B - ... when we strengthened your syntax.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Why does English literary work seem to always involve the sea?

I went over sample essays and modelled how to integrate quotes, how to write with more clear syntax, and how to add narrative context to paragraph details. We used several samples from learners' own pieces and then learners took some time to look over their own essays and make edits.

Learners worked in pairs to discuss where is the divide in "The Seafarer" and what characterizes the two sections.

READ: "Crossing the Bar" (page 653 or click the link)

NEXT CLASS: the sea over time!, The Medieval Period, Middle English

F - ... when you worked with Ms. Sawka.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How effective are literary circles?

Ms. Sawka came in to talk about literary circles.

(I expect a full review next class!)

PRACTISE: complete your annotations and notes for "The Destructors"

B - ... when you had Mr. Hurtubise.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What can we learn from peer-editing?

Learners worked with Mr. H in the Alumni Room. They peer-edited their essays, then completed the readings for "The Medieval Period."

NEXT CLASS: "The Seafarer"

F - ... when we talked about the individual in particular settings.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What do we understand better about an individual when we note their surroundings?

We read together the first few paragraphs of Greene's "The Destructors." I modelled how to annotate texts and take notes. Learners worked in pairs to annotate and discuss text features and content. They used the Short Story Checklist to guide their reading.

PRACTISE: Continue to annotate the rest of the story

NEXT CLASS: Lit Circles

B - ... when you wrote some more.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What value is there in writing a timed piece?

Learners used the entire period to continue editing and rewriting their essays on Anglo-Saxon ideals.

NEXT CLASS: Peer- editing

F - ... when I was in and out and all about the hullaballoo.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What is the difference between art and artifice and how does the tension play into literature?

Learners were meant to read independently, but I asked them to read Greene's "The Destructors" instead. Then, I interrupted the exercise because the evaluators didn't need to see me yet. So, I brought learners back to last class's discussion of Rita Joe's "I Lost My Talk" and asked learners to discuss what reconciliation might look like for the speaker of the poem.

I had to leave shortly thereafter, so according to Mrs. Graham, you worked quietly, reading Greene's short story.

NEXT CLASS: tension & release, annotating texts

B - ... when you wrote. That's all.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Why is the writing process so necessary for clarity?

Learners used the entire period to begin drafting the essay on Anglo-Saxon ideals.

DUE: Essay on Anglo-Saxon Ideals - at the end of next class!

READ: 

• "The Seafarer"
• The Medieval Period
• Intro Canterbury Tales