CW HW due 11/30 and 12/1

Answer the following individually:

1. What is the title of the piece?

2. When was it originally written?

3. What genre is this piece (fiction (story), nonfiction (memoir), poem)?

4. How many pages is this piece now?

5. How many pages are you aiming this piece to be (will you shorten or lengthen it—you can change your mind later)/ Do you think the piece should be shorter, longer or about the same and WHY?

6. What is the topic of this piece?

7. Write a brief summary or description (about a paragraph long)

8. What do you think are the strengths of this piece (write at least 2 and be specific)?

9. What are the weaknesses (write at least 2 and be specific)?

10. Highlight/underline one line you definitely want to keep.

11. Highlight/underline one line you definitely want to change.

eng 9: HW due thurs 12/1

Choose a quote from the section of the Odyssey that I assigned to your table (make sure there are no repeats)

Table Assignments:

1. Sailing from troy/ The Lotus Eaters p1047-48

2. Cyclops 1050-1056 (line 323)

3. Cyclops 1056-1063

4. Land of the Dead 1064-68

5. The Sirens/ Scylla and Charybdis 1071-76

6. Cattle of the Sun God 1076-82

7. The Return of Odysseus/ Argus 1089-1097

3. Create a symbol/image (or collage of images found online if you can’t draw)for this quote, like you did for the HW posters, except no summary is needed and these pictures should be REALLY NICE

Eng 9 11/29 HW: Start the storyboard

1. Choose a quote from the section of the Odyssey that I assigned to your table (make sure there are no repeats)

Table Assignments:

1. Sailing from troy/ The Lotus Eaters p1047-48

2. Cyclops 1050-1056 (line 323)

3. Cyclops 1056-1063

4. Land of the Dead 1064-68

5. The Sirens/ Scylla and Charybdis 1071-76

6. Cattle of the Sun God 1076-82

7. The Return of Odysseus/ Argus 1089-1097

2. Create a symbol/image (or collage of images found online if you can’t draw)for this quote, like you did for the HW posters, except no summary is needed and these pictures should be REALLY NICE

3. On Thursday you will work as a group to assemble your part of the storyboard. I will also assign out the last few sections

11/29 HW C W p4 & 5 HW- Revision activity

HW due Wed/Thurs

Do the revision activity we did in class on one of your pieces (that you intend on including in your final submission). Below are the questions one more time.

Answer the following individually:

1. What is the title of the piece?

2. When was it originally written?

3. What genre is this piece (fiction (story), nonfiction (memoir), poem)?

4. How many pages is this piece now?

5. How many pages are you aiming this piece to be (will you shorten or lengthen it—you can change your mind later)/ Do you think the piece should be shorter, longer or about the same and WHY?

6. What is the topic of this piece?

7. Write a brief summary or description (about a paragraph long)

8. What do you think are the strengths of this piece (write at least 2 and be specific)?

9. What are the weaknesses (write at least 2 and be specific)?

10. Highlight/underline one line you definitely want to keep.

11. Highlight/underline one line you definitely want to change.

CW (TTL)

REMINDER for our last class: class will be 2 hours long (5:30-7:30)
Have your revisions done. We will discuss them, edit them and type them.

Eng 9- 11/28 assignments and HW

2. Individually, write a summary of the last section of the Odyssey

3. As a group(tables), discuss the last section of the Odyssey and create a storyboard of scenes in this section, along with a quote – each person should do a different scene/quote

4. In class or for HW, answer the following questions, individually (you may get some help from group if you work well and quietly – if students are too loud, make them do this individually)

1. What does Odysseus do to the suitors?

2. Does anyone help him (mortal or immortal)? If so, who? And how?

3. At any time in this section, does Penelope keep a secret from Odysseus? If so, what?

4. What is Penelope’s final test?

5. How does the story end?

HW: finish questions above and review the Odyssey… there MAY be a quiz on Tuesday

CW-lesson and HW for 11/28

I will be absent Monday to get my car repaired. Below are the assignments for Monday

CREATIVE WRITING

Per 4 and 5

1. SSW:

Freewrite

or write about something you’re thankful for (or not thankful for)

or write about something you love or hate about the holidays

2. Individually- choose something you would like to revise as part of your final submission (look through your journal and folder and previous weekly/weekend writes)

Answer the following individually:

1. What is the title of the piece?

2. When was it originally written?

3. What genre is this piece (fiction (story), nonfiction (memoir), poem)?

4. How many pages is this piece now?

5. How many pages are you aiming this piece to be (will you shorten or lengthen it—you can change your mind later)/ Do you think the piece should be shorter, longer or about the same and WHY?

6. What is the topic of this piece?

7. Write a brief summary or description (about a paragraph long)

8. What do you think are the strengths of this piece (write at least 2 and be specific)?

9. What are the weaknesses (write at least 2 and be specific)?

10. Highlight/underline one line you definitely want to keep.

11. Highlight/underline one line you definitely want to change.

Pass your piece to the right or otherwise switch with another person at your table.

This person should read the piece and answer questions #3-11 on a separate paper WITHOUT looking at the author’s answers OR the author explaining the piece.

This is due at the end of the period to the inbox or first thing on Tuesday.

The 3 paragraph sub review can also be completed for EC (what did you do? What did the sub do? what did the class do?)

CReative Writing (MEHS) per 4 and 5 HW

Continue adding to your weekly write

Write a vignette on setting. Use a place familiar to you as your foundation: your room, house, neighborhood, relatives house, school, common vacation spot, favorite restaraunt or place to hang out. You can also use a photograph as your foundation, choose a photo you own or use one of the places below:

English 9 HW

Do a journal, poster, or schaeffer paragraph on the "Argus" section in The Odyssey

Creative Writing HW

Create a character vignette for yourself, a character in a story you're writing, or for one of these people:

Creative Writing per4&5: Preview of the rest of the sem

This week: focus on craft  and techniques to iapply to your writing, last official free-for-all weekly write, getting deeper into your writing (what are your themes? who are your characters? what setting do you know best?), and how to revise

Preview:

Between Thanksgiving and Winter Break

You will work almost exclusively on your “final submission,” which will account for between 15-25% of your grade. This final submission will be 10 pages of your original work that will have been revised no less than 3 times. It may be poetry, nonfiction, or fiction. It may be one complete piece (a short story, personal essay, or memoir), a collection of several pieces (poems, vignettes, flash fiction, shorter short stories), or –for the ambitious among you- a part of a longer work (a memoir or novel you’re working on).

You will have all earlier work returned to you after the Thanksgiving weekend. You should keep this work in your folders, unless you are working on something at home that day. In class, you will be given time to revise past work. OSmetime sthis will be in craft exercises you apply to your work, revision techniques, or just open work time. You need not produce any "new" work during this period (no free for all weekly writes of new material) though the past work may be dramatically changed or added to as you revise.I will meet with each person individually to talk to you about what you will be submitting.

We will also begin writing workshops which I will discuss in more detail after Thanksgiving, but they are essentially small groups of your peers who will read and respond to your work, following specific guidelines I will provide. The goal of the writing workshop is to learn from each other and get exposed to the writing of others and to help each other improve your writing.

During this time, you will also look at a lot of examples of writing, some by published writers, some by other students, and some even from me and some of my writing colleagues. To see what to do and not to do and to get an idea how "real" writers write.

Between Winter Break and the end of the semester:

We will focus on grammar, vocabulary, and craft terms and techniques which you will be tested on in your Final for this class. The grammar section will include grammar direct instruction as well as working on your use of grammar in your actual work.

The total breakdown of your grade for this class will be roughly as follows:

HW/CW/ Writing Practice: 40%

Participation: 20% (15%-25%)

Final (Test): 20% (15%-25%)

Final Submission: 20% (15-25%)

The percentage of each section may be adjusted to allow for the strengths of each writer. In other words, if you did well on your final submission, but haven’t participated much, your test might be 25% and your participation might only count for 15%. Otherwise it will be 20% for those categories.

Also final note, after Thanksgiving I WILL NOT accept any more make-ups for weekly and weekend writes (including those who have spoken to me about raising their grades). Your grade in that area will be fixed by that point. I will TRY to get those final grade for you by this Friday, including this week's 5pg weekly write.

English 9 HW

HW: Continue reading The Odyssey part 2 p1096 (line 1164)

Choose either a poster, journal, or Scaeffer paragraph

Prompts for Weekend Write

Write a vignette of where you feel most comfortable

Write a vignette of making a dish with family

Write a vignette of a time you appreciated your parents but never said anything

Write a vignette of a ceremony

Write a vignette about a time you were suprised

Write a vignette for any of the following photos:

Weekend HW Creative Writing

Write the rough draft of your vignette, remember, a vignette should capture an image.
Possible topics for a vignette:
The first time you met your girlfrien or boyfriend
The last glimpse of a place you left or moved away from
Your first impression of meeting someone
A description of your room
A description of your dog at his/her most endearing
Making food with your mom or dad
A family gathering
Opening presents at Christmas
Blowing the candles on your birthday
Driving a car for the first time
The last time you saw a loved one who past away or you moved away from
Your happiest moment
Describe a time you were at peace, not worried,
Seeing someone after he/she was gone for awhile
When a younger sibling was born
etc...

Weekend Write due Monday: 3 pgs (can include your vignette rough draft)
writing prompts and ideas in next blog

CW HW

REMNDER: 3 p weekly write due end of class on thurs

Tuesday HW and prompt (CW 4 and 5)

(more to be added later)

Write a vignette for the event, tradition, or food you brainstormed  in class today

Creative Writing HW for this week + Six Words (Monday's lesson)

Since this week is a short week (no school Friday), the weekly write for this week will only be 3 pgs due Wed or Thurs.

Prompts and Lessons for this week
Monday-A Lesson in Concision
Writing in 6 words:
The point of the six-word story is to tell the magnitude of a larger story in 6 words.
here are some guidelines:
-No word should be wasted, no word should be filler, each word, each bit of punctuation should be vital to the story.
- Generally a 6-word story shouldn't read like a sentence found in a longer story.
-You are allowed to break punctuation and grammar rules.
-The 6-word story should leave the reader wanting to hear the whole story and imply a whole story.
-It should paint a picture or create a mood.
-It should entertain or intrigue.
-Just like anything else you write, it should capture something and convey it to the audience.
-Try to avoid writing a a vague, boring sentence like: "My weekend was boring. It sucked" No one wants to hear that whole story, it doesn't paint a picture or capture a moment, or describe anything. It waste's words and doesn't use concrete language. A better example of the same weekend: "Rained. Slept in cave of blankets." or "Watched too many hours of TV" or "No parties. No friends. Alone. Depressed." Even a boring event can be specific, it should create a mood of boredom and create an image of boredom. Though admittedly, an exciting event would be a better topic.

For more information about the six word story see: http://www.smithmag.net/sixwordbook/about/
For examples see: www.smithmag.net/sixwords

Here are a few writing prompts:
Write a 6 word story about your weekend or monarch day or any single event
Write a 6 word memoir about something interesting or compelling in your life
Write a 6 word poem
Adapt a well-known story in 6 words  (Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, The Odyssey)
Adapt a movie in 6 words
Adapt one of the spoken word poems you've heard in 6 words
Relay a happy memory in 6 words- keep the same joyful or fun tone
Relay a sad memory in 6 words- keep the same somber, depressing tone
Relay something you're angry about in 6 words (use profanity sparingly if at all- one word max)- keep that indignant or frustrated tone

Post your 6-word stories on the blog or go to the smithmag site above and post them directly. The best 6 word stories will get extra points added to HW and maybe a food prize.

more prompts for the week to come:
Tuesday's focus- Super short fiction: Flash fiction and the vignette

Haiku's by TTL students

Unrequited
I really love her
to get attention is hard
for she does not love me
by A.W.

Siblings
Andrey hit my face
I yelled at her several times
Plan evil revenge
by V. Y.

6 word memoirs TTL

Here are some six-word memoirs by my TTL studdents:

BFF
Sophie
Best friend
But not forever
by Vivian Yip

Art
Won art awards
Need first place
by Vivian Yip

Her Loss
Liked girl
Said no
Don't anymore
by A.W.

My Exciting Day
Saw play
Boring lunch
Still hungry
by A.W.

Smart Blonde
She might as well have dumped me.
by A.W.

WINNER of A Lesson in Concision: Van Truong + a few other honorable mentions

Here's is Van Truong's winning haiku of Odysseus' journey so far:

Fought through many things
And always prevailed
A man named Odysseus

---
Tomorrow I will pick another winner.

6th per HW- Scylla and Charybdis and Cattle of the Sun Gods

PART I
For one of the sections (Scylla & Chrybdis OR Cattle of the Sun God)
Write a 6-word story OR haiku (17 syllable, 3-line poem)  using at least 3 words from the text

PART II
For the other section, choose one of the HW options (poster, journal, Schaeffer paragraph)

HW for 4th and 5th per

Weekly Write: 5 pgs

Revised poem, notes on poem, and scary story (which I have and will pass back) can be included

For those stuggling with your poems, look at my earlier blog for poetry ideas