Dear Sub,

Here is the To-Do/To-Know list for all of my classes:

(a)Please take attendance. Call this information in to Mrs. Thomas at the front desk. (Phone extensions are on my desk). NOTE: My class rosters are on a clipboard that is on my desk. They should be in the appropriate order.

(b)If a student needs to use the restroom, please dismiss one at a time. Sign-out is on the clipboard in the front of the room.

(c)Please do NOT confiscate personal possessions from students. If you have an issue, please contact an administrator. (Westforth)

(d)Please project my lesson plans using the document camera and LCD projector (this prevents any confusion on the part of my students and saves you a ton of writing!) Then place the lesson plans on the cream-colored pad. The remote is on my desk. PLEASE MAKE SURE AT THE END OF EACH CLASS TO TURN THE PROJECTOR OFF BETWEEN CLASS CHANGES. THE BULBS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AND I DON’T WANT IT BLOWING. BEFORE YOU LEAVE TODAY, PLEASE MAKE SURE BOTH THE PROJECTOR AND THE DOCUMENT CAMERA ARE SHUT DOWN. THE DOCUMENTA CAMERA LIGHT SHOULD BE RED, WHICH MEANS THE POWER IS OFF.

(e)My students eat B lunch (12:02-12:32).

(f)At the end of third block, all chairs should be put up. PLEASE REMIND STUDENTS OF THIS.

(g)Thank you for your help today. I appreciate it! 

Drill Information:

Fire Drill: The students go out to the football field. Instruct them to go to the left once they get inside the fence. It is imperative they stay together as you will need a head count. Make sure the classroom lights are off and the door is shut.

Lock-Down: Door must be shut and locked (Mr. DeCerbo across the hall can lock my door if it is not already). All blinds must be closed. The students must get into the corner of the interior wall (near the blue bookshelves) and must remain silent. My code red packet is in the bottom right drawer of my desk. One green sheet needs to go under the door and one green sheet needs to go in the window. Under no circumstances should the door be opened once it is closed. If a student is in the restroom, he/she needs to get back quickly or he/she will have to be shut out. STUDENTS ARE NOT TO BE ON CELLPHONES. Once lockdown is over, class should resume as normal.

1st block (8:00-9:35) Honors English IV

  1. Please take attendance on the roster provided (ab-absent; t-tardy). Call each block in to Mrs. Thomas at the Front Desk.
  2. Students should complete the following tasks:

(a)Fiske Vocabulary: Remember the assessment for Chapters 80-82 (6-10) is Friday, 10/3. For today, create Cornell notes for Chapters 83-85 (1-5). Copy word, pronunciation, and part of speech. (Time for task-15 minutes)

(b)Get into research small groups and work on finding 4-6 viable, reliable sources to answer your research questions. Remember I have included 2 websites under Helpful Resources to assist with MLA source citations. Wikipedia can be used as a starting point but should not be one of your sources. (NOTE: IF CHROMEBOOKS ARE NOT WORKING, STUDENTS HAVE PERMISSION TO USE SMART PHONES TO COMPLETE THIS TASK.) Before you begin creating your presentation, please read the link I emailed all of you regarding what a good presentation entails. I know that not all will pertain to you, but I think it gives great guidelines to get you started. (Time for task-30 minutes)

(c)The rest of class will be devoted to working with Macbeth. The video you will need to use to complete this also has been emailed to you. Fold a sheet of paper into thirds (long columns). Label them the following (Left-Right): Roman Polanski (1971) Geoffrey Wright (2006) and Rupert Goold (2010). As you watch each version of Macbeth 1.1 (Act I, scene i), write down anything you notice about the setting, actors, costume, line delivery, etc. Then, on the back of your paper, answer the following questions:

  1. Which version did you like best? Why?
  2. Which version do you think was "scariest"? Why?
  3. How were the actresses different in each version? How did that difference impact the scene?
  4. Lines were changed, removed, or moved to different places. What effect did that have?

Turn your paper in to the basket at the front. Please make sure to have the appropriate heading on it!(Time for task-20 minutes)

(d)In order to complete the last activity for today, you will need to access your Google Drive for a document called “Paradox in Macbeth”. You are welcome to collaborate with a partner, but each person should fill out the handout.The directions are provided on the document. I have reprinted it here in case you are having difficulties accessing Google Drive. (Time for Task-25 minutes)

Paradox: A statement that seems to be contradictory but that might be true when considered from a particular perspective.

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” —the Witches, 1.1.12

Complete the following steps for each quotation below. Please note the Act, scene, and line number has been provided for you.

A. Identify the speaker and the addressee, and explain as much as you can about the context of the situation.

B. Explain the specific terms in the quotation that make it a paradox.

C. Explain the hidden truth to be found in the paradox.

1. “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” —1.3.39

2. “Lesser than Macbeth and greater.” —1.3.68

3. “Not so happy, yet much happier.” —1.3.69

4. “This supernatural soliciting / Cannot be ill, cannot be good.” —1.3.143–144

5. “And nothing is but what is not.” —1.3.155

2nd and 3rd block (9:41-11:11; 11:17-1:23) AP Literature and Composition

  1. Please take attendance on the roster provided (ab-absent; t-tardy). Call each block in to Mrs. Thomas at the Front Desk.
  2. Students should complete the following tasks:

(a)Fiske Vocabulary: Remember the assessment for Chapters 80-82 (6-10) is Friday, 10/3. For today, create Cornell notes for Chapters 83-85 (1-5). Copy word, pronunciation, and part of speech. (Time for task-15 minutes)

(b)Complete Poetry Response #4 using Emily Dickinson’s “Much Madness is Divinest Sense—“ pg. 919. (Reminder: The response should be hand-written, one page, single-spaced. In the first paragraph, you need to explain what you think the overall meaning of the poem is and then discuss the literary techniques the poet uses to convey the overall meaning. Be sure to use evidence from the poem to support your ideas. In the second paragraph, discuss your personal connection to the overall message. In other words, how can you relate to the piece?)NOTE: For this response, in the second paragraph, I also would like for you to discuss the relativity of the poem to Hamlet as a whole. Turn in to the basket when finished. (Time for task-20-25 minutes)

(c)Find your literary device journal. At this point, you should have the following terms: synecdoche, metonymy, allusion, symbol, verbal irony, situational irony, dramatic irony, and anaphora. Today, you need to make sure you have the definition, an example from a piece we have read, and a description of the function (This information has been shared as a Google document with you). (Time for task-15-20 minutes)

(d)Get into your small groups and annotate the following questions on Act IV: (Time for task-30-35 minutes). IF YOU FINISH EARLY, FINISH THE READING OF ACT IV TOGETHER.

  1. How does Gertrude protect her son in scene i?
  2. Why is Claudius’ soul “full of discord and dismay” at the end of scene i? Go beyond the obvious.
  3. Read closely lines 16-33 in scene iii. Explain the wordplay Shakespeare employs here. What purpose does it serve?
  4. Analyze Hamlet’s soliloquy in scene iv (lines 32-66) for the following: action that prompted the speech; his state of mind; tone(s).
  5. Read closely Ophelia’s song in scene v. What private information does she reveal?
  6. Compare and contrast the following sets of fathers and sons: Hamlet and Hamlet; Fortinbras and Fortinbras; Laertes and Polonius. In your opinion, why does Shakespeare include all three?