Wacky Tacky Wednesday

We got donuts today!! YUM!

The last Oedipus group performed their play and we connected the modern version the actual play.

We watched Mad TV’s “Can I have your number?”
HAHAHAHAHA

We got with partners and took the Beowolf Quiz.

Super Hero Day tomorrow!
Happy Homecoming Week!!!!!!

Wacky Tacky Wednesday

We got donuts today!!!! YUM

The last Oedipus group performed their play and we analyized it and connected the modern version to the real play.

We watched Mad TV’s “Can I have your number?”
HAHAHAHAHA

We got with partners and took the Beowolf Quiz.

Super Hero Day tomorrow!!!
Happy Homecoming Week!!!!!!!!!

Happy Homecoming Monday!

Notes from reading (p. 2-19, 47):

• We have gained democracy and personal rights/freedoms through the Anglo-Saxon ideals
• People who have invaded/settled the island of Great Britain.
  
• Iberians (ancient)
• Celts
• The first settlers of Great Britain
  
• Among them were a group called Brythons (and from this we get "Britain")
• Animism--everything has a spirit
• Priests (Druids)--the link between people and the spirits
• Women are powerful (Hoorah!)
  
• Celtic stories are very different from the later Anglo-Saxon tales
  
• Romans
• Conquered Britain under Claudius
• Built roads and a great defensive road 73 miles long
• IN A.D. 409 they evacuated their troops from Britain leaving roads, walls, villas, and great public baths, but no central government.
• Introduced Christianity
  
• Angles and Saxon
  
• From Germany and Denmark
• English language became dominant (from this we get Engla land, or "England")
• England did not gain any more political unification. The country was divided into several principalities with their own "kings".
• Unified under the Christian church
• King Alfred of Wessex (Alfred the Great) brought many of these changes to England
  
• Women had rights--they weren't "property" to their husbands. Christianity allowed for many opportunities as well (becoming powerful abbesses).
• Life was dominated by the need to protect the clan and home against enemies. Loyalty was essential!
• Creating poetry was as important as fighting, hunting, farming, or loving. Bards (storytellers) sang of gods and heroes.
• Christian Monasteries were strongholds of the religion. They also preserved literature (ex. Beowulf)
  
• Religion much in common with Norse/Scandinavian mythology. Despite the growth of Christianity, Anglo-Saxon religion remained strong.
  
• Odin was the most important (god of death, poetry, and magic)
• Thor--god of thunder and lightning (we get the swastika from his symbol)
• Vikings
• Normans
  
• Invasions/settling helped this area to become diverse in ideas and culture
  

Beowulf:

• This story is to England what Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are to ancient Greece
  

People, Monsters, and Places:

• Beowulf-a Geat, son of Edgetho and nephew of Higlac, king of the Geats. Higlac is both Beowulf's feudal lord and his uncle.
• Brecca-chief of the Brondings, a tribe, and Beowulf's friend.
• Grendel-a man eating monster who lives at the bottom of a foul mere, or a mountain lake. His name might mean "storm" or "to bellow".
• Herot-golden guest-hall built by King Hrothgar.
  
• Hrothgar-king of the Danes, built the Herot.
• Unferth-one of Hrothgar's courtiers, reputed to be a skilled warrior. His sword, called Hrunting, is used by Beowulf in a later battle.
• Welthow-Hrothgar's wife, queen of the Danes.
• Wiglaf-a Geat warrior. He is the only one to help Beowulf in his final battle against a dragon.

HOMEWORK:

• Take notes (if you didn't finish in class)
• Make sure you come in for your essay conference! (On an off hour Ms. Smith has! Not your off hour! Per Ms. Smith)
• Anna and Shelli are bringing donuts on Wednesday!

Wouldn't you know it... IT'S PLAY DAY!!!

Project 1:
This project was done very well, poor 'Kankles'... nobody wants him... This group combined humor and talent to create a very well rounded performance. These kids did a great job telling the story of how much emotion was added into the exchange of poor Kankles, and the unfortunate 'loose morals' of his mother. The scene was good, and so was the acting. Heff, a buff doctor, a nun, and a queen with loose morals, all combined together in New York to create a definitely well done performance.

Project 2:
These girls did a great job of how Oedipus came to Thebes for the second time. He really wanted to go to college in Las Vegas, and after getting a bad fortune cookie, he decided that was the place for him. Again humor riddled this play, incorporating talent and trickery. Oedipus the technology-wise riddle solver was able to find his way to eventually marrying Jocasta. Though the acting was good, the lack of blood in the death scenes were fairly disappointing.

Project 3:
My group (Anna, Lauren L, Sara, Katie M, and myself Shelli) did a modern-day boxing scene of the fight between Oedipus and Tiresias. We used humor and slight risque comments to create humor and stupidity into the rediculous fight between the two... gangsta's. Anger from the crowd, referee, and of course O-deezy and T-bone worked well together to create an emotional,

Project 4:It was the MAury show for the big reveal into Oedipus' birth. There was audience participation in the show and that made it all the more enjoyable.

Project 5:
The boys (Will, Drew, Eric B, Eric L, and Taylor) revealed the secret of Oedipus' real origin. Though it wasn't performed live, this project was very funny. Jerry Springer, as always was very theraputic, and perfect performance. Special guests appeared as well, creating a surprising aroma and an eventual victory. The gory detail made it really feel like I was on Jerry Springer! Well done boys!

The Day of Work

The day was pretty simple if you happened to miss it. Ms. Smith first collected our college essays. We talked about how to grade our in class essays that we wrote on Friday. Everyone needs to go in and talk to Ms. Smith about your esssay and what you can improve on and your grade on the paper. She is unavailable this week but will begin making times for us to come in next week. After that we just worked on our Oedipus projects that are due Wednesday whether some of the members in your group are present or not it will be due.

We started out the day by turning in our 5 comments on the google groups essays.

The day was spent doing an in class writing essay: "writa a focused essay that synthesizes multiple sources (video, text, personal example, song, etc...)on one of the following topics:
-Role of fate v. freewill
-Oedipus fails to see truth
-O scapegoat of gods

HW: College essay due monday
-Google groups essay and comments
-Modernize Oedipus scene due Wed. (be prepared to work on this on Monday)

Scribe Post for September 10, 2008

Big news of the day:

Donuts and Smith got an A in her class.

HOMEWORK:

In class essay on Friday! Writing an essay comparing Oedipus and your Life. Choose one of three topics on Friday. Think of connections between you and Oedipus for homework.

Due next Wednesday: Group project, modernizing a scene from Oedipus. Modern context that is creative and captivating. Make it fun! You can video tape it before hand or you can perform it live. Please do not read off of notecards. You need one central prop, have an introduction so you can introduce the idea. Everyone has to have a part. You must turn in a “playfolio” have to explain how you chose your scene, let her know wardrobe, make it pretty, all group members’ names and their parts. This is worth 150 points, about the same as an in-class test. This is VERY IMPORTANT!

Go to google docs. 5 Comments due Friday

Final copy of your college essay due Monday

On Friday Ms. Lewallen is going to come in and talk to us about scholarships. For teacher recommendation letters fill out personality profile if you haven’t already.

Goal for today: Find group, pick scene, eat donuts

September 8, 2008 monday!

In class:

Smith is stressed (starbucks cards are recommended)
We went over how to comment on Google Docs.

We continued reading Oedipus, started on page 48 and read through to the end (page 83).

• Believe in Messenger=put gods first, believe in Oedipus=man first
• Oedipus doesn't believe in prophesies, gods etc. and therefore is digging himself a bigger hole.
• pg 57, Jocasta begins to realize that Oedipus is her son and tries to persuade/hint to him to forget the conversation. When he doesn't, she exits becasuse she doesn't want to be embarrassed, tries to save him from the truth, etc.
• Shepherd is reluctant to give information and tries, like everybody else, to distance himself from the fate surrounding Oedipus.

Homework:

1. Is your paper on Google Docs??
2. Sign up for a conference during this week.

3. Make 5 comments on someone else's essay, make sure they are in a different class. On Word, copy your comments and make sure you say what paper you commented on to turn in on Wednesday. Make sure your comments are good!!
4. Final essay due Friday Sept. 15

Friday September 5th,2008

In class:

·         We went over how to post our essays on Google groups

·         We went around the room and edited/commented on our classmates essays

Fun Fact: An average 3^rd to 4^th grader learns around 27 new words a day!

Word of the day

Cantankerous: disagreeable to deal with; contentious; peevish: a cantankerous, argumentative man.

HW:

·        Final essay due Monday September  15th

·        Make corrections to essay

·        Take essay and post on Google groups  (directions below)

 

Click on Google groups link on Mrs. Smith’s web page, sign in name and password is the same as on blogger, use your given smith# as nickname, click on DIRECTIONS link, and follow directions to upload your essay to Google groups(make sure your name in NOWHERE on your paper),  page name should also be your nickname.

Taylor’s nickname is Smith 11.

Mackenzie’s nickname is Smith 14

September 3, 2008

Conference with Mrs. Smith on final essay choice by next Friday: sign up in her planner
Workshop essay on Friday, essay must be on your usb or email it to yourself
Smith’s off hours: 1st everyday, 4th everyday, before and after school.

In Class:
We read Oedipus. Here is what we talked about:
1.With Oedipus accusing Tiresias of lying, the citizens are faced with an interesting argument: Who is more powerful, Kings or Gods?
-they put Oedipus before the gos because he saved them once before, why wouldn’t he be able to do it again? It loosely follows the saying “Innocent until proven guilty”.
2.Underlyng messags in Greek society:
-pride blinds you
-see the bigger picture,look beyond what you can physically see
-hero realizes that Gods help us

HW: Assign google groups- college essay posted by Monday 15th on Google Groups