Monday, 6 January

Today's class was devoted to returning PSAT scores.

The counseling office presented information on PSATs, SATs, ACTs, and lots of information about applying to colleges.

Monday, 6 January

One major activity in class was to begin creating a chart in which to log the various instances where heat and fire play a significant role in the story.

The class also began a chart for each month (chapter). The chart lists the foods that play a role in that chapter, the most obviously significant symbols in that month's section, and any themes that are revealed. For example

January

Food:

Christmas Rolls

Onions

sausage

chile

salt

Symbols:

crying

heat 

birth

Themes:

love

sadness

mother v. daughter

passion

The class also took time to consider what questions might be asked in a quiz on the first months of the book.

Thursday 19 December

The first part of class was spent identifying key ideas revealed in the first chapter "January."

Aphorism: To the table or to bed, you must come when you are bid.

January: Christmas rolls
crying, crying, crying
Onions, salty, birth

"Tita didn't distinguish between tears of laughter and tears of sorrow. For her laughing was a from of crying (7).

"Smells have the power to evoke the past" (9).

We also developed the following Venn Diagram comparing the three sisters:

Tuesday, 17 December, 2013

We began our study of the novel Like Water for Chocolate. All students were given a book mark with the following dates, and were told to write these dates in their planers, and given time to do so.

Like Water for Chocolate

Reading Due Dates

Thursday, 19 December

“January”

Monday, 6 January

“February” & “March”

Tuesday, 7 January

“April”

Wednesday, 9 January

“May” & “June”

Monday, 13 January

“July”

Tuesday, 14 January

“August” & “September”

Thursday, 16 January

“October” & “November” &

“December”

Wednesday, 22  January

Final Exam

Students were encouraged to take the following notes:

The class also worked to create a mind map, like the one below for the protagonist Tita:

Students should have finished the Chapter "January" and be prepared to answer the questions in red above on Thursday.

Thursday, 5 December and Monday 9 December

Class finished reading "Survivor Type" and began working on creating a list of symbols, statements about Richard Pine and statements about food and eating.

Those lists, and a sheet listing the requirements and steps for writing a paper due on Thursday, 12 December are posted below.

Students should have a statement that is true about Pine, food & eating, and surviving in class on Tuesday.

Class began with a short writing assignment on the question: "What do I need to survive and to thrive?"

Then there was a short lecture on Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Next the class began reading, not taking, and discussing Stephen King's short story "Survivor Type."

Monday, 2 December

We are at the beginning of a Food in Literature unit.
We will be reading two short stories: "Survivor Type" by Stephen King and "Riding Pants" by Bernard Malamud. We will be spending a longer time reading Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.

In class today, Mr. Zartler lectured on the following outline:

Literature/ Fiction
Story
Life; death; love; sex; hate; jealousy; devotion....
Plot driven
Character driven
     Motivations:
          7 Cardinal Sins
          7 Cardinal Virtures
          Agape; Eros; Philia