9/9/09 Homework and Syllabus

Welcome to the class blog!!! Today's homework assignment and syllabus is listed below:

First, explore the blog and its features. Then check out our Creative Writer's blog at ewalshcreativewritersvenue.blogspot.com. When you are finished exploring for the night, reread the course syllabus with your parent(s)/guardian(s). Write down any questions that come to mind as you read. Then, with your parent(s)/guardian(s), sign the Declaration of Understanding. Bring this to school tommorow with your notebook and folders so that we can dive into Greek Mythology!


English 9 World Literature
Course Syllabus
Ms. Walsh
I n f o:

ewalsh.english@gmail.com
ewalshenglish9.blogspot.com
(212) 501 - 1235
Room 568

C o u r s e O v e r v i e w

This year in 9th grade English, you will:
 Read novels, vignettes, short stories, poems, essays, folktales, and diaries from Africa, the Middle East, Southwest Asia, China and Japan, early American civilizations, and Greece.

 Study the terms and devices used by writers and poets in their works. By understanding literary elements, you will gain a more thorough understanding of what you are reading.

 Track 25 books read this school year, making note of important literary and plot elements

 Practice writing in several formats including controlling idea, critical lens, expository, persuasive, letter, personal narrative, journal, self-reflection, and creative (poems, stories, vignettes, anecdotes, aphorisms)

 Master note-taking skills such as paraphrasing, summarizing, brainstorming, annotating, study cards

 Develop grammar and spelling skills, expand vocabulary, and experiment with new writing styles. We will work with dictionaries, thesauruses, and style manuals. Taking notes and making study cards will become an important aspect of your progress in these areas.

 Learn and practice techniques for public speaking

 Recognize social, historical, and cultural features in presentation of literary texts and understand their implications. Make connections between what you read in English and what you study in Global.

 Express interpretations and form opinions you can support through specific references to texts.

 Use the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading, and editing).

 Interact with texts. You will be asked to “become” characters, interview characters, authors, and narrators, read aloud, role-play, beat authors, “back lip” characters, complete stories, change endings, evaluate speakers, use graphic organizers, connect ideas, make predictions, ask questions, and more!

 Explore “big ideas” about human behavior and the human condition by analyzing themes focused on:
o Identity
o Individual, Group, and Societal Responsibility
o Truth and Justice
o Ambition, Power, and the Common Good
o Conformity and Nonconformity / Resistance


A b o u t M H S H S ’s E n g l i s h P r o g r a m

Freshman English is devoted to the study of World Literature. Western and European Literature are studied in 10th grade. You will also take a practice SAT (PSAT) in 10th grade. In 11th grade, your English class will focus on American Literature. You will also take a Regents exam that tests the skills and knowledge you learned over the course of 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. You will also take the SAT Reasoning Test, which is a standardized test required for college admission by many colleges and universities in the United States. I mention this test here because, among other topics, this exam will evaluate your critical reading level and written skills. You have plenty of reasons to put care into your work starting from day one!

C l a s s r o o m E x p e c t a t i o n s

I encourage and promote only positive behavior and attitudes. It is important that we show each other mutual respect. You can demonstrate respectful classroom behavior by complying with the following:
 Adhere to all school rules, policies, and procedures. Wear your uniform. Use your agenda. Pay attention. Listen and take notes, complete all assignments, make up work when you are absent, study.
 Use courtesy in the classroom; for example, avoid sarcasm, ridicule, dominating the conversation, and interrupting.
 Never plagiarize. Plagiarism is claiming, indicating, or implying that the ideas, sentences, or words of another person are your own. It includes copying the work of another, or following the work of another as a guide. See the MHSHS handbook for more information. The Online Writing Lab (website listed below) is also a great resource to help you avoid plagiarism, deliberate or accidental.
 Ask for help when you are having trouble understanding a concept, missing an assignment, or earn a low score.

A s s e s s m e n t

 Essays and other writing
 Tests & Quizzes
 Projects & Presentations
 Class Participation (class work, note-taking, discussion, group activities, homework, independent reading)
 Writing Portfolio

G r a d i n g S y s t e m

MHSHS Grading Scale
A: 90 – 100
B: 80 – 89
C: 70 – 79
D: 65-69
F: 64 and below

 MHSHS uses an online system called My Grade Book, available at www.mygradebook.com. All of your assignments and grades are posted here as they are scored. Your parents, your advisor, your guidance counselor, and administration also have access to My Grade Book. Check the site regularly and to stay informed about your progress.
 Your grade is calculated by a point system. Grades for each marking period are based on the points you earn out of the total possible value of the graded assignments. The weight of the assignment is determined by its point value. For example, homework may be worth five points, quizzes worth ten points, essays worth sixty points, and tests worth one hundred points.
 I will post lists of approved extra credit work and due dates, usually worth 25 points. You are only eligible for extra credit if you have completed all of your assignments on My Grade Book.

A b s e n c e s & L a t e W o r k

 Homework is posted on the board each day, and you are responsible for copying the assignment word for word into your agenda. Homework is also posted on the blog each day. Check it if you miss class.
 The vocabulary word of the day and a quote of the day is posted on the blog daily
 For each day you are absent, you have one day to make up assignments. This includes tests, quizzes, essays, notes, ect. If you are absent, a note is required to allow any late work to receive full credit.
 Late homework will be accepted for partial credit up until the test/final essay for that unit of study. Once a test or final essay has been given on the unit, all homework assignments leading up to that test which are missing will become a zero in My Grade Book.

T e x t s & R e s o u r c e s

 Literature (novels, poems, essays, stories) for study will be provided
 Independent reading books may be borrowed from the classroom library or sought out at bookstores/libraries
 School Island
 Class Blog (ewalshenglish9.blogspot.com)
 Goodreads.com
 Mygradebook.com
 Freerice.com (vocabulary and grammar practice)
 Googlebooks.com
 Online Writing Lab(owl.english.purdue.edu)
 Collegeboard.com (everything you need to know for the PSAT and SAT)
 Nysedregents.org (Archives for Regents Exams in all subjects)
 The Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr. (provided in class but I encourage you to purchase your own)
 Vocabulary Workshop, Jerome Shostack (Levels C & D) (packet work provided in class)
 Grammar Workbook for the SAT, ACT … and More, George Ehrenhaft (packet work provided in class)
 Merriam Webster’s Dictionary (always available for use during class)
 Merriam Webster’s Thesaurus (always available for use during class)

R e q u i r e d M a t e r i a l s

 3 subject spiral notebook with perforated lines for easy tear out
 Two 2 pocket folders
 Blue or black pens (work done in pencil or another color will not be accepted)
 Post-its (2 x 4)
 Index cards
 3 ring binder with 10 dividers (for use in May during the Writing Portfolio Workshop / can stay at home until then)
[Note: Some students like to purchase their own copies of books studied in class.. This is encouraged so that you may write notes directly in your books, but it is not a requirement]

A c a d e m i c S u p p o r t

 I am available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during S.O.S. On these days, you can come to my classroom to ask questions, study, or do your homework for 45-90 minutes. I am also available during Lunch and Learn.
 It benefits all of us to keep an open line of communication among parents, teachers, advisors, guidance counselors, and administration here at MHSHS. We all care about your experiences, struggles, and successes! I encourage you to approach me after class in the halls, during lunch, via email, or drop a note in my mailbox. So long as I am free, I am happy to give you my complete and undivided attention.

SUMMER ASSIGNMENT

Sophomore English Summer Assignment

Required Reading: Oedipus Rex, Sophocles

Keep Track of your Reading: As you read Sophocles’ tragedy, keep track of the following elements. Use journal format. Write at least 4 one-page journals.
-opinionated reactions (to the plot, characters, language, format,
literary elements, ect.)
-enjoyable quotes
-connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-society)
-emerging themes
-page numbers

Required Film (watch at least one production of at least two of the plays listed below)
Hamlet, William Shakespeare
Othello. William Shakespeare
Macbeth, William Shakespeare

Keep Track of your Thoughts: As you watch the film(s), keep track of the following elements. Use journal format. Write at least 4 one-page journals.
- opinionated reactions (to the plot, characters, acting, language, ect.)
- enjoyable quotes
- connections (film-to-self, film-to-text, film-to-film, film-to-society)
- emerging themes

Suggested Reading: The Odyssey, Homer


Suggested Resources / Practice Materials:
The Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr.
Vocabulary Workshop, Jerome Shostack (Level E)
Grammar Workbook for the SAT, ACT … and More, George Ehrenhaft


Looking for More?
Summer Enrichment (suggested)
Mythology, Edith Hamilton
Beowulf, Author Unknown
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
Candide, Voltaire

Final Study Questions

FINAL EXAM DATE: FRIDAY, JUNE 12


1. The following line from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Raven contains an example of assonance. What is assonance and how does it work?
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -

2. An example of ____________________ in Hosseini’s The Kite Runner would be when Assef gives Amir his birthday present and Amir thanks him. It is __________________ because Amir doesn’t like Assef and would not actually feel thankful to Assef at any point in the novel.

3. The following excerpt from William Dalrymple’s City of Widows contains an example of personification and a simile. Identify and analyze the personification and simile.

‘If I were to sit under a tree,’ said Kamala Ghosh, a local women’s rights activist, ‘and tell you the sadness of the widows of Vrindavan, the leaves of that tree would fall like tears.’


4. The following lines from William Butler Yeats’ poem The Second Coming contain an example of the poetic device repetition. What words are repeated and what is the effect of the repetition?

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight…

5. What is the major turning point, or climax of Dai Sijie’s Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress? Explain.

6. The following excerpt from Valmiki’s The Ramayana indicates to the reader that this tale is an example of what literary genre?

The woman I speak of was a yaksha, a demigod of great valor, might, and purity. She was beautiful and full of wild energy. When she grew up she was married to a chieftain named Sunda. Two sons were born to them—Mareecha and Subahu—who were endowed with enormous supernatural powers in addition to physical strength..

7. What are some examples of internal, man versus himself conflict in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart?

8. The following lines from Octavio Paz’s poem Wind and Water and Stone contain two examples of metaphor. Identify the metaphors and analyze their meaning.

The wind sculpted the stone,
the stone is a cup of water,
the water runs off and is wind.

9. What are some examples of internal, man versus himself conflict in Khaled Hosseni’s The Kite Runner?

10. The following lines from Anne Winter’s poem Night Light provide an example of imagery and sensory description. What does this mean and what is the effect?

…a hand above your cradle
to feel the humid tendril1 of your breathing.
Outside, the night rocks, murmurs … Crouched
in this eggshell light, I feel my heart
slowing, opened to your tiny flame
as if your blue irises mirrored me
as if your smile breathed and warmed…

* Read the following excerpt taken from Khaled Hosseni’s The Kite Runner to answer the next three questions:

(1)I don’t know at what point I started laughing, but I did. (2) It hurt to laugh, hurt my jaws, my ribs, my throat. (3) But I was laughing and laughing. (4) And the harder I laughed, the harder he kicked me, punched me, scratched me. (5) “WHAT’S SO FUNNY?” Assef kept roaring with each blow. (6) His spittle landed in my eye. (7) Sohrab screamed.

11. The selection illustrates which type of conflict?

12. What is verbal irony? Which sentence from the passage contains an example of situational irony?

13. From which point of view is The Kite Runner told? How do we know? What is the effect?

14. The following excerpt from Amy Tan’s vignette, “The Moon Lady” illustrates which type of conflict?

…firecrackers exploded, and I fell into the water not even hearing my own splash… But in the instant that I began to choke, I knew she would not come. I thrashed my arms and legs under the water. The sharp water had swum up my nose, into my throat and eyes and this made me thrash even harder.

15. What are some examples of a internal, man versus himself conflict in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart?


16. What are some examples of man versus society conflict in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is:

17. What are the characteristics of anecdotes? What is their effect, when they precede a chapter in a novel?

18. The following lines from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven contain an example of which poetic device? Explain.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore…

19. In what historical context did we study Hosseini’s The Kite Runner?

20. What are the five elements of characterization we used to analyze fictional characters?

21. Dai Sijie’s Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is studied in what historical context?

22. What are some examples of foreshadowing in Hosseini’s The Kite Runner?

23. The following excerpt from Hosseini’s The Kite Runner provides an example of what type of irony?

“While I ate and complained about homework, Hassan made my bed, polished my shoes, ironed my outfit for the day, packed my books and pencils. I’d hear him singing to himself in the foyer as he ironed, singing old Hazara songs in his nasal voice.”

24. The sentence, “Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water,” contains an example of which literary device? What does it mean?

25. The following excerpt from Dai Sijie’s Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress expresses the setting of Yong Jing. What moods are conveyed by the setting?

...What is more, Yong Jing had electricity instead of the oil lamps we were used to. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that our visits to town had become an obsession, but at least having to trudge across the mountain to see a film meant getting four days off from labouring in the fields, from carrying human and animal dung on our backs, or from toiling in the paddy fields with water buffalo whose long tails whacked you across the face.

26. The following quotes from Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart are examples of proverbs. What does this mean? What are some other examples of proverbs? What are the effects of proverbs in a literary work?

“If a child washed his hands he could eat with kings."
"A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness."
“An old man is there to talk.”


27. All of the chapters in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club are considered _________________ because they are short, illustrative stories that can be read alone or in the context of an entire novel.

28. The following lines from Ommateum by A.R. Ammons contain three examples of personification? Identify these lines. What do they mean? What is the effect of personification in a literary work?

Turning to the sea I said
I am Ezra
but there were no echoes from the waves
The words were swallowed up
in the voice of the surf
or leaping over the swells
lost themselves oceanward.

29. The epic story of Sundjata is part of the _____________________ because it has been passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.

30. In Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story, “When Mr. Pirzada Comes to Dine,” eating and food is used as a motif, which works to develop the story’s theme. What themes are developed through motifs in the text?

31. This sentence from “By Any Other Name” by Santha Rama Rau contains examples of which literary element?

Her rimless half-glasses glittered, and the precarious bun on the top of her head trembled as she shook her head.

32. The following passage from Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake best illustrates what thematic idea(s)?

At the end of his first day he is sent home with a letter to his parents from Mrs. Lapidus, folded and stapled to a string around his neck, explaining that due to their son’s preference he will be known as Gogol at school. What about the parents’ preference? Ashima and Ashoke wonder shaking their heads. But since neither of them feels comfortable pressing the issue, they have no choice but to give in….

33. Does the narrator in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake illustrates a subjective or objective tone in the excerpt below.

The name, Nikhil, is artfully connected to the old. Not only is it a perfectly respectable Bengali good name, meaning “he who is entire, encompassing all,” but it also bears a satisfying resemblance to Nikolai, the first name of the Russian Gogol.

34. The game of chess is used as a vehicle for which themes are conveyed in Amy Tan’s “Four Directions” and “Rules of the Game.” Because of this, chess boards and playing chess are considered_____________________.

ZIP, RUSTLE, GARGLE, BUZZ, MOO, HISS, SWISH, BOOM, CRASH, SPLAT, TAP

35. The following words are examples of which literary device?


36. Setting, in fiction is analyzed in terms of what elements?

37. How do the following words and phrases relate to one another: parable, greedy sons, father, gold, lesson.

38. What are some major themes about community contained in Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story “When Mr. Pirzada Comes to Dine,” ?

39. What do kites represent in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner?

40. From which point of view is the following passage, from Jhumpa Lahiri’s “When Mr. Pirzada Comes to Dine” told?

IN THE AUTUMN OF 1971 a man used to come to our house, bearing confections in his pocket and hopes of ascertaining the life or death of his family. His name was Mr. Pirzada, and he came from Dacca, now the capital of Bangladesh, but then a part of Pakistan.

Note to Absentees on Writing Portfolio Day

Any student who was absent in class today, June 5th, will need a doctor's note in order to submit his or her portfolio on Monday. Portfolios without a doctor's note will not be accepted. No exceptions.

Check the blog this weekend for study/review questions for the final exam, which is Friday, June 12.

Test Friday, May 22, 2009

Know the terms below and be able to relate them to Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress:

SETTING
MOOD
THEME
TONE
CONFLICT (MAN VS. MAN, MAN VS. NATURE, MAN VS. SOCIETY)
SIMILE
METAPHOR
COMING OF AGE
PROTAGONIST
STATIC CHARACTER
ROUND CHARACTER
*PLOT (know the story from beginning to end!)

HW Due Monday, May 11

Read and annotate up to page 89 for Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Post-it annotations should focus on the thematic statements we discussed in class. Make a case for or against the statements as you read.

Thematic Statements to Agree or Disagree With:
People are untrustworthy by nature.
People learn to manipulate when freedoms are taken from them.
Love cannot be trusted.
We should not trust people because we will end up disappointed.
Some people are natural leaders.

-------------------------------------------------
Check the Writing Portfolio Timeline (packet and Blog post) for important due dates!

Reading Schedule: Balzac...

Week of May 4th
Monday: 19-30
Tuesday:31-42
Wednesday:43-54
Thursday:55-66
Friday:67-89

Week of May 11th
Monday:90-101
Tuesday:102-112
Wednesday:113-123
Thursday:124-135
Friday:136-151

Week of May 18th
Monday:152-163
Tuesday:164-175
Wednesday:176-184 (END OF NOVEL)

UNIT TEST: FRIDAY, MAY 22

Writing Portfolio Timeline

Wednesday, April 29
Writing Portfolio Assignment Details (packet)


Monday, May 11
Reading Log
Recommended Reading List


Monday, May 18
Literary Response and Expression section
Lit. Response Growth Reflection


Monday, May 25
(Memorial Day, No School)


Tuesday, May 26
Critical Analysis and Evaluation section
Crit. An./Eval. Growth Reflection


Friday, May 29
Information and Understanding section
Info/Und. Growth Reflection


Monday, June 1
Overall Self-Reflection


Tuesday, June 2
Table of Contents
Cover Page


Wednesday, June 3
Checked-off Checklist
Blank Rubric
Organize into binder with dividers


Thursday, June 4
No School for Students


Friday, June 5
Writing Portfolio Due (at the beginning of class)

*Conferences June 7th-11th

Reading Strategy: After Each Paragraph, Choose 1

When you read challenging texts, you automatically either 1)summarize in your head 2)ask yourself a question 3) make a prediction or 4)demand clarity

Here's what that means: when reading a challenging text, you need to stop after each paragragraph, or few paragraphs, and use a combination of the following strategies (like we did in class with Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress today!!!!):

1. Summarizing / Self-Review
From what we've read so far, I can tell that...

2. Ask a Question / Self-Testing
Literal: Who calls the violin a "wiolin"?
Interpretive: What is Luo trying to do when he points out that he and the Seamstress share a common 'foot trait'?
Analytical: Who does the Seamstress like better? Why does she like him better?
Applied: What human emotions inspire fear?

3. Predicting / Setting the Stage for Further Reading
Based on...... and what I have read so far, I predict...

4. Demanding Clarity / Breaking Down the Text
I need some clarification about... I am guessing it is...

* Add these strategies to your stock of post-it annotation ideas!

Week of May 4th Reading Strategy Homework

Use one of the sentence starters below to expand on a thought that we discussed in class, or a new idea about the text. (Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress / Chp.1)

I wonder...
I began to think of...
I like the idea...
I know the feeling...
I noticed...
I was surprised...
If I had been...
I was reminded of...

TIPS
*If you get writer's block, here are some options:
Feelings (boring, sad, exciting, weird)
Questions (I wonder why the author put in certain parts....)
Images (pictures in the mind, sensory responses)
Favorite (or detested) words and phrases
Echoes (of other books, movies, television shows, headlines, songs, poems)
Reaction to characters or events (That Assef is such a snake!)
Memories (people, events, places you've known)
Connections (to other ideas, people, feelings, books)