Performing the Assassination of Caesar

 

In eighth grade, we are reading William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.  While most of the play is read aloud in class, students have a chance to push the desks aside and use their acting skills when we reach the scene where Caesar is assassinated. At that point, students divide into groups, and each group is given the task of memorizing their lines and blocking the scene.  In addition, some groups modify the scene to incorporate a theme.  This year, we had everything from the traditional toga-wearing Caesar (see photo above), to a pirate Caesar, as well as a 1920's gangster Caesar, a cowboy Caesar, and a Darth Vader Caesar (complete with lightsabers). 

Welcome to Elizabethan England!

With the completion of their English research papers, eighth-graders reached another milestone in their last year as middle school students.  Way to go!! Students spent a month gathering sources, taking notes, and synthesizing research on a topic related to Elizabethan England.  During the process, they refined their writing skills while following the MLA format for citing the research. Just to give you a glimpse, I've listed some of the creative titles of their research papers:

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger: The Life and Reign of Queen Elizabeth I (by Noa C.)

Killer on the Loose: The Black Plague in Elizabethan England (Chloe N.)

The Tower of Terror: The History Behind the Tower of London (by Lauren B.)

Triple E: Elizabeth Evolves England (Yonathan M.)

The Queen Who Really Lost Her Head: The Life of Mary, Queen of Scots (Hannah R.)

Elizabeth I: The Queen of Hearts (Celia W.)

Once students submitted the paper, they used the Perfect Captions app to create, display, and share some of the information they learned from their research.  See examples below:

               

Analyzing Characters in Fahrenheit 451

As a warm-up/drill activity, eighth-graders offered creative responses to such questions as "How is Millie like an airplane?".  Each question used a simile which forced students to make unusual yet insightful connections.  Their responses demonstrated an understanding of character motivation and development.  I've included some of their ideas below.

How is Guy Montag like an oven?

  - An oven  is where things process; Montag is the "processor" of the rebellion (Allison R.).
  - In the beginning of the book, Guy's feelings were cold, but he begins to heat up (Josh D.).

How is Mildred like a television?
 
  - She speaks a lot of nonsense (Hannah R.).
  - She talks at you, but she doesn't hear your response (Orly K.).

How is Faber like a book?

  - He holds a lot of knowledge, and he is helpful (Chloe N.).
  - He provides the foundation, but the rest is up to you (Lauren B.).

How is Clarisse like a mirror?

   - She likes to reflect on her feelings (Ezra S.).
   - She makes Guy reflect and see his true self (Zack L.).
   - She can make others see who they really are (Haviva G.).
   - She makes you want to improve yourself (Sammy C.).
   - She is the opposite of the people in her society (Josh D.).

Readbox & Short Story Trailers

Lego figurines, masks, dolls, and toy food.  Could this be English class?  Yes!!  Over the last week, students have been busy filming trailers using the iMovie app.  The process began with each group selecting a short story (from the five stories that were read for class) and creating a trailer that would establish the story's setting, protagonist, and primary conflict.  By selecting a complementary trailer template and music, students also demonstrated their understanding of the story's mood. Throughout the process, students were collaborating, problem-solving, and using technology in a meaningful way.  Upon completion, each trailer was assigned a QR code.  These codes are displayed on our "Readbox," giving students and parents the opportunity to link to all of the trailers.  I've included a few of the trailers below.  Enjoy!

Noa and Celia's trailer for the short story, "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell.

Hannah and Skylar's trailer for the story, "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty.

Literature in a New Light

According to author Thomas C. Foster, "When readers first read a piece of fiction, they focus on the story and the characters: who are these people, what are they doing, and what wonderful or terrible things are happening to them?  They will respond emotionally...This is what every author hopes for.  But when an English teacher reads, though he/she will respond emotionally as well, a lot of his/her attention will be fixed on other things" (How to Read Literature Like a Professor: For Kids).

During the past two weeks, the eighth graders have been practicing identifying and analyzing an author's use of "other things," such as archetypes and/or irony.  Part of this process required students to read several short stories and then write an analytical response in which they "fixed on" the tools an author uses. As students become more aware of what to look for in a story, they will read and understand literature in a new light.

In Josh D's response (an excerpt is typed in red below), he explains how the author's use of irony helps to highlight a character's change in perspective.

In Richard Connell's short story, "The Most Dangerous Game," the author uses irony to portray the protagonist's change in opinion.  As the story begins, Rainsford, the main character, is sailing on a yacht in search of adventure.  When Rainsford, an expert hunter, remarks, "Who cares how a jaguar feels?" a reader learns of his callous attitude toward animals (1).  Later, Rainsford falls from the yacht and swims to a nearby island where another hunter, General Zaroff, lives.  General Zaroff says to Rainsford, "We do our best to preserve the amenities of civilization here" (5).  This is an example of irony because the General reveals to him that he intentionally traps sailors on his island in order to hunt them.  The next day, Zaroff supplies Rainsford, his next victim, with hunting equipment and a head start.  This displays situational irony because Rainsford, the hunter, becomes the hunted.  As a result, Rainsford learns how it feels to be a jaguar or any hunted prey. 

Picturing Irony

Recently in class, the eighth-graders reviewed the three types of irony (verbal, situational, dramatic) in preparation for reading and analyzing several short stories with ironic situations and/or endings.  In order to demonstrate their initial understanding of irony, the students created visual aids.  Their pictures needed to include an image as well as original text (in the form of a caption or a speech bubble).  The students shared their creations in class (so fun!) which helped to reinforce their learning. 

I hope you enjoy their work as much as I do! (Click on pictures to enlarge.)

Andrew's visual aid for dramatic irony (the audience knows something that the character does not):

 Noah's flyer for situational irony:

 


Kayla O.'s humorous example of situational irony:

 Caleb Z.'s "comic"-al take on situational irony:

Archetypes in Poetry

After discussing the origins and meanings of many archetypal symbols (such as water, snow, fog, the sea, the seasons, etc.), students made their first attempts to analyze a poem's use of archetypes.  The goal is to have students move beyond a surface reading of a text by looking for symbols that provide a deeper understanding.  This process requires close reading and purposeful annotation as students search not only for archetypes but for patterns as well.   This important work scaffolds students' thinking and helps them with the more difficult task of identifying a work's theme.  Take a look at some of their annotated poems; you'll see great minds at work!

Poem analyzed by Jacob K., Jacob A., Ryan L., and Nathan F.

Poem analyzed by Olivia, Hannah, and Elana O.

 

Poem analyzed by Orly, Lauren, and Haviva

Making text-to-text connections

It's been a busy couple of days, filled with the practice of deep reading and making important textual connections.  After I modeled how to annotate a difficult text, students practiced annotating a brief excerpt from Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning.  This book is rich with important life lessons, including how your attitude (especially in the face of adversity) influences everything you do and achieve.  Once we shared and discussed the students' questions and notes, they began the task of connecting Frankl's words/philosophies to a character in Animal Farm.  I've included the full-text of one student's response as well as several excerpts from other student responses.  I think you'll agree that their responses are very insightful.

 

Mila S. writes, "Boxer often did extra work and volunteered to do more, even when he was injured.  He had a personal goal (to build the windmill), and he worked each day to achieve that goal.  This attitude embodies an outlook or ideal that Frankl observed in others who have endured great adversity--'There is only one thing I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings'."

Zachary L. writes, "I think Napoleon would react (to Frankl's work) by saying it is not true that your mind is the last place of freedom.  In the book (Animal Farm), Napoleon doesn't allow the animals the independence of mind they deserve.  He tricks their minds, so they always think he is right and that he is working for their best interest, even when he takes control of the farm."

Three Words to the World

For this year's summer reading assignment, the eighth graders read George Orwell's Animal Farm.  As a way to begin our discussion of the novel, I asked students to select a character and create that character's motto or "three words to the world."  For instance, Boxer's three words might be "Always work harder," whereas Benjamin's three words would be "Nothing ever changes."  This is a great way to not only review character traits and motivation, but also to get students thinking about their own life mottoes.  As a follow-up activity, students designed a butterfly and included their "three words to the world." The butterflies are displayed in the classroom (all year) and provide a source of inspiration. What would be your three words to the world?