Week 12

What a great fall semester we've had!  We topped it off this past week with an enriching discussion of ancient and Renaissance poetry selections.  We also finished up LTW lesson 4 with a new scheme - antithesis.  I expect to have work graded and assignment completion updates done by Monday evening (Lord willing).  I look forward to jumping into Shakespeare's The Tempest in the Spring.

Assignments to be completed over the break

•  add one instance of antithesis to your lesson 4 essay
• watch the second elocution video for lesson 4 on the DVD (antithesis)
• complete the antithesis worksheet in your student guide, pages 59-62
• read straight through The Tempest.  Don't worry about highlighting and don't worry if you get confused.  Just keep reading until you're finished.  If you can find a partner to read aloud with you, that would be ideal!

Info for Spring

• You'll need the version of The Tempest linked to the picture on the right (except for Gray and Allison families - yours are in the mail to you).
• Deposits and tuition (same as fall) are due by the first day of class (January 9, 2014).  If you need to make special payment arrangements, please contact me by e-mail. 

Class Christmas Party

We'll meet next Thursday, December 12 at our regular time to celebrate Christmas and the completion of our semester's work.  We'll watch the BBC's version of The Tempest from 1980 (click on picture to the right).

We'll also do a White Elephant gift exchange.  Each student should bring a gift (nothing pricy - can be new, used or homemade, nice or utterly useless).  The gift should have some connection with something we've read or discussed in class.  We'll play a guessing game to see who gets to "steal" the best gift :)

I'll provide drinks and snacks.

See you all Thursday! 

Week 11

Yesterday we were able to wrap up our discussion of Dr. Faustus and begin looking at Boetheus' poem on Human Folly.  The class quickly recognized a connection between the accusations of the poet Boetheus, and the story of Faust.  This week's assignment prompts a careful look at that connection.

In reading through Proverbs over the last few weeks, I've noticed how often scripture holds virtue and vice in parallel contrast: "a false balance vs. a just weight", "pride and dishonor vs. humility and wisdom", "Integrity and guidance vs. treachery and destruction".  Next week we'll explore the scheme of antithesis and learn how to use antithesis in our writing.  We find in Scripture's use of antithesis a justification for including a villain such as Faust in a study centered on virtue.  Often virtue is most clearly perceived when she stands next to vice.  

Reading Assignment

• ·      Read over Boetheus’ poem from The Consolation of Philosophy carefully.  List 3 similarities between “these wretched mortals” and Faust.  Next list 3 differences. 
• ·      For each of the remaining 4 poems:

o  Read each one 3 times slowly

o  Mark rhyming words with highlighters (use the same color for words that rhyme, then switch colors for the next set of rhyming words)

o  Count the number of syllables in each line and write the number at the beginning of the line

o  Choose 3-4 lines from one of the poems to memorize.  Be prepared to recite those lines in class from memory.

DVD

• ·      Watch lesson 4 elocution – subject errors

Writing Assignment

• ·      Complete pages 50-58 (subject errors) from the Student workbook
• ·      Write your lesson 4 essay from your outline using the checklist on page 214.  If your outline needs corrections I will e-mail those to you before Monday.  Before you turn in your essay, check off each item on the checklist (except antithesis).  Then staple your checklist to the front of your essay.

Week 10

We've come to the end of our reading of the Tragedy of Dr. Faustus.  Rather than launch right into our next book, The Tempest, with only two weeks of class left in the semester, I've decided to read through a few noteworthy poems.  We will read several poems this week and research their authors, including Christopher Marlowe (whom we've met), Sir Walter Raleigh (well known explorer, but little known poet), John Donne, and Ancius Boetheus.  Each student has drawn the name of a poet and will present a one page report to the class next week.

Reading assignment

• First reading (day 1) - Read each of the 5 poems in your packet slowly and carefully in the following order: The Consolation of Philosophy (Human Folly), Death Be not Proud, Passionate Shepherd to his Love, The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd, and The Bait
• Second reading (day 2) - Read Boetheus' poem again.  Notice the rhythm and rhyme.  Is there a rhyme pattern?  Describe it.  Use alternating highlighter colors to mark rhyming words.  Count the number of syllables in each line.  Do you notice a pattern in the number of syllables?  If so, write it down.
• Third reading (day 3) - Read Boetheus' poem again.  See if you can divide it into sections that make sense.  Be prepared to explain why you divided it the way you did.
• Fourth reading (day 4) - Read Death be not Proud. Notice the rhythm and rhyme.  Is there a rhyme pattern?  Describe it.  Use alternating highlighter colors to mark rhyming words.  Count the number of syllables in each line.  Do you notice a pattern in the number of syllables?  If so, write it down.

DVD

·      Watch Lesson 4 Arrangement (Amplification)

Writing Assignment

• One page report on the poet you drew in class
• Sort your ANI chart, both the A and N columns.  Identify your strongest proofs on each side and then choose your thesis.
• Complete the Guide to Amplification on pages 45-46 of your workbook
• Complete the Lesson Four Arrangement B worksheet on pages 47-48
• Use the information from pages 47&48 to complete an outline according to the template on page 49.

Bonus: Write an amplification for our class essay. We'll vote to decide which one to use and the winner will receive a prize!

Week 9

Reading assignment

·      Finish Reading Dr. Faustus

·      Highlight and be prepared to narrate any scene or chorus

·      Write 2 discussion questions for each scene, one using the topic of definition and another using one of the other 4 topics

DVD

·      Watch Lesson 4 invention (Definition II) for review

Writing Assignment

*We are moving on to LTW Lesson 4 this week

·      Formulate a new issue from Dr. Faustus

·      Complete the Definition II worksheet in your workbook on pgs. 43-44.  Choose an abstract noun for this worksheet.  In other words choose a term (noun) that is either the name of an activity (such as homework) or the name of an idea (such as friendship).  If your issue doesn’t contain a noun that is either the name of an activity or an idea, choose a related noun to define.

Ex. Issue=Whether Faust should have conjured Mephistophiles

The terms in this issue are: Faust, conjured, & Mephistophiles

Faust = concrete proper noun

Conjured = verb

Mepistophiles = concrete proper noun

None of these terms name an activity or idea.  BUT, you can change the verb to a word that names an activity.  Once it’s a name, it is a noun.

The verb “conjured” can be changed to  = conjuring.  Conjuring is a NOUN that names an activity. 

Other abstract nouns that are “related” to this issue are witchcraft, sorcery, divination, black magic, necromancy and rebellion.  Any of those terms would be appropriate for your definition 2 worksheet.

·      Begin a new ANI chart with your Faustus issue.  Come to class with at least 20 items in each column (ALL 3 COLUMNS).  Be sure to put some information from your Definition worksheet on the ANI chart.  EVERYTHING on the worksheet at least qualifies as interesting information.

*Check your numbers after the weekend to see where you stand with completed work vs. incomplete work.

I

Optional Help session day

I hope you all are safe, dry, and have electricity.  The skies finally cleared here, which is good news for us. We have to make our escape every October 31st before 6:00 to avoid the onslaught of trick-or-treaters.  I'm pretty sure all of east Montgomery county busses their kids in to Harpers Landing for the festivities.  I'm glad we won't be driving in the pouring rain tonight during our annual opt-out.

During our optional tutorial today we watched the 1968 version of Dr. Faustus.  Its available for rent through Amazon for $2.99.  I made notes below on the parts that contain nudity so that if any of you want to show the movie "safely" at home you'll know where to pause and excuse your kids.  If you have a student who is struggling to understand the play, the film will likely clear up some of the confusion and give him a helpful overview of the plot.  It will also give you as the parent a chance to discuss some of the themes with him.

Here are some questions you could discuss at home:

What does Faust value most?
Why does his demon servant (Mephistophiles) try to keep him from thinking about heavenly things?
What does Mephistophiles offer Faust each time he begins to contemplate the danger he is in?
Listen for Biblical allusions to Philippians 3:19 and Revelation 6:16
Does Faust "believe in" God and Christ?  If so, why doesn't his knowledge save him?
Why can't Faust repent when he "tries"?

Scenes to skip with time markers:

• 9.50 Shot zooms in on the skull in his study to reveal fantasy images inside the eye socket
• 30.30 A woman facing away from Faust removes her hood to reveal braided black hair.  She then turns and is shown just from the shoulders up in the front and then from the back covered only by her long hair.
• 34-37.30 Woman enters again and lies down (clothed) with Faust.  He caresses her affectionately. Afterwards, various women enter the room, some scantily clad.  The image from the beginning @9.50 shows up again.

Other than that, pretty much any time Elizabeth Taylor shows up she is sporting generous cleavage.  Also, the dancers in the garden scene of the 7 deadly sins are wearing full body flesh colored leotards to simulate nudity so if you prefer to avoid that as well you can excuse your student after Lechery introduces himself to Faust.

Have a blessed week, and I'll see you next Thursday!

Week 8

IMPORTANT: No class next week, October 24th

A note to parents:
Finding time to thoroughly explain all the details of the weekly assignments in class has been a challenge.  Its important that your student have access to the instructions I post on the blog so they know what is expected. I recommend printing a copy of the assignment details for them if they don't have direct access to the blog themselves.

Reading

• Read pages 55 - 64 (scenes 8-10)
• Highlight as usual.  
• Narration Preparation Tip:  If you suspect you might have difficulty narrating, try writing some character + action notes in the margin.  For example, at the beginning of scene 8 a character named Robin appears.  After reading his first few lines you might write the following notes in the margin: "Robin stole Faust's book",  "R - plans to make ladies dance for him".  Notice that either of these notes could be made into an issue: Whether Robin should have stolen the book, Whether Robin should make ladies dance for him. We are reading very slowly, so you can afford to take the time needed to understand what's happening.  
• Write one discussion question from the 5 topics for each scene.  

DVD

• Watch Lesson 3 elocution (Verb Editing)

Writing

• Complete pages 33-39 in your student workbook.
• Write a new essay from your Lesson 3 outline (template on page 32).  Use the checklist on page 213.  You will find a sample essay on page 40 of your workbook
• If you are handwriting your essay, please skip lines so you have room to edit. 

Bonus assignment: Prepare an exordium for our class essay on whether Aeneas should have carried his father out of Troy.  We'll vote on them and choose a favorite.  I'll have a prize for the winner :-)

Week 7

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hid with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3




What kind of things does Faust set his mind upon?  Things above, or things on earth?
Can you catch Mephistophilis redirecting his mind during the course of the play?


Reading:

• Review scenes 1-5, especially if you are struggling with the Elizabethan style of language.   Use the helps in the back of the book liberally!
• Scan, highlight, and read pages 39-53 (chorus sections and scenes 6 & 7). Be prepared to narrate any scene.
• Find at least one blue. 
• Write a class discussion question for each scene.

LTW DVDs:

• Watch lesson 3 Arrangement (Exordium)

Writing:

• Guide to Exordium - page 29
• Lesson Three Arrangement B Exordium (arrangement worksheet) pages 30-31
• Complete an outline based on the template from page 32
  

Week 6

I've enjoyed our tour through the first half of The Aeneid!  I hope you have too.  I encourage you to read the second half of the epic on your own.  As we move on to The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, we'll encounter some familiar characters.  Keep asking yourself what virtues are being portrayed in these works?  What vices?

Reading:

• Survey Doctor Faustus and write ten things you notice about this book/edition in the back cover
• Read the notes on pages 6 & 7
• Scan, highlight, and read scenes 1-5. Since its a play, you don't need to block off dialogue in green.  Its already done :-) Be prepared to narrate any scene.  Use the glossary and scene notes in the back to help you.  Look up words you don't know and use the Latin glossary in the back to translate Latin passages.
• Find at least one blue. 
• Write a class discussion question for each scene.  Try to vary the invention topics you use to form your questions.

LTW DVDs:

• Watch lesson 3 Invention (Definition I)

Writing:

• Formulate a new issue for The Aeneid.  Start a new ANI chart.
• Identify the terms in your issue
• Use one term from your issue to fill in the definition worksheet on pages 27 & 28 of your Student Workbook.
• Add information from your definition worksheet to your new ANI chart.  Try to get at least 10 points for your ANI using the topic of definition. Define some of the other terms in your issue to get additional points.
• Use the other 4 topics of invention to add to your ANI until you have at least 20 points in each column.

Week 5

Wow!  Are we 5 weeks in already?  You guys did a great job leading an interesting discussion with the questions you came up with.  Pretty soon you all won't need me much ;-)
Here are your assignments for next week.


Reading:

• Scan, highlight, and read The Aeneid Book 6. Be prepared to narrate the story.  As always, feel free to bring notes if you need them.
• Find at least one blue. 
• Find an instance of parallelism and mark it in orange.  It can be anywhere in books 1-6 of the Aeneid.

LTW DVDs:

• No DVDs this week

Writing:

• Complete the elocution worksheets on pages 19 – 24 of the student workbook.
• Write the essay for lesson two from your most recent outline (the one from the template on page 18).  Refer to the model essay on page 24 as needed.  Write one sentence (and no more than one) for each sub proof.  That means each of your proof paragraphs should contain 4 sentences: one for the main proof, and one for each sub proof.  This is a bit different from the model on page 24.  
• Write the proofs in your exposition in parallel form.
• Use the checklist on page 212 to edit your essay.  Be sure to have a parent proofread it for you. 

A note of clarification on the checklist: The checklist asks that the main proofs and conclusion be written in parallel form as well as the exposition.  That means that whatever wording you use in the exposition to create your parallel structure needs to be used consistently throughout the essay.    Each main proof sentence should use the same grammar pattern as its counterpart in the exposition.  The wording of the summary in the conclusion should also exactly match your exposition except that it will not contain an enumeration.

Week 4

Reading:

• Scan, highlight, and read The Aeneid Book 5. Be prepared to narrate the story & bring notes if you need them.
• Find at least one blue. 
• Write an issue for book 5.  Use the 5 common topics to formulate 3 questions for class discussion.

LTW DVDs:

• Watch lesson 2 Elocution

Writing:

• Sort your ANI (the one with 20 items in each column).  FIRST read through the I column to see if any items can be moved to A or N.  Use the 2 sorted columns worksheets that I gave you in class to list your ANI points in their groups and create titles for your sorted groups (this worksheet is not in your student workbook).  Refer to the "Guide to Sorting" on pages 13-15 of your workbook if you need help remembering how to sort.   Use your sorted columns worksheet to complete Arrangement Worksheet B on pages 16-17.  Remember you should choose your thesis only AFTER you sort BOTH the A and N columns. After you finish Arrangement Worksheet B, use the template on page 18 to make your outline.  Do not write sentences on your outline.  You'll turn in the following 3 items for arrangement next Thursday: 2 sorted column worksheets (one for A and one for N), Arrangement Worksheet B, and your outline

Note: This week I marked all ANI charts 'A' during the break, even though some work from lesson one may still be incomplete. In this case, it made sense to make an exception to the regular progressive grading routine so the kids can get started on their sorting lesson this week. 

Week 3

Reading:

• Scan, highlight, and read The Aeneid Book 4
• Be prepared to narrate the story.  Bring notes if you need them!
• Find at least one blue.  What catches your attention?  Does anything bring a scripture to mind? What virtues is Virgil promoting?  Are they consistent with Christian virtue? Are there characters that remind you of characters from other stories you have read or heard?
• Write one question about Book 4 from each of the 5 common topics.  

LTW DVDs:

• No new DVD assignment

Writing:

• Complete an ANI with at least 20 things in each of the A, N, and I columns.  Use your 5 Topics of Invention handout. 

Symbols for assessment:
I used the following symbols to indicate progress for each student under his/her number.

• A = accepted (assignment was completed correctly)

• INC = incomplete (assignment needs correction and resubmission)

• missing = assignment was due but has not been turned in

• * = assignment was turned in, but can't be graded yet because work in a prior canon is either incomplete or missing.

Week 2

Important info for parents:

Writing Assessment:
I have come up with a plan for keeping you all up to date on where your student stands with the writing assignments.  Because each new assignment builds on the last, its important that each one is completed correctly (receives an 'A' for Accepted) before the student moves on to the next.  Since we don't have a site that allows me to give each of you a private log-in to view that information, I've assigned each student a number (they received those today). You'll be able to click on that number to see which assignments have been accepted and which have not.  Students will routinely submit new work on Thursdays at the beginning of class, but may resubmit incomplete work from previous classes via e-mail at any time during the week.  I will do my best to grade resubmissions promptly.

Its very important that parents track the completion of these assignments. Once behind, it can be difficult to catch up.  I highly recommend viewing the DVDs with your student so you can lend a hand when needed.   I'm also asking that parents please review their students' work each week before it is submitted.  Simple errors (mechanics, omissions, failure to follow instructions, etc.) should be brought to the student's attention and corrected before the work is submitted.  If I regularly receive papers with errors such as the ones mentioned above, assessment of that student's writing may need to be deferred to the parent since repeated unnecessary submissions can become very time consuming to evaluate.

Reading:

• Scan, highlight, and read The Aeneid Book 3
• Be prepared to narrate the story.  Bring notes if you need them!

LTW DVDs:

• Lesson 2 Invention
• Lesson 2 Arrangement

Writing: Rudimentary Persuasive Essay (RPE)

• Arrangement A: Student worksheet page 4-5
• Arrangement B: Outline according to pattern on page 6
• Elocution: follow essay pattern on page 7.  Use the checklist on page 211.

Week 1

Welcome to a new semester of The Lost Tools class!  It was great to see you all this afternoon.  I enjoyed your representations of virtue, and the way they ended up tying together so nicely.  We're off to a great start!

For those of you who are new, we use this blog primarily as a reference for assignments.  I'll also post announcements, helpful links, articles, and sometimes highlights from class.  You can use the e-mail subscription window on the left side of the screen to have all the blog entries e-mailed to you as I add them.

I mentioned in class today that HBU has an honors college course on the Greeks and Romans, taught by Dr. Louis Markos, that is open to the community on Tuesdays from 4:20 - 5:45.  I'm planning to attend as many as I can.  Let me know if you're interested in coming along.   You can click on the lecture schedule to the left of the screen.  I've also posted a Youtube link to a freshman seminar given by Dr. Markos.  

Here is your assignment for next Thursday:

Writing:

• Complete an ANI chart (handout given in class).  Include at least 10 items in the A column, 10 items in the N column, and try to get a few in the I column (no minimum on the I column).  If you are a little unsure as to how to complete the ANI,  watch the DVD lesson 1 invention video first. 
• Watch the LTW DVD - all of lesson 1.  There will be an invention section, an arrangement section, and an elocution section. 

Reading:

• Review Book I.  If you have done your highlighting, it should be quick and easy to refresh your memory.  If you haven't done your highlighting, or were unsure of the instructions before today, finish your highlighting this week.  Ask yourself this key question ==> Why is this book called "A Fateful Heaven?"  Do you notice any prophecies?
• Scan book II. Use the handout on highlighting as a reminder.  You've done your general survey (our first scan of the whole book).  Now you'll scan with pink (names/places) and green (structure).  You can do the pink and green as separate scans or do them at the same time.  Just don't try to follow the plot yet.  Look up characters you don't know in the glossary.  Use green for blocks of character speech/quotes (unless you've already used orange past book one).  Remember to write the name of the character at the top of the quote.
• Read book II.  Use your yellow highlighter to follow the flow of thought, mainly actions and events.  Make notes with a pen/pencil in the margins to make it easier on yourself if its your turn to narrate.
• Be prepared to narrate any section in books 1 or 2

April 4

Assignment

• Read chapters 21-30 of Liber three in The Once and Future King
• Read 1 Corinthians chapter 3
• Highlight/underline key words and phrases to help you recall the flow of thought
• be prepared to narrate any chapter
• find at least one blue for each chapter

March 14

Assignment

• Read chapters 1-8 of Liber three in The Once and Future King
• Highlight/underline key words and phrases to help you recall the flow of thought
• be prepared to narrate any chapter
• find at least one blue for each chapter 

 Change for next week

• Since I will be out of town next Thursday, Mrs. Simcox will lead our discussion.

If you have blues from Book 2 chapters 1-10 that you didn't have an opportunity to mention in class, please feel free to share them with us here in the comment box below.

March 7

There is no new reading assignment for this week.  Be sure you have all your chapter titles and are ready to complete narrations for book 2.

Wisdom lifts up her voice

Compare Virgil's explanation to Dante regarding the sinfulness of usury to Pa Moody's instruction to little Ralph regarding the two kinds of men in this world in Little Britches:

Virgil to Dante:
By Art and Nature, if thou well recall
How Genesis begins, man ought to get
His bread, and make prosperity for all.

But the urserer contrives a third way yet,
And in herself and in her follower, Art,
Scorns nature, for his hope is elsewhere set.


 -->Pa to Ralph:
"There are only two kinds of men in this world; Honest men and dishonest men. Some men work almost entirely with their brains; some almost entirely with their hands; though most of us have to use both. But we all fall into one of the two classes - honest and dishonest. Any man who says the world owes him a living is dishonest. The same God that made you and me made this earth. And He planned it so that it would yield every single thing that the people on it need. But he was careful to plan it so that it would yield up its wealth in exchange for the labor of man. Any man who tries to share in that wealth without contributing the work of his brain or his hands is dishonest." 

Whether spoken by a medieval Italian poet or a seasoned rancher, "wisdom lifts up her voice in the streets."  Proverbs 1:20

February 28

Assignment for next week 

• Read cantos 10 and 11 in The Inferno on your own.  We will read canto 13 aloud next week so be ready with your paraphrase.
• Finish reading book 2 of The Once and Future King
• Read the blog notes on the left hand side of our blog home page.  Click on the pictures to access them.
• & The all the usual :-) Highlight/underline the flow of thought
  Find something to mark in blue for EACH CHAPTER
  Write a title for each chapter
  Be prepared to narrate ANY chapter

February 14

We finally made it to the end of Liber 1.  The Wart is no more, and King Arthur has come to the throne of England.   Take time this week to read through some thoughts Mrs. Simcox was kind enough to write down for us before she left for Nantucket.  To access her notes, click on the pictures to the left of the screen.  You'll be glad you did!

Assignment for next class (not until February 28)

• Read chapters 6-10 o f Liber 2
• Highlight/underline the flow of thought
• Find something to mark in blue for EACH CHAPTER
• Write a title for each chapter
• Be prepared to narrate ANY chapter

February 7

Assignment

• Read the first chapters of the second book "The Queen of Air and Darkness." This book was originally titled "The Witch in the Wood."  Its the second of the four books included in The Once and Future King.  White intended The Book of Merlyn to be the fifth, but it was published later as a separate novel.
• Continue to highlight flow of thought.  Your aim should be to highlight enough of the text to allow you to scan back over your highlighted (or underlined) portions and remember the basic plot line and a perhaps a few interesting details.
• Now that we're all a bit more comfortable and have had more practice reading this way, I'd like you all to mark at least one blue per chapter.   If you have decided not to use highlighters on the thin pages (since it bleeds through) use a star in the margin to mark "blues".

January 31

Spend some time this week working on your canto translation from The Inferno.  Be sure to read all the notes at the end of your canto.  If you have yet to choose one, please do so this week and let me know your choice.

Read The Coming of Arthur from The Idylls of the King by Lord Alfred Tennyson.  Click on the image of Arthur on the left side of the screen.  I will also send an e-mail with the poem attached as a word document if you prefer to print it out.

January 24

Great class yesterday everyone!  Here are your assignments for this week focusing on Dante's Inferno.  There is no additional reading in The Once and Future King this week.  Don't forget to click on the Virtual Tour link.  It will give you a nice overview. 

Part 1: Survey of the Inferno

• Thoroughly familiarize yourself with your new copy of Dante's Inferno.  Remember this is the first of three poems in his Divine Comedy trilogy.  Don't let the word comedy fool you.  A journey through hell hardly sounds "comical".  The word comedy is being used in a different sense than we are used to.  Classical Comedy originates in despair and moves toward redemption.  Classical Tragedy begins in bliss and ends in sorrow.  True to this pattern, The Divine Comedy begins in sorrowful circumstances as Dante is lost in a dark wood and then brought down into the very pit of hell.  So to understand this as a "comedy" you must keep in mind that Dante will ascend to Paradise over the course of the trilogy. 
• Inside the back cover of your book list ten things you notice during your survey of the book.  How is the book organized?  What resources has the publisher made available to you?  What details do you notice?

Part 2: Read the Greater Images section beginning on page 67.  Highlight key words!

Part 3: Introduction

• Scan the entire Introduction (pgs. 9-66)
• Carefully read the section you were assigned and list the 5 most interesting facts you learn.   We will share these in class.
• I have written the section assignments below

Part 4: Read the Dante's Universe essay beginning on page 292.  Highlight key words!

Part 5: Choose the canto you would like to translate into modern English and e-mail your selection to me.

Introduction Assignments
paragraph#s are in parenthesis

1. Davis -  9 - 16 (2)
2. Walker - 16(3) - 24
3. Alex - 25 - 31(3)
4. Emma - 31(4) - 38(1)
5. Mrs. Simcox - 38(2) - 45(1)
6. Caleb - 45(2) - 52(2)
7. Carter - 52(3) - 59(1)
8. Eva - 59(2) - 66

January 17

I hope you all are enjoying our stay at the Castle Sauvage.  What you may not realize is that I have turned you into invisible subjects of Uther Pendragon.  We are going to hang out here awhile with Merlyn, Kay, and Wart to see what we can learn during our brief stay in this fantastical society.  Will anything we notice here aid us in our pursuit of "eddication".  How is this book like the moat?...the ant farm?.....the mews?

Assignments

• Finish reading liber primus (chapters 17-24)
• Highlight/underline as usual
• Write titles for each chapter
• Be prepared to narrate any chapter
• Reread Mr. P's speech on page 52

January 10

 

Welcome back everyone!  It was great to see each of you today.  We're off and running with The Once and Future King.  I believe it will be a breath of fresh air after our wade through epic poetry last semester.  But don't underestimate this entertaining and lighthearted novel.  There are plenty of meaty ideas to explore.  I am looking forward to more discussion.  

So far we have met Kay and the Wart. What do you notice about each?  What sort of character traits emerge as we read about their youth at Sir Ector's castle?  Which of the two boys do you consider to be the most noble, and why?

In addition to White's novel, we'll read slowly through Dante's Inferno.  I plan to stretch it out over the entire semester so that we can truly savor this influential classic. 

Speaking of Dante’s influence, I’d like to introduce you all to another early English poet – Geoffrey Chaucer.  I’m planning a class trip to see CYT’s Canterbury Tales next weekend.  Click on the link to see the details and description. 

Assignment for next week

·      Read chapters 13-16 in Once and Future King

·      Highlight flow of thought in yellow.  If your highlighter is bleeding through the pages, you have the option of underlining.  You may use stars for blue.

·      Find at least 2 blues to share with the class

·      Mark any anachronisms you notice

·      Write a title for each chapter