EOC Prep, Now and Moving Forward

The ENGL - I EOC Test will be

May 5th, 2015

So today, students took the first half of last year's EOC. Tomorrow, they'll take the other half.

The scores and question-data will be used by Mrs. Syes and I to modify instruction in the weeks leading up to the real EOC.

EOC practice will continue tomorrow.

Come and see me if you have questions about GradeSpeed. 

PS: You still need your books for reading Romeo and Juliet.

Starting next Monday.

A Short Note On Grades

They're just about done.

If you need to come and talk to me about a missing assignment, please track me down on your own time. I'll need to verify and submit my gradebooks by 3pm Thursday.

The Odyssey Test A (for my morning classes) benefitted from a 10 point curve.

The Odyssey Test B (for my afternoon classes) benefitted from a 7 point curve.

Please keep that in mind if you plan on coming to chat with me about those.

ODY Review Powerpoint Part II

This is the powerpoint file.

The Odyssey test (over parts one and two) is tomorrow. 

Yo, 2nd Period!

Your Membean Quiz has just been posted!

Here's a handy link to the Membean login!

You have until 3:30pm tomorrow to take it.

ODY: Part One RVW

This is a link to the Powerpoint.

This is a link to the .pdf.

(It's not awesome though, because it can't do transitions.)

Thursday 3/5: Snow Day

Reminder: I gave you guys a schedule for the week. Scroll down for the post.


Here's a refresher. Click for .pdf link.

Bored? Curious about a challenge?
Hint: We're on page 148. Beginning of Book 12.

Foolish Elpenor

Well, I was wrong. There's a 5th spirit that Odysseus speaks with in the Underworld:

Elpenor the Graceful

I'm just kidding that's not his real name I'm being ironic. 

After revisiting the 4 messages/warnings the ghosts gave to Odysseus yesterday, freshman classes today did close in-book readings of Elpenor's request that he makes of Odysseus.

Students then had to answer, in writing, two harder questions regarding The Cyclops and LoTD:

These were answered on loose-leaf paper, and handed in to me before the end of the day.

HW:

• Read the next adventures: The Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis
• Membean window closes on Saturday.

And the Award for "Worst Host Ever" Goes To...

Polyphemus. The Cyclops.

The. Worst. Host.

First, students took a short quiz on the details of the story, The Cyclops. In short, he was not good to his guests.

This is a link to an explanation, and several examples, of Greek hospitality.

How can I tell? I can tell because he ate six of them. Don't even get me started on Polyphemus.

Students also engaged in an active listening activity. Specifically, they listened to the radio drama that the BBC's Radio 4 created in honor of the last Olympics to be held in Greece. We don't have time to listen to the entire production (even though it is WONDERFUL), so we listened to the part where Odysseus visits the Land of the Dead to ask a ghost for advice.

This is the sheet on which the students made notes while they listened along.

We HAD to listen to this part, because the lit. book version cuts the most heart-breakingly beautiful moment of the story*: Odysseus discovering that his mother has died.

*I recognize that this is an opinion, and not a fact.

Think you're tough? Listening didn't make you sad?

Here's the unedited/unabridged exchange between Odysseus and his mother.

He... he tries to hug her. He can't. 

This story is 3,000 years old, y'all.

This Week's Weather Advisory

A recent e-mail from Dr. Carr advised teachers to prepare for the possibility of inclement weather this week.

In case anything weird happens, here is a link to the schedule of reading for the week. I gave this out in class today.

Exploring The Odyssey Pt. One

I feels like forever since I've seen my classes. These two weeks have been ridiculous.

But enough whining.

Classes began today with a quick review of Epic Poem lit terms: Invocation of the Muse and in medias res.

Here is a link to the review .pptx that we looked at in class.

Here's the same information, in a .pdf file, in case the powerpoint isn't working for you.

Students were quick to tie the idea of in medias res back to a flashback. Which is how Homer presents Odysseus' story: when we meet him, he's sitting in a king's royal court, explaining the many adventures that brought him there after the end of the Trojan War.

We discussed Odysseus' first two adventures in depth: Sailing from Troy, and The Lotus Eaters:

• On the coast of the Cicones, Odysseus and his men generally behaved like a bunch of pirates. They landed, plundered, killed, and enslaved women. The crew decided to celebrate with a victory feast, despite Ody urging them back to the boat. The army from the next town over showed up and killed a bunch of Greek soldiers. Everyone was sad. Question: Does Odysseus' crew always obey his orders? And when they don't what happens? Answer: FORESHADOWING.
• Odysseus and his men almost get stuck on the island of the Lotus Eaters. The people of the island show the crew no ill will (re: they don't attack the sailors), but offer them some lotus. The lotus is just a plant. And yet...it's dangerous:
• It grows naturally.
• It robs people of their hopes, dreams, goals, and strength (for the crew, that is their desire to get home.)
• Those who ingest it forget about everything...
• Except eating more lotus.
• The danger of the lotus is a danger of temptation.
• This literary concept has an analogy in our own modern world.
• It's drugs. The lotus is a drug. It is just a plant, but can destroy Odysseus' and his men's dream of going home.

Many students referenced Percy Jackson:

This scene is from the Lotus Casino. The heroes lose 5 days of time, and nearly fail their quest. 

And those students were absolutely correct.

I extended the reading of The Cyclops by one more day, for students to read it again, and ask me questions. Because there's a quiz on it tomorrow.

HW:

Quiz on The Cyclops tomorrow.