In the books

We will be moving on to new topics (FILM then ART) for inspiration next week, so if there are ANY posts on the grade check you are missing--from books/text only (work from the other themes will not be counted for credit at this point)--please take care of those today or by the beginning of class Monday at the latest.

Use class time today to make up work you're missing. You can circle any work you complete today (or that I missed seeing somehow) on your grade check and turn it back in to to the basket or take it home for your reference to finish up work on your own.  

You can be writing in your journal or working on something else quietly if you've finished everything.  I will collect your journals Thursday, 11 March (the day before Spring Break begins!) for our end of 3rd quarter check.  You'll need 20 new full pages. We will add pages in class next week, but you might need to be making your own time to get as much writing in as you need.

Optional:  IF you would like me to offer brief, supportive feedback on some of your work, leave a comment here listing 2-3 of your blog posts you'd like me to take a closer look at.  

Thanks for being so GREAT!  Have a nice weekend.  XOXO

In the news{papers}

In a New Post on your blog, please share some writing inspired by our dig through newspapers.  

You might have one longer piece or several shorter ones, but come up with at least 250 words.  Include some images and a catchy title.  

You could mention the headline, photo, ad, etc. that sparked your idea in an Author's Note, or you could leave that a mystery...but don't just describe or narrate what you cut out--make up something new.

Blackout

Thanks for trying the newspaper and book page blackout technique (scientific terminology there) in class Tuesday. Please share at least one of your blackout text pieces as a COMMENT on this post. 

You could type the text you left on the page as a sentence or poem or story.  You could also take a picture with your phone and post your work that way on your own blog, but that is optional.

I'm thinking you could do this same technique with any printed material containing a good chunk of text to work with. I also think you could be inspired to write all sorts of other pieces by using your blacked out piece as a starting point.

You could visit Austin Kleon's website to see what others have come up with and even post your own work there if you're up for it. 

Six Word Memoirs

In a New Post on your blog, please share whichever of the 6-Word Memoirs you came up with in class that you are comfortable sharing.  Just one or all of them.  Include an image or images.  You don't need to explain them, but you could if you wanted to. You could also submit what you've come up with to the Smith magazine website.  Here's a link to the video we watched if you'd like to send it around to your friends and see which ones they think could apply to you (and themselves...).

Writers as Readers

I'd like you to do some thinking and writing about how what we read plays into our creative process, how the stories we read might inspire our own character and plot ideas, how we might both consciously and unconsciously pick up sentence patterns, vocabulary and writing styles from the authors we are exposed to. 

Choose 5-6 of these to answer in a post (500 words or so) on in a New Post on your own blog.  Title this post “Writers as Readers” and include 2-3 images. You can even add links to author's web pages or book reviews or other related websites if you'd like. I can show you how to do this.

1. When you read, what do you need to be comfortable (environment, snacks, lighting)?

2. What genres (types of writing) interest you? What specifically about this genre interests you? Why are you drawn to certain books?  Any genres you avoid?

3. Which author do you think your writing style is most like?  Do you purposely imitate certain writers and/or try to avoid writing like certain writers?

4. What is one of your best memories connected with reading?

5. Have you ever picked up a book and been excited to turn the next page, then the next, then the next? What book? Why couldn’t you stop reading?  Is there a book you had to just trudge through to the finish?

6. Who was your first reading teacher? Why do you remember her/him?  Was it a “teacher” or someone else (a family member?) who “taught” you?

7. What was the first book you remember reading? Why does this book stand out in your memory?

8. What is your favorite book or series? Why is this your favorite?

9. Complete the one or more of the following sentences and explain your answer.

“When I finished reading (blank), I was angry afterwards because….”

“When I finished reading (blank), I was sad because…”

“When I finished reading (blank), I was happy because…”

10. Some people refuse to read popular novels, such as the Harry Potter series due to themes they deem as glorifying the occult. Do you think books have the power to move people to action in something they have no interest in before they begin the first page?

11. When you write, do you continually envision the “reader” of your piece?  Who do you think would be interested in reading your work?  Does having a reader in mind affect how you choose your words, themes, ideas?  What’s different if you just write for yourself knowing no one else will ever read what you come up with?

12. Do you think that someone who reads a lot might become a stronger writer?  Do you think we pick up vocabulary, sentence structures, themes, etc. from the books we read that come out directly or indirectly in our own writing?

13. Do you think you’d ever write a book someday?  Do you know what it would be about?  How would you want to be described on the “About the Author” at the front of the book?

I'm sure many of you are avid readers. I just think there's such endless inspiration and personal growth that is possible when you take the time to consider the ideas others have put in print. There is so much out there to read...how will we ever get through all of it we want to?

Memorable Passage

Post a passage (probably no more than a paragraph or so) from a book that was memorable to you. Type the passage in word for word and add some of your own thoughts (250 words or more--not counting the passage itself) before and/or after, explaining why this particular set of words caught your attention or has stayed in your memory.  Title this post Memorable Passage.  Include an image with this post, too.

I used to write quite a bit on my own blog about what I read, if nothing else just to remember, but often to reflect on words that stuck with me. If you are so inclined or need some ideas about books to read or what you might write about reading, you can check out my posts here and here and here and here and here.  Also here and here.  But that's totally optional.

Here is an example of a Memorable Passage post:

Today I finished Elizabeth Berg's Dream When You're Feeling Blue, a book I found at the thrift store a couple of weeks ago. This story follows 3 beautiful sisters and the various soldiers they correspond with during the war. Wouldn't I love to have all the letters to and from my grandfathers? Who wrote to them? I especially noted a passage summing up what one soldier had written to oldest sister Kitty:

"He thought times like this could galvanize people into a certain kind of unity but could also make for unexpected changes in the individual, for strange contradictions. He said he himself had begun to feel the need to be alone most of the time. And yet he also felt a kind of love and compassion for humanity far greater than what he'd ever felt before. He found it hard to blame the war on any one person. He thought that, despite witnessing--and taking part in--such unimaginable violence, most soldiers would come home from the war wanting never to hurt anything again.

"He told her about boys who came back from the battle vacant-eyed, their hands shaking, who in a few hours' time were ready to smile and joke again and then eager to rejoin those at the front. He said that extinguishing life in another seemed to make you unspeakably grateful for your own, indeed for life in general. For a few hours after a battle, Hank said, everything the men looked at seemed caressed by their eyes. They were such young boys. They were such old men."

I'll be thinking of William Archie Curtis and Julian Jasper Cowan when we celebrate the 4th this weekend, as I do on any holiday or moment with a patriotic slant. I'll never really know what those two went through, and I'll never be able to really define how I feel about what they did, the young boys they were, the old men I watched them become. But I'll think of them kindly and generously, as Hank described, as men who saw and felt so much pain that they never wanted to hurt anything again. My whole life they've been so very kind, so very generous, to me.

Books that Mattered

Create a new Google Slides presentation to share 3-6 Books that Mattered to you.  These books could have mattered to you for a variety of reasons, positive or negative, currently or in the past.   

1.  Create an interesting intro/title slide.

2. On each following slide include the following at minimum:

• a picture of the book cover with its title and author easily seen
• a memorable quote from the book
• an image or gif (this could be an image of your memorable quote)
• a brief statement why it mattered to you

2.  Add an extra slide listing 5 or more other books that could have made your list.

3.  Add a slide at the end with a quote about reading that you like or identify with.

4.  Share your slides to hfraser@sps.org.

5.  Be prepared to briefly present your slides to the class THURSDAY. 

Here's my example:

Fraser

Maker Project: Dream Catchers

The Legend Of the Dream Catcher

"The Ojibwa (Chippewa) believe that night is full of both good and bad dreams. When a dream catcher is hung above the place where you sleep it moves freely in the night air and catches the dreams as they drift by. The good dreams, knowing their way, pass through the opening in the center of the webbing while the bad dreams, not knowing the way, are caught in the webbing and destroyed at the first light of the morning sun. 

There are many variants to the dream catcher legend, some which say both the good and bad dreams are captured and some which say the good dreams slide down the feather to those sleeping below. Although the Ojibwa are credited as the first people to use Dream Catchers many other Tribes and Native peoples have adopted Dream Catchers into their culture. Even though the designs and legends of Dream Catchers differ slightly, the underlying meaning and symbolism is universal and is carried across cultures and language barriers.

Everybody dreams."



As a part of our discussion about dreams and how they can relate to writing inspiration and processes, let's try to create dream catchers in class this week!  

Dream catchers have been a part of Native American and other cultures for many years.  You can do your own research at places like this one to find out more about the various interpretations of this universal symbol.  This, on the other hand,  appears to be something different... :)

To prepare, take a look at some online tutorials and do some thinking about what you'd like yours to look like. Click here and here and here for some ideas.

These are certainly not the only ones--feel free to do your own search.  You'll be using a tutorial of your choice to create your dream catcher during class.

I will provide the hoops, basic supplies, and a few embellishments.  If you'd like to or are able to get your own supplies to really customize your dream catcher, please do so and bring them to class tomorrow.

Dream Threads

"Rappel Upward on Dream Threads" by Joji

In a New Post on your own blog, try the following writing activity using the interesting sentences regarding dreams that you and your classmates contributed (in the comments on this post) from your dream-inspired pieces.  We'll call these sentences "dream threads," little bits that you've pulled from a bigger piece and that could be "woven" back together in interesting ways.

• Choose one of the sentences to begin your story.  You may use it word for word or alter it slightly if necessary.
• Choose another sentence to end your story.
• Fill in the space in between with a story connecting the two sentences. This will likely be fiction but it doesn't have to be.  It also doesn't need to be especially long and may only be a portion of a bigger, more complicated story--maybe 300 words or so--but it could be. It could also be a poem.
• Put the sentences you took from other people in bold or another color.
• Include at least one image.

Type word-for-word at least one of the best/most interesting/most provocative sentences from your dream-inspired piece you posted to your blog HERE as a COMMENT.

Please take this quick survey for the KHS library

Go this link and take the survey. 

Use your ID # as the Access Code.

Show me your screen when you're finished for 15 extra credit points.

For Seniors Only:

A note was sent out on CANVAS to all seniors to vote for the 2 teachers they would like to lead the processional at Commencement in Academia Regalia.

Voting will end at the end of the day on Friday.

Dream-Inspired Piece

In a New Post on your own blog, write a piece of your choice (400-500 words) inspired by our theme of DREAMS.  This could be fiction or non-fiction.  It could also be a collection of longer poems.  You could try one of the prompts from Lit Bridge below, or maybe try something from this site.  Add a brief author's note at the beginning or end of your piece telling us where your idea came from.

Fiction Creative Writing Prompts

1. Write a story from a perspective of a main character who is looking for a dream. Why is he or she looking for a dream? What happened to their prior dreams? Describe the journey.

2. Write a story about someone who constantly never reaches their dream. Every attempt ends up being a failure. What happens next?

3. Write a story about a hard-working character who is trying hard to support his or her family. One day, something happens that changes everything. What happens?

4. Write a story about characters participating in a complex game. The winner actually receives their dream.

5. Write a story about a political character that has a dream for his or her country.

6. Write a story based on historical facts. Try to think about all the dreams that people have had in the past that impacted history significantly. Write a fictional story about a character witnessing this heroic figure.

7. Imagine a beautiful dream you had once. Now write a story surrounding that dream. Maybe the event takes place in that area, or perhaps that is the same dream of your character, and so on.

8. Write a story about a wealthy foreigner or even someone from a wealthy country visits an impoverished country. This character is someone who loves new material things but sees a community where their dream is to survive and help their children thrive. Write a story about this person’s journey and how they change because of it.

9. Write a story about a character helping someone to achieve their dreams.

10. Write a story about the history of an organization that helps sick or impoverished people reach their dreams.

11. Write a story about a futuristic world where dreams are changing. Think about some of the projected changes that people are suggesting may happen in the future. Use this to guide your writing.

12. Write a disturbing story about a character who has somewhat perverse dreams and has to cope with it somehow.

13. Write a story about someone whose dream is suddenly taken away from them. For instance, maybe a sports player has gotten seriously injured, a successful businessman lost his or her job, or a tragedy occurred which made someone not care about their dream. What happens next? How does this person cope?

14. Write a story about how someone’s dream evolves. How does a person find a dream? What are the steps to getting this dream? Why does someone keep holding on to the idea of this dream?

15. Write a story about someone who sees their future and either likes or dislikes certain parts of it. What do they do now that they’ve seen their future? How does this actually impact their future?

You may say I'm a dreamer...

...but I'm not the only one. Some people say they never dream when they sleep, and I've read that isn't true: Everyone dreams many times every night (the average dream lasting only 3-5 seconds) but we remember so few (or none) of our dreams because they're sent straight to our short-term memories. Unless you do something like write the dream down or share it with a friend to transfer the information to your long-term memory, that dream is gone and you may never remember having it at all.

I've done a lot of thinking and even a little writing about dreams over the years--what dreams mean, why I always have the same ones, how to avoid really scary ones...I wonder if this is a topic that is interesting to you? I've heard that it's really fun for us to talk about our own dreams but it isn't all that fun for everyone else listening?  I'm not sure anyone really wants to know about my recent dream regarding my neighbor in the buff drinking coffee in his backyard or the one where I'm sorting through tornado rubble in only a towel.  :)

I have a couple of recurring dreams, meaning dreams I have had several times throughout my lifetime, and I have to say they are mostly bad, or at least very uncomfortable. I often dream that I am still in high school and I have a volleyball game or track meet to go to and I'm not ready. I've either forgotten my uniform or shoes or I can't remember going to any practices beforehand to train. I haven't played high school sports for 25+ years...why would this keep showing up in my subconscious?  Another dream I've had a lot (although not in quite a while, now that I think of it) is that my teeth are really chalky and they're crumbling out of my mouth, or they're all loose and if you tapped one they'd all fall out in a sort of domino effect. I've also dreamed that I was supposed to pick up my son but I can't make the car go or my feet move and I can't get a phone to work--it makes me panic every time.

I've read that you're likely to have nightmares if the room you are sleeping in is very warm and if you sleep with your arms above your head...I wonder what conditions make for more pleasant dreams? Do you think that what you have in your head right before you fall asleep will come out in your dreams, or do the littlest things from earlier in the day somehow pop up? Do you think you can control your dreams? I have a friend who is into "astral travel," which is, very simply, being able to will yourself to go places in your dreams. She said she could think about checking in on her cousin before she fell asleep and then she'd dream something about her cousin that would let her know how she was doing. She also told me that if you ever see yourself in your dreams, like you're looking down at yourself from above (in video games isn't that the third-person view?) instead of seeing the dream through your own eyes (like first-person in video games?) that you have astral traveled without even trying. Interesting...

There are various books and websites that offer interpretations of dreams and the elements involved.  You may or may not find these valid, but you considering dreams and what they might be saying could probably spark numerous writing ideas.  Take a look at some of these and see what you think:  Dream Dictionary    Dream Bible   Psychologists World      

I hope you've also done some thinking about how dreaming can play into the writing process. 

Please post a thoughtful comment (a few sentences or so) on this post answering one or more of the following:

...a recurring dream you have

...the worst dream you've ever had

...the best dream you've ever had (PG-13 or tamer :) )

...what you think causes dreams

...books you've read about dreams or dreaming

...if you think dreams are symbolic or have deeper meaning

...what you found in the dream interpretation books/sites

...if you think astral travel or lucid dreaming is possible

...your daydreams or your dream day chart

...your dreams for your future

...if you think dreams could inspire writing for you

...something else connected to dreams?

P.S. Your journal is due tomorrow with 25 full pages for our Mid-3rd Quarter Check. 

Teach us about DREAMS

Work with your friends at your table to create a Google Slides teaching presentation on the topic connected to dreams you have been assigned.  Present your research in slides that are interesting, informative and visually pleasing.  

• Each group member should contribute at least 2 slides.
• Include a slide at the beginning introducing your topic.
• Share your project to hfraser@sps.org by the end of class on Wednesday.
• Be prepared to teach us in class on FRIDAY.

Topics:

1: Aiden, Jacob, Leah, Avery
Why/how do we dream when we sleep (reasons, functions, science, how dreams work, REM, etc.) 

2: Bella, Kambria, Kenzie, Lorna
Development of Dream Interpretation Theory (Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Gustavus Hindman-Miller, Ann Faraday, others?)

3:  Mia, Mackenzie, Hannah, Eva
10 Most Common Dreams + their possible meaning(s) 

4: Belita, Ethan W
Lucid Dreaming + Astral Travel (what's the difference, testimonials or accounts from those who've done it, etc.) 

5:   Lilly P, Jake, Alex
Nightmares + Night Terrors (+ other sleep disorders--sleepwalking, sleep paralysis, etc.) 

6:  Calder, Imaney
Dream Journals + other ways to remember our dreams for later thought or use 

7:  Gavin, Aubrey, Ethan S
Dream Catchers (history in different cultures, various designs, what elements of the design represent, etc.) 

8: Lilli B, Alexandra, Marcus
Authors who have used dreams in their stories or to inspire their writing and how (example: Chapter 13 of Twilight is a dream Stephenie Meyer had and wrote down) 

Comments for your (colorful) classmates

Find your name in the groups below then click on the blogs of the classmates in your group.  

Step 1:

Read the person's "I am" Poem and leave a friendly comment suggesting at least 1 thing you find interesting about the writer and 1 thing you have in common. You might take a look at the comment I left on your own "I am" Poem to get an idea of what to say.

Step 2:

Read the person's Object-Inspired Piece and leave a comment with 3 specific, supportive and complimentary remarks regarding the piece and how it was written.   Nothing critical or suggesting changes at this point...

Include a greeting at the beginning of your comment (like "Hi, Taylor!) and a brief statement of encouragement at the end of your comment (like "Thanks for sharing this!" or "I look forward to seeing more of your work.")  Go beyond a short, generic comment and get specific. As in:  "You really got me with that twist at the end--I would have never guessed it was her sister stalking her all along.  Creepy!"  Or:  "Your use of dialogue was effective and pulled me into the story.  I never thought a conversation between a little boy and his baseball could sound so natural."  Don't cop out and put a rushed, generic comment like, "It was good" or "Nice job."   

Step 3:

Read the person's color-inspired poems and leave a comment naming at least 1 line you really like in each (there should be 6 poems total: 2 haikus, 1 acrostic, 1 free verse, 1 narrative, 1 collage-inspired, 1 color association).

Step 4:

Read the person's "If I Were in Charge of the World" poem naming at least one idea you find interesting or amusing or something you agree with.

Step 5:

Then copy and paste the comments you made into a New Post on your own blog so I can quickly give you credit for offering feedback.  You can title the post "Comments for Classmates."

Groups:

Aubrey
Avery
Lilli B
Kambria

Mia
Leah
Eva
Hannah

Ethan W.
Aiden
Imaney
Alexandra

Lorna
Lilly P.
Jake 
Gavin

Belita
Marcus
Kenzie W
Bella

Calder
Mackenzie W
Alex
Jacob
Ethan S

If you run out of time in class today please be sure to finish commenting on your own time before class tomorrow.