november 30

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Say What" by Stevie Ray Vaughan; "Say It Now (I'm Black and I'm Proud)" by James Brown; "Say It To Me Now" by Glen Hansard]

How does what we say relate to what we do? Does telling ourselves or other people what we think/feel/intend change our thought process and/or feelings? Does it make us more or less likely to act? Does it teach us anything about ourselves?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. ACT IV

POST:
1. How do you interpret Queen Gertrude's words and actions?  (title: A MOTHER'S LOVE - ICK)
2. What do you make of Hamlet's soliloquy about the soldiers and his own sense of himself?  What do you think of the way he compares himself to the soldiers?  Do you ever criticize yourself in comparison with other people?  What effect does this have?  Does it motivate you, or make you feel worse about yourself, or...?  (title: AM I AS HEROIC AS THE NEXT PERSON?)

call for videos

You may or may not realize this, but nothing on the internet lives forever.  As you probably noticed, I recently posted some videos-- but the links no longer work, and the videos don't appear in the post.  I just did a search on YouTube, and I quickly discovered that there are WAY more videos available now than when I last taught Hamlet.  I was just about to choose a few when I had a thought: "Why am I doing this?"  After all, you have a better sense of what you need to see acted out, and which version will have the most impact for us to discuss, so...

Please go to YouTube and search "Hamlet."  Choose a few (three, at least) that you think are worth sharing.  Then please share the links in a comment to this post.  I will curate the videos and embed them here and in the script for reference.  You can also embed the videos on your blogs, which will: a) make you and your blog look good; and b) help you and your readers understand the play.

Looking forward to seeing your choices!  Mahalo.

november 29

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Why do you think so many characters in this play are so sneaky?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Table discussion: integrity
3. Continue Act III

POST:
What does integrity mean to you?  How does it relate to honesty?  When is it easy, and when is it difficult? (title: I MEAN WHAT I SAY)

november 28

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Why is the light bulb such a popular symbol/metaphor for an idea? Do you experience ideas as sudden occurrences, or as the product of gradual (even painstaking) processes?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Act III continued

POST:
What stays with you after you read?  What doesn't?  (title: STAYING POWER)

Hamlet: Act III Scenes ii, iii, & iv vids

Branagh's Moustrap (Scene ii)


Tennant's Mousetrap (Scene ii/part 1)


Tennant's Mousetrap (Scene ii/part 2)


Patrick Stewart/Claudius confesses (Scene iii)


Branagh shivs Polonius (Scene iv/part 1)


Branagh shivs Polonius (Scene iv/part 2)


Tennant shivs Polonius (Scene iv/part 1)


Tennant shivs Polonius (Scene iv/part 2)

november 27

JOURNAL TOPIC:
It has often been said that, "Actions speak louder than words." Discuss two examples from Hamlet  that appear to support or contradict this idea.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discussion
3. Continue close reading

november 26

JOURNAL TOPIC:
It's been a long time.  Describe what you remember from this course. Describe what you did over the Thanksgiving break to support your success in this course and your learning in general.  Describe how you think we should pick up where we left off.

AGENDA:
1. Journal/discussion
2. The play: looking back and moving ahead
3. Your Big Question

POST:
1. How well did you remember what we've read so far? (title: MY MEMORY OF READING)

2. Describe your Big Question (title: MY BIG QUESTION/ NOVEMBER) 

november 16

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Some holidays are worth celebrating every day.  Feeling grateful makes us happier, healthier, and more productive, so why not celebrate Thanksgiving today?  Think of something/someone for whom you are truly grateful, and use today's journal time to give thanks.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Hamlet
3. For the win-- er, I mean, break, please post the following before we return 11/26:

POSTS:
1. Summarize what we have read so far (title: HAMLET SUMMARY ACTS I & II).  Note: doing this well will require no less than three paragraphs.
2. Make (a minimum of three) connections between what we've read in the play and your own lived experience of modern America.  Think about the people/characters, places, events, cultures, politics, and values we've discussed. (title: HAMLET & ME)
3. Memorize Hamlet's "To be or not to be..." soliloquy (ACT III Scene I).  You may post your recital to your blog (title: TO BE OR NOT TO BE), or you may choose to regale us with your wisdom in person after Thanksgiving.


ALSO:
It's time to take our classroom community/conversation online.  Please visit at least three of your classmates' blogs and comment to at least one of their posts.  (That means we should be able to see three of your comments.)  If you visit a blog with lots of comments, see if you can find one that has less and start the conversation.  It's always nice to receive comments :)

"can we watch the movie?"

Don't be ridiculous.

But you CAN watch some interpretations of the scenes we've read.  Here are a few:

(This is the first scene in the play.)


(This is Hamlet's first monologue.)

november 15

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What do you think or say when someone makes fun of your lunch?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Hamlet
3. Big plans

THE PLAN WITHIN THE PLAY

november 14

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What do you think of when you see the word FUTURE?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. ***CHOICES***
3. Life after HS/ plan for Hamlet

november 13

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Every once in a while, often during moments of extreme stress, ordinary people do extraordinary things. What makes this possible? Can you apply this idea over the next few weeks to achieve your academic goals for the semester?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Hamlet

november 9

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Eat the Rich" by Aerosmith; "Junk Food Junkie" by Larry Groce; "Eat It" Weird Al Yankovic]

Are "secret ingredients" ever a good thing, or just a cynical ploy that entices us to eat cheaply manufactured nastiness?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Hamlet 

POST: As we finish Act I, it becomes obvious that trust is a major theme of the play.  How do the characters demonstrate their desire to trust, and their reluctance to trust?  How do we know that trust is an issue for Hamlet?  For the ghost of Hamlet's father, the king?  What does it say about Polonius that he sends Reynaldo to spy on Laertes?  (title: HAMLET: TRUST ME)

november 8

*Since we went with the Wednesday agenda yesterday, the blog agenda from yesterday is now today's.

JOURNAL TOPIC:
We all encounter emergencies-- illness, earthquakes, stalled cars, the occasional zombie apocalypse--so what can you do to be prepared? Describe planning or training for something that might actually happen.

after school tutoring

2018_11_07_11_40_02 by Anonymous kBNWp2Z on Scribd

future business leaders of america

2018_11_07_11_40_22 by Anonymous kBNWp2Z on Scribd

cash for college

2018_11_07_11_40_47 by Anonymous kBNWp2Z on Scribd

november 7

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Think of someone for whom you feel nothing but enmity. Now imagine that tomorrow morning you wake up to discover that you and this person are two heads on the same body. Describe your day.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Hamlet

POST:
Summarize the play and your impressions of it so far. (title: WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT)

november 6

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today is Election Day.  It's the most important election of my lifetime so far. (!)  What difference does it make if people vote?  How would the French Revolution have been different if people could vote in that society?  Would the revolution have happened at all?  Would it have been so violent?  Explain your answer.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Hamlet

november 5

JOURNAL TOPIC:
We describe characters all the time.  Whenever we relate a story about something that happened with other people to a person who wasn't there, we portray the other people as characters in that story.  Sometimes we describe them directly ("he's six feet tall" or "she was really angry"), and sometimes we describe them indirectly, in terms of what they said, or did, or how others reacted to them.  Think of something that happened to you over the weekend in the presence of other people.  Write a paragraph about it.  Then, choose one character and analyze your own work: did you describe this person directly or indirectly?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Hamlet: Select five examples in which the author describes Hamlet.  For each example, determine whether the author is using direct or indirect characterization.

POST:
On your blog, type in each example of characterization you selected.  Explain whether each is direct or indirect, and give your reasons why.  (title: WHAT A CHARACTER.  First sentences: "In Hamlet, Shakespeare goes to great lengths to describe the character of Hamlet.  He uses both direct and indirect characterization to help the reader get to know Hamlet.  Here are some examples.")

november 2

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "My Hero" by the Foo Fighters; "Heroes" by David Bowie]

Heroes are essential to humanity. Every culture throughout history has chronicled their exploits. Today their role is more important than ever; heroes inspire us to think differently, act differently, and ultimately become better versions of ourselves. Even though everyone gets the general idea of a hero, the people we admire are as individual as we are. They may have impressive personalities, intellects or physical attributes; they may be ordinary people who do  extraordinary things; they may be public or private. They may even be our friends and relatives.

Write a letter to someone you consider to be a hero. Explain to this person why s/he is heroic and tell the person how s/he has moved or inspired you.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Hamlet 

POST:
1. Translate Hamlet's first soliloquy

2. Why do you think Shakespeare created drama in Hamlet's family (ghost of dead father, mother marries uncle) AND drama (war) between Denmark, Norway, and other countries?  (title: DRAMAS BIG AND SMALL)

national novel writing month

Anyone who manages to complete a novel this month will earn no less than a B on the semester report card.  More details at the website: https://nanowrimo.org/about

november 1

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes:  "What's He Building in There?" by Tom Waits; "Halloween (Michael Myers) Theme" by John Carpenter; "This is Halloween" by Marilyn Manson]

Since it's Dia de los Muertos, two options (one for each face):
1. What role does fear (of death, of loss, of discovery) play in Hamlet? (Predict based on the fact that the first conversation is about the ghost of Hamlet's dead father.)  What role does it play in your own life and decision-making process?
2. What masks do people wear in everyday life, i.e., how/why/when do we intentionally adopt personae that serve purposes other than reflecting who we are with integrity?
3. As you think about the first tune of the day, what is it about what the storyteller DOESN'T say that creates suspense? 

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Self-assessment
3. Hamlet