Sunday, November 29, 2015

Your Poem Illustrated

Use this creative project as a tool to pay close attention to the particular word choices, images, patterns, sounds, and uses of figurative language in the poem you are doing for Poetry Out Loud.

Use Google Slides to create a power point for this project.  When you are done, copy the link in the comment box below.  Make sure your power point is open for others to view without special permission.  Be sure to include your name and the title of your poem.




How to make your illustrated poem:


1.  Break up your poem into smaller chunks.  If it is a long poem, break it down into groups of 2 lines.  If it is smaller, maybe go line by line.  You'll have to do whatever makes sense for your poem.  You want to break it down so you can attend to very specific details like word choices or images.


2.  Create a slide for each grouping of lines.  Write the lines right on the slide.  Go in chronological order.


3.  Find images that connect to the different word choices, images, patterns, symbols, sounds, and uses of figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, etc.).  Creatively display these images on the same slide as the lines they connect to.  Go for a collage effect that attends to multiple details and layers of meaning rather than just one image for the whole line.


4.  Your final project should consist of multiple slides which contain the smaller groupings of lines and their corresponding images.



Thursday, November 19, 2015

Follow-up Othello Fishbowl Discussion Blog

Use this blog post to either reflect on a specific passage from the article about women in Othello that we didn't discuss in class, or to further explore an idea, a connection, a question, or a passage from our discussion of either "Othello's Alienation" or "Iago the Psychopath."





A good blog post will have an angle or a focus that will be hinted at in the title. This angle will be the driving focus of the blog post.  The post will discuss only a few really important specific ideas, connections, or passages from the play and the article, but it will discuss them deeply. Rather than just repeat what's already been said, the writer will strive to explore a new insight or perspective, or will connect ideas from the discussion to passages in the play and/or the article that weren't examined carefully yet. The writing will be clear, effective, and have a sense of voice.  Length: approx. 300 words.



Monday, November 2, 2015

Fall Nonfiction Book Share

Now after analyzing your books in your journals, you have the chance to discuss your thoughts and reactions to the arguments you encountered in your books.  Feel free to use any of the prompts to respond to--DON'T feel like you need to answer all of them.




             *   Why should people read this book?  What is important, significant, or life-changing about the argument and the information presented?  Or, why shouldn't they waste their time with this book?  What was disappointing, frustrating, or even disturbing about what the writer did here?


            *    How did this book affect and influence your own thinking about the issue?  What did you think/believe before you started the book?  What do you think/believe now?  What was the most compelling part of the book that influenced your own thinking?


           *    What did you learn by reading this book that you would like to share with others?  What connections did you make with the reading?  What new insights and understandings do you now have?
 
           *    How successful was the author's argument?  What did the author achieve?  What didn't he/she achieve? 




A good blog post will have an angle or a focus that will be hinted at in the title. This angle will be the driving focus of the blog post.  It will discuss only a few really important specifics from the book, but it will discuss them deeply.  It will make connections between the reading and personal observations and/or experiences.  The writing will be clear, effective, and have a sense of voice.  Length: approx. 250-300 words.




After you post your blog, read the posts of your peers and respond to them.  Try to engage in a conversation with at least 2 or 3 other people today.  Be respectful in your responses and share ideas.