Week of 10/26-10/30 Run, Lola, Run

Monday--continue work on three ending stories

Wednesday--continue work on 3 ending stories
Ms. Moraites research
Punctuation quiz

grammarbook.com/grammar_quiz/punctuation_mastery.asp


Friday--pick up poetry books, share 3 ending stories

Ms. Moraites Research

Hi everyone!

I am doing research on integrating pop culture in the classroom. I would like to involve you in my research and writing process! Please go to this website and post your answer to the following question:

(Click the link below and double click the wall.)

wallwisher.com/wall/creativegrammar

What is your favorite song, music artist, or music video of '08/'09? Of all time??
If you can't decide, what songs do you DISLIKE?
Don't like current music? What kind of music do you like?

Thank you!
Ms. Moraites

Week of 10/19-10/23 Run Lola Run

Creative Grammar and Style

Finish Now and then stories


Begin working on your "Run, Lola, Run" 3 ending story.


1. Start with your characters (2-6 names proper nouns). Be sure there is a protagonist (main character), an antagonist (the opposition to the main character), some secondary characters, and a real conflict.

2. Add some objects that will appear and reappear in your story (common nouns). Examples: a bicycle, an animal, a street, a briefcase, etc.

3. Add some actions (running, talking, fighting, laughing, screaming, etc.) VERBS

4. Describe some of the actions using adverbs---"ly" words (happily, sadly, cruelly, etc.)

5. Create some settings and timeframes using prepositions (over, under, beneath, above, after, before, on). Think about where and when.

6. You might want to focus on a situation: a divorce, a fight, a love triangle, a breakup, an accident, a wedding, etc.

Week of !0/13

Wed. No class PSAT DAY, etc.

Fri. 10/16 Last day of marking period; finish First Part Last questions; work on Now/Then stories; view Run, Lola, Run

Friday, 10/9 /First Part Last Response/Correct these sentences

Respond in writing to 3 of the discussion questions about The First Part Last that were posted in an earlier post (scroll down). Post your response as a comment to this post for credit.


Work on Gamzon and Craddock stories.


Grammar Exercise: Correct the following sentences
The students found it very hard to believe Mrs Snodwhumple had ever been a teenager herself, in fact they found it hard to believe that she was human at all.

The envelope enveloping the leter (complete the fragment)

The nieghbors supposebly had a pet dodo bird that excaped but I no that dodo birds are extinct.

The star athlete turned out to be a alien. From the newly discovered planet gezbarkawda.

My brother, Sundar, he puts catsup and maple syrup on everything.

It is supposebly difficult to pat your head rub your stomach and chew gum at the same time.

Who's idea was it to allow students to ride skateboards in the hall.

A even-toed ungulate which is better known as a camel keeps the sand out of it's eyes with 3 eyelids.

After Lee took a break to walk his Iguana and pet his Python he went back to work on his marshmellow sculpture.

The mall closed it's doors lifted into the air and flew off into space with a large and handsome truck stop.

The First Part Last

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson





Pre-reading:



How do you think your life would change as a teenager if you suddenly had the responsibility of an infant? Make a schedule of your life as it is now (look at your day planner) and then make a new one based on a life with baby.



Knowledge:



1. Describe how Bobby and Nia’s parents react to the news of her pregnancy. How would yours?
2. Find a quote that most reveals who Bobby is as a person. Explain why you picked it.



Comprehension:



1. Find three examples that show what kind of father Bobby is to Feather.
2. What do you think is the most difficult thing for Bobby? Why? (Answer this question after a few chapters, answer it again at the end of the novel and see if the answer changes)



Application:



1. Predict what happens to this family ten years into the future. Explain why.
2. Write ten questions you would ask Bobby, Mary, and Nia if you could.



Analyze:



1. On page 35 Bobby says, “ … which pisses her off and makes her scream, and then I look around my room and miss me.” Explain what he means.
2. Angela Johnson tells the story in a non-linear fashion. Why, do you think, she chose this literary device to reveal the story?







Synthesize:



1. How would you cope under the extraordinary circumstances that Bobby finds himself?
2. Would you make the same choices?



Evaluation:

1. If Bobby had Nia’s help raising Feather would he be a different father? What makes you think so?
2. Do you agree with Mary and Fred’s approach to grandparenthood? Why or why not?





Multiple Intelligence Projects for

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson



Verbal/ Linguistic



Write at least five letters to Nia explaining what is happening with both Bobby and Feather. Be specific!



or



Study the spare, lyrical writing of Angela Johnson and try to write one scene of a story with a similar quality and the same economy of words.



Logical/ Mathematical:



Find the most recent statistics that you can about teen pregnancy in America. Create at least one graph explaining the results you discovered.



Visual/ Spatial:



Create a piece of art that you feel represents Bobby’s emotions throughout the novel. Think about form, color and line as you create your work. Explain your art in a brief, but illuminating paragraph.



Body/Kinesthetic



In small groups, act out scenes from the novel.



Or-



Write the dialogue and act out the scenes that are left off camera (like what Nia says when she meets Bobby with a balloon on his birthday).





Musical/ Rhythmic



Either create an original piece of music yourself to accompany the story or, find at least three songs that you think belong on the soundtrack of the movie version of this book. Explain why you chose these songs (and include a copy of the lyrics) in a brief journal.



Interpersonal:



Cooperative Learning Project:



In groups of no more than three explore and research one aspect of teen pregnancy (or choose one of your own):



How sex education affects pregnancy rates

Social implications of teen pregnancy on communities

Long-term effects for the mother (and/or father) for future success

Long term success for the infant in health and education

The availability of birth control and other services on pregnancy rates

Which children are most at risk for teen pregnancy

Adoption

Foster care system

Teen shelters

Outstanding programs for young mothers and fathers

Abstinence programs







Then, create a website (or pamphlet) sharing your compilation of facts with the public. Invite the public +/or other teens in a discussion via a message board about it.





Intrapersonal:



Write a letter to yourself about where you want to be in ten years. Reflect on how your goals would be compromised if you were forced to turn your attention to another human being. Assume that your responsibilities would be maximized similar to Bobby’s and that adults would let you assume the brunt of your own mistake.

Refer to the letter as needed.






www.TracieVaughnZimmer.com

First Part Last

Link to Angela Johnson:


http://www.teachingbooks.net/slideshows/johnson/Reads_FirstPartLast.html



http://thebrownbookshelf.com/2009/02/08/angela-johnson/



Discussion Questions:

1. How did Bobby’s parents respond to the news of Nia’s pregnancy (pg. 12)? How did Nia’s parents respond to this (pg. 20)? How would your parents respond to this same announcement?
2. Look at how Bobby’s friends react (pg. 37-40). How would your friends react?
3. What does Bobby mean by saying, “I walk to my room…look around my room and miss me” (pg. 35)?
4. How does Bobby feel about Feather? Would this be different if Nia were awake? (pg 81)
5. What do you think about everyone’s reaction to Bobby and Nia’s decision to put their baby up for adoption?
6. Do you agree with the way Bobby’s parents support (or don’t support) him and Feather?
7. Imagine your room at home. What things would you have to change if you became a full-time parent? What everyday things would you have to do differently?
8. Where do you see these characters five, ten years from now?

One Sentence/15 Sentence Poem

The One Sentence Poem


The Red Wheelbarrow
by William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.



The New Dog
Linda Pastan



Into the gravity of my life,
the serious ceremonies
of polish and paper
and pen, has come

this manic animal
whose innocent disruptions
make nonsense
of my old simplicities—

as if I needed him
to prove again that after
all the careful planning,
anything can happen.



The Fifteen-Sentence Portrait

This assignment will generate descriptive writing. It is purposefully guided. So, begin by choosing a person to describe. Then follow the directions.

1. Picture in your mind a person you have strong feelings for. The subject may not be a "love" interest, but should be someone you feel strongly about. The person can be living or dead but should be someone you know or knew rather than a famous character.
2. For a title, choose an emotion or a color that represents this person to you. You will not mention the individual’s name in the writing.
3. For a first-line starter, choose one of the following and complete the sentence:

1. You stand there . . .
2. No one is here . . .
3. In this (memory, photograph, dream, etc.), you are . . .
4. I think sometimes . . .
5. The face is . . .
6. We had been . . .

1. Following your first sentence, build a portrait of this individual, writing the sentences according to these directions:

1. Sentence 2: Write a sentence with a color in it.
2. Sentence 3: Write a sentence with a part of the body in it.
3. Sentence 4: Write a sentence with a simile (a comparison using like or as).
4. Sentence 5: Write a sentence of over 25 words.
5. Sentence 6: Write a sentence under 8 words.
6. Sentence 7: Write a sentence with a piece of clothing in it.
7. Sentence 8: Write a sentence with a wish in it.
8. Sentence 9: Write a sentence with an animal in it.
9. Sentence 10: Write a sentence in which three or more words alliterate; that is, they begin with the same initial consonant: she has be left, lately, with less and less time to think . . .
10. Sentence 11: Write a sentence with two commas.
11. Sentence 12: Write a sentence with a smell and a color in it.
12. Sentence 13: Write a sentence with a simile (a comparison using like or as).
13. Sentence 14: Write a sentence that could carry an exclamation point (but do not use the exclamation point).
14. Sentence 15: Write a sentence to end this portrait that uses the word or words you chose for a title.

1. Next, read the portrait. Underline sentences in which you discovered new things about this individual or your feelings and attitudes toward him or her.
2. Now, use this portrait as a starting point for a poem or prose portrait or simply revise what you have. (Be sure to keep a copy of the original, so that you can examine the changes between original and revised piece.) Do anything you need to make this a piece of writing that you like. Choose a new title, use the person’s real name, and so on.