A Letter to Save the Life of Caesar

But what if you could have stopped it from happening? Artemidorus tried to warn Caesar, but was unsuccessful. Please see handout on Writing Assignment 2 for Julius Caesar. Since warning Caesar was not possible, maybe we could change the minds of the conspirators.Your paper should be formal in nature as you are writing a letter to persuade senators to change their minds. It does not need to be in Shakespeare's Elizabethan English. Use modern English with a formal tone. Review ethos, pathos, and logos as persuasive devices as you plan your reasons for why Caesar should not be assassinated.

• Prewriting is due on Monday, November 18, 2013. Your prewriting can be on notebook paper or on the Chromebook. It can be in the form of an outline or a web.
• The letter is due on Wednesday, November 20, 2013.This letter should follow the format of a business letter. Please refer to the Purdue OWL website for information on how to format your letter through the following website http://goo.gl/aDbl6v .

"Stand by Your Man"

Talk with your neighbor about how this applies to Caesar. As we complete the play, think of songs that would apply to characters or situations. Great opportunity for bonus points!

Complete your questions for Act II of the play.

Flattery will get you.....

Analyze the conversation between Cassius and Brutus in Act I.

Decide if you believe in Caesar or not as your leader.

Finish your poems, and share with me today. If not timestamped with today's date, it is late.
Read and analyze "Southbound on the Freeway" by May Swenson by completing the assignment on worksheet that will be due on Friday.

LIfe is......Life is many different things.

or maybe life is

or maybe like this....

or even like

Did this last one follow the pattern of the others? Does it belong in this category? How and why? Or why not?

Finish your poem about life and put it on your Chromebook with music that captures the essence of the poem.

Mother to Son

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Langston Hughes

And now....

Which one did you like the best? Why?

Today, we will finish reading Poe's short story "The Masque of Red Death." Once finished, you will divide into groups to analyze the significance of the rooms, the colors, and other items that may have symbolic importance in the story. Be prepared for a test over the short story tomorrow.

What does Death look like?

Write a paragraph where you describe what death would look like if you were describing it as if it were personified into something you could see...

Lord of the Swill Bucket

Have you ever noticed in fairy tales that the characters don't seem very real to you? Perhaps one-dimensional? That is because it is intentionally so. The characters are not fully developed since they represent a quality and are not intended as real people.

Complete the worksheet titled "Lord of the Swill Bucket" to look critically at the characters in Animal Farm, and be sure to explain your answers on questions 8-14 in sentences citing examples of how and why you have selected those characters.

When you finish the worksheet, turn it in to the tray, and then get a textbook and read pages 8-9 carefully. Then respond to the Quickwrite in the lower right hand corner. Write your response in the form I have posted in the "Assignment Turn In" column on the left.

Turn in your textbook to pages 244-245. Click on link in the assignment turn in column on the left for "Revising and Editing Practice 1" to record your answers.

Then complete the worksheet titled "Manipulating Language." It is due tomorrow at the beginning of class.

Finish reading Animal Farm if you have not already done so.

Call to arms?
        Tone?

Today, we are going to step back in time to the 1930's in Germany. Germany has just begun their climb to power following their defeat in WWI with Adolf Hitler as their leader. Look in your Google Drive for a document I have shared with you titled Nazi Propaganda. Read the article and make comments about phrases that employ the doublespeak tactic that we discussed yesterday. Then after making at least two comments, then answer question titled "They should have known" in the assignment turn in.

Call to arms?
        Purpose?
              Tone?
Today is a day to analyze your ELA I scores and then recall the "call to arms" songs and poems and create a call to arms for you to be successful on STAAR!

Call to Arms?
What is the tone of the lyrics?

 How does this song differ/compare to the others?
How does this example connect well to our study of Animal Farm?

Read through chapter 5 and be prepared for a test on Wednesday over chapters 1-5.

Call to Arms?
                What is the tone of the lyrics?
                               What is the songwriter's purpose?
Today's discussion is about comparing the leadership of Napoleon and Snowball. What qualities do you think are necessary to be a true leader? Write your response on a sheet of notebook paper and turn in to the tray.

How is this a call to arms?
                What imagery does Jackson use to convey his message?     
                                     What is the tone?

Complete test from yesterday, and complete a comparison of Napoleon and Snowball and turn in to the tray and is due at the beginning of class 09-13-2013.

Compare the Seven Commandments from Animal Farm with our Bill of Rights and The Ten Commandments from the Old Testament of the Bible.

Click here for the Bill of Rights.
http://goo.gl/s0dGl

What's in a Song?

What is the tone of the song?
                    What is the purpose of the song?

Before you come to class tomorrow, find a song that does the same...

The song says it all...

Talk about tone...

Now, let's talk literature...
Analyze the lyrics of the song, which in fact is a poem. Complete the assignment in the column on the left titled "Beasts of England."

Tell me about it....

Complete the crossword puzzle as a review of figurative language and turn in to the tray.

You have been assigned an element or figure from the time of the Russian Revolution. Research your part and complete the portion of the table titled "Symbols in Animal Farm" in the assignment turn in column on the left.

Lesson on Tone and Brainstorming with Google Docs

"Don't use that tone with me!"~~~~But what is tone? Is it important to you? It should be...

Students will define tone in how it is used in everyday life and then apply its use in literature.

Get ready to collaborate! Google Docs gives us excellent ways to share ideas together and help us get work done in the quickest most efficient manner. Singers Hall and Oates demonstrate it well.

Your assignment is to create a collage of words that convey tone.

Select a book that everyone in the group has read.

Choose a scene from the book to analyze the words of the narrator for tone. 

Using Google Docs, list the words you believe should be used in the collage the group will create to share with the class.

Welcome!!

Hopefully it has been a great summer for you! But like all good things, it comes to an end. However, the good news is that this is going to be a tremendously good new year.

Please complete the following survey:
http://goo.gl/72iwQD