Many of you have a lot of catching up to do. Please complete and hand in any missing work you may have.
All caught up? Work on your essay for Creative Grammar and Style.
Please do not use this time to play games, watch videos, etc.
If you need something to do, ASK ME!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Welcome back!
Your Bean Trees essays are due at the end of the week. If you lost the assignment here it is:
Your Bean Trees essays are due at the end of the week. If you lost the assignment here it is:
Required Post Reading Activity: Essay
Prompt: This novel has asked you to rethink your definition of “family” and “parenthood.” The four main characters—Taylor, Mattie, Estevan, and Esperanza—take on untraditional roles as “parents.” Use quotations to support how each character has shown his/her commitment as a non-traditional “parent.”
Paragraph #1: Introduction
Focus of essay using information from the prompt
Name of book and author
Paragraph #2: Taylor
Explain how this character takes on the role of an untraditional “parent”
Quote that exemplifies this character’s role as a “parent.”
Analysis: How does this character show commitment to the role of “parent”?
Paragraph #3: Mattie
Explain how this character takes on the role of a non-traditional “parent”
Quote that exemplifies this character’s role as a “parent.”
Analysis: How does this character show commitment to the role of “parent”?
Paragraph #4: Estevan and Esperanza
Explain how these characters take on the roles of non-traditional “parents”
Quote that exemplifies the characters’ role as “parents.”
Analysis: How do these characters show commitment to the role of “parents”?
Paragraph #5: Conclusion
Provide your final interpretation on how well you think the characters lived up to their role as “parents.”
Do not use the pronoun “I”
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
- Please finish your character poem and hand it in by the end of class.
- If you did not turn in your 25 study guide questions, they are past due.
- Over the break please finish reading The Bean Trees and complete the packet (except for the essay.)
- If you have not finished reading Spoon River please do that over break as well.
Enjoy the holiday!
Monday, November 21, 2011
If you have not answered and turned in all 25 of your study guide questions for The Bean Trees please finish them and hand them in today.
If you are done with that, continue reading the novel and working on your packet.
You should complete the novel and the packet over the break. This excludes the essay portion of the packet.
If you are done with that, continue reading the novel and working on your packet.
You should complete the novel and the packet over the break. This excludes the essay portion of the packet.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Did you know the marking period is over in 8 days?
That is 4 days per class!
Please use today to catch up on your missing work. Many of you owe quite a bit of work.
Caught up on all assignments?
Please be productive today. Time is a gift. Don't waste it.
That is 4 days per class!
Please use today to catch up on your missing work. Many of you owe quite a bit of work.
Caught up on all assignments?
- Make sure your notebooks are in order as well.
- Don't forget that your participation grade is also a factor. Have you earned all of your participation points this marking period? Think tardies, skipping, cell phones, behavior, etc.
- The best way to improve that grade is to do extra credit work. Write anything that interests you! Are you a fantasy writer? Do you love suspense? Create a piece of writing that you love and hand it in!
Please be productive today. Time is a gift. Don't waste it.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
- Please type up your Spoon River performance poem.
- You should have signed up for this with Mrs. Moynihan while I was out.
- If you haven't chosen your piece please let me know.
- Once you have typed your piece, print it out and mark it up for performance.
- Please mark up the poem carefully just as you did for your coffee house reading.
- We will perform these poems in class for a major grade.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Good Morning!
As you can see I am not here today and I won't be for the next couple of classes. Therefore, I am leaving all of your work for the next few classes in one post. Remember to stay on task and get each assignment done on the assigned day.
Deadlines: Your character profile is due at the end of class on Monday, November 14th
Read through chapter 4 of The Bean Trees and answer questions 1-15 by Tuesday, November 15th .
Wednesday, November 9th (Performance Word and Text)
In class today, I want you to create a fictional character. We will be using this character for a future assignment, which will be connected to the Spoon River unit. Please read the following article and complete a character profile for your character. This assignment is due at the end of class on Monday, November 14th!
How to Create a Character Profile
One of the most important elements in a novel or short story is characterization: making the characters seem vivid, real, alive. One technique that many writers use with success is to create a character profile for the main characters in the novel. The purpose of a character profile is twofold: to assist the writer in creating a character that is as lifelike as possible and to help with continuity issues in the story. In interviews many famous authors have stated that they came up with the basics of a character's personality and then they found that the character just "came alive" for them and ended up driving the story all on his own. But for the beginning writer, sometimes a more concrete approach is helpful. That is where the character profile comes in -- it is simply a tool for organizing your thoughts about a certain character and keeping track of a particular character's idiosyncrasies and relationships. It can help flesh out a cardboard character and even make you think about facets of his or her personality that you had not considered before. Character profiles are especially helpful for novels which involve several main characters and for stories which use multiple points of view.
Character profiles are useful when writing in any genres. Depending on the genre in which you write, you will create additional sections on the Character Profile Worksheet. For example, fantasy writers can use the character profiles to keep track of factors such as magical abilities, family lineage, spells the character is under, and limitations on the character's power to ensure continuity in the action. For literary and mainstream novels, profiles are especially useful for keeping in mind motivations of the character -- hurts and disappointments in the past which may not be alluded to directly in the dialogue, but which nevertheless color everything the character thinks and feels. For example, someone who was abused as a child will most likely react differently in certain situations than someone who had a happy, loving childhood.
A Character Profile is also of great help during the rewrite stage of your novel. You can use the profile to ensure continuity in the character's actions. For example, if in draft 1 your heroine is just recovering from a nasty divorce and in draft 2 you've decided to make her a happily married mother of three, you will know to check every scene with dialogue about her marital status as well as scenes where the (now non-existent) ex-husband is mentioned. If you change an attribute of your character, be sure to update your Character Profile Worksheet right away. Obviously, a character can develop over the course of the novel. The Worksheet provides a place for you to note that fact so that when you read over your final draft you can see if you achieved your particular character development goal for that character.
A Character Profile is just meant to be a guide where you can list facts and details to help you get to know your characters, especially if you get stuck on one character who doesn't quite seem real. Maybe he needs a new characteristic -- a hidden trauma, a fabulous skill or a deadly secret -- something that will make the character come alive for you. How detailed you want your character worksheets to be just depends on what works best for you. So, next time you're stuck on characterization, pull out the Character Profile Worksheet and get to know someone new.
Character Profile Worksheet
Basic Statistics
Name:
Age:
Nationality:
Socioeconomic Level as a child:
Socioeconomic Level as an adult:
Hometown:
Current Residence:
Occupation:
Income:
Talents/Skills:
Salary:
Birth order:
Siblings (describe relationship):
Spouse (describe relationship):
Children (describe relationship):
Grandparents (describe relationship):
Grandchildren (describe relationship):
Significant Others (describe relationship):
Relationship skills:
Physical Characteristics:
Height:
Weight:
Race:
Eye Color:
Hair Color:
Glasses or contact lenses?
Skin color:
Shape of Face:
Distinguishing features:
How does he/she dress?
Mannerisms:
Habits: (smoking, drinking etc.)
Health:
Hobbies:
Favorite Sayings:
Speech patterns:
Disabilities:
Style (Elegant, shabby etc.):
Greatest flaw:
Best quality:
Intellectual/Mental/Personality Attributes and Attitudes
Educational Background:
Intelligence Level:
Any Mental Illnesses?
Learning Experiences:
Character's short-term goals in life:
Character's long-term goals in life:
How does Character see himself/herself?
How does Character believe he/she is perceived by others?
How self-confident is the character?
Does the character seem ruled by emotion or logic or some combination thereof?
What would most embarass this character?
Emotional Characteristics
Strengths/Weaknesses:
Introvert or Extrovert?
How does the character deal with anger?
With sadness?
With conflict?
With change?
With loss?
What does the character want out of life?
What would the character like to change in his/her life?
What motivates this character?
What frightens this character?
What makes this character happy?
Is the character judgmental of others?
Is the character generous or stingy?
Is the character generally polite or rude?
Spiritual Characteristics
Does the character believe in God?
What are the character's spiritual beliefs?
Is religion or spirituality a part of this character's life?
If so, what role does it play?
Additional Notes on This Character:
Thursday, November 10th (Creative Grammar and Style)
If you haven't done so already, please begin reading Kingsolver's The Bean Trees and begin answering the following questions:
*If you finish early, get a head start on the upcoming questions.
As you can see I am not here today and I won't be for the next couple of classes. Therefore, I am leaving all of your work for the next few classes in one post. Remember to stay on task and get each assignment done on the assigned day.
Deadlines: Your character profile is due at the end of class on Monday, November 14th
Read through chapter 4 of The Bean Trees and answer questions 1-15 by Tuesday, November 15th .
Wednesday, November 9th (Performance Word and Text)
In class today, I want you to create a fictional character. We will be using this character for a future assignment, which will be connected to the Spoon River unit. Please read the following article and complete a character profile for your character. This assignment is due at the end of class on Monday, November 14th!
How to Create a Character Profile
One of the most important elements in a novel or short story is characterization: making the characters seem vivid, real, alive. One technique that many writers use with success is to create a character profile for the main characters in the novel. The purpose of a character profile is twofold: to assist the writer in creating a character that is as lifelike as possible and to help with continuity issues in the story. In interviews many famous authors have stated that they came up with the basics of a character's personality and then they found that the character just "came alive" for them and ended up driving the story all on his own. But for the beginning writer, sometimes a more concrete approach is helpful. That is where the character profile comes in -- it is simply a tool for organizing your thoughts about a certain character and keeping track of a particular character's idiosyncrasies and relationships. It can help flesh out a cardboard character and even make you think about facets of his or her personality that you had not considered before. Character profiles are especially helpful for novels which involve several main characters and for stories which use multiple points of view.
A Character Profile is also of great help during the rewrite stage of your novel. You can use the profile to ensure continuity in the character's actions. For example, if in draft 1 your heroine is just recovering from a nasty divorce and in draft 2 you've decided to make her a happily married mother of three, you will know to check every scene with dialogue about her marital status as well as scenes where the (now non-existent) ex-husband is mentioned. If you change an attribute of your character, be sure to update your Character Profile Worksheet right away. Obviously, a character can develop over the course of the novel. The Worksheet provides a place for you to note that fact so that when you read over your final draft you can see if you achieved your particular character development goal for that character.
A Character Profile is just meant to be a guide where you can list facts and details to help you get to know your characters, especially if you get stuck on one character who doesn't quite seem real. Maybe he needs a new characteristic -- a hidden trauma, a fabulous skill or a deadly secret -- something that will make the character come alive for you. How detailed you want your character worksheets to be just depends on what works best for you. So, next time you're stuck on characterization, pull out the Character Profile Worksheet and get to know someone new.
Basic Statistics
Name:
Age:
Nationality:
Socioeconomic Level as a child:
Socioeconomic Level as an adult:
Hometown:
Current Residence:
Occupation:
Income:
Talents/Skills:
Salary:
Birth order:
Siblings (describe relationship):
Spouse (describe relationship):
Children (describe relationship):
Grandparents (describe relationship):
Grandchildren (describe relationship):
Significant Others (describe relationship):
Relationship skills:
Physical Characteristics:
Height:
Weight:
Race:
Eye Color:
Hair Color:
Glasses or contact lenses?
Skin color:
Shape of Face:
Distinguishing features:
How does he/she dress?
Mannerisms:
Habits: (smoking, drinking etc.)
Health:
Hobbies:
Favorite Sayings:
Speech patterns:
Disabilities:
Style (Elegant, shabby etc.):
Greatest flaw:
Best quality:
Intellectual/Mental/Personality Attributes and Attitudes
Educational Background:
Intelligence Level:
Any Mental Illnesses?
Learning Experiences:
Character's short-term goals in life:
Character's long-term goals in life:
How does Character see himself/herself?
How does Character believe he/she is perceived by others?
How self-confident is the character?
Does the character seem ruled by emotion or logic or some combination thereof?
What would most embarass this character?
Emotional Characteristics
Strengths/Weaknesses:
Introvert or Extrovert?
How does the character deal with anger?
With sadness?
With conflict?
With change?
With loss?
What does the character want out of life?
What would the character like to change in his/her life?
What motivates this character?
What frightens this character?
What makes this character happy?
Is the character judgmental of others?
Is the character generous or stingy?
Is the character generally polite or rude?
Spiritual Characteristics
Does the character believe in God?
What are the character's spiritual beliefs?
Is religion or spirituality a part of this character's life?
If so, what role does it play?
Additional Notes on This Character:
Thursday, November 10th (Creative Grammar and Style)
If you haven't done so already, please begin reading Kingsolver's The Bean Trees and begin answering the following questions:
The Bean Trees Study Guide Questions
1. Describe the "voice" or tone of the narrator.
2. How does Alice Greer compare to/contrast with Mr. Hardbine or Mr. Shanks in terms of parenting skills?
3. Why does Taylor leave Kentucky?
4. Describe Taylor’s reaction to the Cherokee Nation.
5. What is a "home"? How does Taylor’s definition of "home" change in Chapter One? (Think in terms of the comment she made in the letter to her mother about taking her "head rights" with her.)
6. How are women (or girls) treated in Chapter One?
7. Describe the shift in narration in Chapter Two. Who is telling the story now?
8. Why is it relevant that Lou Ann came from Kentucky?
9. How is Lou Ann different from Taylor?
10. Describe Angel.
11. How did Taylor react to Arizona? What made her decide to stay there?
12. Why does Taylor find "Jesus Is Lord Used Tires" and "1-800-THE-LORD" so humorous?
13. Compare/contrast Mattie’s garden to the Garden of Eden.
14. What is Lou Ann’s conflict in Chapter Four? How does she resolve it? What does this say about her character?
15. What does Chapter Four say about the bonds between women?
16. What does the Tug Fork water symbolize?
17. Describe Fei, La-Isha, and Timothy. How are they different from Lou Ann? Why does Taylor choose to live with Lou Ann instead of the others?
18. What does the description of Mattie’s garden in Chapter Six suggest?
19. Describe the attitude toward men on the part of the characters and author in Chapter Six.
20. How is Estevan different from the other male characters we’ve seen?
21. What does Mattie do for people like Estevan and Esperanza? What clues earlier in the story hinted at her activities?
22. What does the "Miracle of Dog Doo Park" refer to?
23. What does Taylor learn about Estevan and Esperanza’s past? How does this affect Taylor?
24. How does Taylor feel about Estevan?
25. How does Lou Ann demonstrate more confidence in herself in Chapters Ten and Eleven?
Deadlines:
Read through chapter 4 of The Bean Trees and answer questions 1-15 by Tuesday, November 15th .
You must have read through Chapter 4 and answered questions 1-15 by next Tuesday, November 15th. Deadlines:
Read through chapter 4 of The Bean Trees and answer questions 1-15 by Tuesday, November 15th .
*If you finish early, get a head start on the upcoming questions.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Good Morning!
Please use your time in the lab today to complete your grammar packet and your short story. They are both due at the end of class today!
If you are finished with both of your assignments please catch up on any missing work. The end of the marking period will be here before you know it.
Still looking for something to do? See me!
Please use your time in the lab today to complete your grammar packet and your short story. They are both due at the end of class today!
If you are finished with both of your assignments please catch up on any missing work. The end of the marking period will be here before you know it.
Still looking for something to do? See me!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Coffee House Response!
Congratulations, Freshmen!
You have successfully completed a public performance. I hope you enjoyed the coffee house and will participate in future ones.
Part of our goal this year is for you to get to know your strengths and weaknesses by completing a myriad of assignments, projects, and performances. Self reflection is an important component to learning. As such, please write a comment on:
How you felt you did last night as a performance. If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently? What did you learn about public speaking by performing your writing last night? What surprised you about the performance? Who's performance did you particularly enjoy? Did you notice anything different between the Freshman performances and the other Creative Writing performances? What did your parents say or think about the performance?
You have successfully completed a public performance. I hope you enjoyed the coffee house and will participate in future ones.
Part of our goal this year is for you to get to know your strengths and weaknesses by completing a myriad of assignments, projects, and performances. Self reflection is an important component to learning. As such, please write a comment on:
How you felt you did last night as a performance. If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently? What did you learn about public speaking by performing your writing last night? What surprised you about the performance? Who's performance did you particularly enjoy? Did you notice anything different between the Freshman performances and the other Creative Writing performances? What did your parents say or think about the performance?
Congratulations again!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Please write a creative short story today. It should be 2-4 pages double spaced.
The purpose of this assignment is to write creatively while focusing on the grammar we have been learning in class.
When you are done writing please choose two things you would like me or a peer editor to focus on while reviewing your story. The first thing should be about the structure of the story (i.e. character development, setting, etc.) The second thing should be focused on grammar (i.e. comma usage, tense, etc.)
This is due on Monday, 11/7/11
The purpose of this assignment is to write creatively while focusing on the grammar we have been learning in class.
When you are done writing please choose two things you would like me or a peer editor to focus on while reviewing your story. The first thing should be about the structure of the story (i.e. character development, setting, etc.) The second thing should be focused on grammar (i.e. comma usage, tense, etc.)
This is due on Monday, 11/7/11
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Your mini projects for The First Part Last are due at the end of class today.
If you finish early please catch up on any missing work you owe. You are also welcome to make improvements to your coffeehouse piece.
Still looking for something to do? Go to http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ and explore. If you have headphones you can also watch videos done by Grammar Girl. She is an excellent resource and makes grammar accessible to all!
If you finish early please catch up on any missing work you owe. You are also welcome to make improvements to your coffeehouse piece.
Still looking for something to do? Go to http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ and explore. If you have headphones you can also watch videos done by Grammar Girl. She is an excellent resource and makes grammar accessible to all!
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