Friday, April 1

Objective: Students will be able to describe an author’s intent/purpose after they read a review.  Students will be able to describe the evidence an author gives to support his/her opinions.

Journal: FREE WRITE

Agenda: 1) Preview Vocabulary on pg. 881 : gaunt, vitality, surly, unorthodox, sinister, reticent, perplexed, idealist

2) Read “Julius Caesar in an Absorbing Production” pp. 882 – 885.

3) Complete Reading Check Questions #1, 2 on pg. 886.  Complete Test Practice Questions # 1-9 on pp. 886 - 887

4) Vocabulary Development Pg. 888 : Clarifying Meanings : Words in Context # 1 - 8

Homework: Vocabulary Development Pg. 888 : Clarifying Meanings : Words in Context # 1 - 8

Thursday, March 31

Objective: Students will complete assignments for Extra Credit to help boost their grades and set goals for themselves for the rest of the school year.

Journal: The semester will be coming to an end in a few weeks.  What did you think your final grade for the third semester will look like?  What goals do you have for yourself between now and the end of the year?  What do you hope your final grade will be in this class?  How do you plan on achieving that grade?

Agenda: In-Class Extra-Credit: All assignments worth 20 pts. each and due by the end of this class!

1) Scene Re-do: Rewrite a scene from Julius Caesar in your own words.  You may choose to modernize the language and actions, as long as the content of the scene stays true to the original.  Make sure your scene is written in the correct format and runs at least TWO pages long (longer if your dialogue is brief).

2) Draw a Scene (for artist's only): Choose a scene from Julius Caesar to draw.  Since very little description is given in the play, use your imagination to draw what the characters/scenery look like.

3) Suicide Letter: Choose a character in the play who committed suicide.  Compose a suicide letter written from the character's point-of-view explaining why he/she felt the need to kill him/herself.  You may also want to include any of the character's last thoughts or wishes as well as messages to be given to his/her survivors.  This letter will be about 20 sentences long.

4) Making a Movie: Pretend you are making a movie for Julius Caesar.  Choose TEN of the characters from the play and explain which actor/actress you would choose for each role and why.  Each explanation should be at least TWO full sentences which BOTH explain why you chose the actor/actress (not WHO you chose).

Homework: Goal Contract: Write down THREE goals you would like to achieve in English class during the rest of the year, then sign the bottom of the page.

Wednesday, March 30

Objective: Students will complete a Unit Test on Julius Caesar.

Do-Now: You have 15 minutes to review for your Unit Test.

Agenda: 1) Unit Test #2

2) Reading “The Fear and the Flames” pp. 874 – 877.

3) Writing : Comparing Caesar and King : Pg. 879.  Write a THREE paragraph essay comparing the events following the assassination of Martin Luther King to the events following the assassination of Julius Caesar.

Homework: Memorize speech 1, 2, or 4 on pg. 880 to recite in class tomorrow for Extra Credit.

Tuesday, March 29

Objective: Students will create and take online quizzes to help prepare for the Julius Caesar Unit Test.

Journal: In Shakespeare’s play, Caesar was quoted as saying, “Cowards die many times before their deaths.  The brave experience death only once.”  What did he mean by this?  Do you agree/disagree with this quote?  Would Brutus fit Caesar’s definition of a coward?  Why or why not?  Would Caesar consider YOU to be a coward or brave?  Explain.

Agenda: 1) Take an online practice quiz for Julius Caesar.  Click HERE

2) Just for fun: Julius Caesar on the Cosby Show.  Click HERE

3) Make your own Julius Caesar Jeopardy!!!  Click HERE

Homework: Study for Tomorrow's Unit Test!!!

Monday, March 28

Objective: Students will review Julius Caesar in preparation for a Unit Test.

Journal: Why do you think Brutus kills himself (despite the fact he swore he never would?)  If you were Antony/Octavius, would you have shown (dead) Brutus respect?  How else do Antony/Octavius show they are compassionate men?  By the end of the play, has everyone truly gotten what he/she deserved?

Agenda: 1) Class will construct a plot pyramid including the important events in Julius Caesar.

2) Class will go over the Unit Test 2 Review Packet to ensure each student has the correct answers to study with.

3) Class will be divided into two teams and play a Jeopardy review game to help prepare for the Unit Test.
Play Jeopardy!

Homework: Use your Unit Test 2 Review Packet to Study for Wednesday’s Unit Test

Friday, March 25

Objective: Students will complete a review packet for Unit Test #2 on Julius Caesar.

Journal: FREE WRITE

Agenda:  1) Vocabulary Quiz #7

2) Unit Test #2 Review Packet

Homework: Finish Review Packet

Thursday, March 24

Objective: Students will be able to summarize the main events which occur during the resolution and denoument of Julius Caesar.  Students will be able to explain whether or not they feel justice was served by the end of the play.

Do-Now: Vocabulary Practice Quiz

Agenda: 1) Go over Practice Quiz

2) Class will read Act 5, Scenes 4 and 5 of Julius Caesar pp. 227 – 239.  How is the conflict between the conspirators and the triumvirate resolved?  How does the denoument tie the end of the play together?

3) Response & Analysis Pg. 878 # 1-5, 7, 8, 9, 11

Exit Slip: Draw a plot pyramid for Julius Caesar including the most important events of the entire play.

Homework: Study for tomorrow's vocabulary quiz.

Wednesday, March 23

Objective: Students will create a fake Facebook page for a character from Julius Caesar which portrays all or part of the plot of the play.

Journal: How do you feel social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have changed America?  Do you believe these sites cause people to be more social or less social?  Do these sites help people connect with each other, or tear relationships apart?  Explain.

Agenda: 1) View Examples of "My Fake Wall" Facebook Pages  My Fake Wall

2) My Fake Wall demonstration

3) Students will use MyFakeWall.com to create a Facebook page for one of the characters from Julius Caesar.  This page will include all or part or the plot of Julius Caesar and will illustrate the student’s understanding of both the story and the character.  Students will be encouraged to imagine what each character would have thought/felt throughout the course of the play.

Exit Slip: Students will share their MyFakeWall Facebook pages with a classmate.  The classmate will fill out an “Exit Slip” describing what they liked about their classmate’s page.

Homework: Written Reflection: How well were you able to portray your character with your Facebook page?  What changes would you make if you were to do this assignment again?  What did you like most about the classmate’s page that you viewed?

Tuesday, March 22

Objectives: Students will be able to describe how Brutus/Cassius/Antony/Octavius use insults to comment on their enemies’ character.  Students will be able to describe an event in the falling action of Julius Caesar that represents situational irony.

Journal: What do you predict will ultimately happen to each of the following characters: Brutus, Cassius, Antony, Octavius?  In the end of the play, do you think good will triumph over evil?  Which characters do you consider to be the “good guys” in this play?  Explain.

Agenda: 1) Vocabulary Practice Worksheet: Agree or Disagree?

2) Class will read Act 5, Scene 1 of Julius Caesar pp. 201-211.  How do the men insult each other before the beginning of the battle?

3) Independent Reading: Read Act 5, Scene 3 of Julius Caesar pp. 215 – 225.  What misunderstandings lead to Cassius’ death?

Exit Slip: Describe the misunderstanding that leads to Cassius killing himself.  How is this event an example of situational irony?

Homework: Recognizing Anachronisms pg. 853 # 1, 2

Monday, March 21

Objectives: Students will be able to explain how Caesar’s ghost is used as foreshadowing.  Students will be able to compare/contrast how Brutus and Cassius react to the news of Portia’s death.

Journal: How do you handle death?  When someone you know passes away, do you become very emotional or do you tend to show no emotion at all?  Are you affected by the reactions of people around you?  Is death easy for you to deal with or challenging?  Explain.

Agenda: 1) Introduce new SAT vocabulary words: adulation, adversity, aesthetic, amicable, assiduous, benevolent, circuitous, compassion, condescending, deleterious, emulate, ephermeral, exasperation, exemplary, fortuitous

2) Read Julius Caesar pp. 177 - 199.  Focus on Brutus/Cassius' reactions to Portia's deaht.  Discuss why Caesar's ghost returns to speak with Brutus.

3) Response & Analysis Pg. 852 # 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 13. 16

4) Exit Slip: What is the purpose of Caesar's ghost appearing at the end of Act 4?  How is Caesar's ghost used as foreshadowing?

Homework: Vocabulary Practice Worksheet

Friday, March 18

Objective: Students will be able to describe how Antony/Octavius plan to take down the conspiracy.  Students will be able to describe the conflict between Brutus/Cassius in Act 4, Scene 3.


Journal: FREE WRITE


Agenda: 1) Go over Vocabulary Practice Quiz


2) Take Vocabulary Quiz


3) Class reading of Act 4, Scenes 1 and 2 of Julius Caesar, pp. 155-165.  Focusing on Antony/Octavius’ plans for battling the conspirators.


4) In pairs, reading Act 4, Scene 3 of Julius Caesar, pp. 167-177.  Examining the external conflict Brutus/Cassius are having with each other.


5) Exit Slip: Describe the external conflict between Brutus and Cassius.  Why was Brutus upset with Cassius?  Why was Cassius upset with Brutus?  How do they finally resolve their conflict?


Homework: Paraphrasing: Your Own Words pg. 833 # 1, 2

Thursday, March 17

Objective: Students will create an animated video clip which displays a scene from Julius Caesar.

Do-Now: Look through Acts 1-3 of Julius Caesar and choose part of a scene you would be interested in making an animated video for.  Your video will run for approximately 30 seconds which will equal about one page worth of dialogue from the play. 

Agenda: 1) Intro to Xtranormal  www.xtranormal.com

2) Create an Xtranormal animation video which portrays part of a scene from Julius Caesar Acts 1-3.  This scene will run for approximately 30 seconds when finished.  You can choose to either use one character (for a soliloquy) or two characters (for a conversation or a monologue).

3) SAVE your Xtranormal to your account.  Then, show it to Ms. W for credit.

Homework: Vocabulary Practice Test

Wednesday, March 16

Objective: Students will be able to recall important events that occurred during the first three acts of Julius Caesar.

Journal: Who do you believe had the more convincing funeral speech: Brutus or Antony?  Why was his speech better?  What did he do/say to convince the people to side with him?  How did he evoke emotional responses from the Roman public?

Agenda: 1) "Beware the Ides of March" Pop Quiz on Julius Caesar Acts 1-3

2) Response & Analysis Pg. 832 # 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13

3) Go over Pop Quiz

Monday, March 14

Objectives:

Students will be able to identify and describe persuasive techniques being used by Brutus and Antony in their funeral speeches.  Students will be able to compare/contrast Brutus and Antony’s speeches and explain which one was more effective on the Roman public.

Journal:

Why is Brutus the last one to stab Caesar?  How is this significant?  How does Antony pretend to feel about Caesar’s death in his monologue to the conspirators?  How does Antony really feel in his soliloquy over Caesar’s body?  What does Antony plan on doing now?

Agenda:

1) Introduce SAT Word List #3: dilemma, upshot, indolence, paramount, upbraid, prodigious, fastidious, malleable, uproarious, parched, profane, serene, dilettante, prodigal, indigenous

2) Review monologue; discuss public speaking techniques

3) View video of Obama’s funeral speech for the victims in Arizona

Obama's Speech Click Here

4) Read Julius Caesar Act 3, Scene 2 pp. 127-149 in No Fear Shakespeare.  Look for persuasive techniques used by Brutus/Antony in their speeches.  Discuss the effects of these techniques on the Roman public.

5) Compare/Contrast Brutus and Antony’s speeches.

6) Exit Slip: Identify TWO strategies used by Brutus in his funeral speech.  Identify TWO strategies used by Antony in his funeral speech.

Homework:

Read Act 3, Scene 3 of Julius Caesar.  Explain what is happening in the scene (Why are the plebeians going after Cinna the Poet?  Who do they (mistakenly) think he is?)  What do you think is the purpose of this scene? (Why did Shakespeare include it as part of the play?  Hint: Think about what happened in the scene before).

Friday, March 11

Objective: Students will find examples of suspense and foreshadowing being used in the scenes leading up to Caesar's assassination.  Students will be able to explain how Antony uses monologue to resolve his external conflict and soliloquy to express his internal conflict.

Journal: FREE WRITE

Agenda: 1) Vocabulary Quiz #5

2) Review Monologue vs. Soliloquy; Review Internal vs. External Conflict

3) Read Julius Caesar Act 3, Scene 1, pp. 99-125 in No Fear Shakespeare.

4) "Two-Faced" Worksheet: Inside one face, paraphrase what Antony said to the conspirators in his monologue.  Inside the opposite face, paraphrase what Antony said in his soliloquy to Caesar's body.

Homework: Prepare for a quiz on Act 3 which will be given on Tuesday.  If you missed any of the scenes we have read, you can read them online HERE ------> No Fear Shakespeare

Thursday, March 10

Objective: Students will be able to describe the physical appearance and history behind famous Roman structures/buildings.

Do-Now: Vocabulary Practice Quiz

Agenda: Virtual Tour of Rome: Today we will be using GoogleEarth to conduct a virtual tour of Rome.  You will be touring FIVE different buildings/structures.  For each building/structure, you will write a desciption of it as well as give the history behind it.  The class will tour the Colosseum together, then you will choose FOUR other buildings/structures you wish to tour on your own.

Homework: Study for tomorrow's vocabulary quiz.

Wednesday, March 9

Objective: Students will find examples of suspense and foreshadowing being used in the scenes leading up to Caesar's assassination.

Do-Now: How has Caesar's hubris (excessive pride) made him decide to ignore all warnings and go to the Capitol?  How does Decius trick Caesar into going to the Capitol?  Explain and give examples from the play.

Agenda: 1) Review suspense and foreshadowing

2) Group Reading: In groups of no more than FOUR, finish reading Act 2 of Julius Caesar.  Look for uses of foreshadowing and suspense as Caesar prepares to go to the Capitol.


3) Response & Analysis: Pg. 804 # 1-5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11


4) VENN Diagram: Compare Portia and Calphurnia as women/wives.  List THREE similarities in the center and THREE differences for each woman's side.  You will have listed a total of NINE points when you are done.


5) Exit Slip: List THREE ways Shakespeare uses suspense and foreshadowing in Scenes 3 and 4 of Act 2 in Julius Caesar.


Homework: Fill in "Word Association Chart" for last FIVE vocabulary words: paradox, paragon, pristine, procrastinate, unscathed

Tuesday, March 8

Objective: Students will be able to compare/contrast the roles of Portia and Calphurnia as wives to Brutus and Caesar.  Students will be able to explain how Caesar’s hubris leads to his decision to go to the Capitol.

Journal: What qualities make someone a good wife?  What are women/wives expected to do/not do in today’s world?  What do you feel should be the role of a wife in a marriage?

Agenda: 1) Agree or Disagree?:

1. Men and women should be treated equally in a marriage.

2.  It is the husband's responsibility to be the breadwinner for the family.

3.  It is the wife's responsibility to keep the home clean and cook all meals.

4.  The husband should have the final say before any important decisions are made in the household.

5.  It is the wife's responsibility to take care of the children.

6.  Husbands and wives should not keep any secrets from eachother.

7.  The husband should be in control of all money matters in the household.

8.  Trust in a marriage should be given, not earned.

9.  A husband/wife should support their partner no matter what their partner does.

10.  A husband/wife has the right to leave their partner if their partner is being dishonest with him/her.

2) Review hubris: Caesar's tragic flaw.

3) Read “Julius Caesar” Act 2, Scenes 1 & 2, pp. 69-89 in No Fear Shakespeare.  Note qualities of Portia/Calphurnia as wives.  Look for examples of Caesar letting his hubris control him.

4) VENN Diagram: Create a VENN diagram comparing Portia/Calphurnia as women/wives.

5) Share Out: Students will share the information from their VENN diagrams to construct a class VENN diagram comparing Portia/Calphurnia.

HOMEWORK: Fill in “Word Association Chart” for next FIVE vocabulary words: falter, fanatical, inconspicuous, indifferent, malefactor

Monday, March 7

Objective: Students will be able to explain how a soliloquy is used to verbally express Brutus' internal conflict.  Students will be able to identify strategies used by the conspirators in their plot against Caesar.

Journal: Have you ever betrayed a friend?  How would you feel if a friend betrayed you?  What might someone else have to do/say to convince you to betray a friend?  Do you feel Cassius has convinced Brutus to betray Caesar?  Explain.

Agenda: 1) Introduce new SAT vocabulary words: anomaly, antagonism, diffident, digress, fallacious, falter, fanatical, inconspicuous, indifferent, malefactor, paradox, paragon, pristine, procrastinate, unscathed

2) Go over Unit Test #1

3) Review soliloquy vs. monologue

4) Read Act 2, Scene 1 of "Julius Caesar" pp. 49-67.  Examine Brutus' soliloquy and the conspirators' strategies against Caesar.

5) Exit Slip: List THREE strategies used by the conspirators in their plot against Caesar.

HOMEWORK: Fill in "Word Association Chart" for first FIVE vocabulary words: anomaly, antagonism, diffident, digress, fallacious

Friday, March 4

Objective: Students will research and record information on superstitions and their origins.

Journal: FREE WRITE

Agenda: 1) Go over Practice Quiz for Vocab Quiz #4

2) Vocab Quiz #4

3) Laptop Activity: Researching Superstitions: Using the laptops and a graphic organizer worksheet you will research various superstitions and their origins.  For each superstition, you will explain what people believe and then explain the story behind the belief.  Here are some helpful websites:

Website #1

Website #2

Website #3

Homework: Create your own superstition.  Write a paragraph (5-7 sentences) describing your own made-up superstition.  Describe what your superstition is (what people believe) and the origins of your superstition (how people came to believe in it.)  Remember, this is 100% fictional.

Thursday, March 3

Objective: Students will be able to identify and explain persuasive tactics used by one character on another.

Students will be able to explain how supernatural events are used to create foreshadowing.

Journal: 1) Vocabulary Practice: incoherent, inconsequential, malady, presumptuous, pretentious, prevaricate, scrutinize

2) Finish reading Act 1, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar: Focusing on Cassius’ use of passive persuasion on Brutus to ignite the rebellion against Caesar.

Read "Julius Caesar" Online HERE

3) Introduction to Roman Superstitions pg. 778: Students will be introduced to common Roman superstitions that will come into play while reading “Julius Caesar.”  Students will be asked to recall these superstitions when they find them mentions in the play.

4) Reading Act 1, Scene 3 of Julius Caesar: Focus on the supernatural events which foreshadow the eventual assassination of Julius Caesar.  Also, look for example of Roman superstition as part of the foreshadowing.

5) Response & Analysis: Pg. 779 # 1-6, 8, 9, 11, 13

Homework: Vocabulary Practice Quiz; Study for tomorrow's quiz!!!

Wednesday, March 2

Objective: Students will be able to identify and explain persuasive tactics used by one character on another.

Journal: Vocabulary Practice Worksheet: anecdote, animosity, annex, censure, extraneous, dexterous, dichotomy, extrinsic

 

Agenda: Reading Act 1, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar: Focusing on Cassius’ use of passive persuasion on Brutus to ignite the rebellion against Caesar.

Homework: Complete Word Association chart for the last FIVE vocabulary words: inconsequential, malady, presumptuous, pretentious, prevaricate, scrutinize