Weekly Agenda: May 29- June 1

Tuesday, May 29

Suspense Play Scripts DUE

Group Performances Begin        

HW: None

Thursday, May 31

Complete performances

Read “The Silent Alarm”

Journal: “Making Silly Serious (and vice versa)

HW: None

Weekly Agenda: May 21-24

Monday, May 21

First Draft of Suspense Play DUE

Form into assigned groups – conduct peer review

Select a play to refine and perform

Begin making collaborative revisions

HW: Students make revisions to their first drafts – Final Draft DUE Tuesday, 5/29

Wednesday, May 23

Groups continue making revisions to selected suspense play

Group typing and rehearsal time

Performance order sign-up

HW: Bring in any required props, and a copy of the script for each member plus one for Mrs. Case (DUE TUESDAY); type up final draft of suspense play for Tuesday

Friday, May 25

NO SCHOOL

Weekly Agenda: May 14-18

Tuesday, May 15
Wrap up Comedy One-Act Performances
Read/perform “Sorry, Wrong Number” (handout)
Introduction to Drama Project #3: Suspenseful Drama writing
- process
- requirements
 - expectations and deadlines
 - First Draft: Due Monday, May 21st
- Refined collaborative draft: Due May 29th by start of class
- Performance: Tuesday, May 29th
Mini-lesson: The Role of Setting in Suspense
Journal: Creating a suspenseful setting  
HW: Generate several potential ideas for a suspenseful one-act. Write a general proposal/overview of each plot/premise. Try not to settle on any single idea just yet, as we’ll come together on Thursday to workshop ideas.  

Thursday, May 17
In-class exercise: Generating dramatic characters
In-class writing time
HW: Complete first draft of suspense one-act for Monday

Weekly Agenda: May 7-11

Monday, May 7
In-class Writing Day: Comedy One-Acts  
HW: None, unless your group is behind schedule  

Wednesday, May 9
In-class Writing & Rehearsal Day: Comedy One-Acts  
HW: None  

Friday, May 11
Performance Day: Comedy One-Acts  
HW: Generate a proposal for a dramatic one-act. Bring it to class on Tuesday.

Weekly Agenda: April 30-May 4

Tuesday, May 1
Share character dialogue journals – discuss strengths and areas for improvement
Lecture: Elements of plot Considerations when writing the comedic plot
Read “Ugly Duckling”
- discuss characterization
- chart plot
- discuss humorous elements --> add to list of elements as necessary
In-class writing: Write a plot outline for a comedic one-act. Be prepared to share it in small groups during our next class. Be sure to keep the cast limited to 2-3 characters.  
HW: Complete comedic plot outline.  

Thursday, May 3
Launch of Drama Project #1: The Comedic One-Act
- Form groups or 3.
- Trade one-act plot outlines in a circle so that each group member reads each outline.
- Vote on which outline the group wants to pursue as their project.
- Use remaining class time to begin writing the script.  
HW: None

Weekly Agenda: April 23-26

Tuesday, April 24
Make-Up poetry readings
Overview of the components of a One-Act
Lecture: Introduction to writing characters in drama
- Character development
- Direct and indirect characterization in drama
- The benefits and limitations of the One-Act in terms of character development
Read and discuss “Here We Are” (handout)
- Analyze characters
- How were the characters developed?
In-class Journaling: Develop a character (attributes, personality, habits, quirks, etc.) This character needs to be someone you’ll be content to work with for awhile in future journaling and partner prompts.
HW: Journal: In a brief scene, reveal central qualities about your character through any combination of direct and indirect characterization (monologue, dialogue, action, etc.)

Thursday, April 26
Share out HW journals with partners; conduct a character and characterization analysis.
Volunteers will read partners’ Journal work, let class reach conclusions about character, and then the character profile is revealed to see how well characterization was carried out in the scene.
Lecture: Writing dialogue in drama (format and content)
In-class journaling: Writing effective dialogue. Pair your character with a fresh character of your creation. Decide on a conflict and backstory between the two, but let that information (as well as its fallout, positive or negative) play out in dialogue (indirect characterization) rather than direct characterization. Write about 2 pages of correctly formatted dialogue.
HW: Complete the journal assignment, if necessary.

Weekly Agenda: April 16-20

Monday, April 16
In-class Work Day: Typing final drafts and constructing books
HW: Continue typing up final drafts, if necessary


Wednesday, April 18
In-class Work Day: Typing final drafts and constructing books
HW: Complete typed, bound collection; decide which 5 poems you will present


Friday, April 20
Unit Poetry Collections DUE
Class Poetry Reading Day
Introduction to Drama Unit
- Major Assignments and Grading
- The Performance Element
- Elements of One-Act Plays
HW: None

Weekly Agenda: April 9-12

Monday, April 9
Mini-Lesson: Sonnet, Terza Rima and iambic pentameter
Independent Portfolio Drafting Day
HW: None

Wednesday, March 11
Mini-lesson: Limerick, rhyme and meter
Discuss requirements for final project (appearance, neatness, contents)
Begin work on final draft revisions and bound book
Last drafting day
ALL FIRST DRAFTS DUE BY THE END OF CLASS TODAY!

Friday, March 13
NO SCHOOL

Weekly Agenda: April 2-6

Tuesday, April 3
Mini-Lesson: Object Poem
Independent Portfolio Drafting Day
HW: None

Thursday, April 5
Mini-Lesson: Terza Rima
Independent Portfolio Drafting Day
HW: None (Remember: First Draft Deadline is next Wednesday, 4/11)

Weekly Agenda: March 19-22

Tuesday, March 20
Mini-Lesson: Sonnet
Independent Portfolio Drafting Day
HW: None

Thursday, March 22
Mini-Lesson: Object Poem
Independent Portfolio Drafting Day
HW: None (unless you are not on pace to meet the April 11th first draft deadline)


Have a wonderful, relaxing Spring Break!

Weekly Agenda: March 12-16

Monday, March 12
Mini-Lesson: Villanelle
Independent Portfolio Drafting Day
HW: None

Wednesday, March 14
LATE START
Mini-Lesson: Sestina
Independent Portfolio Drafting Day
HW: None

Friday, March 16
Mini-Lesson: Sonnet
Independent Portfolio Drafting Day
HW: None

Weekly Agenda: March 5-8

Monday, March 5
Volunteers share poems
Unit Portfolio work time:
- select three poems that represent your best work from the unit
- thoroughly rethink and revise the 3 poems
- type and print poems
- staple or bind together, along with the first drafts of all 3
HW: Finish Unit Portfolio (due Wednesday)


Wednesday, March 7
Portfolio DUE
Poetry Readings
Introduction to Poetic Forms Unit
Activity: Found Poems
HW: Complete found poem

Weekly Agenda: February 27 – March 2

Tuesday, February 28
In-class Journal Exercise: Choose an object, person, place, event, etc. Write 3 short
poems about it, each from a different voice or tone. Vary diction, too, if you
can. For instance, you could choose to sound like three very different people.
Poetic Device Quiz #1
Introduction to Imagery (handout to add to packet)
- Vocabulary
- Concrete vs. Abstract language
- Practice: Writing imagery-rich descriptions → poetry
- Example: “Sorting Laundry”
HW: Journal Prompt: Describe or portray a relationship through a series of specific sensory images (the more senses, the better)

Thursday, March 1
Review Imagery
- Read and discuss “A Time Past”
Introduction to Symbolism and Theme
- vocabulary
- Examples: “The Road Not Taken” and “Fire and Ice”
- In-class Journal Prompt: Just as Frost did with the “road” and “fire and ice”, select an object and shape it into a symbol representing something bigger or deeper. Your poem should turn the object into something more than it once was, and suggest a theme or message through it.
HW: Select 3 poems to revise as a unit portfolio grade. All should be medium-length or longer; they need to make up a substantial reflection of your work over this six weeks, and should demonstrate your efforts and mastery of poetic devices. The portfolio will be accompanied by a one-page reflection on the pieces included. Start working on your revisions this weekend.

Weekly Agenda: February 21-24

Wednesday, February 22
Volunteers share rhythmic poem
Review Meter
- “When I Was One-and-Twenty”
- “Song of the Powers”
Device Review
Partner Device Hunt: Find one example of each listed term in the poetry in our packet. Be sure to quote the relevant lines and explain why it is an example of the term.
HW: Select one of the poems we’ve read so far that either sparked your imagination, resonated with you, raised questions, or that created a sense of enjoyment or frustration (i.e. that had some effect on you worth talking about). Name the poem and write a brief summary of what you interpreted it to mean. Then, write an analysis of why that poem had an impact on you – in other words, what choices did the poet make as a writer that proved to be “effective” on you as a reader.
- Begin reviewing for Tuesday’s vocabulary quiz.

Friday, February 24
Volunteers share
Intro to Voice, Tone & Diction
- Vocabulary
- Read and discuss “Grass” and “Civilian” – analyze voice, tone, and diction
- Practice: Describe a scene from the angle you select; use voice, tone, and diction accordingly
- In-class Journal Prompt: Choose an object, person, place, event, etc. Write 3 short poems about it, each from a different voice or tone. Vary diction, too, if you can. For instance, you could choose to sound like three very different people
HW: Complete prompt. Review vocabulary for a Tuesday’s poetic terminology quiz.

Weekly Agenda: February 13-17

Monday, February 13
Volunteers Share
Definitions: Denotation & Connotation
Example: “Cross” (packet)
Writing warm-up: Pick a word that you know has multiple meanings. Grab a dictionary, look it up, and write them down. Then, write a poem with that word as the title, which somehow manages to define that word creatively, addressing all its major denotations AND its personal connotations
- Brainstorm
- Example
- Volunteers share
Introduction to rhyme and stanza
- Define “stanza” and types of stanzas
o Couplet, tercet, quatrain
- Define “rhyme”, “rhyme scheme” and “internal rhyme”
- Examples: “Woman Work” and “Narcissus and Echo” (packet)
HW: Write a skeltonic poem on the topic of your choice.

Wednesday, February 15
LATE START
Volunteers share skeltonic poems
Review types of stanza
Review perfect rhyme
- Example “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” (packet)
Define “slant rhyme”
- Example “The soul selects her own society” (handout)
- Journal exercise: Write a poem using slant rhyme about yourself, written in 3rd person. Try to see and think about yourself like someone else might
HW: Bring in 3 or 4 random news story or magazine article headlines for 2/17

Friday, February 17
Introduction to rhythm and meter
- Vocabulary
- Types of meter
- Intro to basic scansion – marking stressed and unstressed syllables
- Examples: “Stopping by Woods…”; listen to “Eleanor Rigby”
- Scansion on “Eleanor Rigby”
In-class Journal Prompt: Take a headline from a newspaper, magazine etc. and make it the title of your poem. Be sure to reference where you found the headline.
HW: Finish journal prompt, if necessary

Weekly Agenda: February 6-10

Tuesday, February 7
In-class:
Volunteers share poems
Wrap up sound devices (definitions and models)
Introduction to figurative language
- device: personification and anthropomorphism
- form: narrative poetry
- examples: “Out, Out—”
“The Wind”
Personification practice: Generate nonliving objects → personify or anthropomorphize
HW: Poetry Prompt #3 (Cluster → Write): Write a poem describing/explaining how something is broken (a bone, a heart, a promise, bad news, the silence, etc.). Use personification at least three times, and underline its use. AND/OR Write a poem that personifies any emotion.

Thursday, February 9
In-class:
Volunteers share poems
Figurative Language: Simile and Metaphor
- definitions
- Examples: “Simile”
“A Martian Sends a Postcard Home”
Practice: Identify and explain similes and metaphors
Generate similes and metaphors (weather phenomena)
HW: Prompt #4: Take a common object, such as a flowerpot, boot, paperclip, etc.
and write about it as if you’ve never seen such a thing before (i.e. you’re from the
future and have just excavated it, or are from another planet). Consider its appearance,
function, and sensory qualities. (Cluster → Write) Rely primarily on simile and metaphor to communicate its qualities! Volunteers share.

Weekly Agenda: January 30 – February 3

Monday, January 30
LATE START
Class introductions and overview
Discuss syllabus
“Magnetic” Poetry Group Activity
Poetry Journal #1: What are your thoughts or feelings toward poetry? What is your experience reading it and writing it?
HW: Return signed syllabus on 2/1
Be sure to bring in a notebook for journaling, if you haven’t yet

Wednesday, February 1
Introduction to writing poetry: Playing with Words and Thoughts
- Clustering & the Design vs. Sign Mind
- Model clustering
- Clustering practice: “Time”
Distribute Term 1 Poetry Packets
Introduction to Sound Devices
- Why incorporate sound devices?
- Alliteration
- Examples: Tongue Twisters
- Poetry Reading: “Eight O’Clock”
Poetry Prompt #1 (try to incorporate alliteration): Write 100 words (any kind, in any form including clustering) about a particular time of day.
HW: Complete poetry prompt #1 in your journal if necessary

Friday, February 3
Volunteers share poetry prompt #1
Poetry Prompt #2: Pick a number (un/lucky, favorite, significant, etc.), make that number the title, and write a poem that is about it or features it. Cluster first. Incorporate alliteration wherever possible.
Introduction to Assonance:
- definition
- Make an example: Tongue twisters (partner work) → volunteers share
- Poetry Reading: “Nothing Gold Can Stay” – identify assonance
HW: Poetry Prompt #3: Write a poem about a color without naming the color (or using a synonym!) anywhere but in the title. Cluster first to generate associations and characteristics of that color.

Weekly Agenda: January 23-26

Monday, January 23
Complete course evaluation survey
Share graphic narratives
Return journals → review feedback
In-class writing time
HW: None

Wednesday, January 25
Complete final in-class essay
Return writing portfolios

Weekly Agenda: January 17-20

Tuesday, January 17
Share journal responses (Classification Writing)
Introduce exemplification essays
- What are they? How do you write one?
- Example: Read and discuss “The Catbird Seat” (handout)
- Brainstorm other topics for exemplification essays
Journal: Write a 2-page exemplification essay in your journal with a title of your choice. Remember: the point of this type of writing is to make a statement or generalization and then give examples (facts, personal experiences, anecdotes, etc.) to illustrate or prove it. For example, if my statement is that men have it easier in life than women, I’d need to provide examples to support that idea. If I argue that high school is a perfect reflection of adult life, but in miniature, then I’d need to provide anecdotes or evidence to flesh out that analogy.
HW: Complete your journal, if necessary.


Thursday, January 19
Share exemplification journals
JOURNALS DUE – *star* the one entry you intend to revise as a “final exam.” This will be the only entry given feedback; the others will be given a completion score.
Last Nonfiction Project: Graphic Personal Narrative!
- Read and discuss “The Harvey Pekar Story”
- In-class thinking, writing and comic-strip-creating time!
HW: Complete your inked, colored and printed graphic narrative for Monday; this assignment constitutes your final project grade. It needs to focus on a single event that is the basis of comment and reflection. It can be serious, funny, satirical, or just about any other tone. But it needs to look as if you put significant time, thought, and care into its content and presentation.

Weekly Agenda: January 10-13

Tuesday, January 10
Share journal responses (“Stereotypes and Me”)
Writing a process piece
- Point: To explain or teach how
- Components:
o A beginning, middle and end
o Something the writer knows about/has expertise in
o Includes all essential information, details, or steps
o Focused, but (ideally) not boring
o Considers the audience
- Example:
o “How to Become a Writer” (excerpt read aloud) - discuss
Journal: Write a 1-2 page process essay on the topic of your choice.
Brainstorm first, then think of your audience and tone. Be specific and focused, serious or funny or whatever you feel like. Heads-up: We will trade these with a partner on Thursday.
HW: Complete journal.

Thursday, January 12
Assembly Schedule
Trade process journals; volunteers share
Introduce classification essays
- What are they? How do you write one?
- Example: Read and discuss “Friends, Good Friends” (handout)
- Brainstorm other topics for classification essays
Journal: Write a 2-page entry that is a classification essay titled (prompt):
“______ Types/Kinds of ______”
HW: Complete journal, if necessary. Heads-up: Be prepared to share this entry with a partner.

Weekly Agenda: January 3-6

Tuesday, January 3
Volunteers share their nonfiction narratives (DUE TODAY)
What was easiest about this project? Most challenging?
Writing about yourself: The Personal Essay
Read “What Really Scares Us” (handout)
Journal: Write a 2 page journal entry discussing one of your greatest fears – a phobia. Explain instances when it has reared its ugly head. Then, take a step back and consider, on paper, why it scares you so much. Be as introspective as possible.
HW: None, unless you need to finish your journal.

Thursday, January 5
Trade journal with a partner. After reading, volunteers will read the work of their (anonymous) partner.
Read and discuss “The Stereotype Trap” (handout)
- What about the essay do you agree or disagree with?
- What do you find persuasive or unpersuasive?
- What, if anything, did you find educational or surprising?
Journal: This entry has two parts. First, write about the stereotypes that you feel other have applied to you, in the past or the present. Give specific examples of moments or events when these stereotypes have been to obvious to ignore, or when they affected you negatively or positively. Second, address each stereotype (if there is more than one) and explain how you fit it, how you don’t fit it, and what you’ve done to avoid it or encourage it. This should end up at 2 pages or so.
HW: None, unless you need to finish your journal