PowerPoint Links--Updated and Important!!

Updated Thursday afternoon in three important ways:

1) EVERYONE needs to make sure that you have carefully read the essay instructions on the two-page stapled hand-out.  If you have lost it, go back to the Post-Prom Edition  post and follow the link.  I did not give a precise word length on those instructions, but I've done so verbally.  This essay should be about 800 words . .  . max out at 1000!  5th period essays MUST be on turnitin.com by class time tomorrow.
The key thing to note is that this is NOT a "timed-write" in the 40-minute closed-book sense.  It is a "real" out-of-class essay that merely begins with an AP prompt.  

2) I added one more Song of Solomon power-point from first period that had inadvertently been left out of the Dropbox folder.   5th period people, you should definitely read that one as well.  It's the one now marked "1st."

3)  Moving forward:  No written proof, but I promise reading the powerpoints for your work(s)  will be the best preparation you can do for the test.  Collectively, they cover much more than any one group was able to do.

• Tomorrow in 1st each group will present (in abbreviated form) the powerpoints from your own class. Before your test, you need to have read them all carefully.  
• 5th--as indicated in class today, we will give Group 4 the floor at the first of the hour for their highlights.  (You should have read through it in advance, though.)

TODAY IN CLASS
The 5th period people finished the powerpoints; there's one that still needs the actual attachment to go with the "Here it is!" email.  (Is there anyone who hasn't forgotten to attach the attachment at some point in your computer life?)

And I'll be creating new links tomorrow when the 1st period powerpoints are officially due.  That's by class time tomorrow, so they will be available by

FOR THE NOVEL:  Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon

Powerpoints as of 3:30 on Wednesday  The first period SofS did not get uploaded yesterday--there was a naming glitch and I missed it.  Sorry (it was definitely in on time). 

FOR THE PLAYS:  Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie and August Wilson's Fences

Play powerpoints as of 3:30 on Wednesday  Actually, this is updated as of 11:30 on Thursday. Powerpoints I've added since then are included in the same folder. I just don't want to create a new link.

What everyone needs to do next:

READ the powerpoints for either the plays or the novel, depending on what you've been doing. Read all of them, please. There will be some brief written response (form for that tomorrow), mostly to verify that you've read them as part of your study prep for the exam on these works.

5th period:  I am going to ask people tomorrow to share "highlights" of your slide show.  I don't want you to go through the whole thing and just read it; you'll be asked to discuss and defend the aspect of the presentation that you think is the most significant in terms of the work as a whole, or perhaps the thing you are most proud of (in terms of insight/understanding, etc.)  Be thinking about that.

1st:  We might utilize part of tomorrow, and for sure some time on Friday to do what I just described for 5th.

BOTH: I'll give you the quick review form tomorrow.

Post-Prom Edition

TODAY IN CLASS
Six in 1st, seven in 5th.  Delightful.  5th period was especially productive for AP Lit-related activities, but 1st period was engaged in other worthy activities that will hopefully leave more time to work on powerpoints/essays later on!

TOMORROW and BEYOND
I put together a calendar for both courses and all class periods, in part to keep ME straight.  Be sure to follow the day and time requirements specified for your own section.

Final English Class Calendar

As you can see, today was the last full class day before 5th/6th period exams. 
And don't forget that tomorrow is late arrival for most seniors (10:05 class start time).

Everyone received the group power-point assignment hand-out (the one pager) last Wednesday, and on Thursday I distributed  the stapled paper with all the information you need plus the prompts for the final essay.  I hope you got that because you were in class either Thursday or Friday (or both!).
If not, or if you've misplaced your copy and want to work tonight, here ya' go:
The End of the Line in AP English

TUESDAY --
Admin visit to discuss graduation logistics.
Group-based discussion of some key ideas generated by the TITLES of all three of these works.  They have been on the board for two days . . . not copying them over here now.

WEDNESDAY--
Song of Solomon people--time to work on the timeline for the novel.  **Please look back at the ground-rules given for timelines in the May 23rd post. What applied to the Fences timeline also applies to Song of Solomon.  These are due on Friday (start of Friday--no worktime then.)

The plays people--You received the power-point group component, and after a bit of spirited decision-making, each group was matched up with a set of questions.  I am linking just that list here, but I can't tell you which group is doing what from memory. (I need to get that written down tomorrow!)
Power-point topics for the plays
Tomorrow, Friday, and Monday will be full-period work time on these.  After that, however, the time is very fractured.

TOMORROW
Everyone receives the final packet, all things pulled together.  Four parts:
I--Timeline (done or will be soon).
II--Group Powerpoint--plays already assigned; S of S will get their passage choices tomorrow.
III--Essay topics (individual component)
IV--Final Exam:  ONLY the novel or the two plays.  Scantron.  Over and done.

1st Period--Don't be later than . . .

the assistant principal, who will be here at the start of class.  An administrator will be in all classes today, in fact, to discuss graduation logistics;  it is several of you in first period, however, who will be making quite the grand entrance if you're late. 

TODAY IN CLASS

Continued reading time for Song of Solomon people. 

More time than needed, really, for the play people to finish planning the timeline for Fences.

FOR TUESDAY

Song of Solomon: The novel really needs to be finished; I don't want to hit you up with plot-spoilers until you've experienced how Morrison reveals the final pieces of the puzzle. Moreover, you can't really do the complete timeline until you know the full range of what Milkman learns on his journey. And you need time to accomplish the other group piece. 

Fences timeline folks--a few reminders:

1) Get events of PAST and key events from the present in correct order; include exact years/dates where possible, and "guestimate" year ranges for others

2) Make it horizontal, like a number line.

3) Make sure that the work's actual "starting point" (opening scene) is clearly marked in the timeline.

4) Do not overstress presentation format, but it should be legible, readable from a couple feet away (will be taped to the boards), and reasonably attractive. 

There will be NO additional class time on this; turn them in either no later than Wednesday.

FOR EVERYONE TO THINK ABOUT

Some essential questions for both plays and Song of Solomon

• What do parents want/expect/hope from or for their children?
• How important is the family in shaping not only the present lives but the future lives of children?
• What holds people back?  (especially from achieving their dreams?)
• “Crippled”  à who?  How?  Really???
• Ways in which people “fly the coop”?
• MUSIC à all three works (define, characterize, connect)

 Backdrop:  In some ways, the overall purpose here is to explore human existence; we are all creatures bound by our families and circumstances—except when we are not.  These works, in one way or another, all address the notion of “family” in ways that show the intersection between the present circumstances and the past (as it happened, as it is told, as it is remembered, as it is imagined . . .). 

• Parents and children, particularly, are caught in age-old tensions that are both universal in one sense and excruciatingly personal and private in others. 
• The works also reveal, for both protagonists and other key characters, ways of perceiving themselves that may or may not be in synch with what others see.  
• And in one of these works, a character questions out loud if “the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children”; this becomes an implicit concern in the other works as well.  
• Furthermore, they show how people cope—or choose NOT to cope—with the “ties that bind”; sometimes this results in the decision to “fly the coop” in a variety of literal or metaphorical ways. Finally, each of these works is set in a particular place and time whose context helps to circumscribe the scope, the playing field, in which these people live through their particular family drama.

So I totally forgot to post to the blog. Not much to say, though.

TODAY IN CLASS
Fences discussion with the play people.
Reading time for Song of Solomon people.

FOR TOMORROW
Play people--think through and jot down several similarities/overlap between The Glass Menagerie and Fences. Explain them briefly (not with fully argued developement/quotes, etc.--just a sentence or two of clarification).

Song of Solomon people--Read.  Many of you seem to be in the 9-10 area.  I mentioned 11 for Thursday as being a great thing.  Obviously the world does not fall apart if you are not there tomorrow. However, I am hoping that you'll be able to read quite a bit over the 3-day week-end so that you can have the book finished by Tuesday.  This is especially important for 5th period.

Part II goes by really fast.  What do you remember of the hero's journey (Joseph Campbell, but the name might not have been used as it's been piece-mealed out to you).

EVERYBODY--start considering titles as fully as possible.
The Glass Menagerie is both obvious and problematic:  clear as it may be for Laura, to what extent does the title involve Tom and Amanda?  Does that matter?

Fences: Much use and much discussion within the play itself.  Start with what August Wilson invites us (demands us) to consider.  Then move on with other possible ramifications.

Song of Solomon:  Finish the book first . . . but if you were aware the Old Testament book called Song of Solomon, you already know that that's not the basis for this book.  But don't think for a moment that Toni Morrison was not fully aware of the borrowing.  So at some point it's important to consider what resonated for her--and should for us in considering the novel's larger themes.

TODAY IN CLASS
For both Fences and Song of Solomon people, please refer to this site for some background information on major court cases, legislation, and events that shaped the era covered by Fences and by Milkman's adolescence and young adulthood:
http://crdl.usg.edu/events/?Welcome

For sure, check out Brown v Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act of 1957, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Browse as you wish; know what's there in case you find a need for it later on.
Fences--pay special attention to the sports figures mentioned (esp. for baseball). LOOK UP names you do not know about.
For both works--pay special attention to the military--reference to former pilots, soldiers, people who join the military in the course of the work, etc.

Song of Solomon people received a hand-out containing detailed Ch. 1 questions to use as a "then and now" comparison/contrast.  Use this series of close questions/observations re: Chapter 1 as a springboard for figuring out what we can now understand about the people, the motivations, and the prior actions that seemed so puzzling or even "random" in this first chapter, especially at the start of the chapter.

FOR TOMORROW
S of S:  Discussion tomorrow.  Individual accountability expected.

• It's not all clear yet, but review Ch. 2-7 to make sure you realize how things match up.  
• Utilize the back of the sheet to make sure you're not missing specific areas to be noting/tracking/and pondering.  
• Add to the list of suggest symbols/motifs (earlier hand-out; sliding board today) if you can.  There are some things omitted so far!
• Continue with Ch. 8 if you feel secure up to this point
• Be prepared for some free-ranging questions and discussion on Tuesday!!

Fences: Significant whole-group discussion on WEDNESDAY.

• Be finished with the play by class-time tomorrow.
• During the first part of class tomorrow, you'll be working together to fine-tune your responses to questions #3 and #4 on p. 1623. 
• That should go quickly, because you've had time to prepare your own contribution.
• There will be a new "joint" step tomorrow.

TODAY IN CLASS
Counselor visit--senior graduation focus.
Reading time.

BY TOMORROW and BEYOND
Fences

• finish Act I for Friday 
• finish the play by TUESDAY (May 20)

Song of Solomon--

• be finished with Ch. 5 for Friday. Lots to digest from 1-5.
• By MONDAY (May 19), be finished with Ch. 7.  (So Ch. 6 for tomorrow or for Monday--whatever works for you.)