CC0
Activity 1
Click this link to review a brief introduction to poetry.
Authored by: Tom Chester. Provided by: Ivy Tech Community College. License: CC BY: Attribution
Activity 2
Click this link for a helpful and insightful article on the American Academy of Poets, “How to Read a Poem”
Activity 3
Please watch this short video, which explains the difference between English and Italian sonnets and discusses common themes that are usually the subject of these highly structured poems.
Activity 4
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Please enjoy an interactive reading of Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare, “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day.”
You are not required to complete the assessment questions but doing so may enhance your understanding of the poem.
Activity 5 (Optional)
Relax and enjoy this Youtube reading of Sonnet 18, “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day.”
Activity 6
Click this link to access Sonnet Number 130, “My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing like the Sun” by William Shakespeare.
[OER Source:
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-sun-sonnet-130
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike
Public Domain
Activity 7
Click this link to access the Italian sonnet, “How Do I Love Thee” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning on the Commonlit website.
Activity 8
Click this link to access a reading of the Italian sonnet, “What My Lips Have Kissed and Why and When” by Edna Saint Vincent Millay.
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Activity 9
Click this link to access “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” on the Poets.org website. Click the audio icon, and you will hear a very memorable and dramatic recitation of the poem by the author himself.
“The Lake Isle of Innisfree” is characterized as a lyric poem. In ancient Greece lyric poems were sung to the music of a stringed instrument called a lyre. Today, however, a lyric poem is generally considered to be a short poem, expressed in vivid language and imagery, which conveys the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker.
Activity 10
Click this link to access the poem “My Last Duchess” on the Commonlit website. This is written as a monologue and is an example of a dramatic poem.
Activity 11
Click this link for my video lecture on “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning.
Public domain
Activity 12
Click this link to access the poem “White Lies” by Natasha Tretheway. This is an example of a narrative poem.
Activity 13
Please read “We Real Cool” and “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks.
Activity 14
Essay 3
Due: Sunday, August 2
This week you will write a 3-4-page final draft of the essay project you have been working on. For this last step, you will expand your essay by including at least one secondary source relevant to your thesis. Click here to access complete essay 3 directions. See Activities 14 and 15 for information about locating secondary sources in the BMCC library databases. Also, please review the formatting guidelines below. Formating is factored into your essay grade.
To submit your essay, return to your Blackboard course and Click the Essay Submission Links folder on the black navigation panel. Within the folder, click the subfolder labeled “Essay 4.”
BMCC Library Guide to MLA Format
Activity 15
Click here for a quick review of primary and secondary sources.
All essays for this course must adhere to MLA format. to access a clear and simple guide to MLA formatting in the BMCC library.
Note: Since this is a Zero Textbook Course, your sources will be electronic rather than print. Please be aware that the video gives citation for a textbook. Since we are not using a textbook in this class, the citation will be different.
Activity 16
Try this experiment in one-stop shopping for secondary sources. Click this link to access the BMCC library database Biography in Context. Then, in the search bar type in the name of the author you want to write about. You will suddenly be brought to a page with numerous articles, critiques, and biographies about this author, which you can use as your secondary sources.
For example, if you type James Joyce in the search bar, you will be taken to this page. Scroll down and you will find a wealth of information about James Joyce, including 2 websites, 8 biographies, 51 academic journals, and 89 magazine articles, 344 news items, and a website.
Here’s what happens if you type in Sarah Orne Jewett, author of “A White Heron,” one of the alternate story choices offered to you.
IMPORTANT: If you are new to BMCC, you may not have an ID card yet. The barcode on the ID card is your access to the BMCC online library, To gain access without an ID card, please submit the following form. Processing may take a day or two.
Activity 17
Click here to access a library guide that will help you locate a literary article.
Activity 18
Quiz 3 on Essay Formatting
The quiz covers formatting requirements for essays in ENG 201, as stipulated in the Format Matters video. The test is timed, and students have one hour to complete it. The quiz will be available from 9:00 a.m. Monday, July 27 to 5:00 p.m., Sunday, August 2. The quiz will not be reopened after the closing date.
To access the quiz, navigate to your Blackboard course. Click on Links to Quizzes. Then click on Quiz 3.
Activity 19
Click this link to access the Week 3 discussion
