Sunday, January 31, 2016

End of Fences; Setting Up Your Blog Project; Welcome to Writing for Publication!

This morning, during period 3, please complete (or turn in) the homework you did over break and complete the Fences quiz.

Take a look at our last post from last week. Complete and turn in the Fences project (character sketch & analysis). You will be reviewing Fences on your newly created blog between now and next class, so if you haven't completed your reading of the play, you should do that between today and next class.

BLOG PROJECT: Setting up your very own blog

One of the most important marketing/writing skills you will need to succeed as a writer is having your own blog. Many authors have a blog where they can interact with their potential audience(s) and share the process of writing, or snippets of their personal lives.

First off, many of you are probably familiar with what a blog is, but if not, here you go--some important information:

blog is a web log or web journal. A journal written online. Just like your physical writing journal, a blog can include ideas for stories, your own personal reaction to books/films/national events, etc. It can be a good place to publish your poetry, fiction, and plays before you eventually get paid for your writing. Some companies and media sources hire writers to set up and contribute to a company blog--and they pay you for it! For more info check here.

However, there's a lot to know about blogging. Check out the links below and read a little about blogs before attempting to create one.
5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Blogging

Here's a few sample writers blogs (with tips about being a writer)
To set up your blog:
1. Go to blogspot.com or (tumblr.com--please note you will not be able to access tumblr from the RCSD network). Some students like to use WordPress.com instead. I suggest blogger. You may use blogger (read link to set this up), this is Google's blog site and you can use your student Google email address. The district has provided every student with a Google email address. Use this one if you remember what it is. You may also use word press at this link. The choice is yours. 
NOTE: If you have already started a blog as a side project, or because you have already been introduced to the idea, I don't want to stop you from using it. Use your original blog site, but I will be asking that you write things specifically on your blog for our class. If this bothers you, start a new blog. No big deal.
2. You may take a quick tour to get information about the blog site you are going to use, if interested. Otherwise, create a new account.
3. You must enter an email account (if you have no email, use one from your family; if this isn’t working, use an email account from a trusted and valued friend.) You can set up a new email account at gmail.com. This is a free service. Your email account name will be your “username”--Write your password somewhere safe where you will remember it. You will need to keep track of this.
NOTE: Please send me your blog address in the COMMENT section below.
4. Create a password, display your name, look at terms of service, etc.
5. Log onto your blog. Follow the prompts to set up your page. Write down your address/passwords, etc. Again, I can't help you if you screw this up.
6. You may provide biographical info and so on. At some point, you will need to create a NEW Post. Each new post needs a title and you should edit it before you post it.
Today, you will need to set up your Blog and write the following posts:
A. An introduction to your website. Your first blog entry should welcome your guests and explain that you are a student @ SOTA, taking a creative writing course. This is important so that people know you are a teenager. Feel free to omit (leave out) your last name. You can also use a pseudonym if you'd prefer for privacy sake.

B. Write a review of the play Fences. What did you think of the play? Did you think the theme or the characters were worth your time? Why or why not? It's not enough to simply say whether something is good or bad--but explain WHY you think this way. We will be reviewing several other books, poems, and films as the course continues.
C. Write a short non-fiction entry about something you feel passionate about. You can rant, rave, etc. but remember that your blog is a public forum and other people in the world can access your writing. Don't embarrass yourself. Check your spelling and language so you don't come across as ignorant or unskilled. As always, it is important for a writer to think about his/her audience.
These three blog entries will be graded as participation credit. Please complete them today. The fourth post (see below) is due by next class.

HOMEWORK: If you did not complete any of these parts (or did not finish writing your blog posts in class today) do so by the beginning of next class. Add entries as you see fit to your blog. Post previous poems, short stories, essays, rants, whatever you would like. Have fun and publish!

Welcome to Writing for Publication!

While we won't completely leave performance, word, and text this semester we are going to focus on writing as a career. What does it take to be a "writer"? What skills do we need? What attitude do we need to cultivate? Let's find out.
On your newly created blog, personally respond to the linked articles/videos above. Which of the top ten writing rules makes the most sense to you? Which ones do you practice? Which ones do you need more work on? Reflect on your own writing.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Fences: Act I & 2; Portfolio

This morning, during period 1 and part of 2, please gather in two groups and read OUT LOUD the play Fences by August Wilson.


Choose one of the characters in ACT ONE or TWO: Draw a character sketch of that character. Along with your sketch, indicate lines and words (with page #'s) from the play that help describe and characterize the character you chose.

When an author develops a character, he/she relies on characterization. Characterization is based on four distinct things:
  • What a character says or thinks about him/herself
  • What another character says or thinks about the character
  • What the character does (the actions the character does and the choices he/she makes)
  • The details or physical description the author or narrator gives us. In this case, what is revealed in the STAGE DIRECTIONS of the play script. 
A note about symbols: an OBJECT that has more than one meaning (a literal one and a figurative one) is used to say something about a character or idea/theme that is central to the meaning of the work. The title, for example, is also a symbol: Fences are used as a symbol. Consider what that means to the characters in a literal and figurative way. What other symbols (objects) are in the play and consider what they might mean.

For your homework, draw a sketch of one of the characters. On your picture, please make sure you have found words/description/lines from the text (include page #'s where you got that information) that support your examination of characterization. Please turn in your portrait Monday, Feb. 1 when we return from mid-term week.

During period 4 when instructed, please go next door to the lab to print out any work from SEMESTER ONE that you have not yet put in your portfolio.
Semester Portfolio - Final "Exam"

1. Examine your work collected in your portfolio. (You may print out anything you haven't yet printed out and place a copy in your portfolio). You may print anything out you have written in either Ms. Gamzon or my class.

2. Revise:
• Nouns: Nouns should be specific and concrete; avoid blatant abstract or vague nouns always in your writing.
 One way to make an abstract concept (like love or death or pain or sadness) concrete is by creating a metaphor or simile. (Ex. Love is a blind dove fluttering at your window)--use metaphor and simile in your writing to strengthen abstraction and turn it into concrete and specific writing! 
 If you can’t hold it in your hand, touch it, smell it, taste it, hear it, then it’s not concrete. If you can’t see it or touch it, it’s not specific.
• Verbs: Verbs should be active.
 Do not write in the passive voice – let your subject do the action.
 Avoid excessive use of the verb TO BE. Instead, use strong active verbs
 Do not shift tense. Make sure all your verbs are either in the past or present. Try not to switch between tenses.
• Modifiers: Adjectives, prepositions, adverbs, conjunctions, interjections. These parts of speech help describe your characters, settings, and plot events.
  • The thing to remember about modifiers is that they are not necessary. Overusing them is a great mistake in writing! Be concise!
  • Make sure your stories and poems describe the images you expect the reader to see. Don’t forget about WHERE your characters are or WHAT they are doing while they are talking or acting.
  • Adverbs should be used sparingly.
  • Try to avoid overusing conjunctions. This is a sure sign of a run-on sentence.
• Plot, character, setting, conflict, theme, dialogue, form: Find places in your stories and poems to expand your ideas. Complicate your plots, make them longer, more character driven, more descriptive. Use dialogue to develop your characters histories and backgrounds. Choose your words with care. Try to make a point. Remember your reader!
• Spell check and proofread your work! Reading your work out loud can help!
• It is sometimes helpful to get feedback from friends, teacher, or enemies about your writing.

Remember: this is a writing portfolio (and you have taken Grammar and Style), so you should check and correct any grammar or formatting errors in your work.

3. After you review and revise your portfolio, write a 1-3 page typed reflection essay about your progress this far in your creative writing courses.  Since you did one of these last quarter, feel free to update it. Answer the seven questions below somewhere in your reflective response. In your essay, you should:
 Talk about the work you include in your portfolio:
  1. What pieces did you most enjoy, which were difficult for you and why? Which pieces show off your talent? What did writing these pieces help you understand in writing? 
  1. Write about your strengths and weaknesses as a writer: what are you still doing well? what do you still need help or assistance with in regards to your writing? 
  1. Write about the reading we did and your skill at being a reader. What pieces did you most enjoy/which pieces or texts were difficult for you? Why?  
  1. Write about specific writing problems you have faced (and overcome)  
  1. Write about Ms. Gamzon’s and Mr. Craddock’s class – what parts did you most enjoy, which parts did you least enjoy? What might we be able to do to provide a better learning environment for you? 
NOTE: do not complain for the sake of complaining, but actively examine what you felt you did and learned in these classes in the past semester. Complain to your family and friends, not in your self-evaluation. 
  1. Make a goal. What would you like to work on in the next semester?  
  1. Finally, grade yourself. What grade would you give YOURSELF as a writer this semester? Why? Defend your answer.
Your portfolio will be collected Monday, January 25 in Ms. Gamzon's class.

HOMEWORK: Please complete your reading of Fences. Create your character sketch. Follow the instructions above. There will be a quiz Monday on the play when we come back from midterms. You should know the basic plot, characters, characterization, key symbols, and structure of the play.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Fences: Day 1: Act 1 & Research for Setting

RESEARCH: Start class off today by researching the following items. In your journal, write down your answers. You should be able to relate the research to Fences.


Please research and find information about:

In 1918 when Troy Maxson is your age (about 14), he leaves the South for Pittsburgh. His father was a sharecropper. What is a sharecropper? What was life like for a sharecropper in the South? How did the system of sharecropping entrap people? How could a person escape that life? Read about sharecropping here.

Troy was also involved with the Negro League when he was younger. What is that? Look at the links below to find out! Then also, find out who Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige were. Why might they be important role models for us today?
The setting of this play is 1957. Please research and find some information about this time period. Some questions to help guide your research are:
  • What were the social, economic, political and educational expectations and opportunities for African Americans at this time?
  • What advances had been made in civil rights?
  • What significant changes will occur in America during the years between 1957 and 1965?
Some links to help you answer this question are posted here:

Images of the civil rights movement
Images of “the children’s crusade" of the civil rights movement
Timeline of the civil rights movement


After about 30 minutes of research online and taking notes in your journal, please join up with two other partners and compare notes. Add details or notes that you missed in your journal.



THEN: After discussing what you found with your group, join 1 OTHER group of 3. This means you will be working with a group of 6. There should be 3 groups in total if everyone is here.


In your group of 6, please begin reading Act 1, Scene 1 today in class. When you have completed this scene together in your reading groups, please stop and do the following activities:


A. Before you sketch, discuss with your group what you learned about the SETTING of this play (the research you did today), and some of the important events that might shape the characters in this play. Which characters seem most affected? How is setting revealed through dialogue and costumes or action? You should be able to make some connections between your research and your reading of Act 1.


HOMEWORK: If your group did not finish reading Act 1 in class, please complete this act by next class. You will be asked to analyze Act 1 next class, so please make sure you complete your reading!

Friday, January 15, 2016

Slam Poetry Performances (conclusion); Def Poetry; Journal Deadline for MP2

After performing our slam poems, we will watch the Def Poetry Jam hosted by Mos Def. As you watch the video performances, take notes IN YOUR JOURNAL about what you notice about the effectiveness of the performances and/or ideas for your own poems. Listen for that imagery!


After listening/watching Def Poetry, take a look at Poetry Out Loud, 2015 (Vermont, PBS). Compare/contrast performance/poetry styles.




Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day by taking the day off to reflect about Civil Rights, Black culture & the contributions to our country. Feel free to write in your journal all weekend!


Journals are due WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 at end of class period.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

African American History Sketch; Slam Poem Draft Performance

Complete your African American History sketches. These are due at the end of class today. Please print them out (even if they are not finished). Please print out the article/newspaper you used to inspire your scene.

During period 2, please go next door to perform your slam poems.

HOMEWORK: None. Parent-Teacher conferences are today from 5:00-7:00.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Slam Poem Draft Due! African American History Assignment

Please complete your slam poem draft. We will practice and perform these poems in front of the class on Wednesday. Prepare your script by completing the writing and practicing reading it out loud.

When you have completed your slam poem, please attend to the following assignment (Ms. Gamzon may have started this with you...)

Mr. Gabriel (director of the Black History Assembly) would like to commission the CW department to write 2-4 minute (2-5 page) sketches. The task:

From the internet choose a newspaper article from one of the following time periods:
  • Slavery and/or Emancipation period (Pre 1860-1900)
  • Harlem Renaissance (1920's/Jazz)
  • Civil Rights Movement (1950's-1960's)
  • The Obama Years...Yes, we can... (2008-2016)
Inspire yourself by looking at a newspaper article or headline from the time period. Use the article to inspire your scene. Scenes should be dramatic--skip all the exposition except for the climax of your scene. Get right to the point and the drama!

Remember this is for a celebration of Black culture. This is not the time to get super negative (at least the ending of your scene should have a tone of hope--this is a common theme in African American literature). Scenes should be written for about 3-5 characters. If selected, your scene/skit will be performed by actors during the Black History Assembly. Details on dates coming up. The assembly is in February.

When you have a completed draft, please proofread and turn it in.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Slam Poetry: Day 2

After viewing the various samples and styles of slam poetry, please go to the lab and write your own slam poem. Use your pre-writing (the writing we did last class in your journals) to decide on a topic. Your slam poem should have various examples of effective imagery to strengthen your message/idea.

Turn in your slam poem draft when you have completed it.

HOMEWORK: If you do not complete your slam poem draft today in the lab, please complete it on your own time as homework. A completed draft is due by Monday.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Imagery; Slam Poetry

To IMPROVE your poetry, you all need to use IMAGERY. Imagery is the backbone of contemporary poetry. Without it, a poem often fails.

But what is it?
IMAGERYIs the careful use of vivid or figurative language (metaphors, similes, personification, allusion, etc.) to represent objects, actions, or ideas that are otherwise abstract (love, death, sorrow, freedom, etc.) This representation is often VISUAL, for it helps create a picture in a listener or reader's mind. The only way to create a visual picture is to be specific with your noun usage.

Imagery can also be auditory (sound) with the use of alliteration, assonance, consonance, and other techniques like rhyme and rhythm.
Please examine some examples of imagery:
  • On a starry winter night in Portugal, where the ocean kissed the southern shore...
Descriptive words: starry, winter, southern
Specific NOUNS: night, Portugal, ocean, shore
Personification: ocean kissed the southern shore... 

More examples (similes):
  • He fumed and charged like an angry bull.
  • He fell like an old tree falling down in a storm.
And another example (metaphor):
  • Her blue eyes were the sky in summer.
Imagery can also use the literary devices of figurative language and allusion. Check out these examples of figurative language and allusion. Learn what these devices are so you can use them in your writing.

Imagery is an attempt to describe something with the five senses. We've already discussed visual and auditory imagery. Other types of imagery include gustatory (taste), olfactory (smell), and kinesthetic (touch). These are harder to create, but with careful diction (word choice) a sense can be described. It is an author's job to notice and be able to describe sensations and events effectively to an audience.

NOTE: YOU MUST USE IMAGERY IN YOUR POETRY! Otherwise it may be terrible as an Egyptian plague. Imagery is a tool. Use it!

5-minute journal exercise: Alone or with a partner, try writing some examples of imagery in your journal. Write lines that use each of the five types of imagery. Try to get at least 3 examples of each type. If you still have time remaining in this exercise, add more examples until the bell rings.

A Brief Guide to Slam Poetry

Taken from Poets.org.
"One of the most vital and energetic movements in poetry during the 1990s, slam has revitalized interest in poetry performance. Poetry began as part of an oral tradition, and movements like the Beats and the poets of Negritude were devoted to the spoken and performed aspects of their poems. This interest was reborn through the rise of poetry slams across America; while many poets in academia found fault with the movement, slam was well received among young poets and poets of diverse backgrounds as a democratizing force. This generation of spoken word poetry is often highly politicized, drawing upon racial, economic, and gender injustices as well as current events for subject manner.

A slam itself is simply a poetry competition in which poets perform original work alone or in teams before an audience, which serves as judge. The work is judged as much on the manner and enthusiasm of its performance as its content or style, and many slam poems are not intended to be read silently from the page. The structure of the traditional slam was started by construction worker and poet Marc Smith in 1986 at a reading series in a Chicago jazz club. The competition quickly spread across the country, finding a notable home in New York City at the Nuyorican Poets Café."
Slam Poetry often uses topics or themes that are politically or emotionally charged. Slam poets often write with a social comment to make or share with an audience.

How can you be a poet for social change?

Brainstorming: Start with your journal. Make a list of things you believe, things that make you mad, or things that you feel go unnoticed by others, things that are important to you. Write for 5 minutes. Try to fill a page or two.

Let's view a few examples from some slam poets. As you watch notice the effective vocal and performance skills the authors use to enhance their performance.

Saul Williams
Taylor Mali
Derrick Brown

CLASSWORK: For each poet, please write your reaction to their performances, identify some of the key themes and messages or morals that the authors present to us (what is their poetry trying to teach us?) Use your journal to record your reaction/observations. After each poet, use your notes about what you noticed to say something about what you learned or noticed about the poet's performance style and effectiveness.

HOMEWORK: None. Although feel free to begin writing your own slam poem from the exercises we did today. Write your drafts in your journal. Use imagery.

The Graveyard Book - Discussion Questions

  In your discussion groups, please answer 5 of the 10 discussion questions. Choose a member of your group to record your answers. Make sure...