February 29, 2012

Dear Juniors,

If you missed class on Tuesday, I am so sorry as you will not have the opportunity to make-up our "blind rope" activity. Please do your best to not miss class.

I have included a practice quiz for you below.

Practice Quiz:
       Please identify each figurative language element and sound element.

1. I nearly died laughing.
2. His feet were as big as a ship
3. This class is a three-ring circus.
4. The pillow was a cloud when I put my head upon it after a long day.
5. I feel in love with your sister the moon.
6. Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout.
7. The window winked at me.
8. Mike's microphone made much music.
9. Try to light the fire.
10. Fleet feet sweep by sleeping geese.
11. Hear the bells, silver bells,
      Hear them tinkle, tinkle, tinkle
      in the icy air of night
12. Water, water every where
       And not a drop to drink
      Water, water every where,
      And all the boards did shrink
13. Cristy did not like to spend money.She was no scrooge, but she seldom purchased anything
      but the bare necessities.
14. "Oh, my love has petals and sharp thorns."
15. Your predicament saddens me so much that I feel a veritable flood of tears coming on.
16. The subway coursed through the arteries of the city.

HOMEWORK:
1. STUDY for your quiz!
2. Remember to develop figurative language elements for the rope activity we did on Tuesday!

Cheers,
Crampton

February 24th, 2012

Dear Juniors,

If you missed class, we completed the following:

1. Journal #3 Poetry: Review for Hyperbole and Idioms.

This entry involves several movie clips and a coloring activity. It will be hard to make this up, but we can do it. I would ask that you visit with someone in class first, and then visit with me during flex.

2. We finished your yellow handout detailing all the figurative language elements. If you missed class, please make sure you have a strong understanding of the following terms:
1. Denotation
2. Connotation
3. Imagery
4. Alliteration
5. Sibilance
6. Assonance
7. Consonance
8. Onomatopoeia
9. Anaphora

HOMEWORK:

1. Remember that 1/3 of your Memoir needs to be read for TUESDAY!
2. Please complete the "reading guide" that you have with your Memoir Packet. It is yellow in color and involves using the "sticky notes" for annotating!
3. Remember that your CRUCIBLE essay revision is due on TUESDAY!

Enjoy your weekend,
Crampton

February 22, 2012

Dear Juniors,

If you missed class today, we completed the following:

1. Your Crucible Essay was returned. This is the paper where you were given feedback from another class member. Ms. Brown gave you additional feedback. Please REVISE your essay for TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28th! If you missed class, stop by and collect your paper!

2. Don't forget to have your MEMOIR book with you on Tuesday, February 28th! You need to have read 1/3 of your book for Tuesday, cute kids!

3. REMEMBER that your assignment involving the location of Figurative Language examples is due on FRIDAY! Don't forget to complete the works cited page for your sources, my young friends.

3. The counseling department took most of the class time registering students for the ACT exam that will take place on March 6th! If you missed class, you will need to visit with the counseling department about the registration process.

I look forward to seeing you on FRIDAY!

Friday, February 17th, 2012

We practiced identifying examples of figurative language today in class!

Dear Juniors,

STOP MISSING CLASS! STOP MISSING CLASS! STOP MISSING CLASS! STOP! STOP!

We completed the following today in class..... REMEMBER THAT a 1/3 of your BOOK MUST BE COMPLETED BY Feb. 28th!

1. We then reviewed the information discussed last time.....SIMILE, METAPHOR, PERSONIFICATION, ALLUSION, and HYPERBOLE by locating examples within magazines. Those in attendance were able to use the example found in magazines on their assignment.

4. We then continued with the introductory information regarding poetry. If you missed class, please refer to my previous post in order to obtain the handout we are using in class. We discussed IDIOMS today in class. Ms. Brown illustrated idioms to each student and had everyone practice using them in a journal entry.

HOMEWORK:

Identification of Figurative Language Elements

Simile, Metaphor/Implied Metaphor, Allusion, Hyperbole and Personification

DUE DATE: FRIDAY, February 24rd

Instructions: Now that we have reviewed the above figurative language examples, your assignment involves locating four examples out of the five indicated above..

1. Please locate an example of a simile, metaphor or implied metaphor, allusion, hyperbole and personification (four of the five)

2. Your examples may come from any source (advertisement, song, script, novel, play, etc.), but you cannot duplicate a source for an example. So, you cannot locate personification in a song and a simile in a song, as you would be duplicating the source.

3.Your examples should not come from the INTERNET…NO! NO! NO! You need to locate them in “actual” sources, and then make a copy of the actual example. I realize that you can’t make a copy of a film, so please include the title, director, and line from the film which satisfies the example you are illustrating.

4. Include a justification along with your example indicating why the figurative language use is appropriate. Please see the examples below from previous students.

5. Identify your example with underlined and bold text.

Examples from previous students:

1. HYPERBOLE (song):

“A Little Respsect” by Erasure

I try to discover

A little something to make me sweeter

Oh, baby refrain from breaking my heart

I’m so in love with you

I’ll be forever blue

That you gave me no reason

You know you make me work so hard.

Justification:

The above song has a hyperbole in it. The line “I’ll be forever blue,” represents a hyperbole because the speaker can not literally turn blue, but he feels so depressed due to the separation that he will remain unhappy unless she tells him why the break-up took place. A hyperbole is an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis. The speaker is emphasizing how much sorrow he feels in not knowing why the relationship ended.

2. PERSONIFICATION (advertisement):

(Newsweek Magazine with a bull dressed in wedding attire)

Justification:

This image indicates a strong example of personification. Personification is a poetic technique where human characteristics are given to non-human or inanimate objects. The bull appears in a wedding dress to indicate how closely some individuals are committed to their stock investments. Basically, Newsweek Magazine is indicating that some investors value their stock choices more than their actual spouses.

  

Let me know if you need assistance!

Cheers,

Crampton

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Dear Juniors,

STOP MISSING CLASS! STOP MISSING CLASS! MISSING CLASS IS LIKE CRAMPTON FORGETTING TO TAKE HER INSULIN (Simile.....sorry, I couldn't resist)

Each student who submitted a "Crucible Essay" last Thursday, received one for peer evaluation. Each essay was accompanied with a rubric to follow when giving feedback. This assignment is due on Friday, February 17th!

1. We then  completed Journal #1 for Poetry entitled: "How I feel about Poetry?"
I asked each student to tell me how they feel about poetry? Why or why not do you enjoy it? Please include specifics to support your response. 

RELAX! I think the reason most students fear poetry is that they don't have the tools to appreciate poetic texts. My goal isn't to make you like poetry, my goal is to help you interpret it based upon some tools that I will give you. I have no doubt that you will appreciate this literary genre more once we are finished.

4. We then began with a pre-quiz regarding about figurative language elements. This quiz did not count, but it gave me insight  into what you currently know.

5. We then started our review of Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Allusion and Hyperbole using the following handout. Please print this off and place it in the handout section of your notebook.

The POWER of POETRY

“Words are, of course, the greatest drug used by mankind!”

For as long as strong writers have been putting their quill pens, lead pencils, or word processors to paper, they have attempted to express themselves in the most colorful, imaginative, and descriptive ways possible. They have attempted to create lively, rich word pictures so that their readers can see the images and understand the feelings focused on by writers. Writers have tried to give their audience members the taste, smell, feel, sound and look of the scenes they are describing. They have tried to give vivid expression to their feelings and thoughts about people, places, and events so that their readers could share these impressions.  Writers often use figurative language to add sharp, clear and strong impressions to their work. Through figures of speech, the audience gains a more heightened and vivid realization about the writers’ subjects.

Simile:

Metaphor: Implied Metaphor:

You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.                                                         You’re a foul one Mr Grinch

You really are a heel.                                                                           You’re a nasty wasty skunk

You’re as cuddly as a cactus,                                                            Your heart is full of unwashed socks

You’re has charming as an eel                                                           Your soul is full of gunk, Mr Grinch

Mr. Grinch                                                                                             The three words that describe you are

You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel.                               As follows and I quote

                                                                                                                Stink, Stank, Stunk

You’re a monster, Mr. Grinch

Your hearts an empty hole

Your brain is full of spiders

You’ve got garlic in your soul

Mr. Grinch

I wouldn’t touch you with a 39 and a half foot pole.

You’re a vile one, Mr. Grinch

You have termites in your smile

You have al the tendeder sweetness of a seasick

Crocodile, Mr. Grinch

Given the choice between the two of you,

I’d take the seasick crocodile

Personification: “The water beckoned invitingly to the hot swimmers.”

Allusion: “John failed to act as his brother’s keeper.”

Hyperbole: “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times.”

Idioms: 1. 2. 3. —         He is the apple of my eye, bright eyed and bushy tailed , cool as a cumber, down to earth, and an eager beaver. Oh, and sometimes full of beans. He has a heart of gold, and he is a jack of all trades. He keeps a stiff upper lip, always lends an ear and minds his p’s and q’s. He is nothing to sneeze at, on the ball, and quick on the uptake. He runs rings around others (literally), he is a sight for sore eyes and he tickles my funny bone.

Connotation vs. Denotation Denotation: Connotation: Childlike vs. Childish: —         And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each.

Imagery: 1. 2. 3.

Elements of Sound

Alliteration: “The darksome burn, horseback brown, His rollrock highroad roaring down.” Sibilance: “Sing a song of six Pence”

Assonance: —         Pink Floyd’s “Hear the lark and harken to the barking of the dark fox gone to ground.”

Consonance: —         “Betty bought butter but the butter was bitter, so Betty bought better butter to make the bitter butter better.”

Onomatopoeia:

HOMEWORK:

1. READ YOUR BOOK! 

2. Offer feedback regarding the Crucible Essay you were given to evaluate. This is due on Friday. If you did not initially submit an essay, then completing this assignment is not option. COMPLETE YOUR ASSIGNMENTS, cute kids!

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Dear Juniors!

STOP MISSING CLASS! STOP MISSING CLASS! STOP MISSING CLASS!

I DON'T HAVE TIME TO REPEAT MYSELF!

If you missed class, we completed the following:

1. your "Character Analysis" essays were returned to you and we discussed some concerned regarding their structure. The revision and/or rewrite for your analysis is due on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7th!

2. In addition, we wrote the introductory paragraphs for each Crucible theme. I have included them for you below. Please locate your particular theme and the corresponding introductory paragraph.

We will spend the time in the lab on FRIDAY; your essay is due at the end of the period. If you have obtained the themes quotes for each character, then you will be able to complete your essay!

GUILT

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, contains relevant and universal themes. One such theme pertains to the guilt experienced by several characters within the play. This emotion places great strain on their conscience, but with a positive outcome. The characters possess guilt due to wrong decisions, and a means of redemption becomes necessary in order to obtain a sense of peace from the guilt. Guilt pressures John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Reverend John Hale into making the right decision, showing the potentially positive effects of an essentially negative emotion.

AUTHORITY

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, contains relevant and universal themes. One such theme pertains to the improper use of authority within the play. the abuse of power associated with several characters pertains to the unrighteous dominion of their religious position. The level of authority given to the characters within The Crucible becomes evident due to religious status and educational background, and unfortunately, the characters of Judge Danforth, Reverend John Parris and Abigail Williams inappropriately use their authority to the point of personal corruption.
INTEGRITY
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, contains relevant and universal themes.One such theme pertains to hypocritical actions of several characters within the play. Hypocritical behavior plagues Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris and Judge Danforth as they attempt to justify their behavior. The Puritan theocracy controlled its citizens to the point that they struggled between following Biblical instruction or the pride associated with human nature. Such behavior causes these characters to make excuses to save themselves, or make excuses to take the lives of others.

HYPOCRISY
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, contains relevant and universal themes. One such theme pertains to hypocritical action of several characters within the play. Hypocritical behavior plagues the characters of __________________, ___________________ and ____________________ as they attempt to justify their actions. The Puritan theocracy controlled its citizens to the point that they struggled between following Biblical instruction or the pride associated with human nature. Such behavior causes these characters to make excuses to save themselves, or make excuses to save themselves, or make excuses to take the lives of others.