Tanzania and Act 3 scene 1

We began by reviewing the theme of deception in Hamlet.

We listened to a half-hour talk from Daniel Blackie on his philanthropy in Tanzania.

Then we read Act 3 scene 1 (most of it).
Bennet will read this next day and we'll examine the To Be or Not to be speech.

Hamlet

Today we worked through the Act 1 discussion questions (in groups and then as a whole class).
We learned the definition of what an anachronism is and how Shakespeare had anachronisms in his writing.

We reviewed my interpretation of Hamlet as a resolute character (Hamlet is a man of action, I argue, while most scholars believe he is a man of inaction).

Then students read a handout entitled On Fools, Jesters, and Madmen and completed the following three questions AND handed them in for marks in class:

Answer the following questions thoughtfully and articulately

1.     What activity was “considered fun” during Shakespearean times?

2.     What was an “analogue” to modern television? Explain what this means?

3.     Hamlet says he will put “an antic disposition” on.  Explain how this benefits Hamlet.

Then we read all of Act 2.

"Hey there! Long time no blog!"

Sorry for not updating our classwork.
Term 3 marks were processed and everyone passed the fist term of English 12.
Here are some other important bullets of information

• Provincial exam marks were posted today and I informed students of their grades (our class mark, overall, was 5% above the provincial average! Woot Woot!)
• We finished our mini-unit on Much Ado About Nothing.
• Most students handed in a Much Ado About Nothing Video sheet 
• Earlier this week we began reading Hamlet
• Students handed in a Hamlet Anticipatory Guide worksheet
• Today students completed six questions on Act 1 scenes 1 and 2 -- this was an in class assignment and was turned in at the end of class.
• We watched the first two scenes of Hamlet on video

If you've missed class, please sign out a Hamlet book and read Act 1 scenes 1 and 2.  Also, ensure that the Much Ado video sheet and the Hamlet anticipatory guide are handed in.  An alternate assignment for today's six questions will be given to you when you return to class.

Last Day Prov Exam. Today "Friday Pfun Day"

Most of us wrote our provincial exam last class.

After chatting about the provincial exam as a class, we read this article   http://www.businessinsider.com/high-school-senior-who-got-into-5-ivy-league-schools-shares-her-admissions-essay-2016-4
Then we went out into the sunshine and worked on this activity (we'll work on this, for a bit, on Monday):

English 12  - Possibly-the-Last-Poem-You’ll-Ever-Write Assignment 

With 13 years of public education behind you, now may just about be the perfect time to reflect back on just what has happened and how you have transformed over the years.  

Your Task

Write an ode to your own personal evolution these past 13 years.  You may choose to write about your schooling overall but you may also choose to focus on one particular subject area or teacher.  To make help foster your creativity, I have decided that you must also employ the poetic device of apostrophe in your poem (e.g. “Oh RSS, how you have touched me!” “ Oh, loose-leaf paper, the times we’ve had!” “ Oh, Mrs. Fujino if only I could speak to you about the lessons you taught me!”). You will be evaluated on your creativity and effort as well as your writing style.  Don’t forget to have fun with this! 

ode - a rhymed or unrhymed lyric poem often in the form of an elaborate address and usually charaterized by loftiness of tone, feeling, and style; a poem of praise. 

apostrophe - a figure of speech where a writer addresses (or speaks to) someone or some thing that cannot respond (e.g. a deceased person, an inanimate object, a person not present)

Welcome back composition. Remember: Prov Exam this Thursday Morning!

Today we looked at the instructions on the following section of your English 12 provincial exam:  Part D: Composition.

Then students were given the following prompt and asked to write a composition for 45 minutes: "Our experiences can influence behaviour"

These were handed in at the end of class.