week of 9/4/12

9/4/12

Goal: Write authentically about experience.

First Step--Freewrite (choose one):

Option 1: An awkward moment with a pet
Option 2: What would you do if you woke up tomorrow and were 10 years younger.


Read some color poems: DYT/DET, responders

Weighing The Dog by Billy Collins

On Turning Ten by Billy Collins

Homework: Narrative Portrait Poem. Note you must submit this on Edmodo. Come see me if you are having problems.

________________________________________

9/6/12

Goal: Continue to write about our experience.

First Step Freewrite: Think of something you do really, really well. Something you know you're an expert at. Describe how you do it.

IB 5: On Becoming Closer Readers.

Moving Poems (on Edmodo)

 

In Malcolm Gladwell's essay "Outliers," he claims that it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert. Just for the sake of argument, let's see if I should be an expert at teaching, at least based on my contracted hours as high school teacher.

7 hours per day x 180 days = 1,260 hours per year.

1,260 h.p.y. x 11.5 years= 15,750 hours. I should be an expert. In fact I become one 3.5 years ago! (and no one even told me. Dang it!)

Pick whatever skill you want, but realize that your topic does not have to be something that would impress your teacher. For example, if you are an expert liar, you might want to discuss lying. Good at listening? Ignoring? Faking paying attention? Being someone you're not? Being yourself? Running? Cooking? Taking care of little kids? Making lasagna? Eating lasagna? (Anything goes.)

Homework: (Due next Tuesday):

"The Art of___________________"
Steps:
1. Fill in the blank.
2. Give at least ten pieces of advice to someone who would want to learn the art of _________________."

Link to an example poem:

"The Art of Disappearing" by Naomi Shihab Nye.

"The Art of Drowning" by Billly Collins is another good one.

8/30/12

Thursday, 8/30

Goal: Begin to consider how color effects tone/mood in poetry.

First Step: Notecard--If you could have one condiment dispensed from your navel, what would you choose?

Bad Poems: DYT/DET, responders, cheering, etc. (A few for the sake of fun.)

Color quiz: How much do you know? (If you've done this in art class, keep it to yourself. :)

Home Depot Paint chip exercise.

HW: Write a poem based on your inventory. Include as many words for the color as you can, from the basic boring name to the strange Home Depot name. Include at least two other forms of imagery besides color: olfactory (smell), auditory (sound), kinesthetic (movement), and tactile (touch). Mark these images by highlighting or underlining them.

Back-to-School Night

Creative Writing

Alex Spare
720-219-6154 (cell)
aspare@lps.k12.co.us
Ask your student about signing up for our Edmodo page as a parent. (They need to give you a code.)

Course Goals:

• Break down the fear of poetry and creative writing!
• Help students develop sophistication and conviction in their writing voices.
• Teach students to read fiction, poetry, and drama with a critical eye.
• Develop public speaking and discussion skills.
• Expose students to a variety of liteary forms and genres.

August 28th, 2012

It is difficult

to get the news from poems

yet men die miserably every day

for lack

of what is found there

--WCW

If you like spoken-word poetry (Daniel Beaty, Rudy Francisco), check this guy out. You will meet him later this semester.

 http://www.jovanmays.com/

Day 3: 

Goal: Set some guidelines for sharing work in class.

First Step: Read the Billy Collins poem "Introduction to Poetry" and respond.

Homework is due. A word about workshopping in here:
1. Introducing people by name. What it means.
2. First Responders. It's about specific praise, mostly.
3. Reading: Do it whenever you want to! As much as you want to! Or wait and don't do it! I will let you guys know if I want to move on, and I will let people know if I really want them to take a risk and read. 
4. The rest of the audience. It is our responsibility to maintain a safe, supportive environment for everyone in here. 
5. Jovan Mays: DYT and DET. 

If time...

Bad Poetry: 

"All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling." --Oscar Wilde

1. Look at powerpoint (below).
2. Write your own.
3. Share/Stare/Scare

HW: Type your bad poem (at least 20 lines) and submit for Thursday.)

My blog is now feeding to the Edmodo page. This will be better because all lesson plans will pop up automatically. Also, you or your parents can subscribe to my blog and see everything you need to see, without opening a google presentation. Enjoy!