Room Needs and Work Time!

Book Cover Design Contest:

1. Submissions due on Monday
2. Full color
3. Needs to include a title for the book, and something like "the poetry of AHS sophomores, 2011"
4. Size: 8.5" x 11"

Individual Conferences with Lori

Food Sign Ups

HOMEWORK

1. Bring in one thing to rock out our room.  This is a homework assignment for points.  DUE: Friday, 4/29.  Things we need include...
• Couch
• Funky chair
• Coffee tables
• Curtains
• Lamps
• Rugs
• Small end tables
• Wall hangings
• Plants (fake or real)

Artist Statement Critiques

Announcements:

1. Poetry Slam has been moved to NEXT TUESDAY, May 3rd.  I will still be offering extra-credit for those who slam poems, and for those who simply attend.  It will be from 5:30-7:00 at the Durango Arts Center.

Artist Statement Critiques

1. Follow directions on critique handout.
2. Two rounds of critique.

Work Priorities

1. Finalize and edit poems and artist statements.  Remember to check punctuation in your poems!  SINGLE SPACE poems and artist statements!
2. Work on Projects
• Audio recording
• Kinetic text
• Memorizing and rehearsing spoken word poems
• Visual art pieces
• Planning/scripting/storyboarding for videos
3. Conferences with Lori as needed

HOMEWORK:

1. Revise and finalize artist statements and poems.  DUE Wednesday to your editor.

Challenge Meetings and Revisions

Work Priorities:

1. Revise Artist Statement: Print 2 copies of 2nd draft for critiques on Tuesday
2. Finalize and edit poems
3. Start putting poem into project format, getting ready to present/perform
4. Challenge Roles: Conferences with Lori

Challenge Role Assignments:

1. Scheduler: Schedule done by the end of the day
2. Hospitality/Decoraters: Roles assigned, general plan in place by end of day
3. Vendors: Roles assigned, food/drink sign up in place

Homework:

1. Print 2 copies of revised artist statement for critiques tomorrow.  Must have at the start of class for credit!

Artist Statements

Artist Statement Guidelines:

1. 3 paragraphs: One talking about your content inspiration, one talking about your form inspiration, one talking about your performance inspiration.
2. Make it personal and interesting!
3. Use what you've already written for your process journals
4. Formatting: Single spaced, 12 pt. font, no indents (spaces between paragraphs), 1 page or less, title = your full name

Work Time

1. Revise poems
2. Conference with Lori if needed
3. Work on RD of artist statement

Spring Cleaning of Classroom!

Homework

1. RD of Artist Statement.  DUE: Monday, start of class.  Details of assignment are above, examples were handed out in class.

Critiques and Coffee Shop

One Class: Field Trip to Coffee Shops


Other Class:

1. Finish focused critiques
2. Revise poems (should be starting to move towards the final draft at this point)
3. Process Journal 6

Homework:

1. Finish and print Process Journal 6 (DUE: Thursday, start of class)
2. Do any final critiques of poems for people who have been absent, have them ready for class tomorrow

Focused Critiques

No Starter


Announcements:  Permission slips for field trip are DUE!  If you don't have it to me by tomorrow morning, you will not be going downtown with the class.

Focused Critiques

1. In groups of 6 or 7
2. Author offers focusing questions/concerns
3. What's memorable, piercing, or true about this piece of writing?
4. Improvements and suggestions for revision
5. Author reponse: where they go from here

Project Work Time

1. Revise, revise, revise!
2. AfterEffects
3. Process Journal 6 (Due Thursday, start of class)

Process Journal 6: Due Thursday, start of class

1. What have you learned about poetry during this process?  What are your thoughts on reading and writing poetry, and how have they changed in the past few weeks?
2. Revision Challenge: Cut at least 5 lines from your poem.  Talk about which lines you cut, and why.  
3. What are your next steps?  Do you have any concerns about your project at this point?

Homework

1. BRING PERMISSION SLIPS!
2. Critique Poems for class.  Annotate as you read, then note the main strengths and the main revisions.  BE SPECIFIC!  Explain your responses!

Whole Class Critiques

Starter 22

1. In the class critiques, what questions or issues do you want people to address for your poem? (at least 3)
2. Describe each of the poems you read for critique last night in 1-2 sentences.

Whole Class Critiques of Poems

1. Describe the work
2. What's memorable, piercing, or true about this writing?
3. Improvements and suggestions for revision
4. Poet responds:
• What was helpful
• What they are going to be working on

Work Time

1. Poem revisions
2. AfterEffects
3. Process Journal 5
4. Critiques for Monday

Homework: Poem Critiques for Monday

Critique 3 poems for critiques on Monday.  For each poem, you should do the following:

1. Read the poem, annotate and respond as you go.  Note questions, comments, reactions, etc.
2. What is memorable, piercing, or true about this piece of writing?  Be specific, and explain why.
3. What could be done to this poem to make it even stronger?  Be specific, and explain why.

GET PERMISSION SLIPS SIGNED!  THEY ARE DUE ON MONDAY!

Deadlines and Critique Preparation

Starter 21

1. Watch the interview with Samantha Chang HERE.
2. What is her message about writing?
3. What stood out to you in this interview?  Why?

Deadlines and Field Trips

1. Field Trip: Tuesday, 4/19 (for AM class), Wednesday, 4/20 (for PM class).  Get permission slips signed, and remember to ask your parents if they can volunteer!
2. RD Artist Statements: Due Monday, 4/25
3. FINAL DRAFT Poems and Artist Statements: Due Wednesday, 4/27
4. Tech projects (movies, slideshows, kinetic text, music, etc.) to tech person: Due Tuesday, 5/3
5. Graded Dress Rehearsal: Wednesday, 5/4
6. Exhibition: Thursday, 5/5

Critique Format Review

Work Time

1. Critique poems (see below for guidelines)
2. Process Journal #5 (look a few days back)
3. Revise poem!

HOMEWORK: Poem Critiques, DUE FRIDAY, start of class

Read all three of the poems for critique tomorrow.  For each poem, you should do the following:

1. Read and annotate the poems as you read.  Respond as a reader in your comments.
2. What is memorable, true, or piercing about this piece of writing?
3. What are some ways this poem could be improved?  What are the weakest aspects of this poem, and why?

Poetry Analysis Quiz

Turn in Process Journal 4


Poetry Analysis Quiz

1. If you choose a  Level 1 (easy) poem, it will be difficult to get above a B.  However, if you struggle with poetry, do this!  Better to do a good analysis here than a shoddy analysis of a harder poem.
2. Level 2 (medium) is where most people should probably be.
3. Level 3 (hard) is for students who really want to challenge themselves.

Process Journal 5

1. Choose TWO of the following to answer.  Hint: Extended metaphors may be necessary here!  Please note, one sentence answers are not sufficient.
• How is a poem like a cat?
• How is a poem like a bomb?
• How is writing a poem like falling in love?
• How is writing a poem like dying?
2. Revision Challenge: Find the weakest part of your poem.  Make it stronger.  Show me the original version and the revised version, and then explain what changes you made, and why you think they make this section stronger.
3. What is your next step in the process?  Why?  

Homework: None!

Conferences and Difficulty

Starter 19

1. Looking back at all the poems we've read, which what the most difficult to understand?  What made it so difficult?
2. Why do poets spend so much time saying things in weird and unusual ways?

Announcements

1. Adobe After Effects: To do tutorials, watch a section, then DO WHAT HE DOES!  Do not just sit there and watch it passively.  To learn the techniques, you need to use the tutorial actively.
2. Quiz Reminders: Can have a list of strategies for reading and understanding poems with you, and a dictionary.

Work Time

1. Finish individual conferences with Lori
2. Do After Effects Tutorials
3. Process Journal 4 (see yesterday's post for details)
4. Revise! Revise! Revise!  Weird your language!

Homework

1. Finish and print Process Journal 4.  DUE: Wednesday, start of class
2. Put together a list of strategies for reading and understanding poems to use during the analysis quiz tomorrow (this list can be typed or handwritten).

Conferences and AE Tutorials

Starter 18

1. When you are reading a poem, particularly a challenging poem, what are all of the different steps and strategies you can use to make meaning from the poem?  Think about the process from start to finish!

Announcements

1. Adobe After Effects
• On all Acer computers and 4 desktops in map room
• Tutorials are on computers in file labeled "AE Tutorials"
2. Poetry Analysis Quiz: WEDNESDAY
3. Poems for library competition due to Lori by Friday
4. If you were gone Friday, you MUST make up the quiz on Tuesday, after school

Priorities

1. Conference with Lori
2. After Effects Tutorials (if you're thinking about kinetic text)
3. Process Journal 4
4. Revise!  Revise!  Revise!

Process Journal 4

1. What is your performance inspiration?  How will your poem be presented to the audience at exhibition?  Why did you choose this form, and what challenges do you anticipate?
2. Go through your poem, and change the punctuation and layout of your poem on the page in a fundamental way.  This could mean that you add (parenthesis), use ellipsis…, add or take away commas, add or remove exclamation points !!! or question marks???, or play

                                   with

                                                                   spacing.

1. What is your next step, and why?

Device Quiz and Form Analysis

Turn in Starters 13-16


Devices and Perspective Quiz


Recitations


Form Analysis

1. Find a specific poem that you are using for your form inspiration
2. ID all poetic devices used in that poem (you could just label them on the text of the poem)
3. What poetic devices from your form inspiration are you going to use in your poem (you must choose at least 3)?
• For each device, provide and explanation of why you are drawn to that device, and how that device will will help you to develop your message/perspective.

Homework

1. Process Journal #3 (see earlier blog post this week for details).  DUE: Monday, start of class.
2. Finish Form Analysis.  DUE: Monday, start of class.

First Drafts, Freewrites, and Work Time

Recitations

1.      Morning Class: Elliott, Stephan, Emma, Allie, Gregor, Kaia

2.      Afternoon Class: Daniel, Ian, Tyler, Hannah W., Leah, Chad

Starter 16

1.      Read “Sloppy First Drafts” in blue reader

1. Underline at least 3 places in the text that they identify with, or that strike them.
2. Make a marginal comment for each underlined part
3. Answer the following questions:

                                                              i.      What was her point?

                                                            ii.      How does this apply to you?

                                                          iii.      Paragraph 7:  Do you “trust the process?” Why/Why Not?

Generative Writing and Play

1.      Open freewrite 1:20
Circle one thing from the first freewrite and use it as your topic 1:20
 How do things in a kitchen relate to war? 1:20 How do things in the bathroom relate to peace?
How do things on the ski mountain relate to violence?
How do things in nature relate to war?
How do things in nature relate to peace?
Choose the one word or phrase that most relates to your poem from all the freewrites above and freewrite on it. 

Poetry Work Time

1.      Revise poems: Use stuff from your freewrites!

2.      Conference with Lori

3.      Study for Quiz

4.      Process Journal 3

Process Journal 3

What has been the most difficult thing about this process for you so far?  How did you (or how are you, if the difficulty is ongoing) work through your difficulty?

2.      Revision Challenge: Choose the three most important ideas or objects in your poem (example: war, peace, dead soldiers, bombs, etc.).  Describe them using a simile AND a metaphor.  Be creative…T.S. Eliot once described the evening in a simile that compared the evening to “a patient etherized upon a table.”

a.       EXAMPLE: Soldiers

                                                              i.      Simile: The soldiers were like dogs, straining against their leashes to enter the fight.

                                                            ii.      Metaphor: The soldiers were ants, marching without purpose towards their death.

3.      What is your ne next step in the process?   Why?  (Brainstorming, peer critique, research, writing, including poetic devices, working on the specific form, starting over, working with a teacher or tutor, learning after-effects, illustrating your poem…other?)

Homework

1.      Study for QUIZ!

Poetry Work Time

Starter 15

1. What experience and perspective do you want your poem to give the reader?  What do you want them to think?  What do you want them to feel?
2. What poetic device (that you're not currently using) would help to develop the experience and perspective you want to communicate?  Why do you think so?

Work Time

1. Revise poem
2. Conference with Lori as needed
3. Process Journal 2- DUE AT THE END OF CLASS!
4. Study for poetry quiz on Friday (see details on Monday's post)

Process Journal #2

1. Explain what your form inspiration is (you may have more than one).  Which of the poems we've seen or read is influencing the form your poem is taking?  What have you taken from them, and why?
2. Revision: Rewrite a chunk of your poem (at least 8 lines) in a completely different form.  (Examples: If you are doing spoken word style, do a sonnet or a villanelle.  If your poem is formal, with strong meter/rhyme, try a style like e.e. cummings or spoken word.)  Go to THIS WEBSITE to find a list of different forms and styles you could play with!
3. What's your next step in the process?  Why?  Do you need anything from me to complete this?  (Brainstorming, peer critique, research, writing, including poetic devices, working on the specific form, starting over, working with a teacher or tutor, learning after-effects, illustrating your poem…other?)

Homework

1. For those reciting on Thursday, practice poem, finish and print written analysis
2. STUDY FOR POETRY QUIZ

Form Inspiration and Critiques

Starter 14

1. Watch the video titled "Lost Generation."
2. What do you notice about this poem?
3. What unique thing could you do to the FORM of your poem to help communicate your message?  Remember, the form is HOW the poem is written (not how it is performed).

Initial Critiques

Get two rounds of critiques on your draft poem.  You should give feedback to two poems as well.  For each poem you give feedback to, you should answer the following questions (you can do this right on their poem, or on a separate piece of paper).

1. What is their message/perspective?
2. What is the strongest aspect of this poem?  Explain with a few sentences.
3. Give two specific suggestions for improving this poem.  Write the suggestions on the poem where you want the changes to go.
4. What did you see in this poem that you could use to make your own poem better?

Project Work Time

1. Poem Revision
2. Process Journal #2
3. Memorization and Written Analysis
4. Study for poetry quiz on FRIDAY

Process Journal #2

1. Explain what your form inspiration is (you may have more than one).  Which of the poems we've seen or read is influencing the form your poem is taking?  What have you taken from them, and why?
2. Revision: Rewrite a chunk of your poem (at least 8 lines) in a completely different form.  (Examples: If you are doing spoken word style, do a sonnet or a villanelle.  If your poem is formal, with strong meter/rhyme, try a style like e.e. cummings or spoken word.)  Go to THIS WEBSITE to find a list of different forms and styles you could play with!
3. What's your next step in the process?  Why?  Do you need anything from me to complete this?  (Brainstorming, peer critique, research, writing, including poetic devices, working on the specific form, starting over, working with a teacher or tutor, learning after-effects, illustrating your poem…other?)

HOMEWORK:

1. For those reciting on Wednesday, finish and print written analysis, practice reciting.
2. Study for Poetry Quiz (see Monday's post for details)

Draft Poem Continued

Starter 13

1. What is your favorite concept, line, or image from your poem right now?  Explain.
2. What difficulties are you having in writing your poem right now?  Be specific!
3. What are 3 possible strategies you could use to overcome your difficulties?

Poem Recitations

Reminders:

1. QUOTE YOUR POEM in your written analysis!  Remember, you need evidence from your memorized poem to support your analysis of that poem.  Anytime you talk about a poetic device, you should quote a part of the poem that uses that device.  Make sure to set up your quotes correctly.
2. Poetry process journals will be due on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the end of class.

Work Time Priorities

1. Conference with Lori
2. RD Poem
3. Process Journal #1 (turn in by the end of class)
4. Practice reciting
5. Finish written analysis of memorized poem
6. Study for poetry quiz on Friday: ID and define poetic devices, analyze poetry for message and techniques, use different poetic techniques and devices

Homework

1. Finish a VERY rough draft of your exhibition poem, have ready for class tomorrow.

Draft 1 of Exhibition Poem

Starter 12: Do You Get It?  D'Vaughn McCrae

1. What do you notice about her presentation style/method?
2. What is the perspective of this poem?
3. What part of this poem stands out to you the most?

Content Poems

1. Trade poems with a partner
2. Read their poem, and write your name on the back of it.
3. What is the perspective of this poem?
4. What are the strongest lines of this poem, and why?  In other words, if you were going to throw out everything but 2-3 lines, which would you keep?
5. What are two specific things they could do to make this poem even stronger?
6. If you were going to do a D/C journal about this poem, what lines would you choose, and why?

Exhibition Poem

1. Write first draft of exhibition poem.
2. Keep EVERYTHING you write.  You never know when you will want it for a later version!
3. I suggest creating a poetry folder, and saving all your drafts separately.  In other words, when you go in to revise your poem, copy and paste it into a new document, so you have a record of your changes.

Poetry Process Journal 1

1. What do you think you are going to use as your content inspiration?  What about this inspires you? (images, words, symbols, phrases...)  What do you want to say about this?
2. Take two lines from your current draft and write them here.  Now rewrite those two lines so that they communicate the same message, but don’t use any of the same words.
3. What is your next step in the process?   Why?  (Brainstorming, peer critique, research, writing, including poetic devices, working on the specific form, starting over, working with a teacher or tutor, learning after-effects, illustrating your poem…other?)