Grade 9
Thoroughly revise your personal narrative on an important life change, taking into consideration the notes I gave you, then type and email it as a separate Word doc to ak@webstaclecourse.com.
The deadline is Sunday, April 7 at midnight.
For extra credit, put your narrative in MLA format. Because this is extra credit, I will give you no overt instruction as to what MLA format is just yet. We will learn it more pointedtly later on as you prepare to write research reports in MLA format. In the meantime, feel free to read the link and follow the insructions and give it a whirl because the best way to learn is by doing. Trial and error is an excellent teacher!
If you were absent on Friday and didn't receive your narrative back with notes, then you can write your narrative anew and email it anyway by the deadline, or you can have one extra day upon your return to school.
Grade 12
Finish reading Waiting for Godot, taking into consideration any symbols, recurring motifs and themes that emerge for you. Remember that it is one thing to notice stuff and quite another to decide WHY it is there. So, come up with some ideas as to why certain symbols, motifs and themes are there. What does it all mean and why? What is the author saying and why?
Search online for some basic info on the central philosophies of Kierkegaard, Sartre and Marx. This should take you no more than one or two hours. Of course, if the subjects of existentialism, absurdism, Marxism et al interest you, then feel free to choose to spend hours upon hours reading and contemplating. Divine your own meaning. Chart your own course. (As long as that course involves doing more, and not less, than what is asked.)
Finally, read a bit of Beckett's bio. Learn some about him and his personal history and his plays and the time and location(s) of his life.
Upon return from school there may be a short and fun quiz consisting of mostly multiple-choice questions that deal with the aforementioned. Don't be frightened! Just explore and have fun.
For the few of you who have not signed up for the AP exam, you still can through Spring Break without a late fee. A few reasons to sign up: 1) You really cannot foresee what might come down the line for you, whether it be a change in schools, a change in majors or a change in hobbies, and having a passing score on this exam might be beneficial; 2) in order to get the most out of this class, you might want to be poised to obtain college credit for it as either an English class or an elective, which requires not only a passing grade in the class but also a passing score on the exam; 3) having another great AP score in your back pocket can help with scholarships, internships, jobs and more that you might not be able to envision now; 4) the exam itself is a learning experience and also a fun challenge; 5) earning a low score will not hurt you; you just won't advertise it; and 6) you will earn a high score because we will prepare for the exam like they did in that movie Stand and Deliver.