Sample Character Item Poem

Mama's Flower

  Mama’s flower,

  Live plant that needs water and sun to survive,

  Holder of her hopes and dreams,

  Living,

  Growing,

  Allows Mama to grow her dreams,

  Beautiful hope.

Character Item Poem

Post your Character Item Poem for ANY character in "A Raisin in the Sun."  First, select an item that connects to your character (ex: Mama=plant, Walter=money)

THE FORMULA

LINE 1  - STATE THE ITEM’S NAME

LINE 2  - GIVE A LITERAL DESCRIPTION OF IT

LINE 3  - GIVE A FIGURATIVE DESCRIPTION OF IT

LINE 4  - GIVE ONE ADJECTIVE FOR IT

LINE 5  - GIVE ANOTHER ADJECTIVE FOR IT

LINE 6  - STATE WHAT THE THING DOES FOR THE PERSON

LINE 7  - GIVE A FINAL DESCRIPTION (ADJECTIVE THEN NOUN)

Discovering Characters

 TAKE OUT YOUR DISCOVERING CHARACTERS ASSIGNMENT AND CHECK YOUR PREDICTIONS OF CHARACTERS WITH THE ANSWERS BELOW....

1.  Compare and contrast your impression of the character with the brief description of the characters (you need to select 3-4)

2.  What stereotypes did you use to prejudge the characters?

3.  How do you feel about this?

Lena Younger:
matriarch; proud; strong-willed; deeply religious; believes in the strength of family; 50s-60s

Walter Lee Younger Jr:
ambitious; loves his family; longs to prove his manhood by owning his own business; 30’s

Beneatha Younger:
as ambitious as her brother, with plans to be a doctor; needs to express herself, as her varying hobbies indicate; interested in her African roots; 20’s

Ruth Younger:
loving and faithful wife and mother; wants what's best for her family; her dream is to move into a place with more space and sunlight; 20s-30s

Travis Younger:
his family's pride and hope for the future; typically energetic ten-year-old

Asagai:
fellow student; loves Beneatha; a "modern" African, committed to preserving the cultural heritage of his Nigerian people

George Murchison:
modern African-American who believes that success lies in imitating whites; scorned by Walter Lee, who considers him a phony

Find Your Own Beach

Cassie's family often spent time together on the rooftop of the apartment building where they lived.  The tar roof was their "beach."

Compare and contrast Cassie's life on Tar Beach in the city, with your life. How does Cassie try to make her dreams come true? Can you think of a place near your home that could be your pretend beach? If you planned a picinic there, whom would you invite and why?

Tar Beach

The union referred to in the story "Tar Beach" is known as a labor union.  A labor union is an organization made up of people who work in the same profession and who have banded together in order to deal as a group with employers.  Before the development of labor unions, individual workers often had no influence in determining how they were paid, how long they worked, or what their working conditions were like.  Workers formed unions because they had more power as a group than they had as individuals.  Today there are unions for teachers, firefighters, and farm workers, as well as many other professionals. 

Although Cassie's father helped to build the union building, he and his father before him were not members of the union because it did not accept African Americans or Native Americans as members.

Have you ever wanted to be part of a group of club that wouldn't let certain people join? Did you like being part of the group? Why or Why not? Why didn't you include certain people? How do you think that made them feel? How did you feel?

We are Poets!

Type ONE of your poems here! Be sure to include your first name and period!  If you would like to remain anonymous, print your poem after posting and hand it in to Ms. Morrissey

Poet's Perspective About Poetry

Type your responses here! Remember to write the quote, your interpreration and respond to all questions!

The Corpse Bride

Yesterday we read and veiwed "The Corpse Bride".  We discussed how writers use specific words and phrases in order to convey "tone" and "mood".  Directors use sounds, costumes, images, and colors to create intended "tone" and "mood". 

Describe the mood of the movie and the techniques that Tim Burton used to achieve this.  (minimum 6-8 sentences)

Tree Identity Assignment

Write a well-written paragraph describing the various symbols on your tree and what they describe about you.  (this should be at least 8 sentences)

In this piece of writing, be sure to define what particular “journey in life” you are referring to and why/how this tree symbolizes or defines that journey and YOU

(If you are confused, think about the speaker’s journey and how she comes to terms with what happened to her by finally opening up, speaking about the event, and facing the person who did it.)

Elephant in the Room:EXTRA CREDIT BLOG

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
By Terry Kettering

There’s an elephant in the room.

It is large and squatting

so it is hard to get around it.

Yet we squeeze by with,

“How are you?” and “I’m fine.”

and a thousand other forms of trivial chatter.

We talk about everything else –

except the elephant in the room.

We all know it is there.

We are thinking about the elephant as we talk together.

It is constantly on our minds.

For, you see, it is a very big elephant.

It has hurt us all, but we do not talk about

the elephant in the room…

Who is the speaker in this poem?
What is the"elephant"? What does the elephant represent?
What will be accomplished if they talk about the elephant?
What are your thoughts about the mood of the poem?
What elements of dialogue are used in the poem? Why are they effective?
How does this poem relate to Speak?
Have you ever had an elephant in the room?Explain

PICASSO

1.  Personal Response:  Look at the artwork by Picasso.  Why do you think Melinda was so inspired and capitvated by it? Find some details in the art to discuss... What images and colors stand out to you.  What is your personal interpretation of the work? What does Melinda's connection to this work show? 

2.  Read and respond to a classmates interpretation.  Do you agree with their interpretation? Be sure to state their name in this reaction.

Connecting to Literarture

Choose one passage, scene or dialogue from a chapter and write about why that passage caught your attention.  Did it surprise you? Puzzle you? Impress you? Provoke something in you? Explain.  What "lasting" images have stayed with you so far?  Be sure to:
1.  Write the name of the Chapter
2.  Answer each part of the question
3. Put your first name, last initial and class period

Bullying: Words can Kill- late responses

Post your responses to questions here!

Bullying: Words Can Kill

Objective: Observe a television documentary critically by responding to it, discussing meanings, ideas and effects, and analyzing the use of verbal and visual features.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7381364n
Over the next few nights, watch and react to the 48 Hour special presentation entitled “Bullying: Words Can Kill” (see above). It is a 50 minute video so it is suggested that you spread out the viewing of this documentary (feel free to watch it in one sitting if you prefer).
When the viewing is complete, address the prompts below in a cohesive thought-provoking paragraph response:

• What was the title and why was the title chosen? Was it effective? Why?
• Did the viewing present fact(s) and/or opinion(s)? Explain.
• Is this viewing a representation of reality? Explain.
• How did you feel while watching it? Why did you respond this way? Explain.
• Draw connections between this viewing and discuss a correlation between the issues raised (or ones that will be raised) in the novel, Speak. Explain.

All responses must be respectful in nature.
This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, September 27th

Social World

Where do you fit into your student population? Are you a member of a specific group or do you socialize with students of many different groups? Are you happy with your place in high school society or do you wish you belonged to a different group? Write in paragraph form and thoroughly explain your answer.

Leaving them out....

Describe a time when you saw someone ostracized (excluded; left out). What happened to this person? Why were they isolated? What was your reaction? How did it make you feel? How did the victim respond?

YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE NAMES. CHANGE THEM IF NECESSARY.

Honoring 9/11

Remember to wear the colors of our American flag on Monday to honor those lost in the attacks on September 11, 2001. We reccomend wearing blue jeans and a white shirt, and another other red you have!

Introductions!

Welcome to English 9!
For your first posting, tell the class a little about yourself! You may use some of the interview questions you generated in class and answer them for yourself....

In your posting, be sure to:
Include your First name, last initial and class period.
For example: Tara M (Period 9)