups ."Web. 27 Jul 2011 <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbHuJsMmMe8Rlr3HXRavOz_1w0R7PBBWhhlS8860bgAEJskDUptgdA53GoAgaZiLQnHJw4XSgPNoyxXT1obpRgU4PtyDMHKsK4ZSXMPoqNQqbivaw0pbwU7VylWKw7P9Vdx2AMGoE1IU/s1600/fire_mario_smb3.jpg>.


"Mario-Mushroom." Games-Mario Mushroom. Web. 27 Jul 2011. <http://www.320x480.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/mario-mushroom.jpg>.


"Mario-star__2" Satanic symbols in the oil field."Web. 27 Jul 2011 <http://mario1.info/mario-star__2_.jpg>.


"super-mario-3-power-ups-cape" Top Shelf Gaming: Top 5 Mario Power Ups ."Web. 27 Jul 2011 <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlsr66cBfVUXIrIrCDvVZQpTVi7KIuYBS7ei0ju2JNqPlBZH3bbk5UTnLh1GSEN0HHSNgQLpFi10C-FpYaS8hvBiPXE2W9ySQ1087iOhreBGUto5O2Si695Cy8eqZk_Z-7v09456-UYY/s1600/super-mario-3-power-ups-cape.jpg>.

Regarding Posts and Mr. Miyagi

I really should have said this sooner, but it never occurred to me that people would do it this way. I know many teachers aren't in the habit of "explaining themselves" because they "shouldn't have to explain" themselves, but I like to be logical. Also, I personally don't like being ordered around or told to do things without knowing why I'm doing them. You won't always get a why from me, but most of the time you'll get something.

I have come to find out that some of you are reading diligently away but not posting. You are instead keeping journals and plan on posting closer to the first day of classes. NOW this is smashing for certain things, but bad for others, let me explain.

Why this is bad for H:
Uhm I don't know if you've realized, but there are only so many hours in a day. I know, it boggles the mind, considering that I know some of you have heard I'm a blood-drinking, soul-crushing, student-tormenting vampire, I'm sure you expected me to be able to read all your posts in one sitting. Alas, it is not to be. For example, one lovely student posted 18 blog entries in one day. This, I later found out, is because Cox is stupid and so is her computer.

Now one person doing it, not so big a deal, 12 people doing it is a problem. Having to read that many and provide god feed back and give suggestions in a timely manner  is almost impossible. Due to the mechanics of website navigation, it is much faster to read all of one person's posts then clicking on 1 of each of the 12 and providing feedback like that.

Now on to something a little more important, why is this a problem for you?

Well, if you posts 18 posts in one day along with 11 other people and you're at the bottom of my update list, I may not get to read ANY of your posts until about a week later--and it's about 2 weeks before we go back kids.  Without the time to give you feed back and let you correct mistakes--you take the grade you take.

People who already have their grade for the first 22 assignments have a leg up on you. They can go back and fix things before the due date and thus receive a higher grade. These students will also be better prepared for the writing assignments of the course because they know my expectations.  If you wait until the night before the due date, you're taking the grade you are designated. No correction time because at that point we will be doing other things that will require not only my full attention but also your full attention.

In short, what can you do?

If you're keeping a journal, I highly recommend that before the end of today, type up your first 5 posts. This way you can get an idea if what you are writing on and focusing on is the correct thing.

I'm trying to cover your back as best I can, which I know is annoying as summer is coming to an end, but all good things must right?

Remember, anything you really know how to do well is because you did it repeatedly. Even if you didn't like it or weren't very good to start off with. Let's go to the clip :)

Daniel-san does it on his own a lot then shows Miyagi, Miyagi corrects a bit, and magically, we have functional karate. How can I up your Lit fu without you showin' me your moves?

Keep Calm, Carry on, and Come Back Tomorrow.
KHdz

Questions about Grading

Darn good ones I might add.

One meticulous blogger asked the following:

Would commenting answers from your questions be helpful enough to bring my grade up? Or just adding to the posts in general? And will the site notify you of the corrections I've made?

Answer

Answers to comments can be helpful depending what I wrote at the time--to be honest, like you guys I'm not always on a 3 questioning level. Also, since the AP literature course is the training ground for college courses and, of course, the AP test, I recommend going to the source.


"A generic method for the approach to such close reading involves the following elements: the experience of literature, the interpretation of literature, and the evaluation of literature. By experience, we mean the subjective dimensions of reading and responding to literary works, including precritical impressions and emotional responses. By interpretation, we mean the analysis of literary works through close reading to arrive at an understanding of their multiple meanings. By evaluate, we mean both an assessment of the quality and artistic achievement of literary works and a consideration of their social and cultural values"
(English Literature and Composition: The Course Reading, 6).
You do an amazing job of discussing the literary experience (IE I felt this because of this) and you also push through to interpretation often. What's really left is evaluate some things, and not in that this is good and this is bad sort of way, but in the is the device being used effective. By effective I mean is the writer's meaning being yet again presented to you in a memorable and meaningful way.


A great example of this is your tears entry where you discuss the influence of not saying cried. Spot on work. You can also go back and comment in the following way, "After finishing the book I now see that X is important because of ______." Sometimes we don't understand what the author is doing in the first 50 pages until we've read the last 30.


As for adding posts no no! Please just put additional info into the bottom of your post or in your comments. As for the site notifying me, sadly, no. I will have to physically go through and look for them. I will start looking for at corrections in about 4 days I think. That should be enough time to get everyone's work graded at least once.

Question:

Are you going to update these once we've fixed the post?

Answer:

Indeed :) but I won't be able to go back and start checking until I graded everyone's blog at least once

English Literature and Composition: The Course Reading. Professional Development AP English Literature and Composition Workshop

Handbook 2009-2010. The College Board. 2009. 7. Print.

Regarding Grades

Okay, you may freak out a little when you see this so I'm including a few comments about how we came to these grades--which are not in stone. 

The scoring is as follows for the quotes

1. Needs Improvement. The student chooses a quote that seems irrelevant to the plot. Rather than discuss the meaning to the overall work the student just rewords it and provides the context that it is said. 

2. Developing, The student chooses a quote and claims that it is significant in regard to theme, character development, symbolism, irony or any other literary device, but does not provide evidence from the text or real world to support. 

3. Mastery. The student choose a quote, claims that it has merit to the work in regards to theme, plot, character development, diction or any other literary device and provides evidence from the text. The student also discusses how the quote fits into the work as a whole and adds to it's literary merit. 

For reader response:

1. Needs Improvement. The student does not appear to grasp the concept at present. The student simply summarizes the happenings of the plot and the characters action. The student lives almost completing in the realm of experience according the AP literature close reading novel. 

2. Developing, Identifies the device but does not explain fully. The student also questions character motives and makes predictions to the plot. The student relies still heavily on solely experience of the AP close reading approach but is moving towards interpretation step. 

3. MasteryStudent identifies, analyzes and evaluates the impact of the devices on the text. The student also utilizes all three levels of the AP approach to close reading

First of all 10 quotes and 10 reader response.

Rather than make every reader response worth the same there is a staggered progression. There is the acceptance that you may start off weak in the beginning, the "what do you want from me?!" stage, and with guidance and more information you can obviously better complete the task. 

The first 3 posts are only worth 25% of your overall grade. This means they are worth something, but they won't kill you if you start weak. Starting off weak can be attributed to not having as much information, being unsure, or the author taking his/her sweet time. This is also why this section is worth a little less. 

The next 3 posts are worth 35 % of the over score. At this point in your responses, you should be getting a better idea of what to post thanks to examples from classmates and the "in regard to" posts. Also, at this point, all the setting up is over, and you can start making real predictions and statements of symbolism motifs and themes. 

The last section is worth 40% of the score. This is because by the end of the novel you really have all the information you need to address many of the devices in literature. Also your plot is almost completely unfolded. Also at this point, I've commented or other have about thoughts to explore.  I'm trying to reward improvement rather than kill you for not starting strong. 

  

Many of you will be getting a projected grade this week for your first novel. Also many of you in the 2 range are just not using correct terms 


IE So this is a good entry that is missing some focus. You're talking about the structure, point of view, characterization, and flow of your novel, but you're saying it like a kid. IE A bathroom for a little kid is "potty." A shift in point of view to an annoyed tired senior is "switching back and forth." :P Use your clear headed senior words more than your tired senior words.


Don't freak out. For a lot of these an addition of a paragraph will fix it. 


Keep Calm and Carry On
KHDZ

I write like
H. P. Lovecraft

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

How Chat This Weekend

Some of you are no doubt technical geniuses and don't need this tutorial, but since someone asked I decided to show. first of all your inbox in google may look like this

You'll notice in the bottom left corner there is a section called "Chat"
Mine is open so I can see who is online and who is not.

If it's closed hit the little plus sign, and you'll be able to see everyone.


Now if you're not on google for your email client it will look different, but there should be an option to import contacts from other clients. If you have questions about your client take some screen captures and we'll see what we can do. At the bottom, I'll have some information about how to do screen captures.






So once you click on someone's name in the lower right corner will pop up a window where you can instant message people.....now I could IM skyla and make her very uncomfortable with like "DO YOUR WORK," but I'll spare her. If you'd like it bigger, you can click on the arrow pointing up in the air and you'll have a bigger screen.

---

How to do a screen capture
For Macs-- you push the apple, shift and 3 button (all at once) and it'll save to your desktop. Apple, shift, and 4 (all at once) will give you precision 


For PCs-- Windows 98--alt and the  print screen keys at the same time, places the screen on the clipboard and you can paste it to wherever you need it.. 


With Vista and Windows 7  in the Accessories folder in Start you'll find Snipping Tool which will allow you to use the mouse to select the area of the screen you want to grab. 


With newer computers sometimes the print screen key should be near F12 or say PRTSC

Change in Plans

Okay so I can't access the group mail list on my phone so I'm posting it here. I got here at 10, and I've managed to cut my finger while moving a desk and it won't stop bleeding....and I can't get into the building...which means I'm heading out. To compensate I'll be online longer. And maybe tomorrow. Sorry guys. AT where are you with your first aid kit?

Extra Credits and Extra Credit 3: Race and Diversity

The Diversity is , obviously, the first episode of the series I've been choosing from. The reason I put it last is because  I felt we would need a review by the time we got this far.

Watch the following videos and address the following in a well thought out blog post in paragraphs--not just 1,2,3 answers.  Yes it is extra credit, no you don't have to do it, but I can tell you now--I don't do EC often during a school year. You may need to spot and go a lot with this video to be able to digest it."

The Escapist : Extra Credits : Diversity

("Diversity")

The Escapist : Extra Credits : Race in Games

("Race in Games")

1. What is true diversity and is it needed in an art form (games, movies, literature )? 
2. How does the author interject their feelings about racial issues into the text?
3. What are some of the racial issues faced by your characters? How does your character react to them?
4. Are the issues faced by your characters exclusive to your character's race? How so?
5. If your character is a part of the dominate racial culture, how do the racial issues of other characters affect this character?
6. What are some conscious and subconscious racial issues that your characters deal with? How do their actions define them as a character? 
7. What emotions do other characters that look on at a moment of racial discrimination show? 
8. At what point does your character stand up and take action against peers in a social scenario about racial inequality? Or do they not? What is the catalyst for this change or reason for this stagnation?
9. How do the racial issues in your text provide a context for interpreting your text? 
10. How do the issues of race, gender, and sexuality impact a work of literature? 

Hey here's a  time waster to provide insight into yourself and others!
Take an Alignment test :) 
I'm a Neutral Good type with a Chaotic Good leaning--you may want to look up these terms before you walk in my room. I'm interested to see how world views will represent each of you :)

Extra Credits and Extra Credit 2: Sex and Sexuality Edition

Yes, that's right, I said it, SEX. Now some of you may already be uncomfortable, but considering what some of you have been reading this summer--are you really shocked that this is here?  I've spent over two weeks arguing with everyone from my family to colleagues to friends in other countries about whether or not to offer this as extra credit.

The arguments have been the same, you can't do that with your job, you can't expose kids to this, what are you thinking? My counter point has been so wait, the kids can go download it from the internet, have it shoved in their faces in music videos and movies, bombarded by it in the radio, and even read about it in "classics," but we can't have an academic discussion of it? Seriously?  I feel that sometimes education doesn't keep up with the environment and that's a disservice to everyone.

Anyway, enough ranting. Look, if you haven't had the sex talk with your folks or you're not comfortable writing about your thoughts and opinions on the subject that is fine.   Now, realize that themes of sexuality and intimacy will plague everything we read in some way or another. So if you can't do it today, it may be something you want to work up to.  This is not a mandatory assignment, and no one should feel forced into discussion of these themes. 


Now with all those disclaimers out of the way, onto the assignment. Fair warning, some of the images are risque- and possibly offensive. You don't necessarily have to watch the first video to complete the assignment, but it might get you thinking the right way.

Watch the following videos and address the following in a well thought out blog post in paragraphs--not just 1,2,3 answers.  Yes it is extra credit, no you don't have to do it, but I can tell you now--I don't do EC often during a school year. You may need to spot and go a lot with this video to be able to digest it.

The Escapist : Extra Credits : Sex in Games

("Sex in Games")

The Escapist : Extra Credits : Sexual Diversity

("Sexual Diversity" )

1. Why is sexuality an ever present entity in art? (Literature, Paintings, Film, etc)?
2. How are sexuality, intimacy, and sex different?
3. How does the author represent and craft the relationships, or lack there of, between characters? Is this necessary on the work?
4. How does the author achieve a sense of intimacy, or lack there of,  between characters? Does this add or detract from the book?
5. How does the author treat sexuality (shameful, empowering, as a currency)?
6. What instances and discussions of sex and sexuality are present in your text? How would you describe them? (exploitive,noble, bestial,  superficial, pandering, hyper sexualize, shallow, childish, violent, realistic, unrealistic, ignorant, confused) Why?
7. If your books include forced sexual encounters (i.e. rape or molestation)? How does this add or take away from the piece as a whole?
8. Is the idea of sexual fidelity,  or lack there of, addressed in your work? How so? Does this connect to gender roles? How so? Is this in line with or breaking with societal expectations?
9. In the sexual situations presented, who takes control? How does this connect to gender roles? Does this meet with societal expectations?
10. Do any of your characters struggle with their sexuality or sexual orientation? How so?
11. Are there any orientation choices that are forced onto your character? How so and by who?
12. How does your character's society affect your characters sexual orientation? 
13. Are your characters comfortable in their gender or do they feel trapped in their gender because of physical constraints? Or societal constraints?
14. Would your character's life be better or easier of they changed their sexual orientation or gender?
15. Is the sex a necessary component to the work as a whole or is it completely out of place?
16. How are issues of sexuality engrained into us as a nation?

"Sexual Diversity." The Escapist: Video Galleries: Extra Credits: Sexual Diversity. Web. 21 Jul 2011. <http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2520-Sexual-Diversity>.


"Sex in Games." The Escapist: Video Galleries: Extra Credits: Sex in Games. Web. 21 Jul 2011. <http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2505-Sex-in-Games>.

A Word on Plagiarism

As I'm reading through blog posts, I'm consistently impressed those of you that are struggling trying to make meaning of the text. Some of you working on  The Bluest Eyes and The Handmaid's Tale are consistently impressive with your insights into gender and societal expectations, rules, and appearance. A few heroes with  The Memory Keeper's Daughter and  Atonement are also striving to make sense of the unabashed cruelty of humanity. For this time and effort, I thank  you. I appreciate that you are trying to make sense of these sometimes depressing and confusing texts.

On the other hand, a few of you are in very real danger. Not only have you personally offended me with this distasteful act, wasted my time and to a degree that of your classmates, you have also slandered your good name with me. On top of this, you've also cast the shadow of doubt on all your work for me thus far. Needless to say, the damage to future work will depend on your actions in the coming days.

Let me clarify some things that you might not realize. If you scoot on down to SparkNotes, or any of the hundreds of websites I too have access to, read over the summary of a chapter or an explanation of a quote and then just summarize it changing some words around--that's plagiarism. You have shown no original thought. Be it the structure, the wording, the syntax there are several ways to tell. Those of you who know you are guilty of doing the perviously outlined action are in danger. The head of the English department has been notified of your actions with evidence attached. I would highly recommend that you show that you were not aware that this was a form of plagiarism by going back and perhaps choosing a new quote or discussing a different section of the text and actually do your own work. I can only offer you a warning that failure to correct the work may result in further review from the RHS English Department, the involvement of administration, and the possible removal from the AP Literature Classroom.

This has been a warning that I hope is heeded.

For those of you kicking butt and doing your research on authors, doing your citations, and doing the work on the images,music, and videos--Thank you for kicking butt and being responsible. I love it when you guys comment back and give me clarifications into your thoughts and ideas. One blog is seriously discussing the importance of diction in her work and it's killer.

Keep Calm and Carry on,
KHdz

Extra Credits.....and Extra Credit: Female Edition

Much of my teaching is filtered through my younger brother. By filtered through I mean *insert brotherly complaint* *insert KHdz interrogation* *insert brother explanation* *suggestion suggestion suggestions* *conclusion*

Now this week or so that I've spent trapped here, my brother has introduced me to a thought provoking series called Extra Credits. It is largely a commentary on the status of gaming, but I see educational application. Stories are stories and while I specialize in literature, film, and graphic novels my brother is the true gaming guru.

Watch the following video and address the following in a well thought out blog post in paragraphs--not just 1,2,3 answers.  There are SEVERAL of these that will be available--also VOTE in the darn poll :) Yes it is extra credit, no you don't have to do it, but I can tell you now--I don't do EC often during a school year. You may need to spot and go a lot with this video to be able to digest it.

The Escapist : Extra Credits : True Female Characters  ("True Female Characters")

1. Does the gender of the protagonist define or limit him/her? How so?
2. If your character were the opposite gender would the story be greatly altered? How so?
3. How are the genetic differences between men and women explored in the work (specifically child birth)?
4. How is motherhood or fatherhood explored in your work? In what way?
5. How do the societal constructions and gender role expectations affect your character in the work?
6. How does your character react to the gender roles and societal constructions? Do they reject them all, struggle with some, change a few or accept all? Why do they choose these courses of action?
7. What does the societal pressure encourage your character to do or not do? Why?
8. In what ways does your character stand apart from society ?
9. How is your character forced to reevaluate their role in society through the text?
10. Are the characters stereotypical or  realistic? 

"True Female Characters." The Escapist: Video Galleries: Extra Credits: True Female Characters. Web. 18 Jul 2011. <http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2868-True-Female-Characters>.

Second Book Ideas

Many people seem to be struggling with book choices in regards to secondary books.
One person asked if I had any recommendations. God, I wish I did. Sadly, as a teacher most of my leisure reading is tied up in whatever someone shuffles into my hand and demands I read it or whatever I read by the end of Sunday night. So some of these are just "level ups" of YA books--(books that are more sophisticated in their address of subjects) or are "Similar books"(books that are similar to your summer reading). For "level up" books please e-mail specifically because it's a little easier that way. By no stretch of the imagination have I read all of these books.

Similar Books:
Atonement/Ethan Frome/The Glass Menagerie
--The Thirteenth Tale by
--A Room with a View
--Anything by Jane Austen
-- House of Spirits
--Love in the time of Cholera
--Age of Innocence
--Water for elephants

A Lesson Before Dying/The Color Purple/I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings/ The Bluest Eyes
--The Help
--Beloved
--Native Son
--Song of Solomon
--Independent People

The Handmaid's Tale/The Plauge
--Point Counter Point
--The Power and the Glory
--Rabbit, Run
--The Golden Notebook
--The French Lieutenant's Woman

The Chosen/Love Medicine/Woman Warrior/Joy Luck Club/The Bonesetter's Daughter
--How the Garcia Girl's Lost their Accents
--Tales of the Genji
--Dreams of the Red Chamber
--Snow Country

The Catcher in the Rye
--One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest
--Clockwork Orange
--Lolita
--Slaughter House Five
--Confessions of Zeno

The Memory Keeper's Daughter/The Kite Runner
--Call It Sleep
--Blindness

Life of Pi
--An Artist of the Floating World


Things They Carried
--The Sun Also Rises
--All's Quiet on the Western Front
--A Separate Peace
--The Secret Agent

Okay this is officially an unfinished post which will be edited and added to tomorrow because I'm exhausted. I hope this helps. Also if you choose a book that I haven't specifically cleared, you run the risk of having to do double work.

Examples of Excellence

I've gotten some red hot mail about how can I improve my scores on posts. First of all, remember, comments are neither positive or negative in nature. They are there simply to demand further research or more insight. Also sometimes they are just words of encouragement. Now some bloggers have "gone hard in the paint" and blogged to a degree that shows they are truly engaging the text. I wanted to point some of these as guidance. These are by no means perfect, but they ARE on the right road in regards to the line of thinking.

This section of the book is mostly about Robbie and him writing an apology note to Cecilia, while McEwan is describing Robbie from the things in his room and on his desk. There is a big allusion in the book from a play by Shakespeare. On page 27 it states, "As the outer reaches of the desk, various photographs; the cast of Twelfth Night on the college lawn, himself as Malvolio, cross gartered. How apt." I wasn’t familiar with the play so I googled it and found a summary on the “Twelfth Night” After reading the summary there is a lot that is in common with Malvolio and Robbie. Both are of lower rank than their beloved, are stewards or a son of a steward, and desire to be above their rank. Malvolio at the end of the play is seen as a villain and suffers from the people around him. Malvolio is seen as a tragic hero. I wonder if this is a foreshadow to what will happen to Robbie in this book? (Hill)

 Reasons this is good:

1. This shows that this blogger is willing to go the extra academic mile for the full understanding of an allusion. She didn't know what Twelfth Night was or who Malvolio was, but she looked it up. This shows commitment
2. This blogger then goes and tries to synthesis and connect old information to new information and make conclusions

Another great example is the following:

This section is composed of two chapters, these two chapters show the loss of innocence for both Briony and Cecilia. [...] I looked up a symbol for the innocence and the color white came up. It is a great representation because of Brides. They wear white to show their innocence and purity. The loss of innocence for the two sisters however are different. For Briony, "The very complexity of her feelings confirmed Briony in her view that she was entering an arena of adult emotion and dissembling from which her writing was bound to benefit." This states that she is moving on into a chaotic world leaving back a childish way of life. This also foreshadows a major conflict of Briony between Robbie's & Cecilia's relationship. [...] Of course, the reason why Cecilia lost her innocence is pretty obvious, her relationship with Robbie is pretty "blossoming". [...] A great example of dramatic irony was when Leon said "Briony's hotheaded decision. On a cooler day we'd be in the library watching the theatricals now." (page 122) This made me crack up because unlike Leon, we know that there were some pretty good theatricals going on right before the dinner(Hill).

Reasons this is good:

1. Again research. 
2. The integration of research into the post
3. She hits SEVERAL literary devices  (Symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony) and thus address the craftsmanship the author is putting into the overall work. 
4. On a personal level, I like this post because she takes the academic be still discusses an emotional and personal reaction to the humor of the scene. 

A different approach is done by this blogger:

Spoken directly from the author in the Forward, Toni Morrison writes, "Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do." I think this is very true. Beauty isn't just one's looks, but is expressed through one's words and actions. I think beauty will have a lot to do with the theme of this book; especially since the title relates to one's looks. You can already look at the characters and tell which one's are beautiful by their actions. Obviously Pecola's father does not show beauty because Pecola becomes pregnant by him. I think Mr. Henry shows beauty when he speaks to the girls when they weren't introduced and weren't even expecting him to speak to them. Also, when Frieda tries to help Pecola without getting in trouble shows beauty. However, people have different perspectives on what beauty is, so I wonder how that will play out in the novel...(Herndon)

Reasons 

1. This person goes to the source of the text. She makes the logical equation that if the author said it, it must be a big part of the work. Some of you might think that it's playing Captain Obvious, but sometimes the simplest answers are the best.
2. This person address the motives and actions of the characters. The characters MAKE the story, so looking at the characterization is always worth doing. 

There are a few more examples I wanted to list--one involving the color red and another about whores, but I think this post is running long as it is. 

Please look at these as examples of avenues of attack. Again these are no means perfect, but each one is a good way of coming at a text. Please DO NOT just copy their formulas. Be yourself, but address the terminology of the class. 

Herndon, Camilla. "Beauty." My Thoughts. 12 Jul 2011. Web. 16 Jul 2011. <http://my-thoughts-00.blogspot.com/2011/07/tuesday-july-12-2011-page-xi-quote-1.html>

Hill, Katlyn. "Shakespeare is Found Everywhere"."Rambling Peculiarly. 10 Jul 2011. Web. 16 Jul 2011. <http://iramblepeculiarly.blogspot.com/2011/07/shakespeare-is-found-everywhere.html>.

--"No More Innocence."Ramgling Percularity. 11 Jul 2011. web. 16 Jul 2011. <http://iramblepeculiarly.blogspot.com/2011/07/no-more-innocence.html>

Free Choice books and About being a follower...

...in a good way.

If you didn't know, you can "follow" someone's blog and read what others are writing. A couple of people have already taken advantage of this and started supporting each other by sharing feelings and questions.

"Wow, pecola gets impregnated by her dad!? I've noticed that a bunch of books on her list are nvels that are almost depressing and tragic. Common theme... hmmmm?"


Excuse me while I do a hard tone shift--I do it a great deal verbally. This "rambling" blogger  went hard in da paint and dropped some knowledge. For those of you who don't know, Mr. Waka Flocka coined this term modeled after what is known in basketball as "driving the lane. Urban Dictionary defines it as "
to approach a problem, obstacle, or challenge with supreme confidence of success through a commitment to use of all facilities available to one's self to achieve a goal" ("hard in the paint" def 1).

Now, I'll got back the original tone I was writing in. One of my major complaints about the AP Literature selection is sometimes over-rated (I genuinely dislike many of these books and have argued for years with people about the literary merit of the texts) and repeatedly soul-crushing. Racism, classism, rape, violence, prejudice--it's rampant, but please refer to my quote from the letter.

…recognizing the universal value of literary art that probes difficult and harsh life experiences and so deepen understanding, the [AP English and Literature Development Committee] emphasize that fair representation of issues and people may occasionally include controversial material.…The best response to a controversial detail or idea in a literary work might well be a question about the larger meaning, purpose, or overall effect of the detail or idea in context. AP students should have the maturity, the skill, and the will to seek the larger meaning through thoughtful research, and this thoughtfulness is both fair and owed to the art and to the author.” (English Literature and Composition: The Course Reading,7)


So try not to let them get you down. 


As for the secondary choice books, here are a few comments I'm getting a lot of e-mails asking about books, and I wanted to make a few clarifications. Remember they CAN NOT be a young adult literature book. Usually a YA book will be labeled as such on the back of the book near the price, on the back of the title page where the information for the card catalog is listed, or you might get lucky and the store will clearly have it under a giant sign. Now if you're not sure if it's YA you can also go online and go to any book selling website and scroll until you see Product Details and it will tell you weight, height, category, and reading level.  Also, it broke my heart today I had to kick back several amazing books because they were part of a trilogy or a longer series. Please try and find stand alone books for the sake of making conclusive statements about the text. 

English Literature and Composition: The Course Reading. Professional Development AP English Literature and Composition Workshop

Handbook 2009-2010. The College Board. 2009. 7. Print.

"hard in the paint." The Urban Dictionary. 2001. Web 14  Jul 2011. <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hard%20in%20the%20paint>

*Yes AT, KA, JW, and RF I did just cite the phrase "goin' hard in da paint". You act like you didn't see this coming.