As a teacher of AP English 12 at Gettysburg Area High School, watching my students create podcasts at the beginning of the semester has been a wonderful experience. Six groups of 3 to 4 students collaborated on a literary analysis of the merit of three of their summer readings: Flight by Sherman Alexie, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Each group had 2 days to write an essay and personal evaluations of the process. Today’s activity comprised recording their essay for your enjoyment. This is not only the best essay but the best of the recordings. Therefore, please enjoy “The Power of Experience.”
The Seafarer. . .soulfully driven to sail
• January 10th, 2010Another selection from the Exeter Book, “The Seafarer” offers a full emotional array experienced by the exiled wanderer, who one discovers chooses to be at sea: a strange paradox, since he mourns his fate. This piece is a wonderful example of the techniques employed by the scop, or oral historian of the Anglo-Saxon tribe, to remember the tales and create rhythm as well. Note the alliteration, caesuras, and kennings scattered throughout the piece.
“Unpromised,” “Schmetterling,” and “Snowdrop” are discoveries of Kevin MacLeod, whose work I found on http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ I wish to thank him for all three pieces because they add to the ambiance of the writing, its mood and tone.
(0 ratings) Deconstructing Death through Poetry. . . Donne and Browning
• January 7th, 2010The subject of death has puzzled mankind since the beginning of recorded history. What is it? And how can we face it and be rid of its scourge? Two famous British poets took an aggressive approach to dealing with death: John Donne and Robert Browning. Each, in his own way, takes aim at death and wins through arguments that are hard not to accept. John Donne’s “Death Be Not Proud” and Browning’s “Prospice” share this cavalier approach to the falsity of death.
(0 ratings) Interactive classroom. . .paperless vocabulary.
• December 20th, 2009Today’s podcast is about one method of making your classroom interactive. Try using classtools.net as a way of creating interest in reviewing vocabulary words. You upload the words and the site makes games for the students to play. No more paper and pencil review. Students become more engaged and you have time to check up on their learning strategies instead of being in the front of the classroom. Give it a try. I highly recommend this style of learning.
(0 ratings) Flexibility is Peace Like a River
• November 18th, 2009My English 12 class is reading Peace Like a River by Leif Enger: a contemporary novel about . . . listen and you will find out. This podcast was created by half of my class while the other half took a standards test hoping for proficiency.
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