Welcome to Creative Writing 7

AGENDA: 

1. Welcome to Creative Writing 7

My name is Ms. Gamzon.  I look forward to teaching you this marking period
(although it will be new and a little different for all of us)!  We will get through it,
and I hope you will enjoy CW7 and have a chance to explore different kinds of writing.
 A lot of the assignments will ask you to express your creativity and imagination.
That can be very exciting!

2. Attendance--Let's create a Jamboard!

Go to the Google cube.  Scroll down and find Jamboard.

Create a Jambord of words, images, etc. to introduce yourself.

3. Introductions

4. Go to the Class BLOG:

CW7sota.blogspot.com
Click on the star up at top to bookmark it and find the page 
whenever you need it.

Here you will find some new assignments (and can check out 

assignments from previous marking periods if you are curious).

5. Very important!!! Google Classroom

Here you will be able to post your assignments and receive credit for them.  

6. Please show the attached course criteria sheet to your parent/guardian
and ask them to send me an email where I can reach them.

7. As we begin to create writing and you submit work on Google Classroom, please use the following heading in the upper left corner on a Google Doc:

Use Times New Roman font--12 pt. (You can zoom in on your doc while writing it if it is hard to see, but 12pt. font is the standard for writing assignments.

USE MLA (Modern Language Association) HEADING for all Docs.  This is the SOTA standard:

Your name

Teacher name (Ms. Gamzon)

CW7

Date/Assignment: 

Some shortcuts for writing:

Crtl A--select all

Ctrl C--cut

Ctrl V--paste

Ctrl P--print

I've attached the course criteria sheet that I usually give out on Day 1.  Again, please share it with your parent or guardian.  Please be sure to check the blog (cw7sota.blogspot.com) and sign in to Google Classroom.

THANKS!  Looking forward to getting to know you at a distance (and hopefully in person eventually).

Week #6 MP4---Assignment #7---Drama Dialogue

Scriptwriting--Assignment #7


Playwriting Exercise

Pick one opening linevfr4om the list below:

The scene should be at least 2 pages long. The scene should only have two characters who are in one room, in one location. Go down the list and use the provided first line as the first line of your scene and write scene using proper format as indicated in the link below.

1.Well, aren’t you going to congratulate me?
2.What do you mean “I have to give the ring back?”
3.This is most definitely the result of a curse.
4.Dude, Lara Croft is not your girlfriend.
5.I can fix this, I am determined to fix this.
6.I have something important to tell you.
7.Why are you hiding in the bathroom?
8.Sir, you dropped your wallet.
9.I would do anything for a peanut butter dipped chocolate bar right now.
10.First day of school, first day of hell.


THE STANDARD STAGE PLAY FORMAT What follows is a guide to “professional” stage play script formatting. These pages are an explanation of the standard stage play format. See the Example Pages for visual examples of the format. There are three reasons why playwrights use this format: 1) In this format, it is easy for a producer/script reader to estimate how long the running time of the script will be. The accepted format lays out the script at roughly one minute per page. 2) This standard format is optimized to make all the separate elements of the script easy to read and comprehend (character names, dialogue, stage directions, page numbering, etc.). 3) This standard format immediately tells a producer/script reader that the playwright knows something about submitting plays. “How good could the play be if the playwright doesn’t even know the basics of formatting?” they will ask. Unfair, yes... but the way your script looks is the first impression you make.

FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE ON THIS LINK:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/stageus.pdf

INDENT 5 TABS for each CHARACTER NAME and CAPITALIZE CHARACTER NAMES

Link

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/stageus.pdf

Week #5 MP4--Assignment #6 Drama Monologue

The Monologue
A monologue is for one character on stage talking to theaudience or to another character or characters.

Assignment:
Write a monologue.
Name and describe your character.
Your monologue should be ABOUT 1/2 PAGE LONG, SINGLE-SPACED, USING Times New Roman, 12 pt. font


See sample monologues:

http://www.monologuegenie.com/basketball-therapy-monologue.html

https://www.dramanotebook.com/monologues-teenagers/

CHOOSE ONE of the following ideas and write only one monologue!


Exercise: The Monologue
1. 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
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.
Re-write the monologue, taking out all mentions of 'remembering.' Just tell the story.
Re-write the monologue in the present tense.
Read aloud the first version and then the third. Discuss the differences.
OR
2. 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
Write a monologue where the character tells a story about going to a parade.
Re-write the monologue so that by telling the story, the audience sees the character is a liar.
Re-write the monologue so that by telling the story, the audience sees the character is heartbroken.
Re-write the monologue so that by telling the story, the audience sees the character is in love.
OR
3. 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.
The character needs to reveal a secret to the listener.
The character needs to prove something to the listener.
The character needs to reveal they love the listener.
The character needs to reveal they hate the listener.
The character needs to stand up to the listener.

Week 4 MP4--Book of Qualities Assignment #5--Due Friday, May 15

Book of Qualities Assignment #5

1. Link to Ruth Gendler's blog and website:

www.ruthgendler.com/

2. VERY IMPORTANT!

Look at examples.

Examples:

https://mseffie.com/assignments/book_of_qualities/Qualities.html

 New Writing Project:  Assignment #5  Week 4 MP4

The Qualities

Personification:

the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

POV: 3rd person (he, she, or it)

Create two "quality" personifications similar to the ones that Ruth Gendler has written (see examples)

Select an emotion and give it the qualities of a human being--personification!  How does this emotion act, "feel", live?  Who are friends of this emotion?  What does this emotion look like physically (if he or she were a person)?  Use vivid DESCRIPTION to PERSONIFY this emotion.

Those of you who would like to can also draw a picture of your "character" and we will try to publish a class book of "The Qualities" at the end of the marking period

Week 3---Assignment #4 30 Day Poetry Challenge Prompts

Dear CW7 Students,

Last month, April, was National Poetry Month.  At the start of the month, several websites post a Poetry Challenge.  I'm posting a copy of one here.

Now some of you might not want to write poetry.  If you want to write a nonfiction piece (a personal narrative or essay) or a story for this assignment, that's fine!  Just try out ONE or more (for extra credit) of these PROMPTS during the week and upload it to Google Classroom.

REMEMBER:  Poems use lines and stanzas, not paragraphs!  Poems do not have to rhyme! Lines do not have to start with a capital letter! check out poems on poets.org

Here is a famous example:

This Is Just To Say

William Carlos Williams - 1883-1963

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

Stay well!  Keep reading and writing!

30 POETRY PROMPTS

1. Write a haiku about early mornings.

2. Where is home to you? Tell about a location or people you feel the most
comfortable around. Paint a picture with words, capture what you see and feel.

3. Mimic a poem after one of your favorites, following punctuation and line breaks,
but surrounding an original idea.

4. Describe a time when you were in nature and felt a connection with the earth.
Write about your environment and how it moved you.

5. Describe your favorite pair of shoes. Tell a story about the places it’s been.

6. Write a poem from you pet’s perspective. If you don’t have a pet, choose your
favorite animal.

7. Write about a place that you have traveled to that you absolutely fell in love with.
Describe the place and why you enjoyed being there so much.

8. If love were a recipe, what would be the top 3 essential ingredients?

9. What is the universal meaning of Spring?

10. Describe a desert. What are the flavors? Does the taste remind you of something
from your past?

11. Take the third line from your last 14 text messages sent and arrange them into a
contemporary sonnet.

12. Write about the seasons as if they were people. How do they feel?

13. Pick something in your life that you are grateful for. Write about how fortunate
you are to have that thing in your life and why.

14. Think about a time when you have harmed someone. Write them a poem
apologizing.

15. Use vivid imagery to write about a tree in a forest. Describe what the environment
feels like, the colors, the scent of the leaves.

16. Think about the outdoors after it rains. Place yourself in the setting and describe
what it's like.

17. Find a friend. Write a collaborative poem that is at least 12 lines. Take turns by
having one person write a line, then switch until you feel it is complete.

18. Listen to your favorite song and use it as a foundation of rhythm and flow to create
a contemporary poem. Only write while listening to the track.

19. Write about a textile in your home and the character it brings to the space.

20. Turn your phone off for the day and every time you have an urge to check it, write
a line until you feel a poem is finished.

21.  21 Questions. Write a poem using only questions (21 to be exact) about a feeling,
person, or topic you would like to know more about.

22. Write a poem that takes readers through a week in your life. Embrace the mundane,
the excitement, and everything in between.

23. Choose an inanimate object. Write from its point of view. Have it questions its purpose
and the meaning of existence.

24. Think about a person you have lost that meant a great deal to you. Try as best you can
to write about what they mean to you.

25. Write a poem about your most vivid memory last summer. Describe as many details
as possible and how you felt.

26. What is one thing you cannot go too long without? Write about something you cannot
give up no matter how hard you try.

 27. Observe or research a flower or plant and use it as a metaphor, or subject, of your
poem.

28. Sit in a coffee shop and write what you see.

29. Who is your favorite poet? What would you tell them if you had a chance to meet
them? Write a poem about what you would say.  

30. Find a contest online with a specific theme or guidelines and write a poem specifically
for it.

Week #2--MP4--Write a Short Story

ASSIGNMENT #3---Due Friday, May 1 (or sooner for weekly credit)

Write a short story based on one of these picture prompts.  Use the first line of the story from the picture.  
1.Story should be 2-3 pages with characters, plot, dialogue, conflict and description, etc.
  
2.Use a Google doc and post your story on Google Classroom for credit.
  
3.Be sure to use fiction elements of character, setting, plot, conflict,description, etc.  

4.Use MLA heading (see previous post for instructions) and Times New Roman font--12 point (no larger font!--you will lose points!).

Here is the link to the STORY STARTER:

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
https://mrsgraveswebsite.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/6/8/12686140/the_mysteries_of_harris_burdick.pdf





More resources (view these videos):
About Short Story elements:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDmhl-SU5Yk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUbVH20qW0A
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sanjacinto-englishcomp2kscope/chapter/reading-a-short-story/


About The Mysteries of Harris Burdick:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55734.The_Mysteries_of_Harris_Burdick

Assignments 1 and 2 for week of 4/20-4/24/Heart Map

AGENDA:

Assignment #1 (DUE Tuesday, 4/21)--Sign in to Google Classroom (6wdat4d) and Class blog (cw7sota.blogspot.com)

Assignment #2  (DUE Friday, 4/24 and post on Google Classroom) Take a picture of your Heart Map and write a Baseline essay.  Be sure to post on Google Classroom.

Fill in your Heart Map.  Select one or two subjects to write about.  Try to write 3 paragraphs at least as a Baseline Writing piece.  Have fun drawing and coloring in your Heart Map.  Here is the link to the pdf which you can download.  I've also placed the pdf on Google Classroom for you.  If you can't print out the blank page, draw one of your own and take a picture of it.

https://www.wsra.org/assets/Convention/Handouts_2013/a6%20georgia%20heard%20heart%20mapping.pdf

Welcome to Creative Writing 7

1. Welcome to Creative Writing 7

My name is Ms. Gamzon.  I look forward to teaching you this marking period
(although it will be new and a little different for all of us)!  We will get through it,
and I hope you will enjoy CW7 and have a chance to explore different kinds of writing.
 A lot of the assignments will ask you to express your creativity and imagination.
That can be very exciting!

2. Go to the Class BLOG:

CW7sota.blogspot.com
Click on the star up at top to bookmark it and find the page 
whenever you need it.

Here you will find new assignments (and can check out 

assignments from previous marking periods if you are curious).

3. Very important!!!

Sign-in:  Google classroom 6wdat4d

Here you will be able to post your assignments and receive credit for them.  

4. Please show the attached course criteria sheet to your parent/guardian
and ask them to send me an email where I can reach them.

5. As we begin to create writing and you submit work on Google Classroom, please use the following heading:

Use Times New Roman font  12 pt.

USE MLA HEADING:

Your name

Teacher name

CW7

Date/Assignment

Some shortcuts for writing:

Crtl A--select all

Ctrl C--cut

Ctrl V--paste

Ctrl P--print

I've attached the course criteria sheet that I usually give out on Day 1.  Again, please share it with your parent or guardian.  Please be sure to check the blog (cw7sota.blogspot.com) and sign in to Google Classroom.

THANKS!  Looking forward to getting to know you at a distance (and hopefully in person soon).  Stay well!

Attachments area

Extra Credit Book Creator

AGENDA:

Make a book for extra credit!

Have fun!

BOOK CREATOR

Here is a website for making books and the code to join:


https://app.bookcreator.com/library/-M4Z0RYggqSVFdo_ksSK

https://www.thinglink.com/card/1063823400213938178


6MSR9BB

Join vocabulary. com

CW7

You can join vocabulary.com with my account and learn new vocabulary online by using this link:

http://vocab.com/join/8TFQEV

It's fun!

More Free Writing Prompts

Check out these websites for more creative writing prompts:

https://education.yourdictionary.com/for-teachers/activities-lesson-plans/100-creative-writing-prompts-for-middle-school.html

http://visualprompts.weebly.com/middle-grades.html

31 Fun Writing Prompts for Middle School Students

1. Create your own holiday.  What would you celebrate?  How could you get others to join in the fun?

2. Would you rather hang out by yourself after school or with friends?

3. If you could end any one problem in the world, what would it be?  Why?

4. What does it feel like to be wrong?

5. Write about three values that are important to your family.

6. Could you ever be a vegetarian?  Why or why not?

7. If someone wrote a book about you, what would it be about?

8. What does it mean to be a feminist?

9. Write a poem about your favorite activity or hobby.

10. Write about the best vacation you ever took.

11. Write about a time when someone helped you.  How did you feel afterward?

12. Do you prefer to read books that are parts of series or standalone books?  Why?

13. Would you rather jump out of a plane or go scuba diving?  Why?

14. Write a poem about love—what does it mean?

15. What is your favorite TV show?  What do you like about it?

16. How would your best friend describe you?

17. What is your favorite way to be creative?

18. Are you the last person to speak up in a group or the first to have an idea?  Why do you think that is?

19. Why do we give respect to senior citizens and people who are our elders?

20. Write a poem about your classroom.

21. Would you rather paint or sculpt?  Why?

22. How would you like to help in our community?

23. If you could throw a party for all your friends, what would it be like?  Where would you hold it?  What would you do?  Who would come?

24. What is your favorite thing to do at recess on a nice day?

25. Write about the most important thing in your life.
26. Write a poem about spring flowers.

27. If you could live inside any video game, which would you choose?  Why?

28. What is your favorite thing about yourself?

29. Write about a goal you accomplished recently.  How did you feel when you finished it?

30. Write about a rule at school or at home that you don’t like.  How would you replace it?

31. Write about something your parents always tell you.

Until next time, write on…

New Prompts to Keep you Writing

Dear students,

This is a strange time you are experiencing.

Please try to do as much as you can do.  focus on academics, but let your creativity fly!

Here are some ideas for you, but also look at the prompts for extra credit.

Remember, you and your family, your friends, etc. are the most important.

I love you and miss you.

https://www.pspoets.com/blog/30daypoetrychallenge

Adapt a Folk Tale or Fairy Tale for the Stage #12

AGENDA:

Adapt a folktale, fairy tale or story for the stage:

https://www.playscripts.com/blog/2011/09/adapt-or-perish-five-things-to-consider-before-starting-an-adaptation/

https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Play-Based-on-a-Book

http://www.caleb-lewis.com/on-adapting-for-the-stage/

Assignment #11/Dialogue

Scriptwriting--Assignment #11

AGENDA:

Playwriting Exercise

Pick an opening line:

The scene should be at least one page long. The scene should only have two characters who are in one room, in one location. Go down the list and  use the provided first line as the first line of your scene and write scene using proper format.

1. Well, aren’t you going to congratulate me?
2. What do you mean “I have to give the ring back?”
3. This is most definitely the result of a curse.
4. Dude, Lara Croft is not your girlfriend.
5. I can fix this, I am determined to fix this.
6. I have something important to tell you.
7. Why are you hiding in the bathroom?
8. Sir, you dropped your wallet.
9. I would do anything for a peanut butter dipped chocolate bar right now.
10. First day of school, first day of hell.

THE STANDARD STAGE PLAY FORMAT What follows is a guide to “professional” stage play script formatting. These pages are an explanation of the standard stage play format. See the Example Pages for visual examples of the format. There are three reasons why playwrights use this format: 1) In this format, it is easy for a producer/script reader to estimate how long the running time of the script will be. The accepted format lays out the script at roughly one minute per page. 2) This standard format is optimized to make all the separate elements of the script easy to read and comprehend (character names, dialogue, stage directions, page numbering, etc.). 3) This standard format immediately tells a producer/script reader that the playwright knows something about submitting plays. “How good could the play be if the playwright doesn’t even know the basics of formatting?” they will ask. Unfair, yes... but the way your script looks is the first impression you make.

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/stageus.pdf

Drama: Assignment #10 The Monologue

The Monologue

See sample monologues:

http://www.monologuegenie.com/basketball-therapy-monologue.html

https://www.dramanotebook.com/monologues-teenagers/

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.

Extra Credit Prompts

Extra Credit Prompts

Those of you who have finished the assignments for the class can do extra credit projects independently.  This can be writing and/or drawing or illustrating your writing!

Here are some places to go for prompts:
http://thinkwritten.com/365-creative-writing-prompts/

http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/