Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Happy Earth Day!
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-lyrid-meteor-shower#where

Don't forget Poem in Your Pocket Day on Thursday!  http://joeaveragewriter.blogspot.com/2014/04/just-heads-up-for-thursday.html

Prompt: A Day in the Life of a Bird (A Day as a Bird)

Imagine that you wake up one morning to discover that you have somehow been changed into a bird. What do you think might now happen? What do you think you might now do?

Write a story telling what happened the day you were changed into a bird.

Weather Permitting:  Write concrete poetry on the concrete.

Tut, tut, it looks like rain, so we will be writing Found Poems.
https://secure.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/Sample/18488chap1.pdf

Headline Poetry

Friday, April 18, 2014

Announcements and Reminders:  If you have not turned in your children's book, see me today! Ethan, Kaiya, Alina, Ross

Today’s Agenda: 1. Prompt: Write the beginning of a story beginning with the line, "Ash fell from the sky." 2.  Writing Concrete Poetry --  See the examples linked below.  Create rough drafts for as many as you can.  3. More Hormone Jungle

If you were absent:

Examples of Concrete Poetry: 

The Mouse's Tale

Concrete Poetry

Concrete Poetry -- Tree

Face It -- Concrete Poetry

Let The Biter Beware -- Concrete Poetry

http://www.pinterest.com/mchoof/concrete-poems/

Concrete Poetry -- Tree

If you stood with your feet in the earth

Up to your ankles in grass

And your arms had leaves running over them

And every once in awhile one of your leafy fingers

Was nudged by a bird flying past,

If the skin that covers you from top to tip

Wasn’t skin at all, but bark

And you never moved your feet from their place

In the earth

But stood rooted in one spot come

Rain

Wind

Snow

Sleet

Thaw

Spring

Summer

Winter

Fall

Blight

Bug

Day

Dark

Then you would be me:

A tree.

Ms. Dorsey added the color.

Kuskin, Karla. 1972. Any Me I Want to Be. Harper & Row.

Face It -- Concrete Poetry

http://nonstoppencil.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-post.html

Let The Biter Beware -- Concrete Poetry

Let The Biter Beware.

In the center of each

pale

milk

c h o c o l a t e lump

there is a hard nut

waiting to bump your

front tooth into the

d e n t i s t's chair.

In the center of each

dark

deep

c h o c o l a t e hunk

there is a car a mel

chunk just waiting to

glue

your teeth to geth er

for ev er.

Take

care.

by Arnold Adoff

from "Chocolate Dreams"

Poems by Arnold Adoff

Illustrated by Turi MacCombie

(Lathrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1989)

Diamontes

Fire

hot, bright

flaming, burning, crackling

one is hot, one is cold

melting, freezing, cracking

cold, dark

Ice

--Rachel J.

Run

fast, strong

passing by, sweating, breathing hard

hard work. . . easy, fun

relaxing, slowing, enjoying

Walk

--Abby P.

Past

old, simple

unchanging, farming, writing

tradition, fire -- change, electronics

exciting, inventing, typing

new, advanced

Future

-- Thomas N.

Hunting

fun, exciting

stalking, shooting, hiking

shoot, hike -- cast, wait

casting, waiting, reeling

enjoyable, fun

Fishing

-- Dalton B.

Hero

Smart, Heroic

Saving, Helping, Building

Superman, Batman -- Joker, Penguin

Planning, Destroying, Killing

Cunning, Evil

Villain

-- Keltyn H.

Love

warm, soft

enjoying, burning, growing

pleasure, joy -- sadness, pain

destroying, freezing, shrinking

cold, hard

Hate

--Kaiya L.

Alive

bubbly, amazing

fascinating, warming, changing

fun, crazy -- hard, challenging

darkening, taunting, frightening

cold, pale

Dead

-- Tishelle P.

Up

high, above

soaring, flying, and jumping

high above -- below and under

falling, digging, and mining

below, under

Down

-- Ashton W.

Stone

earth, rock

throwing, picking, placing

dirty, hard -- shiny, pretty

shimmering, wearing, showing

beautiful, gift, present

Diamond

-- Alina V.

Fire

warm, orange

growing, rippling, raging, 

blistering, burning -- freezing, slipping

sliding, skidding, cooling

blue, cold

Ice

-- Chase K.

School

ugly, terrible

forcing, working, learning

gigantic building -- small person

enjoying, playing, forgetting

smart, awesome

Me

-- Ross M.

Glory

fame, historic

just, hero, good

great, remembered -- money, steal

bad, infamous, unjust

villain, thief

Greed

-- Ethan C.

Dark
scary, bad
screaming, crying, frightening
unwanted, hated . . . loved, wanted
laughing, wanting, playing
fun, good
Light
-- Kimberly M.

War
bloody, dark
screaming, hitting, killing
sword, gun -- paper, dove
loving, caring, tending
happiness, quiet
Peace
--Sydney P.

Fire
hot, bright
burning, growing, heating
smoke, sun -- glass, mirror
slipping, expanding, reflecting
cold, translucent
Ice
--Shayla H.

Love
happy, smiling
giggly, lovestruck, holding hands
(missing line)
fights, mistakes, cheating
lies, deceit
Heartache
-- Dazhay A.

Summer!
friends, family
hunting, fishing, camping
sunny, hot -- chilly, cold
blowing, snowing, freezing
hot chocolate, Christmas
Winter!
-- Savanah P.

Zerg
overwhelming, powerful
burrowing, flying, killing
spawn, monsters -- power, destruction
warping, shielding, annihilating
magical, dangerous
Protoss
-- Justin W.

Friend
sweet, pretty
hugging, singing, loving
smiling, happy -- cold, betraying
ignoring, glaring, hurting
cold, betraying
Enemy
--Maya K.

War
scared, fearful
dangerous, fighting, shooting
soldier, explosion -- love, people
playing, hoping, happiness
relaxing, joy
Peace
-- Sadie J.

Hot Chocolate
hot, creamy
warming, swirling, bubbling
marshmallows, candy cane -- ice, lemons
cooling, clinking, condensing
cold, yellow
Lemonade
-- Alexis M.

Dawn
dewdrops, warmed earth
shining, morning, new beginning
singing, blooming -- resting, reading
yawning, dozing, sleeping
peaceful, dark
Dusk
-- Hailey D.

Sun
bright, hot
shining, blazing, exploding
play, enjoy -- wet, beautiful
splashing, drenching, falling
dull, cold
Rain
--Nhaya F.


F
unsuccessful, sad
depressing, parent-angering, privilege-taking
failure to do -- I did it!
making me proud, parent-pleasing, reward-earning
successful, happy
A
-- Ms. D.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Announcements and Reminders:  If you have not turned in your children's book, see me today!

1. Prompt:  Write about what you see on the handout you receive.

            2-Group Prompt-- What Do You See?

   
2. Haiku
A Haiku is three lines. 
The traditional haiku has 
5 syllables in the first line, 
7 in the second, 
and 5 in the third. 

Traditional haiku is about nature, but there are haiku poems about other topics. For instance, the "honku" is about driving in traffic.

YOU WILL WRITE ONE HAIKU OF ANY OF THE TYPES, BUT MAKE SURE IT HAS THREE LINES THAT FOLLOW THE 5 SYLLABLE, 7 SYLLABLE, 5 SYLLABLE PATTERN. 

Here is a traditional haiku:

As simple as that --
spring has finally arrived
with a pale blue sky.
-- Issa


Way out in the wild
The willow trees are blowing
Softly in the wind.
        -- Lee Caldwell

An old pond!                            

A frog jumps in --                   

The sound of water.                

                           -- Matsuo Basho 

Erased art leaves lines
like ghosts left to haunt the page
and the next new sketch

            --found online


Here is a honku:                                    

Impatient Hummer
honking, speeding, ruining
a weekend morning.
-- Aaron Naparstek

Sharp turn to the right --        

60-ounce Super Big Gulp        

winds up in my shoe.                

               -- http://www.honku.org/faves.shtml

And here is a "redneck" haiku:

Well-dressed trailer trash
will have muumus and flip-flops
in matching colors
-- Mary K. Witte

And this is a school haiku by an A.F. student:

A.F. Junior High
has crowded halls with backpacks
and lots of people.
--Adrian G.

Here is another school haiku:

Teachers don’t like me
Because I am a loud mouth.
Should I stay that way?
    -- Adam Rose

With Mothers' Day coming up, here is one for a mom:

 Mother, always there,                          [5 syllables]

     Listening to my woes and joys,           [7 syllables]

     The one I turn to.                           [5 syllables]

And there is Hipster Haiku:

Hot sun bears down on
my thin pale arms. And it burns.
Where’s my hoodie?

My black framed glasses
Square and thick with clear lenses
have no prescription. 

     -- Blake Porter

Writing Prompt:  Introducing the  Haiku Contest!

Part 1: Time for zombie haiku.  Try writing some of your own.  The best ones about zombies will win small  prizes!  These are due by the end of class on April 22.   Write at least two to earn your grade.  

Part 2 of the Haiku contest is for traditional or other haiku that are not about zombies.  Write at least two to earn your grade. The best ones will win small  prizes!  These are also due by the end of class on April 22.  

The pattern for haiku is 

3 lines:

5 syllables

7 syllables

5 syllables

(Tales of Ba Sing Se)  12:57 iTunes  Notice that once he falls into the school, Sokka speaks in haiku.

Here are some Zombie haiku samples, by my teacher friend, Joe Anson: 

“let’s give her a hand”—

zombie’s attempt to find a

snack for his daughter

hand and foot in mouth

is a meal for young zombies

not another plague

watching The Walking

Dead reminds zombies of old

fam’ly videos

rude teenage rebel

learned painful lesson; she told

zombie, “Just bite me.”

the hunger games are

undeniably zombie’s

favorite pastime

Haiku

Haiku -- and a Reluctant Fourth Grader

3.  More Hormone Jungle