Fall 2009-- Week Seven

Oops! I haven't kept this blog as updated as I should... *blush*

Here's the info for class today:

READING ASSIGNMENT: Read Act III, Scenes 3-4 of Hamlet.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Give an example of eavesdropping. What do you think of it?

BONUS Question: Where did the name Hamlet originate? How does it relate to William Shakespeare?
Race to Royalty:
We crowned our first two royalty last week, and had a fun coronation ceremony for Monica and Shelly Warner! :-) I can't wait to see how many everyone reads, watches, or listens to this week! :-)

PRESENTATIONS:
We had great presentations this week by Jacob, Brock, and Blythe! Excellent work, guys! :-) Below are the presentations for next week. Remember, you can be as creative as you want to be! Each presentation should last no longer than 10 minutes.

• Jana and Sarah Dye: Education in Elizabethan times

• Caleb Ball: Geography of England

• Johanna Ball: Mental Illness and Retardation

If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at 754-9916. Thanks for all your support! :-)

Love, Mrs. K.

Two Videos-- For FUN!

Dear Shakespeareans:

Here are two videos that I mentioned in class the last couple of weeks. The first is the highly dramatic "rejection" scene (Act III, Scene 1) between Hamlet and Ophelia:




And here is the "Mirroring" video I mentioned in class yesterday after our fun warm up! :-) :

Fall 2009-- Week Five

YES Parents and Students:

We have some big announcements this week, so please read this entire message carefully!

*First of all, we have a fieldtrip happening next Tuesday, October 20th! I just sent an e-mail out to all the parents about this, but if anyone did not receive it, check out post just below this one for details.

*Secondly, I will be hosting a costume/Halloween party for the Shakespeare students at my home on Saturday, October 24th. We'll have a costume contest (no masks or grotesque costumes, please), games, karaoke, yummy food, music, Shakespeare movies, and loads of good, clean FUN! Each family should bring one big treat or snack food to share with everyone. Shakespeare students and their siblings 12 years and older are welcome to attend, too. It's going to be a BLAST, so come!

Here are this week's assignments, due THIS week, on Wednesday October 14 :

READING ASSIGNMENT:
For Wednesday, students should read Act III, Scene 1 of Hamlet.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Is there life after death? Describe what it would be like if there isn't or if there is.

BONUS Question: What is the climate like in Elsinore?

Race to Royalty:

Excellent work, everyone! The race is on, and we've got several class members moving up the ranks.

Here are where the rankings lie so far:

• Princesses: HeatherJane and Shelly
  
• Duchess: Amber
• Marchioness: Monica
• Countess: Ashlynn
• Baronesses: Blythe and Jana
  
• Knights: Natalie and Eilee
  
• Magistrates: Elizabeth, Lewis, Hannah, Jacob, and Andrew
  
• Guildsmen: Chelsea, Sarah, Brennan, Lliam, Brock and Anika
  
• Commoners: Tex, Amira, Morganne, Courtney and Ryker
  

I can't wait to see how many everyone reads, watches, or listens to this week! :-)
***PARENTS, PLEASE NOTE: There are many versions of Shakespeare's plays in movie form. PLEASE be careful and pre-screen the movie versions of the plays for your family. Usually the BBC version (with the exception of Hamlet, unfortunately) is fairly clean. ALL the works of Shakespeare have been filmed by the BBC and are available at Netflix. (Netflix.com) If you have a Netflix membership, they can even be watched for free online.

All of the play scripts are available for free online. Google is your friend! ;-)


PRESENTATIONS:
We had great presentations this week by Eilee, Lliam and Amira! Well done!!! :-) Below are the presentations for next week. Remember, you can be as creative as you want to be! Each presentation should last no longer than 10 minutes.

• HeatherJane- God, Religion, and Superstitions
  
• Natalie- The Ruling Class

(If your student has not signed up for a presentation yet, tell them to see me before or after class on Wednesday.)

TEN STEPS REMINDER: We will be having an AWESOME party at the end of the semester for those who complete ALL of the 10 Steps. Here are the Ten Steps so that you can help and encourage your student to reach their goals!

1. See, read, or listen to 7 or more Shakespeare Plays
2. Hand in the completed Vocabulary Sheets
3. Read "HAMLET" and discuss it in class
4. Help plan the Parents' Shakespeare Faire (which will happen the first Saturday in January)
5. Turn in the "Uncommon Usage" word list
6. Turn in the completed "Common Old English Terms" sheet
7. Explain "Iambic Pentameter" to the Class Mentor. (Mrs. Keppner went over this in class !)
8. Make a 10 minute presentation on an assigned Elizabethan Era topic
9. Recite from memory the assigned Set Piece
10. Write a summary of the play, "HAMLET"

If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at 754-9916. Thanks for all your support-- I am enjoying having your children in our Y.E.S. class! :-)

Sincerely,
Mrs. Rachel Keppner, Mentor

YES-- A Fieldtrip!!!

Dear Shakespeareans and Parents,

We just received a WONDERFUL opportunity to go and see the play, Tartuffe at BYU-Idaho on October 20th at 7:30 pm for FREE!!! It's a dress rehearsal performance, and there are 30 seats available to us at no charge! :-)

PLEASE, let me know before or during class this Wednesday if you will be coming with us or not. While Tartuffe was not written by Shakespeare, it is a classic farcical play performed using verse. I WILL LET YOUR ATTENDANCE AT THIS PLAY COUNT TOWARD YOUR SHAKESPEARE PLAYS!!!

We will meet in the lobby of the Snow Theatre at 6:45 pm SHARP. For those coming from Shelley or IF, you can catch a ride with me in front of the Rigby library at 6:00 pm. PLEASE let me know if you are coming so I can keep and eye out for you and won't leave without you. (I will have room for 11 people, so first come, first served!)

I will need a definite head count on Wednesday, as tickets are required, and I need to get them before the performance next Tuesday night.

So exciting!!! See you Wednesday! :-)

~Mrs. Keppner

I Am Bic Pentameter...

For any of you that might want a review of my lecture on Wednesday, check out this great video!

(But I still like "I AM a PI-rate WITH a WOOD-en LEG!")

Fall 2009-- Week Four

Hello, Dear Shakespeareans!

I'm sorry my letter is late this week. :-(

Here are this week's assignments, due next week, on October :

READING ASSIGNMENT:
For next week, they should read Act II, the rest of Scene 2 of Hamlet.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:
How would you feel if your parents hired someone to be your friend?

BONUS Question:
Where do the names Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Ophelia originate?

Race to Royalty:
Amber Dye read *7* plays last week!!! Awesome job, Amber! We also had HeatherJane who read *6* plays, and Shelly Warner who read *4*! Other readers were Jana, Sarah, Tex, Eilee, Brennan, Lliam, Hannah, Jacob, Courtney, Andrew, Ryker, and Monica! Excellent work!!! I can't wait to see how many everyone reads, watches, or listens to this week! :-)

***PARENTS, PLEASE NOTE: There are many versions of Shakespeare's plays in movie form. PLEASE be careful and pre-screen the movie versions of the plays for your family. Usually the BBC version (with the exception of Hamlet, unfortunately) is fairly clean. ALL the works of Shakespeare have been filmed by the BBC and are available at Netflix. (Netflix.com) If you have a Netflix membership, they can even be watched for free online.

All of the play scripts are available for free online. Google is your friend! ;-)


PRESENTATIONS:
We had great presentations this week by Anika, Elizabeth, and Lewis! Nice job, guys!!! :-) Below are the presentations for next week. Remember, you can be as creative as you want to be! Each presentation should last no longer than 10 minutes.

• Eilee Fahnestock: Witches, Fairies, and things that go "bump" in the night
• Lliam Keppner: "Off with His Head!": Crime and Punishment
• Amira Jones: Natural Order and Social Position

(If your student has not signed up for a presentation yet, tell them to see me before or after class on Wednesday.)

UPCOMING PARTY!!!

*Our family will be hosting a costume/Halloween party for Shakespeare students at our home (20 N. 3500 E. in Rigby) on Saturday, October 24th. We'll have a costume contest (no masks, please!), games, karaoke, yummy food, music and loads of good, clean FUN! We'll also be watching AT LEAST one Shakespeare movie that will count toward the students' readings! ;-) If you don't want to come in costume, that's fine, too-- come anyway! Shakespeare students and their siblings 12 years and older are welcome to attend. It's going to be a BLAST, so come!

TEN STEPS REMINDER: We will be having an AWESOME party at the end of the semester for those who complete ALL of the 10 Steps. Here are the Ten Steps so that you can help and encourage your student to reach their goals!

1. See, read, or listen to 7 or more Shakespeare Plays
2. Hand in the completed Vocabulary Sheets
3. Read "HAMLET" and discuss it in class
4. Help plan the Parents' Shakespeare Faire (which will happen the first Saturday in January)
5. Turn in the "Uncommon Usage" word list
6. Turn in the completed "Common Old English Terms" sheet
7. Explain "Iambic Pentameter" to the Class Mentor. (Mrs. Keppner went over this in class Wednesday!)
8. Make a 10 minute presentation on an assigned Elizabethan Era topic
9. Recite from memory the assigned Set Piece
10. Write a summary of the play, "HAMLET"

If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at 754-9916. Thanks for all your support-- I am enjoying having your children in our Y.E.S. class! :-)

Sincerely,
Mrs. Rachel Keppner, Mentor