1/28/16

• "Dead Poets Society": essays turned in

• Canterbury Tales
• Continued notes on pilgrim portraits in the General Prologue 
• HW for Mon. 2/1/16: Read and make notes on the ending section of the General Prologue, p. 22 ("Now I will tell you briefly...") to the end. You should find info. on:
• a disclaimer Chaucer gives
• characterization of the Host
• details of the contest the pilgrims will have on their trip
• how they decide who will start telling the tales
• HW for Fri. 2/5/16: Read parts 1 & 2 of The Knight's Tale for class 

• Research Project
• HW due by Fri. 1/29/16: By this date, share a draft of your introductory email to your mentor with me on Google Docs.
• HW due Mon. 2/1/16: Send approved introductory email to your mentor.

1/26/16

• Introduction to Semester Research Project
• Overview of Project
• Stage 1: Gathering of Primary Sources
• Mentor bios given
• HW due by Fri. 1/29/16: By this date, share a draft of your introductory email to your mentor with me on Google Docs.
• HW due Mon. 2/1/16: Send approved introductory email to your mentor.

• "Dead Poets Society"
• Discussion of "She Walks in Beauty" by George Gordon, Lord Byron
• Viewing of final section of film
• HW due Thurs. 1/28/16: Write one page addressing the messages you think the film sends. Focus on the message that impacted you most- poetry, friendship, individuality, carpe diem, family, the student-teacher relationship, etc. Explain how these messages were presented and reinforced in the film.

• The Canterbury Tales: Continuation of pilgrim portrait presentations

1/22/16

• "Dead Poets Society"
• Discussion of "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost (p. 6 in DPS poetry collection)
• What are the benefits of taking the “road less traveled”?
• What are the drawbacks?
• What motivates the speaker to take the less traveled road?
• As the poem presents it, is the “road less traveled” better than the other? Support.
• Does the speaker regret his decision or not?
• In what ways is the poem about uncertainty?
• How can we see the concept of carpe diem in the poem?
• HW due Tues. 1/26/16: 
• Read and analyze "She Walks in Beauty" by George Gordon, Lord Byron (p. 2 in DPS booklet)
• View the film trailer for "Why Not Us?" and connect it to the ideas presented in the film / poems.
• Or, if you have the time, watch the whole documentary here (1 hour)

• The Canterbury Tales- Continued notes on the pilgrim portraits in General Prologue

1/20/16

• "Dead Poets Society"
• Discussion of "Ballad of William Bloat", "Ulysses" and "from Walden"-- connecting the ideas in the poems to carpe diem and transcendentalism.
• Viewing of next segment of the film
• HW due Fri. 1/22/16: Read and analyze "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost (p. 6 in booklet)  Focus on the extended metaphor and the metaphors that support it.

• Canterbury Tales General Prologue 
• Continued notes for the pilgrim portraits
• Get notes on Medieval humours and estates

1/18/16

• "Dead Poets Society" film
• POW Writing assignment for "O Me! O Life" (p. 12 of "Dead Poets Society" booklet)
• In an organized response, discuss how the poem shifts. In your answer, be sure to also clarify your interpretation of the “question” and the “answer” presented in the poem.
• HW due Wed. 1/20/16:
• Read "The Ballad of William Bloat" by Raymond Calvert (p. 3 of "Dead Poets Society booklet) and excerpt from "Ulysses" by Alfred Lord Tennyson (p. 8-10)
• Analyze and annotate the excerpt from Walden by Henry David Thoreau (p. 10). Connect the poetic idea / concepts in the poem to the other poems, the film, and the concept of "transcendentalism" (be able to define it).

• Canterbury Tales- Continuation of notes on the pilgrim portraits in the General Prologue.

1/14/16

• "Dead Poet's Society" film
• Notes & discussion on "To The Virgins, Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick
• Viewed next segment.
• HW due Mon. 1/18/16: Analyze "O Me! O Life!" by Walt Whitman (p. 12 in booklet). Focus especially on clarifying the question posed and the answer given.

• Canterbury Tales
• Quiz
• Notes on Merchant, Clerk and Lawyer (We will go back to the Friar on Monday)

1/12/16

• Book discussion conferences are ongoing. Here is the schedule.

• We began watching the film "Dead Poets Society". We will view this in short segments at the beginning of class for the next few meetings. Here is the booklet of poems from the film that I handed out today. We read and discussed "To the Virgins" (p. 5) and "O Captain My Captain" (p. 11)
• HW due Thurs. 11/14/16: Analyze and annotate the poem on page 5, "To the Virgins, Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick. We will discuss the details of the poem before we continue watching the film on Monday.

• Canterbury Tales General Prologue: Class notes through the Monk. Study your notes as we will have a quiz on Thurs. If you were absent, you can get notes from a classmate or you can come in and get notes from the class copy that was made today during the presentation.

1/8/16

• Canterbury Tales
• Get General Prologue handout from me ASAP
• Notes on General Prologue through the Squire (p. 4)
• Sections assigned for notes presentations to begin Tues. 1/12/16.

• Turned in:  Mentor Match Up form

• HW: Begin making notes on assigned section of the General Prologue.

1/6/16

Welcome to your last semester of high school! :)

• POW: "Whan That Aprille" by Geoffrey Chaucer- discussion and notes

• Intro. notes for The Canterbury Tales
• In class, we found facts on Chaucer and the Tales and everyone wrote them on the board. Then, I helped the class make notes from them for their notebooks. You can see the facts on the board here.
• I gave notes on the structure of the Tales. Get these from a classmate. 

• HW due Fri. 1/8/16:
• Complete Mentor Match Up form
• Have parents read the Mentor Project Letter
• Read and learn info sheet on Middle English Language
• Read and learn background on Chaucer's Life and Works. (I will ask if there are any questions on this in class Thurs.)

• ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
• Images from references made in class:
• Canterbury Cathedral virtual tour (the destination of the pilgrims)
• Time lapse video of 62 mile trip from modern-day London to Canterbury 
• Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey (where Chaucer is buried)
• Scholarships / Program Applications:
• UTRGV Scholarship deadlines
• Medical Program Application Information