31 Friday Jan 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
If you have not already, finish this week’s Membean minutes by the end of Saturday.
Given the weather and school uncertainties, it makes sense to give you an extra day.
Please be sure to complete this assignment before Saturday becomes Sunday.
Thank you. Hope you are enjoying the boon of time.
31 Friday Jan 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Before arriving in class Tuesday, make sure your poem from last week and an accompanying PDF prose commentary appear in TURNITIN–as one single document.
A “PDF” is a piece of prose commentary about the making of a poem. The acronym represents these questions: As you considered and began your poem, what did you PLAN to do? What did you DISCOVER while making the poem (implementing those plans)? What are you final thoughts–about this poem, the process of making it, its subject matter, poetry in general or yourself?
Instead of scoring the poem itself, I will assess the prose commentary with these questions: Is the writing clear? Does it use specifics to explain its ideas? Does it develop those ideas–i.e., build on them–rather than simply repeat them.
To review sample student PDFs, click here.
28 Tuesday Jan 2014
Bring to Monday’s class a completed poem of at least fourteen lines, inspired by one of the six poems presented in Monday’s class. For an extra challenge, make your poem an Italian sonnet. That rhyme scheme appears in the Borges poems from our collection.
The image of last Monday’s whiteboard shows my suggestions for starting and/or developing a poem.
28 Tuesday Jan 2014
Posted in agenda, direct instruction, poetry
snow warm-up: 3ll. x 3 titles; 3+3+3
review particular poetic tools that appear in poems presented yesterday:
concrete imagery
metaphor
tone
rhyme scheme
exact rhyme
near rhyme
alliteration
run-on line
assonance
symbol
composing/practice time
27 Monday Jan 2014
Posted in agenda, direct instruction, poetry
introduce poetry exercise due by start of this Friday’s class: original poem of at least 14 lines and inspired by one of the poems below (Gelman and Borges).
extra challenge: follow the (Italian) sonnet’s rhyme scheme
source for Borges poems: Poetry Foundation site
poems
“Epitaph” (Gelman)
“Sleep”
“On His Blindness”
“A Compass”
“Written in a Copy of the Geste of Beowulf”
“Music Box”
24 Friday Jan 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
fish haiku contest–based on gyotaku displayed across from campus store
rules TBA
best from each class displayed near the visual art
23 Thursday Jan 2014
In preparation
for Friday’s class, find these three
fish. After, study
them and their piscine neighbors.
Enjoy your schoolmates’ art work.
22 Wednesday Jan 2014
Posted in agenda, assessment, feedback, presentation, writing
On the new document for our tanka book, everyone will load his or her tanka and commentary. After you have carefully revised the MS yourself, review feedback from Mr. Brown and your partner(s), in order to see that your contribution reads as clearly as is humanly possible. This last phrase is, perhaps, an example of hyperbole. Judge for yourself.
Special note: the audience for this poetry and prose has widened. It now includes anyone who pulls our book from the Malcolm Library shelves–tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. No longer are you writing primarily for yourself and me. This larger audience may mean that you adjust various words, sentences or transitions. Enjoy the challenge of fitting your words to these imagined readers’ needs. Help future browsers appreciate the thought behind your individual contribution.
21 Tuesday Jan 2014
In preparation for loading individual poems and commentaries onto our google doc–link forthcoming–choose your “best” tanka and feel free to polish it. Also, proofread and revise your prose commentary on that one poem. In the block class, one or more partner will have time to give you feedback, help you catch typos and to confirm (or question) your choice of “best poem.” Have fun. Be careful. Pick wisely.
21 Tuesday Jan 2014
Posted in agenda, assessment, feedback, poetry
gmail cards
post-its
google doc
