Recent Changes

Revisit your imagination vs. knowledge piece. What images emerge?
Go to the wiki and select the type of composition you want to focus on for the week. Select a prompt or respond to one of your own creation. Begin drafting. Try looping if you find you are stumped. We will spend some time today reading your flash drafts and looking at emerging images and ideas.
During lunch today, getGet into your in the writing.\writing.
Module 3:
Begin with a new beginning: Try writing a bit with Lane's and Mary Ann's favorite first lines from your drafts. You may decide to run with a new beginning, or you may be inspired to go in a different direction. Post your new beginning on your wiki page, and tell us what you think in the discussion thread (double bubbles: label your 2nd draft and your discussion thread "Take Two").

Our wiki is divided into the following sections:
Activities and resources to help you with your writing process
“The Craft”**“The Craft”** – a storytelling techniques.
**“The Composition”** –
“The Composition”– a page finished piece.
**“Story Development”** –
“Story Development”- a page
"Agenda" - If you need a step-by-step approach, follow the agenda.
"First Lines" - After reading your drafts, check here for my favorite lines I want you to start with on your Take 2.
"That's a Wrap!" You'll publish the digital renditions of your personal essays here
Find additional Writing Exercises and resources in the Writer's Toolbox.
Author's pages: Create your own wiki page (click on "How to Use this Wiki" in the menu) where you can post your own writing and receive feedback. See my page: Mrs. S for an example of my Six Word Memoir and my Rambling Biography.
Reflections: a meeting place where we will post and respond to discussion threads related to our reflections about writing.

Monday - DayModule 1:
Introduce yourself through a Six Word Memoir and a Rambling Autobiography.
Go outside and take a "snapshot" - write about it by showing it to us - not telling us.
Looping: Visit the Writing Activities page to see how to do this idea development strategy. Select a prompt (SAT prompts are great for this) and loop away.
Peruse The Composition page and read about each type of essay.
Tuesday - DayModule 2:
Write into the morning: Respond to this question - What's more important - imagination or knowledge? Write freely and quickly, exploring all sides. Your response does not need to take a shape yet, just write for about 15 minutes. Try looping if you get stumped. (10-15 minutes)
Read {GoneAway.pdf} a personal essay by Akhila Pamula. Deconstruct the essay into scenes by story boarding it. Then render the text: first, identify the one line that captures the essence of the piece. Then read it again and select a short phrase. Finally, skim it one last time and select one word (two at the most) to capture the theme or thesis of the piece.
Go to the wiki and select the type of composition you want to focus on for the week. Select a prompt or respond to one of your own creation. Begin drafting. Try looping if you find you are stumped. We will spend some time today reading your flash drafts and looking at emerging images and ideas.
During lunch today, get into your writing groups. Read your piece to your group, explaining where you are headed and what you are trying to get across. Pose any questions you have or concerns about your piece, but do not apologize for your writing. As a reader, pose questions to the writer, identify any images or themes that emerge in the writing.\
Wednesday - DayModule 3:
Begin with a new beginning: Try writing a bit with Lane's and Mary Ann's favorite first lines from your drafts. You may decide to run with a new beginning, or you may be inspired to go in a different direction. Post your new beginning on your wiki page, and tell us what you think in the discussion thread (double bubbles: label your 2nd draft and your discussion thread "Take Two").
After everyone has posted, share your thoughts on their new starts by posting replies in the discussion threads (double bubbles)
Revisit your essay draft - re-envision it through the six rooms, experiment with revisions techniques. Don't forget to check the toolbox on the wiki and your handout of brush strokes to help you with style and syntax.
Watch this video clip from Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List - The scene features the clearing of the Warsaw Ghetto and follows a little girl in a red coat. Notice how all of the activity is going on in the scene, but the camera returns to the little girl. This is an example of a motif. Good writing has a motif - an image, a symbol, a point that the writer returns to throughout to stay connected to the idea and the reader.
Thursday - DayModule 4:
Is Queenie Telling the Truth? Investigate the "crime scene photo" and the "statement" for Arthur's death. Answer the question. Provide the evidence. Back up the evidence with warrants (rules) that explain how the evidence proves the point. Be careful...Not all evidence proves the point. If you don't have a general "rule" to support the evidence, you can't prove the point.
Revisit your essay: What question are you trying to answer? Your answer is the point you are trying to make. What evidence do you use to prove the point? How are you explaining how the evidence is proving the point? You may find that you don't have a point yet. You need to articulate one. You may find that you need to be more direct in stating your evidence and explanation.
Friday - DayModule 5:
{Ratiocination 2.doc} - The Editing Room. After you have read and addressed all of the comments on your last draft, begin your final edits with this comprehensive editing tool. While it can feel a bit tedious, especially with a piece of writing you've been working on for a few days, the ratiocination process helps you attend to the details of polishing your final draft. Copy and paste it in Word and use your own system, or work on a printed copy. When you've finished, see us for the final cut.
Creating a digital essay: After you have made all of your edits, read your paper again and lift the following lines of text: 1) Your main point/thesis 2) The support/details (try to capture this in one sentence per support 3) Your "So What?" conclusion or the Ba-Da-Bing statement at the end. You can create your digital story in Movie Maker or PowerPoint.
and celebrate the end of the week and your writing.

Activities and resources to help you with your writing process
“The Craft” – a page of writing exercises and tools for using digital storytelling techniques.
“The Composition”**“The Composition”** – a finished piece.
“Story Development”
**“Story Development”** – a developing your ideas.ideas
"Agenda" - If you need a step-by-step approach, follow the agenda.
"First Lines" - After reading your drafts, check here for my favorite lines I want you to start with on your Take 2.
"That's a Wrap!" You'll publish the digital renditions of your personal essays here
Author's pages: Create your own wiki page (click on "How to Use this Wiki" in the menu) where you can post your own writing and receive feedback. See my page: Mrs. S for an example of my Six Word Memoir and my Rambling Biography.
Reflections: a meeting place where we will post and respond to discussion threads related to our reflections about writing.

Final cut
The first paragraph starts this piece off just right. Over all this piece has great potential. Please keep writing. You have a talent in telling stories.

Side note: Is there 10 secs or 40 sec left in the game? It's either an inconsistency or I'm reading your piece incorrectly.

Six Room Poem
"the sun winks jovially
it leaves warm kisses on my face
and twinkles through the leaves"--- my most favorite part!
Your piece is wonderful just the way it is.

Take Three
I like that you learned from your experience, Max. I think learning lessons like this one really builds character. Keep up the good work!

Take Three
Oops! Sorry Max! I accidentally was revising your second draft! I see in your 3rd draft, you changed that part! Good job

Take Three
Yes, you are engaging with the reader more. The detail you added really gave this more dimension. The only thing I would consider changing is the repetition "no friends". You don't really need this part of the sentence " Being the only one without a friend there was hard because." By removing it, this part will have more emphasis " the responsibility relied solely on me" Just a suggestion. Otherwise, this piece is solid. Good work!

Way to go!
Thanks everyone for the experience of your writing! I just finished watching the videos, and I'm really impressed by how far you have come in one week. Have a great rest of the summer, and keep writing!