Favorite Book of the School Year (Due Friday, April 27th!)

What's your favorite book that you have read this year, inside or outside of the classroom?  Why did you like it?  What other sorts of readers do you think would enjoy the book? Remember, your post should be at least 5-7 sentences!

Shakespearean Insults (Due Friday, April 20th!)

One of my goals in teaching Shakespeare is to expose you to his language.  Shakespeare is known for inventing new sayings, often writing in rhyming couplets, and using an expansive and descriptive vocabulary.  Since it can be intimidating to try to understand his language, I have always found that approaching his words with playfulness and enjoyment helps!  Even if you don't understand everything, you can revel in the rhythm and cadence of his words.  

Shakespeare was also a famous for writing scathing insults!  I want you to go to the following links and create some insults of your own using Shakespeare's language.  If you need some ideas, you can look at some pre-generated insults by clicking on the botton link.  Write your TOP 3 insults on the blog!

Write some insults of your own!

http://www.petelevin.com/shakespeare.htm

(See some of Shakespeare's insults)

http://www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/a2-shakespeare-insult-generator.htm

Pick an Environmental Issue (Due Friday, April 13th!)

During this unit, you are going to pick an environmental issue that you care about and take action!  Eventually, you'll pick an elected official or other influential person to write a letter to convincing them that they should act on this issue.  First, you need to choose an issue you care about.   Explore the websites below and choose an issue.  Then, write your post about which issue you have chosen and why!

Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/students/index.html

Ocean Conservancy: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/

National Wildlife Federation: https://online.nwf.org/site/SPageNavigator/ActionCenter/the_wildlife

National Resource Defense Council: http://www.nrdc.org/issues/

A Poem in Your Poet's Style! (Due Friday, March 23rd)

Last week, you shared a poem by your poet aloud in class. This week, your task is to write a poem in your poet's style.  You could "imitate" any or all of the following aspects of your poet's style:


- Simply write about a similar subject. If your poet liked to write about trees or growing up or guns, then you should write about the same thing.
- Steal a line from your poet and create an original poem that uses that line.
- Use the same rhyme scheme that your poet uses.
- Use a similar style of capitalization, punctuation, or line breaks.


At the end of your poem, you should explain how it reflects your poet.  Good luck!

Defense Poem (Due Friday, March 16th!)

Read "The Iceberg Theory" by Gerald Locklin below.  Then, write a 10-line poem in defense of something you care about.  Perhaps you want to defend soccer in a football-centric culture. You could defend asparagus to a friend who thinks it's gross.  Maybe you want to defend an artist or athlete who others criticize.  Follow "The Iceberg Theory" formula by writing at least 5 lines that address or outline the critics' complaints and at least 5 lines that defend your subject!

The Iceberg Theory

all the food critics hate iceberg lettuce.
you'd think romaine was descended from
orpheus's laurel wreath,
you'd think raw spinach had all the nutritional
benefits attributed to it by popeye,
not to mention aesthetic subtleties worthy of
veriaine and debussy.
they'll even salivate over chopped red cabbage
just to disparage poor old mr. iceberg lettuce.

I guess the problem is
it's just too common for them.
It doesn't matter that it tastes good,
has a satisfying crunchy texture,
holds its freshness
and has crevices for the dressing,
whereas the darker, leafier varieties
are often bitter, gritty, and flat.
It just isn't different enough and
it's too gosh darn american.

of course a critic has to criticize;
a critic has to have something to say
perhaps that's why literary critics
purport to find interesting
so much contemporary poetry
that just bores the crap out of me.

at any rate, I really enjoy a salad
with plenty of chunky iceberg lettuce,
the more the merrier,
drenched in an Italian or roquefort dressing.
and the poems I enjoy are those I don't have
to pretend that I'm enjoying.

Can You Haiku? (Due Friday, March 9th)

For this post, you should write your own haiku!

(Read the information below for inspiration.  The only requirement is that your poem be a true haiku, with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second, and 5 in the third!)

What is haiku?

Haiku is a Japanese poetry form. The best haiku uses just a few words to capture a moment and create a picture in the reader's mind. It is like a tiny window into a scene much larger than itself.

In English, haiku is normally written in three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line.

Haiku example

Here's a haiku poem written by a poetry student:

The last winter leaves

Clinging to the black branches

Explode into birds.

Characteristics of haiku

The following are typical of haiku:

• A focus on nature.
• A "season word" such as "snow" which tells the reader what time of year it is.
• A division somewhere in the poem, which focuses first on one thing, then on another. The relationship between these two parts is sometimes surprising.
• Instead of saying how a scene makes him or her feel, the poet shows the details that caused that emotion. If the sight of an empty winter sky made the poet feel lonely, describing that sky can give the same feeling to the reader.

This blog prompt was taken from the following website: 

http://www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-a-haiku.html

Pick a Poet! (Due Friday, March 2nd)

In class, you will pick one of the poets below.  This week. you should begin researching your poet's life at the following website:


http://www.poetryfoundation.org/


Write one or two interesting facts about your poet on the blog this week!


William Carlos Willams 

Pablo Neruda 

Langston Hughes 

Shel Silverstein 

Robert Frost 

Walt Whitman 

Lewis Carroll 

Emily Dickinson 

William Blake 

Gwendolyn Brooks 

Billy Collins 

Edgar Allen Poe

Raymond Carver 

Ernest Thayer 

e.e. cummings 

Seamus Heany 

William Butler Yeats 

Charles Wright

Gregory Orr 

Who is your favorite poet or musician and why? (Due Friday, February 24th!)

A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep. - Salman Rushdie
		Who is your favorite poet and why?  What are some of your favorite poems by that poet?  If you don't have a favorite poet or haven't read much poetry, then write about your favorite band or artist.  What are some lyrics they have written that you liked?  Why?  If you can include a specific poem or lyrics, then that's great!  REMEMBER: Your response must be a fully-developed, 5-sentence paragraph.  Below is an example response. This is a tough question for me.  There are so many poets I love: Pablo Neruda, Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver, Billy Collins... the list goes on and on.  I think my absolute favorite all-time poet, if I have to pick, is William Carlos Williams.  He is known for his short poems, which he wrote on prescription pads when he was a doctor. Though many of his poems are short, they contain touching and true reflections of the human condition.  He also wrote many poems which were musings about artwork.  I especially love the poem called "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" about a Brueghel painting because it emphasizes the everyday world not as backdrop, but as even more important than the fall of a hero: According to Brueghel when Icarus fell it was spring a farmer was ploughing his field the whole pageantry of the year was awake tingling with itself sweating in the sun that melted the wings' wax unsignificantly off the coast there was a splash quite unnoticed this was Icarus drowning

Superbowl Prediction (Due Friday, February 3rd!)

Which team will win Superbowl XLVI?  Why? Remember to support your prediction with several good reasons and use your best grammar.  If you're not a football fan, then what sports team do you follow and why?  If you don't follow a team, then what athlete do you most admire and why?  

A Letter to the Elders (Due Friday, January 27th!)

The Community in The Giver is very different from our own.  The Giver explains to Jonas that the Elders gave up color and choice when they chose Sameness.  Jonas agrees and admits, "We really have to protect people from wrong choices" (99). Imagine that you are Jonas and are writing to the Elders asking them to allow people to make more of their own decisions.  How would you argue for color, or for the chance to choose your own spouse and job?  Do your best to convince them to get rid of Sameness!

If you were the protagonist... (Due Friday, January 20th)

The protagonist is the main character who must solve or attempt to solve the story's major conflict.  At the beginning of The Giver, Jonas is apprehensive about the assignment he will be given.  In his community, elders choose jobs for each citizen by the time they turn 12.  If you were in Jonas's position, what job do you think would have been chosen for you?  Why?  Remember to write at least 5 sentences in a well-developed paragraph with a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.

Author Interview Response (Due Friday, January 13th)

Watch the interview above; then, write a response of at least five sentences.  Your response should include your reaction to Lois Lowry.  Did anything about her appearance surprise you?  Were you surprised by anything she said?  Are there any questions that you wish you could ask her?  What do you think The Giver will be about based on this interview?

Perfect World (Due Friday, January 6th!)

A "Utopia" is an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. The word was first used in the book Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More. During this unit, we are going to read about worlds that were created to be "perfect" but failed and ended up stripping citizens of choice, individuality, and freedom.

For this post, I want you to describe your perfect world.  In your perfect world, how would people spend their time?  What would schools be like? How would people choose their jobs? What would the government be like? What would people eat?  How would issues like poverty and inequality be addressed?  Have fun with this and be creative in coming up with a world free from problems and strife!  

Holiday Traditions (Due Friday, December 16th)

What are some of your family's holiday traditions?  OR What are you most looking forward to over Holiday Break?

For example, if you were Bob Cratchit from A Christmas Carol, you might write:

I look forward to going down the slide at Cornhill twenty times in honor of Christmas Eve and then playing blindman's buff again like a boy.  Taking Tiny Tim to church is always special because of his thoughtful observations.  My wife's cooking is always a treat, especially her scrumptious goose and Christmas pudding.  I look forward to sitting around the fire with my family and passing the custard-cup back and forth while we revel and play games.  Even though Mr. Scrooge doesn't understand it, Christmas Day is different from the rest of the days of the year, and I look forward to enjoying it with my family!

Ideal Interview: Due Friday, December 11th!

If you could interview anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?  What sorts of questions would you ask? Remember, you should include a strong topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.  Here's an example:

If I could interview anyone, I would interview J.D. Salinger, the author of Catcher in the Rye and several other short stories and novellas.  Salinger remained reclusive throughout his life and died recently, in January of 2010. I would like to ask him about his creative experience while writing Catcher in the Rye such as how he came up with Holden's character, how much his own beliefs were reflected in the character, and why he was so reluctant to answer questions after the book achieved so much success.  I would ask him why he never made the book into a movie and how he feels about the fact that Catcher is required reading for many students nowadays.  When he was alive, Salinger turned down many interviews and remained an incredibly private author, and for this reason, I would like to probe him with questions about his life and creative process.

What did you do over Thanksgiving break? (Due Friday, December 2nd)

Your blogs will now be graded on content as well as how well your paragraph is organized!  Your response should be at least 5 sentences and should include a topic sentence, at least 3 supporting sentences, and a strong concluding sentence.  If you have 3 or more grammar or spelling mistakes, you will lose 10 points.  

Here's an example of a well-organized response:

          Over Thanksgiving break, I journeyed into the world of Harry Potter with my parents and sister. We woke up early in the morning and beat (almost) everyone to Diagon Alley, the Butter Beer, and Harry's Forbidden Journey ride.  The Butter Beer surpassed my expectations; it was sweet, creamy, and left a little white mustache on everyone's lip.  We deliberated for quite some time about which wands to buy, and I finally settled on Hermione's green-tinged, leaf-covered one.  After dueling in the alleyways, my sister and I went off to brave the other rides in the park.  On Thanksgiving day, we spent time in the hot tub before enjoying a traditional feast, ordered from the local grocery store of course!  It was an enchanting, memorable vacation, and I would recommend that any Harry Potter fan check out the park!  

Thanksgiving Break Extra Credit! (Due Sunday, November 27th)

Write a summary of a book you read over the break!  Your summary should include a description of the setting, characters, and major conflict.  Below is a great example book summary from Airman:


Airman is set in the 1890's on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. It is the story of Conor Broekhart, a young Saltee Islander whose father, Declan, is the King's bodyguard. When Conor discovers that the power hungry Marshall Hugo Bonvilain is organizing a military coup, the king is murdered and Conor is blamed for the crime and thrown into prison.

In prison, Conor passes the solitary months by scratching designs for flying machines into the walls. This has always been his dream, to win the race for flight. After two years, Conor now sixteen, plans and executes a daring escape to the mainland. Initially he plans to return home, but realizes that this would put his entire family in danger, so instead he builds a glider to fly to the prison island and reclaim the diamonds he buried there from the prison mine. Eight bags of diamonds, means eight trips.

What hero are you writing about? (Due Friday, November 11th)

In your Hero's Journey graphic story, who is your character?  What traumatic event leads to his or her quest? What is your hero's special weapon or power? Who or what is your hero's spiritual advisor?  How will your hero prove himself or herself on a quest?  What will your hero learn in the end?

Flight versus Invisibility? (Due Friday, November 4th)

Flight versus invisibility?  Whichever you pick, you'll be the only person in the world to have that particular superpower. You can't have both. Which do you choose? Why? How would you use the superpower? What would you do with it?

What Makes Someone a Hero? (Due Friday, October 28th)

Read the following statements.  In your comments, write whether you agree or disagree and WHY for each statement:

1. Courage always involves sacrifice or loss. (AGREE/ DISAGREE) 

Why or why not?

2. When a hero is born, he or she is already different from other people. (AGREE/ DISAGREE) 

Why or why not?

3. Someone can be considered a hero only if they win. (AGREE/ DISAGREE)

Why or why not?

4. If a person does something heroic but gets something out of doing it, like a reward, then she or he is not a hero. (AGREE/ DISAGREE)

Why or why not?