Ode on a Grecian Urn - the pyramid

Firstly, read the analysis activity we did not have time to complete last class.


After spending 30 minutes working on and discussing this - I suggest you keep a working doc of notes to upload later to your blog - we will move into pyramid groups.

THE PYRAMID
What are the most important things I understand about Ode on a Grecian Urn?

• In your groups you will take a big sheet of paper and create a 2D pyramid. Make it big
• Divide the pyramid into three sections
• At the base of the pyramid you will each add THREE post-its
• Each post-it will answer the question above (so you will each have to come up with three different answers
• After all post-its have been included, you will need to review them as a group. Which post-its seem to be similar. Can you organise them into different categories?
• In the middle of your pyramid you should write the different categories you have decided on, arranging relevant post-its under the appropriate category. Thus, you will be moving from SPECIFICS to GENERALIZATIONS
• Finally, at the top of your pyramid, decide on which category is most important out of the categories you have identified. Write it at the top. How did you agree? What criteria did you use to decide on the MOST IMPORTANT category? Be prepared to feedback to the class.

Some reflections on the Pyramid activity

• What have you learnt about the formation of generalizations?
• To what extent was a group necessary for this activity?
• What do you think you have learnt about leadership?

The John Keats Treasure Hunt

What?
In your first double lesson, you will all go on a virtual "treasure hunt" to find precious nuggets of information about 

• John Keats
• the context in which he writes
• his poetry
• EXT: how he fits into the IB Literature course

How?
1) You will work in pairs, using your own research skills to search for the required data on this marvel of modern information technology, the internet, as well as making a few trips downstairs to the library. (Hint: you will be able to find much of the info by using the "useful websites" on this blog!) 

2) You will then collate the information in a suitable way, perhaps using a word document to make notes as you go along.

3) Individually, you will have to post all the material on your very own John Keats blog, having created the blog using www.blogger.com, following the instructions on that website.

When?
You will have all of this  lesson AND Friday's lesson to hunt for the treasure!

You will need to submit your finished treasure hunt on your own John Keats blog (having set up the blog using blogger.com by 9.30am, Tuesday 8th April).



Let The Treasure Hunt begin...
 (Note: Each section should be a new blog post in your blog!)


SECTION 1 - BIOGRAPHY

1) Find a suitable picture of me  to upload to your blog post. (Try to pick a flattering one, ok?)


2) Create a brief timeline of my life, including

•  birthdate, 
• important events in my life, 
• when I wrote famous poems, 
• a quote from me when I became ill.
• deathdate, 

At least eight different brief entries in your timeline!



3) Find a suitable picture of my sweet girl Fanny Brawne.
Give a brief explanation (no more than two sentences)  IN YOUR OWN WORDS as to why she was important in my life.

4) Find a letter that I wrote to Fanny Brawne in which I declare my love for her from a book of my letters downstairs in the library. 

• Take a picture of the letter. 
• Quote underneath or highlight in some way THE SENTENCE WHICH DECLARES MY LOVE.

5) Find the letter in a book in the library I wrote  to Charles Brown on  30th November, 1820. 

• Take a photo of the first page. 
• Underneath the photo, explain in two sentences who Charles Brown is/my relationship with him.
•  Also, quote the final THREE SENTENCES of the letter (before "God bless you!) 
• Try not to cry... 

SECTION 2 - CONTEXT

1) Find an image on the web which in some way (symbolically or literally) represents the Romantic Period. 

• Save the image
• Explain how it does.
• Give rough dates (in years) for the beginning and end of the Romantic period in English literature. 

2) Find ONE HISTORICAL EVENT (clue: allez!) that had a major impact in shaping the Romantic era.

•  Explain briefly what it is and how it did this. 
• Find a picture that in some way depicts this event. 
• Label it.

3) Provide brief diagram or bullet points outlining some of the key characteristics of Romanticism. You may find this useful. Or this.


4) Find a painter from my time known for his/her associations with Romanticism. 

• Find a painting of theirs in a book in the library (hint: look in The History of Art section). 
• Take a photo of it. 
• Label it with painter, title, date of production
• Then try to recreate a "living" version of it here or at home (you may need friends or family to act as models).  Take a photo of your living painting and post it next to the original picture.

5) Find a pictures of a rival of mine: Lord Byron. 

• Save it.
• Label it.
• Can you explain in two or three sentences IN YOUR OWN WORDS why we disliked each other??

SECTION 3 - POEMS

1) Give a brief, bullet-pointed explanation of what an Ode (in poetry) is.
List all the Odes I wrote, including the first line for each one, and the date (roughly) they were written. 

2) Select four themes I deal with a lot in my poetry that you find interesting. 

• List the themes.
• Find at least two poems of mine that include each theme. 
• (You could include a quotation from each poem that seems to allude to the theme).

3) I take great pride in my synaesthetic images. 

• Can you briefly explain IN YOUR OWN WORDS what these are? 
• What function(s) do they perform in my poems?
• Give the example from the link on Isabella, explaining the sensory images it combines.

4) What is a poetic ballad? 

• Give a brief definition IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
• Find my ballad entitled La Belle Dame Sans Merci.
• Perform a dramatic reading of it.
• Record the audio.
• Upload the audio file to your blog! 
• (If you have time, you could make it a video recording instead.)
• Find a suitable image to go with the reading.