"Athena" by Joe Pratt

ATHENA

by Joe Pratt

HHS PREAP9

Athena

Strategic, competitive, wide-browed, gray-eyed

Daughter of Zeus

Lover of war, competition, and adventure

Who feels a need to teach, to thwart Ares on the field of battle, and a to concoct the science of numbers

Who needs to prove herself to Arachne, to educate the men in the science of numbers, and to show her kindness to the world

Who gives the knowledge of tools to the world, who gave the Earth Drachnids, and kindness to all

Who fears nothing, Jealousy, and becoming unimportant

Resident of Mt. Olympus

Athene

7th Period scores highest total in Odyssey Jeopardy

Seventh hour  teams scored highest in the games.

Period 7 (podium contestants) had a combined score of 1080 points. (Teams 1 and 2)  Both teams got the Final Jeopardy question.  Periods 2 - 600 points; and Period 4 with 705 points.

I heard some poison through the grapevine.  Jeopardy was fun for some; not fun for others.  Of course it is more fun if you know the answers.  I was pleased to see how many knew their Odyssey and Literary Device questions.  Even if you didn't know the answer before we played, you might remember it now.  Sometimes the test itself is a learning experience.  What are your suggestions for next year?

The Odyssey (1997) movie will be shown in class for the next three days.  We will write a reaction to the movie on Tuesday of next week.

JEOPARDY

I am excited about our creative assessment today! Let the games begin. You will need a whiteboard slate/marker. Make sure you listen to and follow directions so that you don't lose points. Word your answer like a question, "Who is...?" "What is ...?" See you there! The Odyssey movie will take us until the end of the period on Tuesday. Your last grade will be your comparison of your section of Homer's epic poem to the movie adaptation. That paper will be collected before you leave on Tuesday. Email it to me if you aren't going to be in class. I'm pretty sure you can find the movie clip you need on YouTube. Grades are due on Thursday June 3. I will be finalizing your grade at noon on that day. If you have turned everything in, your grade should be fine.

Odyssey BioPoem Activity

mailto:klsipes@gmail.com
HOW TO WRITE A BIOPOEM

Collect research for your chosen mythological character. List your sources. Then, write a biopoem, using your research and the formula below.
Line 1 - Name of character

Line 2 - Four traits that describe the character

Line 3 - "Sibling of ..." or "Son/daughter of ..."

Line 4 - "Lover of ..."(3 people or ideas)

Line 5 - "Who feels ... " (3 items)

Line 6 - "Who needs ... (3 items)

Line 7 - "Who gives ... (3 items)

Line 8 - "Who fears ... (3 items)

Line 9 - "Resident of ... (where does the character live)

Line 10 - Another name for the character


Here is an example of a biopoem that was written about Zeus:

Zeus

Proud, unfaithful husband, controller of thunder and lightning, egotistic,

Son of Cronos, former King of the Gods, Lover of Hera, his wife, many mortal women, and many goddesses,

Who feels proud of his children, powerful, and might,

Who needs Power, punishment, and many lovers to satisfy himself,

Who gives lightning, thunder, and many children,

Who fears one of his children taking over his throne, imprisonment, and a takeover of Mt. Olympus by Hades,

Who would like to see his son, Hercules, become a hero, his wife become less jealous, and the thunderstorm rage sweep across the nation,

Resident of Mt. Olympus, Thessaly, Greece,

Jupiter

Written by Travis Caples

SSMS 1998

Original Homeric Similes

Just as a block of cheese morphs into soft, malleable strips as it is extruded through the many portals of a grater, so was Drew’s head as it encountered the Sieve of Eratosthenes.

Odyssey: Menu of Homework Assignments

Choose one from the following list of activities.  These projects are due for presentation on Thursday, April 30, when we will share the products with the whole class.  If you post your project on our Google group page, it will be quite easy to share all of the projects with the DLP.  IT IS NOT REQUIRED TO POST IT, JUST A SUGGESTION.

•Interview someone who has been on an interesting trip, possibly one that entailed some type of danger or excitement. Write a poem accurately depicting the journey, using as much detail and description as possible.

•Have you ever wanted to know what people said and thought about you when you weren't around? If you could disguise yourself in some way and be around the people you know, how would you carry it out? Describe your ideal disguise and a scenario that you imagine would take place if you could be "a fly on the wall."

•Do you believe in guardian angels? Explain and give examples.

•What are your strengths and weaknesses? Describe them and how they affect your life. (Remember that you are sharing this with the class.)

•Interview someone whose long-lost relative or friend eventually returned. Describe the experience. Don't forget to include the person's feelings throughout the entire experience.

The Odyssey Begins: The Greek World and the Value of Myths

Friday, April 23, 2010 – English 9PRE-AP
Materials: Holt’s Elements of Literature
Holt’s Vocabulary Workbook
Ø We looked at the map of the World of Greece during the time of Odysseus' travels on page 740.
Ø We removed pages ix-xvii from the Vocabulary Workbook. From now on, bring those pages to class in order to reference the Latin or Greek roots, suffixes and prefixes for new words such as anthropomorphic and polytheistic.
Ø We listened to a lecture (Mrs. Sipes’s talking a lot) about the value of myths, the historical background of the Greek culture, and part of the religious background of the Greek culture.  The outline of the Value of Myths is on our class's Google group page.  See you on Monday! Oh, and don't forget to vote for  your favorite poem. 

NWEA TESTING MONDAY AND TUESDAY

That was an interesting day, wasn't it?  Here's the schedule for Tuesday:

• Period 2 - meet in Lab 923 to BEGIN your test.  
• Period 4 - meet in Lab 923 to CONTINUE YOUR TEST.  EAT C LUNCH.
• Period 7 - meet in Lab 923 to CONTINUE YOUR TEST. 

NWEA TESTING MONDAY AND TUESDAY

WOOOOHOOOO! Our third NWEA test is this week.  Prepare by getting a good night's sleep, having breakfast, and approaching the test with a positive attitude.  Try to beat your last score.  We will have the results by the 26th of April, so we won't have long to wait to see how you have progressed this year.  I have a grid that Mrs. Harvey has given me that will show you how your score translates into grade-level.  See you on Monday.

Poetry Lab Writing Workshop: Alphabet Poems

“Today you will word-process your latest creation: The Alphabet Poem. When you have made it "book-ready," I want you to find your favorite poems online. Make a comment to this posting that includes the title and author of your favorites and why they are your favorites. Use Standard English conventions in your comments. (We aren't texting here;) Next week is the vote for the favorite poem for the month, so read comments that are made by your classmates. 

If you haven't finished the Poetry Analysis work, please do that! Tomorrow is a test over poetry devices - like the ones you have been finding in the scavenger hunt.”

Extra Credit Opportunity

Be the first to e-mail (klsipes@gmail.com) if you find a misspelled word or typo in the blog or calendar and you win! Extra points go in the participation category.

March Madness

On Tuesday and Wednesday, March 23-24, meet in lab 422.  Bring your plans for your brochure so that you can spend all of your time getting it processed. Prepare before you come to the lab.  Have pictures, graphics, and text ready to go.

What a day we had with  lockdown "drill" for almost two hours and Google information for 15 minutes (or more) evey English clas Remember the calendar page has homework assignments and a short note about what we covered in class.
Why do we study poetry?  Here's an answer from a credible thinker:
Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtile; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend. - Francis Bacon

Shakespeare Sililoquy or Sonnet Assignment

The assignment for Tuesday night:  find a sonnet or sililoquy that you want to memorize.  Print it, AND write it out in manuscript to start your memorization process. Since I didn't get these posted before bedtimes on Tuesday, you have another day.  We will start recitation next Tuesday.
http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/soliloquies.htm
(Several different soliloquys - with modern translations, too!"

http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/
 (The sonnets are numbered, not titled.)

http://www.twelfth-night.info/clicknotes/romeo/P1.html
(The prologues from acts 1 & 2 of Romeo and Juliet are sonnets.)

To blog or not to blog... To post or not to post

Blogs, tweets, facebook groups, Google groups, are all tools to help disseminate information.  I'm still trying to see which works best for us.   So far, I think the Google group is the most flexible. We can discuss, post pages, post files, send E-mail.  The blog page has an easy tool for posting pictures and slideshow of our activities.  Facebook is blocked at school, which makes that network difficult. What do you think? 
Here is a link to our Google page.  If you aren't a member yet, would you join?
HHS English 9 PRE-AP

Logical Fallacy Project - Due February 17

IRT TRIP - Rescheduled for Friday, February 26.


February 8-19, 2010

Homework due on Wednesday, February 17: E-mail your answers:  mailto:klsipes@gmail.com

Logical Fallacy Project - Read the Project handouts (see link below) You may choose to work alone (5 advertisements) or with one other person (10 advertisements).

Project handouts Link

Purdue Owl Resource for Logical Arguments







Logic & Logical Fallacies Purdue Owl Link

SUPERBOWL WEEKEND HOMEWORK

Homework for the Superbowl Weekend!! YES!! (Cheers)
While you are watching TV, or browsing the Internet, or reading, look for examples and take mental notes... MENTAL NOTES if you find the following:
Logical fallacy: over-generalization
Emotional appeal

Homework for February 1 - 4:


The Holt Reader (Blue 10th Grade Level): Do pages 351-361, "Who Wrote Shakespeare "

Read Indiana Repertory Theatre's Play guide for R & J. Do the Bard's IQ quiz on the last page.

What's happening in class this six-weeks?

Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and Julius Caesar

We have a trip to IRT scheduled for Friday, February 12. Most of you have paid for the trip, but if you haven't, the cost is $17.00 and includes lunch. Please have that paid by Wednesday, February 10. I have permission slips from almost all of you for Romeo and Juliet. If you are new to the class, you will need to fill out a permission slip. You will find the file attached below.

Curriculum link (if you care to know) is http://www.acsc.net/curriculum/HS/HS_LA/9_LA.htm

This link will take you to another class spot where you can find assignments posted. I'm working with several formats to see which is most user-friendly. Let me know what you think.

http://groups.google.com/group/hhs-english-pre-ap

Spring Semester 2010

You are going to LOVE this six-weeks! Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is our text. Stagecraft, elements of drama, comic relief, the foil, elements of tragedy, and tragic flaw are just a few of the subjects we will examine during the course of the grading period. We will learn a bit about Shakespeare's life, times, and works, attempt to "cut" a scene from R& J, and a few of you (volunteers) will put one of the scenes on its feet on the stage! Indiana Repertory Theatre has invited us to be a part of the first Schools on Stage program. Come and see, even if you aren't one of the dozen who is directly involved. The show is right after the Romeo and Juliet 2:00 p.m. matinee. It will start around 4:45 - 5:00 and it will end around 6:00. The Schools on Stage program is free. Anyone in the show has a free ticket. Others, family included, can request a discount ticket from the ticket office.