Wednesday, 11/11/2009

MODERN PROSE

• We read for about seventy minutes today.
• I got more books on the shelves for check-out.
• I read people's book reports, then handed the back.
• Reminder:  Bring money for the Coffee Corner on FRIDAY, if you wish.

AP

Homework Due

• Transformation Free Write

A Christmas Carol

• We got into three groups and talked about Celebration Discussion and Tableaus.  (Sarah and Greg, you can jot down your responses to those four questions, since you were absent today.)
• Each group presented its tableau to the class, and we discussed it.  Each group also talked about a similarity and difference between their celebration scene, and another one.  Finally each person share a tradition he/she follows during the holidays.  We talked for quite a while about those.  :-)
• Victorian Parlour Games:  Today we played Lookabout and Change Seats.  We only had a few slight injuries.  :-)

Vocabulary

• We took the vocabulary pre-quiz.  We checked our own papers to see which words we really need to study for Friday's quiz.

Homework

• Study your vocabulary words, especially the ones you missed on the pre-quiz today.
• Finish your villanelle.  It should look like mine on page 106, with the syllable count for each line.

CREATIVE WRITING

Homework Due

• Free Write #3

Earthbook Sharing

• We finished sharing our EB faves today.

Writing Tip

• Connotations versus Denotations--we talked about the difference between a word's dictionary meaning (DENOTATION) and its implied or associated meaning (CONNOTATION).  We talked about the word "booger", how it has a clear denotative meaning, but it also has all these connotations--some gross, some funny, some annoying.
• We talked about the word "overweight" and how there are many synonyms with positive connotations (voluptuous; plump; big-boned), as well as synonyms with negative connotations (fat; chunky; tubby).
• We got with a partner and practiced coming up with our own pairs of synonyms that had different connotations on page 28--What Are You Suggesting?  After ten minutes or so, we got back together as a class, and we shared our pairs until everyone had page 28 filled in.  (Those of you who were absent today will need to do page 28 on your own, or find another absent person to partner-up with during seminar to do the work.)

Writing Experiment

• #4--Ghosts, Monsters and Bullies--we brainstormed a list of our childhood fears (snakes; spiders; the dark; the closet; clowns; certain people; fire), and then everyone shared one aloud.
• Then we went to work typing a poem that focused on ONE of those childhood fears.

Homework

• Complete Death of Language.