Welcome Back!

LA

WINTER BREAK HAIKU-ATHON
write two haikus about your winter break
remember haikus need to be in the following format
5 syllables
7 syllables
5 syllables

But wait! That was just a warm up. When you finish, grab a copy of The Giver and create 4-6 haikus that summarize the book so far (chapters 1-12ish)

*We will go over how to do all of this in class. Just relax. 

SS

Happy 2014!

I want you to start the new year by reflecting on 2013. What worked? What didn’t? Please write a letter to me that answers all the questions below.

Write an informal letter to me.  You will not be graded for spelling or punctuation. Please  answer the following questions as honestly and constructively as possible:

• How is this class/this school year going so far for you?  Why?
• What activities or classroom procedures worked best in 2013 to help you learn?
• What activities or classroom procedures didn’t work so well in 2013? What could we do to make 2014 better?
• How can I be more helpful to you in the New Year?

When you finish please choose an option below to work on in class.

Go back to the future

Imagine that it’s 2038. You’re a screenwriter and a major Hollywood studio has asked you to write a screenplay that takes place in 2013. The genre of your screenplay isn’t important. What matters is that the audience knows that your film is set twenty-five years in the past.

Write the first page of the screenplay and consider the following: How will the opening scene make it clear to the audience that the setting is 2013? What music, fashions or other visual clues make this clear?

Write a eulogy

The year saw the deaths of many important cultural icons. Visit The Times’s “Notable Deaths of 2013″ page, and choose someone to research and eulogize.

*What’s a eulogy?

For the eulogy, research details of the life and achievements of the person.  Be sure to include important facts, reasons he or she impacted the world and the lasting impression they left on society.  

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Say it with images

A quick Google search for “Year in Pictures” will bring up hundreds of images from around the Web. Browse these collections and select five or ten photos that you believe embody the most important events of the year. Now write an explanation for why you selected each photo.