Monday 3/29/10: Your final Poetry Portfolio (5-10 poems) is due at the end of class on Today! You will need to have at least two students read and comment on your portfolio before you hand it in.  REMEMBER to do your artist statements for each poem and submit your work online at www.turnitin.com before you give it to me.

Friday 3/26/10: Today we looked a Triolet and a Villanelle.  Continue writing your final Poetry Portfolio. Your portfolio (5-10 poems) is due at the end of class on Monday 3/29/10.  You will need to have at least two students read and comment on your portfolio before you hand it in.  REMEMBER to do your artist statements for each poem and submit your work online at www.turnitin.com before you give it to me.  For more poetry ideas and forms, check some online sources: Poetry Forms and Terminology, Poets.org, this Glossary or look on your own.

Thursday 3/25/10: Today we looked Sestina.  Continue writing your final Poetry Portfolio. Your portfolio (5-10 poems) is due at the end of class on Monday 3/29/10.  You will need to have at least two students read and comment on your portfolio before you hand it in.  REMEMBER to do your artist statements for each poem and submit your work online at www.turnitin.com before you give it to me.  For more poetry ideas and forms, check some online sources: Poetry Forms and Terminology, Poets.org, this Glossary or look on your own.

Wednesday 3/24/10: Today we looked at the Haiku and Tanka.  Continue writing your final Poetry Portfolio. Your portfolio (5-10 poems) is due at the end of class on Monday 3/29/10.  You will need to have at least two students read and comment on your portfolio before you hand it in.  REMEMBER to do your artist statements for each poem and submit your work online at www.turnitin.com before you give it to me.  For more poetry ideas and forms, check some online sources: Poetry Forms and Terminology, Poets.org, this Glossary or look on your own.

Tuesday 3/23/10: Today we looked at the Diamante & Cinquain.  Please take out your song lyrics you handed in last week.  I handed them back yesterday.  Use this document: Explicate Your Poem and answer the questions about your song as best you can.  You can type or handwrite your answers.  Please attach your answers to your song and hand it back in.  Continue writing your final Poetry Portfolio. For more poetry ideas and forms, check some online sources: Poetry Forms and Terminology, Poets.org, this Glossary or look on your own.  Your portfolio (5-10 poems) is due at the end of class on Monday 3/29/10.  You will need to have at least two students read and comment on your portfolio before you hand it in.  REMEMBER to do your artist statements for each poem and submit your work online at www.turnitin.com before you give it to me.

Monday 3/22/10: Today we looked at Sonnets and song lyrics.  Please note: You no longer have to hand in any poetry assignments from our daily exercises.  Begin writing your final Poetry Portfolio. For more poetry ideas and forms, check some online sources: Poetry Forms and Terminology, Poets.org, this Glossary or look on your own.  Your portfolio (5-10 poems) is due at the end of class on Monday 3/29/10.  You will need to have at least two students read and comment on your portfolio before you hand it in.  REMEMBER to do your artist statements for each poem and submit your work online at www.turnitin.com before you give it to me.

Friday 3/18/10: Turn in your song lyrics and questions.  Turn in your One Act Play with your Originality Report, the artist's statement and the Peer Grade sheet.  Today we looked at Lyric Poem: Elegy & Ode.  Begin writing your final Poetry Portfolio. For more poetry ideas and forms, check some online sources: Poetry Forms and Terminology, Poets.org, this Glossary or look on your own.

Thursday 3/18/10: Turn in your Jabberwocky Poem.  For tomorrow, bring the lyrics to a song and answer the following questions:1. Who wrote your song?
2. When was it written?
3. What is it about?
4. What do you like about it?
5. Why did you pick it?

You must make revisions to your One Act Play, print it, upload it to www.turnitin.com, bring your Originality Report, and write an artist's statement.  Begin planning what kind of poems you want to turn in for your final Poetry Portfolio. For more poetry ideas and forms, check some online sources: Poetry Forms and Terminology, Poets.org, this Glossary or look on your own.

Wednesday 3/17/10: We will read our Postcard/Sensory Poems as a class and turn them in.  We looked at meters and feet in poetry as well as the Limerick.  Tomorrow, you'll bring in the Jabberwocky Poem.  By Friday make revisions to your One Act Play.  Begin planning what kind of poems you want to turn in for your final Poetry Portfolio. For more poetry ideas and forms, check some online sources: Poetry Forms and Terminology, Poets.org, this Glossary or look on your own.

Tuesday 3/16/10: We will read our nursery rhymes as a class and turn them in.  Tomorrow, you'll bring in a short poem attached to your postcard.  By Friday make revisions to your One Act Play.  Begin planning what kind of poems you want to turn in for your final  Poetry Portfolio.

Monday 3/15/10: Turn in your tongue twisters before you leave today.  Tomorrow, you'll bring in a nursery rhyme.  We have a guest speaker today who will talk about narrative voice.  By Friday make revisions to your One Act Play.  Begin planning what kind of poems you want to turn in for your final  Poetry Portfolio.

Friday 3/12/10: Today hand in your One Act Play rough draft before you leave today.  Make sure two peer read it and comment on your draft before you leave.  Your Thing Poem is also due today – each student must bring in one object that is acceptable and appropriate to bring to school. Avoid showing it to anybody. The student must also write a poem about the object or a poem as told by the object – from the object’s point of view. You may write in any form of poetry you want to.

Thursday 3/11/10: Turn in your Concrete Poem today.   Today we looked at more types of figurative such as anthropomorphism, personification & apostrophe.  For tomorrow – each student must bring in one object that is acceptable and appropriate to bring to school. Bring it in a bag or box, and try to avoid showing anybody. The student must also write a poem about the object or a poem as told by the object – from the object’s point of view. You may write in any form of poetry you want to. Your One Act Play is due tomorrow.  It must be ready at the beginning of class.  Two people will give you feedback before you hand t in tomorrow.

Wednesday 3/10/10: Continue working on your One Act Play.  Today we looked at more types of figurative such as hyperbole, litotes & understatement.  Remember to bring your Concrete Poem to class tomorrow.  This might be fun too, (but not to hand in).

Tuesday 3/9/10: Continue working on your One Act Play.  Today we looked at avoiding cliches as well as some types of figurative such as metaphor, simile, and mixed metaphor.

Monday 3/8/10: Begin work on your One Act Play.  Today we looked at different kinds of theater spaces. 

Friday 3/5/10: An outline for your One Act Play is due today.  Our literary terms for today are Ten Minute Play, One Act Play, Full-length Plays & Musical.  You will need to finish reading yesterday's short stories if you did not do this yesterday.

Thursday 3/4/10: Conferences Tonight 3-6:30 p.m. and Midterm Parent Signatures are due.  Short Story Final drafts are also due today: please make changes and corrections.  Some of you must add content. Please put your work in MLA Format.  Have it read to hand in at the beginning of class, with an originality report and an Artist's Statement.  You will turn in an outline for your One Act Play tomorrow.  Our literary terms for today are Cast, Cast Page & Character Name.

Wednesday 3/3/10: Today we looked at Set, Prop & Scenery.  Continue adding to and editing your Short Story Drafts.  For the final draft, which is due tomorrow, please make changes and corrections.  Some of you must add content. Please put your work in MLA Format.  Have it read to hand in at the beginning of class, with an originality report and an Artist's Statement on Thursday morning.  You will turn in an outline for your One Act Play on Friday.

Tuesday 3/2/10: Today we looked at stage directions.  Continue adding to and editing your Short Story Drafts.  For the final draft, make changes and corrections.  Some of you must add content. Please put your work in MLA Format.  Have it read to hand in at the beginning of class, with an originality report and an Artist's Statement on Thursday morning.

Monday 3/1/10: Today we looked at Ad-lib, Improv and Aside.  I handed back the Short Story Rough Drafts.  For the final draft, make changes and corrections.  Some of you must add content. Please put your work in MLA Format.  Have it read to hand in at the beginning of class, with an originality report and an Artist's Statement on Thursday morning.

Friday 2/26/10: Today we looked at dialogue, monologue & soliloquy.  Your completed rough draft (between five and twenty pages) is due TODAY at the beginning of class.  Please put your work in MLA Format. At least two people should read your short story and give you feedback before you hand it in.

Thursday 2/25/10: Today we looked at  act, scenes and lines.  Your completed rough draft is due tomorrow at the beginning of class.  You will do better on this draft if you have a complete story.  Remember that you have to write between five and twenty pages for your portfolio submission.  Please put your work in MLA Format. At least two people should read your short story and give you feedback before you hand it in.

Wednesday 2/24/10: Today we looked at tragedy and types of comedy.  Please work on your short story.  Due to popular vote, I have given you ONE more day to work on your rough draft. Your completed rough draft is now due on Friday.  You will do better on this draft if you have a complete story.  Remember that you have to write between five and twenty pages for your portfolio submission.  Please put your work in MLA Format.

Tuesday 2/23/10: Today we looked at drama and screenplays.  Please work on your short story.  Your rough draft is due on Thursday.  You will do better on this draft if you have a complete story.  Remember that you have to write between five and twenty pages for your portfolio submission.

Monday 2/22/10: Today we looked at foreshadowing and flashback.  Please work on the your short story.  Your rough draft is due on Thursday.  You will do better on this draft if you have a complete story.  Remember that you have to write between five and twenty pages for your portfolio submission.

Friday 2/19/10: Today we looked at theme and motif.  Remember that your Fairy Tale is due at the beginning of class today (Please attach your Originality Report and a complete 6-Traits Rubric) and you should start working on your Short Story Portfolio Piece.

Thursday 2/18/10: Today we looked at Symbols and Symbolism.  Remember that your Fairy Tale is due at the beginning of class tomorrow, and you should start working on your Short Story Portfolio Piece.

Wednesday 2/17/10: Today we looked at Mood and Tone. Please hand in the Outline of Short Story Portfolio Piece today.  Remember that your Fairy Tale Rewrite is due on Friday.

Tuesday 2/16/10: Today we looked at Dialogue:  http://www.sfwriter.com/ow08.htm and http://ulfwolf.com/dialogue.htm. Make sure you complete your Outline of Short Story Portfolio Piece for tomorrow.

Friday 2/12/10:  Your Combined Story is due today.  Have your Turnitin.com Originality Report and the setting and character with your story tomorrow.  You must have two people read your story before you hand it in. 

Thursday 2/11/10:  Due today - a brief summary of a fairy tale you would like to modify and rewrite. We looked at the climax of a story today.  Remember that your Combined Story is due tomorrow at the beginning of class.  Have your Turnitin.com Originality Report and the setting and character with your story tomorrow.

Wednesday 2/10/10:  Due today - a short summary of what you think you want to do for your Short Story Portfolio Piece (5-7sentence summary).  We looked at conflict.  Remember that you will write a short Combined Story in which your new character is in the setting you received. I changed the due date for this to Friday 2-12-2010. 

Tuesday 2/9/10:  We looked at rising action, including protagonists and antagonists today.  Please make sure two students have read and scored your narrative before you hand it in with a Turnitin originality report.  Remember that you also received one character and once setting form other students.  You will write a short Combined Story in which your new character is in the setting you received. I changed the due date for this to Friday 2-12-2010.  TOMORROW you must submit a short 5-7 sentence paragraph explaining what you want to write for your Short Story Portfolio Piece.

Monday 2/8/10:  We looked at exposition today.  Please turn in your narrative before you leave today.  This assignment should be typed and double-spaced with 12-point font and one inch margins.  You must hand this in with a Turnitin originality report and with grades and comments on a 6+1 Traits Scoring Rubric.  Remember that you also received one character and once setting form other students.  You will write a short Combined Story in which your new character is in the setting you received.  It is due 2-10-10.

Friday 2/5/10:  We looked at genre today.  Please turn in your parent signatures, which are due today.  Remember, the narrative is due Monday 2/8/10: Tell a very short, dynamic story in first person (write about two to three full double-spaced pages and not more than 1000 words).  Make sure you proofread your assignment.  This assignment should be typed and double-spaced with 12-point font and one inch margins.  Click here if you need ideas.ll a You also received one character and once setting form other students.  You will write a short Combined Story in which your new character is in the setting you received.  It is due 2-10-10.

Thursday 2/4/10:  We looked at plot to prepare for the narrative due Monday 2/8/10: Tell a very short, dynamic story in first person (write about two to three full double-spaced pages and not more than 1000 words).  Make sure you proofread your assignment.  This assignment should be typed and double-spaced with 12-point font and one inch margins.  Click here if you need ideas.

Wednesday 2/3/10:  We looked over characterization and character types: Round, Flat, Stereotype, Dynamic Characters, and Static Characters to help students write their own character, which is due tomorrow, and to prepare for the following assignment: The Narrative. Tell a very short, dynamic story in first person (write about two to three full double-spaced pages and not more than 1000 words).  Make sure you proofread your assignment.  This assignment should be typed and double-spaced with 12-point font and one inch margins.  Click here if you need ideas for this story. It is due Monday 2/8/10. 

Tuesday 02/02/10:  We looked over imagery and setting to help students write their own settings, which are due tomorrow, and to prepare for the Narrative, which is due on Monday 2/8/2010.

Monday 02/01/10:  I introduced myself to the class and handed out the parent letter and course expectations.  Parents must sign the forms, which are due Friday 2/5/10.  We looked over a hand out on Point of View to prepare students for the following assignment: The Narrative. Tell a very short, dynamic story in first person (write about two to three full double-spaced pages and not more than 1000 words).  Make sure you proofread your assignment.  This assignment should be typed and double-spaced with 12-point font and one inch margins.  Click here if you need ideas for this story. It is due Monday 2/8/10.