Independent Reading and Poetry journals

Journal #1:

Consider the questions the author is asking in the independent book you are reading and what you think about those questions. Most of these big questions are at the center of the character's struggle and journey and when we step back, we often understand more. Don't spend too much time on summary. 1-2 sentences at the beginning will suffice.

Note: I have sent an exemplar for this question to each student in Google docs. 

Journal #2:
Brainstorm at least five ideas about potential topics. They could be anything, but think about a variety of things which you feel strongly about. These could be likes, dislikes, passions, loves, heartbreaks.

Based on the poem "Remember How We Forgot?" consider the following questions:

What have you forgotten about the person you used to be?  What memories show that person? What do you wish we as a society would remember more? What do we seem to have forgotten? 

You can take one of these questions or weave in all three. Try to use at least some specific detail or language every three lines. 

Journal #3:
For these journals, I want you to draft a poem. If you have an idea from journal #2 you want to try out, go for it. Below is a suggested prompt. 
Write a poem to an old flame. To make sure it doesn't get sappy, use one of the following words: dung beetle, politician, nuclear, exoskeleton, oceanography, pompador, toilet.

If you would like to add some poetic moves, try to write this poem in couplets.  

Journal #4: 
Turn on the radio (or your ipod) to any channel. Write a poem inspired by the first thing you hear (lyrics to a song, commercial, etc.) 

Journal #5:
Look at the poem you constructed and compare it to the original (either "Faith" or "Hanging Fire"). Then write an analytical paragraph in which you compare your choices with the poet. Here are some questions to consider:
What was your poem title? Why did you choose it? How does it compare to the original? Why might the poet have chosen this title?
How do your line and stanza breaks compare with the original poem? Talk about some of your decisions and compare it to the original poem. Be specific.
How do the endings compare? Which poem is more effective? Why? 

Journal #6 
Write a sonnet, villanelle or sestina. See rules on blog for 4/14 post. 

Homework for week of 3/24

Monday and Tuesday: Revise your final draft for your biography. Due on date assigned from last week, either tomorrow, 3/25 or block day, 3/26 or 3/27.
Throughout the week: You should read your independent book, as we have done all this quarter. You are expected to read two hours. We'll check in on Monday.
Block day: Begin to memorize your poem. Recitations will happen next week, 4/2 or 4/3.
Friday: Read and memorize poem.

Homework for week of 3/17

Biography paper:
I am working on getting feedback to you. So far, I see a lot of good drafts, but not final papers. Most of you will have to spend a significant amount of time on your revisions. This is what the writing process looks like in real life: 3-5 drafts, at least. As soon as you get feedback, begin your revisions and see me with questions. On this Friday, March 21, I'll expect that you will have made some revisions and we'll spend some time with your peers looking over those changes.

• Please look at the rubric again to review the criteria: Biography rubric
• Also, see sample MLA paper (on top of blog) or Purdue OWL for MLA questions.

Revised and final draft of the biography will be due one week from when you receive feedback. Please note your due date given out in class. You will be held to that deadline.

Reading:
You will be expected to read two hours per week again, beginning today. We'll have a bit of time in class, but you should monitor that work and plan accordingly.

Homework for week of March 10

Biography Draft due on Block Day!
We are finishing up the draft of the biography this week. As some students noted in class today, the word count seems to be a bit off in terms of page numbers. So, your paper should be 12-15 pages in Times New Roman 12 pt. font. This means that your word count might be less than 4,800 words. It might be closer to 4,000. Follow page count to guide you here. The most important thing is to have an arc to a story and have these questions in mind which were on the board last week:

Do you have….

1.     Several examples of description/anecdotes?

2.     An example or insight or reflection in every paragraph?

3.     A snippet of dialogue or facts in every paragraph?

4.     Good pacing? Use of transitional devices?

5.     A question which is complex and open-ended?

6.     Proper MLA citations?

7.     A focus for each section/each paragraph?

Revision: I'll look at five pages of your draft and provide comments. You'll then have one week to implement those revisions and any others you see fit. Ideally, I'll have the drafts back to you by Monday, 3/17.

Independent Reading returns!

Please bring your independent reading book beginning on Tuesday. We'll return to this work as we finish up our biography project and begin our poetry study.

Poetry

As we discussed in class today, you will have to memorize and recite two poems over the next month. The options for this poetry are as follows:

1. Select a poem from the Poetry Out Loud website: www.poetryoutloud.org. Poems should be at least 15 lines with more than three words per line.

2. Write your own poem, memorize it and dazzle your friends with your brilliance.

Homework for week of March 3

I am not going to check independent reading, but certainly keep track of any books you finish. We'll return to them at the end of the month.

This week is focused on getting a complete draft of your biography paper. In order to receive full credit each day, your draft must contain direct citation and have an arc, although you may choose to write in sections. In other words, no writing the big ideas and saying, "I'll fill in the quotes later."


Also, make sure you have your BIG idea question as your guide written at the beginning of the paper. I think you will find the mentor texts, both from The New Yorker and the student exemplars, as helpful guides. Return to them and see what the "literary moves" were and what allowed the writer to convey a complex idea about the character. We'll spend time in class writing, but you should expect to block out a significant amount of time at home as well over the next week and a half.

Sources: Remember to meet the standards, you must have a minimum of four sources: three people and one reliable secondary source. These must be cited in the text AND the transcriptions must be included in the final product. Students who exceed this standard will have more than four reliable sources.

Here is the rubric for the final product. Keep the indicators in mind as you draft: Biography rubric

Here are the specifics for benchmarks this week. I have included minimums, but I would encourage you to write when you have time, so you don't leave everything to the end.
ALSO, many of you have not completed the additional 30 minutes of interviews. You may want to take some time to fill in gaps and complete this work.

Monday: Draft biography. 1,000 words due Tuesday.
Tuesday: Draft biography. 1,800 words due block day.
Block day: Draft biography: 2,300 words due Friday.
Friday: Draft biography. 3,000 words due Monday
Block day of week of 3/10: full draft due (4,800 to 7,500 words)

Eventually, you will need transitions in your draft. Here are some suggestions for examples and when you might use them:
http://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/qwrtcntr/resources/handouts/transitions.htm