Responding to Poetry: "Afternoon Beach"

Here's Your Two-Part Prompt:

Part 1. Carefully read and annotate your own copy of Molly Jordan's poem "Afternoon Beach." Jordan wrote this poem when she was in 8th grade. Examine her poem's format, specific language choices, vivid images, and overall meaning. Analyze the poem by answering each of the following questions in separate brief, but complete responses:

• Examine the physical structure of Jordan’s poem, specifically the word and line placements. What do the different line placements emphasize throughout the poem? Why do you think Jordan experimented with the structure of her poem as opposed to having her words line up on the left?
• Response:

• In order to emphasize imagery and sensory language, Jordan carefully selected verbs to focus on the specific actions associated with her experience at the beach. Which verbs stick out to you the most and what affect do they have on the images you see in your mind?
• Response:

• Surprisingly, Jordan wrote this poem during the winter season! What do you believe was her intended tone, considering the topic and the season she was composing this poem? What mood does this poem create for you as the reader? Explain your thinking.
• Response:

Part 2. Think about a place that brings you joy, happiness, and peace. Describe this place and narrate its importance to you in either a detailed paragraph or poem.  

Start Paragraph or Poem Below:

Tell the Story: "You Choose The Perspective"

Read the prompt below and carefully study the picture. Use the details of the picture and your creativity to develop a narrative. Make sure you have some sort of beginning, middle, and end to your creative narrative. Transitions will help to add flow from one idea to the next. Make sure you also separate your story into smaller paragraphs rather than keeping your writing in one extended “block” paragraph. A tip for paragraphing: every time you notice a shift in your story, hit enter twice and start a new paragraph.  

Will you tell this story from the perspective of the scuba diver or the whale shark or a third person perspective? Does the scuba diver get away? Does he live inside the whale shark for awhile before finally escaping? You choose the perspective!

Responding to Poetry: "The Swingset"

Here's Your Two-Part Prompt:

Part 1. Carefully read and annotate your own copy of Grace Walton's poem "The Swingset." Walton wrote this poem when she was in 7th grade. Examine her poem's format, specific language choices, vivid images, and overall meaning. Analyze the poem by answering each of the following questions in separate brief, but complete responses:

• How was Walton feeling throughout her poem? What clues do you have that help you infer her feelings?
• Response:

• Reread Walton's first stanza. Notice the strong noun-verb combinations. Why do you believe Walton selected these particular words and what image(s) do you think readers visualize when they read this stanza?
• Response:

• Walton's swingset is both literal and symbolic in meaning. What does the swingset symbolize for Walton? Explain your thinking.
• Response:

Part 2. Select a personal object that has had some level of importance to you over time. In other words, think about your own symbolic "swingset." Describe your object and narrate its importance to you in either a detailed paragraph or poem.  

Start Paragraph or Poem Below:

Tell this story: "Just remember,..."

Begin with the sentences below. Use the picture and your creativity to continue the narrative. Make sure you have some sort of beginning, middle, and end to your creative narrative. Transitions will help to add flow from one idea to the next. Make sure you also separate your story into smaller paragraphs rather than keeping your writing in one extended “block” paragraph. A tip for paragraphing: every time you notice a shift in your story, especially with dialogue, hit enter twice and start a new paragraph.  

"Just remember, you need to wait until he's finished working to ask him. He can get very angry if his work is interrupted. And we don't want him angry. We need his help."

Responding to Poetry - "My Room"

Here's Your Two-Part Prompt:

Carefully read Joe Powning's poem "My Room"

Response Part 1 - Analysis: Examine the format of Joe Powning's poem and examine the specific language he crafted within each stanza. Answer the following analytical questions in a short constructed response:

• How did Powning craft each stanza in his poem and why do you think the last stanza differs from the rest? What effect do you think Powning was aiming for with the format he selected?

• What does Powning's description of his own room reveal about who he is?

Response Part 2 - Narrative Writing: How would you describe your own bedroom? Write a personal narrative describing your own bedroom. You may decide which format to respond in: a paragraph or a poem.

Finish this story: Sometimes at dusk...

Begin a narrative with the sentences below. Use the picture and your creativity to continue the narrative. Make sure you have some sort of beginning, middle, and end to your story. Transitions will help to add flow from one idea to the next. Make sure you also separate your story into smaller paragraphs rather than keeping your writing in one extended “block” paragraph. A tip for paragraphing: every time you notice a shift in your story, hit enter twice and start a new paragraph.  

Sometimes at dusk we would see him come out from the hidden interior of his island. For years we had no idea who he was or what he did until...

Something I Cannot Live Without

Obviously, you need food, water, shelter, and your family's support to continue living comfortably. However, put all of those absolute necessities aside for a moment. Think about the other things you have in your life. What is one thing you absolutely could not live without? This thing could be either concrete or abstract. In your response, provide an explanation describing this thing you cannot live without and then provide a detailed explanation for why you could not live without it.

"The Line" and "The Bucket"

Think about the following analogies we have used in class this week 1.) “the line” of being closer to high school than your years as an elementary student as well as 2.) “the bucket” simulation comparing the bucket to life and the tennis balls to opportunities in life. With those analogies in mind, answer the following personal reflection questions: What do these analogies mean to you? Where do you see yourself on “the line” and with “the bucket”? Give specific examples to support the connection of these two analogies to where you’re at with your life and your goals for the future.

Design Something

Design some gadget, machine, building, or other creation that might enrich the future. Make sure you think through your design very carefully then provide details for the following questions:

• What does your design look like? What materials is it made up of?
• What does your design do? What is its purpose?
• How does your design function?
• In what ways might your design benefit other people and/or enrich the future?

Time Travel

Use your imagination to complete the rest of the prompt: What would you do if you could time travel just once to any time in the past? You’ll need to finish the incomplete sentence below and then build upon whatever your creativity selects. Make sure you explain your choice, why you have made this selection, and what you hope to come from your choice.

If I could time travel to the past, I would go back in time to ___________.

Letter for Change

What is something that you would like to see changed?  What reasons do you have for this change and to whom would you need to write a letter to affect change?  Think about your skills of persuasion that do not include being demanding or whining, but instead convince others to agree with your point of view.  Compose a letter to your selected person stating what you want changed, why you want it changed, and how you believe the outcome of the change will improve the lives of many.

National Candy Day

November 4th is National Candy Day! To honor the day of sugar-ladened sweets, let's creatively come up with our own candy concoctions. 

If you were to invent your own candy, what would it be? Make sure you thoroughly describe your tantalizing treat, by answering all of the following questions with strong SENSORY language (you are going to appeal to a reader's sense of sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound):

• What would your candy be called?
• What ingredients would be in it?
• What would it look like (ex. certain shapes, squares, circles, ropes, etc.)?
• What flavor(s) would your candy include?
• What texture(s) would your candy have (ex. chewy, sticky, crunchy, melt in your mouth, jaw-breaker hard, etc.)?  
• How would your candy be packaged (ex. candy bar style, individual wrappings, boxes, etc.)?
• Who would be your target audience for your candy and why?
• Why would your new treat be the latest and greatest in the world of candy craving crowds?

As a final step, create a slogan or brief advertisement for your treat. Include this part of your post in quotation marks to indicate that it is a slogan or advertisement intended for television, radio, internet, etc

Jolly Grammar Wednesday - Verbs

• Verbs
  • Verbs are words that show action or state of being.
  
  
  Infinitive Verbs
  • The most basic form of a verb is the infinitive verb.
  • This is the verb before conjugation.
  • Conjugation means...
  • For Example:
  • Infinitive: to run
  • Subject: Jimmy
  • Tense: past
  • Sentence:
  Verbs in the Present Tense
  • When things...
  
  

  	Present - Happening	Present Perfect - Happened in the past but may still be happening	Present Progressive/Gerund  - Continually Happening
  1st Singular	I jump.	I have jumped.	I am jumping.
  1st Plural	We jump.	We have jumped.	We are jumping.
  2nd Singular	You jump.	You have jumped.	You are jumping
  2nd Plural	You all jump.	You all have jumped.	You all are jumping.
  3rd Singular	He/she/it  jumps.	He/she/it have jumped.	He/she/it is jumping.
  3rd Plural	They jump.	They have jumped.	They are jumping.

  
  
  Verbs in the Past Tense
  • When things...
  
  

  	Past - Already Happened	Past Perfect - Happened and is Complete
  1st Singular	I jumped.	I had jumped.
  1st Plural	We jumped.	We had jumped.
  2nd Singular	You jumped.	You had jumped.
  2nd Plural	You all jumped.	You all had jumped.
  3rd Singular	He/she/it jumped.	He/she/it had jumped.
  3rd Plural	They jumped.	They had jumped.

  
  
  Verbs in the Future Tense
  • When things...
  
  

  	Future - Will happen	Future Perfect - Will be completed in the future
  1st Singular	I will jump.	I will have jumped.
  1st Plural	We will jump.	We will have jumped.
  2nd Singular	You will jump.	You will have jumped.
  2nd Plural	You all will jump.	You all will have jumped.
  3rd Singular	He/she/it will jump.	He/she/it will have jumped.
  3rd Plural	They will jump.	They will have jumped.

  
  
  To Be
  • The verb “to be” is the most common verb used.  It shows a noun’s...

  	Past	Present	Future
  1st Singular	I was	I am	I will be
  1st Plural	We were	We are	We will be
  2nd Singular	You were	You are	You will be
  2nd Plural	You all were	You all are	You all will be
  3rd Singular	He/she/it was	He/she/it is	He/she/it will be
  3rd Plural	They were	They are	They will be

  
  
  Irregular Verbs
  • Irregular verbs are verbs that…
  • Examples of irregular verbs:
  • begin → began or had begun, not beginned
  • write → wrote or had written, not writed
  • draw → drew, or had drawn, not drawed
  • seek → sought, not seeked
  Vivid Verbs
  • Writing with vivid verbs (and synonyms) will make your writing...
  • Ran → scampered, sprinted, dashed
  • Said → exclaimed, declared, criticized
  • Walked → moseyed, parade, strolled

Create a Potion

Have you ever wanted to invent your own potion? Now is the time for you to develop one.

Invent your own potion:

• What would it be called?  
• What effect would it have on the person who takes it or what would be the purpose of your potion?
• What ingredients would be necessary to make your potion?  Where would you get those ingredients? (These ingredients can be real, imagined, and/or metaphorical.)
• How long would your potion last?
• What might be some of the potential side-effects or cautions if your potion is consumed?
• How might the person who consumes your potion act once it wears off?

Be as SPECIFIC and DETAILED as possible.  This is an opportunity to be CREATIVE so show us how DESCRIPTIVE you can be!