How to Scribble

PowerPoint about How to Scribble -- with today's scribble -- and assignment: You're in Charge.

Your Composition Book

We will do this in class, but if you'd like to get a head start, you may.

Use thin strips of sticky notes and headings to divide your composition book into these sections:

On the cover of your composition book, write your name, period, and number. The teacher will assign you a number.
Divide the inside of your composition book into these sections:
On page	Put this:
1	Table of Contents 1.  Writing Tips and Strategies 2.  Editing  Reminders for ME 3.  Words I Didn’t Know 4.  Words I Love 5.  Books That Look Interesting 6. Scribbles
2	Leave it blank.
3 – 8	Writing Tips and Strategies
9 – 14	Editing Reminders for ME
15- 20	Words I Didn’t Know
21-26	Words I Love
27-30	Books That Look Interesting
31 --	Scribbles (Daily Writing Activities for Class)

Prompt -- Wishing for Unlimited . . .

If you could have an unlimited amount of anything, what would it be.
Post as a comment on Edmodo.
The next person to comment gets to add a modifier to how your wish would come true.

For instance, if you said,
I want unlimited onions. . . .
The next person could add
. . .  to use as contacts (in the eyes).

Random Name Picker

http://www.classtools.net/random-name-picker/24_DD7DSN

Number 1-12 spin:  http://www.classtools.net/random-name-picker/47_FXHRJG

Writing Tips from Pixar

Prompt: To Do List

What is the Difference Between Font and Typeface?

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3028971/whats-the-difference-between-a-font-and-a-typeface

Writers' Brains

What happens when a writer is writing?
http://sciencealert.com.au/features/20141107-25864.html

Weird Al Yankovic and the Creative Process

Part of an interview with Weird Al:

What's your process like? Are there songs where you're like 'I just have to do that one'? Is it ever a struggle?

Well, I start with a list of possible candidates. I go through the Billboard charts, I listen to the radio, I keep my finger on the pulse of what's happening online and I make a master list of songs that I think would be reasonable targets. Then I'll go down that list and do variations on a theme. I'll think, 'What are all the possible ways I could go with this song to make if funny? What are the puns based on the title? What are the directions I can go?'

I'll generate ideas, and 99 percent of those ideas are horrible. I have no problem coming up with ideas, but good ideas are hard to come by. When I do find a good idea, then I'll start riffing on concepts based on that idea, and come up with pages and pages of notes based on that. When I came up with the idea for "Word Crimes" I thought, "That's great, because I'm pretty obsessed with grammar anyway." I'm always correcting peoples' grammar. In fact I've done some videos for YouTube where I'm correcting road signs and making the grammar better, on the highway and in the supermarket. "Twelve items or fewer," that kind of thing.

from http://www.npr.org/2014/07/12/329873481/weird-al-yankovic-on-parody-in-the-age-of-youtube

Online Dating Profiles for Famous Characters

Online Dating Profiles for Famous Characters
from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/if-more-famous-literary-characters-had-online-dating-profiles/

Try writing your own.

Jo March (Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Profile Photo: Sitting on a picket fence with a book
Location: Massachusetts
About Jo: I love reading and writing books, putting on plays with my sisters, and wandering outdoors. Dying to go to New York to write for the stage one day, but until then I’m companion to my cranky Aunt March. I detest being born a girl, having to sit around knitting like a poky old woman, and missing out on all the Civil War action. I hate affected, niminy-piminy chits, hoity-toity parties, and also really awkward proposals from boys firmly in the friend zone.

The Little Prince (The Little Prince, by Antoine De Saint-Exupery)
Profile Photo: His profile looking up at a night sky full of stars
Location: Asteroid B-612
About The Little Prince: Looking for a friend to travel to different planets and meet curious people. Someone who thinks grown-ups are very strange and do silly things. Someone who loves sunsets and can watch the sunset 44 times in one day with me. Someone who will help with my gardening—getting rid of the baobabs early, raking the volcanoes, and tending to my beloved rose. Someone who can draw me a sheep and laugh with the stars. Someone who knows that the most important things in life can’t be seen.

Lady Macbeth (Macbeth, by William Shakespeare)Profile Photo: Black and white royal portrait, unsmiling
Location: Inverness, Scotland
About Lady Macbeth: Behind every successful man is a great woman. Some people say I’m cunning, ambitious, and ruthless, but I like to say I’m smart and efficient and can drive you to succeed. Ok, so I went a little crazy last time, what with my husband wimping out a lot and the stress of mass homicide. Therapy has done wonders for me, and I’m ready to get out and find another man to pressure into a violent power struggle. I’m a wee bit obsessive about hand-washing, but my sleepwalking is barely noticeable these days. Together, we could be the next great power couple.

Professor Minerva McGonagall (Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling)
Profile Photo: Moving photo clipped from The Daily Prophet
Location: Hogwarts
About Minerva: This is Professor Sybill Trelawney speaking! I’m writing on behalf of Minerva McGonagall. She’s looking for friendship and companionship in the autumn of her life. She’s had no time for romance until now, having devoted her life to being an educator at Hogwarts, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and a lifelong defender against the Dark Arts. She’s a brilliant, talented, sharp-tongued, magnanimous, and fair 80-year old lady—the Ruth Bader Ginsberg of Hogwarts. Now that she’s retired, I’d like her to meet a dignified, elderly wizard who enjoys literature, Quidditch (Go, Gryffindor!), and tabby cats.

Big Friendly Giant (The BFG, by Roald Dahl)
Profile Photo: Aerial shot of giant feet next to Buckingham Palace
Location: London, England
About BFG: I is a nice jumbly giant, lonely for a nice lady giant who is also vegetarian giant and not man-gobbling cannybull. We can go for long walks, feed snozzcumbers to bad giants, listen to dreams, and have interesting babblements. I has bestest human bean friend Sophie and we can all drink scrumdiddlyumptious frobscottle and go whizpopping together!

Honku -- from Car Talk

"What's Going On" Picture Prompts

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/lesson-plans/whats-going-on-in-this-picture/

An Elephant on Your Car?

If I Were In Charge

Rubric for Typed Poem – “If I Were In Charge of the World” Poem
Score 5 Score 4 Score 3
Ideas/Details 5= The poem is entertaining and/or thought-provoking. The poet has used many specific details/images. 4= The poem is interesting.
There some specific details/images. 3= The poem may be somewhat interesting, but it lacks specific details/images.
Conventions 5= The poem carefully follows the required format of this type of poem 4= There are one or two problems with following the format. 3= There are several problems with following the format.
Presentation 5= It’s ready to post for the public. 4= One problem must be fixed before posting. 3= More than one problem must be fixed before posting.

Example of an "If I Were in Charge Poem":
IF I WERE IN CHARGE OF THE WORLD

If I were in charge of the world
I’d cancel oatmeal,
Monday mornings,
Allergy shots, and also
Sara Steinberg.

If I were in charge of the world
There’d be brighter night lights,
Healthier hamsters, and
Basketball baskets forty-eight inches lower.

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn’t have lonely.
You wouldn’t have clean.
You wouldn’t have bedtimes.
Or “Don’t punch your sister.”
You wouldn’t even have sisters.

If I were in charge of the world
A chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts
would be a vegetable.
All 007 movies would be G.
And a person who sometimes forget to brush,
And sometimes forget to flush,
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world.

Format for an "If I Were In Charge of the World" poem:

IF I WERE IN CHARGE OF THE WORLD

If I were in charge of the world
I’d cancel ____________________________________,
_____________________________________________,
_____________________________________________, and also
_____________________________________________.

If I were in charge of the world
There’d be _______________________________________,
_____________________________________________, and
________________________________________________.

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn’t have ___________________________________.
You wouldn’t have ___________________________________.
You wouldn’t have ___________________________________.
Or ________________________________________________.
You wouldn’t even have ________________________________.

If I were in charge of the world
__________________________________________________________
would be _____________________________________________.
All ___________________________ would be __________________________.
And a person who _________________________________________________,
And _____________________________________________________________,
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world.

Me-Bag Assignment

About Me-Bag Assignment:

To help us learn more about you, please bring

--a type of bag that reveals something about you

--and in that bag you will place 5 to 7 items that would help us to know you better.

The bag and items should reflect such things about you as your family, favorite places, experiences, interests, hobbies and other activities. You will present your bags to the class on your assigned day. Points Possible: 20

Light and Darkness Prompt

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

What will you see?

Stare at the red dot on the girl's nose for 30 seconds. Then turn your head so you're looking at a wall. Blink your eyes really fast.

What You Can Learn About Writing from Goodnight Moon

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/19/what-writers-can-learn-from-good-night-moon/

The Writing Life!

Prompt: Beautiful Photography of One-Handed Child

http://www.boredpanda.org/mother-takes-inspired-images-of-her-daughter/


Also see these photos of children: http://www.boredpanda.com/animal-children-photography-elena-shumilova/