Poetry Monday, 2.29: Acrostics

We're going super, super simple today with acrostics. You've been doing them all your life, but I want you to step it up a couple notches with your writing; it SHOULD NOT sound like a 3rd grader wrote these.

Examples:

Edgar Allan Poe
Eerie stories and poems
Decorate our imagination. Both
Good and evil
Are challanged along with
Reality.
Also,
Love and insanity
Lurk through the pages and
Anthologies. You will
Never know what is to happen next.
Problems of murder and mystery,
Oddities and wonderment are
Expressed with such peculiarity only he could achieve.
- - - - - Christina M.

Staring down at us
Through the night
Always there
Right up in the sky
Like a heavenly light burning
Inside you
Guiding you
Home when all
The other ways fail.
- - - - - Bridgette K.

Sleep
Simple Solitude
Lost in this chaotic world
Every second spent a longing for my
Evening; to get a dose of
Peace; at last
--------P.k.

Assignment Details:
1. Two acrostics: one with your name (I don't care if you do first or last name) and another that reveals something that is important to you.
2. Do a rough draft
3. Have a couple people look at it--make some suggestions to your rough draft: improve your word choice, add a simile etc.
4. Post the final copies to your blog with the heading: Poetry Acrostics
5. Final copies should be posted to your blog by the end of the day TODAY.
6. Remember--TRY. I know poetry isn't a favorite sometimes, but you must put forth effort.

Poetry Monday 2.22: Short story!

For today's poem, I want you to write about your short story. Here are some choices for you:

• Overal plot structure
• A character
• The theme
• One part of the plot
• The setting
• A conflict

Doesn't matter to me which you choose...we are going to spend this week working out some of the details of your short story before you start writing it. This is just to get you thinking about your story.

Make sure you tell me what you are writing about!

Rules:

• 10 lines
• Write a rough draft and have someone read it
• Post final copy by tonight

If you haven't conferenced with me about your short story proposal, today's the last day!!!

Thursday, 2.18: Short Story Proposal

Today we'll begin working on your short story proposal. You'll have today, tomorrow, and Monday to get it ready and conference with me. This might be too much time for some, but others might have a hard time thinking of where they want their story to go.

I'd rather not conference with all of you on Monday, so as you finish, start meeting with me.

For your reference as you start thinking about what needs to go in the short story:

Your short story must include all of the following:

• A creative title
•  A complete plot (exposition to resolution)
•  Conflict (internal or external or both) 
• At least two characters (must have a protagonist)
•  Foreshadowing 
• Dialogue (make sure to use proper format)
•  Sensory detail and imagery
•  2 examples of figurative language—simile, metaphor, personification, etc.  
•  Character development (using both direct and indirect characterization)
•  8-10 pages in length. Go over 13, and I’ll hurt you. Less than 8 isn’t sufficient for development. 
•  Times New Roman font, double spaced, 12 point font.

Tuesday, 2.16--Begin Short Story Unit!

As we start the short story unit, we're going to take a look at some excellent examples of short stories and what makes them work.

Within your group, you'll read the short story together and put together a Google Presentation identifying the key elements to the story.

You'll have Tuesday and Wednesday to do this, and it's due by end of the hour on Wednesday. We won't present them this year

EVERY person in your group needs to contribute. There are 8 elements that need to be included; most groups have 4 people. So if everyone does 2, that's a fair amount of work.

The following needs to be included in your presentation, and you need to turn it in ON THIS LINK. In addition to these elements, you will also be graded on overall effort and overall appearance.

Elements in presentation:

1. Characterization--briefly describe the characterization--examples of direct and indirect characterization, what does the author do WELL with his/her characters, what is lacking in his/her characters. 
2. Setting--briefly describe the setting. What does the author do WELL with setting, what is lacking? What makes the setting stand out?
3. Plot--Summarize the plot, but don't just summarize it. Tell us what works to move it forward, how do the characters work together, how does the setting contribute to the plot?
4. Conflicts--what the are major conflicts? Who is involved?  How are they resolved?
5. Theme--What is the message the author wants you to learn? What is overall
6. Mood/Tone--what is the mood or tone of the story? 
7. Structure--is it 1st person or 3rd person? Present or past tense? What is unusual about it? 
8. Figurative Language--find two examples of figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, allegory, allusion, alliteration, etc.) How does the figurative language add to the overall story?

Friday, 1.29: Fun Friday!

Today for Fun Friday, we are making snowflakes in honor of this snowy season we're in! We will hang them outside on the wall when all finished.

Requirements:

• Each person needs to make at least 2 snowflakes
• You MUST clean up your mess
• On your snowflakes, you MUST put a quote about snow. Make sure you put who said it!Can use these lists for sources, or come up with your own.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/snow
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/snow.html


Here are some links for some really cool designs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AfT-w5vH2w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KswqKvUmG9I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vNxjGMF6o8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3XiqUeFBHQ


Have a great weekend!!

Tuesday, 2.2: Memoir assignment

Memoir assignment:

Class time Tuesday and Wednesday to work

If you'd like to do peer editing, have ready at beginning of class on Wednesday and we'll pair up.

Otherwise, class time Wednesday to work

Memoir due END OF HOUR ON Thursday

Turn in PAPER COPY to Higgins on Thursday. NO LATE WORK ALLOWED.

Pick from:

•  A First--we read Malcolm X and made a list of firsts
•  A nature experience--we read about Blackie and wrote about nature experiences
•  A significant person-- We read the "You did, but you didn't" piece and we worked on a character description
•  A significant place--we read Monkey Garden and talked about a place

Details:

• include personification
• Creative title
• Descriptive words
• Length should be 1 ½ pages – 2pages.
• DO NOT follow the 5 paragraph essay format
• include lesson learned/reflection, but don't be totally obvious about it
• Follow proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
• PROOFREAD

Poetry Monday: Focus on a person

Today, for Poetry Monday, I want you to focus on a person who is special to you. It can be a coach, mom, dad, grandparent, sibling, cousin, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, teacher...doesn't matter to me. The person should just be special to you--maybe in a bad way, maybe in a good way. IT CAN'T BE THE SAME PERSON YOU WROTE ABOUT LAST WEEK.

Poem should be about 10 lines, and must include a simile!

Remember rules--

• Rough draft, have 2 people read it
• Post final by tonight
• Use label #poetrymonday

By Friday:

• Need all 4 Journal entries posted ON YOUR JOURNAL PAGE
• What is Creativity?
• Nature sounds
• Random place description
• Nature walk observations
• Need all posts we've done in this unit
• 25 words
• Brown bag activity
• 6 word memoir
• List of firsts
• Nature experiences w/personification
• Significant person 
• You did, but you didn't post
• Need all 3 Poetry Monday poems posted
• I am
• Number/age poem
• Significant person

NOTHING will be allowed to be turned in after FRIDAY for this memoir unit.