Category: Poetry - AP English Literature & Composition

(S2C7a/b) Preparing for the Poetry Unit Exam

1/29/2015

First, a reminder that will soon begin reading The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. If you are interested in purchasing your own copy, please buy the Neville Coghill translation published by Penguin Classics.

In class
Today we will continue discussing the multiple choice poetry questions and strategies and reviewing for the upcoming poetry unit exam.

LRJ's due -- Wednesday/B1 Thursday/A3
You should already have completed poetry prompts #1-5 in your LRJ. As usual, I will be collecting those to grade during the unit exam.

Unit Exam -- Wednesday/B1 Thursday/A3
In order to best be prepared to take the unit exam, you should read carefully through the unit exam study guide and review the poetry terms study guide, both of which you can download below.

    DOWNLOAD: Poetry Unit Exam Study Sheet (PDF)
    DOWNLOAD: Poetry Terms -- Quick Study Guide (PDF)
    DOWNLOAD: AP Exam Poetry Prompts from 1970-2012 (DOC)

I humbly submit that this is a challenging exam. You should spend a good deal of time reviewing the terms and understanding how to apply them to analyzing poetry. You should also review the strategies on how to approach the multiple choice questions.

Exam poems
The following are the poems that will be on the poetry unit exam. You will have either multiple choice questions or extended response prompts relating to these:

     DOWNLOAD: Poems that will be on exam (PDF)

Next class: On Monday/Tuesday we will continue our review for the poetry unit exam. Any and all students who have not yet recited their poems will do so on these days. Those who fail to show up for school, whether it is an excused or unexcused absence, will receive a zero for the entire poetry project.

(S2C7) Group B Poetry Recitations

1/27/2015

See previous blog post (S2C6) for information on multiple choice question strategies.

For next class:
After we discuss the multiple choice poetry question strategies, you will be constructing six multiple choice questions about both of your assigned poems. These MC questions each need to use one of the multiple choice stems listed in the download below (same thing you downloaded on Tuesday). This should be completed in a Word document, single-spaced, and follow the format of the A.P. questions with five possible, believable responses. After each question, provide the answer and a brief explanation of the answer. You must PRINT OUT and turn this in to me on Thursday (B1) / Friday (A3).

DOWNLOAD: A.P. Multiple-Choice Stems (DOCX)

Unit exam -- next week
Next class we will be reviewing for the unit exam and hearing from anyone who still needs to complete the poetry recitations.

(S2C6) Poetry Multiple-Choice Practice Questions

1/23/2015

Today and Friday, after poetry presentations, we'll be looking at strategies to approach the poetry multiple choice questions on the A.P. exam. You will have similar questions on your poetry unit exam next week.

You will receive a hardcopy packet of multiple-choice questions to complete in class, while working and discussing in groups. However, you should download the following two documents first:

1: A.P. Multiple-Choice Stems -- types of questions you can expect (DOCX)
2: A.P. Poetry multiple choice question strategies and practice questions (PDF)

1. Read through the poems given in your MC questions packet before reading the corresponding questions
2. Annotate key points -- use of imagery, figurative language, and other language resources.
3. Read the individual questions and apply the techniques given in the strategies download
4. Eliminate all answers you know to be incorrect
5. Choose the best answer -- and then be prepared to explain why it's the correct response.

(S2C5) Preparing for the Explication Projects

1/21/2015

Now that you have all the "tools" to analyze poetry, you will complete an in-class poetry explication response for Queen Elizabeth I's "On Monsieur's Departure." Download and complete the following worksheet, and then dropbox at end of class.

    DOWNLOAD: Explication Worksheet (Elizabeth I) (DOCX)

Be sure to re-read all the criteria for the explication project. All parts of the project are due on the date you were assigned:

    Group A for January 23 (B1) / January 26 (A3)
    Group B for January 27 (B1) / January 28 (A3)

LRJ #5 -- Poetry in Culture -- due on date of unit exam

Sample Poetry Recitations

(S3C4) Allusion & Meaning

1/16/2015

Today: Quiz over Chapters 6-9

In-class work today
Read or re-read the "Rules for Quoting a Poem" handout and then complete the worksheet. You have two short poems to read and then respond to the prompts, using the rules for quoting a poem.

This is good practice for doing your own poetry explication essays, which are due next week.

DOWNLOAD: Rules for Quoting a Poem (PDF)
DOWNLOAD: Quoting from a Poem eWorksheet (DOC)

Dropbox the completed eWorksheet at the end of class.

For next Wed. / Thu.
Quiz over Chapters 10-12 in Poetry: Sound and Sense.
LRJ #4 -- Your Seven Limericks

(S2C3) Imagery & Figurative Language-I

1/14/2015

Today, in class, you will be downloading and completing the "Figurative Language" worksheet.

DOWNLOAD: Figurative Language Worksheet (DOC)

We'll be working on with this eWorksheet together in class.

For Friday / Tuesday
LRJ #3 – Three Imagery Poems
Quiz on Chapters 6-9 of Sound and Sense

(S2C2) Denotation & Connotation

1/12/2015

Reminder #1: You should have your "Three Found Poems" written in your LRJ by the beginning of class. We'll be going over some of them, which should be thoroughly entertaining, I'm sure.

Reminder #2: You will be writing down the two poems you would like to use for your poetry project, along with two backup poems, at the beginning of class.

Next, you should download the Poetry Explication Project assignment packet:

    DOWNLOAD: Poetry Memorization & Explication Assignment packet  (PDF)

includes:
    - How Do I Choose My Poems?
    - Explication Responses Assignment
    - Explication Essay Assignment
    - Poetry Recitation Criteria & Tips
     - Rubric for Poetry Recitation Presentation
    - Sample Poetry Explication
    - Sample Explication Essay

Denotation & Connotation eWorksheet
Please download the following worksheet. We will be working on this in class.

    DOWNLOAD: Denotation & Connotation worksheet (DOCX)

For Wednesday / Thursday
Quiz next class will be over Chapters 3-5.
LRJ#2 due: E-A-T Lipograms

B1 Poem Assignments

Group A: January 23
Alec Bayliff: "Dirge in Woods" by G. Meredith / "Fortuna" by T. Carlyle
Thomas Gray: "Grief" by E. Barrett Browning / "The Time I've Lost..." by T. Moore
Nash Hill: "Break, Break, Break" by Tennyson / "I Wandered Lonely..." by Wordsworth
Jack Allbright: "Love's Infiniteness" by John Donne / "Bright Star" by J. Keats
Evan Cusmano: "Hymn to God the Father" by J. Donne / "Light Shining..." by Cowper

Group B: January 27
Alec Toelke: "The Tyger" by William Blake / "Invictus" by W. E. Henley
Connor McNamara: "Ode" by Arthur O'Shaughnessy / "Crossing the Bar" by Tennyson
Jonathan Orkwis: "Coda" by Basil Bunting / "Tamer and Hawk" by Thom Gunn
Shane Poch: "Charge of the Light Brigade" / "Find No Peace" by Thomas Wyatt
Brad Buller: "Ode on Solitude" by Alexander Pope / "Entirely" by L. MacNeice
Billy Gorcznski: "No Coward Soul..." by E. Bronte / "Dreamers" by Siegfried Sassoon
Justin Balogh: "The Listeners" by W. De La Mare / "Ozymandias"
Nick Heuker: "To An Athlete Dying Young" / "I Find No Peace" by T. Wyatt
Jack Quehl: "Mad Song" by William Blake / "The Doubt of Future Foes" by Queen Eliz I
Chris Stock: "A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky" by L. Carroll / "April Midnight"

A4 POEM ASSIGNMENTS
Group A: January 26
Joe Cordier: "Break of Day..." by I. Rosenberg / "A Hymn to God the Father" by Donne
Dan Nymberg: "Coda" by Basil Bunting / "I Wandered Lonely..." by Wordsworth
Sam Hansen: "Invictus" by W. E. Henley / "The Tyger" by W. Blake
Augie Painter: "The Last Laugh" by W. Owen / "...the Light Brigade" by Tennyson
Justin Scales: "Loveliest of Trees" by A. E. Houseman / "Revenge" by L.E. London
Jonathan Gill: "Blow, Blow..." by W. Shakespeare / "Entirely" by L. MacNeice
Jack Buehler: "The Passionate Shepherd" by Marlowe / "Break of Day" by J. Donne
Nick Schaffer: "Sennacherib" by Byron / "La Figlia che Piange" by Eliot

Group B: January 28
Jason Bruggemann: "Lines Written..." by W.Wordsworth / "A Poison Tree" by Blake
Tyler Burandt: "Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky" by L. Carroll / "Light Shining..." by Cowper
Bobby Tull: "Ode" by A. O'Shaughnessey / "Mad Song" by W. Blake
Tommy Farrell: "A History Without Suffering" by E.A. Narkham / "Meeting at Night"
Will Gilliland: "Love and Friendship" by e. Bronte / "The Time I've Lost..." by T. Moore
Pat Mullinger: "The Man He Killed" by T. Hardy / "Love" by G. Herbert
Sam Frohman: "Lines" / "Prelude to Space"
Isaac Andrews: "The Pilgrim" by J. Bunyan / "The Spring" by T. Carew
Joey Burns: "Silence" by T. Hood / "Crossing the Bar" by Tennyson
Ali Fazlani: "Often Rebuked..." by E. Bronte / "Hap" by T. Hardy

(S2C1) Poetry Terms

1/8/2015

In class today
Download and complete the "Paraphrasing a Poem" eWorksheet and drop-box before the beginning of class 2.

    DOWNLOAD: "Paraphrasing a Poem" worksheet (DOCX)

For next class
In order to discuss, explicate, and analyze poetry you need to be familiar with the poetic terms and language resources. (Incidentally, in order to succeed on the AP Lit exam in May you will need to have more than a passing familiarity with all these terms and how to apply them when writing about poetry.) Therefore, you will have a quiz on poetry terms on Monday (B1) / Tuesday (A3). Download and study the terms in the document below.

    DOWNLOAD: Poetry Terms: A Quick Reference Guide (PDF)

You will be quizzed specifically on the following:

- rhythm types (iamb, dactyl, etc.)
- figures of speech
- rhyme types (masculine, feminine, slant, sight, etc.)
- the basic poetry terms: connotation, denotation, poetic license, rhythm, meter, melody, caesura, inversion, foot, enjambment, and imagery.
- be able to describe what is meant by "form" in poetry

Reminder: You need to come to class on Monday/Tuesday with your two chosen poems and two "back-up" selections. See previous blog entry for full info.

LRJ Assignments for Poetry Unit
That's right, it's time to crack open the LRJ once again. The good news (I think) is that most of these LRJ assignments for poetry are creative, designed to be enjoyable as much as edifying. For Tuesday, you are preparing LRJ #1, "Found Poems." We'll read some of these in class!

    DOWNLOAD: Poetry LRJ Prompts (PDF)

(Break) When you return

1/6/2015

Up Next: After Christmas break we will begin our poetry analysis unit. During our study of poetry we'll be using Arp and Perrine's Poetry Sound and Sense, which you should download below.

     DOWNLOAD: Sound & Sense: An Introduction to Poetry by Perrine and Arp
     DOWNLOAD: "Got Poetry?" by Jim Holt (Sunday Book Review)

Assignment for Class 1 upon return: Read "Chapter One: What Is Poetry?" and "Chapter Two: Reading the Poem" from Sound & Sense AND the short article "Got Poetry?" by Jim Holt. You will have a 15-min quiz on this material.

UPDATE: Be sure that you read the assigned chapters in Poetry: Sound & Sense. You will have a quiz on the first two chapters and Jim Holt’s “Got Poetry?” article. But more importantly, it is crucial you understand these first two chapters – and Jim Holt’s tips for memorizing poetry. We’ll be building on them. Be sure that you know the following:

- Poetry’s primary concern. (Be able to state the answer in one word.)
- The four “dimensions” of poetry
- What you should do when you paraphrase a poem
- What you should NOT do when you paraphrase a poem
- What you should do when reading a poem
- What you should NOT do when reading a poem
- The “language resources” that poetry draws upon
- Three primary questions you should ask yourself when trying to understand a poem

For Class #2 (Tues., Jan. 12/13): You will be choosing two poems to memorize and recite in class during this unit.

CHOOSE POEMS: At the beginning of class #2 be prepared to submit your choice of two poems you would like to study, memorize, write about, and present during this unit. Since no one in your section may work with the same poem, you should submit one or two back-up choices as well.

How Do I Choose My Poems?
You will choose these from a list that can be found on the “Poetry Out Loud” website. But, not just any poem qualifies. You must meet the following requirements:

1. The poem must be written by a British or Irish poet: This includes Welsh, Scottish, and English poets. Be sure to look up the nationality of the poet!

2. The two poems must add up to a minimum of 40 full lines of poetry. Thus, you can choose a 7-line poem and a 35-line poem, two 20-line poems, etc. Be sure to do the math!

3. The poem must be found on the Poetry Out Loud list:
     http://poetryoutloud.org/poems-and-performance/find-poems

4. At least one of the poems must date from before 1900.

5. The poems should be ones you like, enjoy, find fascinating, etc. You get to pick them, so do a little research and find two that you really want to work with.

6. No one else in your section may be doing the same poem; that means I’ll personally deal with tie-breakers. (You should come to class with one or two “back up” poems in case one or both of your poems is already taken.)

7. After you have your assigned poems, be sure to read or re-read the “Got
Poetry?” article (see download above) for tips on how to approach memorizing poetry.

(S1C39) 1984/Semester exam

12/16/2014

Reminder: On the day of your scheduled semester exam you should bring the following;

1. Your LRJ with the four completed prompts for 1984
2. Your 1984 data sheet

You may use your data sheet on the entire exam.

Up Next: After Christmas break we will begin our poetry analysis unit. During our study of poetry we'll be using Arp and Perrine's Poetry Sound and Sense, which you should download below.

DOWNLOAD: Sound & Sense: An Introduction to Poetry by Perrine and Arp
DOWNLOAD: "Got Poetry?" by Jim Holt (Sunday Book Review)

Assignment for Class 1 upon return: Read "Chapter One: What Is Poetry?" and "Chapter Two: Reading the Poem" from Sound & Sense AND the short article "Got Poetry?" by Jim Holt. You will have a 15-min quiz on this material.

Have a splendid Christmas break. See you in January.