English 11: USSR forms are due Monday . . .

Make sure that all work is up to date for Monday.
If you have had extensions, the last day for overdue work is Monday as I will be creating interim reports next weekend.

We have 8 weeks to go. Make sure you reach your academic goals. Don't lose focus. Keep the study routines in place.

Response to Fionncara MacEoin is due Monday . . .

Focus this weekend on reading great stories to inspire you to write.
Good copy, double-spaced, following the criteria is due Friday, Dec. 12th. Please,
no late work as your workshop group needs to read and respond to the story ahead of time.

Fionncara spoke a lot about reading your work aloud. Absolutely crucial for fiction writing. Read it aloud while walking to ensure the words have life in them.

English 10: Three items due

Revise your poem using the items below:

Sound devices: assonance, alliteration, dissonance, rhythm, internal rhyme, repetition
Line break
Enjambement
Unique detail
Image in the title
Show don't tell
Get at the big ideas through the small details
Consider: point of view, setting, letting the ending open rather than close (no summaries, no "conclusions")

Hand in the typed draft on Monday.
USSR forms are due Monday.
Vocabulary Quiz is Monday. Words 1-50. Study. Memorize the parts of speech, too.

Iago, in-class paragraph today . . .

Using only your mini-quote log or your what / so what chart, write a paragraph on Iago. Use your literary must-haves list, the how to cite and incorporate quotations sheets, your transitions sheet, and your vocabulary sheet.

Do you believe Iago is a villain? Explain your answer with evidence from Acts 1 and 2.

Criteria: Insight. Your enquiry into the character of Iago is based on research. 
               Style. You use vocabulary, sentence variety, and strong verbs.
               Format: You follow the literary paragraph template and your quotations are clearly explained.
               Proofreading: You check your spelling, grammar and punctuation.

If you were absent today or yesterday, arrange a time, outside of class to complete this in-class assignment. Due the quote log at home. 

Writing 12: Two pages of fiction due today . . .

I read all three 2014 Claremont Review Contest Fiction prize winners today. We assessed the strengths and weaknesses of each one.

We went over the short story assignment which is due Friday, Dec. 12th. No lates
accepted because we will be workshopping that day.

Pick two partners who will give you honest feedback. Partners who edit well.
Partners that you trust or want to work with.

Groups of 3 please.

Tomorrow, we have a guest reader. A poet.

English 10: Writing a poem . . .

Based on today's lesson: How to get at big ideas through small details, chose one of the BIG TOPICS below and the details below and write a poem. Type it up and bring it to class tomorrow to share with a partner. Read the poems in your package for ideas and the poems in the three poetry books that you have.

BIG TOPICS

1. Losing a loved on
2. Homelessness
3. Bullying
4. A current war
5. Divorce or a break up
6. Environmental disaster
7. Something current in the news that upsets you
8. Fitting In
9. Growing Up
10. Racism

Write a poem using the following details:

1. a month
2. a body of water
3. I
4. a season
5. a car name plus its year
6. a brand name (food, clothing, implement)
7. you
8. an animal
9. a type of tree
10. a description of light
11. name of a place
12. love
13. a character from a film, book, TV or history
14. time of day
    
    Once you have a first draft, go back and add line breaks, enjambement, and sound (alliteration, assonance, dissonance, rhythm, repetition). Vary your line length and notice the effect.
    
    A poem uses all the ingredients we used when writing our stories, plus line break, enjambement, and sound.
    
    Fiction ingredients: point of view, character, setting, conflict, open endings, start in the middle of the action, use an image in the title, no cliches, surprise us with great language "plummets like a wounded bird", show don't tell, imply, concrete imagery which appeals to the five senses. 

Keep reading poems and adding favourites to your poetry log.
Keep reading books and filling in the forms for USSR. Forms due Dec. 1.

English 11: Is Iago a villain?

Tonight, complete the mini-quote log or what / so what chart for Iago. You need six quotations and six responses.

 The question is Do you think Iago is a villain? Yes or no?

You will need a strong thesis statement that offers your opinion before you start writing your paragraph during class tomorrow.

If you were away today, finish reading Act 2, scene 3 and get the notes from your homework buddy.

Tomorrow is a short day. We start at 12:06. Be on time as you only have the one period to complete the persuasive paragraph.