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Day Sixteen / 6.15.10

Today we turned in our Feminine Essays. Then we discussed poetry. The handout for the discussion is here. We listened to a song by The Cardigans. We discussed Roethke and Miller, then we read Stevens' "Thirteen Ways." We looked at sunflowers. And then we wrote poems about sunflowers (during this time, the song we listened to was by Yann Tiersen). Finally, we read Sharon Olds, "On the Subway."

We also planned our party. Here's the party favor assignments:
PERIOD 0
PERIOD 2
PERIOD 4

Day Fifteen / 6.14.10

Today we had a Vocabulary Quiz (32/33). Then we quickly covered the rubrics for the Feminine Essay.

Rubrics Are Here!

Here are the rubrics for the two essays. They're a little different from the Iceberg, so be sure to check them out.

Rubric for the Creative Story

Rubric for the Analytical Essay

Go and be merry! May your joy be complete!

Day Fourteen / 6.10.10

Today we went over the Vocab words for Sections 32/33. There is a quiz on Monday.

Then, we went over how to write a Creative Story. My humble guide, How to write a Creative Story, is here. If you're interested in reading my rough draft of the Creative Iceberg, it's here.

After that, we had a discussion on the ethics of bullfighting and our involvement in animal rights.
The handout from class is here.

If you're interested in animal rights, how we eat, and learning more about where your food comes from, I highly recommend Michael Pollan's work, or the film Food Inc. Also highly regarded is the film Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix. And if you'd like to find out about your local food markets, the Orange County Farmer's Market website is here (Laguna Niguel's is Sundays from 9:00am-1:00pm).

Day Thirteen / 6.8.10

Today we talked briefly about the Stickmen/women. Then, we went through (one option of) how to write an analytical essay. How to write an Analytical Essay is right here. And if you want to look at my rough draft of the Iceberg Analytical, it's here. After that, we covered the last 4 chapters of the book (14-17) by looking at war imagery during the fiesta and by comparing the rise of Cohn to the fall of Romero.

HW: Read Chapter 18 in The Sun Also Rises.

Day Twelve / 6.3.10

Today we took SAR Quizzy-Poo #2. Then, we watched the first half of the SAR movie.

For homework, please read through Ch. 16/17 and complete your stickman.

Day Eleven / 6.2.10

Today we took Vocabulary Quiz 30/31. Then I handed back papers and we briefly discussed our future. Some things to remember:

1. If you're not happy with your essay grade, you can rewrite your essay for full credit.
2. If you want extra credit, you can write both of the Feminine Essays (creative and analytical). Please come talk to me if you'd like to take this option.
   

And here's the much anticipated Sun Also Rises Quiz #2 helper. We'll take Quizzy-Poo #2 at the start of class, then watch the first half of The Sun Also Rises movie.

Day Ten / 5.27.10

If you're looking for the essay information, you're in the right place. We like to call it the Papa's Feminine Side assignment.

Today we read a few of our nature poems, then turned them in. If you want to learn more about Wendell Berry, click here. Here's one poem, from your classmate:
Fishing (in the voice of Jake)

The games of love and lust wear the world thin
And dilute wholesome feelings to shadow and mirage.

But the roar of the river is true and clear.
I sit and watch the smooth surface churn into white spray and mist
And feel the friendly flicker of water drops along the breeze
In between the old beeches,
Their leaves filter the sunlight to the forest
And bathe the grass below with green warmth.

I relax in the clean simplicity
And feel whole again.

Next, we briefly covered Chapter 13's major events, then had a discussion on what is aficion/an aficionado? We discussed different athletes, actors, and public personalities, trying to generate an idea of what aficion would encompass in our world today.

Below, Ingmar Bergman, my idea of an aficionado.


Finally, we reviewed the vocabulary words (Quiz, 6.1.10), and started on the Stickman Activity.