Final Reflection

Please answer these questions in a New Post on your blog.  Number each of your answers and answer in complete sentences/paragraphs that reference the question so we can easily see which one you’re answering.  This should be a rather lengthy post to earn the entire  100 points.  Include 2 images.

1. List/discuss several of the different pieces of writing you’ve done this quarter, including posts, comments, creative pieces, journals, in-class writings, and things you’ve written on your own.
2. Name/discuss a couple of pieces you’ve read this quarter, including other classmates’ work and/or reading you’ve done in or out of class.
3. Write about setting up your blog and what you have gotten from that experience.  How did you come up with the name for your blog?  Who do you think read it or who would you want to read it?  Will you continue to use it on your own in the future?  What kinds of things will you post?
4. Write about journaling.  What kinds of things are in your journal?  Who would you want to read it?  Will you continue to journal?  What will you write about? 
5. Type an entry directly from your journal that you consider notable.  It could be a paragraph or a page or so.  You don’t have to explain it, but you could.
6. Type or copy/paste a passage or section directly from one of your pieces of writing that you consider notable or your favorite that you’ve written.  It could be a section or a page or so.
7. What creative writing do you plan to do in the future, if any?  What do you get out of writing creatively?  How does this differ from the other writing you do, in school and in life?
8. COPY and PASTE your answer to #8 as a COMMENT on as many of your classmates' final blog posts as you can.  

If you've done everything else, it would be great if you could cruise through your classmates' blogs today and leave some friendly comments on their other posts.

Writing as a Gift (or another option)

Please write a piece with the intention of giving it to someone in your life as a gift.  This might be a letter, a poem, a story, something else...

If you are comfortable posting the actual piece to your blog, please do so by the end of class on Tuesday.  If you don't want to share the actual piece, just show it to me and do a quick post summarizing what you did.

You don't have to actually give the writing to the person you wrote it for, but I'm sure it would be appreciated (and a cheap gift!).  

On Monday, we will incorporate some of this writing into an actual gift...I also have holiday cards you can write notes in for people in your life.  And I'll have gift wrap for your dishes, too, if you need it..

OR in place of this assignment...

Bring in at least 2 things to contribute to Gathering Friends for the Homeless:

flannel shirt (men or women)
thermal shirt (men)
long-sleeved shirts (women)
warm socks (men or women--new)
$5 McDonald's card
tent
sleeping bag
large backpack

Also:  Remember your journal is due with 10 new full pages on Monday.

FOOD for thought

We’re in the middle of a season of celebrations and family gatherings, many of which are centered around food.  I’d like us to take some time to think and write about our connections to food—memories, opinions, preferences, experiences.  I can think of all sorts of directions this contemplation might take you…

Please write a piece of your choice inspired by food.  The piece might be 300-500 words, any genre.  I thought of a few ideas, but there isn’t really a wrong answer here, so feel free to shape this assignment however you see fit.  This might take a really personal slant for you, or you can take a more observational, factual approach if you’re more comfortable.  Include an image.  Please post your work by the end of class on Tuesday.

Just a few possible approaches:

a short essay re:  the story behind a family food or tradition

                     re:  what Thanksgiving really means

                     re:  a person in your life who has shaped you through food

                     re:  a childhood food memory

a longer poem   re:  a memorable meal

                       re:  a delicious food

                       re:  a disgusting food

                       re:  a cook at work

                       re:  the scene in a kitchen

                       re:  the scene around a dinner table

                       re:  gratefulness (or lack thereof)

                       re:  a childhood food memory

a recipe for an abstract concept
                       (love, disaster, family, the perfect Thanksgiving)

a letter to someone you’re thankful for

a letter to a cook you know and love praising his/her food 

a letter to thank the host for all the work put into the family feast

a short story re:  a Thanksgiving gone wrong

a short story re:  an epiphany about thankfulness or appreciation

Children's Story Draft

Please share a draft of your story for your children's book in a New Post on your blog by the end of class today.  You can make changes later, but push yourself to get something posted today so we can begin construction of the books next week.  At the end of your post, add a sentence or two detailing your plan for illustrating the book--are you going to draw on the pages yourself?  Find images online? Create images on the computer?  Have fun with it.

If your journal is ready with 20 new, full pages, you can leave it in the basket of my desk today.  You may also turn it in on Monday if you'd rather.

Have a great weekend!

Tell me a story!

Please draft a children's story of 300-500 words in the next couple of days, maybe first in your journal and then in a New Post on your blog.  You'll need your story to be finished and proofread before the end of this week so we can put together our children's books. 

Give your story a great title and think about how your book will be illustrated (kids' stories are often all about the pictures!)--you might do the drawing yourself, you might have someone else do some drawing for you, you might find images online or in magazines...

Children's stories aren't usually all that long, but because of their brevity, each line and word needs to count.  Try to make strong and effective word choices and eliminate any unnecessary rambling.  Also, decide on an age group to target with your story and keep that in mind as you craft your piece. What would a kid that age know, want to know, think about, be scared of, find funny, etc.?  You may want your story to rhyme--seems like many kids' books do--but it's not required. Your story could be funny or serious, silly or sentimental...

You are welcome to write about whatever you want, but there are a number of ideas for stories at this website if you're looking for inspiration, or maybe you could try the brainstorming process explained on this website.

Or maybe consider these ideas from the site Children's Book Writer:

Select one character, one character trait, one setting, one problem, and one magical element from the lists below and write a 200-250 word scene or story. To complete the exercise, eliminate the magical element and rewrite the scene/story. What had to change? Does the magical element make your main character, and the story he tells, any stronger?

Main Character (select one from list or create your own)
Cassandra
Joey
Lizard
Ardvark
Gollup

Character Trait (select one)
Shy
Curious
Loud
Slippery
Sad


Setting (select one)
Cruise ship
Hot air balloon
Zoo
School playground
Beach


Problem (select one)
Forgot lunch
Lost
Make a new friend
Bullied
Cold
Save the planet


Magical element (select one)
Skateboard
Bubble
Jumprope
Elephant
Dollar bill

...........................................................................................................

Select a beginning, a main character, and a moral to convey. Imagine yourself telling your tale to a rapt group of children... Keep interest high by using active verbs and phrases, use conflict to create tension, and try lots of dialogue. To complete the exercise, read it aloud!

Beginning:

My friends! Gather around, close to me. We are about to embark on a strange journey...

Once upon a time, in a land nearly forgotten...

I'm as old as the trees, as old as the stars in the night sky. Only I am old enough to remember what happened a long time ago...

Long ago and far away...


Character:

The Bovine King
Quiet Leopard
The Boy in the Moon
Two Sisters 
The Dancing Rabbit in the Moon
The Lonely Princess
Warty Frog

Moral or Lesson to be Learned:

Always practice kindness
A good deed can make a difference
Only you can control your attitude.
Sometimes things are not as they appear to be.
Don't be afraid to challenge authority

About the Author (That's you!)

Please post a brief but interesting bio of yourself as a children's author to your blog today.  These bios are written in 3rd person and at minimum generally include where the author lives (city and state) and who he or she lives with (family and pets).  You might also include some lines referencing your own childhood passions and preoccupations, or your inspiration for writing the story, or what else occupies your time besides writing great books.  These also usually include a picture of the author, so  post either a picture of yourself or an avatar or some other image to represent you.

Books for Kids

Please type up the information from the folded blue sheet regarding a children's book in the library as a New Post on your blog.  Include a couple of images.  Glue the half sheet in your journal to count as an entry.