First period read a bit about Hanukkah in preparation for the final scene of The Diary of Anne Frank, which we will begin on Monday.

Second and fourth periods, after a quick overview of what the “lyric moment” of a poem is, began examining one of the most challenging aspects of writing: tone. First, I covered how tone is determined: it relies on the connotation of words. We began examining four poems (three of them new poems) to determine their tone.

• “Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins
• “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
• “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” by Walt Whitman

Second and fourth period’s notes on tone

Fifth period began working on the final scene in the first act of The Diary of Anne Frank. We worked in groups as we performed a close reading on the portion of the text that describes everyone’s Hanukkah gifts.

Homework

• First period: study for vocabulary quiz Monday.
• Second and fourth periods: continue with the poetry anthology project.
• Fifth period: none.