Tuesday, April 29, 2014

April 30, 2014

Prompt: from your list of Creative Writing Prompts About Me.

2. Write from the perspective of one of these:

a backpack
a student desk
a pencil or pen
a book
a school bus
a shoe or pair of shoes

Tell about all or part of a typical day.

3. Writing a monologue from the villain!

Handout: Monologue -- Another Point of View.doc

Monday, April 28, 2014

April 28, 2014

Announcements and Reminders:

You will have a substitute teacher on Wednesday and Friday: Mr. DeGroot

Today’s Agenda:
Getting ready for the Prompt: The Follower -- Inspiration for your writing:

from Guys Write for Guys Read – "The Follower" http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4649807

See also the book by Gary Paulsen Harris and Me or his book Masters of Disaster.

Consider also the part of The Outsiders when Ponyboy and a friend see how long they can hold cigarettes on their hands.

Prompt: Write about a time when you were the follower and did something stupid
or disregarded mother’s advice or an admonition or command
or wish you would have disobeyed.

A beginning for Ms. Dorsey's story --
"Everybody did it – at least everybody from the farming community of Clover, Idaho who was old enough to have a drivers license (maybe some who weren't old enough, too) and too young to fear death and dismemberment. We called it “Deadman’s Curve.” The name should have been discouraging, but for teens it was enticing. It was a sharp curve, following the curve in a large canal – large enough to swallow up a car or pickup.
The challenge was to see how fast you could go around the curve. Disobeying laws wasn’t in character for me, but at 16 I had been driving with a license for two years, felt so experienced, and had a need for speed."

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Voice in Writing

One of the Six Traits of Writing
Working with Voice

Voice is Personality!
⇨Voice in writing lets the personality shine through.
⇨You adjust your voice depending on your
audience and purpose.

Here is a rubric for voice in writing from kimskorner4teachertalk.com.

Rating of 5 (Strong):

The paper shows the writer's personality. The writer has written the paper to be read, not just as an assignment. There is a connection between the writer and the reader.

	The paper is honest and sincere; it is written from the heart.
	The language helps the reader "see" what is happening in the writing.
	The writer shows his feelings and emotions in the paper.
	The writer cares about the topic.
	The reader gets a real sense of humor, sadness, happiness, suspense, excitement, etc. from the writing.

Rating of 3 (Developing):

The paper has some personality, but the reader has a hard time connecting with the writer. The writing may sound familiar, not really new or unique.

	The paper has some moments of honesty and sincerity.
	The voice may be strong on occasion, then hide behind general language that isn't very specific.
	The writing hides as much of the writer's personality as it shows.
	The writer seems afraid to show how he really feels.
	The reader only sometimes gets a sense of humor, sadness, happiness, suspense, excitement, etc. from the writing.

Rating of 1 (Weak):

The paper has no personality. It sounds like an encyclopedia article, with only the facts. The writer seems to have no feelings about the topic.

	The reader cannot sense any sincerity or honesty in the paper. The reader has no connection to the writer.
	The writing is not very exciting throughout most of the paper. There are no highs or lows.
	The writing is factual and does not cause the reader to feel anything about the topic.
	The writer doesn't seem to care about the topic at all.

Sampling Voices:

1. Select a voice (pick a voice that is strong and easily recognized):

Captain Jack Sparrow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4yiltvGKx0
Miss Piggy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK52qGcpdzo
Giselle (from Enchanted) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Ra7nwZRN4
Edward (from Enchanted) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywnS8sUYD6Q

Donald Duck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkFcHraYc9Y

12:23

Bugs Bunny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL9ytlTq654
Eeyore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQI0E1WCLMU

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2. Tell about what you actually did last night, or about what you did this morning, or something you did last weekend, using the voice you’ve selected. Write it such that when a reader reads it, he or she can "hear" that voice in his or her head.

3. Now, take at least a paragraph from the story you told for your opening prompt today, and add voice -- your own or someone else's.

If time: More Hormone Jungle.

If you were absent:

See the prompts above.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

[in Just-] by e.e. cummings

[in Just-]

BY E. E. CUMMINGS

in Just-

spring when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far and wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

the

goat-footed

balloonMan whistles

far

and

wee

as found at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176657

Concrete Poetry Spring 2014

Poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay: Afternoon on a Hill

Afternoon on a Hill

I will be the gladdest thing
   Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
   And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
   With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
   And the grass rise.

And when lights begin to show
   Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
   And then start down!

Edna St. Vincent Millay