CURRENT UNIT: Reading and Writing Poetry

 

Click here: HANDOUT with READING QUESTIONS 

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Thu and Fri, May 26-27

 

DUE: A start on your descriptive writing

HMWK: Elaborate and complete the descriptive writing, bring a type-written copy on Tuesday

FOCUS: Writing with descriptive flair

 

Warmup: Below are three "normal" yet dry examples of student writing. As a prep for today's work, take each sentences, and expand it into three, four, or even five sentences to demonstrate descriptive writing that shows rather than tells. For ideas, look for opportunities to elaborate such as: How dark was the night? How hard was the rain? What did the rain sound like?

1. It was a dark night filled with rain and wind 
2. As I entered the candy shop I saw all different kinds of candy 
3. After the team warmed up in sweats, we all removed our warm-6ups and headed for the freshly-mown field 

 

Ideas and writing shared, then work time on the actual prompt.

 

Wed, May 25

 

DUE: Tom Swifties! (see yesterday)

HMWK: WRITE!

FOCUS: Descriptive writing, showing vs. telling

 

 Show vs. Tell

Show

Tell

Assemble a believable scene with the use of imagery, simile, and metaphor. Embellish and elaborate on details. ·         It was 9 on Tuesday. The highway had seen the end of rush hour, and now the only people driving were those who had worked late and stopped for a quick bite at the take-out window. Jan had to travel northbound to reach home, and she always took the highway to avoid the lights. She hated lights like cats hate a bath.

Factual, like a report or newspaper article. No “life” to the writing; it’s dry. ·         At approximately 9pm yesterday evening, a blue Dodge, traveling Northbound on I-5, crossed the median and struck two other vehicles, leaving three seriously wounded and one dead.

 

Tom Swifties – Period 6

• ·         “Ah! You stabbed me!” she said in a piercing voice.
• ·         “Don’t touch the detonator!” he exploded.
• ·         “I brought you cake,” Kelsey said sweetly.
• ·         “I work at a bank,” said Tom tellingly.
• ·         “Don’t worry. We’ll pay for damages from the wreck,” the women assured.
• ·         “Why won’t you stop smoking?” she asked bluntly.
• ·         “Ouch! My pencil is pointy. And why did I poke myself in the eye?” he asked sharply.
• ·         “I need sharpen my pencil,” he said dully/bluntly.
• ·         “Stay away from the lion cage,” the zookeeper roared.
• ·         “Stop jumping around like a cat,” she hissed at the children.
• ·         “We’ll never make it at this rate,” he said slowly.
• ·         “Don’t touch those knives,” he said sharply.
• ·         “It would be much easier to eat w/ a fork,” she pointed out.
• ·         “There’s going to be a storm later,” he thundered.
• ·         Adrian
• ·         “My favorite color is yellow,” she yelled.
• ·         She took the phone and said mournfully, “I’m at the cemetery now.”
• ·         “Pass the chapstick,” he said smoothly.
• ·         “My arm hurts,” she said painfully.
• ·         “I’m Dr. Valentine,” he said lovingly.
• ·         “Let’s jump out now!” he said airily.
• ·         “Finally, the sun is here,” she said brightly.
• ·         “Get away from my dog,” she barked.
• ·         “Hand me the cotton,” she said softly.
• ·         “Is there fish in this lake?” he pondered.
• ·         “Eat that cinnamon,” he said warmly.
• ·         “Have your sandwich with peppers,” he commanded hotly.
• ·         “Look at that hairless cat!” yelled Mr. Rice. (I don’t get it.)

Tom Swifties – Period 3

• ·         “Milk the cow,” he uttered.
• ·         “Thank goodness the power didn’t go out,” he said, enlightened.
• ·         “I didn’t make the soccer team,” she bawled.
• ·         “I’m the lion!” he roared childishly.
• ·         “I want to be a doctor,” said Aidan helpfully.
• ·         “I like pigs,” he snorted.
• ·         “I absolutely love this fruit,” she sighed passionately.
• ·         “Do you like this sponge, Bob?” Patrick asked.
• ·         “Who let the cows loose,” he prodded.
• ·         “I let the hogs run loose again,” she snorted.
• ·         “My pet goose died,” he honked into a tissue.
• ·         “He has a knife!” she screamed sharply.
• ·         “Why did you have to throw a snowball at me?” he asked icily.
• ·         “You’re tall,” he said shortly.
• ·         “I need a pencil sharpener,” he said bluntly.
• ·         “Oops, there goes my hat,” Tom said off the top of his head.
• ·         “I’m going incognito,” he mentioned secretively.
• ·         “We’re going to the dog park,” she barked.
• ·         “Keep the beat,” he said rhythmically.
• ·         “Eeew! This is semi-sweet chocolate,” Sam said bitterly.
• ·         “Antarctica is my home continent,” replied the isolated kid.
• ·         “Get out of that tree!” he barked.
• ·         “Why is it so dark outside?” he asked gloomily.
• ·         “There was something fishy about how he asked us to go for a swim,” said Finn.
• ·         “You are a fool,” I snickered with pity.
• ·         “What a good Christmas!” the girl exclaimed merrily.
• ·         “Have you ever had plastic surgery?” he asked nosily.
• ·         “Looks like that liposuction really worked for you,” she stated fatuously.

Tom Swifties – Period 2

• ·         “The weather sure is nice,” the woman yelled brightly.
• ·         “Give me the vinegar,” he said acidly.
• ·         “I want the seafood,” the man said selfishly.
• ·         “I love mushrooms,” Mario piped in.
• ·         “I touched the power line,” he shouted shockingly.
• ·         “Those are some nice diamonds,” he said shiningly.
• ·         “I can’t get this lemon out of my mouth,” he said sourly.
• ·         “Look at the sun,” he stated brightly.
• ·         “What an amazing ocean,” he indicated vastly.
• ·         “Don’t burn the bacon,” Daniel replied crisply.
• ·         “I have plumbing to do,” Tom piped up.
• ·         “I presented my case to the judge,” Chris said briefly.
• ·         “I would fight you, but it’s 100 degrees,” the boxer said heatedly.
• ·         “Foul!” called the smelly referee.
• ·         “My head is so shiny,” Mr. Rice said gleamingly. (What? How does someone speak “gleamingly?”)
• ·         “Don’t eat that lemon,” she scolded sourly.
• ·         “We are having fish for dinner,” the mother said coyly. (“koi” are the spotted orange and black carp in Japanese ponds.)
• ·         “I think I’ll use a different font,” said Tom boldly.
• ·         “Look at the sun, my son,” the father said brightly.
• ·         “Why are you running?” he asked quickly.
• ·         “It’s only average,” he said meanly.
• ·         “Stay away from the wolves,” she howled.
• ·         “I haven’t developed my photos yet,” Wyatt said negatively.
• ·         “Where’s the bathroom?” asked Taylan swiftly. (Okay, let’s all think of the word “chamber” as in a room. Or chamber-pot. Perhaps we can get sweet revenge on Ian’s “Swift” joke?)
• ·         “Are you mad?” he screamed crazily.
• ·         “Don’t slip on the ice,” she reminded frostily.
• ·         “Let’s go horse riding,” he said on the spur-of-the-moment.
• ·         “Please don’t,” begged Ian as they threw him in the chamber.
• ·         “Let’s go take a ride in my Mustang,” he said to his chaps.
• ·         “Put the water in the pot,” Chambers commanded.

 

Mon, May 23

 

DUE: n/a

HMWK: Come up with THREE good ones! At least TWO have to use ADVERBS; the non-adverb samples MUST NOT use “said”

• Usually end in –ly
• Function: to describe the verb more vividly

FOCUS: Playing with dialog and language

 

“Tom Swifties” = playing with words (and adverbs especially) and reviewing correct punctuation with quotes.

 

Goal: Write single lines of dialogue in which what the person says is matched by how the person says it. Examples:

 

Samples

Punct rules

“Pass the sugar, please,” she asked sweetly. “Keep away from that dog!” he barked. “I think we shall have to perform bypass surgery,” said the doctor heartily. “My mom doesn’t want any,” she explained, “because she is allergic to peanuts.” In response to his offer, she snickered, “Sure I’d like a candy bar.” “I live in Washington,” Chris stated.   Adverbs “add something” to a verb just like adjectives “add something” to nouns

Punct when using dialog happens INSIDE the quote marks First word outside dialog quotes is NOT capitalized First word INSIDE quotes IS capitalized

 

 

 

Mon, May 16

 

DUE: n/a

HMWK: Select a poem for performance

FOCUS: Qualities of reading poetry out loud

 

Viewing of many students reading poetry out loud, and discussion of the qualities of good performance

 

Qualities of good performance:

• RATE: Speak slowly so the audience can get what you’re saying (but speed up, slow down when appropriate)
• Volume = everyone can hear you
• Facial expressions that match the topic of the poem
• Alteration of tone of voice to match topic of the poem
• Enunciate so all sounds are heard clearly
• Hand gestures appropriate to topic of poem
• Select a poem you can relate to on some level (you can feel it)
• Purposeful pauses to provide emphasis to words and phrases
• Body posture
• Look professional – dress up!

 

Fri, May 13

 

DUE: Both original poems, with author comments (per lesson below)

HMWK: n/a

FOCUS: Self-evaluation of poetry; theme; tone

 

Students provide feedback for each poem, answering the following:

• Poem's subject/topic
• Poem's speaker, and clues in the poem to give away the speaker's identity
• Poem's theme
• Poem's tone
• Self-evaluation, on a scale of one to five, of the degree to which author met the assignment requirements
• Self-evaluation, on a scale of one to five, of the author's level of pride in the work
• Statement of the grade anticipated on the assignment 

 

 

Thu, May 12

 

DUE: Draft work on poetry assignment 2

HMWK: More work on poetry assignment 2 - finish it!

FOCUS: How to tackle writer's block

 

A step-by-step procedure for how to overcome writer's block is presented with a "real" idea for poetry assignment 2. Students provide input and a poem starts to take shape.

 

Work time

 

Wed, May 11

 

DUE: All responses to poems from the textbook

HMWK: Finalize poetry assignment 2

FOCUS: Portfolio scoring, reading and evaluating poetry

 

Using the poetry scoring guide/self-evaluation, we will determine a homework/classwork grade for the unit

 

Poetry assignment #2 will be started in class - HOMEWORK IS TO FINISH THE POEM!!

 

Tue, May 10

 

DUE: n/a (late poem submissions)

HMWK: Organize and revise responses to the poems in class

FOCUS: Poetry review

 

Today we organize and review all prompts to the poems read in the textbook

Tomorrow we score the responses

 

Mon, May 9

 

DUE: Original poem, typed final-draft

HOMEWORK: n/a

FOCUS: Metaphor

 

Discussion of both "Theme for English B" and "The Writer"

 

Class Notes:

Pg 466 – “Active Reading”

	Details About Writing and the Writing Process
Theme for English “B”	·         If it “comes out of you” then it will be true (2-5) ·         Difficult process – hard to know what “truth” is for each person (16-17) ·         Writing is about having a conversation w/ your surroundings (18-20); Your surroundings affect your writing ·         Will my writing reflect my ethnicity? (Yes – I can’t help what I am) (27) ·         Our writing and who we are is affected by others around us (29-33)
The Writer   What does all this tell you about the writing process (answer in one sentence).   The writing process … ·         Can be time-consuming and difficult ·         Needs constant new ideas in order to function ·         Might be painful ·         Is dependent on the memories and experiences you’ve had ·         Can be easy or difficult depending on your past ·         Can be like a mystery – you never know what’s going to happen next

• ·         Writing is like taking a journey by ship (“prow of the house” – “chain hauled over the gunwale” – “great cargo” – “lucky passage”)
• ·         Your memories are your “cargo” – can be “heavy” or “light” depending on experience 8
• ·         Writing happens in fits and starts (goes fast, then stops, goes fast again) 14-15
• ·         Thoughts are like a trapped bird – can’t find their way out! They smack up against windows and finally take flight!
• ·         Writing has failure and more failure, THEN it “escapes” for flight 27-30
• ·         Writing can HURT! 22-25
• ·         Writing is a journey! 31-33

#2. “Theme for English B” – 22-year-old male college student at Columbia U. The only “colored” student in class. Born in the Carolinas. Speaker is the poet in a sense – autobiographical poem. Not comfortable w/ the assignment he’s been given. He doesn’t know if the writing will say “Look, I’m a Black student” or not – he wants to be seen as a STUDENT. Socially different from others in class – certainly! He’s not sure if his writing WILL be “true” for what he feels.

 

Daughter’s challenges – starting/stopping writing – can’t keep going. He discusses how his daughter is having trouble writing. “Heavy cargo” – your past can influence your writing. Can’t get ideas out – it’s hard to reveal your thoughts.

 

#3. The father of the daughter who is typing speaks. What challenges does he discuss? She’s struggling to write a paper – the challenge of writing. It can be difficult to get your thoughts out on paper – like the bird that couldn’t escape. Challenge = the “heavy” cargo of her past experiences.

 

#4. A metaphor is a comparison betw two things that at first appear to have little or nothing in common. HOWEVER, non-literally (figuratively) they DO have things in common. Compares smth to a starling being stuck inside a room looking for a way out through an open window. The girl has thoughts stuck inside – it’s sporadic. Her thoughts are stuck and she tries release them. Writing is like going on a voyage – your thoughts and experiences are like the cargo.

 

English B	Writer
Creative struggle: ·         Finding “truth” ·         Can be a struggle, but can help you find yourself/discover who you are	Creative struggle: ·         Diff to come up w/ ideas ·         Stuck not knowing what to write
Combine the ideas from both poems to make a conclusion about the nature of writing: Writing is a difficult journey that can bring pain.

 

Fri, May 6

 

DUE: Draft of poetry writing assignment one 

HOMEWORK: Finalize poem, do questions for "Theme for English B" and "The Writer"

FOCUS: Poetry composition, poetry analysis, metaphor

 

WORK DAY

 

Touch-base w/ Mr. Rice on original poem

 

Thu, May 5

 

DUE: Reponses to "My Papa's Waltz" and "Grape Sherbet"

HMWK: Draft of poetry assignment one

FOCUS: Imagery

 

Discussion of "My Papa's Waltz" and "Grape Sherbet" - focus on reading questions and imagery in both poems

 

Wed, May 4

 

DUE: n/a

HMWK: n/a

FOCUS: Reading poetry, imagery

 

Reading of "My Papa's Waltz" and "Grape Sherbet"

Overview of imagery

 

Tue, May 3

 

DUE: n/a

HMWK: n/a

FOCUS: QUIZ

 

Quiz day on first half of poetry unit - and test correction

 

Mon, May 2

 

DUE TODAY: Prompts for "Lineage" and "The Courage My Mother Had"

HOMEWORK: Study for a quiz, which will cover ...

• All poems we have had so far
• All poetic vocab

FOCUS: Alliteration, assonance, repetition

 

Discussion about the poems "Lineage" and "The Courage ..."

 

Check of hmwk questions 

 

Fri, Apr 29

 

DUE TODAY: #4,5 reading Qs for "Song of the Open Road" and "The road not taken"

HOMEWORK: Read and answer prompts for "Lineage" and "The Courage My Mother Had" 

FOCUS: Paraphrase, alliteration, assonance

 

Check of homework:

• Paraphrase = reminder: paraphrase is in your own words, but about the same length as the original. In poetry, we want our parphrases to sound like normal speech, not poetic language.

 

Preview of "Lineage" w/ alliteration and assonance added to the vocab list for poetry

 

Hmwk: Reading prompts for "Lineage" and "The Courage My Mother Had" in poetry handout

 

Thu, Apr 28

 

DUE TODAY: Reponses to "Hanging Fire" and "Song of Open Road" (by end of period)

HOMEWORK: Complete questions 4 and 5 in the poetry handout for "Song of Open Road" and "The Road Not Taken"

FOCUS: Rhyme scheme, theme, paraphrase; discussion of "Song of the Open Road" and "The Road Not Taken"

 

Rhyme scheme: A pattern of similar sounds at the end of words

 

Discussion:

• The speaker in "Song of the Open Road" - who he is, what his life has been like, what his future holds, etc.
• Theme in "Song of the Open Road"
• Rhyme scheme in "The Road Not Taken"

 

Hmwk:

4.      Paraphrase one of the poems by re-writing it in straightforward, modern English.

5.      What are the differences in the choices of the speakers?

 

Wed, Apr 27

 

DUE TODAY: Continue working on the questions for the assigned  poems  (see poetry handout)

HOMEWORK: n/a

FOCUS: Tone, free verse, imagery; "Young" and "Hanging Fire"

 

Discussion of "Hanging Fire"

• Who is the speaker? How do you know?
• What are the speaker's worries? List them
• As an outsider/observer, do you see problems in this speaker's life? 
• What is the tone of this poem? How about "Young"? 

 

Tue, Apr 26

 

DUE TODAY: By end of period, responses to "Young" and "Beware ..."

HOMEWORK: n/a

FOCUS: Imagery, poetic form, free verse

 

Copied onto a new, separate piece of paper the poetry vocab from the poetry handout

Looked up definitions for

• poetic form
• free verse
• imagery

Investigated how "Beware..." poem was an example of free verse

 

Read the poem "Young" and discussed the questions, especially the imagery in the poem. Questions are on the poetry handout 

 

Mon, Apr 25

 

DUE TODAY: n/a

HOMEWORK: n/a

FOCUS: Intro to poetry

 

Copied the titles of all poems in Unit Two onto a piece of paper as a checklist - nine total

 

A focus on "Beware: Do Not Read This Poem" on pg 846 along with the concept of poetic form

 

“Beware: Do Not Read This Poem”

1.      The title is a kind of warning, but what does it make you curious about and want to do?

2.      Locate examples of unusual and unconventional spelling, punctuation, and language

3.      Students often say that poetry is “stuffy” and “formal.” How is the style of writing in this poem closer to how you might write a note or text a friend?

4.      How does the poem’s suggestion that you “not resist this poem” relate to the poem’s theme?