English 11AP

Week of March 28th- April 1st:

This week we will be continuing with the character development we started before the break. You will discuss and develop your characters furthur as we will be doing several excercises around this.We will also look at different ways in which you can start your stories, (narrative leads.) By the end of the week, you will have started you short stories. Please make sure to pick up a copy of the character sheet from last class if you were away. There are extra copies in my room.
See you soon!
Ms. Zanrosso

English 8: "Seedfolks"

Week of March 28- April 1st:

This week we will be continuing with "Seedfolks" and your inquiry into how you can impact your school and it's community. Please be sure to have completed your group questions, (started in class.) If you have been absent, they are listed below.

GROUP QUESTIONS FOR Seedfolks

1.     How does the garden itself become a metaphor for what happens among its members? Explain using examples from the text.

2.     What are some of the ways in which the characters work around language barriers to communicate. Use examples from the text.

3.     List some of the problems that the gardeners encounter. How do they help one another with these obstacles? Give detailed examples from the text.

4.     Discuss Sam’s observations on how some of the gardeners deal with conflict in the community garden.

5.     How is the problem of getting water to the garden solved?

6.     Describe Sae Young’s traumatic experiences in America. How does the garden help her overcome them?

Welcome Back!

Hello all,
I hope you enjoyed your break! I will now be using this blog on a weekly basis so that you can keep up with what we have been doing in class. If you have any questions that are not addressed on here, please email me anytime.
See you soon!
Ms. Zanrosso

Week at a Glance: Feb 28 - March 4

If you missed a class, please check out the archives.


English 8
Term Reflection Week.

English 11AP
Term Reflection Week.

Writing 12: Next class tba.
NOTE: "Feels So Write" is our public reading event! You must be available to read a piece (your favourite or your best or whatever you choose) that you've written this year. DATE: MAY 6th - a Friday night at the Municipal Library. I think it starts at 6:30pm, but I'll double check that and get back to you. Bring your friends and family because how often do you get a mic and the chance to say whatever you want?!

• Due Feb 28th: by this date, please email me the text of a spoken word piece (slam poetry) that you have written. If you'd like examples please look for the following poets on YouTube: Shane Koyzan, Alicia Keys, Def Jam Poetry, and others.
• Due March 7th: Below is a poem I wrote using a formula. Some of you have expressed that you're finding it difficult to write a poem - well, I'll make it easier for you. I'd like you to write a poem using the formula below too. The formula follows the poem below. Feel free to break or change the formula as you see fit. 
  
  Lucas
  
  Whenever I see
  toy alligators or infants
  it is Vancouver, 1981
  and I am buying an
  alligator, with goofy
  and googly eyes.
  
  I am hearing the organized
  confusion of the nurses
  shoes.
  
  But that is not my story.
  My story is my brother,
  on his third and last day
  of life, and I sit here,
  holding his goofy little
  alligator.
  
  FORMULA FOR ABOVE POEM (please write it about an instant from your own past, real or imagined.)

(Title)

Whenever I (see,hear,taste,feel,smell)
(noun) or (noun)
it is (place), (time/year)
and I am (verb phrase)

I am (hearing, smelling, tasting, seeing, feeling) (noun)
But that is not my story.
My story is (anything you want).

Your memoir and feedback will be available for pick up at lunch on Feb 28th in W201. If you don't pick it up at this time, I will hand it over to the teacher taking over for me and she or he will return it to you at the next meeting.

Week at a Glance: Feb 21 - 25

If you missed a class, please check out the archives.

English 8

• Silent Reading with an Adult Presentation: You will present on the experience of reading this book with an adult. You can choose to focus your presentation on what you learned about the adult, on what you learned about reading, on what your discussions were like, on the best and worst part of reading with your adult, etc... You will also have a visual to aid you in communicating your ideas to your audience. The visual should relate to the experience but it can also relate the the book itself if you like. You will not be summarizing the book - but you can set the context by explaining in one or two sentences what the book is about if that helps you communicate the experience of reading that book with your adult.
• DUE on Wednesday the 23rd for 1.3 and Thursday the 24th for 2.1.

English 11AP

• Your project is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday the 22nd.

Writing 12: Next class tba.

1. Please hand in your memoir to the office in manuscript form (as per instructions in last week's post - see archives) with this attached.
   
   
1. Writing my memoir felt...
2. I started my memoir on ...
3. Overall, it took me about _____ hours to write.
4. I spent ____% of that time on revision.
5. I wrote ____ drafts.
6. Here is what I did to challenge myself:
7. Here is what I would do different next time:
2. Due Feb 28th: by this date, please email me the text of a spoken word piece (slam poetry) that you have written. If you'd like examples please look for the following poets on YouTube: Shane Koyzan, Alicia Keys, Def Jam Poetry, and others.
3. Due March 7th:
4. Due after Spring Break: 
5. Your memoir will be available for pick up at lunch on Feb 28th in W201. If you don't pick it up at this time, I will hand it over to the teacher taking over for me and she or he will return it to you at the next meeting.

Week at a Glance: Feb 14-16

If you missed a class this week, please go to the archives to see what you've missed.

English 8

• You should be finishing your reading with an adult book and reflecting on how the experience went. Here are some things to consider: how did it feel to talk to an adult about a book? What did you like best about your discussions? What did you like the least? What was the best discussion you had and what made it so good?
• Garden Nerds:
• 1.3: on Tuesday you should bring your finished article to class - printed out on paper - and have it in a digital copy as well (email it to yourself or bring it on a flash drive).
• 2.1: on Wednesday you should bring your finished article to class - printed out on paper - and have it in a digital copy as well (email it to yourself or bring it on a flash drive).

Grade 11
Do what you need to do with the due date in mind.

Writing 12: next in class meeting is Feb 21st at 7am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Please email me to schedule an appointment to go over your memoir. We must meet before the 21st.
• Due on Feb 21st - your final draft and at least 2 rough drafts of your memoir. FORMAT: your final draft should be as follows:
• Size 12. Times New Roman. Double Spaced. 12 pages long not including a title page with a solid title and your name as authour.

Week at a Glance: Feb 7 - 11

Please see the archives to catch up on missed assignments if you have missed class.

 

English 8

• You should be almost done your book and thinking about your presentation now. Please bring your book to each class.
• By the end of this week, all of you should have cited your url into Noodlebib (for the Garden Nerds Wiki).

 

English 11

• Do what you need to do to get your tasks done. Feel free to email some things to me for feedback. Email me drafts!

  Writing 12: Next meeting: Feb 21st at 7:00am.

Our next meeting will be a song writing workshop. Your memoirs are also due on Feb 21st. 

To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archives.

Please email me to schedule one-on-one appointments should you feel the need for clarification, a push, or help with your memoir. 

 

WRITING CONTESTS

The Writers' Union has some awesome contests - deadlines range from Feb to the Spring: http://www.writersunion.ca/cn_main.asp

 

The Poetry Institute of Canada's Young Writers Creative Writing Contest: Cash prizes are available. See Ms Moore for more details or go to http://www.youngwritersofcanada.ca/.

Week at a Glance: Jan 31 - Feb 4th

Please see the archives to catch up on missed assignments if you have missed class.


English 8
You should be about halfway through the book that you're reading with your adult. Please bring it to each class.

2.1: Due on Feb 4th, please hand in a letter to me which details/discusses what you think about your reading with an adult book so far. What do you think of the characters/issues/problems/events? Do you connect to it personally at all? Remember - when we discuss books we always want to go beyond the obvious - to make connections and read between the lines.

1.3: Due Feb 3rd: a short, 4 line "goodbye" poem. It can be fiction or non-fiction, angry or loving, sad or happy - whatever!

English 11
Do what you need to do to get your tasks done. Feel free to email some things to me for feedback. Email me drafts!

Writing 12: Next meeting: Feb 21st at 7:00am.
Our next meeting will be a song writing workshop. Your memoirs are also dur on Feb 21st.

To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archives.
Please email me to schedule one-on-one appointments should you feel the need for clarification, a push, or help with your memoir.

WRITING CONTESTS
The Writers' Union has some awesome contests - deadlines range from Feb to the Spring: http://www.writersunion.ca/cn_main.asp

The Poetry Institute of Canada's Young Writers Creative Writing Contest: Cash prizes are available. See Ms Moore for more details or go to http://www.youngwritersofcanada.ca/.

Week at a Glance: Jan 24 - 28

Please see the archives to catch up on missed assignments if you have missed class.

English 8
You should be about halfway through the book that you're reading with your adult. Please bring it to each class.
1.3: Due on Friday the 28th, please hand in a letter to me which details/discusses what you think about your reading with an adult book so far. What do you think of the characters/issues/problems/events? Do you connect to it personally at all? Remember - when we discuss books we always want to go beyond the obvious - to make connections and read between the lines.

2.1: Due on Monday the 31st, please hand in a letter to me which details/discusses what you think about your reading with an adult book so far. What do you think of the characters/issues/problems/events? Do you connect to it personally at all? Remember - when we discuss books we always want to go beyond the obvious - to make connections and read between the lines.

English 11
Do what you need to do to get your tasks done.

Writing 12: Next meeting: Feb 1st at 7:15am.

To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archives.

First assignment: Write your earliest memory. Help the reader experience that memory. Email it to a peer for feedback when you're done, then revise and email it to me with a question you'd like me to focus on and give you feedback about.

2nd assignment: Get a large piece of paper (or do this on a prezi or whatever suits your fancy) and make a massive web of everyone in your past and present life who you've had a signifiant connection to. From each person on your web make branches which explore the story that lies in that connection to each person. Ask your parents or siblings to fill in the years that you don't remember as well. This is brainstorming. Do not let any idea be censored. Shut up your inner critic and just go nuts with the web.

3rd assignment: Consider the web you created for the last assignment and choose thread around which you will build your memoir. By memoir I mean that you will be writing a story of your life - you are not writing the entire story of your life from birth to now (that is an autobiography). Choose a thread and develop it into a 12 page memoir. A draft is due in class on Jan 25th at 7:25am (double spaced). If you have troubles and would like more guidance, please email me to set up an appointment.

We'll meet Feb 1st at 7:15am. Please bring as much of your memoir as you have completed. We only have a few more weeks until your final draft is due, so get in as much writing this week as you can. The final draft will be 12 pages long, double spaced, and will have gone through at least 3 revisions - all of which you will hand in as well. I will give you list of the style of revisions at next week's class. Until then, happy writing!


Please email me to schedule one-on-one appointments should you feel the need for clarification, a push, or help.


WRITING CONTESTS
The Writers' Union has some awesome contests - deadlines range from Feb to the Spring: http://www.writersunion.ca/cn_main.asp

The Poetry Institute of Canada's Young Writers Creative Writing Contest: Cash prizes are available. See Ms Moore for more details or go to http://www.youngwritersofcanada.ca/.

Week at a Glance: Jan 17 - 20

If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.


English 8
Test on The Outsiders: Monday and Tuesday.
Reading with an Adult Presentations: Feb 21st and 22nd.
English 11 AP
Do what you need to do on your unit.

Writing 12: Next meeting: January 25th at 7:15am.
To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archives.

First assignment: Write your earliest memory. Help the reader experience that memory. Email it to a peer for feedback when you're done, then revise and email it to me with a question you'd like me to focus on and give you feedback about.

2nd assignment: Get a large piece of paper (or do this on a prezi or whatever suits your fancy) and make a massive web of everyone in your past and present life who you've had a signifiant connection to. From each person on your web make branches which explore the story that lies in that connection to each person. Ask your parents or siblings to fill in the years that you don't remember as well. This is brainstorming. Do not let any idea be censored. Shut up your inner critic and just go nuts with the web.

3rd assignment: Consider the web you created for the last assignment and choose thread around which you will build your memoir. By memoir I mean that you will be writing a story of your life - you are not writing the entire story of your life from birth to now (that is an autobiography). Choose a thread and develop it into a 12 page memoir. A draft is due in class on Jan 25th at 7:25am (double spaced). If you have troubles and would like more guidance, please email me to set up an appointment.


WRITING CONTESTS
The Writers' Union has some awesome contests - deadlines range from Feb to the Spring: http://www.writersunion.ca/cn_main.asp

Week at a Glance: Jan 10 - 14

If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.

English 8

• Bring and HAVE FINISHED READING "The Outsiders"
• Due Jan 10/11: by now you have found your adult and chosen your book for the "Reading with an Adult" project. Bring that book to class for silent reading from now on. 
• 2.1: on Wednesday please bring a song (the title is fine but if you can get the song itself onto an iPod that's good too) that you think connects to THE OUTSIDERS.

English 11 AP
Do what you need to do on your unit.

Writing 12: Next meeting: January 25th at 7:15am.
To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archives.

First assignment: Write your earliest memory. Help the reader experience that memory. Email it to a peer for feedback when you're done, then revise and email it to me with a question you'd like me to focus on and give you feedback about.

2nd assignment: Get a large piece of paper (or do this on a prezi or whatever suits your fancy) and make a massive web of everyone in your past and present life who you've had a signifiant connection to. From each person on your web make branches which explore the story that lies in that connection to each person. Ask your parents or siblings to fill in the years that you don't remember as well. This is brainstorming. Do not let any idea be censored. Shut up your inner critic and just go nuts with the web.

3rd assignment: Consider the web you created for the last assignment and choose thread around which you will build your memoir. By memoir I mean that you will be writing a story of your life - you are not writing the entire story of your life from birth to now (that is an autobiography). Choose a thread and develop it into a 12 page memoir. A draft is due in class on Jan 25th at 7:25am (double spaced). If you have troubles and would like more guidance, please email me to set up an appointment.

WRITING CONTESTS
The Writers' Union has some awesome contests - deadlines range from Feb to the Spring: http://www.writersunion.ca/cn_main.asp

Week at a Glance: Dec 13 - Jan 3

If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.

English 8

• Remember to bring The Outsiders to class EVERY DAY from now on. You should finish the book by the end of the first week of January.
• "What stories have shaped me?" Presentations in January = Aidan, Lexus, Shirin
• Spelling Bee on the 2nd Class back! If you want to prepare, check out some of the fun spelling sites in the bar on the right ---->

English 11 AP

Enjoy your break!

Writing 12: Next meeting: January 25th at 7:15am.
To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archives.

• First assignment: Write your earliest memory. Help the reader experience that memory. Email it to a peer for feedback when you're done, then revise and email it to me with a question you'd like me to focus on and give you feedback about.
• 2nd assignment: Get a large piece of paper (or do this on a prezi or whatever suits your fancy) and make a massive web of everyone in your past and present life who you've had a signifiant connection to. From each person on your web make branches which explore the story that lies in that connection to each person. Ask your parents or siblings to fill in the years that you don't remember as well. This is brainstorming. Do not let any idea be censored. Shut up your inner critic and just go nuts with the web.

WRITING CONTESTS

• The Writers' Union has some awesome contests - deadlines range from Feb to the Spring: http://www.writersunion.ca/cn_main.asp

Week at a Glance: Dec 6 - 10

If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.


English 8
Remember to bring The Outsiders to class EVERY DAY from now on.

• 1.3 due dates for your "What stories have shaped me?" Presentations
• Dec 7 = Brett, Jackie, Justin, Mia, Kalayna, Parker, Sean W
• Dec 9 = Melissa, Fin, Kenzie, Hootan, Sam, Chris
• Dec 13 = Sean M, Sacha, Wyatt, Nick, Austin, Sylvie, Jennifer, Phoebe
• Dec 15 = Brandon, Sophia
• WRITTEN STORIES ARE DUE December 15th and 16th.
• 2.1 due dates for your "What stories have shaped me?" Presentations
• Dec 8 = Brandon, Jeffrey, Ethan, Chris, Roy
• Dec 10 = Megan, Jacob, Michelle, Carla
• Dec 14 = Si Yeon, Simone, Maddie, Sienna, Kendall,
• Dec 16 = Frances, Tobias, Brooke, Alix, Lotte, Shirin, Lauren,
• January = Aidan, Lexus
• Written stories for 2.1 are due on Dec 16th

English 11 AP
Due for the 8th: Bring 1 of each type of question (of the 4 types) regarding your novel. Focus only on the pages that everyone in your group has already read.
Due on the 10th: a monster sentence using as many sentence shapes as you can.

Writing 12: Next meeting: January 25th at 7:15am.
To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archives.

• First assignment: Write your earliest memory. Help the reader experience that memory. Email it to a peer for feedback when you're done, then revise and email it to me with a question you'd like me to focus on and give you feedback about.

Week at a Glance: Nov 29 - Dec 3

If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.

English 8

• Remember to bring The Outsiders  to class EVERY DAY from now on.
• 1.3 due dates for your "What stories have shaped me?" Presentations
• Dec 3 = Brett
• Dec 7 = Jackie, Justin, Mia, Kalayna, Parker, Sean W
• Dec 9 = Melissa, Fin, Kenzie, Hootan, Sam, Chris
• Dec 13 = Sean M, Sacha, Wyatt, Nick, Austin, Sylvie, Jennifer, Phoebe
• Dec 15 = Brandon, Sophia
• WRITTEN STORIES ARE DUE December 15th and 16th. 

English 11 AP

• Socratic Seminars will take place Nov 30, Dec 2 and Dec 6th. Be prepared for any of these dates.

Writing 12: Next meeting: December 7th at 7:15am.
To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archives for last week.

• By mid-month, please email me your edited/revised piece from October on which you would like my feedback. Be sure to include a note to me in the email about what specifically you are trying to improve at or where you'd like me to focus my attention.
• First assignment: Write a children's book. This book will be illustrated by our senior art classes. Aim your book for a grade 1 to 3 audience. Include the following characteristics, which we discovered as pretty typical in class: repetition, sensory imagery, realistic dialgue, and playfulness with words (rhyme, rhythm, made-up words). This story is due on November 15th. A children's writer will be reading your work and offering your feedback. Please email me your draft, in manuscript form, by midnight on the 15th: bmoore@sd45.bc.ca.
• Second assignment: Finish your children's book and edit your piece from October.
• Third assignment: You should have done the following by now:
• Emailed your children's book to me
• Emailed your edited piece from October to me with a note as to what specifically you'd like me to offer you feedback on.
• Revised the grammar edits I've emailed back to you on your Children's Story and sent a clean, grammar perfect version back to me. On Nov 17 and 18 (that's Wednesday and Thursday) I have a children's writer looking at your stories and offering you feedback on them. This will only happen if I get your grammar-mistake free version back from you. By the start of the fourth week you should have reviewed the comments from the children's writer and made any changes you'd like to make and emailed your final draft to me so I can pass it along to the illustrators.
• Fourth assignment: I've sent an email to each of you regarding your Term 1 mark. Please open the email, complete the task I describe within it, and reply to me by the 26th of November. This is the report card timeline - we need to stick to it. Thank you! (ps: if you did not receive an email from you, I do not have your email address or I have mistyped your email address - please email me to notify me of this problem and I'll fix it.)

Writing 12 Contests and Opportunities

• Katherine has brought this to our attention - thank you, Katherine! http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November. The idea goal is to write up to a 175 page (Grade 11 can write anywhere from 17,000 to 35,000 words, and Grade 12 is anywhere from 25,000 to the full 50,00 words) novel in between midnight October 31st and midnight November 30th. I participated last year, and unfortunately didn't make it, but I'm going for the full 50,000 words this time around. I was hoping that some of the other writers in Writing 12 might want to join me, I know it's a huge undertaking but it really is fun to just write and not focus on whether everything is "perfect", and it would be nice to have a group who could support each other.

Week at a Glance: Nov 22 - 26

If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.

English 8

• Keep reading - each day at home and each day in class. Remember to bring your book to class!
• Using the words from your spelling test of the Grade 5 list only, write a one page story or describe a scenario. 2.1: due Nov 22
• Spelling Test on the words from the first column of the Grade 6 list on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
• Short Story test on Thursday and Friday this week. If you'd like to prepare, please ensure you know the plot graph terms, how to describe a conflict, how to describe the setting, and how to describe a character.

English 11 AP

• Due Nov 22nd: Divide up the reading of Books 17-20 among your group and prepare notes for members of your group on your portion. Notes should draw connections, explain insights, or ask questions between your socratic seminar topic and your portion.
• Due Nov 24th: Same thing as above for Books 21-24.
• On Nov 26th you will have some time to prepare for your Socratic Seminar.
• Socratic Seminars will take place Nov 29, Dec 1 and Dec 3rd. Be prepared for any of these dates. 

Writing 12: Next meeting: December 7th at 7:15am.

To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archive for last week.

• By mid-month, please email me your edited/revised piece from October on which you would like my feedback. Be sure to include a note to me in the email about what specifically you are trying to improve at or where you'd like me to focus my attention.
• First assignment: Write a children's book. This book will be illustrated by our senior art classes. Aim your book for a grade 1 to 3 audience. Include the following characteristics, which we discovered as pretty typical in class: repetition, sensory imagery, realistic dialgue, and playfulness with words (rhyme, rhythm, made-up words). This story is due on November 15th. A children's writer will be reading your work and offering your feedback. Please email me your draft, in manuscript form, by midnight on the 15th: bmoore@sd45.bc.ca.
• Second assignment: Finish your children's book and edit your piece from October.
• Third assignment: You should have done the following by now:
• Emailed your children's book to me
• Emailed your edited piece from October to me with a note as to what specifically you'd like me to offer you feedback on.
• Revised the grammar edits I've emailed back to you on your Children's Story and sent a clean, grammar perfect version back to me. On Nov 17 and 18 (that's Wednesday and Thursday) I have a children's writer looking at your stories and offering you feedback on them. This will only happen if I get your grammar-mistake free version back from you. By the start of the fourth week you should have reviewed the comments from the children's writer and made any changes you'd like to make and emailed your final draft to me so I can pass it along to the illustrators.
• Fourth assignment: I've sent an email to each of you regarding your Term 1 mark. Please open the email, complete the task I describe within it, and reply to me by the 26th of November. This is the report card timeline - we need to stick to it. Thank you! (ps: if you did not receive an email from you, I do not have your email address or I have mistyped your email address - please email me to notify me of this problem and I'll fix it.)

Writing 12 Contests and Opportunities

• Katherine has brought this to our attention - thank you, Katherine! http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November. The idea goal is to write up to a 175 page (Grade 11 can write anywhere from 17,000 to 35,000 words, and Grade 12 is anywhere from 25,000 to the full 50,00 words) novel in between midnight October 31st and midnight November 30th. I participated last year, and unfortunately didn't make it, but I'm going for the full 50,000 words this time around. I was hoping that some of the other writers in Writing 12 might want to join me, I know it's a huge undertaking but it really is fun to just write and not focus on whether everything is "perfect", and it would be nice to have a group who could support each other.
• http://www.bcyuk.legion.ca/main/youth-leadership-and-development/remembrance-poster-essay-and-literary-contest/remembrance-post

Week at a Glance: Nov 15 - 19

If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.


English 8
Keep reading - each day at home and each day in class. Remember to bring your book to class!

• Write about a “social conspiracy”. One page – rough draft is fine.
• For 2.1 this is due on Monday the 15th.
• Finish writing your "The Note" story so that you have a twist ending.
• 2.1: due Nov 18
• 1.3: due Nov 17
• Using the words from your spelling test of the Grade 5 list only, write a one page story or describe a scenario.
• 1.3: due Nov 19
• 2.1: due Nov 22

 
English 11 AP

• Read up to Book 8 inclusive by the 9th.
• Read up to Book 12 inclusive by Friday. Friday you will be divided into study groups - one group per book. You will debrief on the book then present to the rest of the class so everyone goes deeply into one book and gets details on the others
• Due for the 16th, you should have read your article. Make notes re the article and prepare any questions regarding the article or the connections the article makes to The Odyssey.
• Reading of Books 13 – 16 due by the 18th.
• Due Nov 22nd: Divide up the reading of Books 17-20 among your group and prepare notes for members of your group on your portion. Notes should draw connections, explain insights, or ask questions between your socratic seminar topic and your portion.
• Due Nov 24th: Same thing as above for Books 21-24.
• On Nov 26th you will have the day to prepare for your Socratic Seminar.
• Socratic Seminars will take place Nov 29, Dec 1 and Dec 3rd. Be prepared for any of these dates.

Writing 12: Next meeting: December 7th at 7:15am.
To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archive for last week.

• By mid-month, please email me your edited/revised piece from October on which you would like my feedback. Be sure to include a note to me in the email about what specifically you are trying to improve at or where you'd like me to focus my attention.
• First assignment: Write a children's book. This book will be illustrated by our senior art classes. Aim your book for a grade 1 to 3 audience. Include the following characteristics, which we discovered as pretty typical in class: repetition, sensory imagery, realistic dialgue, and playfulness with words (rhyme, rhythm, made-up words). This story is due on November 15th. A children's writer will be reading your work and offering your feedback. Please email me your draft, in manuscript form, by midnight on the 15th: bmoore@sd45.bc.ca.
• Second assignment: Finish your children's book and edit your piece from October.
• Third assignment: You should have done the following by now:
1. Emailed your children's book to me.
2. Emailed your edited piece from October to me with a note as to what specifically you'd like me to offer you feedback on.
3. Revised the grammar edits I've emailed back to you on your Children's Story and sent a clean, grammar perfect version back to me. On Nov 17 and 18 (that's Wednesday and Thursday) I have a children's writer looking at your stories and offering you feedback on them. This will only happen if I get your grammar-mistake free version back from you.
4. by the start of the fourth week you should have reviewed the comments from the children's writer and made any changes you'd like to make and emailed your final draft to me so I can pass it along to the illustrators.
• Fourth assignment: Details will be posted by Nov 22nd. Stay tuned.

Writing 12 Contests and Opportunities

• Katherine has brought this to our attention - thank you, Katherine! http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November. The idea goal is to write up to a 175 page (Grade 11 can write anywhere from 17,000 to 35,000 words, and Grade 12 is anywhere from 25,000 to the full 50,00 words) novel in between midnight October 31st and midnight November 30th. I participated last year, and unfortunately didn't make it, but I'm going for the full 50,000 words this time around. I was hoping that some of the other writers in Writing 12 might want to join me, I know it's a huge undertaking but it really is fun to just write and not focus on whether everything is "perfect", and it would be nice to have a group who could support each other.
• http://www.bcyuk.legion.ca/main/youth-leadership-and-development/remembrance-poster-essay-and-literary-contest/remembrance-post

Week at a Glance: Nov 8-12

If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.

English 8
Keep reading - each day at home and each day in class. Remember to bring your book to class!
Prepare for your Silent Reading Book presetation and be ready to go on your assigned date

• Write about a “social conspiracy”.  One page – rough draft is fine.
• For 2.1 this is due on Monday the 15th.
• For 1.3 this is due on Friday the 8th.

English 11 AP

• Read up to Book 8 inclusive by the 9th.
• Read up to Book 12 inclusive by Friday. Friday you will be divided into study groups - one group per book. You will debrief on the book then present to the rest of the class so everyone goes deeply into one book and gets details on the others
• Due for the 16th, you should have read your article. Make notes re the article and prepare any questions regarding the article or the connections the article makes to The Odyssey.
• Reading of Books 13 – 16 due by the 18^th.
• Due Nov 22nd: Divide up the reading of Books 17-20 among your group and prepare notes for members of your group on your portion. Notes should draw connections, explain insights, or ask questions between your socratic seminar topic and your portion.
• Due Nov 24th: Same thing as above for Books 21-24.
• On Nov 26th you will have the day to prepare for your Socratic Seminar.
• Socratic Seminars will take place Nov 29, Dec 1 and Dec 3rd. Be prepared for any of these dates.

Writing 12: Next meeting: December 7th at 7:15am.
To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archive for last week. Between now and mid month, please email me your edited/revised piece from October on which you would like my feedback. Be sure to include a note to me in the email about what specifically you are trying to improve at or where you'd like me to focus my attention.

1. First assignment: Write a children's book. This book will be illustrated by our senior art classes. Aim your book for a grade 1 to 3 audience. Include the following characteristics, which we discovered as pretty typical in class: repetition, sensory imagery, realistic dialgue, and playfulness with words (rhyme, rhythm, made-up words). This story is due on November 15th. A children's writer will be reading your work and offering your feedback. Please email me your draft, in manuscript form, by midnight on the 15th: bmoore@sd45.bc.ca.
2. Second assignment: Finish your children's book and editing your piece from October.
3. Third assignment:
4. Fourth assignment:

Writing 12 Contests and Opportunities

• Katherine has brought this to our attention - thank you, Katherine! http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November. The idea goal is to write up to a 175 page (Grade 11 can write anywhere from 17,000 to 35,000 words, and Grade 12 is anywhere from 25,000 to the full 50,00 words) novel in between midnight October 31st and midnight November 30th. I participated last year, and unfortunately didn't make it, but I'm going for the full 50,000 words this time around. I was hoping that some of the other writers in Writing 12 might want to join me, I know it's a huge undertaking but it really is fun to just write and not focus on whether everything is "perfect", and it would be nice to have a group who could support each other.
• http://www.bcyuk.legion.ca/main/youth-leadership-and-development/remembrance-poster-essay-and-literary-contest/remembrance-post

Week at a Glance: Nov 1 - 5

If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.

English 8
Keep reading - each day at home and each day in class. Remember to bring your book to class!

• Prepare for your Silent Reading Book presetation and be ready to go on your assigned date

English 11 AP

• Macbeth Test on November 3rd.
• Macbeth End of Unit Assignment (adapted from Dominic Dedato’s Midsummer Nights’ Dream assignment) Task: For this assignment, you will study one of the main characters in Macbeth. At home, you will work individually on one of the options below. You want to show that you understand this character by revealing his/her thoughts, motives and opinions on the play’s action. If you need to add me as a Friend so I can access your Facebook page for your character, my Facebook name is BMoore IntheLoop.

Remember: No matter what option you choose, you will have to illustrate the character and events in as detailed a way as possible. All four options require you to speak/write/think in the voice of a character. Do not forget to acknowledge the changes that your character(s) experiences through the course of the play. Though properly cited quotations are acceptable, the purpose of the assignment is for you to interpret what happens in the play in your own words. You must submit your work by November 6th. To submit your project, please email me your link. Here are your options:

1. You will create a Blog on www.blogger.com. It will feature five entries (at least two paragraphs each), one for each Act. You will also write a minimum of four comments (minimum two sentences each) from at least three other characters in the play.

2. Your will create a well-developed Facebook profile for a character in Macbeth. It should include at least five status updates (one for each Act), 3 pictures and at least 5 paragraph-long notes (one for each Act). It may also include event invitation and plans and Applications (i.e. take some quizzes as the character). Make sure your profile is kept private and do NOT add any contacts.

3. If you do not have regular computer access, this option is for you. You will write a series of four letters between two characters in the play (from different points in the plot). Each letter should be no shorter than two full paragraphs. You can include creative sketches and/or items that may belong to your character.

4. Create 2 minute audio or video journal entries from a specific character from each of the five Acts in the play. You may use an audio or video cassette, DVD or create a podcast.

Writing 12: Next meeting: December 7th at 7:15am.
To see details regarding the last month's assignments, go to the archive for last week. Between now and mid month, please email me your edited/revised piece from October on which you would like my feedback. Be sure to include a note to me in the email about what specifically you are trying to improve at or where you'd like me to focus my attention.

• First assignment: Write a children's book. This book will be illustrated by our senior art classes. Aim your book for a grade 1 to 3 audience. Include the following characteristics, which we discovered as pretty typical in class: repetition, sensory imagery, realistic dialgue, and playfulness with words (rhyme, rhythm, made-up words). This story is due on November 15th. A children's writer will be reading your work and offering your feedback. Please email me your draft, in manuscript form, by midnight on the 15th: bmoore@sd45.bc.ca.
• Second assignment:
• Third assignment:
• Fourth assignment:

Writing 12 Contests and Opportunities

• Katherine has brought this to our attention - thank you, Katherine! http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November. The idea goal is to write up to a 175 page (Grade 11 can write anywhere from 17,000 to 35,000 words, and Grade 12 is anywhere from 25,000 to the full 50,00 words) novel in between midnight October 31st and midnight November 30th. I participated last year, and unfortunately didn't make it, but I'm going for the full 50,000 words this time around. I was hoping that some of the other writers in Writing 12 might want to join me, I know it's a huge undertaking but it really is fun to just write and not focus on whether everything is "perfect", and it would be nice to have a group who could support each other.
• http://www.bcyuk.legion.ca/main/youth-leadership-and-development/remembrance-poster-essay-and-literary-contest/remembrance-post

Week at a Glance: Oct 25 - 29th

If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.

English 8
Keep reading - each day at home and each day in class. Remember to bring your book to class!

• 1.3: due Wednesday: write a paragraph using the vocabulary words from today's story "Act of a Hero." The words are as follows: undulating, acrid, rationalize, accolades, mockery, casualty.
• 2.1: due Thursday:  write a paragraph using the vocabulary words from today's story "Act of a Hero." The words are as follows: undulating, acrid, rationalize, accolades, mockery, casualty.
  
  English 11 AP
• Macbeth End of Unit Assignment (adapted from Dominic Dedato’s Midsummer Nights’ Dream assignment)
  
  Task: For this assignment, you will study one of the main characters in Macbeth. At home, you will work individually on one of the options below. You want to show that you understand this character by revealing his/her thoughts, motives and opinions on the play’s action.
  
  Remember: No matter what option you choose, you will have to illustrate the character and events in as detailed a way as possible. All four options require you to speak/write/think in the voice of a character. Do not forget to acknowledge the changes that your character(s) experiences through the course of the play. Though properly cited quotations are acceptable, the purpose of the assignment is for you to interpret what happens in the play in your own words.
  
  You must submit your work by November 6th. To submit your project, please email me your link. Here are your options:
  
  1. You will create a Blog on www.blogger.com. It will feature five entries (at least two paragraphs each), one for each Act. You will also write a minimum of four comments (minimum two sentences each) from at least three other characters in the play.
  2. Your will create a well-developed Facebook profile for a character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It should include at least 5 status updates (one for each Act), 3 pictures and at least 5 paragraph-long notes (one for each Act). It may also include event invitation and plans and Applications (i.e. take some quizzes as the character). Make sure your profile is kept private and do NOT add any contacts. For a bonus: create an extra entry!
  3. If you do not have regular computer access, this option is for you. You will write a series of four letters between two characters in the play (from different points in the plot). Each letter should be no shorter than two full paragraphs. You can include creative sketches and/or items that may belong to your character.
  4. Create 2 minute audio or video journal entries from a specific character from each of the five Acts in the play. You may use an audio or video cassette, DVD or create a podcast.

Writing 12

• Next meeting: November 2nd at 7:15am.
• First assignment: describe the view from a window - any window, bedroom, restaurant, bus, wherever - as seen by the character you gave birth to this morning and who has just received either very good or very bad news. Have some specific news in mind but do not mention it in the exercise. Don't even hint at it. The reader should be able to deduce if not the exact nature of the news, the tenor of it, whether it's good or bad, simply by the way you describe the view. The object here is to give the reader a sense of your character's internal life by relying on meaningful imagery alone. (This exercise is adapted from "through your character's eye" by Michael Knight in Naming the World.)
• 2nd assignment: make a list of ten things that might elicit a reaction from your character. (if he hates to swim, put him in a rickety boat, etc) Now write a scene using one of those situations and your character. (Adapted from Noah Lukeman's The Plot Thickens.)
• 3rd Assignment: Write a scene in which your character engages another character in dialogue. Make the scene mostly dialogue with little exposition. That means that your reader will understand what is occuring through what your characters say and how they say it. To make this scene more challenging, have your characters talk around an issue rather than confront it head on. For some help about writing good dialogue, check out this blog post: http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/how-to-write-dialogue
• 4th Assignment: Bad news. I'm so sorry to tell you this, but your character died early this morning. I'm not sure how - but I'm sure I'll find out in the obituary you are about to write. Please get familiar with the style of an obituary by reading some - then write your own for your character: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/obituaries/.
• All assignments are due at our November 2nd workshop. Please bring them in manuscript form, which means typed and printed in double spaced. Times New Roman. Size 12.

Writing 12 Contests and Opportunities

Katherine has brought this to our attention - thank you, Katherine! http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November. The idea goal is to write up to a 175 page (Grade 11 can write anywhere from 17,000 to 35,000 words, and Grade 12 is anywhere from 25,000 to the full 50,00 words) novel in between midnight October 31st and midnight November 30th. I participated last year, and unfortunately didn't make it, but I'm going for the full 50,000 words this time around. I was hoping that some of the other writers in Writing 12 might want to join me, I know it's a huge undertaking but it really is fun to just write and not focus on whether everything is "perfect", and it would be nice to have a group who could support each other.

Week at a Glance: Oct 18 - 21

English 8

• If you missed a class last week, please go to the archives and find out what you missed.
• Keep reading - each day at home and each day in class. Remember to bring your book to class!
• Wednesday for 1.3 and Tuesday for 2.1: Your myth is due.Please hand in your rough draft AND your final draft. (The assignment was to choose a natural or supernatural phenomenon and create an explanation for this phenomenon. Write an interesting and well-developed story that fully details your explanation of this phenomenon. Your story must have a title page that highlights an appropriate and creative title and includes a visual of at least one scene in the story. Also, use your plan for improvement to check your writing and we'll see if it improves with the next rubric!
• Thursday for 2.1: Plot graph with the following labelled, defined in your own words, and with an example from a favourite movie: introduction, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, conclusion.

English 11 AP

• Tuesday: Due today -  a written response to one of the following prompts with regards to Acts 1 through 3 - I will assess it with the Reading Rubric
• Discuss Macbeth's use of language any time he discusses or thinks about killing Duncan.
• Discuss Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's relationship.
• Discuss the lust for power.
• Thursday: Come prepared to perform your Readers' Theatre role. We'll try to get through all of Act 5. Also, come prepared to share a reflection of Macbeth that you see in the real world.

Writing 12

• Next meeting: November 2nd at 7:15am.
• First assignment: describe the view from a window - any window, bedroom, restaurant, bus, wherever - as seen by the character you gave birth to this morning and who has just received either very good or very bad news. Have some specific news in mind but do not mention it in the exercise. Don't even hint at it. The reader should be able to deduce if not the exact nature of the news, the tenor of it, whether it's good or bad, simply by the way you describe the view. The object here is to give the reader a sense of your character's internal life by relying on meaningful imagery alone. (This exercise is adapted from "through your character's eye" by Michael Knight in Naming the World.)
• 2nd assignment: make a list of ten things that might elicit a reaction from your character. (if he hates to swim, put him in a rickety boat, etc) Now write a scene using one of those situations and your character. (Adapted from Noah Lukeman's The Plot Thickens.)
• 3rd Assignment: Write a scene in which your character engages another character in dialogue. Make the scene mostly dialogue with little exposition. That means that your reader will understand what is occuring through what your characters say and how they say it. To make this scene more challenging, have your characters talk around an issue rather than confront it head on. For some help about writing good dialogue, check out this blog post: http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/how-to-write-dialogue
• All assignments are due at our November 2nd workshop. Please bring them in manuscript form, which means typed and printed in double spaced. Times New Roman. Size 12.  

Writing 12 Contests and Opportunities

• Katherine has brought this to our attention - thank you, Katherine! http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November. The idea goal is to write up to a 175 page (Grade 11 can write anywhere from 17,000 to 35,000 words, and Grade 12 is anywhere from 25,000 to the full 50,00 words) novel in between midnight October 31st and midnight November 30th. I participated last year, and unfortunately didn't make it, but I'm going for the full 50,000 words this time around. I was hoping that some of the other writers in Writing 12 might want to join me, I know it's a huge undertaking but it really is fun to just write and not focus on whether everything is "perfect", and it would be nice to have a group who could support each other.