May 21, 2010
Song Lyrics
This week you read lyrics, listened to lyrics, and found your favorite lyrics. Now it is time to write your own lyrics. Post your lyrics in a comment. Then let us know what kind of music you would have accompany the lyrics.
May 7, 2010
Where are you going? - Repetition
Happy Friday and poem writing. Yesterday, we read Son de negros cuba and discussed the use of repetition and imagery. You had time to write your own version of a poem with repetition and surrealist imagery. Today, I want you to publish that poem in a comment.
First: re-read Lorca's poem: Son de negros cuba (this translation is a bit different, maybe more accurate)
Second: re-read your poem. Do you have repetition? Do you have a mix of literal and surrealist imagery? Have you removed abstractions (love, paradise, etc)? Be specific in your poem. Name that love or name paradise, name the bird, name the ocean. Yesterday, Angela read her poem aloud and she didn't simply write island plants, she wrote plumeria. Patrick C. didn't just write bird, he wrote finch.
Third: type your poem into a Word document, spell-check, and format your poem the way you want it o be seen, and read. Then, paste it into a comment. Be sure to leave your name for credit.
If you are interested in reading more poetry by Lorca:
First: re-read Lorca's poem: Son de negros cuba (this translation is a bit different, maybe more accurate)
Second: re-read your poem. Do you have repetition? Do you have a mix of literal and surrealist imagery? Have you removed abstractions (love, paradise, etc)? Be specific in your poem. Name that love or name paradise, name the bird, name the ocean. Yesterday, Angela read her poem aloud and she didn't simply write island plants, she wrote plumeria. Patrick C. didn't just write bird, he wrote finch.
Third: type your poem into a Word document, spell-check, and format your poem the way you want it o be seen, and read. Then, paste it into a comment. Be sure to leave your name for credit.
If you are interested in reading more poetry by Lorca:
April 29, 2010
Short Story Submissions
You have written and mailed (well, almost mailed - we still need to insert SASEs) your children's book. Now it is time to find a place you would like to submit your short story to.
You can use the links below to help you find a literary journal. Once you have found a place to submit your short story, complete the following items in a comment on this blog, print out your story as directed by the submission guidelines, and address an envelope:
1. What story are you submitting and why?
2. Where are you submitting your story? Why?
3. What do the submission guidelines instruct you to do?
4. How does it feel sending your writing out into the world versus just having a student in class read it?
Places to look for literary journals:
Teen Ink
Poets & Writers
The Claremont Review
Cicada
New Moon (for girls)
Polyphony H.S.
Teen Voices (girls and young adult women)
TeenLit
Go! Magazine writing contest
You can use the links below to help you find a literary journal. Once you have found a place to submit your short story, complete the following items in a comment on this blog, print out your story as directed by the submission guidelines, and address an envelope:
1. What story are you submitting and why?
2. Where are you submitting your story? Why?
3. What do the submission guidelines instruct you to do?
4. How does it feel sending your writing out into the world versus just having a student in class read it?
Places to look for literary journals:
Teen Ink
Poets & Writers
The Claremont Review
Cicada
New Moon (for girls)
Polyphony H.S.
Teen Voices (girls and young adult women)
TeenLit
Go! Magazine writing contest
March 19, 2010
Children's Lit Research
You have read many children's books and analyzed them for content, sentence structure, word choice, and even the types of illustrations used. Now it is time to focus in on a question you created about the things you noticed, but where should you get started?
Here are some links for the questions that were asked in class.
Awards: This is a good place to start if you are wondering what makes a "good" kid's book.
Writing: Are you curious about how to write for children? Check out a few of these sites:
Clubhouse
WikiHow
What about themes in kid lit? Can a story be scary? Can it be sad?
Wikipedia
EW
Controversy
Do you have questions about illustrations (aka pictures)?
How to Be One
Importance of Illustrations
Reading in Color
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Word choice in kid's lit:
Why Reading Matters
Child Development and Language
Reading Rockets
Importance of Vocab at an Early Age
Good sites with tons of links and info:
Cynthia Smith
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Child's Lit: History, and other info about vocab, etc
If you come across some good resources, leave a message and a link so others can follow.
Here are some links for the questions that were asked in class.
Awards: This is a good place to start if you are wondering what makes a "good" kid's book.
Writing: Are you curious about how to write for children? Check out a few of these sites:
Clubhouse
WikiHow
What about themes in kid lit? Can a story be scary? Can it be sad?
Wikipedia
EW
Controversy
Do you have questions about illustrations (aka pictures)?
How to Be One
Importance of Illustrations
Reading in Color
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Word choice in kid's lit:
Why Reading Matters
Child Development and Language
Reading Rockets
Importance of Vocab at an Early Age
Good sites with tons of links and info:
Cynthia Smith
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Child's Lit: History, and other info about vocab, etc
If you come across some good resources, leave a message and a link so others can follow.
March 16, 2010
Welcome Back to the BLOG
It has been a year since I last used Blogger for my classes, but here we are again.
For my current Writer's Workshop students:
Check out the following links for books and information about query letters.
Writer's Digest Book of Query
Kelly's Picks on Query Letters
The Basics of a 3 Paragraph Query Letter
For my ESL students:
Check out the link below for tips on persuasive writing.
3 Important Tips
Student Sample of Persuasive Text from Write Source
For my current Writer's Workshop students:
Check out the following links for books and information about query letters.
Writer's Digest Book of Query
Kelly's Picks on Query Letters
The Basics of a 3 Paragraph Query Letter
For my ESL students:
Check out the link below for tips on persuasive writing.
3 Important Tips
Student Sample of Persuasive Text from Write Source
May 1, 2009
Dreams
MERCUTIO
True, I talk of dreams,
Which are the children of an idle brain,
Begot of nothing but vain fantasy,
Which is as thin of substance as the air
And more inconstant than the wind, who wooes
Even now the frozen bosom of the north,
And, being anger'd, puffs away from thence,
Turning his face to the dew-dropping south.
Did you have a dream last night? Do you remember what your last dream was about? Do you dream every night? Or, have you ever had a nightmare?
I've had dreams that seemed to come true. I've also had dreams that woke me up and made me question things I have done. One time I had a dream the recurred nightly for a week!
Go to one of the links below and read about dreams (or click on the title of the post). Then respond. Do you agree with the article? Why or why not? What new information did you gain? Or analyze one of your own dreams after reading the sites.
How Dreams Work
Dream Moods
Dream Dictionary
True, I talk of dreams,
Which are the children of an idle brain,
Begot of nothing but vain fantasy,
Which is as thin of substance as the air
And more inconstant than the wind, who wooes
Even now the frozen bosom of the north,
And, being anger'd, puffs away from thence,
Turning his face to the dew-dropping south.
Did you have a dream last night? Do you remember what your last dream was about? Do you dream every night? Or, have you ever had a nightmare?
I've had dreams that seemed to come true. I've also had dreams that woke me up and made me question things I have done. One time I had a dream the recurred nightly for a week!
Go to one of the links below and read about dreams (or click on the title of the post). Then respond. Do you agree with the article? Why or why not? What new information did you gain? Or analyze one of your own dreams after reading the sites.
How Dreams Work
Dream Moods
Dream Dictionary
March 20, 2009
Persuasive Essay Intros
All classes worked on writing a persuasive essay. Some students chose to attempt to persuade the community to make changes so that we can lessen our impact on the "greenhouse effect" and others elected to persuade their peers to lessen their plastic usage on campus.
Below are some of the best introduction paragraphs that were written. Take a moment to read through the intros. Once you have read them, think about your own introduction. Then leave a comment explaining what you could learn from reading your peers's introduction paragraphs.
"The students at Point Loma High School need to do their part to get rid of plastic. One reason is because it can go into the sewer system that leads into streams, rivers, bays, and the oceans. Then if floats with the current to the North Pacific Gyre where it will photodegrade for centuries. Plastic is harmful to the environment for two reasons. The first reason is plastic harms the wildlife and the second reason is plastic photodegrades instead of biodegrading. The North Pacific Gyre has so much plastic that it is twice as big as Texas (which is the biggest state in the United States). This plastic area is not a solid mound of trash, rather it is a whole bunch of little pieces of plastic and other things like tires, nets, plastic globs, and pieces of plastic that are just below the surface. This area is not just full of plastic, it is full of chemicals too." -T. Boswell
"There are many things destroying the earth we live on today. One of those things is due to the continuous use of plastic. Plastic is used in many sorts of ways, it is used to keep food sealed and fresh, it is used to make many kids of toys for both children and adults, and most of all we use plastic to bottle most of our liquids. However plastic may be very useful in our community today, but most plastic is not as recyclable as you think. There is no doubt that plastic is piling up in our ocean more and more everyday, contains deadly chemicals that could possibly kill us, and also plastic will never go away after it is produced. The fact of the matter is that our school and community need to cut down on the use of plastic. Some of the ways our school and community could take steps to reduce the use of plastic are by using more aluminum and paper goods, not buying liquids in plastic containers, and also by not purchasing plastic toys." - R. Da Rosa
"Plastic is everywhere: from plastic bags to water bottles. Each year every person tosses out 185lbs. of plastics and some of that plastic ends up in the ocean. In the North Pacific Ocean there is a 10 million square mile gyre filled with plastic objects. this plastic is harmful to the environment. The fish eat this plastic and die. Students at Point Loma High can stop this by reducing, reusing, and recycling." - A. Cardenas
"Humans make a great impact on greenhouse gases. We need to take steps to conclude this greatly affected issue. It is my belief that cars, power plants, and the meat industry are greatly causing this problem. I believe that we can fix this issue but its up to the people in our community and the world to do so also." - B. Keenan
"I don't know about everyone else, but I know I don't want to die because of plastic. We are killing ourselves and we don't even realize it. Plastic is a daily issue in our American society, although sooner or later it will be a deadly usage. as a teenager there's plenty of things I can do to reduce the use of plastic. In my perspective, believe there's many ways people in this world can contribute to reduce the use of plastic in order to improve the health of our planet and ourselves." - L. Anaya
"Looking at the world and all its garbage, I can feel nothing but disgust and shame. I can't go one place now that doesn't have trash (mostly plastic) everywhere. Trash is scattered through out my community and probably yours too. Its at my school, its at the parks. Don't you find this disgusting? When you throw that "harmless" water bottle on the ground do you actually know where it ends up? In the ocean. But there is a solution to this. We can stop this but I need your help. Some methods we students can use to reduce our use in plastics are to recycle, don't litter, reduce our purchases of plastic, and just care about the rest of the world that we are destroying." R. Bowers
Below are some of the best introduction paragraphs that were written. Take a moment to read through the intros. Once you have read them, think about your own introduction. Then leave a comment explaining what you could learn from reading your peers's introduction paragraphs.
"The students at Point Loma High School need to do their part to get rid of plastic. One reason is because it can go into the sewer system that leads into streams, rivers, bays, and the oceans. Then if floats with the current to the North Pacific Gyre where it will photodegrade for centuries. Plastic is harmful to the environment for two reasons. The first reason is plastic harms the wildlife and the second reason is plastic photodegrades instead of biodegrading. The North Pacific Gyre has so much plastic that it is twice as big as Texas (which is the biggest state in the United States). This plastic area is not a solid mound of trash, rather it is a whole bunch of little pieces of plastic and other things like tires, nets, plastic globs, and pieces of plastic that are just below the surface. This area is not just full of plastic, it is full of chemicals too." -T. Boswell
"There are many things destroying the earth we live on today. One of those things is due to the continuous use of plastic. Plastic is used in many sorts of ways, it is used to keep food sealed and fresh, it is used to make many kids of toys for both children and adults, and most of all we use plastic to bottle most of our liquids. However plastic may be very useful in our community today, but most plastic is not as recyclable as you think. There is no doubt that plastic is piling up in our ocean more and more everyday, contains deadly chemicals that could possibly kill us, and also plastic will never go away after it is produced. The fact of the matter is that our school and community need to cut down on the use of plastic. Some of the ways our school and community could take steps to reduce the use of plastic are by using more aluminum and paper goods, not buying liquids in plastic containers, and also by not purchasing plastic toys." - R. Da Rosa
"Plastic is everywhere: from plastic bags to water bottles. Each year every person tosses out 185lbs. of plastics and some of that plastic ends up in the ocean. In the North Pacific Ocean there is a 10 million square mile gyre filled with plastic objects. this plastic is harmful to the environment. The fish eat this plastic and die. Students at Point Loma High can stop this by reducing, reusing, and recycling." - A. Cardenas
"Humans make a great impact on greenhouse gases. We need to take steps to conclude this greatly affected issue. It is my belief that cars, power plants, and the meat industry are greatly causing this problem. I believe that we can fix this issue but its up to the people in our community and the world to do so also." - B. Keenan
"I don't know about everyone else, but I know I don't want to die because of plastic. We are killing ourselves and we don't even realize it. Plastic is a daily issue in our American society, although sooner or later it will be a deadly usage. as a teenager there's plenty of things I can do to reduce the use of plastic. In my perspective, believe there's many ways people in this world can contribute to reduce the use of plastic in order to improve the health of our planet and ourselves." - L. Anaya
"Looking at the world and all its garbage, I can feel nothing but disgust and shame. I can't go one place now that doesn't have trash (mostly plastic) everywhere. Trash is scattered through out my community and probably yours too. Its at my school, its at the parks. Don't you find this disgusting? When you throw that "harmless" water bottle on the ground do you actually know where it ends up? In the ocean. But there is a solution to this. We can stop this but I need your help. Some methods we students can use to reduce our use in plastics are to recycle, don't litter, reduce our purchases of plastic, and just care about the rest of the world that we are destroying." R. Bowers
February 6, 2009
Rubber Duckies - Plastic in the Ocean
Happy Friday.
Some of you have been studying green house gasses in your science class. You have also watched a video about "The Sink Effect" and read about plastic in oceans.
Today you will read about the "Rubber Duck" invasion. Be certain to read the article carefully. You might need to use the information later in your persuasive essay.
Some of you have been studying green house gasses in your science class. You have also watched a video about "The Sink Effect" and read about plastic in oceans.
Today you will read about the "Rubber Duck" invasion. Be certain to read the article carefully. You might need to use the information later in your persuasive essay.
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