Thursday, March 28, 2019

Poetry prompts--Extra Credit

A POEM A DAY BY DAISY FRIED
1. Write a ten-line poem in which each line is a lie.
2. Write a poem that tells a story in 18 lines or less, and includes at least four proper nouns.
3. Write a poem that uses any of the senses EXCEPT SIGHT as its predominant imagery.
4. Write a poem inspired by a newspaper article you read this week.
5. Write a poem without adjectives.
6. Ask your roommate/neighbor/lover/friend/mother/anyone for a subject (as wild as they want to make it) for a ten-minute poem. Now write a poem about that subject in ten minutes; make it have a beginning, a middle and an end.
7. Write the worst poem you possibly can. Now edit it and make it even worse.
8. Poem subject: A wind blows something down. Or else it doesn’t. Write it in ten minutes.
9. Write a poem with each line, or at least many of the lines, filling in the blanks of “I used to________, but now I_________.”
11. Write a poem consisting entirely of things you’d like to say, but never would, to a parent, lover, sibling, child, teacher, roommate, best
friend, mayor, president, corporate CEO, etc.
12. Write a poem that uses as a starting point a conversation you overheard.
13. First line of today’s poem: “This is not a poem, but…”
14. Write a poem in the form of either a letter or a speech which uses at least six of the following words: horses, “no, duh,” adolescent, autumn
leaves, necklace, lamb chop, Tikrit, country rock, mother, scamper, zap, bankrupt. Take no more than 13 minutes to write it.
15. Write a poem which includes a list or lists-shopping list, things to do, lists of flowers or rocks, lists of colors, inventory lists,
lists of events, lists of names…
16. Poem subject: A person runs where no running is allowed. Write it in ten minutes.
17. Write a poem in the form of a personal ad.
18. Write a poem made up entirely of questions. Or write a poem made up entirely of directions.
19. Write a poem about the first time you did something.
20. Write a poem about falling out of love.
21. Make up a secret. Then write a poem about it. Or ask someone to give you a made-up or real secret, and write a poem about it.
22. Write a poem about a bird you don’t know the name of.
23. Write a hate poem.
24. Free-write for, say, 15 minutes, but start with the phrase “In the kitchen” and every time you get stuck, repeat the phrase “In the
kitchen.” Alternatively, use any part of a house you have lots of associations with-”In the garage,” “In the basement,” “In the bathroom,” “In the yard.”
25. Write down 5-10 words that sound ugly to you. Use them in a poem.
26. Write a poem in which a motorcycle and a ballerina appear.
27. Write a poem out of the worst part of your character.
28. Write a poem that involves modern technology-voice mail, or instant messaging, or video games, or… 29. Write a seduction poem in which somebody seduces you.

30. Radically revise a poem you wrote earlier this month.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Adapting a Fable or Folktale

GROUP PROJECT: Adapting a fable or fairy tale for the stage

AGENDA:

In small groups, you will be adapting a fable or fairy tale for the stage.


Your project requires:


1. A script for a skit.

2. A set and costume design.

3. A song to be sung for the skit by a character(s) to set the scene.  You can write the words to any famous melody.

4. A performance for the class.



What is the difference between a fable and a fairy tale?


http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-fable-and-vs-fairy-tale/




1. Review with students the elements of a fable: characters, setting, events and a moral. In most fables the characters are animals. These animals usually represent specific human qualities(personification).
2. Review the concept of a moral. Tell students that fables are meant to teach a lesson or moral. The moral is usually revealed at the end of the fable. Sometimes the moral is delivered as a statement, such as "Be happy with what you have," or "It is easier to think up a plan than to carry it out."
3. Ask students to re-read The Ant and the Dove and have them orally identify the characters, setting, and moral of the story (the moral is already provided).


 The Ant and the Dove 


  AN ANT went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and
being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of
drowning.  A Dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked
a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her.  The Ant
climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank.  Shortly
afterwards a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, and laid
his lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the branches.  The Ant,
perceiving his design, stung him in the foot.  In pain the
birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the noise made the Dove
take wing.


 One good turn deserves another
4. Tell students that they will be reading more fables individually and that they must be able to identify key elements of the fables.
PrewritingTell students to make a plan before writing. For the pre-writing stage, encourage students to use graphic organizers (see below) to organize their ideas. Students should plan out the following:
  • Characters (for example, a cat and a dog)
  • Setting (for example, a vacant lot)
  • Events (for example, a dog encounters a cat who has a piece of meat)
  • Moral (for example, pick on animals your own size)
DraftingDirect students to follow the order of the original fable or the order of events they listed and to begin writing a first draft.
RevisingEliminate this step during this section. When students are in small groups, have the other group members revise and proofread the fable that they are choosing for the skit.
ProofreadingStudents should check spelling, capitalization, punctuation and word usage. This can be done using a word-processing program.
PublishingIn this final stage of the writing process, students submit their writing. They have the option of extending on the lesson by publishing their creative work in a number of outlets(submitting to a newspaper or literary magazine, for example).
FABLES:


Fox and the Grapes


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkZp4eH04c8&feature=player_embedded


Fox and the Grapes:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hACpLj0_EiA



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtnyD2uG8yo




Adapting a Fairy Tale:

http://writingfairytales.weebly.com/adapting-a-fairy-tale.html

Friday, March 8, 2019

Historical Rap

Historical RAP


Famous Person Rap/Biography

NEW PROJECT: Historical RAP
Pick a partner to work with.
Think about a famous historical character.  Do some research on the character. Fill out the biography handout.
 
Create a rap song for that character.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIl1OIGzuDg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0aX8Jy1tME


Alexander Hamilton Rap

[JEFFERSON]
And every day while slaves were being slaughtered and carted
Away across the waves, he struggled and kept his guard up

Inside, he was longing for something to be a part of
The brother was ready to beg, steal, borrow, or barter

[MADISON]
Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned
Our man saw his future drip, dripping down the drain
Put a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brain
And he wrote his first refrain, a testament to his pain


[BURR]
Well, the word got around, they said, “This kid is insane, man”
Took up a collection just to send him to the mainland
“Get your education, don’t forget from whence you came, and

The world is gonna know your name. What’s your name, man?”

[HAMILTON]
Alexander Hamilton
My name is Alexander Hamilton
And there’s a million things I haven’t done
But just you wait, just you wait...


[ELIZA]
When he was ten his father split, full of it, debt-ridden
Two years later, see Alex and his mother bed-ridden
Half-dead sittin' in their own sick, the scent thick


[COMPANY]
And Alex got better but his mother went quick

[WASHINGTON]
Moved in with a cousin, the cousin committed suicide
Left him with nothin’ but ruined pride, something new inside
A voice saying

[WASHINGTON]
“You gotta fend for yourself.”
[COMPANY]
“Alex, you gotta fend for yourself.”
[BURR]
There would have been nothin’ left to do
For someone less astute
He woulda been dead or destitute
Without a cent of restitution
Started workin’, clerkin’ for
 his late mother’s landlord
Tradin’ sugar cane and rum and all the things he can’t afford
Scammin’ for every book he can get his hands on
Plannin’ for the future see him now as he stands on
The bow of a ship headed for a new land
In New York you can be a new man






[COMPANY]
Scammin’

Plannin’
Oooh...
[COMPANY]
In New York you can
Be a new man—
In New York you can
Be a new man—

[HAMILTON]
Just you wait!

Just you wait!
[WOMEN]
In New York—

[MEN]
New York—
[HAMILTON]
Just you wait!
[COMPANY]
Alexander Hamilton

We are waiting in the wings for you


You could never back down
You never learned to take your time!

Oh, Alexander Hamilton

When America sings for you
Will they know what you overcame?
Will they know you rewrote the game?
The world will never be the same, oh


[BURR]
The ship is in the harbor now
See if you can spot him


Another immigrant
Comin’ up from the bottom


His enemies destroyed his rep
America forgot him
[COMPANY]
Alexander Hamilton

Waiting in the wings for you


You never learned to take your time!

Oh, Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton…
America sings for you
Will they know what you overcame?
Will they know you rewrote the game?
The world will never be the same, oh



[MEN]
Just you wait

[COMPANY]
Just you wait

Alexander Hamilton!

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Assignment #13--Monologue

Assignment #13--Monologue

The Monologue


See sample monologues:

Exercise: The Monologue

ONE: Dealing with the Past
It is a common practice with monologues that a character relates a past story in order to illuminate something that is currently happening the plot of the play.
The problem with these types of monologues is when a character says, "I remember." "I remember" creates an insular experience; it's something that only happened to the character and it's difficult for the audience to share in the event. The audience doesn't remember.
Another problem with past monologues is the use of the past tense. When something has happened in the past, it's over, it's done. Using the present tense is much more alive and active.
EXERCISE
  1. Write a monologue where the first line is 'I remember when...' and uses the past tense. Have a character talk about a childhood memory that has significant impact on how they are today.
  2. Re-write the monologue, taking out all mentions of 'remembering.' Just tell the story.
  3. Re-write the monologue in the present tense.
  4. Read aloud the first version and then the third. Discuss the differences.
TWO: Making the Story Count
If a character tells a story in a monologue - "I went to the grocery store and THIS JUST HAPPENED," there has to be something besides the base story going on for the audience. There has to be more. The story has to show something: a character flaw, a plot point we didn't know, a lie, a romance, and so on.
EXERCISE
  1. Write a monologue where the character tells a story about going to a parade.
  2. Re-write the monologue so that by telling the story, the audience sees the character is a liar.
  3. Re-write the monologue so that by telling the story, the audience sees the character is heartbroken.
  4. Re-write the monologue so that by telling the story, the audience sees the character is in love.
THREE: The Need to Speak
In every monologue a character must 'need to speak.' Otherwise, why is the monologue there? In every monologue you write, you must determine the need for the character to speak. What drives the character? Is there anything that stands in the way of the character's need to speak? The character doesn't necessarily have to succeed with what they need. Maybe they're too afraid, or they change their mind, or there's something stopping them. Obstacles are good! But start with the need and then see what happens.
EXERCISE
Choose one of the following needs. What kind of character would have that need? Give them a name, an age, and a physical appearance. Who are they talking to? Who is the listener? What is the relationship? Decide if your character will succeed or fail with their need. Now write the monologue.
  1. The character needs to reveal a secret to the listener.
  2. The character needs to prove something to the listener.
  3. The character needs to reveal they love the listener.
  4. The character needs to reveal they hate the listener.
  5. The character needs to stand up to the listener.