Toast a Boast!

Earlier this week, my school building had a power outage which meant that the students were able to go home while the teachers had a bonus planning day!  Here’s one of the lessons I had time to create for English Literature. 

Anglo-Saxon Boasts

We’re going to do a little old-fashioned chest-thumping Anglo-Saxon style. This is not something that we’re altogether unfamiliar with in the year 2010 – think of professional wrestling and the world of professional sports.  Everyone is trying to out-talk the other before the actual deed is done.

It is in our nature to boast and not to boast; we like to talk about ourselves and our strengths but we also like to be modest.  The Anglo-Saxons had no such problem!

Your boast should include the following elements:

A. Self-identification (I am . . .)

B. Your immediate ancestry and something about your lineage

C. Boasts of at least three past achievements and/or hobbies

D. Boast of an achievement to come

E. Include at least three identifiable kennings (Identify in margin)

F. Include at least three identifiable alliterative phrases (monster-mashing, Grendel grater) (Identify in margin)

Should be 20-25 lines – approximate verse form (no need to rhyme)

***Extra Credit will be given to those souls who dress up like Anglo-Saxon Warriors and deliver the boast aloud in class

Anglo-Saxon Boast Example

Hail young thanes who gather about me –
For I am GG, dweller of the creek.
From the land of Lincoln, here in Chicago.
Daughter of the late RC, chief motivator of the crowds,
And N, seller of homes. Sister of D,
Online gamer consult & seller of homes.
From the high plains I come! I roar!
Reader of books, dancer of songs,
Scribe of stories, and essay-assigner.
Commander of the hardwood battlefield,
I approach my foes and float on them with the
Fine fin, wading through water,
Snapping waves, watching for whacks from my foes.
I speak of and boast of the victories of the
Blue and White Small Bear Warriors!
And how ‘bout those Blue and Silver Boys?!
I stretch with force forming a fine angle –
Blasting my limb-movers and walking-propellers with
Momentous endurance.  Defeating my enemies.
Flying on the human-kite at 1300 ft. above ground.
Pale-hosed, I prepare the fire feast – The great celebrations.
Under sweltering sun in the flame’s face.
I barbecue the grub –Party Host Champion I am hailed:
Planner of Surprises!   Host of many!
A challenge is decreed by my heir –
I am  healer of wounds, listener of qualms,
Helper of homework, preparing the way for
My heir to this mighty mead-hall.
I’ll make good on my boast and talk all the louder –
Poets will celebrate my actions with rousing cries,
Shaping my deeds into timeless songs.

 

Share on Facebook

120-Word Sentence

* I just used this activity with my students.  Their writing seemed overly reliant on simple sentence structure.  As they are preparing their last major research paper for the semester, they need to understand the power of sentence rhythm – it’s not just for poetry!

Introduction

GG’s Example of a 120-Word Sentence illustrates the use of the elongated sentence (122 to be exact!)

If you think back to the best days of your life, you will realize that each of those days was not spent alone but with at least one significant person – or several people – in your life who made you laugh, held your hand as you squeezed tightly, and stayed by your side when you needed him or her . . . all things that you can’t buy at the store or search for online; because, you see, the important things in life are not things at all because things can’t love you back or listen to your worries or sing your praise or keep you company, but special people can – and I am lucky to be able to count on both hands those I love!  (Grading Girl)

Note GG’s use of conjunctions and punctuation.

A passage from “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner also illustrates the long-worded sentence:

“They held the funeral on the second day, with the town coming to look at Miss Emily beneath a mass of bought flowers, with a crayon face of her father musing profoundly above the bier and the ladies sibilant and macabre; and the very old men – some in their brushed Confederate uniforms – on the porch and the lawn, talking of Miss Emily as if she has been a contemporary of theirs, believing that they had danced with her and courted her perhaps, confusing time with its mathematical progression, as the old do, to whom all the past is not a diminishing road but, instead, a huge meadow which no winter ever quite touches, divided from them now by the narrow bottle-neck of the most recent decade of years.” (Faulkner)

Note Faulkner’s use of prepositions and variety of phrases.

Procedure (I used this in the classroom, but this is a great exercise for anyone interested in refreshing his or her writing)

* Have students a 120-word sentence.  Pick a topic for the class; a sentence in which students sort out what is important in life (see GG’s example) works well.  This activity works best if students write about whatever is on their minds at the moment . .

* Read some of these aloud (or have students read them).   specific techniques did they use to elongate the sentence . . . phrases? gerunds? conjunctions? other?

* As a follow-up, have students alter sentence structure again; this time, they are to re-write the 120-word sentence into at least seven different sentences!  This truly illustrates the use of varied sentences.  Enjoy!

~ adapted from Going Bohemian by Lawrence Baines & Anthony J. Kunkel

Share on Facebook

Smart Ways to Enter and Exit a Classroom

On this relaxing Sunday afternoon, I’m writing strategy suggestions for my school’s Applied Technology department.  As their literacy coach, I meet with the department every week to discuss, share, and observe their incorporation of reading and writing in the classroom.  A shout out to these six motivated teachers!!! I thought many of my followers would be interested in some of the material I am sharing with them:

Entrance and Exit Slips

The Applied Techies are looking for a productive way to ‘wrap-up’ class and/or lab time as well as a smart way to re-group and refresh before beginning the next class:

Entrance slips (index cards, sticky notes, small slips of paper, whatever your fancy) are completed before class and students bring them in to enter the door. Exit slips are the students’ passes out of the classroom. This writing-to-learn strategy can be used for many purposes in all content areas:

• Focusing student attention on the lesson to be taught the next day

• Setting the tone for the class lesson

• Accessing background knowledge

• Troubleshooting

• Reflecting

Entrance and exit slips are a way to ease students into writing … and, in the course of writing a sentence or two, reveal what they think about a topic, materials, or teaching strategies.

EXAMPLE Entrance Slip
Woods – Fall 2009
Name ____________________ Date __________
Please write an answer to this question in 2 – 3 complete sentences:
How can a worker set up a safe workshop that will meet OSHA standards?  (provide at least three examples)

Some Other Suggestions:
~ How did you respond to last night’s reading?
~ How did yesterday’s measuring problems go?
~ What is a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)?
~ What worries you about today’s class?
~ Name the three most important things you learned?
~ What are you still confused about?
~ How does what we do in class relate to other things you do or experience?
~ What would you like to ask about today/tomorrow?

*Have students complete exit slips and entrance slips on topics such as : what I learned in class; how it relates to what I know; what is still unclear

*Students reflect on assessments: I prepared by ___; I could have ___; I would change____ if I did it again; doing this made me understand ______

*Have students reflect on the lesson; This lesson I_______; next time I will__________

Teacher challenge:  Reflect on your day or week or particular lesson.  What do you want to change?  How did you function best as a teacher?  How do you learn best – and how have you expressed that to your students?  Share what YOU write with your students as well!

As GG states . . . write it down, write it down, there’s something magical about writing it down!

Share on Facebook

Mapping Memories with Memoirs

Mapping Memories with Memoirs

Your first day of school, that time you sprained your ankle in 8th grade, the day you won that special award, your very favorite vacation, the day you learned life is short . . . our lives are full of significant moments.  Memoirs provide a tool to bring those precious memories into clearer focus.

If you are using this in the classroom, I have suggested pieces that I use with high school students of various reading levels, but you can alter these based on the ability and maturity levels of your students.  At the end of the unit, I design a rubric and have students select a number of the pieces they’ve worked on to place into the final drafts of their memoir.  The rubric includes whatever types of figurative language or conventions we have been working on through the unit. Students design a cover and I also have them do an ‘about the author’ page with their picture and a short biography.

If you are using this for your own benefit, writing about yourself is a great tool for self-awareness.  By creating a written narrative, your past takes shape and offers you a clearer vision of who you are today.  By writing about yourself, you form a connection with each and every person who reads your words.  Writing provides the opportunity to share ideas that can help others grow along with you.  Additionally, writing helps dissolve the hard knots of loss and regret that may keep you stuck in the past.  For instance, I’ve written letters to ex-boyfriends never intending for them to be read.  Just the act of placing my thoughts on paper placed them out of my head and provided the release I needed.  Finally, writing is a challenging mental activity and research shows that challenging yourself mentally improves your mental agility and stamina.  So go ahead . . . put your pen to paper and discover yourself.  Here are some of my favorites:

Memoir Piece #1 ~ Describe someone memorable who you know personally.

Think of an ‘interesting/different’ person you know.  You may want to include the following:

• Tell something memorable this person does; write something this person always says (his/her expression) or write a short conversation between this person and someone else so we get a sense of how he/she talks.

Memoir Piece #2 ~ Write down a process you could teach to someone.  Think of a process that has symbolic meaning for you or is somehow important of who you think you are.

Memoir Piece #3 ~ Write about the first time you did something.

Memoir Piece #4 ~ Write two rules you learned as a child.  How did you learn this lesson? What is the most important lesson you would want your child to learn?

Memoir Piece #5 ~What do you remember about your first day of school?  OR What was your most memorable day at school?  Write a short description of the place; describe one incident that happened that day; include 20 lines of dialogue that occured that day.

Memoir Piece #6 ~ Write about a time you did something you didn’t want to do.

Memoir Piece #7 ~ If you could take back something you’ve done, what would it be?

What other memoir pieces would you include???

Share on Facebook

What Bugs You?

People love to complain, rant, and rave – my students are no exception.  I use this lesson early on in the year to get them warmed up to writing.  They rarely experience brain freezes for this one!

What Bugs Me . . .*

• Talking loudly on cell phones at inappropriate times and places
• Shopping on the day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas
• Subscription cards that fall out of magazines
• Telemarketers
• People who lose all manners to get a parking space
• Filling my car with gas
• Drivers who don’t observe the rules of the road and crash into your less than 2 month old car!!!!
• People who say “ta” instead of “to.”
• People who update their FB status 12 times a day.

. . . You get the picture!

YOUR TURN TO RANT AND RAVE -

1. Brainstorm a list of at least ten things that bug you.
2. Choose ONE to write about.
3. Type a one-page description of why this particular issue/item/etc. bugs you.

There!  Doesn’t that feel good to get that off your chest?!?

adapted from Kelly Gallagher’s Teaching Adolescent Writers

Share on Facebook

Find the Fib

People usually love to write about themselves.  Writing can be therapeutic, it can be a chance to express oneself more openly than one may in person, and it can provide a creative channel to explore.  Here’s an assignment my seniors run with time and again:

Find the Fib*  

Below you will find five statements about me. Four of the statements are true, one is a fib. Can you guess which one is the fib?

1. My voice is the voice of two characters on a pinball game.

2. I worked as a runway model.

3. I was interviewed and appeared on a national television show to give my opinion about one of the past season’s American Idol contestants.

4. Teri Hatcher is my third cousin on my mother’s side.

5. I hang glided 1400 feet in the air, and later jumped off 100 ft cliff.

Now it’s your turn!

a. Type five statements about yourself. (think of your accomplishments, accidents, travels, mishaps, etc) Four statements must be true and one statement must be a fib.

2. Print a copy of your statements. Go to as many classmates as possible. You must go to at least ten people, but the more the better. Keep track of how many people can spot your fib and how many cannot. Tell me your results here: _____ # of people you fool _____ # of people who correctly guess your fib The person with the fewest correctly guessed fibs will be officially titled the “Best Fibber” of the Class of 2010!!!

3. Now . . . choose one of your true statements to elaborate on. Your assignment is to tell the story of this statement in writing! (minimum one well-developed paragraph)

*adapted from Kelly Gallagher’s Teaching Adolescent Writers

btw – the fib is #4! 

Share on Facebook