Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Love That Dog; End of Betsy Brown

During 3rd period, please work on a). completing the novel Betsey Brown or b). working on and completing a draft of the self portrait poem exercise (see below).

There will be a test on Betsy Brown Friday. Please complete it and study the major characters, plot, setting, writing style, and use of historical references.

During 4th period, please shift gears a bit and let's read this book: Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.

In preparation, please read these poems:

"The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams
"Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost
"The Tyger" by William Blake
"Love That Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
"The Pasture" by Robert Frost

Gather in the front of the room to read the book together.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Self Portrait Poem

You often hear "Write about what you know." Some writers do exactly that. And their work is marginally autobiographical. "Every poem we write is in some way a self portrait." -- Sandford Lyne

What you describe, how you describe it, all reflects YOU. You are also what you leave out. Poems can come from our experiences, a fleeting moment of awareness, a feeling, or a memory conjured up from the mist of the past.

Start this exercise by collecting a word bank in your journal. You want a group of words in association to ANY of the following key starter words/phrases:

Starter phrases/words:
toast; apple trees; grey geese; a flock of crows; a warm oven; the smell of fresh bread; the sound of a vacuum; wood soap; the smooth feeling of porcelain; the bark or whine of a dog; the clatter of a tree branch; the smell of salt water; numb fingers; sunshine; the taste of oatmeal; popcorn; honey bees; fake grass; muddy shoes; soap suds

After using any of the above, begin to narrow down and pinpoint the emotional parts of these words. How do the words reflect YOU? Think about your relationship with these words--is it a positive reaction or a negative one? What images and experiences go along with your words?

Select a specific setting (remember that setting includes weather, time of day, season, as well as location) from the brainstorming above. Write about something you are doing in that space--an action that is frequently observed or done. It doesn't have to be unique or strange, unless that's you. For example: if your word bank included: fresh lilacs, the smell of fabric softener...you might elect to put your setting in a laundry room, with the action: folding clothes.

Write a short poem (fewer than 10 lines or so) about you. Select words that "describe you"--create a self portrait that could be written by no one but you.

Betsey Brown & Elemental Poem (cont.)

Please complete the following tasks today:

1. Complete Betsey Brown (test Friday). Use your lab time to read.
2. Post a reading response to your blog. Yes, another one. Have you changed your opinion of the book? Has what you predicted happened? What has occurred in the plot or with the characters that surprised you? What scene stands out as being the most important scene so far? What character at the moment seems to have changed the most? How have events in the plot been complicated? What page did you leave off?
3. Complete your elemental poem drafts.
4. With the last 15 minutes of class, get together in your groups and a). share your poems and b). discuss Betsey Brown.

HOMEWORK: Complete Betsey Brown

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Betsy Brown Reading and Response/Poem Exercise

During 3rd period, please read Betsy Brown. Then, post one or more comments about the book on your blog. At the end of the period, come together with your group and discuss what you have read so far.

Response questions:
1. What scene or passage can you best identify with?
2. What character would you most like to spend time with? Why?
3. What scene or character in the book has bothered you? Why?
4. Comment about Shange's use of standard English grammar. Why do you think she purposefully plays with syntax, spelling, and sentence construction?
5. Predict the ending of the book. What major events will happen to Betsy? To Jane?
6. Which characters seem to contrast? Which seem to compare? What does this tell you about how an author uses characters?

4th period: Poetry Exercise.

Elemental Poem

The ancient world was much simpler than the modern world. In the ancient world, people recognized only four basic elements: earth, air, fire, and water—and these elements were considered not only the building blocks of the material world but also the elements of our character or psyches. Someone who was known to be passionate was thought to be possessed of fire and to be subjects to the laws of fire. These earthly elements also had their correspondence in the heavens, and each astrological sign was—and still is—associated with earth (Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo), air (Gemini, Aquarius, Libra), fire (Leo, Sagittarius, Scorpio), or water (Pisces, Cancer, Aries).
– From Everyday Creative Writing; Smith & Greenberg

Try revisiting this simpler world by focusing on and using the ancient elements to organize a poem.

Brainstorm:

Identify yourself with one of the elements. How are you like Fire or Air or Water or Earth? Write down as many qualities of yourself as possible.

Then make a list of places where you would least expect to find each of the elements. Example:

Fire
• In the refrigerator
• On the palm of my hand
• In a laundry basket

Next:

Make a list of verbs that you would least associate with each element. Example:
• The water sneezed
• The fire slept
• The wind stood in line at the bank

Combine these brainstorming activities to write a draft of a creative poem.

Example: From Charles Jensen’s poem Housefires and Homefries
My mother sets little fires in my
Shoes. They smolder like samovars.
It’s her way of saying
stay home and wait for the glacier,
my father, man of men. His golf bag is full
of snow. His shirts have ice cuffs
and frozen collars. My parents stare
at each other until their eyes turn
to earth and ash and when one speaks
the other blows air into paper bags
and bags float like syllables spoken under water.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Journals and Historical Fiction projects due

Today, please complete the historical fiction project. I am collecting your journals and finally keep reading Betsy Brown. Aim to finish this book by the end of next week. Further assignments will be discussed next week when the smoke clears.

Notes about Betsy Brown and Ntozake Shange:

Look here and learn about the Little Rock 9.

From a review:

"Praised as "exuberantly engaging" by the Los Angeles Times and a "beautiful, beautiful piece of writing" by the Houston Post, acclaimed artist Ntozake Shange brings to life the story of a young girl's awakening amidst her country's seismic growing pains. Set in St. Louis in 1957, the year of the Little Rock Nine, Shange’s story reveals the prismatic effect of racism on an American child and her family. Seamlessly woven into this masterful portrait of an extended family is the story of Betsey's adolescence, the rush of first romance, and the sobering responsibilities of approaching adulthood."

If you finish with all of that, take a break. Play a computer game, chat quietly, watch films, etc.

Today is the end of the marking period.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Historical Fiction: Due Friday!

Please spend 15 minutes reading silently today. Afterward, please continue today to write your historical fiction pieces.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Historical Fiction Project

After we pick up our newest book, we will return and begin reading the text together in our reading groups. At the end of period 3 please post a brief comment on your blog about your opinion of the book thus far. What are you expecting from the reading experience?

During period 4, please continue to work on your historical fiction projects.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Good Thief & Historical Fiction Project

After our brief continuing discussion on The Good Thief, please complete your post on your blog about the book and then continue your fictional story. Complete The Good Thief.

Most stories open with a change in a character's routine or a problem that needs to be solved. I suggest starting your story there.

By the way, if you don't have a major character and don't know who he or she is, figure that out before writing. It will save you time.

Using your research, decide on a plot that might fill 3-10 pages, double spaced. Due to time constraints, I caution you about planning a story over 10 double-spaced pages (not the requirement) unless you are super-speedy in your writing. We are aiming for a short story, not a small novel. Three pages would likely be the minimum for this project. Short pieces, just like longer ones, should be extremely well-written and thought out. All stories should include a good description of setting, situation (conflicts) and character, include dialogue where appropriate, and overall be written for the enjoyment of the reader.

Your stories should include an MLA Works Cited page. Check out the previous posts for help on that.

Today in class: Write. Compose. Create. Do not waste time.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Good Thief

Complete the interview. After our discussion and analysis, take the rest of 3rd period to read silently. During 4th period, continue your research and brainstorming for your historical story.

HOMEWORK: Complete to chapter 35.

Friday, March 4, 2011

The Good Thief & Historical Research

We left off on chapter 15 of the Good Thief. We will read more of the book today starting together, then in small groups during period 3. Please read through part two and complete up to page: 226.

DO NOT WRITE your historical story yet. We want you to research your time period and setting, get ideas for characters, conduct character sketches for potential protagonists, etc.

You will need to record the name of the website or article you are using, the author of the website or company, the year of the entry or publication, the website address, etc.

You may use Google Books to search for more information. Pictures or images as well from Google. Go to Google.com. On the heading, there are links to search for books (under more), images, videos, maps, news, and products.

Keep track of the websites and articles you are using so that you can cite these as research sources. You may use the citation machine to help you put together a works cited page.

Homework: Complete Part II of The Good Thief.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Historical Fiction Project

We left off on Chapter 6 of the Good Thief. Today, we will read more of the book. See the homework to prepare for tomorrow's class.

Pick a period in history that (a) fascinates or intrigues you or (b) appeals to your audience/friends or (c) fits into the kind of fictional story or genre you want to tell.

Remember that a work of fiction is about a ____ who has to do ____ in order to ____ against ______ within a given period of time.

1. The first thing you need to do is brainstorm and pinpoint a time in history. Try to narrow the time period down to a manageable size.
2. Next, you may either spend time working on character or researching the culture, time period, or setting. You can go back and forth between these things, but you will want to come up with an idea of: (a) where to set your story (location) and (b) who your main character or protagonist is going to be.
3. Take notes in your journal. Give each of your characters or settings a page in which you can list and write quotes, interesting trivia, and other facts or details to spark your imagination.

Remember that Fiction has a beginning, middle and end in which a life crisis is dealt with...which is unlike the way things work out in real life. Most events are more dramatic in fiction than in real life. Often authors will limit their characters choices in the beginning to force them on a path of action. For example our beginning of The Good Thief starts in an orphanage in the latter half of the 19th century. Ren has a clear motivation (get adopted), which is out of his hand(s) so to speak. When Benjamin Nab arrives, he really has no other choice but to follow him. This solves his primary desire to be adopted, but also opens up a world of problems.

Historical fiction is a story set in the past involving characters that react in varying degrees to historical settings and events (following text by Katherine Teel).

"Historical Setting
1. Historical fiction should have a reasonably authentic setting, with plausible details concerning political, social and religious history; clothing; language; and technology.
Historically Accurate Characters
2. Historical fiction should feature characters who look and sound like people of a particular historical era.
Plausibility
3. Historical fiction should depict the values, virtues and prejudices of a historical era accurately, especially where these affect the plot.
Accuracy
4. Historical fiction should avoid distorting history for the sake of political correctness or cultural sensitivity of the current time.
Artistic License
5. Historical fiction should adhere to established history but can also make reasonable changes for the sake of characters and plot.
Read more: Historical Fiction Genre Characteristics | eHow.com"

HOMEWORK: Please read up to Part Two (pp. 99)

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