Tuesday, January 26th (Group A) and Friday, January 29th (Group B)

 1. Graphic Novel Terms Quiz

2. Understanding Comics discussion

Chapter 2 – Vocabulary of Comics 

• What is an icon?
• How does knowing what an icon help you “get” the author’s point about the “Treachery of Images”
• What is the difference between and icon and emanata? 
• Discuss the concept of the universality of the cartoon. How/why does this concept help readers of comics?

Chapter 3 – Blood in the Gutter 

• In comics, what is “the gutter?”
• Discuss the concept of closure as it relates to comics.
• Of the six types of transitions in comics, choose one that you find most interesting and tell why.
• What’s the point of the three stories about Carl that are shown on pages 84-85?

3. Persepolis Timeline

- Discussion of Iranian Revolution. 

4. Persepolis Reading Questions

Homework:

Read Persepolis 1-53. (Note taking guide in Schoology)

Read: "The Veil" in Schoology and answer questions

Complete: Practice quiz in Schoology

Monday, January 25th (Group A) and Thursday, January 28th (Group B)

1. Graphic Novel- Terms 

• Left to right
• Top to bottom
• Speech balloons- top to bottom. Left to right. 

2. "How to Read a Graphic Novel"-  Michael Chaney 

How to Read a Graphic Novel- Ted Talk

3. Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics"

4. Historical Context-

My favorite quote from the John Green video is "the truth resists simplicity."  

Iranian Revolution Timeline

___________________________________________________

Homework for Tuesday:

1. Quiz- Graphic Novel Terms

2. Read Chapter 1- Persepolis 

Friday, January 15th

Classwork today: 

1. "The Dream Deferred" in Fences Jamboard (Due today) 

2. TWO Discussion Boards on Characterization in Fences. (Initial post is due today)

Homework for next Thursday: (Due dates are set in Schoology at Wednesday, January 20th) 

1. Make sure the play is finished. IB LP is updated. 

2. Fences Act II quiz. 

3. 2 responses to classmates's per discussion board. 

4. Beyond Notes- Fences 

Tuesday, January 10th

 1. Lit HIIT- 

Watch the two scenes of Act I, scene 3 in performance. (Page 38)

Pace -Rate of movement or speed of action.

Props -Short for properties; any article, except costume or scenery, used as part of a dramatic production; any moveable object that appears on stage during a performance.

Scenery/Set- The theatrical equipment, such as curtains, flats, backdrops, or platforms, used in a dramatic production to communicate environment.

Paying attention to the staging of this scene, what do you notice and how does it impact your understanding of Troy’s monologue? 

2. Grammar and Mechanics Challenge- Active v. Passive Voice

3. American Dream and Fences small group discussion. 

• What is meant by the concept of the “American Dream”?  How do Troy and Cory each view the American Dream? 
• Why do their views differ? Do you think the American Dream is something that can come true for people in your generation?  
• Seven Concepts- Transformation- This concept is about the act of reading a text and the nature of the change that reading brings about. Studying a text is a complex process where as we read and think about the text, the text for us changes and we as a reader change because of what we have read. At the same time, as we read more texts and make connections between them, another transformation occurs in how we regard the texts.
• Compare August Wilson's perspective on the American Dream to F. Scott Fitzgerald's view? How does comparing them change how you understand each work? How do the works seem different after this comparison? 

HOMEWORK: 

1. Complete and upload two snippets from Act II. One for literary term. One for dramatic term. 

2. Finish Act II by Friday. 

Friday, January 8th

 1. LIT HIIT-Secondary Characters

Secondary characters: The secondary character is more than just a minor character. He or she is necessary to the story because this character reveals key details, motivates the protagonist, foils the protagonist, or helps define the story's setting.

Lit HIIT- Fences Secondary Characters

2. Historical context: Historical context is the social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental situations that influence the events or trends we see happen during that time.

To consider....

• August Wilson wrote Fences as one of his decades in his 10-play cycle. He purposefully consulted and considered the environment and the context of the 1950s.. specifically, 1957. How does this play reflect and speak to... post-war America? Pre-Civil Rights America? Pre-Vietnam America? 
• How does Troy's last name enhance this context? 
• What role does Pittsburg play in Wilson's message/themes? 

3. Fences as Metaphor

Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things. As a literary device, metaphor creates implicit comparisons without the express use of “like” or “as.” Metaphor is a means of asserting that two things are identical in comparison rather than just similar. This is useful in literature for using specific images or concepts to state abstract truths.

As Jim Bono says, "Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in."

To consider.... 

• Psychological/emotional fences
• Economic fences
• Race fences
• Literal fences/boundaries 
• What if the fence Wilson is really talking about is the limitations some people face in the world? What invisible, but powerful, fences created the circumstances for the Maxon family in this play?
• What is significant about Troy's first name in relationship to this metaphor?

4. Thematic Issue: Family and Community Relationships

In Fences, August Wilson explores family relationships and the responsibilities of parents and children. According to Wilson, “One of the questions in Fences was ‘Are we our fathers’ sons? And if in fact we are our fathers sons, must we become our fathers? Are the tools that they have given us to participate in the world… are they sufficient for our survival and progress?”

To consider....

• What is the impact of Troy's relationship with his father on his current relationship with his own son? 
• How does Troy's experience with his own family impact the way he interacts with the community? 
• How can an individual's relationship with family extend to their perception of community?
• How does Gabe's sacrifice in the war amplify a son's dedication to an "absent parent?" 

Homework for Tuesday: 

1. Finish Act 1 of Fences. 

2.  Work through the Thematic Issue of Family and Community Relationships (see above). Put ideas in notes. 

3. Watch Davis and Washington interview (Schoology). Look for hints of universal themes. 

4. Work on IB LP expectations. 

January, 4th/5th

1. Lit HIIT- Fences Stage Directions

Playwrights include STAGE DIRECTIONS in order to provide notes on elements such as: setting, action, character, tone. Since plays are performed, stage directions can replace information a reader might get from a narrator or through reading characters’ thoughts and feelings.

2. Introduction to August Wilson

              

Wilson's Century Cycle

1900: Gem of the Ocean (2002)

1910: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1986)

1920: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984)

1930: The Piano Lesson (1989)

1940: Seven Guitars (1995)

1950: Fences (1985)

1960: Two Trains Running (1990)

1970: Jitney (1982)

1980: King Hedley II (2001)

1990: Radio Golf (2005)

3. Fences reading schedule and IB LP expectations. 

4. Small group work: Fences trailer. Fences Trailer

• The first two characters we see are Troy and Rose. Using the short clips we see and the interactions that appear, how would you describe their relationship? Use their body language, gestures, and tone to support your prediction.
• Washington includes some of Troy’s wisdom here. What are three of the ideas or beliefs Troy seems to feel are important? What does this reveal about his characterization? 
• At 1 min. 22 seconds, Rose offers her perspective. What does she say? What does it indicate about Rose's character? 
• Cory (their son) asks Troy about liking him and then mentions Troy holding him back. What do you predict is their problem? How do you think Cory will work to indirectly characterize Troy? 
• At the end of the trailer, Troy’s friend (Bono) speaks in a voiceover (just images, no person). He contrasts two reasons a person might build a fence. What are those reasons?

4. Language Discussion

Vernacular-  The language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people of a country or region, I.e; your native language. As an adjective- vernacular is informal form of language. 

Dialect- A particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group I.e; the way in which the language is spoken.

Epithet- abusive, defamatory, or derogatory phrase. 

Classroom note: This language will not be repeated in the classroom as we reference the text in discussion or in writing.  Language has incredible power to empower and to subjugate. Learned communicators recognize and respect linguistic boundaries.

HOMEWORK for Friday, January 8th: 

1. Read Act 1. Scenes 1 and 2. 

2. Read through and take notes on Dramatic and Theatrical Terms (Schoology) QUIZ in FUTURE.

3.  Read and annotate background information for Fences. Found in Schoology folder. Submit to Schoology. 

4. Read through Grammar/Mechanics Challenge of the week.