Poem Assignments: Portfolio

We have done a variety of poetry exercises and should have a variety of drafts in our portfolio by now. These include:

1. The Ordinary Things drafts (x5)
2. Sound Imagery draft
3. Gwendolyn Brooks draft (character or setting or cycle)
4. Imagery draft (lyric)
5. Closed form draft

And a variety of revisions--specifically the imagery revision, the sound revision, the diction/tone revision, and the line break revision. The lyric and narrative poems, along with Li-Young Lee optional poem are additional. If you did them, please make sure they were in your portfolio.

That's 9 required assignments and at least 3 optional ones. The optional ones took the place of missing required drafts.

Your portfolio this marking period is based on effort rather than skill. During the second semester your portfolios will be graded on skill and whether or not you are crafting your work and revising.

Some advice:

• Many students are spending far too much time either chatting and avoiding work (this includes surfing the internet) or getting stuck, unable to come up with an idea for a draft. Remember that the Enemies of the Artistic Process are looming everywhere. The only way to defeat them is to sit down and take your writing seriously by...writing.
• The time given to you in lab is to give you time and opportunity to write. If you find yourself unproductive during a class, it is your responsibility to complete the work at home or during a study hall or after school. This is not the place to complete your homework for other classes.
• The writing process works. You NEED to brainstorm when you get stuck. You need to finish a draft in a timely manner so that it can "bake" before we scramble it up again. Throw perfection out the window with the baby--it only comes after several failed drafts. Don't get frustrated if things don't flow. They will--but you might need more time and life experience.
• This marking period includes a lot more reading than we have been doing. I check your reading by giving you quizzes and reading your posts on the forum (apart from class discussions). I am not going to be chasing you about getting your work done on the forum. It is a requirement for this class.
• If you keep missing assignments or don't know what's going on, please make sure you read the blog. I can't stress this enough. Even when you're absent--check and read the blog! Write down deadlines and assignments. Keep track of your assignments. Your mother (or teacher) should not have to do this for you....