Blog Project; Review of Tears of a Tiger; Epistolary Project: Day 2

Congratulations Scholastic Writing Award Winners!

Blog Project & Review of Tears of a Tiger:

This semester, along with our physical journal, you will create and use your own blog for a variety of assignments. We'll be using this blog next year as you take Media Studies as well. Today, let's set up our blog by doing the following during period 3:

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 or samples of their writing work.

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

A 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)

• Sample blog (writing tips)
• Sample blogs from past classes: Ja'Miah S., Alex, Jesziah V. , Karina, Sotascribes.

To set up your blog:

1. Go to blogger: http://blogspot.com 

2.  Some students like to use WordPress.com or Tumblr instead. I suggest blogger since this is tied to your student ID# and Google account. 

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.

3. 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. 

4. Create a password, display your name, look at terms of service, etc. You must enter an email account (use your school email account or your own personal one, if you wish) 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: Once you have created your blog site, please send me your blog address in the COMMENT section below.

5. Log onto your blog. Save it as a favorite, if you'd like. 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 book Tears of a Tiger. What did you think of the book? 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, plays, and films as the course continues.

These two blog entries will be graded as participation credit. Please complete them today. The third post (see below) is due by next class. It is homework. You may also edit and revise your first two posts.

Period 4: Epistle Project:

Continue writing your epistle project. Work on either a piece for OPTION A or OPTION B.

OPTION A: Read this linked article. We will use this idea as a scenario for our next writing project. Take some notes on the article in your journal. Make a list of characters likely to be involved in the story.

• If you choose OPTION A: 
• Set your character in a school that has just experienced a tragic shooting (make the school a fictional place please)
• Your character can be a fictional student, a teacher, a staff member, the shooter, a parent, a sibling, a news journalist, a police dispatcher, a policeman, or any other involved character
• Give your character a name, a specific place that they were when the shooting happened, perhaps an understanding of why the shooter attacked, or perhaps a motive to be shot or explain how the character avoided getting shot
• Write a conversation between two or more characters talking about the event, perhaps a phone call conversation, a 9-1-1 report, a diary entry about the event, a police report, a poem that hints at a motive, or an elegy that mourns the wounded or dead, a note passed in class, etc. Use Draper's novel as a model for possibilities or ideas. 
• Your character cannot die in this story (at the time of their writing). You can hint that something might happen to the character later in the story.
• You can use Draper's format for dialogue (an em-dash to indicate a new speaker instead of quotes) if you'd like. 

Option B: Read this linked article. We will use this idea as a scenario for our next writing project. Take some notes on the article in your journal. Make a list of characters likely to be involved in the story.

• If you choose OPTION B:
• Set your character in a community that has just found the missing teenagers (make the setting a fictional place please)
• Your character can be a fictional student, a teacher, a staff member, a parent, a sibling, a news journalist, a police dispatcher, a policeman, a park ranger, or any other involved character
• Give your character a name, a specific place that the characters were when they "disappeared" perhaps an understanding of why the teenagers went missing, or perhaps a motive to disappear or reappear when they did. 
• Write a conversation between two or more characters talking about the event, perhaps a phone call conversation, or an online text, a 9-1-1 report, a diary entry about the event, a police report, a poem, a note passed in class, a Facebook post, etc. Use Draper's novel as a model for possibilities or ideas. 
• No one should die in this story.
• You can use Draper's format for dialogue (an em-dash to indicate a new speaker instead of quotes) if you'd like. 

Your draft will be due next class. You will have an opportunity to revise your work next week. If you finish your draft, please hand it in but PROOFREAD and CORRECT your GRAMMAR first! 

HOMEWORK: ON YOUR NEW BLOG: Write a third post. Your post should be 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 (it is published!) 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.

Welcome to Writing for Publication; Introduction; Publishing; Tears of a Tiger; Epistle Story Project

Welcome to Writing for Publication!

Period 3: Please complete the following tasks/questions/prompts and answer the questions on your handout to be turned in by the end of period 3.

What does it take to be a "writer"? What skills do we need? What attitude do we need to cultivate? Let's find out.

• Top Ten Writing Rules Advice from Famous Writers (5 min.)

Write the top 10 writing rules on the handout/note graphic organizer and turn in for participation credit today. Then, watch some of the following videos (the Sharon Draper interview is longer, so feel free to skip ahead a bit to her answers of students ?'s. Write down at least 3 of the questions students ask, and what Sharon Draper's answer is. Put this on your graphic organizer notes to turn in today as well.

Next, take a look at the following 3 short videos. Answer: What did you learn from viewing them? Answer on the handout.

• Sharon Draper interview (30 min.)
• Sharon Draper: Fostering a Love of Learning (2 min.)
• Sharon Draper: What are you Reading? (1 min.)
• Watch this video: Book Notes (Sharon Draper) (1.5 min.)

Make a list of words in your journal. Pick your favorite words or words that "resonate" with you--just like Draper did in the video reading of her book...When you are done, move on to our last little writing prompt for the day.

Finally, read the following poem:

From : "Afternoons" by Jorge H. Aigla

Those afternoons, the Saturdays of my tender childhood
in Mexico City
were just lovely...
I remember going to a store
that sold mountain climbing equipment:
my father knew “The Goat,”
one of the climbers of the great Popocatepetl,
and he would show us boots, ropes, and hammers,
and photographs of the Valley of Mexico and of snow.
In the old section of the city,
where they sold model airplanes
with gasoline engines,
I would watch the wealthy kids buy
and we in our dreams would fly.

Now it's our turn. Let's set the timer and bleed words and ideas on the page...Take 10 minutes and write a poem modeled on the one we just read:

1. Think of a specific time and place
2. What did you think or feel while in this time and place?
3. What was going on in this time and place? What details do you remember?
4. What other image do you remember from this time and place?
5. What did you learn or come to understand about yourself by experiencing what happened in this time and place?

Your poem draft should be at least 10 lines in length. Follow the pattern.

Another example:

Auld Lang Syne 

New Years Day we got the frantic call in the morning.
I was not awake--and did not understand yet what a

Stroke was. My grandfather would teach me this new lesson.

How blood, thicker, they say, than water, 

Clots. How age will somehow find a way

To take a loving man from a loving family, 

How it will sour the wine of prosperity, the leftover

Dregs of a celebration for a new year. Death wipes

Its clumsy feet on our doormat, knocking to be let in,

And I now know what it is to lose a grandfather

Locked in the glassy silence of a mortal body.

Write a poem using the model and guidelines above.

Period 4: (about 10:00)

After writing, let's take a look at our first project for the marking period. In Sharon Draper's book Tears of a Tiger, her characters tell the tragic story of a drunk teenage driver's accidental killing of a friend and the impact this event has on the community.

The structure of the book is written as a series of overheard "conversations", newspaper and journal or diary entries, poems, letters, and so forth by various characters impacted by the event. Each new chapter or "voice" adds more details to the story from a variety of perspectives. Books that are written in this kind of letter format are called epistolary novels. Read about the epistolary novel's history and background at the link.

Epistle Project:

OPTION A: Read this linked article. We will use this idea as a scenario for our next writing project. Take some notes on the article in your journal. Make a list of characters likely to be involved in the story.

• If you choose OPTION A: 
• Set your character in a school that has just experienced a tragic shooting (make the school a fictional place please)
• Your character can be a fictional student, a teacher, a staff member, the shooter, a parent, a sibling, a news journalist, a police dispatcher, a policeman, or any other involved character
• Give your character a name, a specific place that they were when the shooting happened, perhaps an understanding of why the shooter attacked, or perhaps a motive to be shot or explain how the character avoided getting shot
• Write a conversation between two or more characters talking about the event, perhaps a phone call conversation, a 9-1-1 report, a diary entry about the event, a police report, a poem that hints at a motive, or an elegy that mourns the wounded or dead, a note passed in class, etc. Use Draper's novel as a model for possibilities or ideas. 
• Your character cannot die in this story (at the time of their writing). You can hint that something might happen to the character later in the story.
• You can use Draper's format for dialogue (an em-dash to indicate a new speaker instead of quotes) if you'd like. 

Option B: Read this linked article. We will use this idea as a scenario for our next writing project. Take some notes on the article in your journal. Make a list of characters likely to be involved in the story.

• If you choose OPTION B:
• Set your character in a community that has just found the missing teenagers (make the setting a fictional place please)
• Your character can be a fictional student, a teacher, a staff member, a parent, a sibling, a news journalist, a police dispatcher, a policeman, a park ranger, or any other involved character
• Give your character a name, a specific place that the characters were when they "disappeared" perhaps an understanding of why the teenagers went missing, or perhaps a motive to disappear or reappear when they did. 
• Write a conversation between two or more characters talking about the event, perhaps a phone call conversation, or an online text, a 9-1-1 report, a diary entry about the event, a police report, a poem, a note passed in class, a Facebook post, etc. Use Draper's novel as a model for possibilities or ideas. 
• No one should die in this story.
• You can use Draper's format for dialogue (an em-dash to indicate a new speaker instead of quotes) if you'd like. 

Your draft is not due yet. We will continue writing our drafts next class.

However, please turn in your answers to 10 of the 15 reader's guide questions for Tears of a Tiger. Make sure you hand in your completed handout as well. 

HOMEWORK: Complete Tears of a Tiger (if you have not already done so...); Otherwise, none.

End of Semester; Reading Presentations; Tears of a Tiger

1. Choose one of the drafts you liked from one of these projects:

• The Proverb Story (a story or non-fiction essay using a proverb)
• The Speak Story (a story or non-fiction essay based on one of the prompts from the book Speak)
• 3 non-linked short story drafts

2. Prepare to read your draft out loud to class today (Jan. 26) by practicing reading your words out loud. Think about where you might change your tone of voice, where you might make eye-contact with your audience, what your characters might sound like when reading dialogue, and where you might pause for dramatic effect. Mark these places in your draft. I will collect your draft after you deliver/share your presentation with the class today.

Practice until 9:15
then, please go next door for our presentations.

When we are done, we will:

A. Read the scenario for our next writing project based on Tears of a Tiger. Feel free to write a short chapter (or two) in the lab.

OPTION A: Read this linked article. We will use this idea as a scenario for our next writing project. Take some notes on the article in your journal. Make a list of characters likely to be involved in the story.
Option B: Read this linked article. We will use this idea as a scenario for our next writing project. Take some notes on the article in your journal. Make a list of characters likely to be involved in the story.

or

C. spend your time silently reading the book Tears of a Tiger. Complete the novel by Tuesday (the Reader's Guide questions are due (10 of the 15 on pages 181-183) for our discussion on the book.

HOMEWORK: Please complete Tears of a Tiger. Answer 10 of the 15 ?'s from the Reader's Guide on pages 181-183.

Journal Due; Choosing a Draft; Semester Reflection; Tears of a Tiger

Please turn in your writing journal today during class (Jan. 18).

Lately, we've written the following story drafts:

• The Proverb Story (a story or non-fiction essay using a proverb)
• The Speak Story (a story or non-fiction essay based on one of the prompts from the book Speak)
• 3 non-linked short story drafts

That's 5 different stories. Some true (nonfiction) some fictional. Look over your drafts and choose 1 story that you wrote that you would like to share with the class. Prepare to read it out loud to class on Friday (Jan. 26). Like all performances, read over your work out loud a few times to practice it. You will have a few minutes next Friday to practice as well. 

For now, though, after you have chosen your draft (and printed it), let's reflect on the semester. You will have today's class and Ms. Gamzon's class tomorrow to complete your portfolio reflection.

MIDTERM PORTFOLIO

There are two (2) parts to your midterm portfolio:

A. A 2-3 page, double-spaced, typed self evaluation essay (about 500-750 words)
B. Your 1st semester drafts of all your CW class assignments (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and scripts only). There is no need to put homework assignments, worksheets, or projects (like human interest films, powerpoint poetry or presentations) in your portfolio. You may refer to these things in your reflection. Most pieces are already in your portfolio.

Part A. Self Evaluation Essay (see details below)

Part B. Portfolio

Self Reflection Non Fiction - Creative Essay:
During your freshman year, we have thrown quite a bit of information, projects, and assignments your way. We did this so that you had the opportunity to grow as a writer and a student.

It is true that the most important qualification for writers is that they write. Apart from this, reading is also the most important way to improve your writing at this stage of your development and education. These introductory courses are designed to get you to know yourself as a student and writer a little better, and we're going to continue that trend into the second semester.

Reflective piece: 2-3 pages, double-spaced. Answer some of these questions:

• Write about how you’ve grown as a writer so far this year by taking Ms. Gamzon or my classes. 
• Reflect on what has been easy or hard for you as a student and/or as a writer. 
• Comment on what areas you feel you need more work in; 
• Reflect on your progress as a writer, a reader, and as a student. 
• Discuss the work you have done so far in our classes. 
• What have you learned (about yourself or about the craft and art of writing) from writing these projects or drafts? 
• Comment on the value of Performance, Word, and Text and Grammar & Style.
• Comment on the value of keeping a writing journal. 
• Respond to the books you have read in Creative Writing and compare those to what you have read in your English classes. 
• Comment on your progress with grammar & writing in different genres or formats.
• What have you learned?

Finally, give yourself at least 1 writing goal for the second semester. You may give yourself more than one goal if you'd like.

During second period, we will get our next novel: Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper. This is an epistolary novel made up of various journals, letters, news articles, poems, and transcripts. Of course, it is also a coming of age novel. We're reading this for its form as much as its content or style. Aim to complete the reading of this novel by next Friday--that's a quick turn around, but the book moves quickly. We'll get started reading it during class.

REMEMBER: The Coming of Age Story or Bildungsroman has 4 Stages:

REALIZATION -- changing, emotional and mental preparation, growing, physical changes

REMOVAL -- change of status quo or familiar environment; separation from support units (family, friends, social institutions), experimentation with "forbidden" issues/activities--testing the limits of support units/social institutions, breaking rules/laws or beliefs, etc.

CHALLENGE --- proving oneself; overcome a major problem or resolve a major conflict (killing the boss monster, growing mature, taking on responsibility, etc.)

REINTEGRATION - protagonist comes back into society; character undergoes a rebirth, new status, or new understanding or epiphany of his/her situation.

Nine Characteristics of a Coming of Age experience or story

1. Usually, the protagonist is between the ages of 12-18 but can be younger
2. Adults are either "bad guys" or not important--they represent society or laws or rules--the natural order of things; in some stories a parent is missing, absent, or dead. Authority figures are often antagonists to the protagonist. (see below)
3. Usually involves a journey of some sort (this can by a physical, mental, or spiritual journey)
4. Protagonist must confront his/her fears or weaknesses
5. Conflicts with a parent /guardian/authority figure
6. Protagonist learns something important (usually about him/herself)
7. There are usually a series of tests or challenges that the protagonist must face and overcome
8. The ending may be bittersweet--there is often a loss of innocence as a protagonist matures
9. Scarification (there are often scars left--physical or/and emotional), but these "wounds" mark the protagonist as a hero--he/she has come through the "storm" and is "wiser" for the experience. 

As you read Tears of a Tiger, again, look for examples of how Sharon Draper has created a traditional bildungsroman. You can find more information about Sharon Draper here at this link. Read a brief biography of the author to prepare you for our next course: Writing for Publication.

HOMEWORK: Please read Tears of a Tiger. Answer any 10 of the 15 Reader's Guide questions on page 181-183. These questions will be due Tuesday, Jan. 30 and count as a test grade for MP 3.

Non-linked Story Drafts Due!

Work on one of your 3 different NON-LINKED stories in the lab. All three story drafts are due by the end of class today. Use your time effectively to complete your draft work. See the advice section for help if you get stuck.

Each story should be entertaining--and different from the others.

Proofread before you print! Use Grammarly to help you!

ADVICE IF YOU GET STUCK:

• Get silly. Have fun with the object you have drawn. Think of unconventional or different ways you can use the object in your story. Creative writing is called creative for a reason!
• Skip the boring stuff. Remember that good stories entertain. Skip the boring parts where characters are just randomly wandering around from room to room. Boring!
• Change up the genre or style. If you're bored, change the genre of your second or third story.
• Change the narrative style. Try writing a different narrative style if you get stuck: write part of the story as a film script, a play, a memoir, a poem, a newspaper or magazine article, as an interview, a series of texts, or a school report. Tell the story backward (start with the ending instead of your assumed beginning), or choose more than one character to tell the story in a different voice. Write your story in a series of imagistic metaphors or in long rambling sentences. Or short choppy ones. Fragments. Lists. Write the story as an advice column or top 10 list. Get creative and comfortable with the way in which you tell your story. Surprise and entertain us.
• Change the narrative voice. Tell the story from an unusual or distinct voice--or keep your voice familiar by basing the voice of your narration on you and your inner mind. Either way works.
• Remember that the story can also be non-fiction as well as fiction.
• Skip ahead. If you don't know what comes next, move the story forward with what you DO know. You can always come back (or not). 
• Persevere. Push on. Don't wallow in your failure. Write the draft, then worry how bad it sucks--you can always improve your writing by revising and editing.

HOMEWORK: None. Complete your drafts and turn them in late if you do not complete your drafts in the lab. Journals are due next class: Thursday, Jan. 18.

Speak Quiz; Non-Linked Story Project

Please answer the test question on the novel Speak. When you have completed your answer, please retire to the lab to continue writing your draft(s) for your chosen object.

Your object should be relevant or important in each story. While the plot does not have to be strictly about the object, the object should play an important part in the meaning, theme, or setting of the story.

Work on one of your 3 different NON-LINKED stories in the lab.

Each story should be entertaining--and different from the others. Drafts of your 3 random word stories will be due Jan. 16 (at the end of the lab). We will work on the stories in the lab Tuesday when we return from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but you want to make good use of the time given to you in the lab.

ADVICE IF YOU GET STUCK:

• Get silly. Have fun with the object you have drawn. Think of unconventional or different ways you can use the object in your story. Creative writing is called creative for a reason!
• Skip the boring stuff. Remember that good stories entertain. Skip the boring parts where characters are just randomly wandering around from room to room. Boring!
• Change up the genre or style. If you're bored, change the genre of your second or third story.
• Change the narrative style. Try writing a different narrative style if you get stuck: write part of the story as a film script, a play, a memoir, a poem, a newspaper or magazine article, as an interview, a series of texts, or a school report. Tell the story backward (start with the ending instead of your assumed beginning), or choose more than one character to tell the story in a different voice. Write your story in a series of imagistic metaphors or in long rambling sentences. Or short choppy ones. Fragments. Lists. Write the story as an advice column or top 10 list. Get creative and comfortable with the way in which you tell your story. Surprise and entertain us.
• Change the narrative voice. Tell the story from an unusual or distinct voice--or keep your voice familiar by basing the voice of your narration on you and your inner mind. Either way works.
• Remember that the story can also be non-fiction as well as fiction.
• Skip ahead. If you don't know what comes next, move the story forward with what you DO know. You can always come back (or not). 
• Persevere. Push on. Don't wallow in your failure. Write the draft, then worry how bad it sucks--you can always improve your writing by revising and editing.

HOMEWORK: None. Honor Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday. Feel free to review the link and try your own answer in your journal. Journals are due next Thursday, Jan. 18.

Speak Exercise #2; A clutch of stories--Non-linked Story Exercise

Use period 3 to polish or complete your short story drafts from last class. (See the previous post for details!) Turn in revised drafts by end of class today.

Period 4:

In the book Speak, Mr. Freeman, the art teacher, tells his class that they will "pick a piece of paper...on the paper you will find one word, the name of an object. I hope you like it. You will spend the rest of the year learning how to turn that object into a piece of art...You must figure out how to make your object say something, express an emotion, speak to every person who looks at it." (pg. 12)

Our goal is similar. Pick a piece of paper from the "hat". On the paper is a word, an object. Spend the rest of this unit writing 3 different stories about that object. Figure out how to make your object say something about our human condition; tell a story. The story can be nonfiction or fiction. It can be of any genre. Your story should speak to anyone who reads or hears it. Story length is up to you, but, again, a story MUST have a beginning, middle, and end. These stories should not be linked (like Rattlebone or The House on Mango Street) other than by the similarity of their object.

Example: If I choose guitar, my first story might be a first-person POV coming of age story about a character who saves up his money to buy his first guitar to impress a girl. My second story might be a science fiction story about how, only armed with a guitar, the protagonist saves the Earth from an invading alien army of music haters. My third story might be completely different, told from the perspective of a guitar, discussing the problems it has with different types of human musicians and why it wants to retire.

3 different NON-LINKED stories. Each story should be entertaining--and different from the others. Drafts of your 3 random word stories will be due Jan. 16. We will work on the stories in the lab on Thursday and Tuesday when we return from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Get started on writing your first short story.

HOMEWORK: Complete the book Speak. There will be a test next class on the book. You should know the characters, the setting, the major events of the plot, and identify different characteristics of the bildungsroman found in the novel. See previous posts regarding the Coming of Age Story: Oct. 3, Oct. 12, Oct. 17, or Oct. 19.

Speech Stories Inspired by Speak

Speeches and stories are similar. They have a purpose, a direct audience (a reader for a story, an audience for a speech). Both attempt to entertain. Both attempt to narrate a story or an idea or communicate something true about our shared lives--even if they are completely made up. They both start by hooking or grabbing our attention and keep our attention by being different...unexpected...daring...truthful, even if it's a lie. Stories and speeches both work on being specific, detailed, and interesting. They both are strongest when they share new ideas or new ways of looking at the same old boring crap with their audience or reader. In a word, they are: creative.

Last class (or during the break) you may have written in your journal on one of the following topics, taken from the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. If you didn't, don't worry. You're going to do that today.

ONE IMPORTANT RULE:

• Write today. After you choose a topic, write that topic. Write about that topic. Do not discuss this topic with your peers or friends. Do not spend all class period thinking about your topic. Write about your topic. Just write. Use your time to write in the lab. When you are done, you can either write more or read over your work silently, and write again. 

WHY, Mister?

We need you to get into the practice of writing. It must be infused in your bones if you want to be an artist. Even if you don't want to be an artist, you need to practice fluency! I understand this is difficult to do. If you get stuck, push through the discomfort. Skip a line and write the next part that you can write. But we've got to practice to get better at our art. There's no way around this expectation.

You will be writing a draft that you will be sharing with the class. Everyone will be expected to deliver their story/speech to the class. Length is up to you, but it should be good. Good writing is detailed, descriptive, interesting. It usually has a beginning, middle, and end. It should also communicate a point...remember when you said: I want to express myself? Well, now's your chance! Today we write. Honor the writer in you (and in your peers)!

TASK: Speak stories for speeches: Pick one or more of the following topics and write the story. Detail and describe and use imagery! Tell us a story. Be creative and original in your thinking! Answer the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW for most of these topics. When you finish, proofread, revise, add more detail or more imagery.

• Recall your first day at SOTA (or your elementary or middle school)
• Write about a time you felt like an outcast
• What are the lies they don't tell you? (they being authority figures, your friends, your family, your religion, your...you get the idea...)
• Write about a teacher you had that you didn't like or get along with
• Write about the first time you had to use a school locker
• Write about a childhood friend you used to have, but have grown apart from
• What is your "sanctuary"--your safe place when life gets complicated? Write about it.
• Write about trying to learn another language
• Write about why you don't like to do homework
• If you could change your name, what would you change it to--and why?
• Write about a principal (or another authority figure) you have or had
• Write about the importance or lack of importance of a certain class in school
• Write about your most embarrassing gym story
• Write about your experience joining a club or sport
• Write about why cheerleaders are (or are not) important
• Write about your parents or a member of your family
• Write about a math problem
• Write about the different kinds of peers or groups in school
• Write about Halloween
• Write about being bullied
• Write about your worst grade you ever got
• Write about your favorite or least favorite art
• What "clan" or group do you belong to? Describe it. Why do you fit into this group?
• Write about an important test that you did/didn't do well on
• Write about your dream job (or write about a job you would hate to have to do for a living)
• Write about what you are thankful for
• Write about a wish
• Write about your winter break
• Write about a rumor
• Write about the unfair chores you have to do at home
• Name your monster. How did or how will you defeat it?

Notes about the novel Speak:

• You should aim to complete the novel by Tuesday, Jan. 16. There will be a test on the book and a discussion on the book that day. Be prepared. Take notes in your journal, so you get credit and can use the notes to study for the test. It's really that simple.  
• The book's narrator (and protagonist) is Melinda. She has changed over her eighth-grade year of school and arrives in 9th grade (sorta like you) a different person because of stuff that happened to her over the summer. Like any teen, she doesn't like school, her peers, her family, or herself. Person vs. person. Person vs. self. Person vs. society.
• The setting is largely set in the school Merryweather High. It's a typical high school--it should be a familiar setting for you.
• The style of novel is the bildungsroman--the coming of age novel. As we've discussed (and as you've read others of this style of novel this year) a young or inexperienced protagonist (Melinda, in this case) has to "grow up" (accept responsibility for problems in her life). Along the way, she has to deal with a variety of difficult people, events, and horrible peer pressure, and find her own identity. Her main problem is that she doesn't talk about her problems. She doesn't "speak"--literally. She does, however, relate everything that she's thinking or dealing with in narrative. Lucky for us. It's her story.
• The book is divided into four quarters (marking periods). Just like in school. Four appears in a lot of stories and our lives: 4 seasons, 4 legs on animals, 4 limbs on humans, 4 cardinal points (east, west, north, south), 4 winds, 4 phases of the moon, 4 elements (air, water, earth, fire), 4 castes, 4 presidents have been assassinated while in office, a quatrain (4 lines) is the most stable type of stanza in poetry, etc. 

Done so early? Here are your choices:

• Proofread and revise, edit and polish your draft. Print out your work when done (or at the end of class, whichever comes first.)
• Write a second piece. Pick another topic from the list and write.
• Write silently in your journal.
• Read Speak or take notes on the novel's characters, plot, setting, themes, etc. Look for examples of how this book fulfills the bildungsroman style. You'll need this information for the upcoming test.
• Complete any missing work for this class (or work on work for Ms. Gamzon's class). 

HOMEWORK: Aim to complete Speak by Tuesday, Jan. 16. Complete your draft if you didn't finish it in class today--we'll be writing more next class...so finish what you started today or by next class.