Creative Writing: Wednesday, April 1

Hi class! I'll be proctoring the MCAS this morning (and some of you are taking it- good luck!). For those of you in class today, please complete the tasks that follow. Sophomores will need to make up this work by Monday.

1. On our Edline page, you'll find a document entitled "Tone in Song." Please read the directions carefully. You are encouraged to locate YouTube versions of the songs; in fact, listening to the songs may help to uncover the tones. Please use headphones if you choose to do this. For each song, compose a SAPSTONE. Then, use the following template to compose a binary thesis that compares and contrast the 2 songs in regard to the tone of the SPEAKERS or SONGWITERS (your choice- but think through this carefully, as this decision changes everything):

Though both (ARTIST 1)'s "SONG" and (ARTIST 2)'s "SONG" (verb) (1, 2, or 3 modified devices in common), (ARTIST 1) (verb) a/an (adjective) tone to (universal idea/theme) while (ARTIST 2) (verb) a/an (adjective) tone to (universal idea/theme). 

If this format does not suit your interpretation, you may also consider infusing separate devices and/or modifiers. Just be sure that your statement is complete, and includes both songs and their respective tones. Paste the 2 SAPSTONES and your binary thesis as a comment here.

2. Be sure that your Tone Letter and Distillation (from Monday) are both posted to your blog for correction. These may be the last grades of term 3. If you have any missing work, please attend to that now- and email it to me, as grades close this week!

English IV (F): Epic Sentences

Advanced Creative Writing: Epic Sentences

Please post them here.

English IV: Thursday, 3-26

Hi, class. My son is sick today, so I'll be home with him. I have decided to set aside your work time for today for the exclusive purpose of completing and refining your The Kite Runner analyses. Make a good decision: use this generous allotment of time to complete and refine your thinking and writing, which is due tomorrow via turnitin.com.

Be sure that you have access to our class submission page on turnitin.com.

I will be available at 11:30 for live emailing- email me at tkefor@norton.k12.ma.us if you have any questions regarding the essay, and I will respond almost immediately.

Remember: there is always something "else" you can do to improve your essay. Are your quotes fluidly integrated? Do you have smooth transitions at the beginning and end of each supportive paragraph? Have you used the best diction, vocabulary, and syntax possible? Have you removed all unnecessary summary? Have you employed a vast array of sentence types from the Wizardry form? Have you asked a peer, or Mrs. Ardagna, to read your work aloud to you? Have you effectively infused the distillation technique into your writing?

Creative Writing: Thursday, 3-26

Good morning, class. My son is sick today, so I'll be at home taking care of him. Please follow the directions below for today's lesson.

FIRST: Visit Edline to take the Jigsaw Assessment. You may use your notes and an online dictionary for this- you may not use the texts themselves.

1. Click here to read a fascinating and well-written article from Atlantic magazine. The beautiful sentence presented there is 198 words long. Wouldn't it be cool if a sentence was 200 words long? Yes, dear pupil, it would. Compose a 200 word sentence on a topic of your choice. In order to earn credit for this, be sure that the grammar of your sentence demands that it must be a single sentence, and not a clump of smaller sentences or run-on. In other words, craft your sentence in such a way that it contains only one true subject and one true predicate. Below, you'll find a post wherein my AP students took a shot at this. Some of them succeeded, so you're welcome to read these for guidance and inspiration. Have fun with this. Good luck.

2. Visit Teen Ink, an online publisher of teenage writing. After you create an account, select one of your creative writing pieces from our course thus far to submit for publishing.

3. Please edit, proofread, and post your tone letter by the end of the period.

Film as Literature: Thursday, 3-26

Good morning, class. Please complete the following tasks by the end of the block. Submit your work as a comment to this post. Each question demands at least a well-composed paragraph.

1. Describe the point at which Daniel Plainview pivots as a character. In which scene does he begin his transformation from dedicated entrepreneur to a full-fledged miscreant?

2. Why does Plainview leave his son? How does the scene with the Standard Oil men help characterize Plainview's persona?

3. Describe why Plainview becomes suspicious of Henry and how he handles him thereafter.

4. Describe the convergence of religion and capitalism/nihilism in the film. How are these forces integrated and negotiated?

5. Visit our Edline pay and locate the Distillation Rubric. We've mentioned and dealt with this (briefly) before, but the document has been modified recently. Please read through the rubric and samples carefully. Then, compose a distillation (follow the Literature and Film protocol) for There Will Be Blood. Take your time- it's only a 4 sentence analysis, but it requires thought, development, and refinement.

6. Click here to access some critical reviews of the film. Choose 1 to read. Offer a synopsis of the critique and a response to its claims as a paragraph here.

6. If you should finish early, please make up any work that you've missed.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi: Film as Literature

Please offer a clear and thorough response for each question.


1. Apprentices and apprenticeships are common in the realm of Japanese sushi. Identify a discipline in which apprenticeships do not currently exist, and propose the implementation of an apprentice-master system.


2. This documentary is devoid of direct narration. Why do you think the filmmakers did this? What is the effect?


3. Psychologists define flow the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. It is clear that sushi preparation and service provides Jiro with this sensation. What hobby, potential career path, or interest provides you with this sensation?


4. Click here and read the review. Would you like to eat at Jiro's restaurant? Why or why not?

AP: Epic Sentences

Advanced Creative Writing: 25% Checkpoint

Click here to access our Google document.

Film as Literature: "Blackfish"

Utilizing your notes regarding the elements of persuasion, respond to the following questions completely and eloquently.

1. Which persuasive tool is most utilized by the filmmakers? Substantiate your claim with specific evidence. Do you think its use is effective?

2. Which persuasive tool is underutilized by the filmmakers? Substantiate your claim with specific evidence. How might this tool have been utilized to make the film more effective?

3. As in journalism, documentaries are invariably assessed on their degree of objectivism. Do you find this documentary objective? Why or why not?

4. Some critics claim that "Blackfish" utilizes purposeful anthropomorphism to establish its pathos. Do you agree? Explain.

5. Is the film about Orcas, exclusively, or could its message be more universal? What larger issues does it bring to the forefront?

Film as Literature: Good Will Hunting

Select 3 of the prompts below to answer in paragraph form. Be sure to utilize terminology from our glossary and include specific references to elements of the movie. Post your responses as a comment here. 

1. In the film, we encounter a collision of microcultures (a blue-collar brotherhood vs. academic elitism). How does the film negotiate the convergence of these two populations? Is there a pivot or bridge between the two?

2. Typically, protagonists induce a sense of empathy in a reader or viewer. Does Will earn your empathy or do you find it difficult to accept him? Why or why not?

3. The film is laden with local color. Do you feel that this local color is authentic? How is it achieved? If you didn't live in the Boston area, what impression would you arrive at?

4. Watch this video clip, in which Matt Damon challenges the agenda of a trolling journalist. Compare and contrast this real life clip with a scene from Will (the character) in the movie.