Happy Spring Break!

Just a reminder on dates. 

Portfolios are due on April 8 including your Mandala as the cover, three poems (the Ode, I Almost Poem, and the Found Poem) and finally the Dream Narrative or alternate Personal Legend/theme essay.

I am expecting that we use the week we return to polish the drafts and talk about purposeful revisions. Projects for Companion Novel/Short Stories will be due the 10th and 11th of April (no school on the 12th!) for the Gallery Walk. We will work on Artist Statements before that time to describe how your project relates to the theme of your novel.

Remember that you must show qualitative note taking of your choice with your Companion Novel/Short Story.

Our next Unit is a Middle Eastern Unit. We will be looking at more poetry and graphic novels.

For Wednesday/Thursday

Read your Companion Novel!

Prepare to work on your Dream Narrative or Alternate Essay. If you want to be extra prepared bring a draft to work on.

ALSO. HUGELY important. I am missing no less than 40 TFA Drafts. If you have yet to turn in your edited draft, you MUST do that or your grade will default to a D/F. Beyond that, I will tell Agbala about your missing work and trust me, you don't want that kind of wrath.

I think that it's really inspiring to consider the variety of essays you've worked on this year. You have completed a Formal Letter, a Vignette, a piece of Flash Fiction, an informal Expository Essay on the "Role of the Writer", a Literary Analysis Essay on Things Fall Apart, and a 30-Day Project reflection, and a rough Script.

Be proud of yourselves!

Coming up: Dream Narrative, Poetry, Comparative Essay, Research Paper, Persuasive Essay.

Mandalas!

Mandalas due Monday.  We will also have quiz on The Alchemist through the end of the book.

                                                           Don't forget to scroll down!

Shout-outs!

Nice job Jackie, Will, Dea'Aira and Connor for watching and responding to the film "Il Postino" as challenge criteria. Also big praise to McKinley who went to see the staged presentation of MacBeth. I hear it was a bloody good time. 

By 3/14-3/15

All students should be to page 144 in The Alchemist and be working to finish the book over the weekend. By the end of the novel you should have 24 sticky quotes or the equivalent. 

Companion novels should be started next week to be finished (at the latest) over spring break.

No TFA draft will be accepted after Friday 3/15.

It is time to move on from Okonkwo, but I hope not from the understanding of his complexity as well as the knowledge of how colonization changed cultures. Most of you have engaged in a deep and thorough revision process which I hope has helped you learn about your own writing as you revisited, reworded, reworked and resubmitted (how's that for alliteration?). I am very proud of your efforts, your instinct, and your insight. Very nicely done.

Next week we will be working on more poems and our dream narratives which will be due at the end of next week. At that time we will also discuss your final choice project for your companion novel or your short story series (don't worry, I'll explain it when we get there).

Ms. B

HW: March 11

Period 3: Finish Mandalas (due Tuesday) and read to page 118 by Tuesday

Periods 5,6,8: Finish Mandalas (due Wednesday) and read to page 129 by Wednesday

There will be a quiz.  We will also be considering the theme of the novel as well as the theme of choices.

Also, always remember to scroll down to make sure there is no pertinent information you are missing!

HW: March 9-10

I was so impressed by your thoughtfulness and the conversations you had in class this week. You are very articulate and passionate individuals!

Due on Monday:
1. Read up to page 106 with three more new "Sticky Quotes" (as Nyles calls them).
    There will be a quiz on Monday.
2. Also, work on your personal Mandala (it will be the cover of your Latin American Lit Portfolio). Your Mandala should be symbolic, representing elements in your life that are important to you. To get credit for this assignment, the Mandala should be well designed and drafted (see the rubric I passed out with the reading schedule).

*Reminder: Your companion novel should be chosen by now. You will begin reading it, if you have not already, this week when we finish the Alchemist. Remember it must either be within the Magical Realism genre, OR be similar to The Alchemist in that it is about a personal journey.

Have a beautiful weekend! 

Due Thursday/Friday

Read to page 81 in The Alchemist. Make sure to mark three new passages with responses on sticky notes for discussion.

Definition:

Omen--NOUN:

1. A phenomenon supposed to portend good or evil; a prophetic sign.

Due Monday:

1. Read to page 44 in Alchemist. 3 sticky notes attached to part of the text responding to what you think, notice, like predict or wonder.

2. Record dreams if you have them.

3. Choose your companion novel. Decide whether you will read the companion novel after The Alchemist or at the same time.

*Some students want to know whether they can read ahead in The Alchemist in order to begin the companion novel. The answer is yes, but make sure that you record your responses on sticky notes in the text for each section assigned in class. For example, even if you read to page 58, have 3 sticky notes for pages 1-22, 3 for 22-44, and 3 more for the next section as corresponds to your reading schedule. This will allow you to participate meaningfully in class projects and discussions.


*TFA drafts are being returned with edits. Please spend time revising. You have 5 days from the return date to resubmit with revisions!