B - The one when you spoke Old English.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What does language teach us about culture?

Learners spoke their assigned lines from the Prologue from Beowulf. (You were fantastic!) I played a sample and learners discussed how closely they pronounced the Old English.

We watched an excerpt of a brief summary of Beowulf, then reviewed the characteristics of Anglo-Saxon poetry.

Learners began reading and annotating "The Coming of Grendel." They also took note of passages that exposed Anglo-Saxon ideals: allegiance to lord and king, love of glory as the ruling motive for a noble life, acceptance of the inevitability of death.

I asked learners to watch Antigone on Thursday, with a literary lens, as an archetypal bridge particularly when it comes to the hero's journey, community obligation, and fate.

READ: "The Coming of Grendel," "The Coming of Beowulf," "Unferth's Taunt," Antigone

PRACTISE: 

• Annotate the excerpts from Beowulf
• Create a graphic organizer noting examples of Anglo-Saxon ideals
• Create a graphic organizer comparing how Antigone and Beowulf define heroics, community obligations, and fate

NEXT CLASS: Anglo-Saxon ideals, hero, obligation, fate

F - The one that felt like a whirlwind (or maybe it was just me).

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When social conventions conflict with personal conscience, what determines which we choose to obey?

I made a bit more of a formal introduction to the course. We reviewed the Course Outline (see the link to the left) and chatted a bit about assessment. Learners created their e-folder to house evidence of their learning, and invited me to collaborate on the folder.

We looked at the one sentence summaries of plot (in parallel form) on the digital parchment document from last class. I spoke about clear and concise writing.

We did a close reading of Galsworthy's "The Japanese Quince" and I modelled how to annotate text. I asked learners to consider the title of the short story, and a few learners offered some great ideas!

READ: The Backstory (to Antigone) and Antigone (lines 1-235)

NEXT CLASS: 

• How does the literal surface (like two men holding their newspapers behind their backs) reveal the absurdity of social conformity hidden behind human vulnerability?
• Are Mr. Nilson and Mr. Tandrum "mechanical"? Consider the "mechanicals" from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream - absurdity, contrast, art(ifice).
• The Role of the Chorus

B - The one about heroes and monsters.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Can heroes be monsters too?

Learners shared their definitions of "hero" and "monster."

We discussed our discussion about Campbell's "The Hero's Journey," and I asked learners to consider that Campbell's "map" describes story telling from it's early existence, when it was only created as oral "text."

I distributed the textbook and we read together the introduction to the middle ages, in particular the historical context of including the Germanic invasions (the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes), Anglo-Saxon ideals and literary styles. I highlighted Anglo-Saxon ideals:

• allegiance to lord and king (comitatus)
• love of glory as the ruling motive for a noble life
• the inevitability of fate (wyrd)

We looked at an excerpt from the the Prologue of Beowulf, in the original Anglo-Saxon ("Old English"). I assigned learners 6-7 lines each and gave them a pronunciation guide. Learners used the rest of the period preparing an oral reading of their assigned lines in Old English.

NEXT CLASS: Prologue, Beowulf, Grendel, Antigone

F - The one with Mr. Cole.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How does precise language structure transform a simple surface reading into clear and compelling insight?

Learners read Galsworthy's "The Japanese Quince," then posted a one sentence summary of plot in parallel form to the a digital "parchment". Mr. Cole reviewed the submissions and asked learners to reconsider parallel structure.

Mr. Cole distributed the Short Story Checklist (see the link on the left) and learners used the rest of the period to make some preliminary notes and text annotations.

(I apologize that I wasn't able to be present at what was supposed to be our first meeting!)

NEXT CLASS: mechanicals, Antigone

B - The one about archetypes.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Why do human cultures, separated by thousands of years and miles, keep telling the exact same story?

Learners told their summer stories.

We looked at the course outline together and discussed assessment. Learners created their e-portfolios and granted me access to collaborate.

Learners mapped out their favourite stories and we uncovered archetypal patterns in plot and character. We looked at Joseph's Campbell's "map" and I suggested the course is about recognizing these patterns in western literature throughout time.

NEXT CLASS: Beowulf