Friday, October 31, 2014

Portfolio; Stephen King Project; Elements of Fiction

The deadline for the Nancy Thorp poetry contest and the Bennington Young Writer's Award is today. If you have poetry (Nancy Thorp or Bennington) or fiction or essays (Bennington) consider submitting your work!

Nightmares and Dreamscapes Project:
Please read at least 3 of the stories in this collection by next week (Tuesday, Nov. 3).
As you read, pay attention to the way the story is written and plotted. Be able to answer:
  • Who is the protagonist?
  • How does King characterize his characters through actions, description, thoughts, and dialogue?
  • What is the setting?
  • What is the tone of the story and how does King create a mood with his diction?
  • How do the events in the story build suspense or conflict?
  • How do the stories you read resolve?
In the lab: Continue writing your portfolio. You may spend your time reading and working on the Nightmares/Dreamscapes Project as well.

Literary terms to know concerning fiction:

  • Plot/narrative structure: linear, circular, open-ended, chronological, multiple perspective, frame, flashback/flashforward, epistolary, summary, etc.
  • Plot terms: exposition, rising action, complication, crisis/turning point, climax, falling action, denouement/resolution
  • Point of View: narrator, objective, subjective, reliable/unreliable narrator, stream of consciousness, 1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited, 3rd person omniscient, etc.
  • Character: characterization, dynamic, static, stock/stereotypical character, flat versus round character, major/minor characters, antihero, gratuitous act, foil, allegorical character, villain, hero, protagonist, antagonist, etc.
  • Setting: time, locale, regional writer, mood, theme, etc.
  • Tone: diction, setting, suspense, irony: verbal irony, dramatic irony, situational irony, cosmic irony or irony of fate, etc.
  • Style: bildungsroman, naturalistic, symbolic, journalistic, parody, minimalistic, etc.
  • Theme: message, moral, genre, meaning, etc.
  • Imagery: description, verisimilitude, figurative language, symbol, allegory, representation, etc.

In your notes, record the definitions of any of these terms that you don't know. We will cover all of these as we examine fiction in the next few weeks.

HOMEWORK: Read the stories in the collection. 3 are required; you may read more if you'd like. Portfolios are due Tuesday. You should have selected your best poem, best fiction, and best written or crafted piece (either poem or verse). You should have a short reflection about your writing (1-2 pages, double-spaced). 

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Portfolio Rubric

This is a reprint of the portfolio rubric discussed in September.

Each week (except for workshop weeks) you will be able to submit the writing you are working on (whether it is completed, revised, or incomplete). From these submissions you will be asked to workshop and craft certain pieces throughout the marking period. These pieces may be revised, polished, "crafted", and turned in at the end of the marking period to comprise part of your quarter grade.
5 = Exemplary4 = Accomplished   3.5 = Developing   3 = Beginning
Exemplary: Thoroughly developed and thought provoking characters, plot, structure, conflict, theme, and setting. Title and structure is thoughtful revealing important themes or symbolic ideas. Opening of story hooks and interests reader. Author uses vivid and artistically appropriate description, voice, POV, imagery, and compelling dialogue that reveals characterization or moves plot (if appropriate). Work has no errors in format. Has few errors in spelling punctuation, syntax, and usage. Work includes evidence of several revised drafts. A good example of strong writing or work is evident of a skilled writer. Uses lab and class time to full extent to complete writing projects.

Accomplished: Well developed characters, plot, conflict, theme, and setting. Title and structure is appropriate for the story. Opening of story is appropriate to hook the reader. Author uses good description and dialogue, voice, POV, imagery, etc. Format may have a few minor errors. Has some errors in spelling, punctuation, and usage but nothing that gets in the way of the reader’s ability to discern meaning. Work includes evidence of some revision. A good example of crafted writing at the student's grade level. Usually uses lab and class time but may occasionally be off-task.

Developing: Fairly well developed characters, plot and setting, conflict and theme is present but not compelling as "accomplished or exemplary writers", but piece may have gaps. title and structure is okay, but does not necessarily reveal insight. Uses some description or dialogue, but with uneven success. Format has several errors. Has errors in spelling punctuation and usage that distracts the reader. Work may be accomplished, but story was late. Work includes some evidence of revision (drafts), but revision is largely in grammar and syntax, rather than restructuring. A fair example of on-grade level ability and writing skill. Uses lab and class time sometimes, but often is off topic or surfing the internet for unrelated materials.

Beginning: Development of character, plot and setting, conflict, theme, etc. is on a very basic level, although these elements are present. Story is untitled or structure lacks creativity or insight. Uses limited description and dialogue. Format is incorrect or difficult to follow. Author has careless errors in spelling, punctuation, and usage. Work includes little or no evidence of revision. Story may be developing, but work was turned in late. Story is largely incomplete or undeveloped. An example of a struggling student or work that is not up to 10th grade writing standards. Student does not use lab or class time effectively, often off task or disruptive.

Portfolio; Steven King

This afternoon, during period 7, please work in the lab to prepare your portfolio (due next week).

In your portfolio, you will need to identify:
  • Your best written draft (revised or crafted).
  • Your best poem draft.
  • Your best fiction draft. 
  • A 1-2 page reflection on your writing this marking period. What have you learned? What do you still struggle with? What do you want more assistance/advice on? What are you pleased with in your writing? What questions/weaknesses do you have about your own writing? etc.
Your final portfolio is due next week. Please begin to prepare it. You may, if you wish, obtain feedback of your writing so that you can revise the work you have already written, or spend your time writing new work.

Your best drafts will be graded separately to your weekly portfolio drafts. All grades will be be averaged together for a final grade for the marking period.

The deadline for the Nancy Thorp poetry contest and the Bennington Young Writer's Award are this week. If you have poetry (Nancy Thorp or Bennington) or fiction or essays (Bennington) consider submitting your work!

Our next author to examine is none other than Stephen King--just in time for Halloween! Learn a little about the author here. For participation credit today, please list three things you have learned about Stephen King that you did not know before from this article/video. Turn in your index card with this information by the end of class.

Nightmares and Dreamscapes Project:
Please read at least 3 of the stories in this collection by next week.
As you read, pay attention to the way the story is written and plotted. Be able to answer:
  • Who is the protagonist?
  • How does King characterize his characters through actions, description, thoughts, and dialogue?
  • What is the setting?
  • What is the tone of the story and how does King create a mood with his diction?
  • How do the events in the story build suspense or conflict?
  • How do the stories you read resolve?
In the lab: You may continue writing your portfolio, or you may spend your time reading and working on the Nightmares/Dreamscapes Project.

HOMEWORK: Read the stories in the collection. 3 are required; you may read more if you'd like.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Catching Up; Term Quiz; Portfolio Prep

After our quiz today, please go to the lab to complete the following assignment:

Please choose one poem from the following poets' works and complete the assignment bulleted below:

Edgar Allan Poe
William Blake
Shel Silverstein

1. Choose one poem from each author (click on the link to see a list of poems from this poet).
2. Copy the poem to a word document.
3. Print out your document (one poem for each poet--make sure you have three!)
4. Scan the poem by identifying:
  • Meter
  • Rhythm
  • Imagery
  • Sound
  • Tone
PLEASE NOTE: Use the marks for stressed and unstressed syllables. If the poem is longer than 2 stanzas, you should only scan the first two stanzas. You do not need to scan the whole poem, but you should be able to examine the whole poem for tone, sound, and imagery. When you have completed this assignment, please turn it in. It should be done by the end of class today!

Lab: Write. Prepare your portfolio. Portfolios are due next week: Tuesday, Nov. 4

HOMEWORK: None. Write. Fill up your portfolio!

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Scanning for Meter/Rhythm in Poetry

Please choose one poem from the following poets' works and complete the assignment bulleted below:

Edgar Allan Poe
William Blake
Shel Silverstein

1. Choose one poem from this author.
2. Copy the poem to a word document.
3. Print out your document (one poem for each poet--make sure you have three!)
4. Scan the poem by identifying:
  • Meter
  • Rhythm
  • Imagery
  • Sound
  • Tone
Lab: Write a pattern poem. See previous post for options.

HOMEWORK: None. Study for your poetic term quiz Monday.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Grade Report: Weekly Draft Participation

Portfolios will be collected and graded the week of Nov. 3. Students will be asked to submit their single best piece for a major grade, along with their most improved draft for another major grade. Along with students' progress writing during the lab and outside of class, a portfolio then, collects the drafts students are working on during a marking period. Portfolio and writing grades will be averaged with test scores, assessments, and participation credit assignments.

Writing Lab Rubric:
5: Student has shown significant progress with his/her writing, adding many pages of quality writing into their portfolio. Student focused primarily on crafting tips/literary devices discussed in class and can clearly illustrate these terms in their writing. Progress in writing is clearly shown. Student works diligently in the lab with little or no distractions. 
4: Student shows some growth with his/her writing, adding more than 2 pages of quality writing into their portfolio. Student may be beginning to work with literary devices but pieces in the portfolio may have some weaknesses or gaps. Some progress is evident in the portfolio. Student works most of the time in the lab with few distractions. 
3: Student shows little growth with his/her writing, adding 1-2 pages of writing or has not turned in pieces due to them being incomplete. Students may have been absent or missing days in the lab. Little progress in writing is evident in portfolio. Student is often distracted or unable to produce much writing in the lab for a variety of reasons. Student is not writing at home and is retaining little content from the course. 

Line & Meter: Using Pattern and Rhythm in Poetry

In poetry, we don't just break a line wherever we want to, unless we are only writing free verse. Free verse allows us to write in any pattern or structure we would like, but we should know enough to make informed choices about the length of our lines.

Short lines, for example, can make a poem go faster.
Long lines, on the other hand, slow down a poem.

Thus, I can control the speed at which a reader reads my work by adjusting the length of a line.

Sometimes we want to break our poem into stanzas or create a rhythm for our poem (just like in music). Creating patterns based on syllables (beats), a poet can make their poem more musical, allowing it to flow better.

Prose: written language that does not have metrical structure. It is our most common form of writing.

Verse: (literally 'to turn', ex. versus (turn against)) writing that is arranged (crafted) with a metrical rhythm, with careful attention to poetic techniques. A verse "turns" in that it includes a volta, or turn in thought. Usually, poets "turn" or change direction in thought/content/idea, etc. by the end of a poem.

Prosody: Examining the diction and rhythm of poetry: beat, meter, scansion

Rhythm (also called beat, metrics, versification, etc.) is the comparative speed and loudness in the flow of words spoken in poetic lines.

Words in poetry are selected, not just for content, but also sound or “musicality” of a line. Placement in a line is also important. Taken together, poetry is also about structure and form.

Two classifications of poetry: open forms; closed forms.

closed form (traditional poetry), cadence groups form a pattern.
An open form (free verse, mainly), cadence groups do not form a set pattern.

Poetry in open forms tends to stress meaning over versification.

Syllables: individual units of rhythm in a word or line.

Meter: The only tough parts about metrics (meter) is learning to count as you read, and remembering the Latin prefixes for numbers. For your eye, use a virgule or slash (/) to divide the feet in a line. When reading aloud, try counting on your fingers. Extra syllables sometimes crop up, often at ends of lines and sometimes in their interiors, but if the line is basically iabmic, for instance ("da-DUM, da-DUM..." etc.) don't strain too hard with the phonological "lint" that it drags in with it.

Metrical feet:
1-foot = monometer
2-foot = dimeter
3-foot = trimeter
4-foot = tetrameter
5-foot = pentameter (the meter used in sonnets and blank verse lines; very common)
6-foot = hexameter
7-foot = heptameter
8-foot = octameter
9-foot = nonameter
10-foot = decameter

2 Syllable Feet:

Iambic: stress is on the second of two syllable words: ex. reTURN, beCAUSE, atTACK, etc.
Trochee: reverse of the Iambic, stress is on the first of two syllables: MOTHer, SISter, BORing.
Spondee: Both syllables are stressed.

3 Syllable Feet:

Anapest: stress is on the last syllable of a three syllabled word. Ex. Chevro-LET, rockandROLL
Dactyl: stress on first syllable followed by two non stressed. Ex. BU-da-pest, FOR-tu-nate

Caesura: (plural: caesurae) a pause separating cadence groups (however brief) within a line. If the pause is a result of the end of a line pause, then this is end-stopping.

Enjambement (enjambment): If a line has no punctuation at the end and runs over to the next line, it is called run-on or better yet, enjambement (enjambment).

In prosody, you should also examine Style. 

Style of Poems:

Epic: Deals with the history of a heroic character or characters, usually from birth to death
Dramatic: A narrative told using many voices to depict different characters, focusing on conflict
Narrative: A story (short or long), focusing on a person, place, or event
Lyric: A short poem, focusing on an emotion or idea (originally set to the music of a lyre)
Romance: A narrative poem celebrating love, war, and/or religion
Satire: A poem meant to correct immorality and manners through chiding or humor

Along with style, in PROSODY we also examine FORM

Verse (closed form):

• The Stanza
• Tercet (Terza Rima) – 3 line stanza (terza rima, rhyming aba)
• Quatrain – 4 line stanza
• Quintain – 5 line stanza
• Sestet – 6 line stanza
• Chaucerian – 7 line stanza, rhyming ababbcc
• Ottava Rima –8 line stanza, rhyming abababcc
• Spenserian—8 iambic pentameter lines, followed by a hexameter line, rhyming ababbcbcc
• The Villanelle (Lyric, narrative) (5 tercets rhyming aba, followed by 1 quatrain, abaa)
• The Sestina (Lyric, narrative) (6 sestets & a tercet)
• The Pantoum (Lyric, narrative) (unspecified # of quatrains (abab), beginning and ending with same line)
• The Sonnet (Lyric, dramatic) 14 iambic pentameter lines (3 quatrains and a couplet)
• Petrarchan (abba abba cde cde (or cd cd cd))
• Shakespearean (abab cdcd efef gg)
• Spencerian (abab bcbc cdcd ee)
• The Ballad (Narrative) Quatrain stanzas, rhyming abab or abcb
• The Heroic Couplet (Epic, narrative, dramatic) couplet in iambic pentameter or tetrameter
• Epistle (a “letter” in heroic verse)
• Epigram (an aphorism, usually written in couplets)
• Blank Verse (Epic, narrative, dramatic) unrhymed iambic lines
• Limerick (Narrative) 5 line poem, rhyming aabba – often sexual or ‘rude’ subject matter
• Haiku (Lyric) 3 line poem, fewer than 17 syllables; usually about nature
• Triolet (Lyric) Octave with 2 rhymes; first line repeated, second line repeated as eighth
• The Rondel (Lyric) 13 lines in 3 stanzas with 2 rhymes, first 2 lines form refrain at end of 2 & 3 stanza

Open form:

The Elegy (a poem lamenting the death of a person, people, thing, or about the mutability of life)
The Pastoral (a poem concerning rural life or nature)
The Pastourelle (a poem of dialogue between a man and a woman involving a fight) – Dialogue poem
The Ode (a poem in praise of someone or something)
Epithalamion (a poem celebrating the love between two--or more--people, usually for a wedding)
The Riddle (a metaphorical poem, with the subject being unstated)
Monologue (a poem that expresses a character’s inner thoughts and feelings)

Information about Rhythm, Meter, and Scansion can be found here. And another one, just in case you need more explanation: Meter in Poetry and Verse. Read the chapter by Mary Oliver on "The Line", "Some Given Forms", and "Verse that is Free".

LAB:

  • Work on writing drafts of your previous written pieces. Cut, revise, edit, shape, improve your work.
  • Use imagery & sound devices in your work.
  • Revise work for tone, diction, moral, message, theme
  • Develop characterization, setting, tone & mood in your drafts
  • Choose a poem form from those listed above and write a poem using this pattern
  • Repeat any or all of these bullet points as often as possible
HOMEWORK: Read and save your iamb, trochee, spondee, dactyl, anapest example sheets. Read the article "Some Given Forms". Along with the notes on this blog post, take notes on: stanza, spenserian stanza, volta, terza rima, quatrain, tercet, couplet, sonnet, syllabic verse, free verse, enjambment. Come to next class with questions on poetic terms we have covered so far in class this year. 

Friday, October 17, 2014

Prosody; Meter

After our quiz, please go to the lab and complete the "meter & prosody" handout. Turn this in for credit at the end of class today!

With time remaining in the lab, please continue to write. Print out any work you have written this week to your portfolio.

HOMEWORK: None.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Sound & Imagery

Sound:

Words are divided into segments (like cadence groups, but of individual sounds)
Ex:
Top (has 3 segments)
Graph (has 4 segments)

Sometimes it takes more than one letter to make a segment. Ph-o-ne (the 'ph' make an "f" sound, for example)

Segments are divided into vowel sounds and consonant sounds (including semivowels).

Vowel sounds: a, e, I, o, u, and sometimes y and w.
All other are consonant sounds.
Consonants come in 3 types:
1. Stop sounds (p, b, t, d, k, g)
2. Continuant sounds (produced by the steady release of the breath and position of the tongue) (n, ng, l, r, th, s, z, sh, zh)
3. Semivowels (f, h, j, l, m, n, r, s, v, w, x, y, z)
There is often a difference between the spelling or graphic of the word and the phonetics (or sound) the word makes.

Euphony & Cacophony

Euphony (good sound) refers to words containing consonants that permit an easy and pleasant flow of spoken sound.
“Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind” is euphonious.
Cacophony (bad sound) the words do not flow smoothly but rather bump or clash against each other harshly and jarringly.
“Selfish shellfish” “Toy boat” “Red leather”, “the bare black cliff clang’d round him.”

AlliterationAssonance, Consonance, Onomatopoeia and rhyme are all effects of sound. These definitions can be found in your chapter on Sound by Mary Oliver.

Scholarly Advice
1. Examine poems for sound elements.
2. Look for patterns.
3. Isolate the most significant and effective instances of prosody.
4. Think about how prosody is effecting the subject matter or content of the poem.
5. Explain this connection.
Prosody is the study of sound and word choice in poetry.

Poems originally emerged from songs and music. Lyric poetry, for example, started as a "poem" spoken with the beautiful plucking of a 3-stringed harp called a lyre.
  • We hear poetry sung or spoken daily when we listen to the radio or to our favorite band.
  • Poems often have a distinct rhythm or pattern to their rhythm.
  • The rhythm of poetry includes: beat, meter, scansion
Rhythm (also called beat, metrics, versification, etc.) is the comparative speed and loudness in the flow of words spoken in poetic lines.

Words in poetry are selected, not just for content, but also sound or “musicality” of a line.
Placement in a line is also important. Words that start and end a line have more stress.

Large units of words make up sentences and paragraphs in prose; smaller units make up phrases or cadence groups in poetry. In poetry this is what we call metrical feet.

Words are not read in isolation, but in small groups (cadence groups). Think about how cadence groups work in your own poetry.
Ex. When lilacs last// in the dooryard bloom’d
And the great star// early droop’d
In the western sky// in the night.
Let's look at the following links. For each, try to notice sound imagery, rhythm and cadence. On your index card, please identify some of the sound devices you noticed working in these poems. Turn in your index card for participation credit at the end of class today.
LAB: Write up any poem drafts from your "field trips"!

Also: Writing activity: Compose another first draft of a new poem where you use specific sound devices. Call this draft one. The assignment is SOUND.

Having trouble getting started? Try one of these brainstorms in your journal.
  • Choose a letter from the alphabet. List associated words that begin with this letter. Don't try to make sense, but trust your instincts. Rearrange the list into a tongue twister. Write as many tongue twisters in your journal as you need to. Share your tongue twister with a friend.
  • Choose a letter from the alphabet. List associated words that do NOT begin with this letter, but that the letter is present in the body of the word. Ex. little, brittle, shuttle all have "tt" in the word, creating consonance. Write a tongue twister by combining consonance, assonance AND alliteration.
  • Make a list of rhyming words. Write a song or sappy greeting card poem with the words.
  • With a partner try the following to create new words: WRITER ONE starts by whispering or saying the prefix or first part of a word. WRITER TWO finishes the word by naming the root or suffix of the proposed sound. Ex. Writer One: Shh; Writer Two: Uut. The word together: shut. Record a few of these in your notebook/journal.
  • Make two columns in your journal. In one column list common nouns or adjectives: ex. house, rock, green. On the next column, write a different word that means the same thing: ex. hut, stone, beryl. Note how the different word has a different sound and therefore feeling to it.
  • The _____ goes: (insert sound here). We all know a cat goes meow, but what does a pine tree sound like? How about a fence? or a goldfish? Being poetic, play around with the sound of inanimate objects and animals that are not traditionally found on a speak-n-spell. Ex. The rollerskate goes shkurrrr. Make a list of these onomatopoeia. 
Once you have brainstormed and engaged in prewriting a bit, select a topic or subject. Write about this subject using poetic sound devices. Create a draft. You may find it easier to write what you want to say first, then replace words on purpose to create alliteration, assonance, consonance, rhyme, onomatopoeia, etc. Good luck!
    Turn in drafts by the end of the week to your portfolio.

    More sound poems (these by Dr. Seuss...have fun):
    Now you know all about onomatopoeia, assonance, consonance, alliteration, and rhyme (usually referred to as end rhyme). But there is also slant rhyme (near rhyme), internal rhyme, meter, rhythm, repetition, and caesura that creates sound imagery in a poem. Related to this are the literary terms: tone, voice, syntax, depitation, euphemism, understatement, sarcasm, and diction. We will discuss these less obvious techniques in future classes.

    HOMEWORK: Read "The Line" by Mary Oliver. Write. Study your vocabulary words. Prepare for a test on Imagery, Sound, and Line.

    Friday, October 10, 2014

    Ordinary Things

    During period 7, please gather in groups of 3-4. Take turns reading the poems in the collection out loud in your groups. The people NOT reading out loud should identify at least one example (per poem) of imagery after each poem is read. Keep a tally of the group member who identifies the most correct examples of imagery on the index card. Turn in this card to me before you complete period 8.

    During period 8, we all deserve second chances. Today, we are going outside along the poetry walk at the Memorial Art Gallery. As we stroll, jot down and look for ideas or subjects to write poems about. Use Ralph Fletchers poem collection as a model.

    In the sculpture garden we will spend a longer period of time SILENTLY writing! Please do not be offended when I ask you to move away from other students so that you can focus on your writing. You will be given a grade for your participation.

    Use your time outside to inspire yourself to write in your journal.

    HOMEWORK: If you did not complete the chapter on "Sound" by Mary Oliver, please complete it as homework. Take notes on the terms: vowels, consonants, alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia.

    Wednesday, October 8, 2014

    Imagery & Observation

    You were once told that imagery is an image or word that appeals to the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, sound). There is more to it than that simple concept.

    Imagery is (or can be):

    1. SIMPLE DESCRIPTION. Most of what you read will use description. Description of visible objects or actions is description.
    2. DRAMATIC SITUATION or INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: as soon as a reader becomes aware that the poem is a dramatic or internal monologue, we can visualize the speaker. DIALOGUE has the same effect as monologues.
    3. STORY. Like description, narration causes the reader to form images in his/her head. When the reader realizes that he/she is being told a tale he/she visualizes from his/her own experiences.
    4. METONYMY. When a poet uses metonymy, he names one thing when he really means another thing with which the first is closely connected. e.g. Seven little foreheads stared up at me from the first row. (where "foreheads" is used for "eyes" ).
    5. SYNECDOCHE. When a poet uses synecdoche, he names a part of a thing when he means whole thing (or vice versa) or the genius for the species. The Crown as a substitute for the nation, for example.
    6. Auditory imagery represents a sound.
    • Onomatopoeia: a word that makes a sound.
    • Alliteration, assonance, consonance, rhyme, etc.
    7. Kinesthetic imagery represents movement.
    • as in Wordsworth's poem Daffodils: "tossing their heads in sprightly dance"
    8. Olfactory imagery represents a smell.
    • Gio's socks, still soaked with sweat from Tuesday's P.E. class, filled the classroom with an aroma akin to that of salty, week-old, rotting fish.
    9. Gustatory imagery represents a taste.
    • The sweet marinara sauce makes up for the bland sea-shell pasta that Jeffrey served.
    • Tumbling through the ocean water after being overtaken by the monstrous wave, Mark unintentionally took a gulp of the briny, bitter mass, causing him to cough and gag.
    10. Tactile imagery represents touch.
    • Yalimar dug her feet into the wet sand, burying her toes inside the beach as cold waves lapped at her ankles.
    • The clay oozed between Jeremy's fingers as he let out a squeal of pure glee.
    Imagery can be showcased in many forms. Look particularly for those easy ones: simile and metaphor. Personification, allusion, analogy, and symbol are other easy ones to note.

    Field Trip

    Please follow your teacher's instructions. After our field trip, we will work on writing in the lab. You will need your journal/notebook for the field trip.

    HOMEWORK: Read Ralph Fletcher's Ordinary Things

    Monday, October 6, 2014

    Motivation; Getting Inspired

    Inspiration is often defined as "the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions." As writers and artists, we know when we have inspiration, and we certainly know when we are lacking it! 
     
    While all artists seek inspiration, the job of a writer is not only to gain enough inspiration to write, but to share his or her inspiration with others. This is often done through writing: creating characters that stand in, to some extent, for us or people we know, dialogue, the personas and speakers who portray or communicate ideas, and various other literary elements.
     
    Here is what some writers have said to inspire us to write: 
    • "Any [person] who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he’ll eventually make some kind of career for himself as writer." - Ray Bradbury
    • "A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it to be God." - Sidney Sheldon
    • "Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer." - Barbara Kingsolver
    • "If you have other things in your life—family, friends, good productive day work—these can interact with your writing and the sum will be all the richer." - David Brin
    • "Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen." - Willa Cather
    • "Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good." - William Faulkner
    • "Fiction is about stuff that’s screwed up." - Nancy Kress
    • "Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up." - Jane Yolen
    Inspiration is a gift as precious as gold. Sometimes you strike it rich, other times its absence makes you starve. As you move through this course, decide to find inspiration to try your best. Sometimes this will be easy. Sometimes this will be hard. If you ever feel like giving up, come back to this assignment and fill up your cup with inspiration.
     
    How to Find Inspiration:
    • Take a walk, get some fresh air or get out into nature when you are feeling stressed.
    • Take a hot shower or bath. Find daily ways to relax.
    • Get some sleep. Stress is more likely to occur when we are tired.
    • Read a book. Watch a movie. Listen to a friend read a poem. The more we interact with the written word, the more inspiration we find to try it ourselves.
    • Create a space for yourself where you can write.
    • Enjoy silence. Sitting and breathing deeply in silence can help us relax.
    • Interact with the arts: listen to music, dance, memorize a speech, doodle or paint, play a game.
    • Find inspiration in the last place anyone might look for it.

    Sunday, October 5, 2014

    Workshop, Day 2; Revision


    1. 5 minute cram session for the test on Tone, Diction, POV, theme, writing process, etc.
    2. Quiz on these terms
    3. Read the article "Imagery" by Mary Oliver silently while you are waiting for others to finish the quiz.
    4. Gather in your workshop groups. 
    5. Go to the lab and revise or edit (craft) your work!

    Workshop Groups:
    ONE: Olivia, Jahde, Reyenne, Hetep, Amanda
    TWO: Cameron, Alannah, Jasmina, Janelys
    THREE: Avana, Kami, Rosalia, Frieda, Grace
    FOUR: Aslin, Kierra, Leilanis, Nandi, Kadeja
    FIVE: Justice, Rashid, Robert, Joshua
    What to do in your workshop group:
    • Today, you may share anything you wrote so far this year from your portfolio. When deciding on what piece(s) of writing you want feedback on, consider the pieces that you don't know what to do with next, pieces that are incomplete, or pieces you care about. It is usually a waste of workshop time to workshop a piece that you do not plan to revise. 
    • Get feedback by giving your group members access to your file. I suggest using Google Docs or Google Drive and SHARING your work with the others in your writing group. You may also, if you prefer, print out copies of your work and have your partners write their evaluation on the copy. 
      • If you are using Google or a Word Processor, INSERT COMMENTS to help your peer writers. 
      • Writers should collect the drafts their members wrote on or commented on, and turn these in for participation credit.
      • Try to keep comments helpful and specific!
    • After getting feedback from your workshop group, you should:
      • Revise any previously written piece. Craft your writing!
        • lengthen your stories
        • lengthen your poems
        • Edit/cut your stories or poems
        • Add/cut details
        • Consider setting, diction, tone, denotation & connotation, POV, speaker, persona, characterization, etc. Improve weak spots in your work!
    Period 8: Complete and revise work for your portfolio. Make sure you label your second or third drafts. Keep ALL drafts in your portfolio!

    HOMEWORK: Please read and take notes on the chapter on "Imagery". Pay close attention to these terms: imagery, figurative language, particular & specific language use (diction), simile, metaphor, personification, allusion, symbol. 

    Thursday, October 2, 2014

    Setting Up a Workshop

    Please read the article on "Revising" by Mary Oliver. Then please listen to instructions for your first writing workshop.

    Workshop Groups:
    ONE: Olivia, Jahde, Reyenne, Hetep, Amanda
    TWO: Cameron, Alannah, Jasmina, Janelys
    THREE: Avana, Kami, Rosalia, Frieda, Grace
    FOUR: Aslin, Kierra, Leilanis, Nandi, Kadeja
    FIVE: Justice, Rashid, Robert, Joshua

    What to do in your workshop group:
    • Today, you may share anything you wrote so far this year from your portfolio. When deciding on what piece(s) of writing you want feedback on, consider the pieces that you don't know what to do with next, pieces that are incomplete, or pieces you care about. It is usually a waste of workshop time to workshop a piece that you do not plan to revise. 
    • Get feedback by giving your group members access to your file. I suggest using Google Docs or Google Drive and SHARING your work with the others in your writing group. You may also, if you prefer, print out copies of your work and have your partners write their evaluation on the copy. 
      • If you are using Google or a Word Processor, INSERT COMMENTS to help your peer writers. 
      • Writers should collect the drafts their members wrote on or commented on, and turn these in for participation credit.
      • Turn in the self evaluation/peer evaluation sheet for credit.
      • Try to keep comments helpful and specific!
    • After getting feedback from your workshop group, you should:
      • Revise any previously written piece. Craft your writing!
    • Share discussion questions or analysis of our reading: evaluate the collection Sudden Fiction with each other. 
    Time Remaining: Continue to write or complete work for your portfolio.

    HOMEWORK: None.

    About this course!

    This course stresses understanding the characteristics & techniques in the literary genres of fiction, poetry, and dramatic writing. This course will continue to build on students’ reading and writing skills begun in previous creative writing classes. Readings and discussions of works by major writers in the field will be examined as inspiration and models of fine writing. This educational blog is designed for the use of the students at the School of the Arts in Rochester, NY.