Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Welcome to Creative Writing! 

Happy Tuesday--January 22, 2013  J

When You Come In

1)              Please initial next to your name on the clipboard.

2)             If you were absent yesterday, you need to fill out your green turn-in reflection sheet, then follow the directions for stapling and turning it in.

Writing Experiment #4--Earliest Memory

1)     Get out a sheet of notebook paper and something to write with—please and thank you.

2)    Write “WE#4—Earliest Memory” at the top.

3)    Model:  I’m going to tell you my Earliest Memory.  As I share it with you, pay attention to the details I am using.  Write down any details that have to do with the five senses.

a.     Sight

b.    Smell

c.     Taste

d.    Touch

e.     sound

Bathtime

            My brother and I are in the black tub.  He sits at the back of the tub, and I run my hands under the water flowing from the silver faucet.  Jason is splashing.  I reach up, and I turn one of the silver knobs all the way to the right.  I clamber out of the tub, and stand dripping on the black furry bathmat.  Steam begins to rise off the water, floating up towards the white ceiling.  The black and white tiles on the wall sweat.

            I turn to look at my brother.  The water is up to his belly, and he holds his arms up and out in front of him, out of the water.  His arms are like skinny white pencils, thin as they are.  Then I see pink; his skin is pink on his chest, and his skin is pink on his neck, and his whole face is turning pink.  He opens his mouth, and he shrieks.

            Mom rushes into the bathroom, scoops him out of the tub and wraps him in a black towel.  Bathtime is over.

4)   Now you brainstorm about some of your earliest memories.  Just make a list.

5)   OR, if you’ve already committed to the early memory you want to write about, list as many details as you can about it.

a.    Sights

b.   Sounds

c.    Textures

d.   Smells

e.   tastes

6)   You pair-share with a partner—chat about your ideas, ask each other questions, talk it out…. (2 minutes)

Typing Your First Draft, and Revising to Second

1)     Now, create a new google doc, and type a paragraph about your earliest memory (ten-ish minutes)  Started:  10:20; ending 10:30

2)    Please doublespace, since this is prose (not a poem).

3)    When you finish your paragraph, type these questions at the bottom of your piece.

a.     What colors can I add?

                                      i.     EXAMPLE OF HOW YOUR ANSWER SHOULD LOOK:  I could add the color lavender when I talk about my mom’s shirt.

b.    What textures did I feel?

c.     What sounds did I hear?

d.    What’s my overall feeling about this memory?

e.     Did I learn something from it?

f.      Do I like remembering it?

4)    Ask yourself these questions, then type your answers under each question.

5)    After you type your six answers, go back to your paragraph(s), and add any details you need to, based on your answers (2^nd draft).    10:30-10:40

Turn Your Paragraph Into a Poem (Ten minutes)

1)      Remember my paragraph?  Now look at how I turned it into a poem.

2)     Here’s how I turned my earliest memory story into a poem.  What do you notice?

Rescue

Two babies

Up to their belly buttons

In the immense jet black tub

The girl steps out

Sees her brother, peachy-white

She sees the silver handle

Turns the knob

All the way

Towards the wall

Steam rises off the water

Drifting up to the white ceiling

Baby brother turning pink

Waving skinny little arms

Screaming

Mom runs in

His savior

3)    Before you do the same, get out your pink Vocabulary Variety sheet, and let’s look at some choices here.

4)    Now you turn your paragraph into a poem!

5)        Note:  Leave everything on the page.  I want to see your paragraph(s), your questions and answers, and finally your poem.  All three are part of the grade.

6)        Start Time = 10:47                        End Time = 10:57

Printing Reminders—Each and Every Time!  J

1.      Have you doublespaced the whole story (no extra spaces between paragraphs though)?

2.     Have you titled each piece?

3.     Have you paragraphed it?

4.     Do you have the MLA format for heading correctly in your upper left corner?

Printing

Ø  Print from the ICON in google drive.  It will pull up a copy in about three seconds, and THEN you can hit “command” “p” to print.

Ø  MAKE SURE YOU PRINT TWO-SIDED!  Please and thank you!

We had about fifteen minutes to work in our trios on the Cliche Story!  

Cliché Story Trio Requirements

1)              Use as many clichés as possible to create a fictional story.

2)              Boldface the clichés so they stand out from the story and are easy to count.

3)              Use at least four sentences of dialogue. 

4)              Type between one and one and a half pages.

5)              Doublespace your story.

6)             Use paragraphs to show the listeners/readers when you’re shifting topics.

Homework

Ø  None