What's Due Today, and Tools You Can Use to Improve Your Writing

Your completed poems are due today.  They should be typed and I will come around to each of you and make sure they are saved onto my flash drive.  Next week we will read them aloud, and the class will determine which poem is about which class member.

We are also going to determine common errors that students make. Use my Use of the Comma, Use of the Apostrophe, and Grammar and Spelling Tips sheets to check your written work.

The Poison Tree by William Blake

Extra credit for this week: Read "The Poison Tree" by William Blake. 

What is this poem about?  What symbols and metaphors are in these poems, and what do they mean?  Write a short essay describing your understanding of the poem.

Some Hints for Writing Your Poem

How do you write a poem based on a visual metaphor?  We did it as a class, so that students would have an example about how to translate their visual metaphors into descriptive words.   Each class wrote a poem based on an animal a class member had chosen as a visual metaphor.  In Period 5, the class picked a lion, and wrote this poem:

I am King of the Jungle
Dangerous, fast in reaction

Aggressive, fast to attack

Courageous and

Impervious to distraction.

Though, growing up as a cub,

It was a mirror image of what’s happening now,

I was the deer, I was the gazelle, I was the zebra

Unable to avoid destruction.

I earned my crown creating treason,

Betraying my followers,

I learned how to become destruction

That’s why I’m King -

For a reason.

The students of Period 7 picked a crocodile, and wrote this poem:

I am a crocodile,

Patient, hungry and versatile.

I’m evil – there’s no denial.

I am keen to get my prey

And show only my eyes.

My sharp teeth will rip through your flesh

And my mind will get me to your death.

What kind of people are we describing here?  The lion, Period 5 decided, is a person who is fierce and ruthless.  The crocodile, according to Period 7, is a person who is cunning, devious and dangerous.

Reminder: Make sure you have a completed Visual Metaphors Response Sheet saved to your account.  Once that is completed you may begin writing your poem, based on the three visual metaphors in your Visual Metaphors Response Sheet. 

Visual Metaphors and You: Write the Poem!

Use the Visual Metaphors Response Sheet (on the right of this page), and paste your three visual metaphors symbolizing YOU into the sheet.  THEN write a poem (no less than eight lines) describing yourself in metaphor.  You may use rhyme or free verse.  You may use more than three visual metaphors, but you must use AT LEAST the three visual metaphors from your Visual Metaphors Response Sheet.

Songs, Raps or Poems to Analyze

You may provide songs, raps or poems to me for the class to analyze, but they must have symbols and metaphors in them that we can decipher.  Please submit those songs, raps or poems to me by the end of the day. 

Literary Elements and Techniques in Poetry

We identified symbolism, metaphor, simile, assonance, and personification in the poems "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost, "See You Next Year" by Judith Pordon, and in the song "All Good Things Come to an End," by Nelly Furtado.  We saw the metaphor of fire symbolizing passion emerge both in the Nelly Furtado song and the Robert Frost poem.  Tomorrow we will look at more poems and songs, uncovering their hidden meanings and interpreting their images. 

Dissecting the Test: How do you write an essay on a topic that is NOT of interest?

Now that the class has completed the baseline assessment and handed it in, we took a look at the test itself.  You may not have like the passages, but even if you are not interested in the topic, how can you make sure you write a good essay?

The directions for this ELA Practice Regents include a statement about the essay topic.  In this case, the topic was "possessions."  What did each passage have to say about the significance of possessions in a person's life? 

Some Reading Strategies:
Always look at the title of each passage.  Titles can give you ideas for your essay, and provide hints about the overall topic of the passage.  We looked at the passages in detail to determine how they relate to the topic of "possessions."  We began to figure out how to write a good essay, despite finding the readings dry or uninteresting. 

It would be great if, in college or work, you would never have to read anything boring, but I can assure you that you will encounter texts that are less than fascinating.  Make the topic work for you.  Discover the underlying meaning of the text, and then write your interpretation into your essay.  

When reading any literary work, remember to use the strategies we have discussed to decipher words that you don't know.  Those strategies include breaking the word down into parts,  using contextual clues, and seeing if you know a similar word in another language (for instance, Spanish, which has Latin roots.  Many more complex English words have Latin roots).

Comma Rules

Download my Comma Rules from this link, or get it from the Handouts list on the right side of this page.  You may also pick up a "hard copy" in the classroom. 

Assignment: Write two sentences exemplifying each comma rule.  In total, that makes six sentences.  Please write the sentences on lined 8.5x11 paper and put your paper in your folder.   

Homework

Bring in a poem, or the lyrics to a rap or song.  Make sure the song or poem has a deeper meaning, the way "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" does.  You may bring in a favorite song that you find online, or you may bring in a poem or rap that you have written yourself.  I will read all of the songs or poems that you bring in and choose one or two that we will analyze and interpret as a class. 

First Writing Assignment

We read "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" by Tupac Shakur.  Write an essay of a page and a half responding to the following questions:
1) What is the poem about?  What does it mean?
2) How do you personally relate to this poem?  Is it true in your own life?  In what way?

This assignment is due, completed and in your folder, by the end of the week.  If you were not in class, it is still required of you, and you are still responsible for having it in your folder. 

Welcome to Camilla's College Literature and Writing Class, Fall 2010, Cycle 1

Welcome to College Literature and Writing.  All students taking this class must have passed the ELA Regents exam. 

In order to pass this class you must do the following:
1) Complete all assigned work
2) Attend class regularly
3) Stay focused on classwork during class time
4) Complete assigned homework
5) Do your best work, not second-rate work.

Cell phones and other personal technology items are not allowed in class.  They cannot be out, visible, or in use at any time during the class.