The week ahead...

AP warriors-

It's a big week this week with the "finish line" of the AP exam on Thursday, May 5. Here are a few reminders as we head into a short, but busy week.

TODAY
Saturday, April 30

You may recognize one of our very own AP warriors in the Herald-Palladium today. In fact there is a whole article complete with pictures dedicated to Miss Blossomtime 2011, Lisa Bowman! Great article, Lisa!! Grab a copy of today's paper and check it out. There is also a schedule for next Saturday's Blossomtime Parade line-up.


MONDAY
May 2
We'll be looking at poetry, but thankfully no dead animals or soldiers this time. Remember that I'll be checking off your list of "Top Ten Tough Terms" from the big pink literary terms packet. These can be in word/definition list or flash card form.



TUESDAY
May 3

We'll be doing another timed multiple choice practice test, but this time you'll have the entire hour to work. On the actual AP exam, you'll have 60 minutes for 55 questions - the same as the AP exam. We'll spend Wednesday's class going over the practice test and you'll have a chance to score your results.





WEDNESDAY
May 4

Our last day of class review before the exam!! We'll touch base on a few last minute concerns as well as grade the practice test from Tuesday. If you have an "exam day" questions to ask, this would be a good time to ask them.

Wednesday evening 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
I have reserved the community room at the Bridgman Public Library for our evening review. I will be ordering pizza. Come for part of the time, come for the whole time, bring a beverage of your choosing, and we'll have an opportunity to go over previous exams, do more practice M/C tests, or just blow off some steam before the big day on Thursday.



THURSDAY
MAY 5

AP English Literature exam at Lakeshore High School. You are to report to Lakeshore HS by 7:30 AM. The test will take approximately 3 hours from the time the exam begins (around 8 AM). Following the exam, you are expected to report back to BHS or the Math-Science Center for your afternoon classes.



FRIDAY
May 6

NO SCHOOL - Professional Development day for teachers.
Sleep in, relax, make up your mind between the front seat or the backseat. IT'S FRIDAY, FRIDAY!!



SATURDAY
May 7

The Blossomtime Parade kicks off on Main Street in St. Joe. Come out to cheer on our queens, Kelsey and Lisa, and the Spirit of Bridgman Marching Band!

Essay Contest...VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Hey guys I did that essay that MCC posted so pleeeaasseeee vote for it! All you have to do is go to the URL below and click vote! It's so easy and super quick! Thanks!

http://www.wyzant.com/scholarships/v1/essay9245_Bridgman-MI.aspx

Is Poetry Helpful? Yes, I think so.

I think poetry is very important although I’m not too fond of it myself. It makes you think more and really tests your intellect by looking for hidden and obvious meanings in the works. Reading isn’t just about reading the easy stuff but tackling the hard stuff too.
Sure, poetry isn’t very popular but nobody really wants to take the time to sit down and take the time to understand it. (Most people don’t want to take the time to read anything nowadays, though.) Once you do take the time at least you’ve accomplished something and that’s always a good feeling. Poetry can help in a lot of ways like learning new vocabulary and reading skills which puts you in a better understanding then before.

(Anti) Poetry assignment

So this guy is NUTS! First of all if he knows soooo much about National Poetry Month and poetry in general, why is he writing this? Why would he spend all that time reading about all this poetry if he hates it? I think he has wayyyyy too much time on his hands!

Secondly, I'd have to agree with his point about the fact that they think poetry should be "good for you" and "safe". Have we not discussed how 99.9% of poetry is the furthest thing from happy? But that's the thing about poetry, just because it's sad, or depressing doesn't mean it's bad. It can still be good poetry. Emily Dickinson was an amazing poet and a ton of her poems were depressing. Even a lot of the poems that seem like they're going to be happy, aren't. So nice try, ARF.

My last point is that the last paragraph that he wrote well...basically I think he might be on drugs at this point. Is his best idea really to stop reading poetry all together? Even the statue of liberty and Mother Goose? Cmon on.

That's all I have to say, sorry mine's not five pages ;)

Poetry = :)

However much I complain about poetry at the time, I do actually like reading it. It is kind of interesting to see what you can decifer from the words. Too often something is blantantly stated; I enjoy the occasional scavenger hunt :)

This guy who wrote this essay clearly has the idea that "Sure, you can have an opinion, but your opinion is wrong." Poetry is definitely beneficial and an important part of literature. Don't you think someone would have done away with poetry if it had no merit at all? It is also a challenge to read but can be the most enjoyable type of literature, if you have the patience.

Also, poetry should never be compared to smoking. I'm pretty sure reading can only benefit your well-being and doesn't slowly destroy your ability to take in oxygen.

Poetry is it important?

Yes I believe poetry is very important especially in literature. There should definitely be a month dedicated to poetry. It is important because it helps people think outside of the box and look for hidden meanings. Poetry makes people READ instead of just skimming the surface. This guy has no idea what he is talking about, the fact that he does not want a month dedicated to poetry it rather sad. While I admit I'm not the biggest fan of poetry I see its importance and I do enjoy some poetry, it depends on the writer. I loved "Hopscotch Harlem" or whatever it was called by Maya Angelou and some other poems by other other poets that we read in our Perrine.

Assignment

Well I don't really like this guy... He is very negaitive. Every person enjoys different things. Just bcause poetry isn't his cup of tea, doesn't mean it should not be studied the way it is. No one is forcing him to like it, so BACK OFF!!!!

Sometimes we do overanalyze some poetry, but sometime that leads to great discussions and fun discoveries within the writing. I enjoy some poetry. It's crazy how just a few small lines can mean so much and can create such intense emotion.

I'm a fan

Poetry assignment

First off, I feel like this guy knows way too much about poetry and writing to not like it.

I disagree with a lot of what he said. Just because he doesn't like poetry doesn't mean he has to ruin it for everyone else. To me, this Bernstein guy seems like an arrogant @*$&*%&^%$! Haha :)

I started out not liking poetry. However, the more I read and the more we discussed as a class, I began to understand it, which helped me appreciate it a lot more. Now, I really like poetry. I think poetry most definitely (in a valley girl accent) has a spot in our literary study. I don't think it is absolutely vital for someone to know about the intense poetry if the really don't want to, but I do think it helps the reader understand other things more easily. For example, after doing the poetry unit, King Lear was not easy to understand, but I had more patience than I did at the beginning of the year with other hard "works of literary merit" that we have completed. So maybe it isn't totally necessary but it "exercises the mind", which I enjoy!

Along with getting a good brain workout comes the analysis of poetry. This is something I really struggled with at the beginning of the year and sometimes still, but it comes a lot easier now that we have discussions. We can absolutely go too far with analyzing. However, it's fun sometimes! Honestly, think about how boring our class would be if we didn't over analyze.

So basically, I think that guy is a jerk. He can diss poetry in his mind if he wants, but leave it alone. He's wasting a lot of energy on something he hates!

Poetry...who needs it?

In celebration, or rather protest, of National Poetry Month, I'm passing on this essay from Charles Bernstein entitled "Against National Poetry Month As Such." He basically argues that there should not be a month dedicated to the reading, writing, or celebration of verse.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this. You've survived a unit focused solely on poetry. You've read poems about the scandalous cutting of hair, the massacring of frogs, the abuse of children....and maybe there was a happy poem in there somewhere...Maybe?

Regardless, you all have your own opinions on poetry and its merits (or lack thereof). Are poems "much ado about nothing" or do they have a place in our literary study? Can the readers and interpreters of poetry go too far when analyzing verse, or do some of you delight in the scavenger hunt that ensues when a poem is read and dissected before your very eyes?

Please post a response to this essay and the questions I have posed before next Monday, May 2
You WILL be receiving a grade for your participation, so no post = no points.

Even if you don't care for poetry, I still want to hear from you. Heck, Charles Bernstein feels that poetry shouldn't have its own month, and he wrote a five page essay on why not!

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/044106.html

Happy Birthday, Will!!

Sadly, I'm a bit late getting this to you, but today is William Shakespeare's 447th birthday, as well as "Talk Like Shakespeare" Day. Because it falls on a weekend this year, I tho kit might be appropriate to observe this solemn occasion on Monday. Check out this website, sponsored by the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, for ways to celebrate Elizabethan-speak, as well as the Bard's birthday.

http://www.talklikeshakespeare.org/

Methinks tis time for these cross-gartered knaves to learn to speak the Queen's English!

Merry perusing and scribbling!

MCC

Scholarship Opportunity

Click on this link for a great scholarship opportunity for seniors. Write an essay in 300 words or less about the most important teacher, tutor, or coach in your life. Get people to vote for your essay by emailing them a link, posting it on Facebook, posting it to our blog, or Tweeting about it. Get more votes than anyone else and voila! FREE MONEY FOR COLLEGE! Woot!

It looks like everything can be done right online, but I would recommend proofreading your essay before submitting it.

http://www.wyzant.com/Scholarships/

Please post to the blog if you submit an essay so we can all vote for you!

Happy writing!

-MCC

Pride and Prejudice

Let me just start off by saying I loved reading Pride and Prejudice. This type of novel, with it's time period and more formal language, has always been at the top of my list of books worth reading. Some of the words, admittedly, were a little hard to understand, but by reading the passage around them and using a little common sense I was usually able to figure them out. As a whole, this book was extremely fun for me to read and is called a classic for a reason. You know what I think? Those college students are just too lazy to put forth a little brain power to try to figure out the "long words" and the formal language Austen uses. It's a shame they do not appreciate a book of literary merit like this, but high schoolers can (although I did feel a bit bad for the boys in our class. What high school boy would willingly read a romance novel?) Hope this helps Dr. Chesley realize that there is still hope for society... :)

P&P is for me!

I figured rhyming was a great way to start off this post. First, I throughly enjoyed Pride and Prejudice. However, I have always enjoyed the novels or movies set back in different time periods. The wording was a bit difficult to understand at first but as soon as you got the hang of it, it was fine. I think in order to develop an appreciation for Austen's writing, you need to give it time. Just like in life, you cannot judge things solely on your first impression. I think Dr. Chesley should know I am a fellow Austen supporter! :)