Poetry Exercises: Day 2

Poetry Exercises: Day 2

Literally, or denotatively, a poem is a piece of writing, often having figurative language and lines, that suggest rhythm and image. We use figurative language when our writing goes beyond the "actual meanings of words (denotation) so that the reader gains new insights into the objects or subjects" in our draft.

Poems should utilize imagery (an appeal to the senses by using a metaphor, simile, assonance/consonance, alliteration, symbol, personification, onomatopoeia, specific nouns/active verbs, figurative language); poems do not need to rhyme. They should create a specific picture or image in the mind of the reader or listener. Usually, there is a turning point or volta near the end of the poem (or the last line). 

All poem drafts should have a meaning, a theme. There are 4 themes found in poems (sometimes more than one of these 4 themes is found in a single poem!)

Poems are always about:

• Human life
• Death
• Nature
• Love

Make a list of subject matter that you might write a poem about in your journal...Take 3 minutes.

Now let's take a look at Shmoop's explanation of what a poem is all about. And we'll read a couple.

Get it? Questions? 

Let's break it down. Poems should have a structure. They look different sitting on a page. They are not written like prose is written. They are special. However, they should be written using punctuation. Paragraphs in poems are called stanzas. When we change the topic or scene, we can start a new stanza. 

Poems are written using line breaks. Line breaks are important--because they mean something in a poem. A long line slows the pace of your poem. A short line speeds up the pace of your poem.

Structure: Dice poem exercise... Get ready to write. Follow these rules:

• Select a subject from your journal list. Or, since you're going to use dice, choose one of these themes: chance or fate, gambling, randomness, games, probability, etc.
• Select 2 dice from the pile.
• Roll both dice to determine the # of lines for your poem.
• As you write each line, roll both dice to determine the number of words in each line of the poem.
• Write that poem in your Google drive. 

Take 10 minutes to do this.

Use one of the "poem starter" prompts to write as many drafts of poems as you can for the rest of class. When you finish one prompt, try a new subject or topic and write another draft. 

Poem starters - Write a poem about:

• No one knows about... (use this opening line to write a poem that involves something or several things that someone doesn't know about you--or the speaker/narrator of the poem...)
• Three wishes (perhaps one wish per stanza; what would you wish for and why? Past wishes, wishes that came true, etc.) 
• Traveling to a special place or writing about going to a special place you visited when you were younger or in trouble, etc.
• Getting a haircut or writing about your first haircut experience; write about your first operation or visit to the hospital, etc.
• A scientific fact (real or invented) that fascinates you [Use scientific vocabulary to describe ordinary human activities, etc.]
• An insect that got into your home or an insect that you studied or observed in a particular place/time
• The sound of a specific language (a time you heard a new word or a different language)
• Death (the time you first became aware of death or mortality or loss)
• The number 3 (or your favorite #)
• The ocean (recall your first visit there, or use the ocean as a symbol for conflict in a human life)
• Missing someone 
• Something that makes you angry
• The ups and downs of love
• The view out of your window or your backyard or a room in your house
• City lights at night (lights in the morning or during a quiet rainstorm or snowfall)
• A particular work of art (ekphrastic poetry—find a picture and describe it or how you feel viewing it)
• Having a superpower (If I could…; or I’ll be your…, etc.)
• Being in an airplane or on a train or on horseback or a bike (flying or riding for the first time)
• Playing a sport
• A shadow
• A person transformed into an animal or object (You are a…; describe a person as an animal or object, etc.)

HOMEWORK: Write poems. 

Expository Speech: Day 2; Poetry Baseline Exercises

Take 5 minutes to prepare your speech. If you have already given your speech, work with one of the students who were absent last class. If you were absent, join a group and read your speech to them. Peers should give some pointers or advice about your poem to the performer. 

Then: Deliver your speech to the whole class.

Good speakers:

• Make eye contact
• Speech clearly and loudly
• Use gestures
• Have energy
• Change tone
• Perform with sincerity

Class: do your best to be supportive of each speaker. At the very least, be courteous. Selfish and self-centered people lose friends. You don't have to be a jerk. Keep an open mind.

Poetry Exercises: Day 1

We are going to write many drafts of poems in our journal and Google drive today. Let's start with an exercise:

A poem is...

In your journal write what a poem is in a poetic way. Use specific nouns and active verbs to get at the "feeling" or "meaning" or "sense of" poetry and what it means to YOU. Try using figurative language or metaphors or similes. Take 5 minutes and write your draft in your journal.

For example: "Poetry is..." by Emilio Villa

Literally, or denotatively, a poem is a piece of writing, often having figurative language and lines, that suggest rhythm and image. We use figurative language when our writing goes beyond the "actual meanings of words (denotation) so that the reader gains new insights into the objects or subjects" in our draft.

Poems should utilize imagery (an appeal to the senses by using a metaphor, simile, assonance/consonance, alliteration, symbol, personification, onomatopoeia, specific nouns/active verbs, figurative language); poems do not need to rhyme. They should create a specific picture or image in the mind of the reader or listener. Usually, there is a turning point or volta near the end of the poem (or the last line). 

All poem drafts should have a meaning, a theme. There are 4 themes found in poems (sometimes more than one of these 4 themes is found in a single poem!)

Poems are always about:

• Human life
• Death
• Nature
• Love

Make a list of subject matter that you might write a poem about in your journal...Take 3 minutes.

Now let's take a look at Shmoop's explanation of what a poem is all about. And we'll read a couple.

Get it? Questions? 

Let's break it down. Poems should have a structure. They look different sitting on a page. They are not written like prose is written. They are special. However, they should be written using punctuation. Paragraphs in poems are called stanzas. When we change the topic or scene, we can start a new stanza. 

Poems are written using line breaks. Line breaks are important--because they mean something in a poem. A long line slows the pace of your poem. A short line speeds up the pace of your poem.

Structure: Dice poem exercise... Get ready to write. Follow these rules:

• Select a subject from your journal list. Or, since you're going to use dice, choose one of these themes: chance or fate, gambling, randomness, games, probability, etc.
• Select 2 dice from the pile.
• Roll both dice to determine the # of lines for your poem.
• As you write each line, roll both dice to determine the number of words in each line of the poem.
• Write that poem in your Google drive. 

Take 10 minutes to do this.

Use one of the "poem starter" prompts to write as many drafts of poems as you can for the rest of class. When you finish one prompt, try a new subject or topic and write another draft. 

Poem starters - Write a poem about:

• No one knows about... (use this opening line to write a poem that involves something or several things that someone doesn't know about you--or the speaker/narrator of the poem...)
• Three wishes (perhaps one wish per stanza; what would you wish for and why? Past wishes, wishes that came true, etc.) 
• Traveling to a special place or writing about going to a special place you visited when you were younger or in trouble, etc.
• Getting a haircut or writing about your first haircut experience; write about your first operation or visit to the hospital, etc.
• A scientific fact (real or invented) that fascinates you [Use scientific vocabulary to describe ordinary human activities, etc.]
• An insect that got into your home or an insect that you studied or observed in a particular place/time
• The sound of a specific language (a time you heard a new word or a different language)
• Death (the time you first became aware of death or mortality or loss)
• The number 3 (or your favorite #)
• The ocean (recall your first visit there, or use the ocean as a symbol for conflict in a human life)
• Missing someone 
• Something that makes you angry
• The ups and downs of love
• The view out of your window or your backyard or a room in your house
• City lights at night (lights in the morning or during a quiet rainstorm or snowfall)
• A particular work of art (ekphrastic poetry—find a picture and describe it or how you feel viewing it)
• Having a superpower (If I could…; or I’ll be your…, etc.)
• Being in an airplane or on a train or on horseback or a bike (flying or riding for the first time)
• Playing a sport
• A shadow
• A person transformed into an animal or object (You are a…; describe a person as an animal or object, etc.)

HOMEWORK: Write poems. 

Expository Speech Rehearsal; Delivery (day 1)

We will be going to the Ensemble theater to get our school pictures taken. When we return we will continue our classwork.

Consider these tips when preparing to deliver a speech:

• Good speeches, readings, and presentations should be delivered as if the speaker is speaking effortlessly. The speeches that make an impact are memorable. They are the ones that have energy and are usually the result of careful and thorough practice or rehearsal.
• Remember to put some effort into your work! The more energy you give to a project, the more you are likely to get readers or viewers interested in what you have written.
• Avoid the teenage or amateur trap of just going through the motions. Put some energy into your speech and you will be rewarded. Don't be selfish!
• Practice/rehearse when given time to rehearse or practice. Use your time productively to prepare. That's why successful artists practice or rehearse. You're not going to be perfect without practice!
• To use the metaphor of an iceberg: most of an iceberg lies underwater. The speech or presentation is like the "tip of an iceberg" because that is what an audience sees. What the audience doesn’t see – the preparation, the practice, the rehearsal – is like the submerged ice under the water.
• In an ideal world, we would have days or weeks to practice. But time is short and we have many topics to cover. Nevertheless, a performer owes an audience a good speech or presentation. No one wants to be bored by watching a reluctant performer waste their time.
• There are three cornerstones to any speech or presentation: the speaker; the subject; and the audience. On a sheet of paper, make a large triangle (Δ). At the top, write your name; at the bottom left, the name of the audience; and at the bottom right, the subject of your speech or presentation.
• Now, think about the relationships between the three cornerstones and write a few notes along the sides of the triangle about each. For example:
• Speaker – Subject: What do you know about the subject? Why are you speaking about it? What expertise do you have? What insights can you share with the audience? Etc.
• Audience – Subject: What does the audience know about the subject? Do they like the subject? Are they already aware of it? Are they bored by it? How is the subject relevant for them? How might you entertain them instead of boring them? Define your strategy and think about how you will perform your speech. 
• Speaker – Audience: What do you know about the audience? What do they know about you? Yes, you have to deliver your speech, but is there someone in the audience that you might want to make laugh at your clever words, or impress someone? Keep this audience member in mind when you deliver the speech. At the end of your speech or performance, the audience should be changed in some way. What is your objective for the talk? What do you want the audience to do when your speech is over?
• While this is not always the case, sometimes speakers just want the audience to know something or share something. To remind us all that we are human.  That is fine. But the most powerful speeches and presentations are the ones that move people to action. If you can get your audience to take some concrete action, you will have made an impact.
• When thinking about what you want the audience to do, be specific. Write out the objective as follows: “By the end of the presentation, I want the audience to...” [laugh, think, consider an alternative, change a behavior, change an opinion, cry, empathize, sympathize, clap, give me a standing ovation, etc.] Pick one or two. The objective should be clear and realistic for you. 
• A speech or performance should be built around the text (the written speech) and that speech or story or poem or play or whatever should have a key message. It is fine to have more than one key message, but I would only have two or three at most. The more messages you have, or the more unfocused you are in your writing--when you don't know the point of your speech or story--the more confused your audience is likely to be.
• When you can condense your speech or story or presentation into a single sentence or two, the message will be clear in your mind. Then, when it comes to building your story or speech, you can ask yourself whether your points or ideas support the key message. If it does, it can stay. If it doesn’t, you might want to save it for another talk or cut it.
• Finally, odd as it seems, a speech or presentation or performance is never about the speaker or writer or actor--It is always about the audience. Writing a speech or story without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it: “To Whom It May Concern.”

Rehearse. Practice reading your work out loud in small groups of 2-3. Give each other some feedback:

1. Are you pleasing your audience? Can we hear you? Can we understand you? Are you holding our attention? Are you too unfocused and confusing? Have you put energy into your performance or delivery? Are you boring? Are you making occasional eye-contact with your audience?
2. Are you matching your TONE of voice to the TONE of your speech or story?
3. Are you sincerely trying? [Avoid just going through the motions--an audience can tell that a performer just doesn't care or would rather be doing anything other than speaking...why should we listen to a person like this?]
4. Are you reaching the goals you set out for yourself? Are you following the advice I just gave you?

When time is called, please deliver your speech to the whole class.

Good speakers:

• Make eye contact
• Speech clearly and loudly
• Use gestures
• Have energy
• Change tone
• Perform with sincerity

Class: do your best to be supportive of each speaker. At the very least, be courteous. Selfish and self-centered people lose friends. You don't have to be a jerk. Keep an open mind.

HOMEWORK: None. If you didn't get a chance to perform your speech today, please prepare and rehearse it for next class.

Preparing a Speech; Rehearsing; Delivering a Speech

We are going to rehearse and deliver our speech drafts to the class today.

First: Move to the lab for the first 15 minutes of class today. Look over your speech in the next 10 minutes.

• Try to improve your speech by turning vague or generic words into specific and concrete ones. Energize your verbs by making them active instead of passive (the verb TO BE is often passive: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been, etc.) The subject of your sentences should be DOING THE ACTION. 

ACTIVE VOICE: Martin ate the sandwich.
PASSIVE VOICE: The sandwich was eaten by Martin.

ACTIVE VOICE: Lola juggled three bowling balls.
PASSIVE VOICE: Three bowling balls were juggled by Lola.

• If something is difficult to describe, use a metaphor or simile to help you describe it. Exchange boring details for clever or creative ones by using poetic devices like figures of speech, metaphors, similes, analogies, personification, imagery, allusion, alliteration, etc.
• Make sure your speech has a definite beginning (a hook), middle (development of an idea or story), and an ending (reflection or something the audience should consider or think about). 
• Correct any weaknesses in your speech in these 10 minutes. 

Then PRINT your speech. You need a hard copy of your speech for the next part of our class.

AFTER PRINTING MOVE BACK TO ROOM 238!

Now that you have a revised speech draft, we will prepare and rehearse it. All of you are expected to deliver this speech. There'll be others, so don't worry about getting perfect--instead, learn from your weaknesses or mistakes and get better! Improvement is the key!

Consider these tips when preparing to deliver a speech:

• Good speeches, readings, and presentations should be delivered as if the speaker is speaking effortlessly. The speeches that make an impact are memorable. They are the ones that have energy and are usually the result of careful and thorough practice or rehearsal.
• Remember to put some effort into your work! The more energy you give to a project, the more you are likely to get readers or viewers interested in what you have written.
• Avoid the teenage or amateur trap of just going through the motions. Put some energy into your speech and you will be rewarded. Don't be selfish!
• Practice/rehearse when given time to rehearse or practice. Use your time productively to prepare. That's why successful artists practice or rehearse. You're not going to be perfect without practice!
• To use the metaphor of an iceberg: most of an iceberg lies underwater. The speech or presentation is like the "tip of an iceberg" because that is what an audience sees. What the audience doesn’t see – the preparation, the practice, the rehearsal – is like the submerged ice under the water.
• In an ideal world, we would have days or weeks to practice. But time is short and we have many topics to cover. Nevertheless, a performer owes an audience a good speech or presentation. No one wants to be bored by watching a reluctant performer waste their time.
• There are three cornerstones to any speech or presentation: the speaker; the subject; and the audience. On a sheet of paper, make a large triangle (Δ). At the top, write your name; at the bottom left, the name of the audience; and at the bottom right, the subject of your speech or presentation.
• Now, think about the relationships between the three cornerstones and write a few notes along the sides of the triangle about each. For example:
• Speaker – Subject: What do you know about the subject? Why are you speaking about it? What expertise do you have? What insights can you share with the audience? Etc.
• Audience – Subject: What does the audience know about the subject? Do they like the subject? Are they already aware of it? Are they bored by it? How is the subject relevant for them? How might you entertain them instead of boring them? Define your strategy and think about how you will perform your speech. 
• Speaker – Audience: What do you know about the audience? What do they know about you? Yes, you have to deliver your speech, but is there someone in the audience that you might want to make laugh at your clever words, or impress someone? Keep this audience member in mind when you deliver the speech. At the end of your speech or performance, the audience should be changed in some way. What is your objective for the talk? What do you want the audience to do when your speech is over?
• While this is not always the case, sometimes speakers just want the audience to know something or share something. To remind us all that we are human.  That is fine. But the most powerful speeches and presentations are the ones that move people to action. If you can get your audience to take some concrete action, you will have made an impact.
• When thinking about what you want the audience to do, be specific. Write out the objective as follows: “By the end of the presentation, I want the audience to...” [laugh, think, consider an alternative, change a behavior, change an opinion, cry, empathize, sympathize, clap, give me a standing ovation, etc.] Pick one or two. The objective should be clear and realistic for you. 
• A speech or performance should be built around the text (the written speech) and that speech or story or poem or play or whatever should have a key message. It is fine to have more than one key message, but I would only have two or three at most. The more messages you have, or the more unfocused you are in your writing--when you don't know the point of your speech or story--the more confused your audience is likely to be.
• When you can condense your speech or story or presentation into a single sentence or two, the message will be clear in your mind. Then, when it comes to building your story or speech, you can ask yourself whether your points or ideas support the key message. If it does, it can stay. If it doesn’t, you might want to save it for another talk or cut it.
• Finally, odd as it seems, a speech or presentation or performance is never about the speaker or writer or actor--It is always about the audience. Writing a speech or story without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it: “To Whom It May Concern.”

Rehearse. Practice reading your work out loud in small groups of 2-3. Give each other some feedback:

1. Are you pleasing your audience? Can we hear you? Can we understand you? Are you holding our attention? Are you too unfocused and confusing? Have you put energy into your performance or delivery? Are you boring? Are you making occasional eye-contact with your audience?
2. Are you matching your TONE of voice to the TONE of your speech or story?
3. Are you sincerely trying? [Avoid just going through the motions--an audience can tell that a performer just doesn't care or would rather be doing anything other than speaking...why should we listen to a person like this?]
4. Are you reaching the goals you set out for yourself? Are you following the advice I just gave you?

When time is called, please deliver your speech to the whole class.

Class: do your best to be supportive of each speaker. At the very least, be courteous. Selfish and self-centered people lose friends. You don't have to be a jerk. Keep an open mind.

HOMEWORK: None. If you didn't get a chance to perform your speech today, please prepare and rehearse it for next class.

Expository Speech Draft

This morning, watch the following speeches. As you watch, notice how the speech establishes a claim or thesis. The development of the idea includes specific information or details that help support the thesis. Notice the use of humor--humans often listen better after laughing. Also, notice the use of anecdotes (short personal stories about a topic). Anecdotes are used to help create empathy or feeling between the speaker and the listener. 

• Jim Kwik: 10 Things That Will Change Your Life Immediately
• Leezia Dallah: Hiding In Plain Sight--My Life as an Undocumented American

Discussion/Analysis: what did you notice about the performance/speech?

Find the speech assignment in our Google classroom. Write your speech.

Key Vocabulary: Expository (intended to explain or describe something).

HOMEWORK: None. If you did not complete your speech draft in class, please complete it on your own time for next class. Speeches not submitted by the end of class today will be given a late penalty.

Expository Speech Draft Project

Reminder: Please submit your non-fiction baseline essay through Google classroom this morning.

Bell Work: Looking at the tips from last class on non-fiction (see post below this one from last class) review the essay by Nasid Farhad and, in the COMMENT section of this post, explain (using the advice given to you from our previous classes (including the videos from Monday's class) why the essay was effective. What specifically made the essay worthy of publishing in your opinion? Back up your answer with evidence drawn from our examples.

After time is called, please watch the following short motivational videos, consider this advice. Take notes in your journal.

Next, we'll take a look and read two more short essays by Jenny Lawson as models for our next speech assignment.

Finally, we'll write a short speech. While your short speech is due by the end of class today, you will not be expected to perform your speech for the class yet. We will be using this speech draft next class to prepare, practice, and rehearse your presentation to the class.

As you watch the two videos below, please take notes in your journal on anything you think is important. We'll check to see what the class thought right after viewing.

• How to Motivate Yourself to Write Every Day
• Jim Kwik: 10 Things That Will Change Your Life Immediately

Find the speech assignment in our Google classroom. Write your speech.

Key Vocabulary: Expository (intended to explain or describe something).

HOMEWORK: None. If you did not complete your speech draft in class, please complete it on your own time for next class. Speeches not submitted by the end of class today will be given a late penalty.

Last few speeches; advice; baseline non-fiction

After hearing our last few speeches, let's look at a few sample non-fiction reflective essays.

21 Tips and Tricks of the Trade -- How to Write Better Non-Fiction (and Fiction)

• Often the most powerful stories are about your family and the childhood moments that shaped your life.
• You don’t need to build up tension and waste the reader's time by padding or delaying the subject matter of your story. Instead, surprise the reader by telling it like it is. Be truthful as you see it. 
• Don't try to impress. Try to tell a story.
• You can use real documents and quotes from your family and friends. It makes it so much more personal and relatable. But if you can't remember the exact wording or what happened, make up the detail--but aim for the truth.
• Reflect and make a point about the human condition. You can start off with this theme in mind and then go away from it. At the end of the essay, you may come back to the first theme to close the circuit.
• Using poetic language is totally acceptable, as long as it improves the story.
• Style comes from your unique personality and the perception of the world. It takes time to develop it.
• Never try to tell it all. “All” can never be put into language. Take a part of it and tell it the best you possibly can.
• Avoid cliché. Try to infuse new life into your writing. Cliches are old hats. Don't wear them.
• Write about you. Paint a picture of your former self. What did that person believe in? In what kind of world did he or she live in? Write about you before you became you now.
• “The day that turned your life around” is a good theme you may use in a story. Memories of a special day are filled with emotions. Strong emotions often create strong writing.
• Use cultural references, slang if necessary, and allusions to create a context for your story.
• Create brilliant, yet short descriptions of characters.
• Don’t be afraid to share your intimate experiences. Write boldly. The reader wants a bold writer.
• Intertwine a personal journey with philosophical musings. Reflect on your subject. Write about beliefs and meaning, not just recorded events. 
• By voicing your anxieties, you can heal the anxieties of the reader. In that way, you say: “I’m just like you.”
• Admit your flaws to make your persona more relatable.
• Don’t worry about what people might think. The more you expose, the more powerful the writing. 
• You come from a rich cultural heritage. You can share it with people who never heard about it. You are more exciting and interesting than you think you are. 
• Never forget about your identity. It is precious. It is a part of who you are. 
• Show rather than tell. Paint the scene/picture with words. Don't forget to establish your setting. Describe.

Then please use the rest of the time today in class to work silently/alone on your baseline personal essay. Find the instructions to this assignment in our Google classroom. Personal essay DRAFTS are due by next class.

Write your draft. Consider the tips/advice you learned to help motivate you to write! Avoid distracting your neighbor! Now is the time to write.

When you complete your personal essay draft, load your Google doc into the Google form and submit it for credit. Directions for the assignment are on the Google form in Google classrooms.

HOMEWORK: Complete your baseline draft. Submit it for credit by Friday.

Extemp Speech Exercise; Baseline Personal Essay

Today, let's start with a couple short motivational videos, then a short speech exercise. After this, we will work on our "baseline" personal essays. As you watch the two videos below, please take notes in your journal on anything you think is important. We'll check to see what the class thought right after viewing.

The Evolution of a Writer (2 min.)
What it takes to be a writer (8 min.)

TASK: Short extemporaneous (off the cuff) speech exercise:

Choose one of these 10 topics or create a topic of your own on which to speak. Here are some examples. Feel free to make up your own if you have a different or better idea.

1. How is social media [narrow the type] uniting the world? How is social media ruining the world? [pick one side and defend it]
2. Why is having a pet [specificy the type: dog, cat, goldfish, snake, horse, badger, etc.] better than having a brother/sister/parent/friend/grandparent/neighbor [pick one]?
3. The best kind of food in your opinion is... And explain why.
4. My wish for humanity is ________. And explain why.
5. Why we should be vegan/vegetarian/carnivores [pick one]. And explain why.
6. The best movie/video game/novel/tv series of all time will always be... And explain why.
7. If I were an animal/object, I'd want to be... And explain why.
8. How is money/religion/technology [pick one] the root of all evil in our society? How is money/religion/technology [pick one] the only thing we should be concerned about in our society? [pick one side and defend your position]
9. If I won the lottery I would: ____ And explain why.
10. What advice would I give to my parents before I was born? What advice would I give to them now?

Choose one topic. Review the video for tips on what you might include or how you might "write" and prepare your speech, then take 5 minutes to write your speech and deliver it to the class!

How to write a speech in 5 minutes (2 min.)

Use the index card(s) provided to you to "write" your speech. Come up with at least 3 examples or points to make that supports your "thesis", "claim", or "position".

TASK: After hearing each speech, please use the rest of the time today in class to work silently/alone on your baseline personal essay. Find the instructions to this assignment in our Google classroom. Personal essay DRAFTS are due by 9:15, Wednesday, September 12.

Write your draft. Consider the tips/advice you learned today to help motivate you to write! Avoid distracting your neighbor! Now is the time to write.

HOMEWORK: Complete your personal essay draft and load your Google doc into the Google form and submit it for credit by the beginning of next class. Directions for the assignment are on the Google form in Google classrooms. 

Welcome!

Welcome class of 2022!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Check this blog each class period for agendas, deadlines, educational information, advice, and a whole lot of links to enhance your education. All you have to do is read and click. You are responsible for reading and interacting with the material I post on the blog. It is a useful resource for the course (since we don't have a specific textbook)--so please use it. You can even see it on your cell phones (which you shouldn't have with you during class...)

New this year is my use of a Google Classroom. Assignments that can be turned in digitally (no printing!) will be posted in the Google Classroom. Go there now and enter this code: du25wr2

Make sure that when you are in class using a Chromebook that you do the following EACH DAY:

• Log in. 
• Open a TAB and go to our classroom BLOG: wordandtextsota.blogspot.com
• Open a SECOND TAB and go to GOOGLE CLASSROOM: classroom.google, etc.
• Keep both TABS open during class or as instructed. It's also a good idea to open a THIRD TAB in Google to take class notes (or write class notes by hand if you prefer...) 
• When using headphones (only as instructed please!) please make sure you have only one earbud in your ear at any time. Lower volume so that only you can hear what is being played. 
• Cell phones should be put away at 7:30. If you need to use them for a class assignment, I will instruct you. Otherwise, put them away. Please note that cell phones are not to be used in the hallways/bathrooms either. Only use the pass for emergencies, please. 
• After a class period next door, please plug your Chromebooks back into the cabinet. The Chrome symbol should appear at the top of the computer when you plug it in correctly. Do NOT leave them on your desk or somewhere else in the room. You may not take them home either. They remain in the classroom for all scheduled classes to use.

If you're absent or missed something in class, please check the blog to get caught up. As indicated above, each new class period usually includes a new post. If you have a question about an assignment and are too embarrassed to speak to me in public (or you have a question that you think you will forget to ask), feel free to use the comment section. It is, however, your responsibility to talk to me about your needs. This is your education. Make it worthwhile.

This morning, after covering our course criteria, complete this in-class activity: 

With a partner, discuss and create: 

A. a list of ways in which humans communicate (humans communicate through...) 

B. Reasons why humans communicate

This begins our first step as creative writing majors. It is important for us to examine how and why (and when), as human beings, we decide to communicate. Of course, communicating through writing is only one way we, as humans, communicate with one another. This course will cover areas of communication, the communication process, techniques of effective communication, along with performance skills, public speaking, and various writing projects (fiction, poetry, scripts, personal narrative, essays, etc.) If you go on to study the arts, literature, political science, divinity, history, business, advertising, marketing, teaching, law, journalism, communication, or media, you will definitely need a basic understanding of these concepts.

Our first speech will be rather short. On your index card, jot down any of the following answers to these personal questions:

• What is one thing you want other people to know about you?
• What do you want to do after you graduate?
• What is one event that happened to you that changed your personality/outlook on life forever?
• What is one thing you're proud of that you never told anyone?
• What single event in your life has made you a better person?
• If you could accomplish one thing in your life, what would you like it to be?

Answer some of these questions (at least one) and jot down at least 3 main points you would want to share with the class about your answers. When you are called, come up to the front of the room and share your answers in a short introductory speech. 

Start with an introduction: who are you? (what's your name, etc.) then hit your 3 main points. Try to sustain your short speech with some details. End your speech after your details...you can thank us for listening, or leave us with something to remember, or inspire us with an image or detail that helps summarize your main points. 

With time remaining, we will begin our baseline non-fiction assignment in Google classrooms.

HOMEWORK: Complete a draft of your baseline assignment and submit your work from the system (Google Classrooms).