Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013

Happy Wednesday!

Ø May 22nd, 2013

Big Ideas for this Week—Again!

1.                       Showing, Not Just Telling

2.                      Diction—Have that Vocabulary Variety sheet out every day!

3.                      Revision!

Writing Lesson—(Figurative Language)  Metaphors and Similes

REVIEW:  1.                       Similes and metaphors are almost identical—they both compare two unlike things.  Similes, however, are less direct.  They use “like” or “as”.

REVIEW:  2.                      I’m going to give you a prompt, and you finish it with a simile.

a.     School is a ______Prison_________. (direct)         school = prison

b.   My brother/sister is like a

                             i.     Mosquito

                           ii.     Combine

                          iii.     week-old veggie pizza slice(simile)

REVIEW:  3.                      Pair-share page 60.  I have a partner for you already—you’re welcome!

4.                      Start Here Wednesday 4^th Block:  Pair-share Alleged Actual Analogies and Metaphors (pp. 58-59)

a.     START HERE WEDNESDAY, 2^nd Block:  Follow the directions under “What You Do” on page 58.

b.    Class discussion

Writing Lesson:  (Figurative Language) Similes

a.     Notes (p. 28)

b.    Simile Columns Overhead

Simile

·      Similes often compare two things that don’t have much in common.  This makes the comparison more striking. 

·      For example, someone might say, “Her eyes are like stars.”  The two things being compared are eyes and stars, which are not similar, at first glance.

·      What the writer wants to suggest, though, is the brightness of the eyes, or the magic and mystery the eyes hold—like distant stars.

Directions

1.     Below are two lists of words.  Match each word on the left with a word on the right. 

2.    Use the two words to write a simile.

3.    We’ll share some aloud.

            COLUMN ONE                              COLUMN TWO

                        Hair                                        brick

                        Smile                                     snow

                        Puppy                                   waterfall

                        Car                                          tree

                        Test                                       sunshine

Example:

The seven-page Spanish test was like a brick pounding down on my GPA.

1.     The PUPPY had a yelp as ear-shattering as a BRICK through a glass                                       window.

2.    His SMILE was as genuine as SNOW in the Sahara.

3.    The PUPPY stood as still as a TREE, waiting to attack his sister.

4.   The Alg TEST was so hard, it was like trying to climb a WATERFALL.

REVISION WORKSHOP

2^nd Start:  10:20

4^th Start:  1:50

Quiet Work Time to Do All This

1.      Read your comments from your reader.  E-mail him/her and me a nice thank-you e-mail (two sentences, thanking him/her for time and for a particularly helpful comment).

2.     Grab your folder off the heater (or out of your bag, if you took it home this weekend).

3.     Review all six revisions (Friday = #1 and 2; Monday = #3 and 4; Tuesday = #5 and 6)—make sure you have labeled them correctly, inserting “Revision 1”, etc, in front of the title. 

4.     Open up WE#10, #11, and #13.  Most of you should have comments from me on TWO out of THREE of those.  See me today if you do not.

5.     Read my comments carefully, and consider them, if you are revising these pieces, or if you’re including them in your portfolio.

Quick Revision—For Portfolio Pieces

Ogden Nash

1.      Listen to the rhythm (number of syllables in each line).  Do you need to substitute any words so the flow is better?

2.     Is every word a strong one?  Use your Vocab Variety of your synonym finder for help.

3.     Use www.rhymezone.com, if you need help.

Fifty-Word Stories

1.      Review my comments—I edited heavily.  Have you made all these changes?

2.     These don’t have to be fifty-word stories any more!  So put words in, if they are needed to create complete, sensible sentences.  Revise it so it the best possible story you can make it.

Six-Word Memoirs

1.      I read these.  Second block, your U of I buddy read these.  Have you made all changes we suggested, as well as making edits for the basics (capitalization for title; dramatic punctuation)?

2.     Is the title for each one a knock-out?

Revision Work on Items #1-#6

a.     Review my comments and/or your peer comments carefully, and think about how they could help you strengthen your piece.

b.    Strengthen the title.

c.     Add detail to show, instead of just tell.  Use the five senses.

d.    Cut unnecessary words and phrases.

e.     Switch items around as needed to create a smooth flow.

f.      Take out weak, non-descriptive words, and replace them with strong, precise words.  Use your Vocabulary Variety sheet.

g.    Include dialogue, if you feel that will strengthen the piece.

h.    Paragraph the piece so it’s reader-friendly (prose only).

i.      Click on “File”, then “See Revision History”—does it look like you did substantial revision (AT LEAST fifteen changes)?

Last Five Minutes

Ø  If you have a piece you want read and peer conferenced for helpful comments, share it with me now, and type the information on the computer at the podium

Tomorrow

1.      Peer Conferencing

2.     Revision Grading Sheet

3.     Look at Revision Grading Sheets.

4.     Look at an “A” Revision. 

HOMEWORK:  Portfolio

Ø  Do everything you can to create your portfolio, short of laying in the final drafts of the ten (or more) pieces.