Spring Break

Spring Break

Spring Break

Spring Break

Spring Break

Begin Sunset Boulevard

Finish Sunset Boulevard

Late Start

'It Sucks to be Me' from Avenue Q

How to write a break-up song from This American Life.

Keep all your writing from the week and I'll give you credit on Friday

Song: 'The Three of Us' from How to write a break-up song

Prompt: 'I hate life'

Then, we'll listen to some things to get us ready for an 'I love life' prompt.

'If you were Gay' from Avenue Q

This American Life - Love in the Yogurt Store

Prompt: 'I love my life'

Word choice writing exercises

Poetry Appreciation with Mr. Spilkin.

Short write... Write, pair, share...

What's so great about creative writing? Being artistically creative? Why do we do it?

Thinking back to Sunset Boulevard, what are some of the darker sides of focusing on the creative arts?

Begin All about Eve

Finish All about Eve

Late Start

Mr. Schwartz's Poetry Appreciation

Writing about an artist prompt

I really liked your character sketches to this prompt, so...

By Friday, turn in two page story featuring a situation in the prompt. Writing about an artist prompt

Include developed paragraphs on the character, paragraphs on the art they are working on, and paragraphs on a related conflict in their own life that they are trying to work out.

Media Center -1st Half

HW -

see above assignment

Turn in two page story featuring a situation in the prompt. Writing about an artist prompt

Media Center -2ndHalf

For next week - bring in music for us to write to. It must:

a) not have English lyrics

b) be mellow enough

c) inspire writing

Comedy Documentary - "Satire and Politics"

No class

Real Live Article Titles!

Weekly World News

National Enquirer

Group story

You can't make this stuff up - Reality is the best inspiration for fiction - Daily Snopes

1) Find a wonderful line or two from a famous poem from one of these websites.

a) Poets.org - you can search by theme or thematic keyword

b) PoetryArchive - list of poems by theme

2) Go to Wordle.net and create a Wordle art piece with the lines of text.

Watch 'Writers at War' documentary

Begin Be Political!!! Writing Project (click here for rubric) - Peer Review on Friday - due Monday

Act III from 'Return to the Scene of the Crime' - good sample focusing on a political issue and current news information in his narrative. See yesterday's assignment.

"If sadness were weather..." activity. Make a four by four grid on a full sheet of paper. Mark off four emotions (Anger, Suspense, Joy, Sadness, for ex.) and four general categories (weather, food, actors, cars, for ex.) in the margins. Then, fill in the boxes asking, "If sadness were weather, what would it be?" Make a picture, write a list, or a few sentences. Turn in for credit

Media Center 1st half

Using the grid from yesterday, create a story or narrative poem using the symbols from one column of the grid. Use these images to create the emotional mood you've identified. At the same time, don't identify the emotion you are trying to capture in the course of the story or narrative poem.

Media Center 1st half

Peer Review of Be Political!!! Writing Project (click here for rubric) - due Monday

Advertising......

Haiku Project - Ms. Isogai comes by

Very Short Writings Project

-- as part of the project, include

1) Two samples of Flash Fiction

2) Five polished haikus and/or tankas. You must follow the rules that Ms. Isogai has established.

Click here for Very Short Writings Rubric here.

Due Monday.

We'll be sending the haikus/tankas to Ms. Isogai's class where they will create watercolor and calligraphy images from them. Make sure these poems are on a separate sheet of paper and polished.

Ms. Isogai's Powerpoint - including all the seasonal words.

(see examples from last year's Haiku project here under 'Poetry Animation Mini-Project')

Watch 'City Lights'

Choose a particularly vivid Richard Wright haiku. Draw the image trying to capture the moment. Include the haiku within your image.

Click here for Richard Wright haikus.

Haiku drawing examples.

Continue 'City Lights'

HW -

Very Short Writings Rubric.

Due Monday.

'This is Just to Say'

- This American Life radio short - Act II, last six minutes of show

- satiric website with examples

Media Center 2nd half

Instead of two Flash Fictions, you can do one 'This is Just to Say' parody and one Flash Fiction (which we will cover tomorrow)

Click here for some tips on Flash Fiction.

Flash Fiction Website

City Beat Fiction 101 Contest

City Beat 2008 winners

Media Center 2nd half

HW -

Very Short Writings Rubric.

Bring writing for peer review tomorrow.

Haiku Project peer review.

You can turn in your project today or Monday.

Make sure the five haikus are typed and on a single sheet, so I can send those to Ms. Isogai's class.

Finish 'City Lights'

HW -

Very Short Writings Rubric.

Due Monday .

Guest speaker all period - Holocaust survivor.

Mr. Baum's advertising/ marketing projects - presentation = 1st half of class.

Mr. Baum's Powerpoint

Marketing Class Collaboration Rubric

*Sample tv episode script 'Will and Grace' episode

*Sample radio ad scripts:

1) two versions of an eye exam ad

2) three different lengths of a Brake Safetly ad

*Sample TV ad scripts

Sample television commercial script #1

Sample television commercial script #2

HW -

Marketing Class colaboration project - peer review on Friday. Due on Monday.

Marketing Class Collaboration Rubric

Perception Activity - how can we be manipulated?

Media Center 2nd Half

Work on Marketing Project - see yesterday's links

Media Center 2nd Half

HW -

Marketing Class colaboration project - peer review on Friday. Due on Monday.

Marketing Class Collaboration Rubric

Sample television commercial script #1

Sample television commercial script #2

Marketing Class colaboration project - peer review

HW -

Marketing Class colaboration project due on Monday.

Marketing Class Collaboration Rubric

Memorial Day

Kendall Youngland's Poetry and Image

Today, freewrite about two times you felt very strong emotional states. Choose times you felt very distinct emotional states.

After writing for a while, we'll cut up your writings and try and reassemble the pieces into poems.

Poetry and Image rubric

Example #1

Example #2

Example #3

Visit Youngland's class with two poems - 2nd half. We will trade your poems for images of theirs.

For the next two days they will take pictures based on one of your poems and we will write emotion based poems from their images.

Example #1

Example #2

Example #3

Return to Youngland's 2nd hal

Media Center 2nd Half

Fill out and sign Individual Contract by the end of the period.

Sgt. Pepper's Album Cover - create a cover for you work by making a collage of your inspirations and influences.

Media Center 2nd Half

Media Center 2nd Half

Watch Big Fish

Media Center 2nd Half

Continue to work on Individual Contract

Watch Big Fish

Media Center 2nd Half

Finish Big Fish

Media Center 2nd Half

HW -

Individual Contract work due tomorrow

Finals

Share work from Individual Contract

Party!!!!

No Classes

No Classes

Student Survey - fill out

Freewriting Test - 20 minutes silent and continuous writing. Topic = "Why are we here?"

Old Writing/New Writing assignment

Samples of Old Writing/New Writing

HW -

Bring in sample of old writing you're particularly proud of.

Mr. Fox is proud of this old treasure.

Improved group stories

Old Writing/New Writing assignment

Samples of Old Writing/New Writing

HW -

Old Writing/New Writing assignment

Due Monday

Book Wall

Stephen King's excerpt on why writers should read.

Book Dating in the Media Center - 2nd Half

HW -

Old Writing/New Writing assignment

Due Monday

Old Writing/New Writing assignment due

Share projects.

Stephen King's excerpt on why writers should read.

Book Dating in class

HW - none...

CAHSEE test schedule

Class syllabus - read and return with signatures

HW - Return Class syllabus

CAHSEE test schedule

Play 'Who's this?'

Stephen King's excerpt on why writers should read.

Telling stories - (link to 'How Art Made the World')

Brainstorm on narrative topics

'Slingshot'story - sample narrative

1)focused incident

2) details

3) quotes, thoughts, feelings

4) lessons, changes

(click here for the text of 'Slingshot')

Writing with good description - Vincent Van Gough self-portrait

HW -

Personal Narrative Writing Assignment

Complete draft due Thurs., Feb 12.

Final draft due Wed., Feb. 18

(click here for the Personal Narrative Rubric)

'Write what you know." - Stephen King

Describe settings with literal and figuartive detial - Edward Hopper paintings At Sea - and two others

Eric U.'s 9th grade example

HW -

Personal Narrative Writing Assignment

Complete draft due tomorrow for Peer Review Thursday.

(click here for the Personal Narrative Rubric)

Share Hopper descriptions from yesterday - the two paintings

Dialogue exercise from Will and Grace

Paragraph construction - sample narrative, 'Granny's'

HW - See yesterday

When to make a new paragraph article...

Time to draft narratives.

HW -

Personal Narrative Writing Assignment

Complete draft due tomorrow for Peer Review.

(click here for the Personal Narrative Rubric)

Peer Review of Personal Narrative

(click here for the Personal Narrative Rubric)

HW -

Personal Narrative Writing Assignment

Final draft due Wednesday, Feb 18.

(click here for the Personal Narrative Rubric)

President's Day

President's Day

Begin watching Into the Woods

Fairy tales vs. Fables

HW -

Personal Narrative Writing Assignment

Final draft due Wednesday, Feb 18.

(click here for the Personal Narrative Rubric)

Share Personal Narratives due in class

Continue watching Into the Woods

Finish watching Into the Woods

HW -

you could take a look at some good sources of tales...

Aesop Fables, some with modern adaptations

Traditional Fables - hundreds of them

Some Jamaican Anansi Stories in American English

Some Nigerian Anansi Stories - look particularly at the trickster stories

Grimms' Fairy Tales - 200 of them... the original tales

Another Grimms website with lots of info and links

Amy Villanova visits to promote Rewriting Fables.

Brainstorm - work in groups, hopefully...

HW -

Fable Rewriting Rubric

Peer Review Friday, February 27

Final work due Tuesday, March 3

see yesterday's sources

A David Sedaris fable from This American Life

2nd half Media Center - Fables

Aesop Fables, some with modern adaptations

Traditional Fables - hundreds of them

Some Jamaican Anansi Stories in American English

Some Nigerian Anansi Stories - look particularly at the trickster stories

Grimms' Fairy Tales - 200 of them... the original tales

Another Grimms website with lots of info and links

Work in Media Center 1st half.

Another David Sedaris fable from This American Life

HW -

Fable Rewriting Rubric

Peer Review Friday, February 27

Final work due Monday, March 2

Work in Media Center 2nd half.

Peer Review discussion - watch clip from Six Feet Under

HW -

Fable Rewriting Rubric

Presentations for Peer Review Thursday and Friday

Final work due Monday, March 2

Peer Review discussion - watch clip from Six Feet Under

HW -

Fable Rewriting Rubric

Presentations for Peer Review Thursday and Friday

Final work due Tuesday, March 3

Peer Review for Fable Rewriting

Fable Rewriting Rubric

HW -

Fable Rewriting Rubric

Final work due Tuesday, March 3

Mr. Fox sick...

Watch 'History of American Comedy - Part 1 and 2'

HW -

Fable Rewriting Rubric

Final work due Wednesday, March 4

Finish Peer Review for Fable Rewriting

Fable Rewriting Rubric

Listen to monologues from 'This American Life'

- 'Divorce is Ruff'

- 'Miami Vices'

- 'Santaland Diaries'

- 'Act II: Jail Sell'

- 'Act II: Dance'

HW -

Fable Rewriting Rubric

Final work due Wednesday, March 4

Turn in Fable Rewriting

Mr. Schwartz's guest lesson on monologues.

Monologue Rubric - present to class for peer review Tuesday, March 10.

Final packet due Friday, March 13.

Monologue writing tips.

Media Center 2nd half

Consult The Monologue Database for inspiration.

Or The Monologue Archive

For Classwork credit, sell Mr. Fox half a page of reflective writing evaluating two monologues from the above databases. Use the Monologue Writing Tips or our Rubric as your guide for evaluation and make specific observations.

HW -

Monologue Rubric - present to class for peer review Tuesday, March 10.

Final packet due Friday, March 13.

Media Center 2nd half

Character Sketch Questions - use these to help you write a few descriptive paragraphs about your character to put with your monologue.

Really big database of monologes with search tool.

Some other monologues

Consult The Monologue Database for inspiration.

Or The Monologue Archive.

For Classwork credit, sell Mr. Fox half a page of reflective writing using some of the Character Sketch Questions to analyze two monologue characters.

HW -

Monologue Rubric - present to class for peer review Tuesday, March 10.

Final packet due Friday, March 13.

Media Center - 1st Half

Monologue writing tips.

Character Sketch Questions - use these to help you write a few descriptive paragraphs about your character to put with your monologue.

Consult this really big database of monologes with search tool.

Some other monologues

The Monologue Database.

Or The Monologue Archive

MR. SCHWARTZ'S ELEPHANT MONOLOGUE template

HW -

Monologue Rubric - present to class for peer review Thursday, March 12. Include a two paragraph character description, a one page monologue, and stage directions.

Final packet due Monday, March 16.

Dialogue activity.

Media Center - 2nd Half

Sign up people for Monologue presentations.

Poll - What would you like to do in this class?

Peer Review follow-up discussion - Six Feet Under

Monologue presentations

HW -

Monologue Rubric - present to class for peer review Thursday, March 12.

Final packet due Monday, March 16. Include a two paragraph character description, a one page monologue, and stage directions.

Draft of Monologue due for peer review credit.

John Updike "A Rescue" .

Monologue presentations

HW -

Monologue Rubric - Final packet due Monday, March 16.. Include a two paragraph character description, a one page monologue, and stage directions.

Monologues finale...

Media Center - 2nd Half

HW -

Monologue Rubric - Final packet due Monday, March 16.. Include a two paragraph character description, a one page monologue, and stage directions.

Turn in Monologues. Monologue Rubric

Sister Wendy video.

Write a Picture rubric

First, you will choose two famous paintings suitable for this project. Each shouldn't be too simple or too complex, but detailed enough to describe in a page. You're welcome to do poems as well, but make sure there's visual detail.

Then, paste and identify these works on a Word Document as seen here.

On a separate sheet of paper, describe each painting thoroughly using both literal and figurative detail. Be thorough - about a page of writing for each. Only label each paragraph as #1 and #2 according to the separate paper with your paintings.

We will send these off to Ms. Matthes's Art class who will create paintings from your writing. Later in the term we will get together in her class and reveal the original art inspiration to the artist and compare each others' work (and have a party).

Media Center - 2nd half

Famous Paintings by Artist (scroll down to see the list)

100 Great Paintings on Wikipedia

Famous Painters website with galleries

HW -

Peer Review on above project on Thursday, March 19.

Packet due Friday, March 20

Sister Wendy video.

People in paintings writing prompt.

Finish 'Wiseguys' comedy documentary.

Hockney settings - write a developed paragraph describing one painting using literal and figurative detail.

Media Center - 2nd half

Finish draft of Write a Picture for Peer Review tomorrow.

HW -

Peer Review on Write a Picture on Thursday, March 19. You must have both the images and the paragraphs on separate sheets.

Packet due Friday, March, 20.

One of 330 Writing Propmts...

Peer Review of Write a Picture project - have print out of both paintings and descriptives paragraphs for full credit.

(A note from Mrs. Villanova about your Fables)

Hiya,

The stories were enjoyed by all. There were some that were well loved, but didn't suit our performance, but we enjoyed reading them all. The ones we would like to include, with author's permission are Alexa Schneider, Ryan Rosen, and Wyatt Thomas

If they would like to read their stories, that would be GREAT, or nominate a reader from your class, otherwise we will share them at the concert. Have those kids come see me if they are interested in being involved more with the project.

Thanks!

Amy Villanova

Media Center - 2nd half

HW -

Write a Picture

Packet due Friday, March 20

Write a Picture Packet due.

Film... Il Postino

Envision writing opportunity - submissions should contact Cindy Mersten at snailbubble@ yahoo.com

Finish film... Il Postino

Final Project - Individual Contract

Below is the information on our two submission opportunities:

a) Surface Literary Journal - click here for submission information

b) Envision writing opportunity - submissions should contact Cindy Mersten at snailbubble@ yahoo.com

2nd half Media Center

HW -

Final Project - Individual Contractdue Thursday April, 2.

Visit Mrs. Diaz-Burns' class - Neruda poetry reading.

One of 330 Writing Propmts...

Keep our writing prompt responses or work on final project together this week. I'll give you credit on the next two Friday's for classwork. Date each one like a daily diary.

We'll do some peer review of your final project work so far on Thursday.

2nd half Media Center

One of 330 Writing Propmts...

Keep our writing prompt responses or work on final project together this week. I'll give you credit on the next two Friday's for classwork. Date each one like a daily diary.

HW -

Peer Review of Final Project work so far - Individual Contractdue Thursday April, 2.

Visit Profe. Sanchez's class - more Neruda poetry reading.

Peer Review of Final Project.

HW -

Submissions to Envision show due tomorrow.

2nd half Media Center

Submissions to Envision show due.

HW -

Final Project - Individual Contract due Thursday April, 2.

School is Hell prompt

2nd half Media Center

Print something out for peer review tomorrow

HW -

Peer Review Wednesday.

Final work on Individual Contract due Thursday April, 2.

Frienemy Prompt

HW -

Final Project - Peer Review tomorrow, April 1.

Final work on Individual Contract due Thursday April, 2.

Peer Review of Final Project - credit for brining some work to class.

2nd half Media Center

"Someone Digging in the Ground" by Rumi

HW -

Final Project - Individual Contract due tomorrow.

Bring food for Potluck Party at Ms. Matthes' room for a viewing of the paintings from the Write a Picture project.

Finals - Period 1&2

Final Project - Individual Contract

First half in Media Center

2nd half Potluck Party in Ms. Matthes' room - we'll be able see the paintings made from our Write a Picture project.

Finals - Period 3&4