-
3/23- Thurs- Henry David Thoreau, regrets
Posted by Eric Grizzle on 3/23/2023We went over the notes for Thoreau and the big ideas with this unit. We also took turns reading 37 Things Dying People Regret and discussed which ones resonated with us. This lasted for the remainder of the period.
03/23/2023
11th Bell Work: What makes you happy? What does it mean to be alive? When are you the happiest?
Student Objective: Students will read, comprehend, and analyze 11th grade American fiction and nonfiction.
Student Target: Students will review Transcendentalist ideals and Emerson’s works and take notes on Thoreau.
Success Criteria:
- Students will take notes to analyze Transcendentalist thought in literature.
- I can read and document, citing textual evidence.
Agenda—Carpe Diem! (that means “seize the day”)
- Bell Work
- Review basic notes about Emerson
- Continue taking notes
- 37 Things Dying People Regret
- Read from Walden
Ralph Waldo Emerson—Transcendentalism
Other notes
- In his writings, Emerson suggests that our relationship to nature transcends personal relationships.
- Social ties are for companionship, physical gain. Plus, we tend to conform to the “herd” without often staying true to ourselves.
- Our relationship to nature, however, binds us to the spiritual foundation of life. We are alive, here and now, not living in the past and preparing for the future.
- It seems that our relationship to nature tends to be sublime and “real” rather than the relationship between humans and society.
Emerson’s writings still indicate a belief in a God who had roles in creating both humans and nature. He uses religious references such as calling the woods “plantations of God".
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)- He was eccentric and a rebel, rarely following rules.
- Independent and strong-willed, but didn’t care about school much.
- His mother persuaded him to get a formal education so he finished high school and went to Harvard.
- Non-conformist. When Harvard made everyone wear black coats, he wore a green one.
- He always questioned rules and authority. His objection to corporal punishment led him to quit his first job as a teacher.
- In 1841, moved into Ralph Waldo Emerson’s house and became fascinated with Transcendentalist beliefs.
- He decided to not go back to work as a teacher, and wanted to put into practice Emerson’s beliefs.
- Lived alone in a cabin he built on Walden Pond, and wrote about his experiences.
- Walden used the four seasons as a structure for his writings during the year he spent there.
- Walden is considered the supreme work of Transcendentalist literature.
- Thoreau died of tuberculosis at the age of 44. Emerson spoke at his funeral.
- His reputation still grows and he has inspired writers, environmentalists, and social and political leaders.
Big Ideas
Style—the manner in which a writer puts his or her thoughts into words. Thoreau constructs paragraphs that build to a climax. He also repeats his main ideas to reinforce his message.
Comparing Walden and Civil Disobedience—each is written for a different purpose.
- One is descriptive and poetic, presenting ideas at an easy pace
- The other is logical, advancing a focused argument.
Metaphors—the comparison of two things without using like or as.
Evaluating the Writer’s Statement of Philosophy—Don’t accept everything you read!
You should evaluate written statements. Pay attention to the support a writer uses to back up his or her outlook. As you read Thoreau, compare his ideas and supporting details with your own.
-
3/21- Tues- finish Emerson
Posted by Eric Grizzle on 3/21/2023We read "Concord Hymn" and the excerpt from "The Snowstorm" today. We did a review first. Also, we watched the music video "Ekki Mukk " to see if we could identify Transcendentalist themes in the video. We'll discuss it tomorrow and/or Thurs.
03/21/2023
11th Bell Work:
Student Objective: Students will read, comprehend, and analyze 11th grade American fiction and nonfiction.
Student Target: Students will review Transcendentalist ideals and Emerson’s works.
Success Criteria:
- Students will take notes to analyze Transcendentalist thought in literature.
- I can read and document, citing textual evidence.
Agenda
- Bell Work
- Review
- Read Concord Hymn and The Snowstorm.
- Apply Transcendentalism to Ekki Mukk
- Notes on Thoreau
Big Ideas
- Transcendentalism was an intellectual movement founded by___________. Some of the basic ideas about it are:
- Human senses are limited; they convey knowledge of the physical world, but deeper truths can be grasped only through ____________
- The observation of nature illuminates the nature of ________ __________.
- God, nature, and humanity are united in a shared universal soul, or ___________.
- Challenging the Text is to question the author’s assertions and ____________.
-
3/17- Fri- Transcendentalism, Emerson, from Nature
Posted by Eric Grizzle on 3/17/2023 -
3/10- Fri- Thanatopsis, from Snowbound
Posted by Eric Grizzle on 3/10/2023
3/10/2023—Happy MAR10 Day! Bell Work: [musical free write: Intro—J. Cole]
Student Objective: Students will read, comprehend, and analyze poetry.
Student Target: I can analyze and respond to theme and tone in poetry.
Success Criteria:
- I can identify theme and tone within a poem by looking at diction, and reading in context.
- I can paraphrase and summarize to understand poetry better.
Agenda:
- Bell Work; discussion
- Thanatopsis—Paraphrase and then we’ll read it completely. Brief discussion.
- Read Old Ironsides, and Snowbound
- Answer questions as we continue reading and analyzing
Big Ideas
- Meter is the systematic arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables. The most frequently used foot in American verse is the iamb—one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
- Mood, or atmosphere, is the feeling created in a reader by a literary work. Setting, tone, subject, or word choice can influence mood.
- Summarizing is the ability to state briefly the main ideas and supporting details in your own words.
