Journal Topics (4/12-4/16)

**14 lines minimum this week!

Monday, April 12: How would you react if you won the lottery? What would you do?

Tuesday, April 13: Using one of the following character archetypes, write a short story or narrative:
a sailor, a wise old man or woman, a witch or enchantress, a prince or princess, a wicked stepmother or stepfather, a villain.

Wednesday, April 14: After reading John Updike's short story "A&P," do you think that this was an accurate portrayal of a typical teenage part-time job? Do you have a job? If so, describe it. If not, imagine what it would be like to work at wal-mart.

Thursday, April 15: What was your reaction to "Adventures of an Indian Princess?" What do you think is the primary theme/idea of the short story? Did you like it? Why/why not?

Friday, April 16: If you could have any superpower, what would you choose and why?

Journal Topics (4/6-4/9)

**12 lines minimum this week!

Tuesday, April 6:
Give a stylized account of something that you did over spring break.

Wednesday, April 7:
Is war ever justified? Do you know anyone (friend, family member) who has served in the military? How might that change your (or someone else's) opinion on the subject?

Thursday, April 8:
Have you ever had an experience that you could not easily describe to another person?

Friday, April 9:
If you were going on an extended trip (with a military platoon, joining the peace corps, stranded on an island), what three items would you carry with you? You may assume that you will be provided with food, water, weather-appropriate clothing, and camping/survival equipment.

NEW Extra Credit Possibilities!

As always, I'm constantly trying to find ways to allow you all to show me what you can do AND offer extra credit for those of you who may be interested. Here are a few extra credit ideas that you can take advantage of in the next two weeks. These offers expire when Mrs. Calder-Green returns to teach your class. Ms. Disher's last day is Friday, April 16.

* Write a rap, song, or poem about an experience you've had or a topic you're passionate about. It should be at least half a page long and use 2 literary devices that we've studied.

* Create a pictoral, musical, or other creative form of a memoir (a picture collage, powerpoint, website, cd, poster, etc). You may also write another memoir piece using a different memory, or write a "sequel" for your memoir explaining what happened next or how that event affected you in the long run.

* Create a wordle or write a 1-2 page narrative from the perspective of one of the characters from the novel The Bluest Eye or one of the poems you encountered in our poetry unit (for example, the speaker from "The Raven," or Annabel in "Annabel Lee").

Journal Topics (3/22-26)

Here are your journal topics for the past week:

Monday, 3/22:

Tuesday, 3/23: Write about an experience in your childhood or adolescence that had an impression (positive or negative) on you.

Wednesday, 3/24: Write about at least two school memories, using Sherman Alexie's story "Indian Education" as a model. Link the two memories with a common theme or idea.

Thursday, 3/25: Write a fictional interview or conversation with someone you respect or admire.

Friday, 3/26: How would your best friend describe you? A parent or guardian (or any adult)? A stranger? An enemy?

Nonfiction Unit

Now that we've finished our Poetry unit (with the test on Tuesday, March 16), we're moving on to Nonfiction.

Here's a list of the genres that we'll be studying:
Autobiography
Biography
Letters, journals/diaries (primary documents)
Essays
Speeches
Documentary films

Here's a link to a great explanation of the different genres of nonfiction and what nonfiction attempts to do: Barrington Middle

I'll post materials as they are applicable for the class. Today (Friday, March 19), we'll be watching Good Night and Good Luck, a biographical film based on the life of CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow. I will post the study questions below for your reference.

Poetry! Yeah!

Today, Thursday, March 4, we start our unit on POETRY! Get pumped!

At the end of this unit, we'll do a choose-your-own-assessment activity, so be prepared! You'll get to choose between a big unit test, an analytical paper, and a project (TBD), so you can play to your personal strengths as a student.

Here are a few resources to help you as we go through this unit. I'll post helpful links throughout the unit, so keep checking back.

Free Audiobooks, Recordings, Videos, and Podcasts:
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Literature/Poetry

Naropa Poetics Audio Archive (mostly beat poets from 1940s-60s):
http://www.archive.org/details/naropa

Poetry Aloud! (Directory of poets and poetry):
http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~shale/humanities/composition/handouts/poetryaloud.html

SAT/ACT Prep

Beginning in early March, we will be working on some SAT and ACT prep activities on a regular basis in class (3-4 times per week). We'll discuss the differences between the two tests, compare grading in each, and help you decide which test may be better for you!

Here are a few excellent resources for SAT/ACT Prep at home:
Free SAT Practice Question of the Day:
http://sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-question-of-the-day

Free ACT Practice Question of the Day:
http://www.actstudent.org/qotd/

ACT Prep Resources (free resources are marked as such):
http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/index.html