Jessica Schabtach's Literature of the Americas

Homework Due Thur. May 27 (Alpha/CHS) - Fri. May 28 (Omega/SHS)

2010-05-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

Read Act 1, Scenes 3 and 4 of Fences (pages 29-58)

Homework Due Tues. May 25 (Alpha/CHS) - Wed. May 26 (Omega/SHS)

2010-05-26T07:17:00.001-07:00

Read Act 1, Scenes 1 and 2 of Fences by August Wilson (pages 1-28)

Homework Due Wed., 5/19 (Alpha-CHS) - Thur., 5/20 (Omega-SHS)

2010-05-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Read "Blood-Burning Moon" by Jean Toomer (in Harlem Renaissance packet)

Homework Due Mon. 5/17 (Alpha-CHS) - Tues. 5/18 (Omega-SHS)

2010-05-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

Read "Sweat" by Zora Neal Hurston (in Harlem Renaissance packet).

Homework Due Thur., May 6 (Alpha/CHS) - Fri., May 7 (Omega/SHS)

2010-05-05T12:12:00.001-07:00

Finish notes in Gatsby portfolio packet and type up your biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Portfolio is due Thursday, May 6 for Churchill students and Friday, May 7 for Sheldon students.

Final test on The Great Gatsby will be Monday, May 10 for Churchill students and Tuesday, May 11 for Sheldon students.

Homework Due Tues. May 4 (Alpha/CHS) - Wed. May 5 (Omega/SHS)

2010-04-29T12:11:00.001-07:00

Finish reading The Great Gatsby: read chapters 8 and 9 and write chapter summaries.
Work on portfolio packet.

Homework Due Fri. 4/30 (Alpha/CHS) - Mon. 5/3

2010-04-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

Read The Great Gatsby Chapters 6 and 7 and write chapter summaries.

Homework Due Wed. 4/28 (Alpha/CHS) - Thur. 4/29 (Omega/SHS)

2010-04-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

Read The Great Gatsby Chapters 4 and 5 and write chapter summaries.

Homework Due Mon. 4/26 (Alpha/CHS) - Tues. 4/27 (Omega/SHS)

2010-04-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

Read The Great Gatsby chapters 2 and 3 and write chapter summaries

Homework Due Thur., April 22 (CHS-Alpha) / Fri., April 23 (SHS-Omega)

2010-04-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

Read Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby.

Poetry chapbooks are now due or past due, depending on the class!

Homework Due Thur., April 15 (CHS/Alpha) - Mon., April 19 (SHS/Omega)

2010-04-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Prepare for Frost exam! Study all the poems we have discussed, takes notes, etc.
You will need to use your packet on the test, so please don't forget to bring it with you.

Chapbooks will be due next class (4/20-4/21).

Homework Due Tues., April 13 (Alpha-CHS) / Wed., April 14 (Omega-SHS)

2010-04-12T21:31:00.001-07:00

Read the Elaine Barry article " 'Design' and Frost's Sonnets" and answer the questions in ink on a separate sheet of paper.

Homework Due Fri., April 9 (Alpha-CHS) / Mon., April 12 (Omega-SHS)

2010-04-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Read pages 2-5 in the Frost packet--the Ciardi essay "How Does a Poem Mean?"--and answer the questions from page 5 in ink on a separate sheet of paper.

Homework Due Mon. 4/5 (Alpha/CHS) - Tues. 4/6 (Omega/SHS)

2010-04-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Write a poem of at least 8 lines using a rhyme pattern (such as ABABCDCD, ABBACDDC, AABBCCDD, etc.).

Homework Due Tues., March 2 (Alpha) / Wed., March 3 (Omega)

2010-02-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

Read pages 83-111 of Chronicle of a Death Foretold and work on character list.

Homework Due Wed., Feb. 23 (Churchill) / Thurs., Feb. 24 (Sheldon)

2010-02-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

Read pages 1-29 of Chronicle of a Death Foretold and work on annotated character list.

Complete Reading Schedule for LWfC: Sheldon/Omega days

2010-02-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

Like Water for Chocolate

Reading Schedule

(Schabtach’s Classes—Sheldon/Omega Days)

Dates listed are dates reading is DUE. Quizzes are possible on any of these days!

For Thursday, Feb. 4:

Read January-February.

For Monday, Feb. 8:

Read March-April.

For Wednesday, Feb. 10:

Read May-June.

For Friday, Feb. 12:

Read July-August.

For Wednesday, Feb. 17:

Read September-October.

For Friday, Feb. 19:

Read November-December.

Complete Reading Schedule for LWfC: Churchill

2010-02-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

Like Water for Chocolate

Reading Schedule

(Schabtach’s Classes—Alpha Days)

Dates listed are dates reading is DUE. Quizzes are possible on any of these days!

For Wednesday, Feb. 3:

Read January-February.

For Friday, Feb. 5:

Read March-April.

For Tuesday, Feb. 9:

Read May-June.

For Thursday, Feb. 11:

Read July-August.

For Tuesday, Feb. 16:

Read September-October.

For Thursday, Feb. 18:

Read November-December.

Homework Due Wed., Feb. 3 (Churchill) / Thur., Feb. 4 (Sheldon)

2010-02-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

Read chapters 1 and 2 ("January" and "February") of Like Water for Chocolate.

Homework Due Thur., Jan. 21 (Churchill) / Fri., Jan. 22 (Sheldon)

2010-01-20T15:22:00.001-08:00

Work on My Antonia papers and presentations!

Homework Due Tues., Jan. 19 (Churchill) / Wed., Jan. 20 (Sheldon)

2010-01-15T07:57:00.001-08:00

Finish reading My Antonia--read pages 211-238

and work on final presentations and papers!

Homework Due Thur., Jan. 14 (Churchill) / Fri., Jan. 15 (Sheldon)

2010-01-15T07:56:00.001-08:00

Read My Antonia Books III and IV (pages 165-207)

and think about/work on final presentations and papers!

Homework Due Tues., Jan. 12 (CHS) / Wed., Jan. 13 (Sheldon)

2010-01-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

Read My Antonia Book 2 Chapters 9-15 (pages 127-161).

Begin thinking about essay or presentation.

Homework Due Fri., Jan. 8 (Alpha-Churchill) / Mon., Jan. 11 (Omega-Sheldon)

2010-01-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

Read My Antonia Book 2 Chapters I-VIII (pages 93-126)

and finish found poem

Homework Due Thur., Jan. 7 (Sheldon)

2010-01-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

Read My Antonia Book I Chapters XIV-XIX (pages 62-90)

Homework Due Tues., Jan. 5 (Sheldon) / Wed., Jan. 6 (Churchill)

2010-01-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

FOR SHELDON STUDENTS:

For Tuesday, 1/5:

Read My Antonia Book I Chapters I-XIII (pages 5-61)

FOR CHURCHILL STUDENTS:

For Wednesday, 1/6:

Read My Antonia Book I Chapters VIII-XIX (pages 35-90)

Homework Due Mon., Dec. 14 (Alpha-CHS) / Tues., Dec. 15 (Omega-SHS)

2009-12-10T10:27:00.000-08:00

Read "The Story of an Hour" and "The Yellow Wallpaper."

Homework Due Thur., Dec. 10 (Alpha-Churchill) / Fri., Dec. 11 (Omega-Sheldon)

2009-12-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

Read "South of the Slot" and be prepared for a reading quiz.

Review the differences between Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism, and think about how this story fits with these different styles. For a copy of the chart comparing Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism, click here.

DON'T FORGET TO TURN IN MISSING WORK! Progress reports go out Friday!

Homework Due Tues., Dec. 8 (Alpha) / Wed., Dec. 9 (Omega)

2009-12-04T12:38:00.002-08:00

Read "The Lost 'Beautifulness' " and "In the Land of the Free."

Homework Due Fri., Dec. 4 (Alpha) / Mon., Dec. 7 (Omega)

2009-12-04T12:38:00.001-08:00

Read "The Gray Mills of Farley" by Sarah Orne Jewett

AND

Finish Zitkala-Sa winter count-inspired artwork.

Homework Due Wed., Dec. 2 (Alpha) / Thur., Dec. 3 (Omega)

2009-11-30T18:15:00.001-08:00

Whitman final assignments and annotated packets due Wednesday at Churchill and Thursday at Sheldon!

Homework Due Fri., Nov. 20 (Alpha) / Mon., Nov. 23 (Omega)

2009-11-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

Type up your Civil War ballad and bring it to class.

Read "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed" and annotate/take notes.

“When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom’d” Notetaking Exercise

1. Find as many examples as you can of the poetic devices we have seen Whitman using in other works: alliteration, assonance, parallel structure, cataloguing/listing, juxtaposition, macrocosmic/microcosmic imagery, etc. Mark and label these examples.

2. Find places where Whitman uses panoramic imagery and/or montages. Mark these.

3. At the beginning or end of the poem, or at points where they appear in the poem, write down your interpretation of the following symbols: the star; the bird (or the bird’s song); the lilac.

4. How is this poem thematically similar to other Whitman works we have read? Write your response to this question at the end of the poem.

5. Based on this poem and other Whitman works, what do you think is Whitman’s attitude toward death? Write your response at the end of the poem.

Homework Due Mon., Nov. 16 (Alpha) / Tues., Nov. 17 (Omega)

2009-11-10T13:45:00.001-08:00

Homework: Compost Poems

Whitman’s poem “This Compost” marvels at one of the great paradoxes of nature: how life springs out of the decay and corruption of death. Write your own compost-inspired poem or a poem that reflects some other process in which something that is corrupt, diseased, or deathly is transformed into something sublime. Try to express your ideas through sensory imagery rather than through “telling.”

This assignment must be typed. It is worth 10 points; you will automatically get full credit if you bring a typed copy of the poem to class with you on Monday, Nov. 16 (Alpha) / Tuesday, Nov. 17 (Omega).

Homework Due Tues., Nov. 10 (Alpha) / Thur., Nov. 12 (Omega)

2009-11-09T10:58:00.000-08:00

Read "I Sing the Body Electric" and annotate/take notes on your copy of it.

Notetaking Exercise for “I Sing the Body Electric”

Specific notetaking tasks (in addition to marking your own notes and questions as you read and re-read the poem):

1. Find at least one example of macrocosmic imagery and mark it. In the margin, make a comment about why Whitman uses this imagery or how it affects your interpretation of the lines around it.

2. Find three examples of parallel structure and mark them. On at least one of them, make a comment in the margin about the purpose or effect of using parallel structure at this point.

3. Color-mark one section of the poem, using different colors to mark things (types of imagery, types of words, etc.) that you notice. Include a key, and write some notes about what your color-marking made you notice.

4. Look for and mark devices such as alliteration, sibilance, assonance, and repetition. Comment on the effect of these techniques--how do they affect your reading of the poem? Why does Whitman use them?

5. At the end of the poem, write a brief statement summarizing your interpretation of Whitman's attitude toward the human body.

6. Review “I Sing the Body Electric” and “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” (Better yet, re-read them.) What generalizations can you make about Whitman's style? Somewhere in your packet, start keeping a list of typical Whitman techniques, subjects, and ideas.

Homework Due Fri., Nov. 6 (Alpha) / Mon., Nov. 9 (Omega)

2009-11-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

Continue working on "Song of Myself."

Homework Due Wed., Nov. 4 (Alpha) / Thur., Nov. 6 (Omega)

2009-11-02T14:01:00.000-08:00

Homework: “Song of Myself” Notes

1. Read the excerpts from Whitman’s “Song of Myself” (pages 1-5 in the packet).

2. After you have read the poem through once, re-read it. This time, keep a pencil/pen in hand and annotate it as you read. Underline unfamiliar words; look them up in the dictionary and jot down their definitions. Bracket passages you find intriguing; put question marks next to things you don’t understand. Write brief summaries to help yourself do your own comprehension check. Ask questions. Jot down notes about literary devices such as alliteration, sibilance, parallel structure, etc. Write down observations about sensory imagery. In other words, read actively and record the thoughts, questions, and observations that arise from your active reading.

3. Ponder these questions:

What kind of idea of America does this poem project? What types of imagery are associated with America? How does it portray American people?
The poem is entitled “Song of Myself.” Who is the “self”—the “I” who is speaking in this poem? Is it consistent throughout, or does it change?

Homework Due Mon., Nov. 2 (Alpha) / Tues., Nov. 3 (Omega)

2009-10-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Note to absent students: We started reading the poetry of Walt Whitman in class on Thursday/Friday. I handed out packets of his poetry; you will be taking notes directly on the packet throughout the unit. If you were absent and don't yet have the packet, you can read "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" online here (it's a long poem, so make sure you allow plenty of time).

“Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” Notetaking

Please consider the following questions as you read, re-read, and annotate (mark up) the poem. Your annotations should reflect your thoughts about these questions as well as your own ideas/responses/questions about the poem.

To whom is the poem primarily addressed?
Look up the word “centrifugal” in a dictionary if you don’t know what it means. Then comment on the imagery of section 3, stanza 4, line 3 and section 11, line 16.
In what ways does this poem reflect the precepts of Transcendentalism? (Try to find at least three connections.)
How is section 11 different from the rest of the poem?
What does Whitman seem to be saying about the soul and the body? About human nature? About the universe?
Try to find examples of literary devices like alliteration, sibilance, assonance, consonance, repetition, apostrophe, etc. Mark them, and then comment on why Whitman uses them—what effect do they have?
Look for different types of sensory imagery: visual, aural, olfactory, gustatory, tactile. What type of imagery predominates? What is the effect of that imagery?

Homework Due Thur., Oct. 29 (Alpha) / Fri., Oct. 30 (Omega)

2009-10-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

No homework! Muse on Emerson and Thoreau and get ready for the fabulous poetry of Walt Whitman!

Homework Due Tues., Oct. 27 (Alpha) / Wed., Oct. 28 (Omega)

2009-10-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Read the excerpt from "Civil Disobedience" in your Transcendentalism packet.

Homework Due Fri., Oct. 23 (Alpha) / Mon., Oct. 26 (Omega)

2009-10-23T14:38:00.001-07:00

Read the excerpt from "Self-Reliance" in your Transcendentalism packets.

Sheldon students only: Finish the comprehension questions on the excerpt from "Nature."

Homework Due Wed., Oct. 21 (Alpha) / Thur., Oct. 22 (Omega)

2009-10-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Homework for Thursday, October 21: Being In Nature

1. Go outdoors!

2. Find a spot in a natural (but safe) setting—a spacious back yard, a park, a forest. (Take a friend for safety, but once you get where you’re going, sit far enough away from each other that you won’t distract one another.)

3. Find a place where you can sit or stand comfortably. Settle down, and then just be still and quiet for at least five minutes. No conversation—no iPod—no cell phone—just sit there quietly, paying attention to your environment without thinking about anything else. This may be harder than it sounds!

4. As you rest there, pay attention. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? Try to pay close attention. How does this place make you feel? (It may take more than five minutes to settle in enough to know how you feel in this place! Try to give yourself enough time to relax in this setting and let your feelings arise.)

You do not need to write anything down, although you might jot down some notes at the end of your nature visit if you wish. Please be prepared to write about and/or discuss your experience when you come to class on Thursday, but don’t let the anticipation of this spoil your time outside—try to enjoy this moment of connection with your environment.

Homework Due Mon., Oct. 19 (Alpha) / Tues., Oct. 20 (Omega)

2009-10-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

For Churchill students: Read "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

For Sheldon students: Read "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne and write quotation integration practice paragraph for "Young Goodman Brown."

For online versions of these stories, click the following links:

Homework Due Thur., Oct. 15 (Alpha) / Fri., Oct. 16 (Omega)

2009-10-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

For Churchill students: Read "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. For a link to an online version of this story, click here.

For Sheldon students: Read "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. For a link to an online version of the story, click here.

Homework Due Tues., Oct. 13 (Alpha) / Wed., Oct. 14 (Omega)

2009-10-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Read "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. You will have a reading quiz. For an online version of this story, click here.

Enjoy the spooky elements of this story--think Halloween!

Homework Due Thur., Oct. 8 (Alpha) / Mon., Oct. 12 (Omega)

2009-10-06T13:13:00.001-07:00

Prepare for the passage analysis exam, which will take the whole class period.

Homework Due Tues., Oct. 6 (Alpha) / Wed., Oct. 7 (Omega)

2009-10-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

Finish your character journal!

Homework Due Fri., Oct. 2 (Alpha) / Mon., Oct. 5 (Omega)

2009-10-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Finish reading the play (read Act 5 and the Epilogue).

Homework Due Wed., Sept. 30 (Alpha) / Thur., Oct. 1 (Omega)

2009-09-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Read Act 4 and continue working on the journal.
If you missed class on Monday/Tuesday, you will need to make up the quiz on Acts 1 and 2 on your first day back.

Homework Due Mon., Sept. 28 (Alpha) / Tues., Sept. 29 (Omega)

2009-09-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

Read Act 3 of The Tempest and review Acts 1 and 2. (A quiz on Acts 1 and 2 is possible!)
Keep working on your character journal.

Homework Due Wed., Sept. 23 (Alpha) / Thur., Sept. 24 (Omega)

2009-09-21T11:43:00.001-07:00

Read all of Act 2 of The Tempest and work on your character journal.

Homework Due Monday, Sept. 22 (Alpha) / Tuesday, Sept. 23 (Omega)

2009-09-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Read all of Act 1 of The Tempest and do focussed/intensive reading on one of the following passages from Act 1, Scene 2: lines 1-29; lines 224-253; lines 314-351; lines 382-417; lines 486-523. Refer to the white half-sheet for more information on what to work on in your chosen passage.
Begin working on your character journal. For a copy of the journal assignment, click here.

Homework Due Thur. 9/15 (Alpha) - Fri. 9/16 (Omega)

2009-09-14T19:27:00.001-07:00

Please read The Tempest Act 1, Scene 1 and Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 1-221. Also, don't forget to bring your signed syllabus review slip!

• For the complete Tempest reading schedule, click here.

First Homework Assignment

2009-09-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

Please read the course syllabus and share it with your parent/guardian. Syllabus signature slip is due Thursday, 9/16 (Alpha) - Friday, 9/17 (Omega).