Friday, February 10, 2012
CLASS PRESENTATION - Week 1: Linnea, Laira, Scott, Maura
A whole array of material was presented this past week to depict a cross section of the American Renaissance. The three collections that were covered were: The Realms of Darkness, The Large Hearts of Heroes, and Tell It Slant. We were introduced to poets and writers such as Poe, Whitman, and Dickinson. Your task for this blog is four-fold: 1) Discuss your favorite piece of literature that was covered this week and explain why you liked it the best. 2) What techniques were used in the teaching of this unit that you liked the best? 3) What suggestions do you have that would help to make the presentation more interesting or more rewarding as a teaching tool? 4) Now it is time to respond to the whole group: Linnea, Laira, Scott, and Maura (by the way, they do not have to blog this week). Speak to them direct here - about anything that is not covered in the first three points; but overall, give them a sense of your impression as part of the class.
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I greatly enjoy the literature and writing style of the American Renaissance, so I was looking forward to this presentation, and the narratives that it was going to cover. Poe and Whitman are amongst my favorite poets and American writers; therefore, I was very glad that this group touched upon some of their works. My favorite piece of literature that was covered by the American Renaissance group was the two stories by Poe, “The Raven” and the “Fall of the House of Usher”. I cannot choose one in particular that I like the best because they both possess distinctive qualities that intrigue me. “The Raven” is extremely emotional to me, it touches upon the need to have a certain person in your life, and realizing that that particular person is “nevermore” is heartbreaking. Anyone that has lost a loved one can relate to this poem. I enjoy its sense of darkness, but it is not filled with overbearing grief and darkness that Poe’s stories and poems usually have. I also adored “The Fall of the House of Usher” it had that creepy suspense that Poe is known for, and was a great selection by the presenters. When I was reading it I literally felt like I was Usher and the narrator just waiting for her “corpse” to enter. I think it was nice how the presenters chose to read “The Raven” to us; sometimes poetry can be difficult to read on your own. Other than that technique, I don’t think that there was much to catch your attention rather than Power Points. Every day there was a Power Point and I think that can get old. I would suggest that more engaging activities be used in the presentation to provide a little more interest in the subjects. Activites are not the only way they could have got attention. Even if they had included more videos, or pictures, or anything visual it would have been better in my eyes (I do love to learn visually though). I would have loved to see a little more creativity. That being said, I thought that this group was very well organized. They understood their stories and time period and were effective in getting as much information as they could in the time allotted, I would just much rather do any form of activity to get the audience interested and engaged. Now for Linnea, Laira, Scott, and Maura, congratulations on your presentation! Your organization was great and you always knew who was saying what. You were all very well prepared as far as having notes and knowing your information and you succeeded on teaching us all about the American Renaissance and its writers. You all spoke loud and clear which is great. As a part of the class it was sometimes difficult to take notes due to the speed of your presentation, but that is understandable due to the time crunch. A little more eye contact could have been used by all, but I know that is very difficult! Overall, I believe that you did a great job educating us all on the American Renaissance. Kudos to all of you!
ReplyDeleteKristin,
DeleteI agree with what you said about engaging the audience. I felt like there could have been a better way to really suck in the audience. I also agree with what you said about the time issue being a bit of a problem. I think they did a great job separating each of the lessons, especially since we missed a day right in the middle. I think they were able to cram a lot of information in which was so great! It was a difficult choice for me to pick between Emily and Poe, but I loved what you said about Poe up here. I couldn't agree more. I loved this section, and I think they presented the information rather well.
Kristin,
DeleteLike you, my favorite works were the ones written by Poe. Something about the way he wrote really gets me interested and makes me want to keep reading. I like what you've stated about "The Raven". I've always thought it was about a bird! I'm especially thankful that the audio reading of the poem was presented by the group because it helped my understanding so much. I also agree with what you said about adding more videos and pictures. A video from the time of the American Renaissance would've given me a better sense of what life was really like then.
Kristin,
DeleteFeeling ambitious? Just kidding, way to go getting the first post! Your blog was nicely done. Even though you and I do not have the same, you did a great job of explaining why you enjoyed Poe’s literature the most. Poe does do a wonderful job of pulling his readers into the story. It is most likely due to his theory. He believes that it is the writer’s responsibility to engage the reader within the first two paragraphs. Since he feels obliged to do this his literature is successful. If he would wait until later on in the story to intrigue his readers, some may have already stopped reading. I also agree with the suggestions for a more intriguing presentation. Maybe having the same attitude about pulling the audience in as Poe would help presenters. So Sophie, Abby, and Steph maybe try and have the mentality that it is your responsibility to entertain and pull us in to the material being presented. I do disagree with the fact that they spoke loudly. I did not find this the case with the entire group. Good blog Kristin, have a great weekend!
Laira, Linnea, Scott, and Maura congratulations on completing your third quarter presentation! I am sure that you are all happy that it is over with. My favorite piece of Literature that you chose to cover was the poem Emily Dickinson wrote, “Because I could not stop for Death”. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to read this poem. Emily Dickinson is very crucial writer in the development of poetry. It is a wonderful piece to have in my library of read literature. The main theme of the poem is death. I realized how much poetry can help a person express themselves, if they do no want to share their feelings aloud. Learning about Emily Dickinson and reading some of her poems were definitely the parts that I enjoyed the most.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite teaching method was the audio of the “Raven”. The “Raven” is a difficult poem to understand, but the way that the reader read the poem made it easier to understand. I was able to pick up on some symbolism and other parts of the poem that I know I would not have picked up on if I had just read the poem myself. Another teaching technique was the power point. I know that all of the groups probably have power points, but I thoroughly enjoyed the animations that you put on your presentation. The animations helped keep me focused on the information at hand. However, doing the same thing every day became tedious. There was not a variety of activities. The handouts were the same, and so was the format of the majority of the power point other than the animations. Another suggestion that I have is more eye contact. I know that you were using your papers to elaborate on your power points, but you probably should have been less dependent on your papers. I think that that would have heightened the quality of your presentation. As a group your volume was pretty good. There were times when I struggled to hear, but overall not too bad.
I am sure that you guys will get a large amount of feedback, but remember that you were the first ones to go. So give yourselves a pat on the back for all of your hard work! You have led the way for the rest of us. It was smart of you to bring your own laptop because then you knew that you would have everything that you needed, and it took less time to set up. You were very organized. You knew exactly what you were doing each day, and your lesson plans always worked out well with the time allotted. You had the right amount of handouts for everyone each time. Way to go guys! Now you can sit back and relax, and see how the other groups do!
Morgan,
DeleteI completely agree with you in saying how you've realized that poetry helps a writer to express him or herself. I never really understood the meaning behind the words of poems. By reading the biographies of Dickinson and Poe, and then their poetry, I got a clear sense of why the poems were written and who they were written about. I also enjoyed the audio reading of "The Raven". The tone of voice that the speaker used really set the mood of the poem, which helped me understand the material. Again, I agree with your suggestions to the group about their note usage. It's hard to present information that isn't really familiar, but it was hard to follow when they read information straight from their notes. It might have helped if they were a little more energetic during their presentation. Like you said, they were the first group to present, which isn't an easy task.
Morgan,
DeleteYou pointed out some very important points in your blogging. I agree with you strongly when you told the group to not take everything so hard because they were the very first group and they did a great job for being the first group. I definitely would have been a nerves wreck to present first. But like I had mentioned in my blog they really did set the standards high. The bar that I thought that they set the highest would be how organized they were just as you said with how everyday was on time with the reading assignments that they gave us. However I should have to disagree with the how the poetry was the best part of the presentation, and this is perfectly fine that we disagree on this. Not many people will agree on their favorite part. I really do wish that I understood poems in the least, because the way everyone talks about them sounds so interesting. But to me when I read a poem I just see the words that do not make much sense. But then again like you said it was very good how the “Raven” was read to us. Like you said it did help me to understand the poem better. Don’t worry Morgan in like 2 weeks its your turn to present!! Good Luck!!
Morgan, I agree with you on the fact that Emily Dickinson was very important to the evolution of modern day poetry. I find it amazing that her original poems were almost lost by people revising the originals. It is interesting how much people really didn’t know about her original poems until way past her death. A good point you made was that this presentation group were very careful with their time and never had too much or to little to present. Also this group was very prepared.
DeleteI absolutely loved the collections that were presented, I mean Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson? It doesn't get much better than that! I've been a personal fan of Emily Dickinson for a while. I literally live in my edition of "The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson" (shout-out to Stephanie for buying me that). Emily was no stranger to me, yet during this presentation I was still able to learn so much. For example, her background. I loved the way the biography was written in the textbook, plus the PowerPoint on her was very well done. One of my personal favorite's of Dickinson's that we didn't go over in class is called "Heart, we will forget him!" It was in our textbook, but it wasn't one of the one's we went over. Here is the poem for you from "The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson" edited by Thomas H. Johnson, on page 26 number 47
ReplyDelete"Heart! We will forget him!
You and I - tonight!
You may forget the warmth he gave -
I will forget the light!
When you have done, pray tell me
That I may straight begin!
Haste! lest while you're lagging
I remember him!"
First off this poem is absolute beauty in words. It reminds me of what Laira said in the beginning of the presentation that she finds there to be more beauty in the actual words than the subject matter. I have to agree entirely. I think, especially with Emily, it's all about the words and how we speak them that makes the poem truly magnificent. What I took from this poem, in the first stanza in particular, is that she is speaking to her heart directly. "Heart! We will forget him!" basically meaning that she is telling her heart, despite the loss they have suffered, they will forget him. This could be relating to the loss of the men she fell in love with that she could never be with. She's saying to her heart that tonight they will forget him. Tonight they will no longer mourn. Tonight they will let go of the hurt, and just erase him completely from their memory. She talks about her heart like it's a living person, which I think gives it a very realistic quality meaning that it, just like Emily herself, is vulnerable and open for hurt. Then, in the second stanza, we see that the human ambition of the mind comes into play. The human mind can never fully forget something or someone. Here, Emily talks about when her heart fails to keep her hurting, she'll remember him. In the end, she'll never forget him. I love this poem because it is so true. I think even today people can relate to this, which makes Emily simply phenomenal. Emily confesses, which is how I define all poetry. I love that about her. What I also love about Emily, which the handout on her explained, is her diction. I love her use of em dashes and punctuation. I think she creates a very interrupted flow of words, but it doesn't interfere with the beauty of the poem. I could talk about Emily for the next two hours I love her so much, so I'm so glad that we were able to learn about her in this presentation.
Sophie,
DeleteI know that you love poetry, and I think that it was a wonderful idea to include one on Emily Dickinson’s poems that was not covered in class, especially if it is one of your favorites. When I read the poem I felt that Emily Dickinson was talking to her heart. I think that her relationship just ended, and she is telling her heart to forget the man; to help her move on. Yet, it appears that the heart is unable to forget. She tells her heart to hurry in forgetting, but it does not. As a result she is also unable to forget the love of the one she has lost. I read the poem first, and then wrote what I felt it meant, and then read what you wrote because I wanted to see what I would come with without reading your opinion. I feel that sometimes when people hear someone else’s analysis before they read, it influences their opinion. It was awesome when I read your opinion and found out that we both thought that she was speaking TO her heart. I am really glad you added this poem to your blog. Thanks Sophie!
Sophie,
DeleteFirst of all I liked the shout out! :) I'm glad you liked that book. Anyway I disagree with you strongly about the works that were picked. I know you, and I know you like poetry and things like that. However, I find it so difficult to understand, so I thought there should have been more of a variety.
However, I agree with you in the fact that the group did very well in presenting the information to us. Laira's comment really stuck with me, as it obviously did with you. Also, like Morgan, I like how you included another poem that you enjoyed of hers. She really is a great poet, I just wish I was able to understand.
(blog continued)
ReplyDeleteWhat I liked best as a teaching tool about this unit was actually reading the poems aloud. Especially when there was that audio of "The Raven" that we listened to. I think when you read or listen to poems aloud it makes them much more effective than trying to read them in your mind. I liked that we were able to do that in class. I always like to hear how other people read the poems compared to how I read them. I think it, yet again, brings a new and distinct beauty to poetry in itself.
I think overall the presentation could have been more interactive. I felt like sometimes the PowerPoints were just question after question with little input or thought from the actual presenters. I think it is great that they challenged us to answer certain questions, yet I felt like it was too many questions for us rather than information being presented.
To Linnea, Scott, Maura, and Laira I thought the presentation was very well thought out, but it just felt too stiff. Don't be afraid to crack a joke! Smile a little! It just seemed like you were nervous and uptight. I also felt like you could have spoken a little louder, to Linnea especially. I know it's hard being the first presentation up there, but I felt it could have been stronger. Nice job though! Keep it up.
I usually don’t feel a connection with writing, but the American Renaissance really drew me in. If one piece was to be called my favorite, I’d have to choose “The Fall of the House of Usher.” I liked it better than the poems that we discussed. I have such a hard time deciphering what poets are telling through their writing. I felt a strong liking for Poe. I’m very intrigued by paranormal themes and the dark, eerie feeling Poe passes onto his readers. I have a much easier time letting myself become involved with his stories because of the passion I have for the ideas he uses in his writing.
ReplyDeleteI think the group that presented did a very good job of teaching us about the American Renaissance. They kept it pretty simple, which I think was one of the main reasons why it was so effective. For me, I actually liked how they had us read certain sections for homework. I feel like I learned so much more that way than I would have if I hadn’t become familiar with what we’d discuss in class. I also highly enjoyed reading poems aloud as a class. It helped to understand what each was about and discussing it helped all the more. So for me, I liked best how the class got so involved with discussing what was being presented.
I often feel that PowerPoint presentations can get a little boring. Not to say that the group relied solely on those presentations, but I think that if they would’ve done more hands-on teaching, the class would’ve felt more engaged. Reading notes right off the screen really didn’t hold my attention for too long. I felt most attentive when the class was involved. One suggestion I have for future presenters based on what this group did, is to use audio of poems being read. I think that’s a great way to get a sense of how the poems are supposed to be presented.
Linnea, Laira, Scott, and Maura, I think you guys did a wonderful job with your presentation. I’m not just saying that either! I really enjoyed learning about the people and the works associated with the American Renaissance. For being the first group to present, you really set a high standard for the rest of us that still have to present. I really have no suggestions for you. I was very impressed with the way you worked as a group and kept us involved with what you were teaching about. Let me tell you, holding MY attention isn’t an easy thing to do! All in all, great job, guys.
Kristy,
DeleteI totally agree with you when you said that you liked “The Fall of the House of Usher.” I also do not get poetry it can be so confusing and hard to read. The reason I have such a hard time reading it is I do not understand how someone can just put themselves out there and be so vulnerable in writing. I have trouble releasing my feelings sometimes and I do envy those who are able to do that through poetry, but I enjoy happy and funny poems much better than the depressing poems from the American Renaissance. Like you know I hate scary movies but for some reason I really like Poe’s stories. Because of the way he writes and the great description that he puts into them it really gets my attention. Like you I really felt like I learned a lot from this presentation and felt a real connection with it.
Kristy,
DeleteLike you said, The American Renaissance really draws in readers, it was a great collection. "The Fall of the House of Usher" was also my favorite. It really is so easy to get involved and intrigued into Poe's writing. I do disagree with you when it comes to keeping it simple. I personally would have enjoyed a little more spunk! I also felt most involved when the entire class was discussing the poems.
Kristy, the fall at the house of usher was a great story. You made a good point about assigned reading given to us. As much as I dreaded reading the long story of usher, I am proud to say I did finish it. I was exhausted after reading it on the ski bus and I wasn’t to happy about it, but I feel that if I did not read it I would not have understood what had been covered in the presentation for that story at all. Another great point you made was about the audio recordings of the poems. I feel these recordings allowed interaction between the class and the presenters and it allowed to hear the poem how it is meant to be read.
DeleteI would first like to start off by congratulating Linnea, Maura, Scott, and Laira. You guys had the first presentation which was probably very stressful and nerve wracking, but you have set the standard pretty high. I have never really read much from the American Renaissance but I can no longer say that. My favorite story that we read was the “The Fall of the House of Usher.” I remember reading Poe in eighth grade when we read “Tell- Tale Heart.” I really enjoyed that story and “The Fall of the House of Usher reminded me of this book. They both have a very scary feeling to them. The way that Poe make gives you that scary feeling but still you just want to keep reading because the way he writes pulls you into the story. It was a very important story to read because Poe was such a big writing during that period. When I was reading the story the hand out that we received in order to fill out while reading the story. It really helped me to pay closer attention to the small details. And the small details are what made the story so interesting, such as the smile and blush that was described when they saw Lady Madeline in the coffin. The hand outs that you gave us were one of the strongest part of your presentation. I was able to easily follow along with what was on the power point and all of the important details that were taught about the American Renaissance. This will prove to be very helpful when it comes time to study for the large exam at the end of the quarter.
ReplyDeleteHowever as with everything that we do in life, there was room for improvement in the presentation. It was very informative, but I felt like you did not get the audience involved enough. It was slide show and discussion every day. If one day would have been something other than a slide show and reader it might have been a little more exiting at points. You did have us listen to the Raven, but is you would have incorporated some sort of visual aid into the presentation it may have been a little more beneficial for those who are visual learners. It would have also added to the detail of the poems because they had so much detail and hidden meaning. Also the slideshow was sometimes very hard to read because of the print and the size of the print. I liked the way the print went along with the eerie theme however I could not read it sometimes form the very back of the room. The presentation was full of great information but some of it could have been executed a little differently.
Over all the presentation was good. I felt that your group was well prepared. Whenever someone had a question someone in the group always seemed to have a good researched response. It was good that everyone had the information down under the slides that they had, but I feel like this hindered your eye contact. It was very smart of you guys to distribute the speaking amongst each other. Each person seemed to have a very equal part in the presentation. I never really got the impression that one person did more research than anyone else. Just from my observation I would say that your group worked very well together. Great presentation I learned a lot the last thing that I can say is you guys are lucky to be done!!!
Taylor,
Delete"The Fall of the House of Usher" is also my favorite story, as with most of our classmates. I totally agree with what you have stated about Poe and the way he engages his readers. With a lot of stories just the smallest details make all the difference, like you said with the blush and the smile on Lady Madeline's face. I also agree with you when you say that the hand outs were the best, most effective part of the presentation. I had the same ideas for improvement that you have. Something other then a slide show and a handout would have been fresh.
Taylor,
DeleteI agree with pretty much everything you said. I think, like Kristin mentioned above, that Poe does a have a very captivating way to engage his readers. I think part of it has to do with his scary subject material and psychological way he delves into the human mind. He pulls threads out of our brains that really entice us into the story. I love that about Poe.
I also agree with the ways you said that they can improve their projects, and I am sure they are glad to be done! This was a huge project that required a lot of work. I think a visual aid for "The Raven" would have been a good idea as well.
Renaissance, by definition, means “rebirth”. I deem this appropriate because the group sort of gave “rebirth” to our class. The American renaissance is essentially the enlivening of a style that was accepted for sometime but grew stale. After the research paper, we needed something to enliven the class. In attempts to better other foreign styles these men and women of the literary movement embarked on a journey to bring new life to a struggling system.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading “The Raven” several years back, I found it to be unique. It was different that anything that I had read up to that point. Back then, I was foolish and required the use of a summary or description from the internet. That got me by good enough. I even liked the poem with my limited knowledge of the symbolism and allusions. I was enthusiastic after I had discovered that we would be covering it in class. After this knowledgeable, well delivered presentation I fostered a better understanding for it. Through the specifics we covered, I liked this work of gothic literature better. The symbolism of the raven became crystal clear to me. With our lovely discussions, other’s opinions of the work inspired me to delve deeper. The poem had much more meaning after the background information for Poe. We saw his struggle and strife beginning at an early age. Like we discussed in class, authors and poets write about what they know and Poe was no exception. I can now say that I have a significantly better understanding of a poem that I’ve always been fond of.
At least to me, relating the work of literature to one’s life benefit us in two ways. The main one may be that it keeps the presentation somewhat interesting. We can’t learn anything if we lose interest. It is as simple as that. A healthy balance of opinionated questions and detail questions is crucial to an efficient presentation. The opinion questions that the group offered were helpful to remember the information, which is my second reason. If I have (at least some) fun, I retain the information better. The retaining of knowledge should be out ultimate goal. If we don’t retain it, then what was the point of learning it in the first place? Anyway, I believe that the group more or less filled these criteria, which provided for a superb learning experience.
Unfortunately, I must now critic the presentation. To be fair, it is constructive criticism! First off, more detail oriented questions could have tested our knowledge a little bit. I realize literature is mostly interpretation but details are important too. This is more of a minor issue. Like I said, I learned the material, nonetheless. The major problem I had with the presentation was the lack of diversity of authors. The American Renaissance is home to brilliant authors such as Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, and Melville. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Poe, but that time period was not all about him. These above authors, although somewhat dry, are important and keystones of the American Renaissance. To be clear and concise, I’ll say that spending two days on Poe and two days on poems was restricting to a colorful presentation. The group, in their presentation, discussed the movement otherwise known as Transcendentalism. I was a bit shocked after Thoreau and Emerson were not covered in class. They were the proponents of this movement and did not receive the proper recognition that they most certainly deserve.
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DeleteLaira, Linnea, Maura, and Scott please do not be discouraged by my previous paragraph. As always, it is constructive, with the intent of improving your skills. I like to see my classmates succeed. If I wrote about all your accomplishments then there would be no way for you to continue to grow. Your PowerPoints, overall, were well done. Very well done, may I add. I especially liked the slide transition. The information was organized in a way that was simple for the class to understand. Simplicity, especially in this case, is a good aspect. Your composure, regarding being the first group to present, was profound. Honestly, I would have struggled if I had to go first. In that aspect especially, I need to commend you. As being part of the audience, I could feel your sense of care and passion when presenting the material. It dawned on me that really cared for teaching us, not just for the good grade. All in all, Group American Renaissance, fabulous job! Without a doubt, you have set the bar high. Trying to do as good as you all did will definitely be a challenge for the class. True story, after the first couple days of class, I was second guessing my presentation in relation to yours!
Ryan,
DeleteI completely agree with you about the lack of diversity. I wanted to learn about other authors and their takes on the American Renaissance period and why they fit into that period. However, we did three different authors in four days and that kind of dissapointed me. Also like you said, the presentations were mostly poetry. I also agree with you that the slides were very well done. I wish I could learn how to do transitions and fun things like that. However, I lack with computer skills and I would probably make my presentation look worse. I also agree with you in the fact that I worried about my presentation the entire time. I thought to myself "I wonder if I did this right."
Ryan,
DeleteI’m glad you found a better understanding of “The Raven” as it is one of my favorite of Poe’s works. Their discussion really did help me to understand it better too. I personally do not think that enough opinionated questions were offered, but that’s just me. I enjoy a good discussion, mostly when we have disagreeing opinions. I do wish we could have covered Hawthorne especially! I think there was quite a a lot of authors that were not covered that should have been. I really found your blog opening to be very clever, good job!
First off, I would like to congratulate the group for getting through this week. I know I am nervous for tomorrow already. However, last week there were a lot of things discussed. If I have to pick one piece of literature that I enjoyed most it would have to be “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Honestly I picked that one because I understood it the most. I am personally not a fan of poetry so I really struggled last week because besides that story, it was all poetry. Thankfully the group helped explain all of the meanings or else I would have been lost all week, which I still was until class the next day. Also “The Fall of the House of Usher” was kind of creepy and I sometimes enjoy things like that.
ReplyDeleteThe teaching techniques I felt were not varied at all. I mean, the PowerPoint’s helped and I learned a lot, but that was really all we did. The worksheet we did for the story was also somewhat helpful, but the same exact questions were covered in class the next day, so I felt like that was also a very similar teaching tool. I found the background information very helpful though and there were something’s I found really interesting to learn about the authors. I liked how we learned that Whitman helped out on the battlefield because of his brother. I also liked learning about the crazy life of Poe. It made me connect more with them and why their stories are written certain ways. It also helped me understand why they talked about certain things.
The first suggestion I would make is to pick a variety of literature to go over. I felt like all we went over was Poe. We have been learning about him for quite a few years now and he does not necessarily represent the American Renaissance time period. I felt like there should have been other authors picked to go over their work. Secondly, we only did one short story and the rest poetry. I felt as though there should have been more of a variety. Like I said before, I personally am not a fan of poetry and I would prefer not to read it at all. I know some students in our class would rather read just poetry, however everyone needs to be taken into account. Also, I would have added videos or something to help us understand concepts better.
Laira, Linnea, Scott, and Maura; I think you guys did a really great job. However, I have several criticisms that will hopefully help you in the future. The first is that if you give a reading assignment; do not make us reread it in class. I know personally, I read those poems at least three times the night before trying to understand them and then it kind of annoyed me when we read the poems together in class. If that was your plan all along, you really should not have given us them for homework. My second and final criticism is sometimes you guys talked really fast and I found it extremely hard to keep up. If you’re not going to put information on a slide, which is perfectly fine, make sure you give the class enough time to take notes. I know to keep up, my notebook is illegible and I abbreviated Edgar Allen Poe as P to keep up with the information being said so quickly.
However, I want to congratulate you guys once again on a job well done. I did find something’s very useful and I know you guys worked hard to complete the work. Also, I cannot imagine going the first week. Just take everyone’s criticisms as a positive and learn from them. Great job!
Stephanie,
DeleteFirst, don’t be nervous I’m sure your group will do great! I didn’t realize until you pointed it out that we really didn’t cover a large amount of authors other than Poe. I do agree that he isn’t what I think of in the American Renaissance. As am I neither a huge poetry nor short story fan, I know how you feel when it comes to a lot of poetry. I do however disagree that they covered too many poems. Since they were pressed for time, it makes more sense to me to cover a few authors with short poems than one author and one story. I do agree that we should not have reread poems in class. When I have to take the time to take my book home and read and understand them to find out I didn’t need to, I fell like a lot of time was wasted. All in all good blogging, you were very good at making your criticisms truthful but not hurtful.
Stephanie,
DeleteI am right there with you on being nervous for tomorrow’s presentation! I agree with your point that the answers that were on the worksheets were covered in class, which really was repeating information. New ideas could have been presented in that time period where the group was covering the same questions; however it did help to reinforce the information, so I will not complain too much. I also agree with your point about learning about the background of the lives of the authors was helpful. By doing this you learn about WHY the write wrote what he did. Most writers write what they know, and this information can be greatly seen in both Poe and Whitman in their literary works.
I congratulate the first group who set the pace for the rest of the presentations. Being the first group means that everyone else will determine what they liked best (to use for their own presentations) and what they liked least (to avoid for their presentations).
ReplyDeleteThe selections for the American Renaissance in our textbooks were predominantly poetry. You'll find that publishers of anthologies of literature often select their favorite genres of literature, rather than to approach it from a more diverse perspective.
The presenters did a good job of dividing the work among themselves. Also, when unexpected occurances happen (Laira being sick on Day 3), the rest of the group worked well together and as part of the audience, I did not think it was obvious that someone was missing.
I saw qualities in each of the presenters. Linnea presented her material with better eye contact than I had witnessed previously. Also, I liked how she jumped in a few times and responded to questions. Bravo, Linnea! Scott moved a bit more out of his conservativeness and also responded well to some of the questions. Both Linnea and Scott have a pleasant quietness to them so it was rewarding to see them emerge from that in their own way to perform their lessons this past week. Maura, you kept the pace going quite a bit and seemed at times to take the place of the leader. You voice was so low at times that I had a hard time listening, but I think this is contributed to your caring demeanor and your concern to not take away from the others. Laira, as leader, you really had the presentation well organized and I noticed that you had the best eye contact of the whole group. This is difficult to do and takes a lot of practice.
Overall, this was a great learning experiences. The peer critiques of your presentation seem to be valid - so it is a chance to learn from your peers' critiques. We all want to be told we are perfect, but that is of course, impossible. Now all of you know what it is like being a teacher. Remember that when I first started teaching in the Fall, I took a lot of criticism until you all started to realize that I was on your side the whole time, trying to prepare you the best way for your university experiences. Nice Job Linnea, Scott, Maura, and Laira.
Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI would just like to say thank you to everyone who has blogged thus far for all of your wonderful compliments and constructive criticisms about my group and I's presentation. It was quite difficult and nerve-wracking to be the first group to present, and I am so glad that I am done. Now I get to sit back and enjoy all of your presentations which I look forward to. Good luck everyone on your presentations in the coming weeks!
The American Renaissance was a completely new topic for me anyway. I have never covered anything on it before in a pass English class. I expected to have a boring lecture about the influences on British writers on American authors. Instead I was able to be more active and read the literature in the period before being bored to tears. If I had to pick my favorite piece of work, I would say that the “House of Usher” takes the lead with no competition. In the past I never understood Poe’s work. I thought he must have had some serious problems to write such creepy work; the group even covered Poe’s more than less fortunate childhood. In the “House of Usher” I felt Poe’s fears come alive as my own, he has true writing talent. The number one fear that came through the story was Taphophobia(fear of being buried alive). As someone who is claustrophobic, when Madeline was attacking Usher I was terrified myself. I couldn’t even imagine the horror of actually being buried alive, but Poe really came through on what it would be like. I really likes that the group made the question handout. The handout was a big help in following along with the story especially when I would get confused. Also I enjoyed the discussion we had in class on it. It brought up a lot that I didn’t give a thought to when I read it; it is always interesting to get others opinions! If I had to say what could have been better, I would just say two things. First, I think that Poe’s work has a lot of discussion points and we could have definitely spent a large amount of time on that. Secondly, I would just say spice things up a little. As anyone who has Wee J for class, we know that his abnormal approach to class such as interluding before trigonometry somehow keeps us more focused on math. I know in my group we have a skit, a video, a dance and a cartoon in our presentation. No one really likes to sit in class listening to a lecture and taking notes. I am also a little sad we didn’t cover Hawthorne, as he is one of my favorites. As for your performance on teaching the class, everyone did well. It seemed very organized. I only struggled once to keep up with notes and even then I still got them all. I would have like to been more engaged in the presentation but it is understandable that you had to teach not cater to everyone’s wants. As for eye contact, no one was perfect but no one was bad either. Sometimes I did have a hard time hearing Maura but I learned a lot about the American Renaissance. Congratulations, you set a high bar for the rest of us to measure up to. Good job!
ReplyDeleteLaura,
DeleteYou highlight some important points that I will also respond to. I also like Hawthorne a lot but remember that we did cover his short story "Young Goodman Brown" last quarter. At least we had a taste of his work. Time does not allow any of the presenters to focus on all of the writers in their unit. I found this true for myself too. It is always a tough decision to know which authors and which works to cover in a collection. It is nice to have a variety of genre too but certain periods of literary history are devoted more to poetry, some more to non-fiction in the form of essays, letters, speeches, etc. Your input is important for the presenters - and I notice they have been graciously posting their remarks to all of our comments. Nice work, Laura.
Laura,
DeleteThrough your explanation of your Poe experience, I can tell that you learned much from these presentations. I can only hope that you'll retain this knowledge, because that is the most important part of education. Your understanding of the life of Edgar Allan Poe and how it relates to his works is acute. I can tell with your comment about more detail that you yearn to continue your understanding of him. That is really cool to me, actually.
The brain can only work if it's getting oxygen. As an HAP student, I presume that you know that. As you suggested, getting the class moving provides that crucial oxygen to the brain. It's keeps the attention and enthusiasm of the audience.
More Hawthorne would have definitely been interesting to see. They couldn't have done it all now could they? Your comments to them were full of praise yet reserved with a touch of critics to better themselves. Your post was enthralling to read, nonetheless.
Laura,
DeleteYou make a great point, I love Poe as well and we could have talked about his works so much more. We only have so much time in a class though and I could spend days talking about Poe alone! I also agree that the presentation could have been more active. You have to admit though, no one can do it like Wee J. They could have had a little more finesse, but with the material they were given to work with I think they did a very good job.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for their honest oppinions. I wish I had more time so that I could of incorporated all of those authors in this time period. Overall I was lucky that I was assigned this time period because it had most of my favorites in it. I also wanted to apologize for my voice and hopefully you could all still hear me because I do love to talk! Everyone thanks again and good luck with your presentations, Im looking foward to them!
ReplyDeleteLaira,
DeleteI feel your pain about your voice! Way to push through it you did a great job, and we all know you love to talk! Feel better!
I have to say that picking my favorite piece of literature we covered in English presentation on the American renaissance was rather difficult. I enjoyed both The Fall of The House of Usher and the poem, The Raven. I think I enjoyed the raven the most because I understood this poem, which is not something that usually happens with me and poems. In additional to understanding it, it was creepy. I think I am drawn to this poem because it has a unique style to it, a style I have only witnessed in Poe’s other writing. This had been the first time I had read this poem and I truly enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThe technique used to further their presentation I enjoyed most was probably the group discussions that came about. I do not think that the group had anticipated group discussions to occur but they did and this helped us all by giving each other viewpoints and ideas we may not have had if it was just our own thoughts. I was not crazy about all the questions asked, but they did prompt group discussion which was good.
Suggestions that I have for this group is simply using more of the time they had. I understand that they had lost about 15 min a day due to set up and handing out papers. I feel that if the group would have multitasked more, like handing out papers to complete while still discussing their power point, they would have gotten more information covered. I feel that the presentation would have been more meaningful to me if there were less questions and more facts on the powerpoints.
Maura, Laira, Scott, and Linnea overall I say good job! I understand that this presentation was a huge project and I get that it is always hard to be the first to present. I think that you could have covered more information. I did not like all the questions you asked. I feel that you guys knew your material well. Enjoy the rest of our presentations and relax because your presentation is over.
Elizabeth,
DeleteYou made a good point in the group discussions that came about. I really do not think that the presenters expected these; however I did find them helpful. Some English works are sometimes meant to be deciphered, and by bringing in everyone’s ideas about how they felt about poems or how they interpreted a story really allows for some real critical thinking and even disagreements which are not always a bad thing. I have to also agree with your point about utilizing their time better. There were four presenters, while one passed out worksheets the other three could have been getting the information ready. However, not everything can be thought of, and it really is one of the first times we have done group presentations, not everything can be perfect.
Elizabeth,
DeleteI couldn't agree more in saying that The Raven is my favorite piece. It really does have a "unique style" as you put it. I think the creepy side of it is what draws me in. I also think putting myself in that situation makes it even more interesting. I also love that you make me realize in this post that you don't have to be a poetry fan to enjoy The Raven.
I, however, don't believe that they lost fifteen minutes each day with handouts. They may have missed, at most, five. I do think they could have multi-tasked with all the people in their group though so I agree with you there.
Your summary is also good. It sums up all the points you have. Good blog!
Elizabeth,
DeleteYou found "The Raven" to be your favorite as did many others, including myself. This must say something about it. Either is is really that good of a piece of literature or it is easily understood. I bet is a little bit of both, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
With your critics, I found two points that struck me as interesting. The first was that the powerpoints were predominately questions with few facts. We all learn in different ways. Some may find reading facts off the slide to be helpful while others do best though oral presentation. So, I agree with that particular statement of yours.
The main thing that opened my eyes was the inefficiency during the first moments of class. Much more critical information could have been presented if it didn't take 15 minutes for the computer to work or handouts to be distributed. I have heeded all of these critics (including yours) to better mine.
Another critic that I will open your eyes to is that the presenters flew through the material and it was near impossible to take notes on. Speaking slowly has two advantages. First off, the most obviously, the audience can gather the information better. The second involves that talking slower takes up more time so at the end there aren't those awkward minutes after you have finished the presentation. Your blog was insightful, to say the least.
Elizabeth,
DeleteI loved the pieces by Poe as well. I couldn't really put my finger on it but after reading in your blog that you were drawn to the unique style and creepiness of it as well. I actually agree with you about the time lost and disagree with Alex. I think that for the reason that they were the first presentation everything was hectic and had to be set up and no one really knew what was going on. I think things will go more smoothly as the presentations go on because the father we get into them the more people will know what to expect.
When I first found out that this weeks presentations were on the American Renaissance period, I was slightly worried about some of the collections that would be put into the week, however after reading, I learned that there are some very fascinating pieces of literature that were in cooperated within the week, and a lot that I did not know about the Renaissance period. Out of all of those pieces of literature, my favorite was probably the “Fall of the House of Usher”. I personally find Edgar Allen Poe to be interesting, and although I was not very fond of “the Raven” I did like his short story. The whole work was a lot like Poe’s other pieces and most of them I enjoy reading. He is a fascinating writer, and I was glad this week’s group chose that story. The work sheet that went along with it was for the most part well done; it covered the basic ideas of the story. Also, the information presented by the group about Edgar Allen Poe’s life helped to understand some of the reasons, like why the sister was buried alive and how it played into Poe’s taphophobia. Which until this presentation, I did not know that particular detail about Edgar Allen Poe.
ReplyDeleteI liked having the poem “the Raven” read to me. That was something really creative to do, and I would not have thought of that. It made me pay attention to what was being read, and the man who read the story aloud really captured the effect that the poem was portraying, making it more ominous. It made me like the poem a little more than I would have reading it on my own. Also, many times PowerPoint’s are used when presenting ideas. I find them to be extremely helpful and a good teaching tool. I particularly learn, because I remember the information being presented from the slide. The way the American Renaissance group incorporated slides just of questions was a good way to ensure that the students had read the material, which was good. However, many times the PowerPoint’s had too many questions, so possibly less would have been better. Also, some of the worksheets helped, like the “Fall of the House of Usher “worksheet mentioned in the previous paragraph gave a good base line to the story.
As far as criticism goes, I personally would have made your presentations more outgoing and been more interactive with the class compared to just asking question after question. Also, the first day the group went slightly fast, so taking notes was difficult. The next three days was slower though so thank you for fixing that. Also, I do have to criticize the fact that we really did not have to read the material. I did, expecting to need to know it, but especially with the poems, they were read in class. I also would have like to have covered a little more of Walt Whitman and his poems, because I really enjoy him and his works. Only one was really covered in class.
You all had really good eye contact, spoke clearly, and presented a lot of new information that was not covered solely in the book, which was good. Most of the PowerPoint’s taught me a lot, and your presentations made the class go by fast every day. There was a lot of hard work put into your PowerPoint’s, just a little more creativity and a little more variety of teaching tools would have me completely satisfied with the presentations. All and all pretty good job! None of you seemed nervous, which is something I know some people (including me) have issues with getting in front of the class and presenting NEW information. I give you all kudos for being the very first group to go, which is always a hard thing to do. All of the criticism being performed is a way to help you all in the future and the class with their presentations, so I would not take it harshly. Congratulations you’re done!
Abby,
DeleteFirst of all, I love that you brought up taphophobia. It was so interesting to learn about. It was also something that I had not know prior to the presentation so I applaud the group for bringing in something that we had never heard of before. I also like how you brought up the qualms you had about the subject of the Renaissance. Honestly, I never had pictured Poe in that area of writing but now I realize that it fit perfectly. It had not been one of my favorite time periods until now. Frankly, I didn't like it that much. They brought it into a new perspective.
I have to disagree with you though in complaining that they went too fast the first day. They had it set out in a way where they had to cover so much per day and that was their structure for class. But we took up so much time ahead of class that they had to rush to keep in their schedule. I don't think it was their fault at all. Rather, they handled the situation maturely and with as much grace as possible.
I do agree though that there were some subjects, such as Walt Whitman, that I would have liked to hear more about. We got a great look at the lives of Poe and Dickinson but not Whitman or anyone else involved in the movement.
Great blog though! You did really well!
Wow! Can I just start with a huge round of applause to Maura, Linnea, Scott, and Laira? You guys did awesome! It is always terrifying to give a presentation in front of the class but the fact that it was this huge and you were the first to go just made it even more impressive. I’m so proud of you guys.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of literature was probably The Raven. Now, I know there were some mixed receptions of it but I found it to be really amazing. It was just a piece of writing that I loved! It was so impressive that Poe could stick with the exact same pattern for a poem of such length. I had always heard of the poem but had never actually read it. The only thing I knew about it was “Nevermore” and that it was a rather dark poem. Having experienced it during your presentation, I was thoroughly impressed. You guys made a great judgment call on having us listen to the recording. I think the pauses in it made for a much better impression. The thought and psyche involved in such a masterpiece is really interesting to look at. I also love how you compared it to what occurred in Poe’s life at the time. The Raven and your presentation of it were definitely the best part for me.
My favorite technique that you used was asking so many questions. It kept all of us so involved. When we thought we were done, another question popped up on that slideshow. I was just so astonished that they kept coming and coming. You needed a lot of creativity and that really impressed me. You also gave us some awesome handouts that tested our understanding of what we read and then related it to the presentations you gave. It showed a great amount of forethought and teaching skills. It was really impressive.
If I could suggest anything to make the presentation better in retrospect, I would tell you to add more images or brighter colors. Sometimes, the black and white got really monotonous. Also, I would have advised getting a little louder and enthusiastic. There were times I struggled to hear you. Now, I’m really not going to complain much about the enthusiasm because you must have been really nervous. You did a great job altogether though and there’s not really a way you can change what I mentioned before.
Seriously, guys, I thought you did amazing. For going first in the entire group, it was really impressive. You were obviously well prepared and I could tell that you put some serious thought into all of it. There’s little that I would change. You interacted so well with the class! I think you handled the section you had been given perfectly. If you had focused too long on any one thing, we would have all probably found it boring but you covered just the right amount. You gave us all the information we needed to know without elaborating too much. Great job to all four of you!
Alex,
DeleteI'm glad that you gave them credit for going first as I think that this is a very overlooked disadvantage that they had to overcome. I made this point in my blog also, it was impressive how well they handled it when they were going into the presentation blind. I though you made a very good point about the amount of questions asked throughout the slide shows. I choose that my favorite part of their presentation was the audio recording of the Raven. But, if I had to pick my second favorite part it would be the amount of questions asked throughout because they made an attempt to keep our brains involved the whole time. The only thing to say about this would be that I think they could have used some of the questions to find a way to get us more involved in the presentation. I agree they did a very good job!
My favorite piece that was discussed this week was The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe has such a way with words that it draws the reader in to the poem. The brilliance of the piece is outstanding. He manages to make his thoughts and feeling very prominent, but also sticks to a rhyming pattern throughout the poem. Even though it wasn’t a happy poem, it was very passionate. The emotion of melancholy was reflected in every word of this poem and the repetition made it even more evident. I enjoyed this piece because of the intense emotion that Poe puts into every word of the poem. It really spoke to me; I felt the speaker’s loss and grieving sorrow.
ReplyDeleteDuring the second day of the presentation, a tape was brought in to read aloud The Raven. This was one of my favorite techniques. I don’t mean to sound like a broken record talking about The Raven again, but the voice that read the poem really set the mood. The spooky, eerie tone of the voice went along with the tone and mood of the poem. It was my favorite day of the presentation. Something else that caught my eye was the title of the slide show that talked about the poem after it was read. It said, “Plucking the feathers of The Raven” or something to that extent. It was quite clever so props to whoever thought of that.
The only suggestion that I have for the presentation would be to get the listeners more involved. I felt that I spent a lot of time sitting and listening and some of the questions had no background material presented before them. I learned a lot, but I feel that it could have been for hands-on. Other than that, I really enjoyed the pieces that were selected and the information presented.
As my concluding thought, I would like to say congratulations to Laira, Scott, Maura, and Linnea for completing their presentation! I bet it’s a relief to be finished with your work and I hope you’re satisfied with it because it was a great lead in to the rest of the presentations. I’m sure it was nerve-racking having to present first but you guys all did a wonderful job. You know what they say; the early bird (in this case the raven) catches the worm. Happy eating! There I go talking about the raven again like a broken record. Anyway, all joking aside great job!
Maria,
DeleteI am kind of worried that when Dr. Pam reads my blog that she may thing I copied your blog point for point! We basically have made the same points about the presentations. The only point that you made that I didn't would have to be the some of the questions had no background material presented before them. I'm not sure if i completely agree with this because I felt that most of their material had a pretty solid base of information. Although, the more I think about it I guess I can agree with you that some of the questions didn't have a sufficient amount of background material presented before them. Finally, i'm glad i'm not the only one who enjoyed the use of the audio file of The Raven! Also I totally agree that the presentation would've been enhanced with a little more hands-on activity as I mentioned in my blog.
The American Renaissance is one that I had covered fairly thoroughly in my previous English classes, and I have always really enjoyed it. When it comes to this period I especially enjoy the work of Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickinson so when I saw that these two were going to be covered in the first presentation I was pretty excited. Picking a favorite between the workings of Poe and Dickinson I really struggled to find anything that made one outstandingly better than the other. Though, after much self debate I decided that my favorite piece of literature had to be “The Raven” by the great Edgar Allen Poe. This poem by Poe is truly one of the more masterful pieces of poetry I have ever read. The ability to bring fear and sorrow and desperation together into a poem all while keeping a consistent rhyming pattern is really impressive. The poem is probably about a full two or three pages in length and it is still interesting enough to spark an entire days worth of debate about the hidden meanings and messages that Poe is trying to get across. Though what makes his poetry so great to me is that you don’t have to look for hidden meanings to be intrigued. If you just read the poem and take it simply for what it’s worth it will still create a creepy enough atmosphere to give you goose bumps. That is probably what pulls me into Poe’s writing so strongly is the atmosphere created with his word uses and repetition of ominous terms. A perfect example is the phrase that the Raven repeats over and over again, “Nevermore” this type of repetition creates the the creepy atmosphere that I enjoy in his writings so much.
ReplyDeleteThis may make me seem like an elementary school student but the teaching technique that I enjoyed the most from this presentation was definitely the recording of the man reading “The Raven.” When reading a poem if you do not read with the right pace, or flow I guess it will not make the desired effect that the author tried so hard to achieve. I think that if we would have been asked read it for homework or to read it out loud in class we wouldn’t have focused as intently as we did when listening to a professional read it with such enthusiasm and effectiveness. The tool of listening to a man read the poem the way it is supposed to be read really let us better understand what Poe was trying to say. This is why I feel that the audio file was the best teaching tool of the presentation.
I think that overall the presentation was very informative and well done. If I were to make one correction it would be to find a way to make the class more actively involved in the five day process. The group did a great job of asking for our opinions on the literature throughout the presentation, but I think if we could’ve done something a little more interactive such as, maybe, having the class get into groups and argue their opinions on a point of one of the stories. This group may not have had an opportunity to go something exactly like that, but I’m just trying to say that anything to get the class more energetically involved would’ve had added to presentation.
I guess if I had to critique the members of the group in any way I would have to suggest that they not read their slides word for word off of the printed sheets of the slide show. I think that all of the members of the group did a pretty good job with their volume and making eye contact. The only thing that I can really suggest would be to find a way to more actively involve the students behind the desks and maybe not read off of the papers that show the PowerPoint slides word for word. Linnea, Laira, Scott, and Maura you were the unlucky ones to get the draw of going first for your presentation so you did not have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the other groups, but I think over all you guys did a really good job with your presentation!! Good Work!