We continued our reading and discussion of Most Dangerous Game, and Pre-AP students worked on the discussion questions and essays (see earlier in the week for the file), while Academic students filled out the plot diagram.

On Thursday and Friday, we talked about Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado. Here is the link to the audio version we used:

http://www.loudlit.org/audio/cask/pages/01_01_cask.htm

We listened to the Flocabulary version of the story – I can’t post that link online, but if you would like to see it, come by my room and ask!

Students also studied vocabulary by looking at how the words are used in the context of the story itself.

**NOTE – From here on out, I’m going to be posting vocabulary under the “vocabulary” tab – hopefully that should make it easier for you guys to find it.

Another important note!

For both Academic and Pre-AP classes, we are about to start reading John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, which is such a beautiful novella – I’m making notes to myself right now as I read it for the second time, and I find that I’m underlining practically every other paragraph, just because it’s so moving and heartbreaking. You may want to see about purchasing your own copy. You can find it on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/Pearl-John-Steinbeck/dp/014017737X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381282807&sr=1-1&keywords=the+pearl+john+steinbeck

New, it’s $8, used, it’s $4 (with shipping).

You will also probably need to buy some of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Kleenex-Ultra-Facial-Tissue-Boxes/dp/B008YD8232/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381282929&sr=8-1&keywords=tissues

Because seriously, this is a tear-jerker.

For Pre-AP, we will also be reading the abridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo. Here’s the Amazon link to the version we’ll be reading:

http://www.amazon.com/Count-Monte-Cristo-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553213504/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381283000&sr=1-5&keywords=the+count+of+monte+cristo

This book is AWESOME! It’s like if Quentin Tarantino were a 19th century French novelist. This guy gets wronged, and just takes bloody revenge on his enemies for hundreds of pages. You’re going to love it.

Students have the opportunity to get 10 extra credit points on their vocabulary quiz for this week by watching the 1932 film version of The Most Dangerous Game and answering a question. For those who were unable to make the screening during lunch on Monday and Tuesday, here is a YouTube link to watch it (or finish the last five minutes – I think we ran out of time):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY1L5eqwk5Q

Your question for extra credit is the following:

Extra Credit “The Most Dangerous Game” Question (10 points on vocabulary quiz): In a paragraph of six sentences or more, compare and contrast the film version of “The Most Dangerous Game” with the short story. Explain which one you thought was superior, and why.

I have a sheet that you can use to answer this if you would like, or you can type it and turn it in. You have until Friday to turn this in.

Monday:

We took our vocabulary quiz and finished reading The Most Dangerous Game. Here’s a link to the YouTube audio version, if you would like to follow along as you read:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfp04WjOv9A

Students in periods 3, 4, 6, and 7 also completed the plot diagram (otherwise known as Freytag’s Triangle). Here’s a copy, in case you need another one.

Plot_Diagram_Template

Many of you told me that you are already very familiar with this approach to plot, but if you need a review, the Wikipedia article for dramatic structure is very good:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatic_structure

Tuesday:

In period 1, we did the Freytag’s Triangle (see above) for MDG.

In periods 3, 4, 6, and 7, we began talking about themes in MDG. Students worked with partners and then discussed with the whole class the first five questions in the Notes and Thematic Analysis packet.

Most Dangerous Game Notes and Thematic Analysis

Reaping POV Scene Final Rubric

Here is the rubric for the final copy of the Reaping scene for Pre-AP classes!

We continued with The Most Dangerous Game – here’s a link to an online copy of it.

Remember, we have our vocabulary quiz tomorrow!

Today in class, we:
Vocabulary – Girls and Boys Only Books

Used your medium-level vocabulary lists to write about an article on a series of books published as “for girls only” and “for boys only.” The article and instructions are above if you need to continue working on yours at home or if you were absent. This is due Monday before your vocabulary quiz.

We began talking about plot and Freytag’s Triangle, as it relates to “The Most Dangerous Game.” In period 1, we also talked particularly about how the author establishes an ominous mood in the first part of the story, and how we can predict that something bad is going to happen from the language that he uses.

Remember! Vocabulary quiz corrections are due tomorrow. And you should be getting your final draft of the Reaping POV Scene ready to turn in on Monday.

One more day until the weekend! I’m going to a teacher conference on writing on Saturday, which I’m pretty jazzed about. I hope you guys are all doing something fun too!

Tuesday:

This week, we’re trying a different approach to studying vocabulary. We divided up the list of vocabulary words into three sections (10 in each for Pre-AP, 6 or 7 in each for Academic) – a) those you considered to be most challenging, b) those with which you felt most comfortable, and c) those remaining, which should theoretically be the words in the middle of your range of comfort and understanding.

With the words in your “easiest” list, you wrote stories using some creative postcards I had as inspiration. If you missed this assignment because you were absent, you can either come in and I will let you see a postcard, or you can choose one of the images from artist Michael Sowa here:

http://surrealist-fantasy-art.blogspot.com/2012/01/michael-sowa-and-his-pigs.html

(Notice how this style of art meets the definition of “surreal” that we discussed last week.)

You are keeping your stories until Monday to use in studying for your vocabulary quiz. You’ll turn them in to me on Monday prior to your quiz, along with our vocabulary warm-ups on Thursday and Friday.

Wednesday:

You turned in your summer reading projects – if for some reason you didn’t have one to give to me, get it to me tomorrow, as it’s a major grade!

I handed back your Reaping scene POV rough drafts with lots of comments. Please, please take those seriously and incorporate them into your final copies, which are due on Monday.

We talked about the importance of pre-writing, and you completed a timed writing assignment on whether intelligence or strength contributes more to success. If for some reason you were absent, please come make that up tomorrow during lunch – it counts as a major grade.

Tomorrow, we’re starting a short story called “The Most Dangerous Game” – I think you’ll like it a lot! Please remember to bring your Hunger Games book to turn in to me tomorrow. 🙂