11/12 English: Reflecting on Reading Logs

Writing Warmup:
Dr. B was really impressed with the reading logs she received in class yesterday.  You were able to capture important details in a very short amount of time, showing me, your teacher, that you have excellent comprehension of the key plot points in Alan Moore's Watchmen.

For today, we will do a mini reading log exercise and reflect on our experiences on the blog.  Here are your instructions:

1) On a clean sheet of paper, set up a log like the one yesterday:

• Date:
• Time Started:
• Time Ended (+ # of pages):

• Response:To the best of your ability, summarize the plot on the pages you were able to get through.  Make sure to cite page numbers at key points so you can reference them in the future and during discussion.

2) When you have finished, describe your experience in the comments section below.  Answer these questions:

• Do you feel like you understand the plot of Watchmen better when you have written it down immediately afterwards?
• Looking at your time and page numbers, do you consider yourself a fast reader?
• Lastly, what is one thing you want to know more about in the pages you read today?

Business Writing: Résumé Rough Drafts

Writing Warmup:
For today, you had to bring in a complete rough draft of your résumé.  Using the standards associated with each question, please answer the following using Apt Specific References (ASR).

1) How did you use your job description to create your résumé?

• Standard: W2, "I can write informative, explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly."
• Standard: W9, "I can draw evidence from informational texts to support my reflection and/or research."

2) What was your method for revising your résumé? How did you revise?

• Standard: W5, "I can develop and strengthen my writing by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting."

3) How did you use parallel structure in your writing?

• Standard: L1, "I can use parallel structure in my writing."

AP English: Envy vs. Jealousy in William Shakespeare's Othello

Dr. B found this fabulous photo of Othello and Iago from the Bell Shakespeare Company in Australia.

The last couple of days, we have discussed the terms envy and jealousy, using them almost interchangeably.  While it is acceptable to say that you are "envious" or "jealous" of someone when they get a new car, the two words have important distinctions.

According to Stanford University's Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "Jealousy involves three parties, the subject, the rival, and the beloved" ("Envy vs. Jealousy," emphasis mine).  When a person feels jealousy, his/her "real locus of concern is the beloved, a person (or being) whose affection he is losing or fears losing." 

Envy, on the other hand, is a two-party affair, in which " the envious person’s locus of concern is the rival."

For example, let's take the story of Cinderella.  In the fairy tale, Cinderella (the subject) loves her father (the beloved) and he loves her.  One day, Cinderella's father decides to remarry, introducing the wicked step-mother (Cinderella's rival).  Cinderella fears losing the love and affection of her father to her rival, the step-mother.

Using these two definitions, please answers the questions below.

Questions:
1) Based on what we have read in William Shakespeare's play Othello, who experiences jealousy within the play? 
2) If jealousy is a "three party" event, who is "the subject," "the rival," and "the beloved?"
3) If envy is only a two-party affair, who is "the subject" and "the rival?"

AP English: Central Moral Action in William Shakespeare's Othello

Quote 1: "If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of altruism that men have to reject." - Ayn Rand

Quote 2: "Aim above morality.  Be not simply good, be good for something." - Thoreau

Quote 3: "Morality is the herd-instinct in the individual." - Nietsche

Quote 4: "Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that...morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." - George Washington

Instructions: 
1) Pick the quote above that best reflects your point of view (POV).
2) Then, meet with other students who chose the same quote.  Create a defense for your definition of morality.
3) Pick a speaker and share your group's defense with the rest of the class.