Thursday 12/19

Today we started by talking about senior trips and fundraising. Then we shared our creative stories.

Wednesday 12/18

More fleshing out of our awesome stories!

Tuesday 12/17

We worked more on mappi ng the story out and beginning to write it.

12/16

Today we began writing off the four slips of paper created--A what if scenario, 2 characters, an odd location and a normal location.  We worked on mapping the story out.

Friday 12/13

Free write today.

Thursday 12/12

Today we read "Around the Corner" by Sharon Bryant. Then we wrote about someone whom we have  known for a long time but who had a life before we knew them (like the mom in the story).

Wednesday 12/11

Today our AW began with one of the choices below:

Directions: Choose one of the following prompts to continue building your ideas for a short story you will write. Your entry should be a minimum of 250 words. Have fun and remember, SHOW don’t TELL. Talk to all five senses and use invigorating VERBS.

1.   Create a story using words of one-syllable only, beginning with a phrase such as:

“The last time I saw her, she...”

“From the back of the truck...”

“On the night of the full moon...”

“The one thing I know for sure…”

2.   Describe a presence in your house (childhood home/current place of residence)—a person, a pet, a piece of furniture, an illness, a secret. Use all five senses. Be as detailed as possible.

3.   Describe a routine or holiday ritual, using the 2^nd person “you”:

For example, “You stand in the steaming kitchen with people you haven’t seen in almost a year. You wish your shirt didn’t have that tiny stain on the cuff. You wish your aunt’s laugh wasn’t quite so brittle. Feet stomp on the porch and you hurry to let your tall uncle in, forgetting to keep the dog from escaping outside…”

Tuesday 12/10

Please click the link below to find the pictures about which you will be writing today.
Harris Burdick story

 Harris Burdick

Monday 12/9

I am out today but please use this prompt to get your creative juices flowing! Have fun with it.  I will collect your notebooks tomorrow and expect a substantial amount written from today to be in them :)

Thursday 12/5

Today we viewed several pictures of people and told their stories.  100 words about this are require then free writes are fine.

Friday 12/6

Today we took headlines from the TImes Union and wrote the story for the headline.  I will collect notebooks on Tuesday.  You should have 3 250 word writes by then.

12/3

Today we used the period to free write.  I handed out a story generating list:

*One time I went….
*I was always afraid of…
*A good place to hide was…
*A house I loved to visit…
*I wasn't supposed to…
*I felt free when I…
*I felt strange around…
*I loved to wear...

12/2

Today we started growing ideas for an upcoming fiction unit.  We completed the dream world activity that I stole from Ms. Brown as an assigned write.

I will expect at least a 100 word entry in your notebook from this prompt when you turn them in on Monday.

THE DREAM WORLD EXERCISE

Dreams are vivid and real in their bizarre imagery and logic.  The impossible happens in dreams.  They are full of characters and actions and sounds and changes, all without restrictions, limitations, or explanations.

Your task is to create a dream as a prose poem.  You can use one of the lines below to start, or find your own.  Remember to leap from place to person to time with ease.  Turn off the LOGIC button in your brain and let your imagination rule.

            One night the cows broke…

            A man had just delivered a toad from…

            I was eating blue…

            Someone vomits out…

            I am peeing out my left ear…

11/26

Good Morning.  In honor of my favorite holiday, I thought the prompt would be about my favorite thing--dinner.  I thought we would write long about the following.  Everyone has a good story that revolves around food!

Write about a memorable meal, a disastrous dish or just a favorite food.

Thursday 10/24

On Monday I will collect your notebooks.  I will expect the following to be complete:

• all 10 poems present and accounted for
• about 100 word free  write from Monday
• Tuesday's list of slam poem ideas to be complete and at least one sort of fleshed out
• Thursday's assigned write where you were attempting to employ an object as a symbol in your writing

Have a great weekend.

Wednesday 10/23

A little work with Tone today

Tuesday 10/22

We worked of slam poem themes to create emotionally charged remembrances to arm us to write poetry.

Monday 10/22

We visited Paul Smiths today and worked with the poets we have watched in class.

10/18

Today we worked with the poem "Oranges" by Gary Soto.  We then wrote our own poems following the directions on the sheet.

Thursday 10/17

Today we worked with a cluster map that identified indelible moments in our lives. This is to prepare for a writing activity tomorrow.  Michael, I hope you are feeling better soon.

10/16

Today we worked on a random words entry see below for assignment.  This is an assigned write and will be poem # 2 for later work.

RANDOM WORD ENTRY

1. First, on a blank page in your notebook, write down 30 numbers, between 1-200.

2. Then, choose a novel and write down the first word that is not a “little word” on each page, corresponding to your numbers.  For example, if the first number you wrote down was 26, turn to page 26 and write down the first word on the page.  If the first word on the page is a “little” word (and, the, from, it, etc.) then go to the next interesting word.

3. You will create a notebook entry from this list of words.  One word from your list should appear on every line in your notebook.  You may put more than one word on a line if it works for you, but the entry must still make sense.  For example, six of the words on a list are: Moon, Tuesday, Bracelet, Mountain, Gold, & Sofa.  The part of the notebook entry that includes those words looks like this:

Notebook Entry:

I sit on my sofa, soft and grey, staring through my window at the moon floating above the mountain.  It is Tuesday and it has been three weeks since I was up in those peaks, where I lost your gold bracelet…

 

Tuesday 10/15

Today we used Carl Sandburg's poem "Fog" as a model for our own. There were some very creative poems penned! We also looked at a William Carlos Williams poem, " This is Just to Say".  I collected notebooks.

10/11

In your notebook I will be looking for the 10 poems you have selected.  There are no independent write expectations this week.

10/7 and 10/8

Today we worked on finding good poetry to use as mentor texts.  We connected to BIlly Collins' website http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/

please see slideshow for directions.

9/30

Today's assigned write is an expanded moment (#5) on the list of tricks. In addition, I collected notebooks.  check out the poster below--let me know if you are interested in attending!

Friday 9/27

Today was all about repetition for effect.  We did a 5 minute assigned write then followed up with independent writing.

Thursday 9/26

Today we reviewed specific details for effect (the third technique on "Smiley Face Tricks h/o). Students then spent the rest of the period writing an independent write.

Wednesday 9/25

Today we talked a bit about rules and how if everyone could just be nice and civil, we could have fewer of them! then we did Smiley Face Trick #2--figurative language. Independent writing was the next part of the period.

Tuesday 9/24

Smiley Face Tricks were the name of the game today.
Magic Three was the focus for a 5 minute assigned write then the remainder of the clas was independent write opportunity.

Monday 9/23

Today the assigned write was to list 9 situations in which you have experienced strong emotion.  The remainder of the class was devoted to independent writes.

Thursday 9/19

Today we drew a scar map and told one scar story then wrote independently.

Tuesday/ Wednesday 9/17, 9/18

Tuesday was an independent write day with another reminder that verbs and imagery matter. Show don't tell!

Wednesday we listed places that were important to us. We then chose one place to draw a map of. Once out map was complete, we described the place with words, trying hard to show instead of tell. Thanks William Waldy for sharing!

Monday 9/16

I turned back Writers notebooks today. We brought the sentences following sentences to life. I went to the store. It was cold. We then broke off and wrote independently.

Friday 9/13

Today we covered the image assignment from yesterday's post.  I will collect your writer's notebook for the first time on Monday.  In it I should find the following materials and I will assess these for a grade:

Decorated cover

AW:

• Inside/Outside
• Concrete imagery (flower, guy, car etc...) (2 70-100 word writes)

IW:

2 250 word entries

9/12

If you are here most likely I am on the 8th grade field trip.

First:  Please view the powerpoint entitled imagery that you find in this folder.

Second:  Complete the assignment entitled concrete imagery assignment here.

Third: Be sure to date your work and label it assigned write imagery 9/12. If you have free time after, begin the first of two independent writes that you will turn in on Monday :)

See you tomorrow.

9/11

Quick assigned write 9/11 then finish up journals inside /outside

9/10

a few new glue ins and more cutting and pasting for inside/outside.

9/9

Happy Monday! We started to set up our journals today and began the inside/outside project.

9/6

Today we read Nye's thoughts on journaling and had discussion about it.

September 5, 2013

Welcome to my class!  Today we played around with the six word memoir.  Please see the links below to check out some more cool examples.

Smith Magazine--you can publish here too!

NPR excerpts from  'Not Quite What I Was Planning'

1/7-1/9

We are drafting short story that will ultimately be finalized and published.

Stuck for an idea for your short story that is due Wednesday at the end of class? Click on one of the links below for some ideas:

http://www.creative-writing-now.com/short-story-ideas.html

A generator of ideas

100 short story prompts

http://suite101.com/article/story-starters-for-creative-writing-exercises-a97096

http://library.thinkquest.org/J002344/StoryStarters.html

1/3/13

We continued the POV activity from yesterday today. If you were out check out the link on yesterday's post.

1/2/13

Welcome back.  Today we talked about point of view and I shared a powerpoint to refresh memories on point of view.  We then began an activity to make us aware of the differences between point of views and why it matters to writers.