Tomorrow’s test consists of eight questions of which you should answer at least five. By that I mean that I will count only your best five answers. It might be to your advantage to answer all of the questions and let me pick the best five.

Please type your answers, or write them on a separate piece of paper. I will not be counting grammar and spelling AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT INTERFERE WITH COMPREHENTION.

Here is an example of the type of question you will see and the types of answers I expect:

What motivates Siddhartha?

Possible answer:

Initially, Siddhartha is motivated by the search for enlightenment as it is described by his father and culture. After he breaks with his father, he begins to modify the idea based on his increasing age and experience level. For example, after breaking with the Samanas, he realizes that no teacher can help him achieve the Atman because it resides within him and is a personal experience. After that, his motivation is to look within. Siddhartha is also motivated by the people around him. Govinda, his father, Siddhartha, Jr., Kamala, and Vasudeva are all very important to him, and they do exert an influence. For example, his son causes him to look upon his father very differently than he did earlier in his life.

You should be ready to discuss the following ideas:

• major life changes that Siddhartha makes
• people who influenced or were influenced by Siddhartha
• the practical side of thinking, waiting, and fasting
• Siddhartha’s success at the end of his life (does he find what he sought?)
• Siddhartha’s ideas in relation to your own life

Here are the notes from today’s reading of the comic.  We should finish it tomorrow.

We are currently working on the Greek (Aesop) Fable critical analysis task.  All needed files are located in your network folder.  The second day of notes can be found below.  On Wednesday we will be using the information from our discussion and notes to complete a tree map in preparation for writing the essay.  Please remember that this task is based on fiction, rather than non fiction like the DBQ and the Listening Task.  This will be more difficult for some of you and you will experience some level of frustration.  Please use any frustration tolerance strategies that you have learned to avoid getting stuck.  Try taking a break, moving to parts of the tree map that are easier rather than struggling with something difficult.  remember that we have all of the basics planned out.  Your task at this point is to simply organize them and put you ideas into sentences.

Your Gothic stories are due before the upcoming break.  We will begin the movie Sleepy Hollow on Thursday.  If you are finished with the story, you’ll watch the movie as long as your permission slip is turned in.  Those who need more class time can continue working on their stories in the computer lab.

Yesterday we began reading Beowulf.  Notes are posted below for your review.  The plan is to read the comic first, in order to get the basic storyline down, then read the actual poem to get the details.  It will also give you a point of comparison that I hope will help you internalize the story.  Please be sure to check the notes every night to go over stuff I want you to remember.

This week we began looking at Task Three of the New York State ELA Regents Exam.  This task asks the student to look at two pieces of literature and then pull and support a controlling idea found in both pieces. 

Currently we are looking at a task that contains two Greek fables.  We will plan and write the essay in class before we leave for Christmas break.  As always, if you feel lost or have questions, you need to get in to see. me.  Staying after class at the beginning of your lunch period is a good time to get one on one help.

Here are the notes we took yesterday.

Today we finished The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  Please complete your tree maps by Monday.  Tomorrow we will be working in the computer lab on your own Gothic story.  Your story should meet the following parameters:

• Your story should be heavily laden with Gothic elements found in the Gothic elements sheet you were given at the beginning of the unit and in each of the stories we have read.
• Should be between three and five pages long given the submission guidelines found in the sidebar.

If you have trouble with the word laden, look it up or look here:

You have been given an actual copy of the test to prepare this evening!  Please use it.  On the test:

• Five short answers, one sentence each.
• One short answer essay.
• 10 vocab words
• 10 character matches

You guys have the words in the Power Point.  You have been given a tree map with all the info for the short answer essay.   These tree maps are also in your network folders.  Finally, here is the flow map of the plot that we did in class today:

Today we began looking at Task 3 on the ELA Regents exam.  For homework please answer the first five multiple choice questions from the August Exam.