English 12 Final Study Sheet

English 12 Final Study Sheet

OReilly

All SAT words colossus to figurative

(all the words are on the blog)

Identify and know how to punctuate sentences with the following:

compound sentence: I eat cheese, and I drink milk

complex sentence: When I eat cheese, I am happy.

compound complex sentence: When I eat cheese, I am happy, and I feel that the world is alive with the grandeur of God.

participial phrase: Eating cheese, I feel bliss.

prepositional Phrase: In the morning, I eat cheese.

simple sentence:

I eat cheese.

Eating cheese, I feel bliss.

In the morning, I eat cheese.

Know all the literary devices we previously studied:

alliteration

assonance

consonance

homoeoteleuton

allusion

analogy or extended metaphor:

caesura

enjambement

hyperbole

metaphor

metonymy

onomatopoeia

oxymoron

personification:

symbol

internal rhyme

Practice:

What, if anything, is wrong with the following sentences:

1) I eat cheese because I love cheese.

2) Once upon a time I was happy, now my life is in a shambles.

3) On the lovely ranch are happy munching cows and I will go there to drink their ambrosial milk.

4) Contemplating cheese, it occurs to me that cheese—albeit a cultured food— is often misunderstood.

5) I love cheese but sometimes I tire of it but that does not mean I eat soy.

6) She eats too much cheese and feels it makes her more buxom.

7) Although I often contemplate herons flying I cannot fathom their mystique.

8) Now that I know the truth I wonder if he has heard the knows and I hope he hasn't.

Identify the parts of speech above. Look for the following: simple sentence, compound sentence, complex sentence, prepositional phrase, participial phrase, subordinate clause, independent clause, complex/compound sentence

Movie Reviews: the assignment

The Movie Unit

OReilly

English 12

What You Will be Doing

For the next six weeks, we will be watching a movie a week. For each movie you will write or make (film or perform a la Siskel and Ebert) a movie review. You may complete the performed movie review assignment alone or with a partner. In addition, watch one of the best 100 movies listed on this site and present a review of it to the class: http://www.filmsite.org/momentsindx.html. In your review include all the information listed below, plus use the above website to research your movie and provide some interesting background historical material on the film. 

How to Write Movie Reviews: Checklist

5_______My opinion is clearly stated right away, probably in the opening. Readers immediately know whether I recommend they buy a ticket, wait for the video, or just read the book.

20_______I have given specific examples to support my point of view: such examples may refer to costumes, special effects, lighting, and/or camera work. Other specific comments may refer to background information, such as how well the film compares to other films in its genre; how well the film was adapted or remade from a book, play, or previous film; or how effectively the movie comments on cultural or historical events. Avoid superlative words such as best, worse, good, terrible, horrible, awesome. This is where you must get creative and prove your point. Show don't tell. Pick the telling, specific examples that prove your point. See below for examples.

5_______I have used the right tone and vocabulary for my reader/listeners. Please state where your review would be published below your title.

5_______I have included a brief summary of the action.

5_______I have not revealed the ending of the movie.

5_______I have included something about actors, actresses, and director (be specific, describe vividly, use sensory imagery). See below for how to parenthetically cite the names of the actors.

10_______I have used correct punctuation and spelling. If this is a performed review, provide me with a typed script.

5_______I have used the correct format: In your opening you state (at the least) the name of the movie, the director, genre, one of the starring actors, and the year of release. Include at the end of your review the running time, distributor, and rating

5_______I have been honest.

5_______Rate the movie (see below)

10 points _______ Maximum length: one and a half pages typed, usual formatting. Three pages NEATLY handwritten, skip lines, no more please. Be brief. This is a review for busy people. INCLUDE THIS RUBRIC WITH YOUR REVIEW,

Movie Ratings

5 stars: See the movie on the big screen. Don't miss it. Worth every penny;

4 stars: Worth seeing, but you don't need to go out of your way. You might want to wait for the DVD if you are strapped for cash these days.

3 stars: Go see it if you have nothing else to do; otherwise, just put it on your Netflix queue .

2 stars: Wait for the DVD if you really care; otherwise, forget about it.

1 star: Don't waste your time or money. Forget this one.

Important Hints

• Know your purpose: You are helping moviegoers to make a decision. Individuals cannot afford to go to every movie that opens. Some movies are not appropriate for all audiences. Some movies can only be appreciated on the large screen. While some movies are worth viewing, they are not worth the price of the box office ticket. These are the ones that should be viewed when they come to television or on video.

• Don’t hide your opinion. People are reading your movie review to know your opinion. Don't be afraid to state it.

• When writing about characters' actions, don't confuse the characters with the actors who are portraying them. Actors' names often appear in parenthesis after the name of the character they play. 

• Where does the title of the movie appear? What information is included at the end of each review for quick reference? Readers want to read the review quickly. Give them the information they need and an easy place to find it.

• Know the basics: Title, producer, director, rating, distributor, running time can be found on official movie Web sites.

• Know the genre. Is this a good example of the genre?

• Know the actors, actresses, and director. Include the names of leading actors and actresses and evaluate how well they played their roles. Include other movies directed by the director if they help to understand his approach or expectations viewers have of his movies.

• Summarize the plot, but don't tell the ending.  When a movie is based upon a book or play, and the movie has a different ending, you may state the movie is different, but don't give it away.

• Select a scene and discuss it: Is there a scene that captures the spirit of the story? A scene that demonstrates lighting and cinematography as well as acting?

Example of specific details

The following tells me nothing:

The acting was great and the villain was scary.

This is specific and vivid:
Scorcese's choice of directing the villain, Otis (Garcia Sonora), to rock a baby in his arms while he calmly discusses how he murdered and decapitated his cousin underscores the complexity of this character's evil. The viewers learn to unwittingly love Otis as we watch him care for the wounded and tenderly swaddle his baby, but then our repugnance is amplified by our previous confidence when we see him slowly strangle his wife after making love to her.

Role Models

Offbeat:

http://moviebob.blogspot.com/

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation

Traditional:

http://www.richardroeper.com/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/

Siskel and Ebert argue:

http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/atm/reviews.html?sec=6&subsec=Jurassic+park

Good example review of the Truman show:

http://www.observer.com/node/40603

Free Reading and Writing

Free Reading and Writing for Six Weeks

English

OReilly

Writing:

60__________Ten pages handwritten or five pages a week typed (12 point font, double spaced, one inch margins)

This can be poetry

Songs

Diary

or a combination

10 extra credit______________Please feel free to illustrate or embellish (one point per illustration up to ten illustrations), but I do need to see sixty full pages of writing, so if you interrupt your writing with an illustration, you need to add more writing.

10_______________Please keep all your writing in an 8.5 by 11 journal specifically dedicated to your writing.

You will be given at least forty minutes a week of class time to write.

At the end of six weeks, I will ask that you turn-in your jurnal. Please mark any pages you don't want me to read with a clear sign not to trespass.

No more than than 2 pages can be off limits.

Please be aware that I am a mandated reporter; this means I must report the following:

financial, physical, sexual or other types of abuse, evidence of neglect, or an imminent risk of serious harm.

20_________At the end of the six weeks, please select an excerpt from your writing to be published on our class blog, which I will create.

5 points_________ Attach this rubric to the final product

20 points__________beauty, legibility, literary elegance, profundity, honesty, soul

Reading

You will go to the library/bookstore/Amazon and select a text to read. You must select your text by _____________.

The text can be fiction, poetry, biography, autobiography, memoir, historical fiction; sorry, no graphic novels; science fiction; anything else? ask me. The text must be at least 300 pages long, or you may read two shorter books that equal at least 300 pages. I suggest you seek books on a subject that interests you; if you love sports, find a book on sports. If you love music, find a book on music.

5 points per Monday___________Mondays will be reading day. Always bring your book on Mondays. Every Monday I will check that your reading logs are up-to-date. You must read fifty pages a week minimum.

For every approximately 50 pages you must complete the following activity:

60 _____________Select an excerpt that catches your attention for any reason: emotional impact, humor, excellent plot turn, beautiful language or imagery, or even poor writing. Copy that excerpt into your reading response notes, include page number. Be aware of all the literary devices we have studied: metaphor, simile, personification, symbols. But also be aware of humor, believable characters, exciting plot, suspense; or any insightful knowledge of history, culture, or science.

60_____________ Comment on the excerpt. At the least, comment on why the excerpt impacted you. Keep you commentary in LP. Please do not use 1PV. In other words, do not say, "I like this excerpt because...." rather comment directly on the style: "The imagery in this excerpt is vivid. When the author describes the character drowning, the reader empathizes, and the moment is tragic. The drowning is also dramatic because the character is a sympathetic character whom the reader has grown to like."

The Final Project:

At the end of the six weeks, I will ask that you write a response to the text

10 ___________ Select some aspect of the author's style that you have encountered in the book and excerpt a sample of the style. In one or two sentences, briefly analyze that style:

In The Sound of Waves, by Yokio Mishima, vivid imagery, simile, and personification create a dream-like tone. The phrase "the ocean bestows" is personification, and "she gazed at me like a persimmon in a bucket" is a simile that creates a vivid image. Personification of the ocean makes the ocean seem alive, like a sentient God. The vivid imagery of a bright orange persimmon in a bucket is like the surprising and unexpected image in a dream.

When I say analyze, I mean specifically comment on how the writer's style creates theme, tone, suspense, meaning, interest, surprise, beauty, emotion, or insight.

50 ___________ After your brief analysis, write your own passage of at least one page using the author's style as analyzed in your response.

10 ___________ At the end of your writing sample, briefly defend, using specific examples, the way in which you have mimicked the author's style as defined by you in your analysis of thr author's style.

15 ___________ Correct formatting, punctuation, mechanics, this rubric

Extra Credit: Generic Movie, Play, or Whatever

Write a tasty paragraph

5_______Your topic sentence states whether or not the play/film was entertaining or effective in getting its points or themes across. Your topic sentence should state the name of the play/movie/whatever.

15_______Three reasons (yellows) stating specifically how the play was or was not effective or entertaining.

15_______At least two specific, vivid, descriptive examples (reds) per each yellow explaining why the play/film was or was not effective or entertaining. Describe sets, direction, acting, costumes, or plot. Explain why you feel the way you do.

5_______Conclude. Restate your main idea and provide closure.

As always, properly format, color code, avoid errors in punctuation and grammar, use LP, and turn in with this rubric stapled to the top

Free Reading/Writing Assignment

Free Reading and Writing for Six Weeks

English

OReilly

Writing:

60__________Ten pages handwritten or five pages a week typed

This can be poetry

Songs

Diary

or a combination

10 extra credit______________Please feel free to illustrate or embellish (one point per illustration up to ten illustrations), but I do need to see sixty full pages of writing, so if you interrupt your writing with an illustration, you need to add more writing.

10_______________Please keep all your writing in an 8.5 by 11 journal specifically dedicated to your writing.

You will be given at least forty minutes a week of class time to write.

At the end of six weeks, I will ask that you turn your journal in. Please mark any pages you don't want me to read with a clear sign not to trespass.

No more than than 2 pages can be off limits.

Please be aware that I am a mandated reporter; this means I must report the following:

financial, physical, sexual or other types of abuse, evidence of neglect, or an imminent risk of serious harm.

20_________At the end of the six weeks, please select an excerpt from your writing to be published on our class blog, which I will create.

5 points_________ Attach this rubric to the final product

20 points__________beauty, legibility, literary elegance, profundity, honesty, soul

Reading

You will go to the library/bookstore/Amazon and select a text to read. You must select your text by _____________.

The text can be fiction, poetry, biography, autobiography, memoir, historical fiction; sorry, no graphic novels; science fiction; anything else? ask me. The text must be at least 300 pages long, or you may read two shorter books that equal at least 300 pages. I suggest you seek books on a subject that interests you; if you love sports, find a book on sports. If you love music, find a book on music.

5 points per Monday___________Mondays will be reading day. Always bring your book on Mondays. Every Monday I will check that your reading logs are up-to-date. You must read fifty pages a week minimum.

For every approximately 50 pages you must complete the following activity:

60 _____________Select an excerpt that catches your attention for any reason: emotional impact, humor, excellent plot turn, beautiful language or imagery, or even poor writing. Copy that excerpt into your reading response notes, include page number. Be aware of all the literary devices we have studied: metaphor, simile, personification, symbols. But also be aware of humor, believable characters, exciting plot, suspense; or any insightful knowledge of history, culture, or science.

60_____________ Comment on the excerpt. At the least, comment on why the excerpt impacted you. Keep you commentary in LP. Please do not use 1PV. In other words, do not say, "I like this excerpt because...." rather comment directly on the style: "The imagery in this excerpt is vivid. When the author describes the character drowning, the reader empathizes, and the moment is tragic. The drowning is also dramatic because the character is a sympathetic character whom the reader has grown to like."

The Final Project:

At the end of the six weeks, I will ask that you write a response to the text

10 ___________ Select some aspect of the author's style that you have encountered in the book and excerpt a sample of the style. In one or two sentences, briefly analyze that style:

In The Sound of Waves, by Yokio Mishima, vivid imagery, simile, and personification create a dream-like tone. The phrase "the ocean bestows" is personification, and "she gazed at me like a persimmon in a bucket" is a simile that creates a vivid image. Personification of the ocean makes the ocean seem alive, like a sentient God. The vivid imagery of a bright orange persimmon in a bucket is like the surprising and unexpected image in a dream.

When I say analyze, I mean specifically comment on how the writer's style creates theme, tone, suspense, meaning, interest, surprise, beauty, emotion, or insight.

50 ___________ After your brief analysis, write your own passage of at least one page using the author's style as analyzed in your response.

10 ___________ At the end of your writing sample, briefly defend, using specific examples, the way in which you have mimicked the author's style.

15 ___________ Correct formatting, punctuation, mechanics, this rubric

My Literary Devices are the Nicest

My Literary Devices are the Nicest

English 12

OReilly

You will create a book, play, DVD, podcast, set of songs, website, blog, piece of art, or any other communication medium that includes each of the literary devices we will be learning on a daily basis in class. You may do this assignment alone or in groups of two to five. The literary devices can be found on my blog at: http://oreillyenglish122010.blogspot.com/

You must use each of the literary devices in the following ways:

5 points each You must define each literary device.

5 points each You must find and display an example of each literary device in someone else's writing.

5 point each You must explain how each device works to support theme or tone in any of your examples (yours or others'). Or describe how the device works to deepen meaning.

5 points each You must creatively use the literary device in your own story, poem, aphorism, rap, movie, play, or song. The use of your literary device can be in a continuing work, or in a separate and distinct piece created specifically to display each literary device.

20 points overall Your work is consistently perfected, polished, gorgeous, detailed; serious in intent, even if comic in tone. Please don't bore me. Don't carry on simply for the sake of the assignment's requirement. Bring yourself, your passions, your voice, and your interests to the piece. Make every element and detail resonate like an ancient church bell tolling, a dove cooing, or a baby laughing as you awaken from a long slumber.

If you create a book, you must have an illustration for every page unless you are working alone.

You may be wondering: how does one explain how a literary device deepens meaning?

Here's an example of an explanation of how homoioteleuton works to deepen meaning or support theme in the following song:

"That’s why, darling, it’s incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks I’m unforgettable too."
("Unforgettable," sung by Nat King Cole

The homoioteleuton of "incredible" and "unforgettable" create a sense of magic, as if these two people are meant to be together. The words fit, jst as the people in the song fit each other .

Crispety, crunchety, peanut-buttery Butterfinger."
(advertising slogan for Butterfinger candy bar)

The homoioteleuton in this ditty sound like crunching, which reminds the reader to chew a yummy chocolate bar.

Discerning meaning is the hardest part of the assignment. If you don't know the answer guess, gasp at straws, but argue strongly for your reasoning, using examples if possible.

I have to correct these art pieces. How does one grade art? By using the rubric above. I don't care how you incorporate each of the elements of the rubric, but it must be clear to me that you have, indeed, incorporated all the elements: perhaps, if you produce a play or DVD, you can create a separate document that cites the examples out of the script and defines, shows an example, and explains how the device works to create meaning. Since you can have up to five people in your group, you can assign different jobs to different people: for instance, one member of the group can be in charge of defining and finding examples of the literary device, while another can be the analyst who creates an ongoing document that tracts how the literary device is use to support theme, tone, or meaning.

You will work on this in class as we go along. I will randomly to check to see if you are up to date. Whatever project you choose, make sure it is something you can work on in class. We will have some library time during the last two weeks of the project.