Period 1 & 2--ELA B 30/AP 30
Both of these classes started Act III today altough we didn't get very far! I used this class to do a viewing activity with the play as we first of all read the "To be or not to be" speech. Then we paraphrased the passage to determine a basic meaning. I did this so the kids didn't have to slog through the dialogue while they were watching and could just focus, instead, on what they saw and heard. We first viewed Kenneth Branagh's version of the speech. The students examined the setting, costumes, lighting, action/movements, sound, voice, and delivery of the speech. It was also important in studying this clip to have the conversation that Hamlet knew, or suspected, that Polonius and/or Claudius were spying on him. This totally changed how Hamlet delivered the speech. Instead of it being introspective, it could be taken to be much more aggressive and focussed not on himself, but at whoever was listening. In order to support or deny, we examined the other technical aspects which created totally different view of Shakespeare's words than we orginially read. Then, we viewed Mel Gibson's vesion of the speech. In this version, Polonius and Claudius weren't in the picture and the setting dictated the reaction of the actor. It was a very interesting comparison that we will continue during our next class. It all comes down to the fact that Shakespeare didn't leave much for stage directions, so HOW was this play, and this scene, intended to be viewed by the audience! It certainly created some interesting converstation.
Period 3--Pre-AP 10
We reviewed our understanding of Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech. Then, we looked at three oratorical devices (refrain, dramatic pause, and hyperbole) and noted where those were in his speech. The students finally got to listen to the speech and we spent a bit of time talking about the technical limitations 1963 had on the delivery of the speech. After we listened to it, we discussed tone and speed of delivery and what impact that had on the listener. At this point, we needed something to compare it to, so we pulled up President Obama's "Yes, We Can" speech when he won the Democratic nomination. As we listened, we looked for similarities. The bell rang before we got to the good part, so we'll finish this tomorrow.
Period 4--History 10
We finished using the power point on the English Civil War to fill in the few blanks that are on the handout. We went through Charles I and his Cavaliers vs. the Roundheads and then moved into Oliver Cromwell and the Protectorate. At the end of the class, the kids were making predictions about England's fate after the death of Oliver Cromwell and the ineffective leadership of his son, Richard.
Period 5--History 30
We continued with the treaties. To start class, I had the students write about one thing that they learned from yesterday and put in on the RAN chart in the "New Information" column. We continued to read and discussed points of view in History as we went. We almost finished going over the handout and were just looking at the First Nations obligations vs the Canadian govenrment obligations for Treaty No.6.
No comments:
Post a Comment