BRITISH LITERATURE SEPTEMBER SYLLABUS

This Is England
Originally uploaded by bossk

Read, Write, Weiss:

An Exploration of British Literature

September Syllabus

“ The How and Why: Reading Non-Fiction and Fiction”

All students are responsible for keeping up with the syllabus. All major assignments are due on the due date, no exceptions. If you are absent on the day an assignment is due, you must place a hard copy in my mailbox or hand it to me directly by 7:30 am the day you return to school. I will not accept emailed assignments unless specified in advance. All essays must be typed and double spaced, employ 12 point font, organized in paragraphs and printed before class begins.

Please note: Printer issues are not an excuse; if your printer is not working the night before, print your essay in the library or neatly hand write it on a clean sheet of paper. As a last resort, see me before 7:30 am.

• Plagiarism will not, under any circumstances, be tolerated. Evidential instances of plagiarism will result in a zero grade on the assignment, no exceptions. I will not write letters of college recommendation for any student caught plagiarizing in ANY class and I will REVOKE any letters written if the case of plagiarism occurs after the letter has been sent.

• Articles assigned for homework must be annotated and the meanings of all unknown words and allusions must be determined before class.

Literature and Materials:

Handout: Four Kinds of Reading. Donald Hall

Handout: Lazy Eyes: How We Read Online. Slate. 2008

Handout: Why Women Read More than Men. NPR.

Handout: Today’s Kids Are, Like, Killing the English Language. Yeah, Right. Kirk Johnson

Handout: The Rites of War and the Warrior Psyche. Samuel Keen

Handout: A Good Mystery: Why We Read. NY Times. 2007

Blog Posting: Does the Library Scare You?

www.theweissreadersbookblog.blogspot.com. 3/2008

Blog Posting: Bookshelf Excerpt.

www.theweissreadersbookblog.blogspot.com. 11/2007

Blog Posting: Beowulf, Edited by Seamus Heaney.

www.theweissreadersbookblog.blogspot.com. 12/2007

Pages 21-46 in the textbook: Beowulf. Trans. by Burton Raffel

September

9/8 DUE: Handout: Four Kinds of Reading. Donald Hall

DUE: Blog Posting: Does the Library Scare You? www.theweissreadersbookblog.blogspot.com. 3/2008

9/9 In Class: Handout: A Good Mystery: Why We Read. NY Times. 2007.

9/10 DUE: Today’s ... English Language. Kirk Johnson

9/11 DUE: Blog Posting: Bookshelf Excerpt. www.theweissreadersbookblog.blogspot.com. 11/2007

DUE: Handout: Lazy Eyes: How We Read Online. Slate. 2008

9/12 DUE: Handout: The Warrior Psyche. Samuel Keen.

9/15 DUE: Handout: Why Read Beowulf? Robert Yeager

In Class: Handout: Why Women Read More than Men. NPR.

9/16 In Class: The Heroic Myth Index

9/17 In Class: The Heroic Myth Index Con’t.

9/18 In Class: Violent Media is Good for Kids

9/22 DUE: Pages 21-46 in the textbook: Beowulf. Trans. by Burton Raffel

9/25 DUE: Blog Posting: Beowulf, Edited by Seamus Heaney. www.theweissreadersbookblog.blogspot.com. 12/2007

READER's/WRITER's WORKSHOP BLOG ASSIGNMENT

Date Due
Originally uploaded by Carl's Old Photos

Writer’s/Reader’s Workshop Blog Assignment

Due Dates: Friday, September 12th, 26th
Friday, October 3rd, 10th, 17th, 31st
Friday, November 7th

The purpose of this assignment is to spread the word about great books… or not so great books! Please feel free to make comments on all posted entries – comments will be moderated by Ms. Weiss, of course.

Remember – the language you normally use online (in emails to friends, in blog posts of your own, during IM sessions) is not appropriate for class assignments. Therefore, please proofread and spell check your work. Feel free to use a relaxed, conversational tone but save internet speak such as “gr8”, “lol”, etc. for your “BFF Jill”.

Instructions:

1. Go to www.theweissreadersbookblog.blogspot.com and read posted entries.
2. Write a blog post of your own, using previous entries as models, to add to the Book Blog.
3. Email your post to readwriteweiss@gmail.com NO LATER THAN 7 AM FRIDAY MORNING. If you can’t email your blog post, a hard copy is due Friday in class.
4. TW read all emails over the weekend and select a few to post, with writer’s permission, on the Book Blog.

BRITISH LITERATURE BLOG ASSIGNMENT

deadline
Originally uploaded by Montrasio International

British Literature Blog
Assignment Due Dates:

Wednesday, September 24th
Friday, October 17th Friday, November 21st
Friday, December 12th Friday, January 16th
Friday, March 20th Friday, April 24th
Friday, May 22nd Friday, June 12th

The purpose of this assignment is to spread the word about great books… or not so great books! Please feel free to make comments on all posted entries – comments will be moderated by Ms. Weiss, of course.

Remember – the language you normally use online (in emails to friends, in blog posts of your own, during IM sessions) is not appropriate for class assignments. Therefore, please proofread and spell check your work. Feel free to use a relaxed, conversational tone but save internet speak such as “gr8”, “lol”, etc. for your “BFF Jill”.

Instructions:

1. Go to www.theweissreadersbookblog.blogspot.com and read posted entries.
2. Write a blog post of your own, using previous entries as models, to add to the Book Blog.
3. Email your post to readwriteweiss@gmail.com NO LATER THAN 7 AM on the due date. If you can’t email your blog post, a hard copy is due Friday in class.
4. TW read all emails over the weekend and select a few to post, with writer’s permission, on the Book Blog.

Um, Duh!

duh, esquire 1
Originally uploaded by 1115

I just realized that I chose the same picture for this blog as the blog two posts down.

Ridiculous. I guess I should pay closer attention.

At least it's a great pic!

Thanks for stopping by...

Plundered from book sutlers in various ports!
Originally uploaded by lunawhimsy

It's Thursday night and we're almost through our first week of school... just one more day in the humid sweatbox of B22!

I hope you're enjoying the first few days of class - thanks for checking the blog and reading this. It's a good habit to get into; although I will not update the blog daily, it's important to check it daily just in case.

If you haven't found an independent reading book yet, see me tomorrow either before or after class and I'll make an effort to find one for you. The weather is supposed to be miserable this weekend, so perhaps you can shelter from the storm at the EBPL or Barnes and Noble.

Speaking of the library, one of my students caught me red handed this evening at the EBPL holding a Jane Austen audiobook. He commented that he was surprised I was listening to a book and not reading it cover to cover like a good English teacher should and I understood where he was coming from.

A lot of people think listening to a book on audio is "cheating" and, well, my verdict it still out on that one. Whereas I understand the difference between reading and listening, I'm not going to say one is more beneficial than the other - they are just different. Listening to audio books during the school year is the only way I can "read" for pleasure at the rate I'm used to. I commute two hours a day and listening to an audio book is the ONLY thing that gets me through those awful minutes - it actually makes me look forward to getting in the car in the morning.

During the summertime, I'll read a book day but that's not possible during the school year because, obviously, I work during the day. In addition to the hours in my work day, I do an hour or two of work in my classroom after school before I go to the library to tutor for several hours a night. By the time I get home, it's almost 8pm and then it's time for dinner and, I'll admit, television (I'm a primetime tv junkie - I never turn it on when I'm home during the day but once 8pm comes, watch out! I need my fix of "The Office", "House", "The Biggest Loser" or "Paranormal State").

I read every night before I fall asleep but it's never more than a page or two because usually, I'm out like a light. I need to read - it's what I do. I like it so much, I made a career out of it. So thank goodness for audio books - they afford me two hours of reading a day. I guess you could say that I'm safely multi-tasking at the wheel. If you've never tried listening to a book on audio, take a chance and give it a try - I promise it's better than listening to a recording of "The Fall of the House of Usher"!

Welcome Back!

Back to School Cake
Originally uploaded by T-Wood's

Welcome kids, to the 2008-09 editions of British Literature and Reader's/Writer's Workshop!

This year we are going to read - a lot. We are going to write - a lot. And most importantly, we are going to laugh - a lot!

Here's what you need to know:

1. Come prepared to work for the entire period. Always have an independent reading book with you - ALWAYS. Make sure to keep up on classwork/homework and do not forget for one minute the importance of every grade. This is your junior year and the most important three letters in your life are G.P.A!

2. Be nice - to me, to your classmates, and to yourself. I can't begin to express how important this is for success. A pleasant learning and working environment is essential and I do not tolerate unpleasantness!

3. Every night, it is your responsibility to check this blog for assignment updates, homework, additional information, links to required readings, etc. Do not forget.

4. Maintain open communication at all times and ALWAYS be honest with me. If you have a question, ask it immediately. You can talk to me before and after class or you can email me at readwriteweiss@gmail.com and I'll get back to you! I check my email regularly between 7:15 am and 10:15 pm.

5. The goal of this course is to increase your critical thinking, to challenge you to take academic risks, and to show that English is a discipline, not just a flowery subject that talks about your "feelings". We're not here to talk about how the literature makes us "feel". We're here to discover how it makes us think.

I look forward to a great year - I am dedicated to my students, to my colleagues, to my job, and to my study of literature. I don't know everything and I don't expect you to - I do know, however, how to find the answers and that's what I'm here to teach you!

Welcome Back!

Ms. Weiss

Does the library scare you?

Plundered from book sutlers in various ports!
Originally uploaded by lunawhimsy

I was talking to one of my students the other day and she admitted that finding books in the library is a daunting task for her. I get that - unless you grew up using the Dewey Decimel System, it can be intimidating. In our technological world, what should be easy (finding a good book) often becomes a challenge of search engines and blinking cursors and hypertext links!

Honestly, call me old fashioned but books are tactile and meant to be handled, which is why I believe it's easier to find a good book if you employ a "hands on" approach. Personally, I like to find new books at bookstores rather than at libraries because to me, it's easier to come across a good read at a place like Barnes and Noble than it is for me to find something new at the EB Library. Having said that, I must admit that although I like to find them at BN, I like to obtain them from the library.

Why, you ask? Well, for one main reason - I don't like to buy a book for my personal collection unless it's a book I know and love. That's why I like to read it first for free and then decide if it merits purchase. Gift cards to BN are like gold to me and every time I get one, I take my time planning my purchases and 9 times out of 10, I purchase books I've already read!

From my email to that student who was having a hard time finding books at the library, here's a suggestion: go to Barnes and Noble and spend some time looking around. Look in the New Paperback section and the New Release section, plus, look in the teen section. Because Barnes and Noble encourages reading, you can grab as many books as you can carry and take them over to the cafe, order yourself a Grande Non-fat Caramel Machiatto with Extra Foam and sit back and read!

Explore the first few pages, read a couple of chapters, whatever - they encourage people to read before purchasing! Then, make a list of the books and authors you come across that you like and voila! Now you have a purpose when you go to the EB library!

It's much easier to find good books at the book store because they are displayed nicely but that doesn't mean you have to buy them there...