5-31

Today:

• So far, you have prepped to write a poem using sentence frames from "Immortality," written a letter to yourself in the future, and written using sentence frames like "I am ____." I put comments about what would be interesting things to write about further. If you feel like you don't have something to write about from those prompts or any other idea, let me know.
• If there is something you want to write about, but don't want the whole class to hear about, let me know and we can figure something out. You will still need to present in some way, but I don't want you to not write about something just because you don't want the class to hear about the subject matter.
• Use the prompts you've already written on to work on your first draft. By the end of today, for 5 points, you need to give me a piece of paper with these three things:
• Your topic/concept/theme.
• A key line/sentence you have written so far that you are proud of.
• Possible title for your poem.

Tomorrow/Friday: Rough Draft is due typed at the beginning of class (printed or in GoogleDocs). The more you have written, the more helpful the editing process will be for you, but to get credit, you need to have the start of a poem. You will receive 10 points for bringing work to class typed and completing the editing assignment for the day.

Monday: We will continue to edit and practice performing.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: Presentations as final exam. Turn in a typed copy of your poem with literary devices annotated on Tuesday and presenting order will be picked at random. Rubric

5-30

I am ___________.
I wonder _____________.
I hear ________________.
I see ________________.
I want _______________.
I am ____________________.

I pretend _______________.
I feel ______________.
I touch ____________.
I worry ___________.
I cry ________________.
I am _________________.

I understand _____________.
I say _____________.
I dream _______________.
I try ____________.
I hope ________________.
I am __________________.

By the end of class, write down a few lines/ideas/concepts that you think you can turn into a poem... Tomorrow, we can either do another prompt or if you think you already have an idea, it can be a writing day. Rough draft due beginning of class Friday.

5-29

Grab a netbook!

Long-term Plan:

• This week, we will have prompts today, Wednesday, and Thursday and using one of those prompts or your own idea, write the Rough Draft of your poem - due beginning of class Friday. 
• Then Friday and Monday you will have time to edit your poem individually and in groups.  
• For your final at the end of next week, you will read/present your poem.

Today's Plan:

• By the end of class, you will have written a letter to yourself that will be emailed to you in the future via technology! FutureMe 
• First, you are going to write on several prompts to get ideas for the letter and hopefully for your poems as well. 
• Then, you'll edit it into a letter to yourself.

Do Now:

• Pick a writing partner and move your desks together. You and your partner should talk about what you would want to say to yourself in the future.
• When computer logs in, create a GoogleDoc, title it 'LastName Letter' and share with cynthiaeduncan@gmail.com

For each prompt -

• Three minutes to write, two minutes to talk to your writing partner per prompt. 
• You can write advice, a story, something you have learned, describe people you met, random musings...

Prompts:

• Something you want to remember about freshman year.
• Sophomore or junior year.
• Senior year.
• Job in the future.
• People you think will still be in your life family/friends.

5-25

Quickwrite: 

What is one thing that went well about Senior Project? What is one thing you wish you had done differently?


Nine more days of class!!! We're going to focus on writing poetry because your final will be reading an original poem to the class.


Today we're doing a Rudy Mad-lib. These are sentence starters from "Immortality" - think about what kind of poem you want to write and finish some of these sentences and combine them into a paragraph. 

I want to write a poem, ________________________. 
I want to write that ________________ poem.  
I want to write a poem so beautiful _______________. 
I want to write a poem, but I want it to say _____________.
I want to write two poems for everyone ____________.
I want to talk about when _________.
I want my metaphors and similes to __________________.
I want to fix _______________.
I want to be the one who _________________.
I want my words of ___________ to inspire someone to be _____________.
I want my phrases to be _____________.
I want people to recite my work 10 years from now and have critics say  ____________.
I just want people to know_______________.
Poetry will allow me to  ________________.

5-23

If your name is not listed below, you should have edits on your Cover Letters from me in GoogleDocs (got full credit).

• I have Word Docs from Johnny, Brenda, and Cynthia. All looked fine, so I didn't print them with edits (got full credit).
• Gerardo, Rachel and Karina I have documents shared from, but aren't completed enough for me to grade them.
• I have no cover letters from Lupita, Joseph, and Abel.

Here is the sample for those of you who have not formatted it like a letter yet (date, salutation, closing with place for you to sign, etc.)
Resumes:

• Everyone received full credit that I received a resume from.
• I need to see resumes from Sergio and Gerardo.

Resume Checklist:

• If you have it in a table, make sure you get rid of the lines to make it look more professional. (Right click on the lines, click Table Properties and change to 0pt border).
• Make sure you begin every bullet with a capital and end with a period. Do not have I, my, or mine anywhere in your resume.
• Get rid of all prompts like 'job title, dates worked." Just have your information.

5-21

Plan for the next couple weeks...

Today and tomorrow we will finish up lyrics presentations and Louder than a Bomb. We will do some writing about the movie as well.

Wednesday and Thursday you will have time to edit cover letters and resumes (I will return them Wednesday) and work on anything else you need to. Does anyone want to practice Thursday?

Friday you will begin writing poems of your own. We will work on your own poems through June 4th and then you will present your poems in some way as your final.

Presentations!

Tell us:

Why did you pick this song?
Summarize what the song is about in one to two sentences.
We'll listen to the song and read along with the lyrics together.
Talk about what you discovered about the poem through analyzing it using TP-CASTT and at least a couple literary devices found in the poem.

Make-up Work 5/9 to 5/14

Late work will get 3 points rather than the full 5.

Make-up work:

5/9/12: Watch "Immortality" and then read along while you listen to it.
Paragraph in response to: Do you prefer to listen to a poem while watching the performer or while reading along? Why?
What are 5 songs you are considering for the project? 5 pts.

5/10/12: Listen to the studio recording of "Your God" and read along and then watch the version with two performers.
Paragraph in response to: Do you prefer to listen to a song off an album or a live performance? Why? 5 pts.

5/11/12: Listen to the studio recording of "Your God" again and then watch the version with just Rudy performing.
Paragraph in response to: Did you prefer to watch the performance of "Your God" or listen to the studio recording? Why? 5 pts.

5/14/12: TP-CASTT analyze "Immortality," "Your God," or "Love Poem." 14 pts.

Videos:
Immortality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikSYI0qMEOg
Your God Studio Recording: http://rudyfrancisco.bandcamp.com/track/your-god
Your God Rudy and Imani: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuPNViAZKz8&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Your God Rudy alone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0wOg_AKUv4&feature=plcp


Documents:
"Your God" http://dl.dropbox.com/u/57168069/Your%20God.doc
"Immortality" http://dl.dropbox.com/u/57168069/Immortality.doc

Tomorrow we'll begin presentations. Bring:

• a copy of lyrics annotated with literary devices and rhyming

• copy of the song (CD or a YouTube link for me to pull up - BLEEPED IF NEEDED)

• TP-CASTT answered (see below) 

 

Introduction to Poetry - Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.


Title: Before reading the poem/looking closely at the song, think about what the title could mean. Predict what the poem/song is about.
This poem must be about poetry in some way. It's probably about what you need to know to understand the basics of poetry.

Paraphrase: In your own words, paraphrase or summarize what what happens and what is said in the poem/song.

The poet wants his students to experience poetry to enjoy it and take their time with it. However, they instead attach the poems for information rather than reading for enjoyment and meaning.

Connotation: What literary/poetic devices are in the poem/song? Imagery,
Collins uses a simile and many metaphors to show how he wants the students to gently approach poetry and then how they attack it instead.

Attitude: Tone - how does the singer/poet feel about what they are writing about (frustrated, calm, angry, happy...)
Collins feels hopeful that the students will enjoy poetry more, but amused and slightly frustrated that they insist on struggling with it.

Shift: Are there any changes in time, tone, or speaker?
Collins' tone shifts when he goes from talking about how he wants students to interact with poetry to how they actually do.

Title: Were your predictions true? Any new meanings of the title that you now see?
Collins' title refers to the name of a class, which is appropriate because it's about what he hopes his students will get out of learning poetry with him.

Theme: What insight about life does all components of TP-CASTT create?
Students should enjoy poetry rather than being frustrated by not understanding it fully.


Today: TP-CASTT one of Rudy Francisco's poems (Love Poem, Immortality, Your God) and turn in. Get started on your analysis of the song you picked.

5-11

Rudy and Imani - Your God
Rudy - Your God 0:10

5-10

Studio recording
Live Performance with Imani

Quickwrite:
How is it different to listen to a song on an album or a song live? Which do you prefer?

As we listen to the studio recording, circle images/descriptions. We're going to discuss what those images say about 'Your God' and the overall message Rudy is trying to convey after we listen.

How is listening to a studio recording different from the ones we've seen so far?

Live performance: This has two people performing at once, so the first time we watch, think about how that affects the poem's power/message.

Watch again with specific jobs at the bottom of your sheet.

Did you enjoy watching two people perform together? Or do you prefer one person performing at once?

5-9

Agenda:

1.      Think first… If you had to pick one way to experience a slam poem, would you prefer to watch the performer or read along as you listen?

2.      Paragraph frame:

·         I prefer to listen to a poem while (reading along/ watching the performance) because ____________. For example, in “Immortality,” ________________.

1.      Brainstorm songs that you may want to present about. Write as many possible songs as you can in 5 minutes (can look up on iPod). Songs lyrics are more important than sound and they need to be…

·         One you enjoy the meaning of or want to know the deeper meaning of.

·         Contains literary devices or some figurative meaning you can explain to the class.

2.      Share! Then grab a netbook and look at the lyrics of the songs. Look for the one with the most literary devices (refer to your worksheet).

3.      Tomorrow, we will look at another Rudy Francisco poem: one live version and one studio recording.

5-8

Agenda:

1.      Review Sarah Kay

·         What images did she use?

·         Why does she write?

2.      Quickwrite

·         To begin thinking about these differences, respond in paragraph form to:

Think of one of your favorite songs that you know the lyrics to well. The first time you paid attention to the lyrics, or even looked up the lyrics, how did your experience of the song change? What did you notice that you didn’t before?

3.      Immortality – how does watching a performance differ from just reading it on the page?

5-7

Do Now: Get out a piece of paper and think of fun, appropriate stories to tell me about prom!

Agenda:
Prom? Other fun this weekend?
Quickwrite
TED talk by Sarah Kay
Research song lyrics for project.

Essential Questions: What is the difference between slam poetry and spoken word? Why do poets write and perform poetry?

Quickwrite: Can list or bullet answers, but need to be full sentences.
If you have a daughter or son in the future, what are five things you would want them to know about life?

5-3

When you think of a poetry reading...  Does it look like this?

Chicago origins 

"The points are not the point, the point is poetry." - Alan Wolfe

"By marrying poetry with competition, slam has allowed non-traditional avenue for experiencing poetry in a live prime-time setting."

National Poetry Competition

San Diego

Rudy Francisco

Immortality

Love Poem