Nine Online

The Internet classroom for Mrs. Kochis' English 9 classes

sophomore year

whaaaaaaaaa!!!!!
I miss the P8 clan!!!!!!!!! Does anyone ever go on here anymore???  No. I didn't think so. (sigh... good times).
 Any who hope you are all having a good year and to see if any one will respond. Hi Mrs. K

posted by: DJohnson at 10/18/05 19:21 | link | comments (1) |

'Sup?

Hey, everyone!

Just checking to see how your summers are going. This post is for describing how you're doing so far. Please feel free to let us know in comment form(assuming you still go to this site and read it)!

-TF

posted by: tfrank at 07/03/05 17:47 | link | comments |

Good-bye P-8 clan

I miss the P-8 clan already!!! Have a great summer. I love you all:)

xoxo, Katherine

P.S. making t-shirts = awesome times

posted by: KCovino at 06/02/05 18:22 | link | comments (3) |

*Sniff* - The School Year Recap

First of all, I want to say thank you to all of you for making this blog so succesfull.  I will be developing it into a 75 minute  presentation for my workshop this summer, so keep me in your prayers! 

Your comments on CST have been great.  I think as we wound down to this last week of school, though, we all got a little tired.  It's been a long time since Spring Break.  So for my (maybe) final post of the year, I'd like to ask you a few questions.  How have you grown as a writer and a scholar?  Do you feel you have developed stronger writing skills?  How have you developed in your ability to critically evaluate literature?  Is there anything you would change about your freshman year academics?  As far as my class goes, what could I do to improve or change it? 

I know that's a lot of questions, so don't feel as though you need to answer them all.  Just choose something that strikes you and have a go at it.  As we head into exams, I will check the blog regularly to see if you have any questions or concerns.  You can post them here -  remember, part of this blog is to help each other out!

May the farm - er, force - be with you

Mrs. K

posted by: vkochis at 05/31/05 18:03 | link | comments (7) |

Blog= AWESOME

Mrs. Kochis!

I think that you should keep up the blog for next year because when we were reading Romeo & Juliet I found it very helpful to get on and read what other people wrote about the scenes so I could better understand them! It was also fun because we would discuss what people wrote on the blog in class! I enjoyed it very much.  It also helped me put my words in writing which later on helped me writing my essay for your class! I think the blog is a great reference, especially for the exam coming up! We can read what we wrote about Romeo & Juliet, I think it's a great review source!! Just an idea!!

 

posted by: sNOVITSKAYA at 05/28/05 19:12 | link | comments (1) |

This novel is full of characters that are hard to read and understand.  Take Miss Love for example.  Is she manipulative and controlling or innocent and sincere?  I still don't know what I think of her, and I don't think I'll know until the end.  So much that she does can be read either way (the post card incident is only one event out of many that occurs to me). Do you trust her?  What about the other characters?  Do we all still hate Loma?

posted by: vkochis at 05/24/05 17:59 | link | comments (4) |

Exciting News!

Well boy howdy, Miss Love!

Just wanted to let y'all know I got an A+ in the class for which I started this blog - and you helped me get it!   Thank you so much for joining me so enthusiastically in this endeavor. 

For next year, do you think I should keep the blog or create a forum instead?

posted by: vkochis at 05/19/05 18:31 | link | comments (8) |

What is blogging?

 In my class at GMU for which I created this blog, I mused long and hard about the purpose of blogging.  Most people just use blogs as an online diary or journal, so I wondered - would an academic blog even work and, if so, would it add to the classroom discussion?  Looking back at how we have used this blog I think it is safe to say that it did work, giving us a place to continue our discussions outside of class and in a medium where so many of you live anyway (i.e. the Internet).  So my question to you is this - has blogging assisted you in any way?  Do you think it has helped you in expressing your ideas?  Has it helped you craft a style for your writing or helped you find your voice?  I know that I've seen changes in your writing since we started the blog....have you?

posted by: vkochis at 05/15/05 05:54 | link | comments (8) |

Poetic musings

Okay.  Things to keep in mind with the poetry. 

1. The speaker is not always the same as the poet
2. The poems will have more than one element for discussion
3. Rhythm and rhyme are two separate things (you may laugh, but I've had to distinguish between the two several times today)
4. The poet's background will frequently have an impact on the meaning/theme of the poem (translation: read the bio information)

Good luck with the presentations.  And don't forget to get a copy of The Cold Sassy Tree for the end of the week.

:) Mrs. K

posted by: vkochis at 05/10/05 13:17 | link | comments |

Format to Cite Quotes....

Hey all, I just wanted to make sure I had the right format for quotes. Is it (Act. Scene. Line #) or did I completely just make that up. Thanks in advance for helping me out!!

posted by: Lrafi at 05/09/05 15:34 | link | comments (4) |

Kudos! (and I don't mean the granola bar)

I've been really impressed with your approaches to the performance evaluations.  You've all done a fabulous job so far and it's been great fun to watch you prepare. 

I also want to say thanks for bearing with me the past couple of days...the end of my graduate semester has been hard on me and I've been pretty darn wiped.  But coming to school and spending the day with all of you makes it worthwile.

I'm planning for the next unit and want some input.  How would you like to tackle poetry?  Do you want more hands-on experiences, since we've been in that mode since about mid-March?  Or are you ready to go back to lecture/discussion mode? 

Penny for your thoughts....

posted by: vkochis at 05/03/05 18:45 | link | comments (12) |

The play's the thing...

Just wondering how your plans were going for the final project.  Remember to have fun with it - that's partly what this is for.  And don't forget to develop the minor characters in your scenes - what are their motivations and behaviors in other scenes?  Can you add that to what you are doing?  I'm curious to see what your thoughts are on this...

posted by: vkochis at 04/28/05 17:12 | link | comments (4) |

The fate debate

So.....yes or no?  Is fate responsible?  Romeo and Juliet do certainly seem to have a lot of bad luck, but on the other hand, they don't make the greatest choices.  Do they set themselves up for failure or are they set up for failure by an unseen hand?

posted by: vkochis at 04/25/05 18:14 | link | comments (11) |

impulsive behavoir

Hi! I am starting to think about the one paragraph essay due tomorrow. I think that in addition to fate Romeo's impulsive behavior caused a lot of problems. For example, immedietly after learning about Juliet's death Romeo go to the apothecary to get poison to kill himself. Why didn't he want to learn more about her death? What would have happened if he waited? Wouldn't Juliet be awake and we would have a happy ending?

posted by: acole at 04/25/05 14:31 | link | comments (6) |

Paris VS. Paris

I don't know about n e one else, but when I first read Paris's name, I was like, woah! Wasn't there a guy in Troy named Paris? Well, I haven't seen the movie but is there any similarities between these 2 beloved men? Paris from Shakespeare- a oblivious, blundering, lovestruck fool. Paris from Troy- don't know. Maybe that is why the have the same name . . . or something . . . WORK WITH ME PEOPLE!! LoL. Just a thought . . .

posted by: cwells at 04/22/05 19:44 | link | comments (5) |

How Cruel...

  I thought that it was really mean of Juliet to do fake her death in Act 4 Scene 5. It was a cruel thing to do her parents and the nurse (even though they were mean to her). I would like to think that it would make my mom, dad and brother really sad if I decided to go and kill myself. Especially on such a happy day as a wedding. I feel really bad for Paris. He tries really hard to be nice to Juliet and cares about her a lot, but in the end she would rather kill herself (or at least pretend to) rather than be with him. To me that is just plain mean.

posted by: jgaughan at 04/20/05 14:29 | link | comments (6) |

Act 4 scene 3 was really good. We get to see that Juliet really is in love with Romeo and will do anything to be with him.  Even though she has doubts about taking the potion and is terryfied about what will happen if the plan goes wrong, she drinks the it anyway.  This shows a lot of bravery on her part and I think it's sad that it ends up so badly after all that she has done to make it work.

posted by: HHambrick at 04/19/05 18:34 | link | comments (5) |

Habemus Papam!

Just in case you didn't get a chance to see it during class today, I thought I would post a link to the story.   What an exciting and wonderful time to be Catholic - he will be a great shepherd of the Church.

And - did anyone catch that he called our dear departed pontiff "The Great John Paul II?" 


Catholic Online

posted by: vkochis at 04/19/05 18:27 | link | comments (3) |

What is Juliet thinking?

I want to know what Juliet is thinking when she drinks the "poison." I mean ya its a pretty good plan, making everyone think she is dead. But why couldn't she just have ran away? They obviously didn't have the technology we have now so if she ran away, found Romeo and they ran far away together I think they would have lived a lot longer. *wonders why I care so much*

posted by: jwhiting at 04/19/05 15:49 | link | comments (8) |

Very interesting...

I think it is wierd but reading Act 4 Scenes 1 & 2 makes me all gushy inside because of how much Juliet loves Romeo! I think thats really romantic!! Even though I know how this is going to turn out I am still anxious to see the planning for the lovers' deaths. I thought it was extremely interesting how things that Juliet or the Friar said acctually had completely different meaning from what the other characters were hearing. I think that is really brilliant of Shakespeare! I definitly admire that! It makes the play so much more interesting because you want to get on the stage and shake the other character and be like "Can't you see she DOESN'T WANT TO MARRY YOU!".... haha I think this is something that makes Shakespeares plays so good, the audience knows a completely different meaning to what is being said!  Good stuff.

posted by: sNOVITSKAYA at 04/18/05 20:30 | link | comments (2) |

The nurse went from taking Juliet to the friars cell, encouraging Juliet to be with Romeo. To telling Juliet that it would be best for her to marry Paris.

In class to today we went over the scene. One thing I still dont get is why the nurse tells Juliet that Romeo is a dish cloth compared to Paris. If they are both from the same social status then why would one be greater than the other. Is it because Romeo has a reputation for disrespecting women?

Also, I found it interesting how Juliet's dialouge changes when she talks to her mother. She calls her mother madam, and uses more formal language around her parents than she does with Prudence (aka nurse), and Romeo.

posted by: ljoost at 04/18/05 20:24 | link | comments (2) |

Can you hear it? It's the winds of change....

So Prudence, the nurse, once again shows the irony inherent in her name.  Her reaction to Juliet's situation is less than ideal, considering the attitudes and behaviors of the two young lovers.  This brings me to my question for you - why does her attitude shift?  What does this mean for Juliet?  Juliet obviously has a strong reaction - I'd love to hear what your thoughts are regarding the nurse's change and its impact on the play.

PS - Can anyone identify the quote in the title?

posted by: vkochis at 04/18/05 16:06 | link | comments (6) |

Juliet's a woman

In 3.5 we see Juliet really grows up. She stands up to her father, which is a very scary thing! I know what it's like to be in trouble by my dad who's 6'6. lol But you can see her true loyalty and love for Romeo by not giving up on him even though her mother, father,  and best friend (the nurse) are all against her. Juliet is basically exiled from her family, just like Romeo is exiled from Verona. I wonder what changes Romeo will go through for Juliet...

posted by: ktaylor at 04/17/05 14:53 | link | comments (2) |

You look kinda pale...

Ok guys, I just finished reading Act 3, Scenes 3-5 and I was a little weirded out. At the very end of all the reading while Romeo is leaving Juliet's balcony, Juliet goes "You look really pale" or some version of that. And Romeo in return says "You look really pale too." I had to read that on sparknotes to make sure I understood that. But anyways, that was really um...touching, and um sweet? So if anyone cares to explain...that would be cool.

posted by: Lrafi at 04/16/05 19:45 | link | comments (5) |

Hey! Today in class we read the part where Juliet is mad at Romeo one minute for killing Tybalt and then the next minute she is back to pining for him. I found it rather odd that the Nurse was acting like she had known Tyalt forever when they probably have never even associated. Also I have a question for the classes and Mrs.K. Why is Juliet so upset about Romeo being banished when she could just join him and live happily ever after far away from their fighting families?

posted by: Nbanda at 04/15/05 16:13 | link | comments (8) |

Sad stuff...

Hey people!  

 Am I the only one who thinks that the 1968 movie is waaaaaay overdone? I mean seriously, the actors are trying way too hard (especially in the sword fights).  Romeo looked like such a klutz during his fight with Tybalt. He kept tripping over things and twitching and stuff...(wierdo). 

Anyway...more to the point, POOR MERCUTIO! (and Tybalt...) I feel bad for Mercutio, everyone thought he was joking when he was really DYING! Twas some sad stuff.... 

Tybalt had it coming.

Bies guys!

posted by: HHambrick at 04/14/05 18:50 | link | comments (10) |

Timelines

I'm working on the connecting box timeline thing. I'm trying to find instances that lead up to Tybalt and Mercutio's death and as an example you said the servant inviting them to the party because that is how Romeo & Juliet met. But, how does Romeo and Juliet loving eachother kill Tybalt and Mercutio. I think that Mercutio died on an accident and then Romeo killed Tybalt out of rage, which I think he would have done even if he hadnt know Juliet. So, Mrs. Kochis (or anyone) perhaps you could explain the relevancy there...

posted by: msnyder at 04/14/05 16:55 | link | comments (3) |

Fun Scene

Isn't 3.1 great? Mercutio dies and Romeo becomes an outcast..how fun. I am kind of dissapointed though at how Tybalt died. It would have been cooler if like Romeo held a grudge for a long time, and in the end, they go into this huge duel, with matrix rip-off sword fighting and state of the art choreography and that stuff. 

posted by: felachkar at 04/13/05 15:37 | link | comments (15) |

Poor Mercutio!

How sad Mercutio dies! Even though he was kind of a messed up character w/his mental probs and everything I feel sorry for him and not Tybalt. I think Tybalts a love to hate character but Mercutio is the weird supporting character that everyone likes. Then again I guess it's really a matter of opinion on whether you like Mercutio or Tybalt btr. And it's kinda messed up I mean y did Benvolio have to carry Mercutio off stage to die? Did they not have curtains back then??? *goes off to ponder question*

posted by: jwhiting at 04/13/05 14:02 | link | comments (4) |

Of literary elements and the Bard

It occurred to me that I've never asked what  you think of literary elements.  We'll talk some more about the impact they have on the play, but I would like to hear your thoughts prior to discussing it in class.  When I was in high school I always felt like the teachers were reading into everything way too much; I would have imaginary conversations in my head with long dead authors as to their literary intentions.  Invariably, they always agreed with me (as well they should, considering they were in my head).  It wasn't until I got to my senior year of high school and into college that I accepted the intentional nature of similes, symbolism, metaphors, etc. and actually learned to enjoy them as an art form. 

So - literary elements - intentional or unintentional?  Beautiful or distracting? 

Just some food for thought....

And one more thing - posting is getting a little thin.   Remember we are to stay on topic - conversations are fun, but they shouldn't detract from the true nature of this blog, which is to expand our academic discussions outside the classroom. 

posted by: vkochis at 04/12/05 18:20 | link | comments (9) |

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