811 Reflection and Summer Reading Bookshelf

Margot Supple                                                                                                         6/21/15

ELA Class Reflection                                                                                                        811

            Dear 811,

Whether it’s annotating “Am I Blue” or creating countless synthesis pages, I had a great year in ELA. I felt that as a class we had pretty meaningful discussions, even with highly advanced books such as Romeo and Juliet. I know that in ELA everyone has learned and matured as a reader and writer (even James).

My two favorite units this year in ELA were Story Books, and Romeo and Juliet. I never thought that writing a short story for kids would be so hard. I remember staying up the night before the story was due, gluing and coloring all the pages so that they looked just right. When I finished, my story was pretty great. It rhymed, and it was about an owl named Theodore that saved the forest from being built into a mall. I was excited to read it to the kids, and even show it to everyone else in the class. All the other storybooks were excellent (Harris the Subway Rat being my personal favorite). My favorite part of this unit was when we went to read our stories to the 1^st graders. They were all very polite, and reading to them was really fun.

           

            Romeo and Juliet is hard to make interesting to middle school students. However, when movies and a performance were added, it easily became my favorite unit. I started to look at Romeo and Juliet as an interesting book, not a hard classic. When watching the 1^st movie, I saw that it was actually a really good book, full of adventure and suspense. And during the performance, I learned that it was easy to understand too. Over time, Romeo and Juliet seemed easier and more entertaining to read.

            I’m really grateful I switched from 809 into this class. 811 has been a great class to be with, in and outside of school. Everyone in this class is extremely smart, funny, kind, and talented, and I feel lucky to have been placed in a class with such remarkable students. Thank you 811, for a great year in ELA, and a great year in general.  

Summer Bookshelf

Books to finish

-       The Kill Order by James Dashner

-       And Then There Were None by Agatha Cristie

-       Bossypants by Tina Fey

-       Eragon by Christopher Pauloini

Summer Reading

-       Enders Game Series by Orson Scott Card

-       The Power Of One by Bryce Courtaney

Others

-       The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Romeo and Juliet Refection and Letter

Margot Supple                                                                                                5/18/15

ELA Reflection Letter                                                                                                      811

1.)  Describe your character. What did you want to communicate about him during the performance?

My character was Friar Lawrence. While wondering how to perform the monologue I received, I looked back in the book to see the emotions of the Friar before my scene. I found that right before my monologue, he runs from the tomb in fright, abandoning Juliet. And, when the prince questioned the Friar, I wanted to convey that he felt guilty by looking at my hands and putting my head down. I also wanted to convey fright throughout the scene by emphasizing certain words. Lastly, I wanted to show that the Friar had recently experienced sorrow when he saw Romeo dead. I tried to show that by pausing when talking about Romeo.

2.)  How did the performance go? What did you do well? If you could have changed and improved something in your performance what would it be and why?

I think that the performance of Act 5 Scene 3 went well, especially considering the amount of time we had to put the whole thing together. I think that one thing I did well was annunciating my lines and using a change of tone. If I was to improve something in my performance I would take it more seriously.

3.)  What did you learn and gain from the Romeo and Juliet unit?  How can you apply the skills and lessons to high school English?

I learned that reading Shakespeare is not as scary as it seems if it is read slowly and step by step. I had had experience with Shakespeare before in the 8^th grade play MacBeth, but since we were rushing I never fully understood the text. Now, after reading Romeo and Juliet multiple times, I can paraphrase, annotate, and perform the play. In high school English, I can use these new skills to easily read classics. By reading them step by step and annotating, I can understand classic books.

Letter Written By Friar Lawrence

I imagine that Friar Lawrence would leave this note in the tomb at the end of the play. Since he was a friend and father figure to Romeo, I believe that this letter would be addressed to him. In the letter, I imagined the Friar apologizing to Juliet and Romeo, about his plan and their tragic lives.

Dear Romeo,

I’m afraid you may never read this letter, and for that I apologize. But I want you to know that I have done everything in my power to earn your forgiveness. I understand your decision to join Juliet in heaven. However, I do blame myself for your death, and Juliet’s. I was scared of the tombs, so I arrived too late and left too early. I am so sorry for the pain and ending that I have caused you, and I have found a way to make it up to you. Therefore I will make this letter brief. The feud has ended between the two houses. It seems as though your tragic ending, as well as Juliets, has caused the two families to connect. Your poor mother has died of grief, but your father is alive and well. Mercutio, Benevolio, and Balthasar visit your tomb almost everyday to deliver flowers and gifts, as do I. But no matter how many letters I write or flowers I bring, nothing will erase the mistake I have made. A mistake that took the life of two young children that I loved. I am writing this in my study. Resting on the desk in front of me is a small vial that contains poison I received from a poor apothecary. At exactly noon I am planning to drink the vile, so that gives me enough time to write this letter to you, and leave it at the tombs. I can never fully forgive myself, and I can not live with the thought of killing the most important person in my life. I decided I would join you, to apologize in person. But for now, I am deeply sorry.

            With much love,

                                                The Friar