Peer Review

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Agenda:

-I will be discussing common issues in all the analytical essays

-You will work with a partner to read each others paper and complete a peer review sheet

HOMEWORK:

Read Ch. 4 &5 in Herland

Reading Quiz tomorrow!

Herland Online Book

If you do not have a hardcopy of Herland, here is the link to the full text online:

Herland Online Book

Important Topics/Questions in Herland

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

To those who worked diligently yesterday, thank you. To those who didn't, everyone has an off day--prove yourself now.  Remember, the paragraph summaries are due today or no credit will be given.


Agenda:

-Today you will be working in pairs to complete a worksheet/organizer on some important topics being discussed in Herland thus far.

-On the worksheet/organizer the topics are provided for you. You are expected to find supporting evidence from the text to address the question or topic. After you find supporting textual evidence, write a brief personal reflection on the topic.

-We will have a few minutes to briefly share some of the supporting details and personal responses as a class.

Gilman's utopia is "out there" so to speak. I want to get a better understanding of your thoughts on the first three chapters. What is frustrating you? What is making you interested? Are you finding it funny? These are all questions to keep in mind!

HOMEWORK:

-Read Ch. 4-5 in Herland 

-Work on multi-genre projects

Love and Economics

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Sorry for frustrating many of you yesterday, but I like to make you think outside your comfort zone. Remember, I'm never asking you to stand for something you do not believe in. However, I am asking you to recognize the ideas that you do not believe in as a reality for some people.


Agenda:

-Lets have a quick discussion of the activity from yesterday. Why does the topic of gender roles frustrate people? Without reading far into the Gilman's piece, was she wrong to create a utopia that was clearly offensive to some?

-Independently, you will read an assigned section of "Love and Economics" by Cynthia J. Davis. It focuses on why women depended on men during the time period we have been discussing. It analyzes Gilman's piece Women and Economics in comparison to Gilman's own life.

-As you read, you will annotate your section. Please underline, circle, write notes, etc. After you read your assigned section of the essay, you will write a one paragraph summary of the main points the author is addressing. PLEASE DO NOT WRITE MORE THAN ONE PARAGRAPH, this is an exercise in summarizing an analytical essay concisely (Reading 25-30 minutes, paragraph 10-15 minutes).

-As you read and write your summary I will be coming around to get an update on your multi-genre project.

HOMEWORK:

-Finish your summary of "Love and Economics"(if you did not finish in class)

-Read Chapter 3 in Herland
-Work on multi-genre projects

Herland and Utopias

Monday, February 25, 2013

Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable break. The next two weeks are going to be busy and demanding, but I know you will work hard to complete your assignments.

This is my belief:
"I believe so much in your potential that I will make demands of you and accept only the best that you can produce."- Unknown

Agenda:

-We will begin our discussion of Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman this week. Please go down to the library and check out a copy of the book.

-You will break into small groups and create an ideal society (utopia) based on the sex you are assigned

Things to Consider: 

Government Structure

Religion

Gender Roles

Economics 

-Each group will share the list of things their utopia would include... BE PREPARED TO PRESENT TODAY!

WHAT IS A UTOPIA?

Utopia= an ideal society

• The word was first discussed by Sir Thomas More in his piece titled Utopia in 1516

Utopian Fiction= creation of an ideal society, which serves as the setting for a piece of writing

Feminist Utopia= is a sub genre of Utopian fiction

HOMEWORK:

-Herland Chapters 1& 2

Herland by Gilman (link to the book if you did not get a hard copy)

-Keep working on your multi-genre projects. Due 3/8- NO EXCEPTIONS!

Multi-Genre Directions

Friday, February 15, 2013

IT'S FRIDAY, FRIDAY!

Agenda:

-Work on your multi-genre projects!!!

Directions for the Multi-Genre Research Project

Instead of a traditional research paper, you will create a multi-genre project. This type of project offers you a lot more freedom in terms of creativity, and will allow you to show off your skills in different genres of writing.

- You must have four genres included in your final project. Two genres MUST be traditional creative writing pieces such as a poem, a short story, a nonfiction piece, or a dramatic piece.

·      Please note that you cannot have two poems or two short stories, they must be two different genres.

-Your remaining two genres can be a wide variety of things such as song lyrics, comic strips, obituaries, editorials, hard news stories, diary/journal entries, letters/postcards, prayers, etc.

-You will choose a theme having to do with our discussion of women and their role in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries and research it just like you would for a “traditional” research paper.

-Even though you are creating separate genres, your overall research project has to have a common theme! All of your genres should be built around this theme (Sounds a little bit like a thesis statement…doesn’t it?)

·      Possible themes: consequences of independence, implications of self-expression, importance of self-expression, objectification of women, descent into madness, the domestic versus the active female, etc.

-Lastly, this project is about freedom! While it does require you to research, you are allowed to be as creative as you want in terms of the final project.

What your multi-genre project needs to include:

1.     Some type of cover including the title of your multi-genre project, as well as images

2.     Your critical analysis essay (revised)

3.     Two traditional creative writing genres (poem, short story, nonfiction, drama)

4.     Two genres of your choice (comic strip, editorial, song lyrics, etc.)

5.     Transitions between your genres (quotes, pictures, symbols, etc.)

6.     Works cited page (minimum of three scholarly sources)

"The Yellow Wallpaper" Critical Analysis

Thursday, February 14, 2013

You are only one day away from break--you can do it!

Agenda:

- Watch a video clip that portrays the ending of "The Yellow Wallpaper" (10 minutes)

Video Clip

-Next, you will be broken up into three groups. Your job as a group is to read your assigned critical essay and annotate it (I would suggest reading it aloud as a group, take turns)! Your group will then present the key points of your critical essay to the rest of the class (25-30 minutes)

• "Female Confinement and Escape in The Yellow Wallpaper"
• "Gilman's Gothic Allegory: Rage and Redemption in The Yellow Wallpaper
• Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper : A Centenary"

HOMEWORK:

-Read Gilman's article titled "Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper" and answer the following question:

What do you think would have happened had Gilman never wrote and published "The Yellow Wallpaper"? What was the impact of this short story other than the obvious that she states in "Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper" (that being: "It was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy, and it worked")? Do you think the medical world took this work of fiction seriously? Why or why not?

HINT: Think about who was dominating the medical field during this time period.

Some Charlotte Perkins Gilman quotes

Quotations by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

“The first duty of a human being is to assume the right functional relationship to society -- more briefly, to find your real job, and do it.”
“There is no female mind. The brain is not an organ of sex. Might as well speak of a female liver.”
“There was a time when Patience ceased to be a virtue. It was long ago.”
“To swallow and follow, whether old doctrine or new propaganda, is a weakness still dominating the human mind.”
"It is not that women are really smaller-minded, weaker-minded, more timid and vacillating, but that whosoever, man or woman, lives always in a small, dark place, is always guarded, protected, directed and restrained, will become inevitably narrowed and weakened by it."
"The softest, freest, most pliable and changeful living substance is the brain -- the hardest and most iron-bound as well."
"A house does not need a wife any more than it needs a husband."
"When all usefulness is over, when one is assured of an unavoidable and imminent death, it is the simplest of human rights to choose a quick and easy death in place of a slow and horrible one." (from her suicide note).
"Here she comes, running out of prison and off the pedestal; chains off, crown off, halo off, just a live woman."

"The Yellow Wallpaper"

Thank you for your focus and diligence yesterday...lets keep working hard this week!

Agenda:

-Discuss thesis statements from yesterday (5th period will create theirs)

-Examples of strong thesis statements and workshop discussing how we could revise some of the undeveloped arguments

-Begin reading "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman as a class

Charlotte Perkins Gilman Information
Reading of "The Yellow Wallpaper"

HOMEWORK:

-Finish reading "The Yellow Wallpaper"

-Blog Questions from yesterday

-ESSAYS (if you have not submitted them)

Contemporary Look at Relationships Between Women & Men

Tuesday, February 12, 2013


Good morning/afternoon everyone! Please welcome Mr. May back- if you were not here last class, he is my advisor from St. John Fisher (9th period).

If you have not given me your essay, please do so today. Thank you to everyone who worked diligently to complete them!

Agenda:

-Quick write:

           Your journal entry will be titled “I Want a Husband” or “I Want a Wife”. You will briefly describe what you would be looking for in a relationship with your husband or wife. What types of things do you feel they should be responsible for? Traditionally, what role should they play? 

-As a class, we will read two essays:

• "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady
• "Not All Men Are Sly Foxes" by Armin A. Brott

-You will be broken up into pairs (You will get to pick your partner out of a hat so that way you are responsible for picking your partner!)

-Each pair will complete a graphic organizer for both essays looking at the author's rhetorical use of ethos, pathos, and logos

-Based on the information you put in your graphic organizer, you and your partner will develop a thesis statement comparing and contrasting the rhetorical devices that each author has used (No, you do not have to write the essay)

-Graphic organizers and thesis statements are due at the end of class

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS:

·       How has the view of relationships between men and women changed when considering the time lapse between The Awakening and “I Want a Wife”? Is Brady’s argument the same as Chopin’s? Why or why not?

·       How have relationships evolved between men and women considering our current social/political/economical condition? Does Brady’s argument still hold true? Do more people agree with Brott and his plea for justice and equality? Why or why not? 

Ms. Petta's Email

Monday, February 11, 2013


If you need to, you may email me your two page critical essay by midnight tonight. After midnight it will be marked late.

mrp06393@sjfc.edu


Thanks!

Final Discussion of The Awakening

Monday, February 12, 2013

Welcome back! I hope everyone enjoyed their snowy weekend. I know I did; at TEDDI Dance for Love we raised approximately $50,000 and collected over 1,000 inches of hair. I also got to see Brighton Beach Memoirs last night and it was incredibly well done!

Today, we will be taking a final look at The Awakening.

Agenda:

-Reading quiz

-Small groups will prepare answers to assigned questions and then share their opinions during the larger class discussion


Homework:

NONE! (Unless you did not hand in your essay...in that case, finish the essay please!)

Critical Analysis Continued

Friday, February 8, 2013

"I haven't been so excited about a Friday since....last Friday!"
-Unknown

If you are bored this weekend come to TEDDI Dance for Love at Fisher! I will be there for the full 24 hours; it is an awesome way to support kids who are battling for their lives because of cancer. 

Agenda:

-Finish your writing assignment!


Homework:

Finish The Awakening for Monday (reading quiz, final discussion, etc.)

Crticial Analysis Essay

Thursday, February 6, 2013

I hope you are all having a great day, and if not, remember--everything passes. I appreciate all your hard work and participation this week.

Agenda:

-Discussion of realism and the naturalistic novel

-For the next two days you will be writing a critical analysis essay in class. The purpose of doing this in class is so that you can ask questions and get support. PLEASE, use time effectively as this is due at the end of the period on Friday (Also, I am allowing you to do this during class so you do not have additional homework along with the reading).

The Task:

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory that focuses on humans and their needs. His hierarchy is divided into five different categories ranging from basic needs to higher level growth needs. The levels are:

1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.

3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc.

4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.

7. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

A person must satisfy lower level basic needs before they progress to higher level growth needs, and potentially meet the highest level, self-actualization. Unfortunately, progress can be disrupted by failure to meet lower level needs because of life experiences.

When considering Edna Pontellier, what levels of Maslow's Hierarchy do you feel she has successfully met thus far? What levels is she failing to meet? In your opinion, how are her life experiences affecting her ability to reach self-actualization? Has she/will she meet it?

In a two page critical essay, analyze Edna looking through the lens of Maslow's psychological theory. Your essay must contain a thesis statement and use at least two of the sources provided below to support your argument. 

Sources:

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

The Awakening and Freud

Birth and Creativity 

Homework:

Keep reading! The Awakening needs to be finished by Monday for our final discussion and reading quiz.

PSAT results

2/6/13

PSAT results presentation in the Ensemble Theatre.

Motifs in The Awakening

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

A little inspiration for you on this fabulous Tuesday:

“My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition."

-Indira Gandhi

Agenda:

- Take reading quiz on The Awakening 

Quiz Question #10 (the original #10 is a BONUS)

What is Mr. Pontellier annoyed by while he is trying to read his newspaper on the first page of the novella?

A. Traffic passing by
B. Madame Lebrun's parrot
C. Edna
D. He lost his cigar

-Discuss the upcoming writing assignment we will be starting this week as well as the final unit assessment, which is a multi-genre project

- Lastly, we will break into small groups to look at three important motifs in The Awakening.

• Groups will be assigned one of the three motifs (children, the sea, and music)
• Groups will find 4 quotations from the novella that relate to their motif
• Groups will present their quotations and the importance of them to the class

-Think about the following question as you share your findings about your motif:

As a group, how do you feel that your specific motif advances your understanding or interpretation of the novella thus far? How does your motif relate to, and enhance Edna as a character?

Homework:

The Awakening Pgs. 83-107 (XVII-XXI)

***Wednesday we will not have class because you are going over your PSAT results. For THURSDAY you need to have read:

Pgs. 108-129 ( XXII-XXV)

Grand Isle Louisiana

Creole Culture (Specifically in Louisiana)

Characters and Their Connections to Edna

Monday, February 4, 2013

I hope you all had a nice weekend!

Agenda:

-First, we will finish our presentations of historical movements and shifts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

We will briefly discuss your reactions to the novella thus far:
-What type of internal or external challenges is the protagonist, Edna, experiencing so far?
-How do the other women function as foils to Edna?
-How do Mr. Pontellier and Robert differ in their relationships with Edna?

-Next, you will break into pairs (you may also work individually) and you will complete a character chart. The chart will focus on the various characters and their connections to Edna. Make sure you specify a page number and quote that supports each of the five characters. You are welcome to note more than five!

Homework:

-Complete the two questions relating to the character chart and your findings

-Reading: Pgs. 60-82 (XVI-XX)

-Prepare for reading quiz tomorrow!

Historical Shifts of the Late 19th & Early 20th Centuries

Friday, February 1, 2013


Agenda:

It's Friday, I hope you all have a great weekend!

Today we will be looking at some historical movements happening during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which set the scene for Chopin's The Awakening.

You will be broken up into small groups and assigned a historical movement or shift. One group will also be looking at Kate Chopin's biographical information. Your job as a group is to either draw an image(s) that you feel represents your historical movement or shift, or create a skit to embody the societal changes happening during the time period.

Whether your group is drawing or creating a skit, you will be presenting your topic to the class (depending on time we may do our presentations on Monday) because everyone needs to hear about these important topics!

The topics are:

-Family Life
-The Emergence of New Feminism
-Reforming Divorce Laws
-The Expansion of Education
-Kate Chopin's Biographical Information

These websites may be helpful when doing some additional research on your topic:

Kate Chopin's Biographical Information

Additional Information on Kate Chopin 

Family in the 1880's 

Video on Changes in Family Life 

New Feminism

Marriage and Reforming Divorce Laws

The Expansion of Education

Additional Information of Education

Homework:

Pgs. 35-60