Tuesday / Wednesday 18/19 October 4th Period and 6th Period

This lesson plan applies to 4th and 6th Period on the 18th and 19th. 

See the previous entry for 5th period on the 19th.

Today we studied the motivations behind people doing terrible things.

For a our opening free write, writers made a list of times when they were most mad, then times when they were most frightened. Then writers choose one of those time to write about; writers focused not on the events, but on the feelings involved with the event. We then discussed the similarities between the emotions (some thought there wasn't much).

We discussed "'Fight' or 'Flight'" as a biological / physiological phenomena.

Next we read and discussed three current stories about people losing control in the Oregonian:
http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2011/10/trimet_disciplines_bus_driver.html#incart_mce
http://www.oregonlive.com/forest-grove/index.ssf/2011/10/grand_jury_indicts_forest_grov.html
and
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/10/remains_found_in_rural_skamani.html

Next we discussed various ways to use these stories as prompts through combining characters, events, motivations, etc.

Writers were reminded to keep up their daily at home writing practice, and to be working on their next short story, the Morbid Fiction that is due 28 / 31 October.

Thursday / Monday 13 / 16 October

5th Period began work for the Morbid fiction assignment by reading and Analyzing the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe.


Students wrote a free write that focused on their first experience with death.


Discussion of "The Tell-Tale Heart".


Students were invited to write in a way that mimics the pacing of Poe in "The Tell Tale Heart" by slowing a moment way down, or by exploring one thing in very great detail.

Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday 11/12/13 October

Most classes turned in their short stories.

On the back of the short stories writers wrote a self evaluation of their story including not only strengths, but weaknesses or areas of improvement (being specific), and also questions about the piece or about the class for Mr. Zartler.

HOMEWORK:
Writers have been assigned the task of filling at least 15 pages of their spirals with writing each week. This will be a graded assignment. Writer's had their spirals marked with a starting point for this assignment by Mr. Zartler, and all students should see him for the mark.

5th Period began work for the Morbid fiction assignment by reading and Analyzing the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe.

Friday / Monday 7 / 10 October

NOTE: TO ACCOMODATE THE PSAT SCHEDULE PERIOD 7 HAS A DUE DATE FOR THE SHORT STORY OF TUESDAY THE 11TH!

We began class with a free write.

Next writer's checked out a copy of Writing Down the Bones from the library.

Writers were assigned the following:
Every two weeks for the rest of the semester they are to have at least fifteen (15) pages of writing completed in their spirals / writing journals. In class writing is counted, but students will need to write on their own.

We reviewed how to punctuate and format dialogue using the following as an example.

Writers were given the following criteria for their short story final drafts:

Wednesday / Thursday 5 / 6 October

Writers began with a focused free write on the "aha moment" "light bulb moment" epiphany, moment of realization.

We then study this conferencing protocol

and used it to conference on the drafts that were due today.

Students will have time to peer edit (spelling, grammar, format, etc. on Friday and Monday.

Short stories are due on Tuesday / Wednesday of next week 3-4 pages, double spaced.

Monday/ Tuesday 3/4 October

Writer's began with a prompt of their choice from the 14 Very Strong Motivators list.

We discussed the exercise that was due today; how it worked, and who it worked for andy why.

We read the piece "Sh***y First Drafts" by Anne Lamott; writers took time to review the piece. We discussed as a class her advice on drafting and revising.

Writers then choose  passage of their work to share in a random group. Responders asked "What if?" questions of the writers in order to offer them other/ new/ different possibilities for their work.

Thursday / Friday 29/30 September

We began with a brief discussion of place.
Writers made a list of places from their past. Choosing one place that they had strong emotions about writers then brainstormed brief descriptors of the place.

The first writing prompt was that list of descriptors of a place.

Mr. Zartler did a lesson on setting.

Writers then worked on revising one of their pieces with a focus using setting to establish mood.

Mr. Zartler then handed out the following list of character motivations:

Writers were asked to create a character who is motivated by one of the concepts listed above and to have them enter the story writers are working on. (Of course if the writer doesn't like how this affects their story then don't have to use this.)

ROUGH DRAFTS OF SHORT STORY DUE NEXT WEDNESDAY/ THURSDAY.