April 23, 2008

April 23, 2008
Students receive a tape-in. In their notebooks, students will respond to the poem as directed on the tape-in.

Self-Starter: 1) Tape this poem in your notebook. 2) Read through the poem.
3) Write about a third page or more on anything that this poem brings to mind.
This is a focused free write, so can just be any string of thoughts or something
more organized. Write as fast as you can, and get down as many thoughts as you can.
4) Borrow a line or two and use them to create your own short (or long) poem.

JABBERWOCKY
Lewis Carroll
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.


"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.


`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.


dshaw@jabberwocky.com


Tall Tales:
1) Students were shown several tall tales books such as Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett and Paul Bunyan or Pecos Bill.
2) The class suggested ways that the tall tale is different from other stories, and listed those differences on the white board. For instance,
The tall tale is more exaggerated than most stories.
It uses common types of people and places, but exaggerates them.
It uses informal language.
3) Students received worksheets for writing their own tall tales. They had the rest of the class to work on those. If they didn't finish them that day, they should hand in a tall tale to the wire basket as soon as possible.