Resources for Summer Learning

Fun Ideas This Summer--for Teens

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/fun-ideas-this-summer-for-teens.html

It's Summer, There's Time To...

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/its-summer-theres-time-to.html

Summer Activities Collection

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-activities-collection.html

Summer Bump Not Slump: Midsummer Shakespeare Festival At Your House

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-bump-not-slump-midsummer.html

Summer Bump Not Slump: READ! READ! READ!

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-bump-not-slump-read-read-read.html

Summer Bump Not Slump: Everyday Science at Home

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-bump-not-slump-everyday-science.html

Mom, I'm Bored--What Can I Do?

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/mom-im-bored-what-can-i-do.html

Summer Activities: Art

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-activities-art.html

Well Rounded Summer Resources: Reading, Art, STEM, Nature

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/well-rounded-summer-resources-reading.html

Summer Bump Not Slump: For Budding Environmental Scientists

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-bump-not-slump-for-budding.html

White Fang by Jack London: Great Summer Read

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/white-fang-by-jack-london-great-summer.html

Summer Activity: Thunderstorm? Read This Story

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-activity-thunderstorm-read-this.html

Summer Bump Not Slump: Women's History-Is There Much?

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-bump-not-slump-womens-history-is.html

Summer Bump Not Slump: Online Resources for Readers

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/05/summer-bump-not-slump-online-resources.html

Summer Activity: Go Outside!

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-activity-go-outside.html

Kids' Activities For Summer (Warning: Its Gonna Be Wet)

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/05/kids-activities-for-summer-warning-its.html

Summer Bump Not Slump: A Variety of Resources

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-bump-not-slump-variety-of.html

Summer Activity: How Does Your Garden Taste?

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/05/summer-activity-how-does-your-garden.html

Summer Activities for Kids and Parents

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-activities-for-kids-and-parents.html

Summer Bump Not Slump: Stuff To Do

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-bump-not-slump-stuff-to-do.html

Summer Activity: Can You Swim?

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2019/06/summer-activity-can-you-swim.html

Don't Like Poetry? Betcha Do

...don't forget all those Valentine's rhymes!

 You say you don't like poetry--I doubt that. We just have to establish what we mean by poetry.

Yes, you enjoyed a movie that is all poetry.

That come-on line is nothing but poetry.

Romeo + Juliet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_%2B_Juliet 

 

The Cat in the Hat--even my name is poetry.

 

You can't say you never liked Dr. Seuss--what's that--you forgot it was poetry? 

The Cat in the Hat

http://www.seussville.com/books/book_detail.php?isbn=9780394800011 

     

Betting you have quoted poetry, though maybe not all at once.

Tis better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all  Tennyson To err is human; to forgive, divine  Alexander Pope  A thing of beauty is a joy forever  Keats And miles to go before I sleep  Robert Frost Hope springs eternal in the human breast  Alexander Pope To be or not to be: that is the question Shakespeare I know why the caged bird sings Maya Angelou O Romeo, Romeo; wherefore art thou Romeo Shakespeare...there's no joy in Mudville, the mighty Casey has struck out. Thayer

You probably chuckled at the Limerick about the girl from Venus, but I won't print that since this is a family edublog. But this poem  might make you smile, especially noting the poet.

The marriage of poor Kim Kardashian
Was krushed like a kar in a krashian.
Her Kris kried, "Not fair!
Why kan't I keep my share?" 
But Kardashian fell klean outa fashian.
—Salman Rushdie 

Maybe you didn't realize you were accessing poetry during spiritual moments. The Psalms are poems, like the most quoted Psalm 23.

Lena Moore Psalm 23 Quilt ca. 1930 Collection of Janet M. Green "Talking Quilts" American Folk Art Museum

Remember when you were in ninth grade and you kind of liked that wild story with the Greek guy and all the monsters like the Cyclops and the crazy-haired Medusa? 

That was poetry, thanks to Homer, not Simpson. The Odyssey by Homer.

Cyclops AKA Claymation

Achilles AKA Brad Pitt.

 And don't forget Achilles, not the heel. The Illiad (and the story of Troy) was a poem, too.

 Speaking of Homer Simpson, here is my last evidentiary item. You enjoyed "The Raven: the Simpson's Version." I know you did. Though they did a really Poe job of it. (Ha, English teacher joke.)

The Raven: The Simpsons Version

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=251203 

Poetry...you like poetry. Told ya so.

The Raven:The Simpsons Version [117,615 views] 

the

The Raven:The Simpsons Version[117,615 views]

 

Beware the Ides of March!

Shakespeare's Julius Caesar with John Wilkes Booth (l) playing Marc Antony and brothers Edwin (c) and Junius playing Brutus. Maybe Edwin played Cassius.

March 15 used to be the day untenured teachers received noticed they were being let go. The irony was not not lost on anyone.
Here is Marcus Brutus played by Marlon Brando (1953.) There are many excellent film productions of the play; I saw it at the Old Globe in San Diego. As usual, Shakespeare is too cool. 

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears  

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xsjkfr_friends-romans-countrymen-lend-me-your-ears_creation#.UUNXkzfwXmA

Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" Questions Act V

Shakespeare ‘Julius Caesar’ English 10

Questions Act V Ms. Taylor

1.  What lesson did you learn from the play?

2.  What omens does Cassius see before the battle?

3.  What effect do the omens have on him? Why do Cassius and Brutus both plan to kill themselves should they lose the battle? What are some key differences in their deaths? How do these differences reflect the contrast in each man’s character?

4.  What are Brutus’ final word? How do these word reveal his essential nobility?

5.  How has Antony felt toward Brutus throughout most of the play? How and why does Anthony’s attitude toward Brutus change at the end?

6.  Now that Octavius and Antony have triumphed, what do you think will become of the Roman republic? Do you think this will be a good or a bad thing?

Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" Questions Act V

Shakespeare “Romeo and Juliet” Act V

 Grade 9 Ms. Taylor

Questions Act V

1.    Were you in any way surprised by the way in which this play ends? Why or why not?

2.    In Act V, Scene I, what news causes Romeo to exclaim, “Then I defy you, start”? How are Romeo’s word consistent with what you know of his character?

3.    Identify at least three events that cause the Friar’s scheme to fail. Why is it not surprising that the scheme fails?

4.    How do Romeo and Juliet die? Which is most to blame for the lovers’ deaths—chance, the lovers themselves, or their families? Explain.

5.    How do you think events would have turned out if the apothecary had refused to sell poison to Romeo? What other unique actions in the chain of events, if avoided, could have changed the play’s outcome?

6.    How does the relationship of the feuding families change at the end of the play? Were Romeo and Juliet’s deaths necessary for the feus to end? Explain. Do you think tragedies always lead to peace?

7.    In what ways does Shakespeare’s play provide a valuable lesson about the destructive effects of hatred?

Oh, Man, Romeo! Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet Act III

With thanks to Prentice Hall now out of print text, 'Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes.'

Shakespeare ‘Romeo and Juliet’

English 9 Ms. Taylor

Questions Act III

1.   What would you do if you were in Romeo or Juliet’s situation?

2.    Why do Mercutio and Tybalt fight in Act III, Scene i? What does Mercutio mean by his dying exclamation, ‘A plague on both your houses!”? How do these lines echo the ideas set forth in the play’s prologue?

3.    How and why does Romeo kill Tybalt? What does Romeo mean when he says, after killing Tybalt, ‘I am fortune’s foo!’?

4.   What punishment does the prince order for Romeo? Why does the Prince decide not to sentence Romeo to death, despite his threat in Act I?

5.    Describe the clashing emotions Juliet feels when Nurse reports Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s punishment. What reactions—both similar and different—do Juliet and Romeo have to Romeo’s punishment?

6.   Do you think Romeo’s punishment is fair? Support your answer.

Et Tu, Brute? Questions for Act III Julius Caesar

With thanks to the Prentice Hall Lit books 'Timeless Voice, Timeless Themes.'

Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”

English 10 Ms. Taylor

Questions Act III

1.   If you had been in the crowd at Caesar’s funeral in Scene ii, how would you have responded to Anthony’s speech?

2.   (a) Artemidorus implores Caesar to read a paper he has. How does Caesar react to this plea? (b) Why might Shakespeare include this brief scene with Artemidorus?

3.   How does Antony respond to the conspirators after the assissination?

4.   What are the motives behind his actions?

5.   How does Cassius feel about allowing Antony to speak at the funeral? Why? Why does Brutus allow Antony to speak?

6.  How do the funeral monologues delivered by Brutus and Antony compare in style and purpose? What effect does the reading of the will have on the people?

7.   How does Shakespeare build emotion into this act of the play? What effect do you think the buildup of emotion will have on what happens next?

8.   Do you think that Caesar has any responsibility for his own death? Why or why not?

Romeo and Julius (What We're Reading)

Julius Caesar, Act 1

Grade 10

Questions 

"Julius Caesar" after Act I, Scene iii

Thinking about Act 1

1.   Respond: Which character interest you most? Why?

2.   (a) Recall: How do the workmen celebrate as the play begins? (b) Analyze: Why does their celebration annoy Flavius and Marullus?

3.   3. (a) Recall: What warning does the soothsayer give to Caesar? (b) Infer: What does Caesar’s reaction tell you about him?

4.   (a) Recall: What does Brutus say when he hears the shouts of the people? (b) Infer: What mixed feelings does the shouting arouse in Brutus: (c) Analyze: How does Cassius take advantage of Brutus’ conflicting feelings?

5.    Apply: Explain how Brutus, Cassius, and Caesar represent qualities that can be found in people of any time period.

6.   Predict: What do you suspect is going to happen in the next part of the play? Why?  

Romeo and Juliet
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1112

Romeo and Juliet

Thinking About Act 1

1.    Respond: If you were Romeo or Juliet, would you pursue a relationship? Explain

2.     (a) Recall: Based on Act 1, what facts do you know about Romeo’s and Juliet’s lives? (b) Compare and Contrast: How are these characters’ personalities alike and different:

3.     (a) Recall: What information about the two households is presented in the Prologue? (b) Connect: How does Juliet’s comment in Act 1 Scene v lines 137-138, echo the Prologue?

4.     Analyze: How do the comments of Montague and Benvolio in Act 1 help you understand the character of Romeo?

5.     (a) Analyze; What threats to Romeo and Juliet’s love already exist in Act 1: (b) Support: How does Shakespeare use these threats to generate suspense in the first act?

6.    Evaluate: Based on Romeo’s behavior in Act 1, do you think Shakespeare accurately portrays a teenager in love? Explain.