NOTE: There is NO final exam in this course. Your mark will be based on work from the semester including your portfolio/pet project.
Last day to hand it in is June 13th
Last day to hand it in is June 13th
Friday June 10th
Students worked on finishing off the last of their assignments then we 'chilled' in the library. REMEMBER: if you did not submit your journal, your daily writing, your pet project or your portfolio, MONDAY is the last day to do this. We will play some word and writing games on Monday as well as add anything to our iBook anthology.
Students worked on finishing off the last of their assignments then we 'chilled' in the library. REMEMBER: if you did not submit your journal, your daily writing, your pet project or your portfolio, MONDAY is the last day to do this. We will play some word and writing games on Monday as well as add anything to our iBook anthology.
Wednesday June 8th
Journal Entry of the Day: Oh Joy!
Daily Writing Task: Word weave .
Must begin with: Oh Joy!
Must include: salad, ambidextrous, zombie
Tone: excited or sarcastic
Form: a dialogue or a letter
Pet Projects/portfolios are due on Friday June 10th. The absolute last day to hand anything in is Monday June 13th.
Journal Entry of the Day: Oh Joy!
Daily Writing Task: Word weave .
Must begin with: Oh Joy!
Must include: salad, ambidextrous, zombie
Tone: excited or sarcastic
Form: a dialogue or a letter
Pet Projects/portfolios are due on Friday June 10th. The absolute last day to hand anything in is Monday June 13th.
Tuesday June 7th
Journal Entry of the Day: Positive or negative? Write about an experience which was either positive or negative for you.
Daily writing task: Choose 5 nouns. For each noun( ie. house), come up with 3 positive ways to describe ( ie. home) and 3 negative ways ( ie. shack).
Pet Project
Journal Entry of the Day: Positive or negative? Write about an experience which was either positive or negative for you.
Daily writing task: Choose 5 nouns. For each noun( ie. house), come up with 3 positive ways to describe ( ie. home) and 3 negative ways ( ie. shack).
Pet Project
Monday June 6th
Journal Entry of the Day: The Finish line! Write about your feelings at the end of something
Daily writing Exercise: Using the idea of a finish line, create 5 metaphors/or similes which describe a finish line or ending of sorts.
Pet Projects/Portfolios due on Friday.
LAST DAY for any work handed in is Monday June 13th.
Journal Entry of the Day: The Finish line! Write about your feelings at the end of something
Daily writing Exercise: Using the idea of a finish line, create 5 metaphors/or similes which describe a finish line or ending of sorts.
Pet Projects/Portfolios due on Friday.
LAST DAY for any work handed in is Monday June 13th.
Friday June 3rd
Journal Entry of the Day : I Object! Go outside and find /take a picture of an object. Come in and write about it.
Daily Writing Exercise: Using the same object, either writing the beginning of a short story OR a dialogue in which the object plays a key role.
As usual, pet project work.
NOTE: Check the criteria for both the pet project and your portfolio to ensure you have all your bases covered. Don't forget a table of contents and a reflection for each criteria for the portfolio. If an item, such as your pet project, covers several criteria, you will need to write a brief reflection for each of the criteria explaining what part of the project covers that outcome and how.
Journal Entry of the Day : I Object! Go outside and find /take a picture of an object. Come in and write about it.
Daily Writing Exercise: Using the same object, either writing the beginning of a short story OR a dialogue in which the object plays a key role.
As usual, pet project work.
NOTE: Check the criteria for both the pet project and your portfolio to ensure you have all your bases covered. Don't forget a table of contents and a reflection for each criteria for the portfolio. If an item, such as your pet project, covers several criteria, you will need to write a brief reflection for each of the criteria explaining what part of the project covers that outcome and how.
June 2nd Colours Day - no class
June 1st
Journal entry for the day: The Best things in Life...
Daily Writing Exercise: Describe a scene using only smell. It would be wise to select a scene with many smells.
Pet Projects due next Friday June 10th
REMEMBER: Come to class tomorrow for attendance before going to Colours Day.
Journal entry for the day: The Best things in Life...
Daily Writing Exercise: Describe a scene using only smell. It would be wise to select a scene with many smells.
Pet Projects due next Friday June 10th
REMEMBER: Come to class tomorrow for attendance before going to Colours Day.
Tuesday May 31 OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES:
Reflective Journal Topic: Weather or not - write anything which involves the weather.
Daily Writing Exercise: Walking on Sunshine: Describe your surroundings WITHOUT using visual details: Sound, texture, temperature, smell.
We then went inside to work on our Pet Projects
Reflective Journal Topic: Weather or not - write anything which involves the weather.
Daily Writing Exercise: Walking on Sunshine: Describe your surroundings WITHOUT using visual details: Sound, texture, temperature, smell.
We then went inside to work on our Pet Projects
Monday May 30
Reflective Journal topic: What's your ultimate dream? Write about what you dream of being. You can be serious or whimsical.
Daily Writing Exercise: Dream On. Write about a dream or dreaming. Maintain a dreamlike atmosphere.
The rest of the period was spent on Pet Projects. Deadline approaching!!!!
Reflective Journal topic: What's your ultimate dream? Write about what you dream of being. You can be serious or whimsical.
Daily Writing Exercise: Dream On. Write about a dream or dreaming. Maintain a dreamlike atmosphere.
The rest of the period was spent on Pet Projects. Deadline approaching!!!!
Friday May 27th
Congratulations First Nations graduates! Today is your big day!
Reflective Journal exercise: If you could clone one person who would it be? Why?
Writing Exercise of the Day: Doppelganger
Choose one:
1. Imagine you pass by someone on the street and he/she looks exactly like you. Write about the experience from your perspective and then write about it from his/hers.
2. Imagine you are mistaken for someone else. Write about the experience from your perspective and then write about it from the perspective of the person who mistakes you for someone else. It could be a dialogue but it doesn't have to be.
The rest of the time was spent working on Pet Projects.
Congratulations First Nations graduates! Today is your big day!
Reflective Journal exercise: If you could clone one person who would it be? Why?
Writing Exercise of the Day: Doppelganger
Choose one:
1. Imagine you pass by someone on the street and he/she looks exactly like you. Write about the experience from your perspective and then write about it from his/hers.
2. Imagine you are mistaken for someone else. Write about the experience from your perspective and then write about it from the perspective of the person who mistakes you for someone else. It could be a dialogue but it doesn't have to be.
The rest of the time was spent working on Pet Projects.
Thursday May 26th
Reflective Journal exercise: Write about someone/something you admire.
Writing Exercise of the Day: Enter
Think about entering a place you know well ( home, school, work, the gym...) and describe creating mood with your words.
Worked on Pet Project.
Reflective Journal exercise: Write about someone/something you admire.
Writing Exercise of the Day: Enter
Think about entering a place you know well ( home, school, work, the gym...) and describe creating mood with your words.
Worked on Pet Project.
Wednesday May 25th
Reflective Journal exercise (This will be the topic of your journal entry for today.) If you could give yourself a different name, what would it be. THEN... write a letter of advice from your 'other' name to yourself.
Writing Exercise of the Day: Clothes Make the Man (or Woman)? Write any sort of text (poem, short fiction, description...) about one of the following:
1. A clothing item you love and would not want to get rid of
2. Shopping for a clothing item
The rest of the time was spent working on Pet Projects (NOTE: If you are re-vamping an old text for your project, I need to have a copy of this text BEFORE you make changes so I can see how you've developed the original. Also, discuss with your partners (if you have them) how you want to be marked. Are you going to be evaluated on all aspects together, or indicate which pieces you personally wrote and want to be evaluated upon?)
Reflective Journal exercise (This will be the topic of your journal entry for today.) If you could give yourself a different name, what would it be. THEN... write a letter of advice from your 'other' name to yourself.
Writing Exercise of the Day: Clothes Make the Man (or Woman)? Write any sort of text (poem, short fiction, description...) about one of the following:
1. A clothing item you love and would not want to get rid of
2. Shopping for a clothing item
The rest of the time was spent working on Pet Projects (NOTE: If you are re-vamping an old text for your project, I need to have a copy of this text BEFORE you make changes so I can see how you've developed the original. Also, discuss with your partners (if you have them) how you want to be marked. Are you going to be evaluated on all aspects together, or indicate which pieces you personally wrote and want to be evaluated upon?)
Tuesday May 24
I'm BACK!!!!
Miss Sydney was here to give back your feedback sheets then we did journalling. I will take your journals on the last day of the semester but you will need to pick them up during the exam period or I will mail them back if possible. Students began planning their Pet Projects and working on their final portfolios. We will be using at least 45 minutes a day for these projects. See Handouts tab for details.
I'm BACK!!!!
Miss Sydney was here to give back your feedback sheets then we did journalling. I will take your journals on the last day of the semester but you will need to pick them up during the exam period or I will mail them back if possible. Students began planning their Pet Projects and working on their final portfolios. We will be using at least 45 minutes a day for these projects. See Handouts tab for details.
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Thursday May 19th
Today we watched the rest of Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and discussed the dream/storybook quality of the movie, as well as the film's structure. Reminder that you should get your scripts to me tomorrow if you have not yet done so! |
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Wednesday May 18th
Today we watched most of Moonrise Kingdom (2012). We plan to discuss the framing, use of colour, and actors in the film tomorrow! |
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Tuesday May 17th
Today we had a fire drill, and then we worked on our scripts. Please have them to me by tomorrow at the latest! I want to give you all some good feedback! |
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Monday May 16th
Today we finished up with our scripts! Please get them to me by Wednesday so I can give you some marks! |
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Friday May 13th
Today we had a guest speaker, Vicki Grant, come and talk to us about writing! We learned some good techniques for getting inspired, creating strong characters, maintaining solid pacing, and creating a solid plot. REMINDER THAT ALL OF YOUR SCRIPTS AND YOUR REFLECTIONS ARE DUE MONDAY. |
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Thursday May 12th
Today we had our last workshop! Everyone that participated did a great job, thank you! REMINDER THAT ALL OF YOUR SCRIPTS AND YOUR REFLECTIONS ARE DUE MONDAY. |
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Wednesday May 11th
Today we had a work block for our scripts. REMINDER THAT WE HAVE ANOTHER WORKSHOP TOMORROW. |
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Tuesday May 10th
So sorry for forgetting to update this! We talked about Experimental Fiction and how you can use the physicality of the book when writing before we worked on our scripts. |
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Monday May 9th
Today we did another set of workshops! Students who were away, or lost their work due to corrupted data worked on their scripts for the class. Reminder that we have another workshop day on Thursday May 12th. Our portfolio for script work is due Monday 16th. |
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Friday May 6th
Today we did some journaling before listening to episode 2 of Welcome to Nightvale and discussing narrative conventions of podcasts. Students were reminded that we will have two workshop days next week. One on Monday May 9th, and the second one on Thursday May 12th. |
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Thursday May 5th
Today we talked more about genre, read some Murder in Parksville, Confusion in Tofino and had a laugh before working on our portfolio assignment! |
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Wednesday May 4th
Many students were away today for various trips, so the remaining four students had a work-block to catch up on poetry and/or their scripts. |
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Tuesday May 3rd
Whoops! I apologize for forgetting about this yesterday! On this day we had a workshop for our stage direction scripts! |
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Monday May 2nd
Today we discussed research and why it is important for writers to do research about the things that they write. We had some time afterwards to write out our scenes. Remember to send your scripts in for the workshop before class on Tuesday. |
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Friday April 29th
Today we had a great discussion about adaptations after we did some work with stage directions. We are continuing our work on our portfolio. Remember that our next workshop is on Tuesday May 3. Please send your stage direction scene to Mrs. Mahoney. |
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Thursday April 28th
Today we talked about stage directions and scene descriptions and why they are important for creating, retaining, and transmitting meaning. |
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Wednesday April 27th
Today we finished with our workshops and then discussed monologues and how we can use them in our scenes! |
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Tuesday April 26th
Today we workshopped our scenes. We did not get all of them finished so we will spend more time tomorrow doing that! |
Thursday April 21st, and Friday April 22nd
We were at the Young Author's Conference! Those who were not at the conference worked on some writing prompts in the library.
We were at the Young Author's Conference! Those who were not at the conference worked on some writing prompts in the library.
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Wednesday April 20th
Today we talked about genre and genre conventions before working more on the script portfolio. Reminder that next Tuesday will be our first workshop day. |
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Tuesday April 19th
Today I gave a lecture on Theatre History before we talked about how theatre and film are closely tied to politics. Everyone then worked on scenes that were in their portfolio packages. There is a pdf of the theatre history lecture on the handouts page (with most images removed). Reminder that next Tuesday will be our first workshop day for our scripts, so please email them to me. We also talked about some script writing software. There is www.celtx.com (the slow loading one), and you can download one from www.trelby.org |
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Monday April 18th
Today we began our script writing unit with Ms. Sydney (who is typing this). We introduced ourselves to each other and discussed some of the things we need to think about when we write a script intended for production. We also discussed our Portfolio assignment for this unit. The assignment can be found on the handouts page. I look forward to working with you all! |
Friday April 15th
Last day for poetry. We did the journalling and then we worked on our poetry for edmodo. If you want to have your poetry on this term's mark, you need to email me and tell me which of the three components you want marked: 10 poems, critiquing, or evidence of all of the poem exercises you've tried.
Last day for poetry. We did the journalling and then we worked on our poetry for edmodo. If you want to have your poetry on this term's mark, you need to email me and tell me which of the three components you want marked: 10 poems, critiquing, or evidence of all of the poem exercises you've tried.
Thursday April 14th
Sorry about the missing post yesterday. The power apparently died right when I thought I had posted. We worked on the poetry projects which we continued today. All poetry time is over at the end of the week. If you wish to have this poetry on this term's report card, please email me that you are ready for marking.
Sorry about the missing post yesterday. The power apparently died right when I thought I had posted. We worked on the poetry projects which we continued today. All poetry time is over at the end of the week. If you wish to have this poetry on this term's report card, please email me that you are ready for marking.
Tuesday April 12th
Journals for 12 minutes. Students are reminded that some have not submitted their journals for evaluation. Please do so before Friday. Poetry project - be sure to post all 10 poems on blog before Friday if you want these on this term's report card. Drop me an email informing me of which pieces are ready for marking by Friday. iBooks: looking into creating an iBook of students' poetry from this unit. It's very good. Portfolio: Start collecting your best stuff for your portfolio. Details on the actual portfolio requirements tomorrow. BRING IN YOUR YOUNG AUTHORS PERMISSION FORMS ASAP. 
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Monday April 11th
Welsome to our new student teacher Sydney! We continued to work on our poetry unit which should be finished and on the blog by Friday. You will need to have posted 10 poems, attempted all of the poems on the checklist and critiqued a poem from each member of the class. I also handed out permission forms for the Young Authors Conference. These need to be returned by April 19th. |
Friday April 8th
Students worked on the poems from their checklist and began the Zip Start poem. On Monday they will be getting permission forms for the Young Authors Conference. These will need to be back by April 19th with a parent/guardian signature.
Students worked on the poems from their checklist and began the Zip Start poem. On Monday they will be getting permission forms for the Young Authors Conference. These will need to be back by April 19th with a parent/guardian signature.
Thursday April 7th
Students continued to work on the poem project. Today we did The Two Me's from the handout as well as Wrecked First Person Narrative.
REMEMBER: Tomorrow is the last day to hand in missing short story pieces or revisions for this term's report card.
Also, you MUST submit your Young Authors Conference manuscript by the end of the day tomorrow. It matters.
Students continued to work on the poem project. Today we did The Two Me's from the handout as well as Wrecked First Person Narrative.
REMEMBER: Tomorrow is the last day to hand in missing short story pieces or revisions for this term's report card.
Also, you MUST submit your Young Authors Conference manuscript by the end of the day tomorrow. It matters.
Wednesday April 6th
Students worked on 3 more poem exercises:
1. Polysyllabic poem - write a poem using on multi-syllable words
2. The Age of .... poems - Choose a concept which has changed through the ages ( i.e. Music) . Divide this concept up into eras/ages (ie. the age of jazz, the age of rock, the age of white noise, the age of Indie).
a. Using these 4 ages/eras write a poem with a stanza for each age. This poem should show the negative side of each era. Use cacophony/negative connotations in your poem.
b. Using the same 4 ages/eras, write a poem with a stanza for each age, but this time showing the positive side. Try using euphony and positive connotations.
I made a list of all of the poems students are expected to experiment with this week and part of next. This can be found at the handouts page.
REMINDER: You need 10 poems and a critique for each person's poem(s) by the end of next week April 15th.
Students worked on 3 more poem exercises:
1. Polysyllabic poem - write a poem using on multi-syllable words
2. The Age of .... poems - Choose a concept which has changed through the ages ( i.e. Music) . Divide this concept up into eras/ages (ie. the age of jazz, the age of rock, the age of white noise, the age of Indie).
a. Using these 4 ages/eras write a poem with a stanza for each age. This poem should show the negative side of each era. Use cacophony/negative connotations in your poem.
b. Using the same 4 ages/eras, write a poem with a stanza for each age, but this time showing the positive side. Try using euphony and positive connotations.
I made a list of all of the poems students are expected to experiment with this week and part of next. This can be found at the handouts page.
REMINDER: You need 10 poems and a critique for each person's poem(s) by the end of next week April 15th.
Tuesday April 5th
Students were reminded that all short story revisions and MIAs are due by the end of Friday April 8th.
Poetry work: You should aim to have at least 10 poems posted by the end of next week April 15th. Also you need to critique at least one poem from each person in the class. I will be evaluating your critiques at the end of next week.
Poetry exercises for Today:
1. Random words : In the dictionary find 5 words which are unusual . Write them down along with their meanings. Attempt to use all 5 in a poem . Remember that you can indicate meaning through context.
2.Version 2: Choosing one of the poems you've already written, change the line arrangement for effect. Remember that a single word on a line adds emphasis and the way a poem appears on a page affects both tone and pace.
3. Monosyllabic poem : Write a poem using only single syllable words.
Students were reminded that all short story revisions and MIAs are due by the end of Friday April 8th.
Poetry work: You should aim to have at least 10 poems posted by the end of next week April 15th. Also you need to critique at least one poem from each person in the class. I will be evaluating your critiques at the end of next week.
Poetry exercises for Today:
1. Random words : In the dictionary find 5 words which are unusual . Write them down along with their meanings. Attempt to use all 5 in a poem . Remember that you can indicate meaning through context.
2.Version 2: Choosing one of the poems you've already written, change the line arrangement for effect. Remember that a single word on a line adds emphasis and the way a poem appears on a page affects both tone and pace.
3. Monosyllabic poem : Write a poem using only single syllable words.
Monday April 4th
REMINDER: All revisions or missing short story project pieces must be submitted by Friday April 8th. This also includes your journals for evaluation. All Young Authors manuscripts need to be submitted by the end of tomorrow if possible. I need time to make copies etc. Today's poetry exercises: 1.Using one of the pieces of music and the images you generated from it, create a list poem . Add a title and any needed adjectives and metaphors to create imagery. Remember that your title indicates your purpose and mood. 2.Using another of the sets of images you created Friday, write a poem. Then experiment with the punctuation and capitalization, adding or eliminating commas, periods, capitals etc. until you have the effect you like. |
Friday April 1st
Journaling as usual . REMINDER: Some have still not submitted their journals for marking. Get on it. We did a music to poetry exercise. We played the videos below BUT DID NOT WATCH THEM. For each song, the students wrote down as many vivid images as the song evoked including sound and taste if possible. On Monday we will each choose two of the songs and write poems using the images created. Bad Man https://youtu.be/roTx4XfNgsA Where is the Love https://youtu.be/WpYeekQkAdc I am the Fire https://youtu.be/8hkmuTvkp_s Thunderstorm https://youtu.be/kYeEFvscqiw Without You https://youtu.be/_nZfHt5G6UQ Man Down https://youtu.be/PXK1iNBkGuw Greek Tragedy https://youtu.be/9MHmx9nvHqU Coming Home https://youtu.be/MTrKkqE9p1o Sunshine Recorder https://youtu.be/vfOjYRV7X80 Hey Good Looking https://youtu.be/bV1WVCc-tDc Oh What A feeling https://youtu.be/truzy5iOUKM The Thrill is Gone https://youtu.be/4fk2prKnYnI DEADLINE APPROACHING: April 8th is the last day to submit your short story unit pieces or to do revisions for the report cards. YOUNG AUTHORS MANUSCRIPTS were to be in today. Next Wednesday is the last day to submit. Don't miss out on this exciting field trip. |
Thursday March 31st
Students did their usual journaling then we did the exercise from Prose to Poetry. See Handout. Tomorrow we'll be adding more of our poems to the blog so have lots ready. Also, bring music you want to use in a poetry exercise. I intend to bring some, but feel free to bring your favorites.
Students did their usual journaling then we did the exercise from Prose to Poetry. See Handout. Tomorrow we'll be adding more of our poems to the blog so have lots ready. Also, bring music you want to use in a poetry exercise. I intend to bring some, but feel free to bring your favorites.
Wednesday March 30th
Students found a quiet spot to work on their journals for 15 minutes. They then had a choice of 2 poem exercises: isolation exercise or 13 ways to see... On Friday we will be posting our poetry on the blog. Be sure to have a plethora of poems to add so we have things to critique. Remember that by the end of next week you need to have posted at least 10 poems and have rough drafts of all of the poetry we've experimented with. Also, you need to have critiqued at least one poem from each of your fellow writers (and mine).
Students found a quiet spot to work on their journals for 15 minutes. They then had a choice of 2 poem exercises: isolation exercise or 13 ways to see... On Friday we will be posting our poetry on the blog. Be sure to have a plethora of poems to add so we have things to critique. Remember that by the end of next week you need to have posted at least 10 poems and have rough drafts of all of the poetry we've experimented with. Also, you need to have critiqued at least one poem from each of your fellow writers (and mine).
Tuesday March 29th
Students got back their short story projects as well as their journals. There are still some journals and short stories AWOL. If this is you, please get them to be on or before April 8th. Anyone who wishes to revise their short story projects may also do so before this date.
YOUNG AUTHORS: Be sure to format your piece and had it in by this Friday. We will be getting permission forms soon and I need a piece to be sure you're going.
Today we did our journals then did 2 poem exercises. One was imitating a model of a poem we like. We did a sample with Silverstein's poetry (See Handout Model for more details). The other poem was to write about taking something apart or putting it back together in a step by step manner then re-writing the poem in a more organic lyric style way. There is a sample at the Homework page and I had a set of booklets with all of the poetry exercises which I will give to you tomorrow.
Students got back their short story projects as well as their journals. There are still some journals and short stories AWOL. If this is you, please get them to be on or before April 8th. Anyone who wishes to revise their short story projects may also do so before this date.
YOUNG AUTHORS: Be sure to format your piece and had it in by this Friday. We will be getting permission forms soon and I need a piece to be sure you're going.
Today we did our journals then did 2 poem exercises. One was imitating a model of a poem we like. We did a sample with Silverstein's poetry (See Handout Model for more details). The other poem was to write about taking something apart or putting it back together in a step by step manner then re-writing the poem in a more organic lyric style way. There is a sample at the Homework page and I had a set of booklets with all of the poetry exercises which I will give to you tomorrow.
Thursday Mar 24th
Students wrote a journal entry and handed in their journals for evaluation. If you were absent, please submit your journal ASAP for this term's mark.
We then went to the library to continue to work on our found poems. Students made sure that they had posted: found poem from journal, found poem from cut out text, a Make It Messy version of one poem and their school text found poem. Students are to also critique at least 2 other people's poems. Remember the importance of helpful thorough critiques and feedback.
Next week we are collecting poems and imitating their styles. You will need to have at least 4 poets whom you want to emulate. More info to follow on Tuesday.
Students wrote a journal entry and handed in their journals for evaluation. If you were absent, please submit your journal ASAP for this term's mark.
We then went to the library to continue to work on our found poems. Students made sure that they had posted: found poem from journal, found poem from cut out text, a Make It Messy version of one poem and their school text found poem. Students are to also critique at least 2 other people's poems. Remember the importance of helpful thorough critiques and feedback.
Next week we are collecting poems and imitating their styles. You will need to have at least 4 poets whom you want to emulate. More info to follow on Tuesday.
Wednesday March 23
Students went to the library to put their poems from yesterday on edmodo. They were also to critique at least one other poem on the site. Next, they pulled an oblique/Make it Messy card from the deck. They chose one of the two poems, made a copy of it and did whatever the instructions on the card told them. This new poem was to be added to the edmodo site. The last thing to do was to create a found poem by taking a wander through the school taking pictures of or noting down any texts they found interesting. This will be posted to the site tomorrow and students are expected to do another critique.
Students went to the library to put their poems from yesterday on edmodo. They were also to critique at least one other poem on the site. Next, they pulled an oblique/Make it Messy card from the deck. They chose one of the two poems, made a copy of it and did whatever the instructions on the card told them. This new poem was to be added to the edmodo site. The last thing to do was to create a found poem by taking a wander through the school taking pictures of or noting down any texts they found interesting. This will be posted to the site tomorrow and students are expected to do another critique.
Tuesday March 22
REMINDER: Your journals are due on Thursday for evaluation. Be sure to submit them and mark those entries PRIVATE that you don't want me to read.
We did our journals then watched the video below and had a discussion on what makes poetry poetry. If you were away, watch the video.
We wrote two found poems: One from at least 10 snippets from a journal entry and one made from cutting out words and phrases from the texts (magazines, old romance novels and discarded textbooks from the library).
We will be posting these tomorrow and using the oblique cards made from the ideas you came up with yesterday.
REMINDER: Your journals are due on Thursday for evaluation. Be sure to submit them and mark those entries PRIVATE that you don't want me to read.
We did our journals then watched the video below and had a discussion on what makes poetry poetry. If you were away, watch the video.
We wrote two found poems: One from at least 10 snippets from a journal entry and one made from cutting out words and phrases from the texts (magazines, old romance novels and discarded textbooks from the library).
We will be posting these tomorrow and using the oblique cards made from the ideas you came up with yesterday.
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Monday Mar. 21
UPDATE: All submitted short stories have been read and the marking is in process. You will have evaluations by this coming Thursday at the latest. The latest you can submit work is April 8th. After that date, I will not be accepting any late work for the short story project. REMINDER: Your manuscript for the Young Author's Conference must be submitted no later than April 1st. There will be permission forms for this event later in the week. 1. Journals - 12 minutes. Please submit your journal for evaluation on this coming Thursday, March 24th. 2. We watched the video on the left on the role of frustration in being more creative. Please watch. Students are required to come up with at least 2 ideas for our own set of oblique cards. There are also some on line, so you may use them as examples. We will be using them for this unit on poetry. 3. Edmodo - see handout. We went to the lab to sign up for our edmodo account. Please sign up and I will put you into our group. 4 When we returned, we discussed what poetry is. Tomorrow we will be watching a Ted Talk on Can Computers Write Poetry and making found poems. If you have a cell phone with a camera or just a digital camera, bring it with you. |
Thursday March 3rd
Students worked on the last of the Short Story unit. Remember that if you're intending to email me your short story project, use the email on the home page of my Homework page. Attach and have a bold subject line.
Students worked on the last of the Short Story unit. Remember that if you're intending to email me your short story project, use the email on the home page of my Homework page. Attach and have a bold subject line.
Tuesday March 1st
Students went roaming the halls and outdoors to find something which caught their attention and they wished to put into their journals. Some brought back physical objects while others took photos which they will add to their journals. They then wrote a journal entry about their discovery.
The rest of the time was spent trying to finish off those pesky short story projects and using the checklist to put things in order.
Students were given a self assessment to fill in for the parent teacher interviews folders.
Students went roaming the halls and outdoors to find something which caught their attention and they wished to put into their journals. Some brought back physical objects while others took photos which they will add to their journals. They then wrote a journal entry about their discovery.
The rest of the time was spent trying to finish off those pesky short story projects and using the checklist to put things in order.
Students were given a self assessment to fill in for the parent teacher interviews folders.
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Monday Feb. 29th
This week we are changing it up for our journals. Students have a handout called "21 ideas" which can be found on the homework page. Each day students will choose one of the ideas to use as their journal entry for the day. Please include the date as usual and the # of the exercise you are using. Remember that our short story unit is due by the end of the week. |
Tuesday Feb. 23rd
We did our journals then had 2 more setting drawing exchanges. Students who had a portion of their short story rough draft were to exchange with another student and critique with 2 positives, 1 suggestion and 1 "I wonder". Students are expected to submit this critique for my perusal/evidence of the ability to critique. The remainder of the class was spent on working on rough drafts.
We did our journals then had 2 more setting drawing exchanges. Students who had a portion of their short story rough draft were to exchange with another student and critique with 2 positives, 1 suggestion and 1 "I wonder". Students are expected to submit this critique for my perusal/evidence of the ability to critique. The remainder of the class was spent on working on rough drafts.
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Monday Feb. 22nd
ALOHA! The classroom was above +35 today so we met in the cafeteria. Students are to work on their short stories and be prepared to share at least one page/aspect of your short story tomorrow in class. Also, a couple of you still need to read one of the setting descriptions to the class. Get it finished please. Remember that the Young Author's Conference will be April 21 and 22nd. You need your manuscript in by April 1st. This is a mandatory component of your course. |
Friday Feb. 19th
Students did their Journals then we did 2 more drawings from students setting paragraphs.
Students were given the guidelines for the Young Authors Conference which is April 21 and 22nd. Students are expected to attend this conference as part of the course.
The last 1/2 hour was spent working on our short story drafts.
Students did their Journals then we did 2 more drawings from students setting paragraphs.
Students were given the guidelines for the Young Authors Conference which is April 21 and 22nd. Students are expected to attend this conference as part of the course.
The last 1/2 hour was spent working on our short story drafts.
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Thursday Feb. 18th
Journal writing and Power Write We then exchanged some of our paragraphs from yesterday and drew what we imagined from the words. In the last 30 minutes students worked on their rough drafts. 
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Wednesday Feb. 17th
Students did their journal writing and one 2 minute speed write. We then looked at the handout "Using Setting as a Starting Point". Students drew or found a scene from either the Net or a magazine. They first described the scene using Steinbeck's method from the handout and moving toward a focal point. They then rewrote the scene starting at the focal point and moving outward. This assignment will be included in your fiction/short story package which will be submitted once you have a final copy of your short story/ch. 1. |
Tuesday Feb. 16th
Students did their journaling then began work on their rough drafts for their short stories. The goal is to finish a draft by Friday. Those who are foreseeing the story as becoming more like a novel may choose to have a first chapter instead.
Students did their journaling then began work on their rough drafts for their short stories. The goal is to finish a draft by Friday. Those who are foreseeing the story as becoming more like a novel may choose to have a first chapter instead.
Monday Feb. 15th
Students took their journals to individual spots in the school and wrote. We experimented with a 3 minute Power Write and a 2 Minute Power Write. Students then finished telling about their character's problem from Friday. We finished with discussion the various methods of writing a plot - roadmap from beginning to end, an open ended problem which evolves as you write or just a vague idea of how it begins and ends. We then discussed the various openings for a short story: setting, action, dialogue, character description, flashback. Students are to write the first paragraph of their short story in two ways. We will discuss which one works for the story and the benefits of changing the perspective and method when we're 'stuck'.
I still need a few more character descriptions. Those I have will be handed over to the art class tomorrow to create what they read. We will be conferencing with them regarding how our words turned into their drawings/representations.
Students took their journals to individual spots in the school and wrote. We experimented with a 3 minute Power Write and a 2 Minute Power Write. Students then finished telling about their character's problem from Friday. We finished with discussion the various methods of writing a plot - roadmap from beginning to end, an open ended problem which evolves as you write or just a vague idea of how it begins and ends. We then discussed the various openings for a short story: setting, action, dialogue, character description, flashback. Students are to write the first paragraph of their short story in two ways. We will discuss which one works for the story and the benefits of changing the perspective and method when we're 'stuck'.
I still need a few more character descriptions. Those I have will be handed over to the art class tomorrow to create what they read. We will be conferencing with them regarding how our words turned into their drawings/representations.
Friday Feb. 12th
Students did their journals and handed them in for evaluation/feedback.
We then did 2 Speed Writes as well as worked on our character work from this week. Finally, we began a meeting where we provided a problem for our characters and the rest of the characters made suggestions.
Students did their journals and handed them in for evaluation/feedback.
We then did 2 Speed Writes as well as worked on our character work from this week. Finally, we began a meeting where we provided a problem for our characters and the rest of the characters made suggestions.
Thursday Feb. 11th
Today we did our usual journals and 2 Power Writes. Remember that Journals are in tomorrow. Be sure to indicate which sections I can read or not read.
We worked on getting all of our character work from this week finished. Students were reminded that their physical character description is needed by the art class to draw next Monday. Please have it ready by the end of the week. As for character dialogues, some are still working on a scene using the dialogues from yesterday and adding both their character's thoughts and description.
Today we did our usual journals and 2 Power Writes. Remember that Journals are in tomorrow. Be sure to indicate which sections I can read or not read.
We worked on getting all of our character work from this week finished. Students were reminded that their physical character description is needed by the art class to draw next Monday. Please have it ready by the end of the week. As for character dialogues, some are still working on a scene using the dialogues from yesterday and adding both their character's thoughts and description.
Wednesday Feb. 10th
BRRRR... Since it was too cold in the classroom, students and I went to the library where we did our journal entries. Students were then paired up and given a situation where each's characters would meet. Students wrote a page or two of dialogue in script form as their characters interacted. Amber and Joslyn one of your characters is locked out of his/her apartment and the partner's character lives across the hall. Write a brief script where the two interact. Make two copies.
We then read the article about Writing Dialogue in Stories and students, using the advice from the article, are to use their copy of the script to rewrite the scene from the perspective of their character (you may use I) eliminating any unnecessary dialogue, following the rules of dialogue and adding both character THOUGHTS and actions within the scene. Amber and Joslyn, you need to do this.
BRRRR... Since it was too cold in the classroom, students and I went to the library where we did our journal entries. Students were then paired up and given a situation where each's characters would meet. Students wrote a page or two of dialogue in script form as their characters interacted. Amber and Joslyn one of your characters is locked out of his/her apartment and the partner's character lives across the hall. Write a brief script where the two interact. Make two copies.
We then read the article about Writing Dialogue in Stories and students, using the advice from the article, are to use their copy of the script to rewrite the scene from the perspective of their character (you may use I) eliminating any unnecessary dialogue, following the rules of dialogue and adding both character THOUGHTS and actions within the scene. Amber and Joslyn, you need to do this.
Tuesday Feb. 9th
Students did the usual journal and power writing. We then continued our pages from yesterday for our characters. In addition, students were to draw /or describe their main character's closet and refrigerator in detail. We had a quick session on Show Not Tell then some students introduced their characters to the class. Tomorrow those who missed the opportunity will introduce their characters. 
Monday Feb. 8th
Students began with the usual journalling and power writing. Journals will be submitted this Friday for evaluation. NOTE: If you are away, you should write a journal anyway. Sleeping in, etc. is not a reason not to be in class or doing the work. We then read the article on Critiquing. See Handouts tab and the Critiquing exercise. Students will be doing a critique on Thursday. Be ready to share one of your written works from the last two weeks. Fiction: we began creating our main character for our short story unit. Today we filled in the pages from the Ready Set Novel book. If you were missing, you will need to get these pages from me. Tomorrow we will be introducing our main character to the class. |
Friday Feb. 5th
12 minutes of journal writing with 3 rounds of Power Writing. We addressed writing about the sense again. We brainstormed 10 emotions and came up with a smell which described each emotion. For example "My anger smelled like burnt toast, acrid and bitter." From there for each of the 10 emotions we connected it to a texture and smell. "My anger was rough and calloused." and "My anger was the silence of a minus 40 day" Finally, we found a magazine picture and wrote a description attempting to use original and colourful connections to the appropriate senses. |
Thursday Feb. 4th
12 minutes of journal writing followed by 3 rounds of Power Writing. Today's topic was writing about smell. Students went around the school collecting smells and then wrote about them, describing them. We then read the article in our "Writing About Smell" handout, and did the exercises at the end of the handout. Tomorrow we're on to taste, texture, sound and sight.
Remember: Young Author's Conference April 21 and 22nd.
12 minutes of journal writing followed by 3 rounds of Power Writing. Today's topic was writing about smell. Students went around the school collecting smells and then wrote about them, describing them. We then read the article in our "Writing About Smell" handout, and did the exercises at the end of the handout. Tomorrow we're on to taste, texture, sound and sight.
Remember: Young Author's Conference April 21 and 22nd.
Wednesday Feb. 3rd
We started with 12 minutes of journal writing. The students then learned that writing creatively occurs in a different part of the brain than writing for structure and grammar and order. Writing badly means being able to ignore that structure/order part of your brain in order to write more creatively. We then did 3 rounds of Power Writing. If you were missing you need to get the Power Writing Chart to record your daily totals for Power Writes. After Power Writing, we found once piece of 'gold' which students recorded in the back of their journals under the title of "Gold". We then did an exercise where I put a word on the board and students began to write . I gradually added more words in 45 second intervals with students adding them to their work in some way. The goal was to keep writing and adding and avoid accessing the structure/grammar part of our brains. At the end students shared their work and showed how words can be used creatively. Students were to take 5 of the words and write a sentence with each which used the word in an unusual way. For example one word was 'snivelled'. I wrote "My words snivelled across the page." Finally, we looked at a cliched piece of writing (On the Handouts under Cliche) and re-wrote the first 3 sentences eliminating the cliches.
Food for thought: Which of the following Artists in the School sessions are you interested in?
a. Play writing - writing monologues with Patti Flather
b. Artistic Journals - Amber Church
c. Manga - Amber Church
We are hoping to get at least one or maybe two of these sessions for our class .
Bring Tomorrow:
a. A fruit or vegetable you can eat.
b. Warm clothes for outside.
We started with 12 minutes of journal writing. The students then learned that writing creatively occurs in a different part of the brain than writing for structure and grammar and order. Writing badly means being able to ignore that structure/order part of your brain in order to write more creatively. We then did 3 rounds of Power Writing. If you were missing you need to get the Power Writing Chart to record your daily totals for Power Writes. After Power Writing, we found once piece of 'gold' which students recorded in the back of their journals under the title of "Gold". We then did an exercise where I put a word on the board and students began to write . I gradually added more words in 45 second intervals with students adding them to their work in some way. The goal was to keep writing and adding and avoid accessing the structure/grammar part of our brains. At the end students shared their work and showed how words can be used creatively. Students were to take 5 of the words and write a sentence with each which used the word in an unusual way. For example one word was 'snivelled'. I wrote "My words snivelled across the page." Finally, we looked at a cliched piece of writing (On the Handouts under Cliche) and re-wrote the first 3 sentences eliminating the cliches.
Food for thought: Which of the following Artists in the School sessions are you interested in?
a. Play writing - writing monologues with Patti Flather
b. Artistic Journals - Amber Church
c. Manga - Amber Church
We are hoping to get at least one or maybe two of these sessions for our class .
Bring Tomorrow:
a. A fruit or vegetable you can eat.
b. Warm clothes for outside.
Tuesday Feb. 2nd
Students went over the course outline and asked questions about their journals. If you have not yet gotten a journal, please do so. Also have a notebook to work on assignments. These must be 2 separate items.
We then journaled for 15 minutes and discussed what is positive helpful feedback.
We discussed what Good and Bad writing is. Students who did not yet bring in a sample of bad writing need to do so ASAP.
we looked at the idea of Cliche and Stereotype as useful for humour or satire and looked at the Bulwar-Lytton website for some winning entries of bad writing. Students then wrote their own Bulway-Lytton entries. See http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2015win.html for more information.
Students went over the course outline and asked questions about their journals. If you have not yet gotten a journal, please do so. Also have a notebook to work on assignments. These must be 2 separate items.
We then journaled for 15 minutes and discussed what is positive helpful feedback.
We discussed what Good and Bad writing is. Students who did not yet bring in a sample of bad writing need to do so ASAP.
we looked at the idea of Cliche and Stereotype as useful for humour or satire and looked at the Bulwar-Lytton website for some winning entries of bad writing. Students then wrote their own Bulway-Lytton entries. See http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2015win.html for more information.
