november 6

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: Symphony #1 by Ludwig van Beethoven, performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein)

Why does Hamlet go to the trouble of orchestrating an elaborate ruse with the play-within-a-play, when the ghost's testimony and his intuition appear to provide sufficient justification for revenge?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Lecturette/breakdown of "To be..."
3. Act III

HW:
1. Catch up on "To be..."
2. Catch up on literature analysis work
3. Catch up on college/scholarship

kudos

Introducing KUDOS-- a monthly summary of good news and general updates.  Congratulations to the following students on their college admissions and scholarship wins!

Courtney Reyburn: Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce Scholarship
Hannah Hurd: Elks Scholarship
Judith Lee: Comcast Leaders Scholarship
Daniel Black: Elks Scholarship; Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce Scholarship
Stevie Wisz: CFW Scholarship
Cameron Walker: Admitted to Stanford University
Lukas Sheckherd: Admitted to University of Montana, Humboldt State University
Siera Betts: Admitted to Fresno State
Miles Jorgensen: Admitted to Northern Arizona University

If I missed anyone, or if you've done something amazing since I posted this, please let me/us know in class or comment below.

cameron: to be or not to be...

He may be Stanford's tomorrow (go #22!) but he's Shakespeare's today:

november 5

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Lo Que Dice" by Ozomatli; "Mercy" by The Shys; "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads]

Among the topical possibilities for today's journal:
1) Listen to the lyrics and connect them to Hamlet;
2) Ask yourself, "How did I get to this point in my life and where am I going from here?"
If neither of these resonates, observe where your mind takes you and invent your own.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Finish Act I & II presentations
3. "To be..."
4. College/scholarship apps

HW:
1. Finish "To be..." if necessary

presentations on acts I & II

"We chose the scene where Hamlet acts all crazy and talks to Polonius.  We chose music and elements of humor to make the ideas more accessible and easier to understand." -Naiomi



"We intended this remix to get attention through humor, so we included intentional errors in continuity, soundtrack features, and allusions to other works." -Miles



"We tried to condense the first two acts into action, and infuse some humor to make it more accessible." -Imanie
"And, since the language in Hamlet is so flowery, we made it a silent film so the viewer wouldn't be distracted." -Hannah

november 4

***IF YOU ARE 18, VOTE.***

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today most Americans will not vote, but they will go right on complaining about the government, the infrastructure, taxes, campaign finance, health care, gas prices, the environment, cable, these kids today, and whatever else bothers them. Why do so many whine so much and do so little? What is the importance of a vote in today's world? How can you take a more vocal role in other areas of your life that require decision-making, like learning?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. To Beez or not to beez
3. Act I/II presentations

HW:
1. Vote.
2. Nag someone else to vote.

november 3

JOURNAL TOPIC: ("Riders on the Storm" by The Doors; "Here Comes the Rain Again" by The Eurythmics)

Over the weekend it rained for the first time in a long, long time.  How do authors use rain to establish setting and tone?  Consider this example from Ray Bradbury:

“I went to bed and woke in the middle of the night thinking I heard someone cry, thinking I myself was weeping, and I felt my face and it was dry.

Then I looked at the window and thought: Why, yes, it's just the rain, the rain, always the rain, and turned over, sadder still, and fumbled about for my dripping sleep and tried to slip it back on.”
― Ray Bradbury, Green Shadows, White Whale: A Novel of Ray Bradbury's Adventures Making Moby Dick with John Huston in Ireland

AGENDA:

1. Journal

2. Paragraph explaining your grade

3. Grade conferences/"To B or not to B..."

HW:

1. Preview Act III Scene i