Seniors: Olde School Etymology

Research the etymology of some of your Olde-School vocabulary words. Choose 5 of your most etymologically interesting words to post here with complete and thorough histories.

Try this.

To Kill a Mockingbird Scavenger Hunt

Complete the following tasks/answer the following questions. Use your critical thinking skills to determine the best routes and resources.

1. Truman Capote said "Everything she wrote about it is absolutely true". What is the "it"?

2. What does Lee think of the film adaptation of Mockingbird? Use a quote in your answer.

3. Finish Lee's statement: "Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods and minds like empty rooms, I still..."

4. Identify Lee's 3 favorite authors and name a title from each.

5. Lee is a recluse but for several years she has quietly attended the awards ceremony for a particular contest. Describe this contest.

6. How are the Scottsboro Trials relevant to the novel?

7. Though Lee always declines interviews, she does write each refusal individually. When asked why she did not simply send out a stock response to the media's pleas, she responded that such a letter would simply say...

8. Click here. Listen to the audio. Who was the statewide essay winner? Who potrayed Scout in a school play and developed a repoire with Lee?

9. List and quote 5 parallels between Harper Lee's real life and her novel.

10. Lee's character Dill is based upon Truman Capote. Capote returned the favor by basing what character (from what story) on Lee?

Writing and Visual Imagination: Self-Portraits

Search the internet for self-portraits by the following artists: Rembrandt van Rijn, Vincent Van Gogh, Susanna Coffey, Lucian Freud, Kathe Kollwitz, Paul Gauguin, Gregory Gillespie, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne, Susanna Coffey, Brett Gamache (a friend of mine).

Create a Word document.

1. For each artist, record the title, year of completion, and country of origin.

2. Identify three comparable (composition, color, mood, etc.) self-portraits from the list. Construct a paragraph which identifies the parallels between these 3 works.

3. Identify the strongest self-portrait. In a paragraph, explain the elements which make it stand out; use your vocabulary words.

4. Typically, self-portraits are not lucrative efforts for living artists. Why might an artist choose to focus on self-portraits? What may drive an artist, like Rembrandt, to devote so much time and effort towards depicting himself? Explain in paragraph form.

5. Proofread and post your document here.

Writing and Visual Imagination: Community Interaction

Please post your proposals here.

A "Closer" Look

We will view the film "Chuck Close: A Portrait in Progress" in class. Respond to the following questions in paragraph form by Friday, April 17.

1. Describe Close's work. How has it changed over time? Do you favor his early or late work? Explain.

2. Does photo realism have artistic merit, or are photo realists merely "one-trick ponies"? What would Leo Tolstoy say about Close's work?

3. As you have learned, Chuck Close suffered a collapse of a spinal artery which left him partially paralyzed. Explain the modifications he makes to continue his artwork and what these adjustments reveal about his character.

4. In the Jackson Pollock BBC film, we learned that Pollock's personal and artistic downfall was fueled by his decision to reveal his process in a documentary. Having viewed Chuck Close's process, do you gain more respect and understanding for his work? Or, do you think his images lose their mystique now that you have seen his process?

Writing and Visual Imagination: Scavenger Hunt

1. Monet and Manet are both Impressionists and have similarities beyond their names. Compare and contrast these two artists.
2. Who is Camille Claudel? Examine her "L'Age Mur" and identify the 3 figures depicted.
3. Identify the works stolen during the infamous Gardner Museum heist. Identify and describe your favorite piece.
4. Summarize the "legend" behind the man with the top hat in Eugene Delacroix's most famous painting.
5. What is David Mach's "Gorilla" made of?
6. Describe your favorite Ron Mueck sculpture.
7. Paul Rahilly is one of my former professors. a) What breed of dog is depicted in his "Girl in a Paper Dress"? b) In which of his paintings does one find a chili pepper? c) a brioche?
8. What colors are used in my "concert bill sketch"?
9. Ryan Smith is an amazing artist and a good friend of mine (he attended Norton High). a) Describe the subject matter in his 2006 piece "Taxidermy Tammy". b) What "sport" is parodied in his version of "Pig Pile"?

Now it's time to play 6 degrees of Wikipedia. Your responses should look like numbered lists beginning with the first item and ending with the last item.

1. Vincent van Gogh=vampire
2. Francisco Goya=cartilage
3. Lucian Freud=Tool (the band)
4. Mark Rothko=serpent
5. Diego Rivera=Roger Williams

Seniors: Student Choice Short Essay

Student Choice Essay: Block B

Post them here.

Student Choice Essays: Block D

Post them here.