Monday, January 31

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 35

Romeo & Juliet quotations TEST on Act 3

Wrote about what Friar Lawrence would tell Juliet about marrying Paris (keeping in mind that he just married her to Romeo)

Watched RSC abridged performance of R&J

Read Act 4, Scene 1 and 2 with a partner

Answered all the questions from Act 4, scene 1 - The questions are in the margins of the textbook – Look for the “?” – There are 14 total. COLLECTED

ENGLISH homework:

Write a 7-sentence paragraph of subtext for one main character from Act 4, Scene 1 (choose from Paris, Friar, or Juliet) and a 7-sentence paragraph of subtext for one main character from Act 4, Scene 2 (choose Juliet or Capulet).

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PLAYWRITING – Day 35

Discussed and took notes on critics and criticism

Read article by Brenda Ueland about listening

In groups of 5, we began listening to each other’s scripts and writing responses according to the following formula: 1. Start positively; 2. Praise specifically; 3. Ask CURIOUS questions; 4. Ask HELPFUL questions (re: Barry Lane)

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Friday, January 28

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 34

Choose one of the following 2 script choices (you should remember them from before) and write out 10 lines of dialogue for one of the two scenarios:

1. Write a scene between a mother and daughter in which a conflict arises because the daughter wants to go out with a boy that the mother dislikes.  As the daughter, justify why you should be given permission.  As the mother, state reasons why you oppose this date. 
2. Write a scene between a father and son in which a conflict arises because the son wants to go to a party being given by a person or family the father disapproves of.  As the son, justify why you should be given permission.  As the father, state reasons why you oppose this.

Next we reviewed the definition of subtext: Thoughts we imagine characters to have as they speak certain lines…we then rewrote our script (from above), but this time, we only wrote what we imagined the characters were thinking while they were saying their lines. We shared these at our tables.

Before collecting homework, we divide our scenes from last night’s homework into 3 and with a partner, wrote subtext for each character, each time he or she spoke. We wrote this subtext on the original script. We then shared these at our tables.

Collect homework: Script cutting exercise – cutting 1/3 of lines from Act 3 scene 3 or 5 (see handout) – keep essential elements – do not destroy the meaning of the scene – cut approximately 1/3 of the lines

Announce test on Act 3 – Monday – it will be 22 key quotations from Romeo & Juliet Act 3 – you are to identify the speaker of each quote.

Finished watching Act 3 of Romeo & Juliet (1968 version) – if time, watched Diff’rent Strokes version of Romeo & Juliet.

Homework:

Study for Monday’s Act 3 quotations test.

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PLAYWRITING – Day 34

Discussed what made most of yesterday’s “car keys” scenes not real and not honest - re: begging for car keys on our knees? When was the last time any of us literally begged on our knees? Dramatic, maybe. Honest and real, no.

We reviewed the persuasive tools we created - see blog entry for January 4

Discussed how each of our characters needs to be “situationally” empowered (by us the writer) – creating a history for each character – knowing where they just came from before the scene begins – knowing what they want in the scene.

Wrote the rest of the hour…individually rewriting our homework…this time, including real conflict, believable conflict, honest confrontations….

PLAYWRITING homework:

Finish classwork mentioned above for Monday.

Thursday, January 27

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 33

Collected homework: Act 3 take home open book packet/test

Review Romeo & Juliet bird information on BLOG (R&J bird posters)

Wrote the subtext of our lives so far today - What is it we are thinking about? Wrote out what we are thinking but are not saying.

Graded Act 3 take home open book packet/test and RECOLLECTED

Discussed why we don’t speak the truth each time we are asked.

Discussed subtext and body language.

Looked at Benvolio’s and Mercutio’s dialogue from Act 3.1 and discussed what they actually said and the likely subtext of what they said.

Compared the original script of Romeo & Juliet Act 3.1 to the 1968 film version of the same and noted the edits in the film.

Began Script cutting exercise – cutting 1/3 of lines from Act 3 scene 3 or 5 (see handout) – keep essential elements – do not destroy the meaning of the scene – cut approximately 1/3 of the lines

ENGLISH homework:

Finish script cutting exercise (see above)

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PLAYWRITING – Day 33

Discussed what made some of yesterday’s scenes dramatic…foils, suspense, etc.

With our same partners, wrote and performed/mimed dramatic interpretations of a car key request to one’s parents when we know the answer is no.

PLAYWRITING homework:

Write page long revision to the car keys scene – this time, you may not begin with the kid’s request for the keys. This time, the parent speaks first. Dramatically speaking, where will be the most interesting place to begin this scene. Think subtle and slow. Add dialogue this time if necessary.

Wednesday, January 26

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 32

Wrote down 5 quotations from anywhere in Romeo and Juliet that refers to “BIRDS” – made posters of our lists:

Listened to the end of Act 3 on CD

Made paper cranes/birds for classroom.

Began watching old version of Romeo & Juliet Act 3.

ENGLISH homework:

FINISH Act 3 take home open book packet/test

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PLAYWRITING – Day 32

Performance day - Winner take all.

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Tuesday, January 25

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 31

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES 2011 – day 2 of 2

Complete Act 3.3 fill-in-the-blank handout of Friar Laurence’s speech lines 108-158

Read New Yorker review of Royal Shakespeare Company's Romeo & Juliet - also watched 2 trailers for the same production - noting the fire metaphor and the mix of contemporary and Elizabethan costume

Listened to Romeo & Juliet Act 3.2 – 4 (and most of 5) – began answering question from Act 3 packet (due Thursday)

ENGLISH homework:

none

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PLAYWRITING – Day 31

Read, blocked, drew each other’s “newspaper” scripts – Winner take all.

PLAYWRITING homework:

Be ready to perform your blocking tomorrow in mime (no props).

Monday, January 24

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 30

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES 2011

Continued to examine “NIGHT” in Act 3, Scene 2: Using our copy of the Juliet’s speech, we listed the 10 different ways that she referred to “night.” We defined Friday’s circled unfamiliar words. Summarized the speech in our own words.

Read modern English version of Juliet’s speech from No Fear Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet

Continued with Romeo & Juliet – reading Act 3 scenes 2 and 3

Answered Act 3 packet questions for scenes 2 and 3 (questions 14 – 20)

ENGLISH homework:

None. 

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PLAYWRITING – Day 30

Parent/teacher Conferences 2011

Followup to watching Hitchcock’s Dial M For Murder film:

Do not write on scripts… 

1. Write a character description for each of the 5 lead characters in Dial M for Murder
1. Mark, Margot, Tony, Captain Lesgate, Chief Inspector Hubbard
2. Summarize the script (one paragraph) – action by action? Dominos?
3. Rewrite a page of the script (with all necessary description)
1. Before turning in, we exchanged scripts and made 2 additions to them)

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Friday, January 21

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 29

½ day for students and staff 2011.

Brainstormed on the word “night.”

Wrote 2 Haiku from our brainstorms.

Examined “NIGHT” in Act 3, Scene 2 (Haiku, scene deconstruction) - Placed an “x” before each line with “night” in it; Circled unfamiliar words.

Wrote a third haiku using 7 words from Act 3.2.1-34.

Summarized each of our 3 haikus in one word each.

ENGLISH homework:

none.

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PLAYWRITING – Day 29

½ day for students and staff 2011.

Read the ending of Hitchcock’s Dial M For Murder film – approx. 6 pages.

Finished watching Hitchcock’s Dial M For Murder film.

PLAYWRITING homework:

none.

Thursday, January 20

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 28

Finished scripting assignment from yesterday.

Performed scripts.

ENGLISH homework:

None.

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PLAYWRITING – Day 28

Watched more of Hitchcock’s Dial M For Murder film.

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Wednesday, January 19

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 27

Wrote about what we thought was going to happen next in Romeo & Juliet now that Romeo has murdered Tybalt and has been banished/exiled from Verona.

Listened to Act III, Scene 1 on CD.

Complete Act 3 packet questions 1 – 13 only.

Having read Act III, Scene 1, we began writing a talk show script in a group of 3 or 4 people. Minimum length = 3 pages. No violence. Must discuss the question “Who is most to blame for Mercutio’s death?” – TO BE COLLECTED FOR GRADE

ENGLISH homework:

None.

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PLAYWRITING – Day 27

Finished reading screenplay of Dial M for Murder (also by Frederick Knott)

We each wrote out the list of actions from the script…COLLECTED

Watched 30 minutes of Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M For Murder film.

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Tuesday, January 18

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 26

2 hour delay today – shortened classes = approx.45 minutes each.

Took comma test.

In your own words, summarize what happened in Act III, Scene 1 (or as much of Scene 1 as you finished reading at your table yesterday).

Read Act 3.1 aloud from No Fear Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet version.

Graded yesterday’s R&J Act 2 test.

ENGLISH homework:

None.

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PLAYWRITING – Day 26

2 hour delay today – shortened classes = approx.45 minutes each.

Followup to yesterday’s drawings - Using Knott’s introduction, we drew a picture of the stage for Dial M for Murder. Noted how different the interpretations were and why. Discussed the importance of getting the actors on the set in order to see if the set pieces would work with the script or if they would need to be altered in any way.

Began reading screenplay of Dial M for Murder (also by Frederick Knott)

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Monday, January 17

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 25

Took test on Romeo & Juliet Act 2

More comma practice – create tests for each other? For each of the 10 comma rules we took notes on, we created a sample sentence.

Read “Dear John” letters and noted the importance of commas.

Discussed why we believed Shakespeare wrote Act 2, scene 4 in prose (and not verse).

Reviewed our notes on Shakespeare’s VERSE vs. PROSE.

Wrote about a time when we (or someone we knew) were so angry that we acted without thinking including what happened before, during, and after. COLLECTED

Began reading Act III, Scene 1 (pgs. 872-883).

ENGLISH homework:

Study for tomorrow’s comma test.

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PLAYWRITING – Day 25

Collected homework: scripted scenes.

Read stage script Act I, Scene 1 of Dial M for Murder (by Frederick Knott, 1953).

Using Knott’s introduction, we drew a picture of the stage for Dial M for Murder.

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Friday, January 14

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 24

Collected homework: Romeo & Juliet Act 2 open-book test packet

Added 10 new comma rules to our notes

Practiced identifying comma errors in sentences

Handed back Act 2 packets and graded them and recollected them

Read Romeo & Juliet Act 2, Scene 6.

Announced Romeo & Juliet Act 2 test on Monday

Announced comma test for next Tuesday

ENGLISH homework:

Study for Romeo & Juliet Act 2 test on Monday and comma test for next Tuesday

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PLAYWRITING – Day 24

In the computer lab we continued with our work: with a partner and choosing ONE of our headlines from our index cards, we outlined (and if time, began scripting) a scene considering Aristotle’s 6 elements - situation, conflict (real or imagined), journey, and theatricality – 4 PAGES MINIMUM

PLAYWRITING homework:

Finish your 4 page minimum scripts for Monday

Thursday, January 13

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 23

Finish work from Tuesday and Wednesday:

1. With a partner or alone, scripted Act 2 scenes 3 and 5 (skipping 4) – for each character, write out a Modern English simple sentence for each of their responses – please note that each scene has 19 exchanges. Each of your 2 scripts should have 19 exchanges too.

Last, for each of the 4 characters on your newly written scripts, find 3 places for each character to DO SOMETHING and write out what that “something” is. For example, Romeo enters and waves to the Friar…or Juliet falls to her knees and begs the Nurse.

2. Finish packet “Romeo and Juliet, Act II Packet Open-Book Format”

Watched Act 2 of Romeo & Juliet (2002 version)

Watched spoof of Romeo & Juliet

Homework:

Finish handout “Romeo and Juliet, Act II Packet Open-Book Format”

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PLAYWRITING – Day 23

Continued with our work: with a partner and choosing ONE of our headlines from our index cards, we outlined (and if time, began scripting) a scene considering Aristotle’s 6 elements - situation, conflict (real or imagined), journey, and theatricality – 4 PAGES MINIMUM

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Wednesday, January 12

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 22

Watched Act 2 of Romeo & Juliet (older version – 1968) – approx. 30 minutes

Began packet for Act 2

Homework:

None.

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PLAYWRITING – Day 22

Continued with our work: with a partner and choosing ONE of our headlines from our index cards, we outlined (and if time, began scripting) a scene considering Aristotle’s 6 elements - situation, conflict (real or imagined), journey, and theatricality – 4 PAGES MINIMUM

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Tuesday, January 11

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 21

Act 2 fill-in-blank (Friar’s speech) – review answers on

Asked to write out the meaning of this speech in one sentence.

Next, with a partner or alone, scripted Act 2 scenes 3 and 5 (skipping 4) – for each character, write out a Modern English simple sentence for each of their responses – please note that each scene has 19 exchanges. Each of your 2 scripts should have 19 exchanges too.

Last, for each of the 4 characters, on your newly written scripts, find 3 places for each character to DO SOMETHING and write out what that “something” is. For example, Romeo enters and waves to the Friar…or Juliet falls to her knees and begs the Nurse.

The above work WAS COLLECTED FOR A GRADE…we will finish it on Thursday.

ENGLISH homework:

None.

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PLAYWRITING – Day 21

Read another Christopher Durang short: “Canker Sores and Other Distractions”

Introduce website: http://www.playwriting101.com/

Continued with our work from Friday in the computer lab 140: With a partner and choosing ONE of our headlines from our index cards, we outlined (and if time, began scripting) a scene considering Aristotle’s 6 elements - situation, conflict (real or imagined), journey, and theatricality

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Monday, January 10

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 20

Collected homework: the three stages of the Balcony scene (Act 2.2) – see Friday’s homework assignment for details.

Completed handout “The Comma Count Is Thirty-Two” and reviewed answers

Took notes and wrote Homeric/Shakespearean/epic similes/metaphors

            Next we looked at an epic similie from Romeo & Juliet Act 2.2

ROMEO
 25                                                                   She speaks!
 26   O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art
 27   As glorious to this night, being o'er my head
 28   As is a winged messenger of heaven
 29   Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
 30   Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
 31   When he bestrides the lazy puffing clouds
 32   And sails upon the bosom of the air.

Finished reading Act 2 - scenes 3,4 (on CD), 5 (read with a partner), (not 6)

ENGLISH homework:

None.

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PLAYWRITING – Day 20

Read 2 Christopher Durang shorts (as inspiration for our own scripting activity): “Funeral Parlor” and “DMV Tyrant”

Continued with our work from Friday: With a partner and choosing ONE of our headlines from our index cards, we outlined (and if time, began scripting) a scene considering Aristotle’s 6 elements - situation, conflict (real or imagined), journey, and theatricality

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Friday, January 7

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 19

Discussed the arrangements that Romeo and Juliet made before Romeo left? (pgs. 851-852)

Listened to Act 2, Scene 2 (pgs. 845 – 853)

Completed first page of new comma handout “Comma Notes” where we created 5 sentences using the 5 rules (see handout for details)

Complete the three stages of the following Balcony scene activity:

·         STAGE 1: Using Act 2.2 (pp. 845-853), choose the 3 most important lines from every 20 lines of the scene. In other words, from lines 1-20, choose the 3 most important. From lines 21-40, choose 3 more. Continue this all the way through the scene until p. 853. You should end up with 27 lines total.

·         STAGE 2: Next, using the 27 lines you chose, reduce them to 27 key words. Choose 1 word from each of your previously chosen 27 lines. These words may repeat themselves and may not make perfect sense, but should include the 27 most important themes of each line.

·         Stage 3: You are to reconstruct the famous scene using the 27 lines from Stage 1; this time, you are re-writing these lines in Modern English - keeping the same meaning as each original Shakespearean line. You may simplify the line, but you must keep the same meaning.

o   Turn in all 3 stages.

ENGLISH homework:

Finish “3 stages” for Monday (see details above)

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PLAYWRITING – Day 19

Read (abridged version) “The Sure Thing” by Davis Ives (1988) – from a collection called All in the Timing – then discussed it and identified the “theatricality” that Ives added.

Discussed an excerpt from Roland Barthes essay “Baudelaire’s Theater” where he writes that theatricality is “theater-minus-text, it is a density of signs and sensations built up on stage starting from the written argument” (1972:26) and how it introduces the notion, promoted by the European avant-garde since the beginning of the twentieth century, that the “essence” of theatre was to be found not in the written text but in the nontextual elements of production. (re: Glen McGillivray – “The Discursive Formation of Theatricality as a Critical Concept”)

With a partner and choosing ONE of our headlines from our index cards, we outlined (and if time, began scripting) a scene considering Aristotle’s 6 elements - situation, conflict (real or imagined), journey, and theatricality

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Thursday, January 6

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 18

Paraphrased Romeo’s soliloquy from yesterday, Act 2.2 – used interactive whiteboard to create master copy of abridged version

Taking various character parts, we read Act 2.1-2 (pages 843-853)

ENGLISH homework:

None

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PLAYWRITING – Day 18

Checked homework: 3 news headlines

Took notes on the meaning of theatricality and what it looks like on stage.

With each of our headlines (on individual index cards) we identified the situation, conflict (real or imagined), journey, and theatricality

Looked at content-less scenes and added theatricality to them – some performed

PLAYWRITING homework:

None

Wednesday, January 5

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 17

Collect homework: Chart of characters from both families (14 total) from 805 (adding Prince and Mercutio; but not including an old man, Peter, Balthasar), proven round or flat (explain why); also, list 3 sets of foils from the play and explain why you think they are foils to each other.

Took Romeo & Juliet Act 1 test (30 questions)

Assembled famous soliloquy from Act 2 with 2 other partners (scatterbrained soliloquy activity) – check pgs. 845 - 846 for answers

Using Act 2, Scene 2 overhead, numbered a paper 1 – 34 and paraphrased (put into simpler language) the famous soliloquy from Act 2 (pgs. 845 – 846) by writing out the 34 fill-in-blanks – COLLECTED

ENGLISH homework:

None.

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PLAYWRITING – Day 19

Shared all phone conversations from yesterday.

(Per Barry Lane) Wrote about concerns…what are they? What does it mean to be concerned…in class, school, neighborhood, town, state, country, world...

Listed all the things that really bother you - things that are just not right – classified them as either personal or global:

Chose one concern off our lists and in 5 minutes, listed as many questions as possible about that concern – then classified them as factual, wonder, or silly

THE POINT: Whenever you get stuck in your writing, try asking questions.

PLAYWRITING homework:

Using newspapers or the internet, find 3 articles (or at least headlines) about stories that CONCERN you. Bring these to class tomorrow either printed, cut out, or handwritten.

Tuesday, January 4

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 16

Collected homework: Act 1 packet of questions

Journal: Who said the following and why? 1. “Is she a Capulet? O dear account, my life is my foe’s debt. 2. “My only love sprung from my only hate.”

Discussed the format of Wednesday’s test by using your book and writing out 3 direct quotations from 3 different characters from Act 1 and exchanging papers at your tables as practice - also, study the 2 families’ character lists on page 805 for test.

Graded homework Act 1 packets (and turned in)

Reviewed definitions of foils, round characters, flat characters (from yesterday)

TO BE COLLECTED TOMORROW: create a chart of characters from both families (14 total) from 805 (adding Prince and Mercutio; but not including an old man, Peter, Balthasar), proven round or flat (explain why); also, list 3 sets of foils from the play and explain why you think they are foils to each other.

ENGLISH homework:

Finish chart and foil work from above (turn in tomorrow)

Study for Romeo & Juliet Act 1 test

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PLAYWRITING – Day 18

Check homework: a written commercial that tries to sell that thing to that classmate.

Shared some of our commercials and noted the tone of voice of the presenter as she tried to persuade.

We wrote down 3 more times in our past that we were persuaded to do something that we initially didn’t want to do and chose 1 of them. We then wrote ½ the conversation from the persuadee’s point of view (as if he was on a phone and we could only hear his side of things).

Next, we noted which persuasive tool we used (see yesterday’s list).

Our list of persuasive tools included:

1.       Minimize the consequences; 2.       Threats; 3.       Money; 4.       Guilt; 5.       Pity – relieve my hurt; 6.       Verbalize the result;

7.       Promise of something better; 8.       Once in a lifetime; 9.       Repetition; 10.    Compliment – sweet talk; 11.    Reason – common sense

Next, chose another topic, a different persuasive tool, and a different point of view (this time as the persuader). We wrote out another “phone” conversation; again, hearing only ½ the conversation.

Finally, using someone else’s conversation, write out the other ½ for them.

PLAYWRITING homework:

None.

Monday, January 3, 2011

ENGLISH - 2nd trimester – Day 15

Now that we have finished reading Act 1 of Romeo & Juliet, predict the next moment for each of the following characters: 1. Capulet 2. Lady Capulet 3. Nurse 4. Romeo 5. Juliet 6. Tybalt 7. Paris  - DISCUSSED our inferences

Handed out “Dramatic Literary Terms to Know” and highlighted key words and phrases.

Next, using our textbooks, we added 2 definitions to the handout of terms: flat characters, round characters - see glossary of terms pgs. 1242 in Literature textbook.

Began Romeo & Juliet Act 1 take-home test (packet of questions).

ENGLISH homework:

Finish Romeo & Juliet Act 1 take-home test (packet of questions).

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PLAYWRITING – Day 17

Discussed the nature of good drama by analyzing what makes an idea good.

Wrote down what we thought would be a good idea for a play and shared and discussed them in class. (kidnapping, a talking fish goes to college, a love story, finding old letters and changing history…)

Took notes on dramatization of idea (pg. 67-68) including situation, conflict, journey, and theatricality.

Reexamined our original “good ideas” and rewrote them as a group using our notes.

Next, we looked at “The Sound of Persuasion”: Think of a time when you were persuaded to do something you didn’t want to do but were FINALLY persuaded to do. What did they do or say to persuade you? What makes someone agree, even reluctantly, to do something? What works on you? When the roles are reversed, these can become tools to persuade others.

Our list of persuasive tools included: Minimize the consequences; Threats; Money; Guilt; Pity – relieve my hurt; Verbalize the result; Promise of something better; Once in a lifetime; Repetition; Compliment – sweet talk; Reason – common sense

Next, in 2 minutes, list all the things that “I’ll Never Buy.”

Read a student commercial as an example for tonight’s homework.

PLAYWRITING homework:

We picked one thing off the list of a classmate. Now, write a commercial that tries to sell that thing to that classmate.