Inspirational Speech Draft Due! Happy Holidays!

Please complete your draft and outline of your inspirational speech today in the lab and turn in.

When you have completed your work, you may go next door for a snack and to gather together in groups to play a few board games. Enjoy.

HOMEWORK: None. Have a nice holiday!

Inspirational Speech Draft; Models & Drafting

This morning, let's start with a few sample motivational speeches. Listen carefully to the speeches as examples/models for your own speech you will write today.

Inspirational Speech: Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrmann
Randy Pausch (advice, 3.5 min.) & his speech on the Oprah show (10 min.)
Who Inspires You (a short inspirational speech; 4 min.)
Finding Your Meaning in Life (short inspirational video: 4 min.)
California Inspires Me: Rashida Jones (3 min.)
30 Day Brainstorm: A Person Who Inspires Me (4 min.)
The 5 Most Inspirational Speeches of Our Time

Make an outline. Use your premise as your thesis. Start with what inspires you. Write specifically, if you can. Make an example of your own life. Then, in your body paragraph connect your thesis or premise with your chosen historical figure who exemplifies what inspires you. Tell us about this person. How do they fit your criteria about what inspires you? Tell us how and why this person fits your model or supports your thesis/premise/claim. After explaining who this person is and why they fit your idea of motivation, name a few other historical figures (artists, politicians, people in your family, etc.) that remind you of the person you chose. Finally, suggest 3 ways that we might become more like the people who inspire you.

Your outline might look like this (this is a sample):

I. Introduction
A. Hook: attention grabbing statement about when my parents went without supper to feed me.
B. Lead-in: connect the hook with the premise.
C. Premise: I am inspired by...people who put others before themselves.
II. Body
A. Ghandi
B. Details about Ghandi's life (who was he, what did he do, etc.)
C. How Ghandi put other people's needs before his own
III. 2nd body paragraph: Others
A. Other figures in my life who exemplify this quality: family members
B. Public figures that I admire, etc.
C. Entertainers/Artists that I admire or who inspire me to put others before myself.
IV. Conclusion
A. Advice about how to be a better person: think beyond yourself.
B. Help people who are less fortunate.
C. Have empathy.
D. Ending remarks.

Write a sketchy outline like this one before you begin writing your speech draft. Organize your ideas before you begin. Tighten the writing of your speech to be concise, specific, and full of imagery.

Find a quote from one of these sources and see if you can use it effectively in your speech.

• Inspirational Quotes
• Phrases worth considering
• Brainy Quote Site

HOMEWORK: If you did not complete a draft in class, please complete by next class. Draft is due by Friday, Dec. 22.

Inspirational Speech Project

Period 3: Please complete your workshop from last class. After your workshop, please revise one poem draft of your choosing (you may feel free to revise more than one if you'd like, but choose the best revision and turn in that draft with your workshop comments and copies).

If you finish early (before period 4), please move on to our next assignment:

The inspirational speech.

An inspirational speech is meant to persuade or convince an audience that they can succeed. It usually uses anecdotes and uplifting stories drawn from real "heroes" or role models that inspires the speaker. These role models can be drawn from a variety of sources: from real life (common people), famous people from history or literature, artists, authors, sports, politics, business, religion, etc. The objective of the inspirational speech is to inspire the audience with a desire and the confidence to meet goals, overcome obstacles in one's life, or to maximize human potential.

Here's how to do it: (follow these instructions!)

1. Think for a moment and make a list in your journal about the qualities that you think are important to inspire you. Are you inspired by people making the world a better place for those who are suffering, or are you inspired by people who work hard and eventually succeed, or are you inspired by people who earn a lot of money, or are you inspired by people who gain fame by using their talents, or are you inspired by people who show us the good in humanity, or are you inspired by ... [think about what inspired you!]

2. Write in your journal your premise. Finish this statement: "I am inspired by ... " Keep this statement clear when you write your speech draft.

3. Choose one of the following famous inspiring people from this graphic: The Most Inspiring People in the World.

4. Once you have chosen someone, research this person and take notes on what that person did to inspire others or change the world (usually for the better).

5. Make a short list of other people who are similar and meet your criteria for being inspiring. You may draw on personal connections (like family members or teachers, community members, etc.) or on entertainers that you admire (celebrities, authors, etc.), or historical figures. Keep your list relatively short.

6. Once you have completed the last 5 items in this list, write a short 300-500 word speech draft. Your draft should detail and describe clearly what inspires you, identify a person who exemplifies these qualities or traits, and suggest others who have followed in their footsteps (similar people who have achieved this sort of inspirational role). Then after detailing these items, suggest ways that WE can change our lives to be better people (using your examples as role-models). Suggest at least 3 things that we can do to change our lives and live a more inspired life.

HOMEWORK: If you did not complete your inspirational speech draft today in class, please complete it as homework. We will be using our drafts next class. The speech performance itself is not due yet. 

Poetry Workshop

An ANALOGY is a comparison between two things. When we compare two DIFFERENT things we create a metaphor. If we compare using the words "like" or "as" (adverbs) to soften the comparison, we create a simile. If an object stands in for an abstract idea we get a symbol. If a person stands in for an abstract idea we create an allegory.

Task: In your journal write a poem that compares two things in a creative or unexpected way. To start, choose a feeling or abstract idea. Then compare this feeling/idea with a concrete and specific noun.

"Your Arms are Stronger than the Words" by Katy Montgomery

Your arms are stronger than the words of the Gettysburg Address.
Yet soft and warm as clothes in a dryer.

And your eyes--bluer than Boston in a World Series,
Deeper than the stack of papers on my desk.

Your voice rings like the phone in the middle of dinner,
It bubbles in me like milk blown through a straw.

How much do I love you?
More than a fire loves oxygen.
More than the mailman loves Sundays.
More than the Rabbit loves Trix.

Conducting a Writers Workshop

Workshopping a written piece is an important step in getting feedback about your writing. If a workshop group is knowledgeable and skilled, they can help a writer grow immensely in a short period of time. Our goal is to craft our writing to make it the best that it can possibly be.

Workshop procedure: POINTING
Why use it?: Great for diction (and therefore tone), poetry, or making sure important lines are noticed by a reader. Works best with poetic verse.

POINTING is a workshop tool where each workshop member hears or reads the piece up for workshop and selects a word, phrase, or sentence from the piece. Going around the group taking turns, each workshop member reads his/her selection (word, phrase, or sentence) out loud so that the author hears the line that the reviewer liked. Effectively, you could continue doing this practice as long as there is something the reviewer liked. Each time the author hears a word, phrase, or sentence selected, he/she makes a check mark next to the word, phrase, or line on his/her copy of the workshop piece. At the end, the author should have various lines checked. If a poet, for example, has everyone in the group say that they liked a line, there is physical proof (the check marks) that the line works for the reader.

What to do with this information?: After pointing, go back and see what you might be able to cut (usually the words, phrases or lines no one selected). Consider WHY the word, phrase, or sentence worked and try to replicate that throughout the piece.

While pointing is meant to be a positive experience, the author is in full control of what is kept and removed in a piece, realize that some lines or words are essential, but may not draw the reader's attention. If the line is important to the writer, and no one selects or notices it, the writer should take this into consideration.

A workshop group could also be more critical, POINTING at words, phrases, or sentences that the reviewer did NOT like. But this takes a strong backbone and trust.

Workshop groups:
A: Raeona, Jesziah, Akhiyar, Darnell
B: Pahz, Javant, Alquasia, Ja'kiya
C: Turon, Britney, Ja'Miah, Victoria
D: Joshua, Kemani, Jenna, Isobel

Follow these steps to complete your workshop:

1. Get into your workshop group (see below for groups)
2. Each contributing writer should take turns reading their work out loud to the rest of the group. You may organize this how you wish--with each poet reading and discussing one poem (going around the 'circle', and then once everyone has had a turn, going around the circle again with your second poem, and then third poem, then..., etc.)
3. The group should listen and read silently while the writer reads his/her poem
4. As the writer reads his/her poem, the workshop members should highlight or mark specific words or phrases or lines that he/she liked on the poem draft copy. If you notice mistakes in grammar, spelling, mechanics, syntax, etc. you may note these as well. Begin using your newly learned editing marks as practice!
5. Consider the basic questions and techniques of poetry...(structure/form, persona/speaker, POV, setting, theme, message, tone, mood, voice, meter, line, imagery, diction, characterization, conflict, sound techniques, etc.) Give the writer a WRITTEN critique of their poem based on the questions on the handout. You should complete one of these for EACH poet (not every poem!) You may also write your specific corrections/comments on the poem draft copy. You will be giving your poet the marked copy and the comments for the scoring rubric. Poets will use this to revise/rewrite.
6. When everyone is finished writing comments, open the discussion to the writer’s specific questions. Writers should help this along by jotting down and asking some questions that they want to know about their work. For example: Did you understand the message of my poem? What are some ways in which I can improve or strengthen my poem? Is the persona's voice clear and well defined or developed? Does the setting of my poem distract you as a reader? Do you have some suggestions with this line that I am having trouble with?, etc.
7. Again, after you have discussed the writer’s work, please return your marked poem draft copies to its writer.
8. After the group has finished helping the writer, please continue around the group to help critique the other writers who submitted material as well.
9. Continue this until the entire group has had a chance to participate in the workshop.
10. When your group has completed the workshop, take the notes/comments from your peers and go to the lab. Revise your poetry based on comments. Select ONE poem you revised and turn the second draft in to me with the written comment sheets you used from your peers, and your marked up copies.

You will be graded on the following during workshop: 
A. Participation: offering a poem draft to be critiqued; critiquing another author's work.
B. The written critique response.
C. The author's revision. Your group will be graded together on the IMPROVEMENT from draft one to draft two.

LAB: Revise 1 of your workshopped pieces to strengthen it's artistic structure, content, and aim. Please attach your comments/notes/feedback to your poem revision draft and turn in by end of class today.

HOMEWORK: None.

Poetry, Poetry, Poetry

The prompts:

C. Pass the Poem; Exquisite Corpse (part 2): Again, choose another poem in your collection. Pick a single line from the poem. Write this line on a piece of paper. Pass the poem to the poet next to you. Exchange poems. That poet should write a line that goes with your poem. Be mature. Don't ruin the tone of a poem because you're immature. Try to keep the tone, subject, POV, and various elements consistent with the line that precedes yours. When you have written a line, pass the poem back to the original poet. That poet should add a line, then pass the poem draft back to his/her partner. Continue in this way until you have at least 10 lines (or more), and time is called.

D. Jot down the best 3 titles of the poems in the collection. Inspired by these titles, write a new poem based on these "stolen" titles. Length, style, subject matter is up to you. The title, however, should suggest a path for your ideas. Follow and write them down.

E. Write a "Where I'm From" poem, but instead of YOU as the subject, choose a real person you know, a historical figure, or a fictional person you make up and write about THIER life.

ex. You are from the hills of Santa Fe...; You come from hard labor and log cabins...; I called you grandma, but you were born an orphan girl...; etc. The traditional "Where I'm From" poem was written by George Ella Lyons. Schools have taken her poem and made it a bit of a cliche (i.e., you might have had to write one of these before). Making the subject someone else is more original.

F. Make a list of technical terms and use this list to describe a person or a common event.
Science technical terms: check here for some ideas...
Here's a list of poetry terminology...
Medical terminology sample poems...
Other great ideas are lists of flora & fauna (plants and animals). Use your science text books, for example, to connect ideas about nature, chemistry, biology, physics, or earth science as a metaphor for something we all can relate to: love, life, human nature, death/loss, etc.

LAB:
Spend your remaining time in the lab today honing your poetry skills. Take the poem drafts you completed in the past few class periods and revise/edit/polish the draft. When you have completed your work, please print out your poem drafts (we'll use these in a workshop next class).

HOMEWORK: None.

Poetry Prompts; Collection #3 (Day 2)

"Men die everyday for what they miss in poetry..." William Carlos Williams

1. The poet is the voice of reason
2. The poet is the spokesperson for the downtrodden, outsider, or oppressed
3. The poet is the eye of the world
4. The poet brings order to chaos

• Martin Kiszko's Tips for Writing Poetry (6 min.)

Using the text of the poet you chose for your second poetry chapbook, do the following JOURNAL/writing exercises with your poet's book:

What wins a poetry contest? Here's some hard reality (& tips).

• Lyric poetry that has a strong sense of character, setting, language, and theme often win these contests.
• Slam and performance poetry is meant to be performed. It is unlikely that such a poem will ever win a traditional poetry contest. It might win a poetry performance contest....
• Rhyming poetry with a simple or unnecessary rhyme scheme often fails to impress judges. Spit rhyme somewhere else...poems that overdo this device usually don't win.
• Angsty poems about you and how much it hurts to be an adolescent never win poem contests. Suffering is universal, yes, but unless an adult can relate to it, it will never win. The more the poem is just about you, the less chance you have of winning. 
• Poems that ignore punctuation (e.e. cummings poems...) or poems that have a lot of proofreading errors, spelling mistakes, or grammar/mechanical errors rarely win. 
• Poems that overuse repetition rarely win. Poems that repeat don't win.
• Poems that are too political or angry or too sweet or sappy rarely win.
• Poems that focus on a unique characteristic of culture often win. The cultural significance must be SPECIFIC to the character the speaker is speaking about. Poems about your unique cultural traditions, or your connection between young/old generations often win.
• Poems that utilize clever word play, subtle puns or double-meanings of words, have a distinct and difficult structure that enhances the poem, poems that have a volta (turn) or reversal, poems that utilize imagery, poems that are very specific in detail, or poems that are written truthfully and cut "close to the bone" often win.

These poems tend to win contests because they are:

1. Universal.
2. Creative.
3. Not about the teenage writer specifically.
4. Show a broader interest than just teenage interests...
5. Show that a poet is specific and knows something more than the average student submitting...
6. Tend to show humans overcoming adversity, not complaining or being negative about the subject...

The prompts:

A. Word Spill: Pick 10-20 words from the poems in the collection you have been reading. Make a list of these words on a piece of paper. Pass that paper to your neighbor. Your neighbor has 10 minutes to use at least 10 of the words (he/she may use all 20!) in a poem. You may add OTHER words, of course.

B. Pick a different poem from your collection. Write the last line of the poem on your paper as the first line. Then skip to another poem in the collection (randomly, if possible) and place the first line of that poem as the last line on your paper. Write a poem until you complete the space between the opening and closing line on your paper. 

C. Pass the Poem; Exquisite Corpse: Choose one of the poems in your collection. Pick a single line from the poem. Write this line on a piece of paper. Pass the poem to the next poet in line. That poet should write a line that goes with that poem. Be mature. Don't ruin the tone of a poem because you're immature. Try to keep the tone, subject, POV, and various elements consistent with the line that precedes yours. When you have written a line, pass the poem along, etc, etc. The poem is done when it returns to the original poet.

D. Write a "Where I'm From" poem, but instead of YOU as the subject, choose a real person you know, a historical figure, or a fictional person you make up and write about THIER life.

ex. You are from the hills of Santa Fe...; You come from hard labor and log cabins...; I called you grandma, but you were born an orphan girl...; etc. The traditional "Where I'm From" poem was written by George Ella Lyons. Schools have taken her poem and made it a bit of a cliche (i.e., you might have had to write one of these before). Making the subject someone else is more original.

E. Make a list of technical terms and use this list to describe a person or a common event.
Science technical terms: check here for some ideas...
Here's a list of poetry terminology...
Medical terminology sample poems...
Other great ideas are lists of flora & fauna (plants and animals). Use your science text books, for example, to connect ideas about nature, chemistry, biology, physics, or earth science as a metaphor for something we all can relate to: love, life, human nature, death/loss, etc.

F. Jot down the best 3 titles of the poems in the collection. Inspired by these titles, write a new poem based on these "stolen" titles. Length, style, subject matter is up to you. The title, however, should suggest a path for your ideas. Follow and write them down.

LAB:
Spend your remaining time in the lab today honing your poetry skills. Take the poem drafts you completed and revise/edit/polish the draft. You may also spend your time reading or completing your poet's book. (See homework).

When you complete drafts of your poems, please turn them in for participation credit. They will eventually be workshopped and placed in your 1st semester portfolio.

HOMEWORK: Please complete your reading of your 3rd poetry collection. Finish reading. As you read, if you are struck with inspiration (and we hope you are) stop occasionally to collect a word, phrase, line, or jot down ideas or poem drafts of your own. Read, read, read, read, read, write, write, write, etc. That's what writers do. 

Poetry Collection N - Z; Poetry Workshop; Advice for Contests

We will slip to the library during period 3 and select our final poetry collection: N - Z. Spend period 3 completing some independent reading. Then we'll move to the classroom for some poetry prompts/workshopping.

Poetry Worksheet. Complete the poetry analysis worksheet by the end of period 3 in the library. I'll collect this at the second bell before we move back to the classroom.

Some advice about writing poetry:  (watch and take notes as necessary in your journal)

• The Secret to Writing Great Poetry (3 min.)
• The Three Elements of Poetry: How to Write Better (5 min.)
• sound
• meaning
• structure
• Martin Kiszko's Tips for Writing Poetry (6 min.)

What wins a poetry contest? Here's some hard reality (& tips).

• Lyric poetry that has a strong sense of character, setting, language, and theme often win these contests.
• Slam and performance poetry is meant to be performed. It is unlikely that such a poem will ever win a traditional poetry contest. It might win a poetry performance contest....
• Rhyming poetry with a simple or unnecessary rhyme scheme often fails to impress judges. Spit rhyme somewhere else...poems that overdo this device usually don't win.
• Angsty poems about you and how much it hurts to be an adolescent never win poem contests. Suffering is universal, yes, but unless an adult can relate to it, it will never win. The more the poem is just about you, the less chance you have of winning. 
• Poems that ignore punctuation (e.e. cummings poems...) or poems that have a lot of proofreading errors, spelling mistakes, or grammar/mechanical errors rarely win. 
• Poems that overuse repetition rarely win. Poems that repeat don't win.
• Poems that are too political or angry or too sweet or sappy rarely win.
• Poems that focus on a unique characteristic of culture often win. The cultural significance must be SPECIFIC to the character the speaker is speaking about. Poems about your unique cultural traditions, or your connection between young/old generations often win.
• Poems that utilize clever word play, subtle puns or double-meanings of words, have a distinct and difficult structure that enhances the poem, poems that have a volta (turn) or reversal, poems that utilize imagery, poems that are very specific in detail, or poems that are written truthfully and cut "close to the bone" often win.

The prompts:

A. Word Spill: Pick 10-20 words from the poems in the collection you have been reading. Make a list of these words on a piece of paper. Pass that paper to your neighbor. Your neighbor has 10 minutes to use at least 10 of the words (he/she may use all 20!) in a poem. You may add OTHER words, of course.

B. Pick a different poem from your collection. Write the last line of the poem on your paper as the first line. Then skip to another poem in the collection (randomly, if possible) and place the first line of that poem as the last line on your paper. Write a poem until you complete the space between the opening and closing line on your paper. 

C. Pass the Poem; Exquisite Corpse: Choose one of the poems in your collection. Pick a single line from the poem. Write this line on a piece of paper. Pass the poem to the next poet in line. That poet should write a line that goes with that poem. Be mature. Don't ruin the tone of a poem because you're immature. Try to keep the tone, subject, POV, and various elements consistent with the line that precedes yours. When you have written a line, pass the poem along, etc, etc. The poem is done when it returns to the original poet.

D. Write a "Where I'm From" poem, but instead of YOU as the subject, choose a real person you know, a historical figure, or a fictional person you make up and write about THIER life.

ex. You are from the hills of Santa Fe...; You come from hard labor and log cabins...; I called you grandma, but you were born an orphan girl...; etc. The traditional "Where I'm From" poem was written by George Ella Lyons. Schools have taken her poem and made it a bit of a cliche (i.e., you might have had to write one of these before). Making the subject someone else is more original.

E. Make a list of technical terms and use this list to describe a person or a common event.
Science technical terms: check here for some ideas...
Here's a list of poetry terminology...
Medical terminology sample poems...
Other great ideas are lists of flora & fauna (plants and animals). Use your science text books, for example, to connect ideas about nature, chemistry, biology, physics, or earth science as a metaphor for something we all can relate to: love, life, human nature, death/loss, etc.

These poems tend to win contests because they are:

1. Universal.
2. Creative.
3. Not about the teenage writer specifically.
4. Show a broader interest than just teenage interests...
5. Show that a poet is specific and knows something more than the average student submitting...
6. Tend to show humans overcoming adversity, not complaining or being negative about the subject...

There will be many poetry contests to enter this year, next year, the year after that. The most true thing is: if you don't enter--you can't win. Try. You never know...but then again, you now know more than the average teenage poet.

HOMEWORK: Complete your reading of your poetry collections. Read for models. Read for enjoyment. Read, read, read, read, read. The more you read poetry--the better you will get at writing it. As you read--if something strikes you as cool or inspires you--stop a moment and write a poem draft in your journal. Read. Write. Repeat.