Poems Galore!

We are starting the week with a bouquet of poems. We will be reading Knoxville, Tennessee by Nikki Giovanni, Winter Morning by William Jay Smith, and Where I'm From by George Ella Lyon. As we read and think about each poem, pay attention to how the structure of the poem creates an image. We will be writing poems using these examples to help structure our own memories.

Where I'm From By George Ella Lyon I am from clothespins, from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride. I am from the dirt under the back porch. (Black, glistening, it tasted like beets.) I am from the forsythia bush the Dutch elm whose long-gone limbs I remember as if they were my own. I'm from fudge and eyeglasses,           from Imogene and Alafair. I'm from the know-it-alls           and the pass-it-ons, from Perk up! and Pipe down! I'm from He restoreth my soul           with a cottonball lamb           and ten verses I can say myself. I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch, fried corn and strong coffee. From the finger my grandfather lost           to the auger, the eye my father shut to keep his sight. Under my bed was a dress box spilling old pictures, a sift of lost faces to drift beneath my dreams. I am from those moments-- snapped before I budded -- leaf-fall from the family tree.

RAFT Projects!

Len Cabral/ Memoir Poetry/ RAFT Rubric

Len Cabral is at Cape! Classes will be working with Len during SS this week. Have fun and see if  you can learn any tips to apply to the memoir project.

Sharing a memory through poetry- we will be reading "Early Memory" in class and discussing how the author captures her memory with emotion and purpose. From there we will brainstorm ideas and start writing memory poems using a similar format and idea platform.

Christianity Tweets are due THURSDAY
RAFT projects are due FRIDAY. Please check out the rubric before you pass in your work.

Monotheism EQ Reminder

Monotheism: How does religion guide people in their lives?

Judaism: How does the belief in one God (Monotheism) impact our world today?

Christianity: How does a small belief system grow and spread worldwide?

Six Word Memoirs, Christianity RAFT, Conference Prep, Oh My!

LA

We are wordsmithing six word memoirs that capture a middle school memory. In class you are going to brainstorm words, memories, feelings, people, ect. Final memoirs need to be typed and posted to edmodo with a picture or drawing. *There is also a rubric on edmodo for you to keep track of what you need to include and what makes a stellar six word memoir.

Check out the following links for inspiration

Six Tips for Writing Six Word Memoirs

Six Word Memoirs by Teens




Christianity RAFT
In class we will go over the requirements for this assignment and brainstorm ideas for the format portion. You are to choose horizontally. Due date is TBA

Conference Prep:

Please fill out the following mad lib-esque form before your conference. Be honest!

Collecting Memories

Literacy month is coming up and to celebrate we are going to be collecting stories to share. This week we are focusing on stories from the adults in our lives. You will be interviewing an adult about his or her middle school experience. Make sure to ask follow up questions! This will make life much easier when you are drafting stories and have enough information to use. A list of nicknames, favorite or least favorite teachers doesn't make for good story fodder. You need detail, emotion, and humor to make this story come to life.

How to improve interview questions:

Bad example: What was your nickname?

Better example: What was your nickname? Why did people call you this?

Great example: What was your nickname? Can you share the story of how you got that name?

Homework: Using the interview questions from class, interview and adult about their middle school experience. Due Wednesday