E. Quinson

Room D-201

English 9H, period 1

 

Monday, September 29, 2008

SWBAT: analyze plot developments as they converge in Great Expectations: 

DO NOW:  Write an entry in your writer’s notebook:  How are different elements of Pip’s life converging?

DEVELOPMENT: 

1.      Return Pop Quizzes.

2.      Discuss vocabulary.  Will be tested with unit test.  Have you been coming across these words more than once?  In the text?  In real life?  A lot of Dickensian vocabulary is no longer used, but a lot of it is!!!

3.      Discussion Questions:  Make sure you also discuss questions for Chaps 43-46

  • Why does Pip feel that he must leave Estella forever?
  • Whom does Estella plan to marry?
  • What has Wemmick learned about Magwitch and his pursuer?
  • What plans do Herbert and Pip concoct to protect and save him?
  • Previously Pip has always seen his life as split:  life as a blacksmith and his lower self, as contrasted to Miss Havisham, Estella, and his life as a gentleman.  Now these things seem to be coming together as one. 
  • How might this change Pip’s world view? 
  • Our world view? 
  • Is there a real difference between the classes?
  • Who is Estella’s mother?  Whom does Pip suspect and why?
  • What is Molly’s story?
  • How and why has Miss Havisham changed? 
  • What dramatic events occur at Satis House?
  • While bandaging Pip up, Herbert shares more of Magwitch’s story.  Now, what new plot lines are converging?
  • Review last week’s lesson in word construction:  roots, prefixes and suffixes.

4.      Review/summarize.

H.W.:  1.  Read Great Expectations:  Finish the novel!  Chaps.51-56 , pp.439-521. 2.  Make sure you read both endings.  Write two pages in your w.n.:  which ending do you prefer?  Why?

 

Thursday, October 2, 2008

SWBAT:  Review MAJOR themes of the novel and the many plot developments since we last were reading together.

DO NOW:  Write an entry:  Review the last few paragraphs of the “revised” ending.  What do you think?  Do Pip and Estella stay together?  Or not?  Why be so ambiguous?

DEVELOPMENT:

1.      Discuss DO NOW. 

2.      Discussion questions should revolve around plot and theme.  Some specific themes to cover:

a.       Ambition and Self-Improvement

b.      Social Class

c.       Crime, Guilt, Innocence

d.      Appearance vs. Reality

e.       Corrupting power of wealth

3.      Review multiple choice, short answer part of test.  A certain number of  questions, multiple choice or matching, closed book. 

4.      After I collect your test, you will be given your essay question.

5.      Essay worth twice as much as multiple choice.  Open book.  You will write the actual essay in class Thursday in the computer lab, or perhaps the library.  You may plan your essay Wednesday night. 

6.      Review study techniques. 

a.       Skim whole book? Impossible

b.      Go on line and find summaries? Useless, mostly

c.       Review passages you understand are important from class discussion, but which, if you were perfectly honest, you did not really read either at all or very well.  Might not be a bad idea….

d.      Relax and get a good night’s sleep?  Trust yourself to have been a good reader, thinker, analyzer.  YES!  That is the only thing you can do to prepare for a literature test, in my opinion.

H.W.:  1. Review for test.  2.  Sleep well.  3.  Character portrait and report due Friday.  4.  Prepare essay Wednesday night.  We’ll write them in class on Thursday.

 

Friday, October 3, 2008

SWBAT:          demonstrate extensive knowledge of the plot and characters of Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.

DO NOW:       Clear your desks!  Take out a pen, please. 

DEVELOPMENT: 

1.      Distribute papers.

2.      Students complete.  If they finish, they may turn in papers and get essay sheet.

3.      Collect multiple choice tests.

4.      Discuss essay sheet and basic form of a formal literary essay.

5.      We’ll be going into the computer lab or library to type these essays and hand them into me electronically.  Tonight you may plan your essay.  Look up good quotations in the novel, etc.  Tomorrow you write the essay in the computer lab.

6.      Discuss character analysis sheets due date?  Friday, October 10.  Maybe we’ll play Beggar My Neighbor.

7.      Discuss Independent Reading.  We are going into a grammar unit.  So!  It’s a good time to find a good book.

H.W.:  1.   Great Expectations character analysis/portrait due Friday 2.  Essay in class Monday.  You may prepare an outline, with great examples from the novel.  But you may not write out the whole essay over the weekend.  I still want to see what you can do, just sitting down and writing an essay.

 

Monday, October 4, 2008

SWBAT:  analyze an important quotation and apply its significance to the major themes of Great Expectations.

DO NOW:  Sign onto the network using your password.  Open Microsoft Word and save the blank document in my QUINSON folder on the S:COMMON drive as YOUR LAST NAME! 

DEVELOPMENT:

  1. Review any questions about logging on.  Mr. Montague, God willing, will be there to help. 
  2. Students use all the time they have to work on their essays.  They are encouraged to save early and often to their drives and to the Quinson folder  on the s:common drive.
  3. Students work and I circulate to help.
  4. Review/summarize.  MAKE SURE YOU SAVE!!!

H.W.:  1.   Great Expectations character report due Friday.  Be prepared to share!   2.  Independent reading.

 

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