Juniors - Wednesday and Thursday, Jan.28-29

Block days this week were spent in the computer lab, continuing work on your drafts. You should have your three drafts completed and should now be focusing on revising, editing, and proofreading. Bring your drafts to class on Friday for part two of the workshop. Once you are finished polishing up your drafts into nice and pretty final pieces for your portfolio, up next are the writer's memos. Click the link below for instructions/guided questions for what go into the writer's memos. Remember, you need to have one memo for each piece, for a total of three. FINAL PORTFOLIOS ARE DUE ON MONDAY!! A complete portfolio will have the following:
1. A cover that includes your name, period, and date. (Also, a title for your portfolio would be useful!)
2. Three polished, revised final pieces of writing that reflect three different genres.
3. All rough drafts (at least one for each piece that reflects revision, feedback, and editing)
4. Three writer's memos (one for each piece)
5. Peer feedback sheets from the Writing Workshops on Tuesday 1/27 and Friday 1/30

Writer's Memos Instructions and Guided Questions
Memo Example 1
Memo Example 2
Creative Writing Portfolio Rubric
Writing Portfolio Assignment Guidelines

Freshmen - Wednesday and Thursday, Jan.28-29

Today we discussed the story "The Youngest Doll," your reading assignment from Monday (this is another example of magical realism). We went over some key themes (gender and social class systems) and also picked apart some of the more confusing parts. Here is a great literary criticism of this story that I found while perusing (hello! vocab word!) the internet that might help you to better understand this tale (click here to read it).

Next, we created some nifty vocab flip books out of some vocabulary words from some of the readings. Click here to see a list of those words. We will be using these books for a future activity. I will post instructions for these books, along with an example, sometime tomorrow.

For homework, by Friday please read "And of Clay We Are Created" by Isabel Allende. Download a PDF version below if you did not check out a book to take home. Bring to class with you on Friday a brief written response to the following prompt: Choose one passage from this story and explain what makes it effective for you. What sense imagery and figurative language does it employ? Please cite specific examples from the text to support your answer, and be ready to share in class on Friday. In addition, as you read, pay attention to the following (you don't need to write these down if you don't want to, just be ready to discuss them):

1. The author's exploration of the following themes - humans against nature, modern civilization versus traditional cultures, isolation from modern life

2. How is it evident in the very beginning of the story that the author is writing about a catastrophe? What makes you think so?

3. How might Azucena symbolize disaster?

"And of Clay We are Created" by Isabel Allende

Juniors - Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Today was our first day of writer's workshop. Instead of workshopping in groups, like you will be doing on Friday, today you worked with a partner in groups of two. After showing you a brief power point about how a writing workshop works (view below), you traded two of your drafts with a partner and created feedback sheets for your reader to write their comments on. Don't lose the feedback sheets because they need to be included in your portfolio! It is essential that you give DETAILED, SPECIFIC, and CONSTRUCTIVE feedback to your partners, you are helping them with their writing as they are helping you. View the power point to see some good examples of what great constructive feedback looks like.

Also, we briefly went over what is expected for the writer's memos, which are requirements for the portfolio. I showed you an example and we will go over it more in class on Friday. To view an examples of writer's memos that I wrote for my own pieces of writing, click the link below.

The Writer's Workshop (Power Point)
Writer's Memo example
Writer's Memo example 2

Freshmen - Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Today we spent a good amount of time discussing magical realism and going over the story from the weekend, "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. We viewed a brief power point that explains the literary style of magical realism, and then looked at some examples. For the story, we discussed some common themes in the literature we've been reading that explore gender roles, social class systems, cultural identity, love, family, etc., and then discussed how each of the stories, particularly magical realist texts, explore these themes. We pulled out some key quotes and talked about the effectiveness of Garcia Marquez's use of figurative language, metaphor, and hyperbole. No homework tonight, but be ready to have a busy block day!

Monday, January 26, 2009

I was absent today unexpectedly.

Freshmen - in class, you read two stories from the book - "The Youngest Doll" by Rosario Ferre and "The Book of Sand" by Jorge Louis Borges, two more examples of magical realist literature. You completed a "3-2-1" on the story of your choice from today and answered some brief questions. If you were absent, please let me know so that you can get caught up.

Juniors - today was a work day in the computer lab. Don't forget, you need to turn in at least two of your drafts to me by Tuesday!! Also, you will need to have copies of all of your work ready to go for writer's workshop this week (Tuesday and Friday).

Freshmen - Friday, January 23, 2009

Happy Friday!! Today we did some catching up with our reading selections from the Reading the World Anthology. We discussed theme, tone, and diction in the stories "No Dogs Bark" and "When Greek Meets Greek." We also viewed a very brief power point about magical realism, a literary style that blends reality with magical/fantastical concepts and essentially requires the reader to participate in the "suspension of belief". Magical realism is very common in literature from Central and South America, and something you need to keep in mind when reading the short story assignment for this weekend, "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" by one of my favorite writers, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. What sort of magical elements does he include in this story, and why? Why do you think he writes this story for children? If you did not get a copy of the reading questions in class today, you can download them here. These are due on Monday. You can also download a PDF version of the story below. To view it without printing it, when you pull up the file click on the square icon that has the arrows on it. This will allow you to view the file in landscape format for easier reading if you don't want to print it. Email me if you have any questions! Have a great weekend!!

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

Reading Questions

Juniors - Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 21-22

Block days this week were spent completing one last creative writing exercise to help get the juices flowing if you are still struggling with what to write for your portfolio. It is one of my favorite activities, something I like to call "Smelly Writing." The class divided into small groups, and each group passed around a series of small tupperware containers that were filled with the following: dried leaves, dirt, cinnamon, oregano, peanut butter, sunblock, and honey. You were given four minutes with each "scent" to write about whatever comes to mind (memories, associations, etc.) before passing it to the next group. By the end of the activity, you should have had seven different short pieces of writing. After we were finished, we continued watching the film Baraka, again something that I hope will give you some more inspiration. Remember, as you watch this film, you need to choose at least one scene to put into words (an exercise in using description in imagery in your writing!)

For homework, you must turn in TWO of your three drafts to me no later than Friday. I will read them and give you some feedback over the weekend, and return them to you on Monday to work on in the lab. You will recieve substantial points for these drafts, so don't skip out on getting these in!!!

Freshmen - Wednesday and Thursday, January 21-22

Block days this week were spent continuing with inaugural poems. I played video of Elizabeth Alexander reciting her poem "Praise Song for the Day" at the inauguration, and we read over the text. We discussed content of the poem versus the delivery, and how a poet's reading of his or her poem could be different from how you read and interpret it. How does hearing a poet read their work differ from how you read it? Do different interpretations of the same poem often result? Next, the class split up into groups and each group analyzed different inaugural poems of the past (there are only three others! Read each poem by scrolling down to Tuesday's post and clicking the links). Each group analyzed their poems by focusing on tone, allusion, theme, and possible references to politics or cultural views at the time and/or presidential character attributes. Groups answered a set of questions on the board and also discussed why there have only been four inaugural poems. We looked for common threads in the poems themselves and also in the Presidents these poems were written for. At the end of class you turned in your group responses for credit. If you were absent, please see me as soon as possible for make up work.

Modern Literature - Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed your three day weekend...especially because of the killer weather!! Today was spent in the computer lab for work time on your drafts. We also took some time to complete some writing exercises in our notebooks (#8 - write a piece of dialogue using at least two voices, and #9 - What are your hopes/fears for our new President? What three major things do you think need to be done during his presidency? What are your thoughts about Obama? Do you like him? Dislike him? Why? Be specific!)
By now, you should have a good idea of what three pieces you are going to work on for your portfolio. By Friday, you need to have drafts of two of your three total pieces (this is a graded assignment). You will be turning them in for my feedback, and they will be returned to you on Monday to work on. Choose the two drafts that you feel you need the most help with so that I can help you with them!

English 9 - Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Welcome back! Today was a big day - the inauguration of our 44th and first African American President, Barack Obama. In light of this historic moment, we began class by freewriting for ten minutes about the new presidency - what are your hopes for our new President? What three main things do you think he needs to do in order to be an effective president? What are your thoughts regarding the challenges ahead of him? Do you believe he will do a good job? Why or why not? We followed our freewriting with a discussion and some of you shared your responses with the class. Next, I read you an article from the New York Times titled "The Intersection of Poetry and Politics." This article discussed the poets and poems of past inaugurations as well as Elizabeth Alexander, a literature professor from Yale who was chosen to write and recite this year's inaugural poem. For homework, please read/listen to Alexander's reading of her poem (you can view the video clip below or follow the second link to read the text). We will be discussing it in class and picking it apart on block days this week. Please also read the past inaugural poems (click links below), and look for recurring themes...

New York Times article 12/24/08 - "The Intersection of Poetry and Politics"
Video of Elizabeth Alexander reciting "Praise Song for the Day"
Complete text of Inaugural poem, "Praise Song for the Day"
Robert Frost, "Dedication" and "Gift Outright" (John F. Kennedy's inauguration, 1961)
Maya Angelou, "On the Pulse of Morning" (Bill Clinton, 1993)
Miller Williams, "Of History and Hope" (Bill Clinton part two, 1997)

Juniors - Friday, January 16, 2008

Happy Friday!! Today, we began the first of many days in the computer lab working on creating some initial drafts of you portfolio pieces. By now, you should have a pretty set idea of the three pieces of writing you'd like to include. We went over the literary genre list again (you can also download it here) and discussed some characteristics of some of the genres. You spent the rest of the period typing up your first drafts. I asked you to have at least one by the end of the day. Print out a hard copy, stick it in your writer's notebook and bring it with you to class on Tuesday - we will be doing some editing exercises with them. Over the weekend, spend at least ten minutes writing. Get outside (it's going to be beautiful weather!!), sit quietly for a bit, and just write whatever is on your mind. Or, continue working on your drafts!! By next week, you will need to have composed three rough drafts (one for each creative piece) for me to see. Have a great weekend!!

Please email me if you are having troubles and I will be happy to help!!!! megan.l.alvarez@adams12.org

Literary Genres list

English 9 - Friday, January 16, 2009

Happy Friday!! Today we finished up the film Baraka, had a brief discussion about the film, turned in your worldview essays, and started on a few readings from the book. Please have the following read and ready to discuss on Tuesday:


"No Dogs Bark" by Juan Rulfo (p.48)
"Two Bodies" by Octavio Paz (p.53)
"Love After Love" (p.71)
"When Greek Meets Greek" (p.73)


TO DOWNLOAD A PDF COPY OF THESE STORIES, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Juniors - Wednesday and Thursday, January 14-15

After going over the proofreading homework from Tuesday in class, where we discussed some grammar rules regarding punctuation (its versus it's, whose versus who's, when to use colons and semicolons, quotation rules, etc.) we completed another writing exercise called "Picture Stories." You all formed into groups of four, and I passed around various photographs of different people, all cut out from a number of magazines and advertisements. For six minutes, you wrote a story about the person in your photograph (in any format you wish - a poem, a piece of dialogue, a short story, a narrative, a journal entry, and so on). I asked you to imagine what might be going through their heads at that moment, what they are about, where they are from, where they are headed, what are their hopes, dreams, fears, etc. etc. Then after six minutes of writing, you switched your picture with someone in your group and wrote on the next photo for another six minutes. After rotating four times, some of you shared what you came up with (they were great!!)

The rest of the period was spent writing about more visual images. I asked you to write about specific scenes, using clips from the film Baraka. Using as much descriptive language as possible, try to make those visual scenes come alive for a reader (i.e., how would you put what you have seen into words that can adequately capture the visual?)

For Friday, we will be in the computer lab working on your initial drafts. I will also be doing a writing check (worth 20 points) that covers all of the in-class writing that we've been doing up to this point (Including Friday's writing exercise, you should have eight entries or more). Don't forget your notebook! If you don't have it with you, you will be given a zero - remember, the expectation is that you have it in class every day for the daily writing exercises.

English 9 - Wednesday and Thursday, January 14-15

Block days this week were spent viewing the amazing film Baraka: "Set to the life affirming rhythms of varied religious rituals and nature's own raw beat, Baraka is a visualization of the interconnectedness humans share with the earth and environment...[the film] captures not only the harmony, but also the calamity that humans and nature have visited upon the earth." As you watched this film, I asked you think about the ideas and subjects that are represented in the film, and also how religion, culture, art, literature, and geography all play a vital role in developing one's worldview. How are these depicted in the film?

If you were absent, I strongly suggest you see me to set up a time to view it. I asked you to add a paragraph response to this film onto your worldview papers, which are due on Friday rather than block day, which I originally told you.

On Friday, we will picking up where we left off with various readings from the textbook.

Juniors - Tuesday, January 13, 2008

Today for our writing exercise, we dabbled in writing some poetry using an activity called "The Eight Room Image Poem." This is also designed to help get you thinking about using imagery in your writing. In your notebooks, you drew a grid with eight boxes. I asked you to imagine a specific scene - a scene from a good or bad memory, a scene that you "made up," a scene that you like to imagine, etc. Each box on your page was labeled with the following: Image, Light, Sound, Smell, Texture, Questions, Emotion, and Repeating Phrase. In each "room," you described that aspect of your scene in detail, using as much descriptive language as you can (think descriptive words, phrasing, the use of metaphor or simile, adverbs and adjectives, etc.) Then, working with the material you had come up with, created a poem. Your poem can be in any structure, style, format, or voice that you wish (that is the beauty of poetry...there are few rules), just as long as you are drawing from material in each of your "rooms."

For homework, please download the Rolling Stone article "Pop Life" by Rob Sheffield. Click on the link below to access the article. I have removed most of the punctuation, so your task is to go through the article and add in the correct punctuation. Please use a blue or colored ink pen or marker so that I can easily see your corrections (please no pencil or black ink). We will be going over this in class during a grammar activity during block day, so don't forget it!

"Pop Life: Tila Tequila and A Shot at Love" by Rob Sheffield

Freshmen - Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Today, we began class by reading an article by a Canadian teen called "The Truth about Teen Culture and the Tooth Fairy." In this article, the author argues that there is no such thing as "teen culture." As you read this in class, I asked you to consider these questions: 1. Do you agree with the author when he/she claims that there is no such thing as teen culture, and that teens are simply an age group and cannot be considered a culture? Why or why not? How would you define culture? 2. What are some "cultural distinctions" that we create in the United States? After you finished reading, we discussed your responses and what makes a culture a culture. We also talked about how we like to categorize and generalize groups of people, and what the positive and negative implications are of doing so. How might our inclination to categorize and define cultures influence our worldview and also how we view world literature?

Next, you did a little bit of writing about your own worldview. Basically, you will write about a page to a page and a half on the following prompt (due on block day): What factors have played a role in forming who you are and how you view the world? Consider the following: family history, nationality, cultural identity, cultural traditions, geographic location, movement, socioeconomic status, education, language(s), social groups you are a part of, social habits, family dynamics, community dynamics, identity, etc. How have all of these factors shaped who you are and who you will become? What is the influence of these in terms of how you view cultures different than your own? You may type or handwrite this assignment, and turn it in on block day.

"The Truth about Teen Culture and the Tooth Fairy"

Modern Lit. - Monday, January 12, 2009

Today our writing exercises involved five different prompts. You only needed to choose two to respond to today, but feel free to address all of them in your writing notebooks if you wish. Choose two of the following five:

1. Begin your first sentence with the phrase, "That was a time when..."

2. Respond to the prompt: "I'm inclined to lie about this." (You can begin your first sentence with this phrase or not, or you can just write about anything that comes to mind...)

3. The Elephant in the Room. Have you (or someone you know) ever been in a situation where there was a palpable tension or awkward situation that everyone was aware of but in which no one said anything? Again, you can write in any format or style that you choose, can make things up, etc.

4. Common experience/embarassing moment (Think back to "Big Boy" that we read in class.) You may write about an embarassing or awkward social situation that is common to all of us, a personal embarrassing moment, or something that all of us share as part of the human experience. Up to you!

5. The _______ dream you've ever had (the weirdest, scariest, best, etc.)

Next, we read a short story called "Extenuating Circumstances" by Joyce Carol Oates. This story is unique in that the narrator begins every sentence in the story with the word "because." As you read this piece, I asked you keep in mind the following guided questions: 1) What does the narrator do? 2)Why does she do it? In other words, what are her "extenuating circumstances"? 3) How effective is the repetitive use of the word "because"? Why? 4) The writer uses run-on sentences a few times throughout this piece. What does the use of this style convey in terms of tone and mood? What does it reveal about the character/narrator?

I want to encourage you to take risks with your writing and maybe try playing with structure a bit. Try to stray from the conventional. You might be surprised with what you can come up with!

Please note: Disregard the assignment that was posted on the calendar for today. I will likely move it to next week. Also, we did not get around to the proofreading/grammar activity that was scheduled for today, so that will be moved to Tuesday's agenda. Please make a note on your calendars.

"Extenuating Circumstances" by Joyce Carol Oates (from her book, Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque)

English 9 - Monday, January 12, 2009

Today after turning in your homework from Friday, we discussed the story "Day of the Butterfly" and its key themes regarding social systems, identity, friendship, and guilt. We also checked out a map of Ontario, where Alice Munro is from and where the story takes place, and discussed the influence of geographic location on literature and experience. We also viewed a video clip from a documentary that explores Americans' perceptions of Canadians and vice versa, and then we discussed some of the differences and similarities that were explored in the video. No homework tonight - tomorrow, we will be wrapping up Canada and reading some selections from Mexico. Don't forget to fill in your summary charts...

Juniors - Friday, January 9, 2009

Happy Friday! Today we continued with some more writing exercises, and today we focused on point of view. For five minutes each, you were asked to write from the perspective of:

1. an inanimate object (a tool, a piece of furniture, a machine, food, etc.)

2. an animal (this includes insects, wild animals, reptiles, fish, birds, etc. etc.)

3. an enemy (an enemy of yours, or the enemy of someone you know, or from the point of view of someone we as a country might consider an enemy.)

After we were finished, I handed out the rubric and assignment sheet for your portfolios, which are due on January 30th. I also passed out a class set of Literary Genre packets, which include a list of possible genres to consider along with some examples. These will be kept in the cabinet in the classroom for you to use at any time, otherwise, you can download copies here if you'd like to have a personal copy to refer to.

Writing Portfolio Assignment sheet

Portfolio Rubric

Six Traits Writing Rubric
Literary Genre list and example packet

Freshmen - Friday, January 9, 2009

Happy Friday!! Hopefully some of you snowbunnies and jackrabbits will get up to the mountains this weekend to enjoy the fresh snow! I know I will. Today, we discussed recognizing tone in literature and I showed you a brief power point (view by clicking here). We compared different tones in music along with some song clips, and then went over some literary examples. The rest of the period was spent tackling our last Canadian piece of literature, "Day of the Butterfly" by Alice Munro and answering some reading and vocabulary questions. As you read this piece, consider how Alice Munro's upbringing in rural Ontario might have influenced her writing, especially regarding themes of isolation, loneliness and frustration. If you did not finish in class, I have posted a PDF of the story for you to download below so you can finish it over the weekend. The reading questions are due on Monday in class. I also handed out a summary chart for all of the readings we will be completing in "Americas" section of the book. Use this chart to summarize and respond to each piece - this will help you when reviewing for quizzes and other activities. Download below if you need an extra copy. Have a great weekend!

RTW Summary Chart

"Day of the Butterfly" by Alice Munro

Reading Questions for "Day of the Butterfly"

Modern Literature - Wednesday and Thursday, January 7-8

Today we dove head first into some creative writing. We began with a writing activity in which you responded to three different prompts for five minutes each: (if you were absent, complete these in your notebook so you can recieve credit for them).

1. Write about something or someone who makes you really angry. You can write in any form that you choose (letter format, dialogue, narrative, etc.)

2. Write about someone or something that needs your comfort.

3. Write about something or someone you strongly desire - you want it bad, and your wanting is filling your mind.

Next, we discussed the use of voice and tone in writing. How did each of your pieces of writing differ in terms of voice? What specifically made them different? Word choice? Sentence fluency? Figurative language? Etc.?

After our writing exercise, we discussed the importance of a "so what?" in writing. Good writers can write about anything, as long as there is something to "give" the reader - a point, a moral, a message, etc. If you approach a piece of writing asking the question "so what?", a good piece of writing will be able to answer that for you. Keep this in mind when you begin drafting your own pieces for your portfolio. To exemplify this, you read a short essay by one of my favorite writers, David Sedaris, called "Big Boy," followed by a discussion about the "so what?" and his use of descriptive language. View the story and the guided questions by downloading below.

The rest of the period was spent creating Writer's Collages. This is basically a visual representation of things that inspire you. You can put anything on to it - excerpts from your favorite writing, sentimental photographs, artwork, song lyrics, pictures of things you love or hate, etc. View basic instructions and an example by clicking the links below. These are due on Monday for credit, no later.

If you have not yet turned in your Writing Autobiography, please do so no later than Friday.

"Big Boy" Guided Questions

"Big Boy" by David Sedaris

Writing Collage Instructions

Writing Collage example

English 9 - Wednesday and Thursday, January 7-8

For block days this week, we started Readinng the World by examining literature from Canada. We read two selections, "Borders" by Thomas King, a short story, and a poem by Margaret Atwood entitled "At the Tourist Centre in Boston." We went over some guided reading questions, followed by a class discussion about cultural identity. No homework tonight, just make sure you have completed the reading by Friday. If you were absent, please see me so that you can check out a copy of the book to take home. To view the discussion questions and the guided reading questions we did in class, click here.

Juniors - Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Today we went over introductory materials and requirements for our creative writing unit. View the power point by clicking here. I also gave you all copies of the calendar and schedule for this unit (a unit syllabus if you will), we went over it, and you can also download this here. Please keep in mind that the daily agenda and assignments are subject to change, and I will notify you if something needs to be altered. The rest of the period was spent writing your first assignment, your "writing autobiography." This is due no later than Friday, so if you were absent, download instructions below and see me if you have any questions. For block day, you need to bring in some "golden lines," and excerpt or quote from a favorite piece of writing to share. You will also be using this for a fun activity. Also, remember to get a writer's notebook - you do not have to go buy a new one if you don't want to, but at the very least, you need to have a designated space to keep all of you writing. We will be diving right in on Wednesday and Thursday.

January Unit Calendar

Writing Autobiography assignment
Ms. A's Writing Autobiography (example)

Freshmen - Tuesday, December 6, 2009

Today, we discussed our next unit: Reading the World. This is a great collection of world literature that we will be tackling for the next month or so. We viewed a power point that outlines some of the objectives and skills we will be working on, followed by two fun anticipation activities. To see all of the stuff we did, view the power point by clicking the link below. In addition, you read two short essays to introduce RTW, and we discussed them in class. Download copies of those below.

Reading the World Intro Power Point

"Who Are These Strangers?"

"The Art of Translation"

Juniors - Monday, December 5, 2009

Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope all of you are refreshed and energized, because it will be a busy spring semester! Today, however, was an easy day - we finished up the documentary "Letters Home" that we started before break and also turned in your copies of The Things They Carried. We also discussed the upcoming units we will be covering this semester, beginning with a fun four weeks of creative writing. Please remember to turn in your book if you have not done so already.

Monday, December 5, 2008

Welcome back!!! I hope all of you had a great two weeks off and enjoyed the holidays! We are now officially halfway done with the school year, and it will be a busy one. However, today was an easy day - you finally finished up your name collages so I can post them in our room. We also went over an outline of units we will be covering this semester. This week we will beginning our next unit, a series of world literature that fits in well with the geography stuff you will be doing with Ms. Cody. Welcome back and I look forward to a great semester!!