Seniors -
Come prepared to class with your copy of A Streetcar Named Desire

AP Language

Make a rhetorically effective informational text that synthesizes the information you researched and discussed in the last two days. The best examples will receive extra credit in addition to credit for the assignment.

REQUIREMENTS

• Includes a catchy title that will appeal to your audience
• Defines key terms
• Presents a variety of the most persuasive evidence: quotes, statistics, paraphrases (avoid weaker evidence that does not apply to your audience)
• Addresses common counterclaims that teenagers make or assume about drugs/alcohol
• Attractive and appropriate

Some options for your mini-poster/letter (if you have another idea, go for it)

-Compare and contrast between research on drugs and alcohol vs. portrayals in the media

-Point/counterpoint about recreational marijuana

-Effects of drugs/alcohol on the teenage brain

-A one-page guide for 8-9 graders about alcohol and marijuana

-A one-page guide for college freshman of key facts about drugs/alcohol

Homework, Feb. 27 - All Juniors and Seniors

Tonight, prep for our Senior Institute Debate Tomorrow: https://docs.google.com/document/d/164FaMVHNEWvlgiSHf8WClWkLGLBqLeXZCQ-xtq1ZJZQ/edit?usp=sharing

Sources from Day One : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a0tvmGRXtPMrC0JPLZhLNa9jEQx_0IBA1RkKVBAbOIo/edit#heading=h.qv8kwgvdvkq3

Signs of a problem with drugs and alcohol: https://www.ncadd.org/about-addiction/signs-and-symptoms/signs-and-symptoms

Support for friends and family of problem drinkers: http://al-anon.org/?gclid=CjwKEAiAuc_FBRD7_JCM3NSY92wSJABbVoxBF0pN9YEObaXNXo_PHruB1Eedv2--MdUt4-i_0pAE1hoCmpnw_wcB

February Break Homework

- Seniors - 

Synthesize your notes from discussion into one long or two short paragraphs in the same google doc you submitted earlier this week. Please use the resources below to help you:

1.) Discussion prompts: Click Here
2.) Compare and contrast language: Click Here
3.) Sample paragraphs:  Responses to a character’s behavior/traits /Two Characters' Traits

You can access the play and the film here: 

A Streetcar Named Desire 
A Streetcar Named Desire Film 

If you were not in class on Friday, you will need to choose one of the prompts and discuss it with someone or complete it independently.

-AP Language-

Watch two documentaries and read a book (or several long articles).

There are great documentaries on Netflix as well as a Op-docs on the NYTimes: https://www.nytimes.com/column/op-docs?8qa

For each of the documentaries and the book, choose a way to respond. You might:

-Write a review and post it on the class blog
-Write a rhetorical analysis of the documentary. What is the argument and how does it use various rhetorical strategies to persuade you?
-Write a precis paragraph, a short rhetorical summary of the work: Click Here

At minimum, come in with THREE precis paragraphs on the Monday before break. If you have any questions, text me on Remind.

Homework, February 16

-Seniors -

Choose two of the questions below to answer as you read Scenes 10 and 11. For each question, include at least three lines from the text to support your answer. 

1.) Does Stanley rape Blanche? How do you know? Find evidence from the text to support your answer.

2.) This play has a tragic ending for many of the characters, but they suffer in different ways. Compare and contrast how two of the characters "lose" or fail to achieve their desires. Find three pieces of evidences that capture the psychological and physical effects of these losses on the characters. 

3.) Is Stanley evil? Or are his actions a product of his setting and situation? How can use Zimbardo's framework to understand A Streetcar Named Desire? 

3.) Reread the first and last three pages of the play. How does a comparison of these settings and characters reveal the play's larger meaning?

PS The movie can be accessed on the texts and links page of this blog. 

AP Language 

Complete the multiple choice packet and write a rhetorical analysis thesis statement about the passage. Tomorrow, you will have an on-demand synthesis. Please bring your six-point oration model handout and They Say, I Say. 

Seniors

1. Please send Ms. Murphy and me your recorded discussion if you haven't yet.

2. Finish taking notes on your recorded discussion (You may need to send the audio file to your partner).

a. What are some ideas you came up with that seem fruitful for writing and further discussion? Mark it with a check.

b. Mark places in your notes where you ask questions, transitions, additions, synthesis.

3. Read Scene 9 of Streetcar. How is Mitch's attitude toward Mitch different than it was earlier in the play? In this scene, Blanche tells us the truth about her background. Does it evoke your sympathy? Ultimately, what's your impression of her?

AP Language

Tonight, by 11:00 pm, draft one paragraph of your synthesis essay and post it on our class blog (http://aplanguagepower.blogspot.com/) along with your introduction.

★ Begins with a transitional phrase that introduces a clear supporting argument. It may  include a counter argument and refute it.
★ Explains and/or refutes counterclaim, if introduced in the topic sentence OR supports argument with evidence that is paraphrased or smoothly embedded into the language.
★Explains evidence and its significance to the argument .
★ Includes marker verbs to explain evidence
★ May introduce a second piece of evidence and relate it to the first piece.
★ Writes a concluding sentence that drives home the point and does not repeat the first sentence.
★Uses proper, and possibly advanced punctuation to clarify ideas and the relationship between them.

Homework, February 14

Seniors -

1. Read scenes 7 and 8 of A Streetcar Named Desire tonight, adding evidence to the chart we started in class today. Some of you will have a quiz tomorrow.
2. After you read and complete your chart, jot: Who are you rooting for in this play? Which characters are most complex and how?


AP Language

1. If you did not complete your outline with full sentence arguments and a counterclaim in class today, do so tonight. Here is my example: Synthesis Outline
2. Read Ch. 7 of TS/IS, "So What? Who Cares?: http://sheltonspace.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/13389982/tsis7_10.pdf
3. Use three templates from the chapter to establish the significance of your argument about whether or not institutions should use social media to admit or expel students and employees.

Homework, Monday, Feb. 13

- Seniors -
Complete two analytical paragraphs tonight. The options listed below provide models of three types of analysis.

1. Name your document: FirstNameLastNameStreetcarAnalysis and share it with jessica.candlin@gmail.com and lmurphy.sof@sof.edu

2. Copy and paste one of the checklists into your document from this progression, which will be used to grade your work: Click Here

*Students who receive less than an 85% will be able to revise paragraphs for a higher grade. 

Option One: If you want to analyze the characters’ behaviors and traits, you can use this graphic organizer or draft comparative paragraphs based on all of the work you have already done on complex character analysis in the last two years.  

Sample Analytical Paragraph on a Single Character (Complete one paragraph on each character)
Graphic Organizer

Option Two: For this option, you will write one paragraphs on two characters' differences and another on their similarities. Check out this example:

Two Characters' Traits

Option Three: In a paragraph or two, analyze how the characters’ behaviors and traits are celebrated, validated, reinforced, tolerated, ignored, dismissed, questioned, challenged, rejected, and/or punished by the other characters in the play: Responses to a character’s behavior/traits

Regardless of which option you choose, you need to have two paragraphs complete by class tomorrow and shared with me. Remember to use the resources online, such as marker verbs, transitional words, and sentence stems for analysis to improve your work.

AP Language and Composition:

Tonight, read Ch. 6 of They Say, I Say, "Planting a Naysayer in Your Text," answer the questions below, and complete the two exercises at the end of the chapter. I suggest using your exhibition as a sample to analyze. You can find a copy of the chapter here: Chapter 6.

Answer the following questions in your notebook:
1. According to Graff, how does planting a naysayer in your text improve your credibility?
2. What's another way of saying "planting a naysayer in your text"?
3.What is paradoxical about giving voice to your critic's objections? (You may need to look up the word "paradoxical."
4. In the fifth paragraph, Graff explains three ways acknowledging counterarguments strengthen your argument. What are they?
5.) What might happen if you do not plant a naysayer in your text?
6.) What counterargument does Chernin include in her book? Based on her counterargument, what is her claim?
7.) How can labels strengthen your counterargument?
8.) How can you avoid stereotyping when using labels?
9.) What's a surefire way to fail to overcome an objection?
10.) What is often the best way to overcome an objection?

Homework, Friday Feb. 10

- Seniors - 

If you do not have a copy of the play for any reason, that does not excuse you from your homework. You can access a copy here: A Streetcar Named Desire

This weekend, focus on including more evidence in your homework with a mix of summary and direct quotations. You may refer to a specific interaction with a brief quote. We will grade homework on Monday with a focus on evidence.

1.) Review the notes from our class discussion on Friday: Click Here . Choose three ideas that you think are worth further discussion as we continue to read the play.

2.) Reread the end of Scene Five. What do you make of the interaction between Blanche and the Young Man? How does it connect to our discussion of Blanche? How does Blanche's behavior compare to Stanley's here? Be specific!

3.) Read Scene Six with the following questions in mind:

a.) Where are there points of genuine connection between Mitch and Blanche?
b.) Mitch and Stanley are the men with the biggest roles in the play. Compare and contrast Mitch's speech and actions with Stanley's. How are they different?
c.) What does Blanche reveal about her past? What words and phrases does she use to convey her attitude towards that event?
d.) Do you think Mitch and Blanche make a good couple? Why or why not?

4.) Read over the paper assignment for A Streetcar Named Desire: Paper. Come in on Monday with a list of pairs of characters who may be interesting to compare and contrast.

AP Language 

1. Go to the Saturday session!
2. Get/bring a three ring-binder to class. Make sure you have your six point oration model handout and your source packet for social media inside of it.
3. Read the seven short sources I distributed in class today. If you misplace your copy, you can find one here: https://drive.google.com/drive/recent 

          For each source, answer the following questions: 

a. SOAPSTONE

b. What is the argument of each source?

c. What kind of data and evidence does each source provide?

d. What are the sources strengths and limitations? We will discuss this more on Monday, but give it a shot.

e. How does the source support/refute/qualify/clarify the issues of the debate?

Homework, February 8, 2017

Seniors 

Read Scene 5 and continue the work we started today in class. Find at least two interactions in which you can analyze how one character affects another. The chart can be accessed here: Effect Chart - Analyzing Action/Speech and Response

Tomorrow we will have a graded discussion in class. You will take a quiz as an entrance ticket. Make sure you know the details of what happens in scenes 4 and 5. I suggest making a timeline if you tend to forget the events of the play. 


AP Language 
Tonight, complete a second supporting paragraph for your essay on Wilde's theory of disobedience and rebellion, using the 6 point oration model and They Say, I Say to help yourself. Please bring a PRINTED or handwritten hard copy to class tomorrow.

Homework, Tuesday, Feb. 7

Seniors 
(Re)read Scenes 3 and 4 of Act I tonight and answer the following questions in your notebook:
1. Continue to collect evidence for your STEAL chart of three of the four characters: Stanley, Stella, Blanch, Mitch.
2. What kinds of power do the characters have on each other and in the world? Consider physical power, institutional power, economic power, social power, intellectual power, and psychological power.
3. Act 4 is a conversation between Stella and Blanche. Describe how they contrast in their attitudes toward Stanley? Choose two quotations for each of them that BEST express their respective attitudes.
4. As a reader, do you find Stella or Blanche more sympathetic in this scene? Why?

***BE READY FOR ANOTHER QUIZ TOMORROW!

Full PDF of Streetcar: Click Here

AP Language 
Use the example argument essay on disobedience and the transitions word bank and chapter of They Say, I Say to revise your response to Wilde's assertion about disobedience and social progress. Mak sure you include all three types of transitions: pointing words, transition words, and repetition of key terms. You can find the prompt on the blog post or on the work you did in class yesterday and last week. Tomorrow in class, please have a a printed or written copy of your THESIS and your paragraph. 

P.S. For those of you who DISOBEYED by skipping class today, your experience may make strong evidence for this essay. 

Homework, Monday, Feb. 6

Seniors 

1. Complete your STEAL chart for Stanley, Blanche, and Stella in Scenes 1 and 2. Make sure you have three additional direct quotes for each them in addition to anything you started in class today.
2. Identify the specific traits that they demonstrate. Write them out. You should have multiple traits, either from the gender list of the traits sheet I distributed in class: Character Trait Bank.
3. In what ways do the characters subscribe to or deviate from traditional gender roles? Identify the moments in which this is most clear (Be able to discuss the specific moments on the quiz tomorrow.)
4. What information do you learn about Belle Reve? What is it? What is its significance in Blanche's life story? And how does it bring the characters together and create conflict?
5. What is the Napoleonic code?

Full PDF of Streetcar: Click Here


AP Language 
Use the example argument essay on disobedience and the transitions word bank and chapter of They Say, I Say to revise your response to Wilde's assertion about disobedience and social progress. You can find the prompt on the blog post or on the work you did today in class. 

Homework, Friday, Feb. 3

-Seniors -
1. Bring in one item that we can use as a prop or costume element while we act out scenes from
A Streetcar Named Desire. Please bring an item that you feel comfortable leaving in the classroom for a few weeks.

2.  By Monday, complete three of the stations we started in class today. Click here: Researching A Streetcar Named Desire 

3.  If you did not complete your homework for today, using the series of questions below, do so for up to 85% on Monday. You can use one of the videos I listed below or one of your own choosing. Tonight, apply the gender lens we learned in class today to TWO of the music videos included below. Come in tomorrow ready to write about them.

Here is the series of questions:

A Beginner's Guide to Reading with a Gender Lens

1. Identify and discuss a character’s traits and behaviors (STEAL)
2. Describe the moments text where the characters subscribe or defy traditional gender roles (Use the list I shared with you today about traditional gender roles).

*It is not enough to say that they are stereotypical.

3. Consider how those traits and behaviors are implicitly or explicitly rewarded, punished, or go unnoticed in the world of the text.

4. Which characters get what they want in the text and at what cost?

5. Does this portrayal perpetuate or challenge traditional gender roles? If it does both, how?

6. Ultimately, what is the purpose of one of the characters in the text? Does he/she...

-Serve as a contrast with another character

-Illustrate a particular human flaw or tendency

-Embody a human characteristic, belief, or value

-Show the author’s perspective on human nature

-Communicate the author’s critique of society

VIDEOS

You Belong to Me, Taylor Swift 
That Part, Schoolboy Q and Kanye West (Rated R)
Formation by Beyonce: www.vevo.com/watch/beyonce/formation/USSM21600292 (I am not sure this works, but you can find it on your own if you want to watch this video)
"Happy" by Pharrell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM

AP Language 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v7LjrqPBXyYKWl-zqJfflegjQh0UifjmhnfwWF7DIeQ/edit?usp=sharing
1. Complete the multiple choice exercise, "The Art of Satire." Here is a link: Click Here

Make sure to use the strategies we discussed today, including: 
-Splitting sentences up using punctuation
-Reading questions before reading the passage
-Paraphrasing meaning in the margins
-Reading the first and last sentences of a passage first

2. If you are in the minority of students who have not yet posted a response to Wilde's argument yet, do so this weekend. NOTE! Everyone who posted on time included direct evidence. It is not required. In fact, you should NOT use direct evidence (quotes) but your deep understanding of the literature and your lit review card instead.

3. Please bring They Say, I Say to class on Monday and return F.D. then as well.

Homework, Thursday, Feb. 2

Friday, Stations: Researching A Streetcar Named Desire

Tonight, apply the gender lens we learned in class today to TWO of the music videos included below. Come in tomorrow ready to write about them.

Here is the series of questions:

A Beginner's Guide to Reading with a Gender Lens

1. Identify and discuss a character’s traits and behaviors (STEAL)
2. Describe the moments text where the characters subscribe or defy traditional gender roles (Use the list I shared with you today about traditional gender roles).

*It is not enough to say that they are stereotypical.

3. Consider how those traits and behaviors are implicitly or explicitly rewarded, punished, or go unnoticed in the world of the text.

4. Which characters get what they want in the text and at what cost?

5. Does this portrayal perpetuate or challenge traditional gender roles? If it does both, how?

6. Ultimately, what is the purpose of one of the characters in the text? Does he/she...

-Serve as a contrast with another character

-Illustrate a particular human flaw or tendency

-Embody a human characteristic, belief, or value

-Show the author’s perspective on human nature

-Communicate the author’s critique of society

VIDEOS

You Belong to Me, Taylor Swift
That Part, Schoolboy Q and Kanye West (Rated R)
Formation by Beyonce: www.vevo.com/watch/beyonce/formation/USSM21600292 (I am not sure this works, but you can find it on your own if you want to watch this video)
"Happy" by Pharrell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM


AP Language - Head on over to the class blog. Post your claim followed by one paragraph that includes a reason and evidence from Fun Home and/or The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: http://aplanguagepower.blogspot.com/

12 B/C/D: Homework: Tonight, scroll through your snapchat stories and other social media. What do you notice about how women and men are represented? In your notebook, add to the list of traits we started today that are typically associated with femininity and masculinity as well as noting any outliers.
Then, when do you see gender stereotypes challenged and in what context?

The Superbowl ads can be accessed here: Superbowl Ads 2016

12A: Read and annotate"Night to His Day: The Social Construct of Gender" and answer the questions about "Understanding the Text" at the end of the reading. I recommend reading the questions before you start the reading.

AP Language
Read all of the sample essays I distributed in class today. Then, score your own. Revise your thesis statements and one paragraph.
Claim Bank
Handout and model outline: PEEPS: Reasons and a Sample Outline