Magic! and Observing!

What other item could depict a life in just a few photos?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/theprotojournalist/2013/12/26/211664418/1-000-words-the-wheels-of-life

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Prompt:  Picture all the ornaments on your Christmas tree.  Which one would you be?  Describe it and write about why that is the one you would be,  or base a story on it.

Attend the Charity Basketball Games.

Those who stayed completed a Christmas poetry activity for extra credit.

 Thursday – Friday without CAVE Time

     1^s Lunch                                          2^nd Lunch                                                                 

A1/ B5	8:15-9:40		A1/ B5	8:15-9:40	85 minutes
A2/B6	9:45-11:15		A2/ B6	9:45-11:15	90 minutes
Lunch	11:15-11:45		A3/ B7	11:20-12:45	85 minutes
A3/ B7	11:50-1:15		Lunch	12:45-1:15	30 minutes
A4 /B8	1:20-2:45		A4/B8	1:20-2:45	85 minutes

Updated 8/20/2013

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Happy Week Before Christmas Break!

Prompt:  You will receive three candies.  Describe one or more of them  as thoroughly as possible.  

https://jellybelly.com/info/funstuff/Flavor_Guides


2.  Students wrote (in their notebooks) a lead (beginning) for a story about the picture they viewed on the overhead.

Respond to this picture with a lead for a story based on it.   A lead is the beginning of the story.

Leads 

1. About Leads --
Students received a tape-in about leads for their notebooks.

"Good writers sweat their leads." -- Nancy Atwell

The lead is critical because it: (a) sets the tone, (b) determines the content and direction of the piece, (c) establishes the voice and verb tense, (d) beguiles -- or doesn't -- the potential reader."

It's a good idea to "start your story in the story." Often you've already written a good lead, but it is buried in the story. Richard Peck (famous author for young adults and children) recommends writing your story, then cutting off about the first two pages.

Three types of narrative leads:
1. action
2. dialogue
3. reaction or thought

"Much of a writer's work is to generate options and make deliberate choices."
-- Atwell and Dorsey

"A lead you love will fuel you as a writer."

A sample GREAT lead from our class:
Ring, Ring. “Will you send Tori down to the office,” the loud speaker said. As I walk down the hall hoping they have the wrong Tori, “I didn’t do anything today,” I thought to myself. When it hit me – Paul’s MRI was today – my pace quickened along with my heartbeat. (Tori 9/07)

Leads tape-in 2012.doc  Click on the Download Tab after going to this link.

Titles 

“Much of a writer’s work is to
generate options
and make deliberate choices.”
--Atwell and Dorsey

Some Thoughts on Titles
-- Students often select titles that are
Labels – “When I Tried Out for The Wizard of Oz”
“My Dog”
or Clichés – “The Best Christmas Ever,”
“The Winning Goal”

-- Look for a word or phrase in your writing that
sums up your story or essay.
(and/or) Generate other ideas for the title.
• Discard it if it is too misleading.
• Discard it if it is cliché.
• Discard it if it is just a label.

-- Sometimes you can tweak a tired title to tantalize:
“Dorothy, the Wizard, and Me”
“My Life as a Dog” (I haven’t read the book or seen the movie, but it does have an intriguing title.)
“The Best Misery”
“The Losing Goal”

--Effective titles tend to be intriguing, memorable, distinct, deliberate.

-- Consider the theme of the piece when selecting a title.

--You may begin with a title or (more often) not select a title until the piece is otherwise finished and polished.

Computer Lab 211

Reindeer

Friday, December 13, 2013

Happy Lucky Friday the 13th!   








Prompt: 

Answer the above question and then answer these: What genre would it be?  Write a blurb  (one of those brief introductions to the story) for the back of the book, and at least one praise from a famous author or author person for the book. 

________________________

Describing a Character

a voluptuary under the horrors of digestion

We worked in the computer lab on short stories/memoirs.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Emergency child's book?

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

1.  Pick a "paint chip."  Describe your color.  What things are or could be that color?  Pick one thing and describe it thoroughly.  Describe the item so well that the reader could "see" it without actually seeing it.

2. Share.

3.  Examples of description: Gary Soto and Gary Paulsen

Examples of Effective Description

3.  Shells!

Helmet shell -- description from George Hillocks  
about eight inches long
nearly six inches in diameter at the widest point
tapers down gradually from the widest point for a couple of inches and then drops precipitously to a curlicue-like tai
At the opposite end, the whorls gradually increase in size form the tiny innermost ones to the large, most recent growths.
The outside is covered with smooth wrinkles, and there are regular protrusions around the top of the outer whorl.

Colors:
fudge ripple
caramel sauce
butterscotch
shadow
beaver
wet sand
vanilla - chocolate twist

4. Qualities/Traits of an Effective Memoir

• enough detail
• sensory detail
• descriptive words
• similes and metaphors
• (emotions)
• length is not too long and not too short
• effective titles
• what else? 

After you write a draft, use you ARMS
Add
Remove
Move
Substitute

Use your eyes and ears to revise.


5. Work on your memoir or short story.

Inside the seashells were iridescent, shining with the colors of the ocean. Blues swirled with greens and shone prettily in the early morning sun.

robertgreen described this, November 9, 2013.

http://www.descriptionari.com/describe/seashells/

Later

Monday, February 25, 2013  fruit animals

Monday, February 4, 2013 Minimal Day  optical illusion

Monday, December 9, 2013

1. Prompt:  Something is hiding behind this tree. What is it and why is it hiding?

2. Dialogue

      Writing a script to develop dialogue

Creating a Scene to Create Dialogue for a Short Story or Memoir [This scene took place last summer on 63rd Street under the El on a Friday afternoon.  My friends and I walked down the street.  We heard a siren and we went out into the street to see what was up.  All of a sudden, a car whipped out of Drexel Avenue and turned to come at us.  But it was going all over the street.  The next thing we saw was a cop car with lights blinking, siren going.  The car was running away, going all over the place.] HANK: [jumping out of the way] Hey, get out of the street! Look out! That driver  crazy! GERALD:  Watch out!  He coming at us! SNAKE:  We outta here. [The car slammed into one of the posts for the El. Blam!  Big crash. The cop car stops about 40 feet behind the crashed car. A cop jumped out with is gun drawn.  He crept nearer to the crashed car.  The cop looked at us.] COP:  You kids, get outta here.  This guy has a gun.  He isn’t afraid to use it. HANK:  He look dead from here. COP: What is he doing? HANK: Ain’t doin’ nothin’ ‘cept bleedin’ COP:  Is he bleeding bad? HANK:  Yeah.  Look like his face hit the windshield. COP:  Okay.  You keep an eye on him from there. Yell if he moves. [The cop crept to the side of the car.  He stood up slowly with his gun pointed at the dude’s head. . . . ] Example adapted from George Hillocks, Jr.  Narrative Writing

3. Computer lab 223: Work on your short story or memoir.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Announcements and Reminders:

1.  Today's Prompt:  You just got $1,000.  Where would you go?  Who would you meet?  What would you buy? 2.  Looking at memoirs. 3.  Working on a memoir or a short story.

If you were absent:

If you have extra time, write letters to Santa to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation.