Paragraph
of the Week
Assigned: Monday, May 28, 2007
Presentations begin Thursday, June 14, 2007
(Possible Public Exhibition: Friday, June 22, afternoon)
By the end of Grade Eight, all of you
have learned a lot in all of the curriculum areas. Unfortunately,
you don’t often get the chance to share your personal interests and
passions in school projects. For some of you, the area of
interest might already be identified and developed quite
strongly. For others, it might just be the tiniest germ of an
idea. For some, the ultimate goal or dream might be to achieve
astounding success in your area of interest. For others, the
ultimate goal will be personal satisfaction—finding and doing what you
enjoy and love.
Step One: Brainstorm/list/web/mind map: Start by jotting down at least ten things that you want to accomplish in your lifetime.
Step Two: Review your list, and highlight the item that seems most appealing to you.
Step Three: What would you need to have or do in order to accomplish one of these life goals? Add details (web or list). You might need to do some research: for example, if you want to become a doctor of sports medicine, exactly what would the requirements be?
Step Four: What career opportunities might exist for someone who was intent on pursuing this particular goal? (again, research is needed!) For example, what careers might be related to an extreme goal like playing in the NFL? At the top of your list, you might put the actual dream (eg, play quarterback for the Colts). However, what are some related careers that would still give you the satisfaction of being involved in a field you love, even if the ultimate dream doesn’t work out?
Step Five: Please write a short proposal to let me know what you are planning to do for your project. You and your parent or guardian must sign this paper.
For the first five steps, you need to hand in something written. Rough copies are fine. I just need to see evidence that you have thought both creatively and practically about identifying your ultimate dream and how to achieve it.
Step Six: the actual project. Now your job is to help the rest of us understand what is so wonderful about your great interest/passion! What brings you joy? A sense of accomplishment? A desire to do whatever it takes to get better and better?
Prepare a project that describes your particular interest. It can be a report, a scrapbook, a speech, a magazine article, a book, a PowerPoint, a poster, a display, a painting, a documentary, a term paper, a story, a play, a demonstration, a model, a role-play…You will be asked to present something to the class, but you can choose whatever format you prefer. You may write a lot, or just a little. It’s up to you.
By next Monday, please hand in Steps One to Five, including a short (half-page or less) proposal of what you intend to do for your year-end project. You may do this sooner if you wish. Once you get my go-ahead, please begin to put together your year-end project.
This assignment will count as an ELA assignment (both written and oral) (100 marks) and a Lifestyles/Career Guidance assignment (50 marks).
This is your last POW assignment. Thanks for all of the great writing you have done this year.
Step One: Brainstorm/list/web/mind map: Start by jotting down at least ten things that you want to accomplish in your lifetime.
Step Two: Review your list, and highlight the item that seems most appealing to you.
Step Three: What would you need to have or do in order to accomplish one of these life goals? Add details (web or list). You might need to do some research: for example, if you want to become a doctor of sports medicine, exactly what would the requirements be?
Step Four: What career opportunities might exist for someone who was intent on pursuing this particular goal? (again, research is needed!) For example, what careers might be related to an extreme goal like playing in the NFL? At the top of your list, you might put the actual dream (eg, play quarterback for the Colts). However, what are some related careers that would still give you the satisfaction of being involved in a field you love, even if the ultimate dream doesn’t work out?
Step Five: Please write a short proposal to let me know what you are planning to do for your project. You and your parent or guardian must sign this paper.
For the first five steps, you need to hand in something written. Rough copies are fine. I just need to see evidence that you have thought both creatively and practically about identifying your ultimate dream and how to achieve it.
Step Six: the actual project. Now your job is to help the rest of us understand what is so wonderful about your great interest/passion! What brings you joy? A sense of accomplishment? A desire to do whatever it takes to get better and better?
Prepare a project that describes your particular interest. It can be a report, a scrapbook, a speech, a magazine article, a book, a PowerPoint, a poster, a display, a painting, a documentary, a term paper, a story, a play, a demonstration, a model, a role-play…You will be asked to present something to the class, but you can choose whatever format you prefer. You may write a lot, or just a little. It’s up to you.
By next Monday, please hand in Steps One to Five, including a short (half-page or less) proposal of what you intend to do for your year-end project. You may do this sooner if you wish. Once you get my go-ahead, please begin to put together your year-end project.
This assignment will count as an ELA assignment (both written and oral) (100 marks) and a Lifestyles/Career Guidance assignment (50 marks).
This is your last POW assignment. Thanks for all of the great writing you have done this year.
POW # 34: Walk in My Shoes
Assigned: Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Due: Monday, May 28, 2007
Have you ever wondered
what it would be like to walk in someone else's shoes for a day? This
week, consider the events that take place during a single day from
another person's point of view. You can choose to write from the point
of view of someone you actually know, or as a character from a
book.
Please try to develop a creative interpretation of how your chosen person will respond to the events of a single day. Maybe one morning you will wake up, as usual, only to find that you have somehow been transformed into this different person for a single day (your parent, your spoiled younger sibling, your soccer coach, a movie star, Lisa, Ponyboy, Harry Potter, a famous athlete, a school caretaker, your grandmother...).
Whatever else you do, choose a person as completely unlike yourself as possible, or a person with whom you often do not see eye-to-eye. (Of course you are going to fictionalize your characters and events to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent—remember that this is an exercise in creative writing!)
Prewriting: Think about questions that will allow you to explore the feelings and expectations of the person/character you choose. Pretend you are that person. What are the most important things in your life? Who are your friends? What are some of your goals? What do enjoy doing in your free time? Do you have a job and if so, what is it? What frustrates you? What brings you joy? Think about these questions and any others you can think of that will help you understand the way the person/character of your choice thinks.
Writing: Please put your ideas into SHORT STORY form. Include the elements of a short story—give your character a problem, add some complications (some of which will result from the identity change), then see how he/she sorts things out. Remember that dialogue often helps to move a story along, and that it is important to “show, not tell” as much as possible. You will need to include at least one other character—perhaps the “original” you, who may still be “you”, or who also might have transformed…
Your story should be at least one page long. Please follow the usual guidelines for proofreading and preparing your final copy. It is fine to e-mail your story to me.
Because this will be a longer assignment than usual, it will be marked out of 100. In other words, it is very important to complete this story, and on time!
Please try to develop a creative interpretation of how your chosen person will respond to the events of a single day. Maybe one morning you will wake up, as usual, only to find that you have somehow been transformed into this different person for a single day (your parent, your spoiled younger sibling, your soccer coach, a movie star, Lisa, Ponyboy, Harry Potter, a famous athlete, a school caretaker, your grandmother...).
Whatever else you do, choose a person as completely unlike yourself as possible, or a person with whom you often do not see eye-to-eye. (Of course you are going to fictionalize your characters and events to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent—remember that this is an exercise in creative writing!)
Prewriting: Think about questions that will allow you to explore the feelings and expectations of the person/character you choose. Pretend you are that person. What are the most important things in your life? Who are your friends? What are some of your goals? What do enjoy doing in your free time? Do you have a job and if so, what is it? What frustrates you? What brings you joy? Think about these questions and any others you can think of that will help you understand the way the person/character of your choice thinks.
Writing: Please put your ideas into SHORT STORY form. Include the elements of a short story—give your character a problem, add some complications (some of which will result from the identity change), then see how he/she sorts things out. Remember that dialogue often helps to move a story along, and that it is important to “show, not tell” as much as possible. You will need to include at least one other character—perhaps the “original” you, who may still be “you”, or who also might have transformed…
Your story should be at least one page long. Please follow the usual guidelines for proofreading and preparing your final copy. It is fine to e-mail your story to me.
Because this will be a longer assignment than usual, it will be marked out of 100. In other words, it is very important to complete this story, and on time!
POW # 33: Math Musings
Assigned: Monday, May 14, 2007
Due: Tuesday, May 22, 2007
This week, your task is to write a short composition about
everyone’s favourite subject (!), Math. You may write a math
journal entry, an explanation about how a particular math process
works, a crazy anecdote about a past experience with math, a poem, a
song, a rap…your choice. The minimum is 10-12 lines of writing.
To help inspire you, here is a famous poem about math written by the American poet, Carl Sandburg, for his daughter, at a time when she was struggling with math and feeling very frustrated.
Arithmetic is where numbers fly like pigeons in and out of your head.
Arithmetic tells you how many you lose or win if you know how
many you had before you lost or won.
Arithmetic is seven eleven all good children go to heaven—or five six
bundle of sticks.
Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your head to your hand to
your pencil to your paper till you get the answer.
Arithmetic is where the answer is right and everything is nice
and you can look out of the window and see the blue sky—or the answer is
wrong and you have to start all over and try again and see how it
comes out this time.
If you take a number and double it and double it again and then
double it a few more times, the number gets bigger and bigger and goes
higher and higher and only arithmetic can tell you what the number is when
you decide to quit doubling.
Arithmetic is where you have to multiply—and you carry the
multiplication table in your head and hope you won’t lose it.
If you have two animal crackers, one good and one bad, and you
eat one and a striped zebra with streaks all over him eats the other, how
many animal crackers will you have if somebody offers you
five six seven and you say No no no and you say Nay nay nay and you say
Nix nix nix?
If you ask your mother for one fried egg for breakfast and she
gives you two fried eggs and you eat both of them, who is better at
arithmetic, you or your mother?
To help inspire you, here is a famous poem about math written by the American poet, Carl Sandburg, for his daughter, at a time when she was struggling with math and feeling very frustrated.
Arithmetic
by Carl Sandburg
Arithmetic is where numbers fly like pigeons in and out of your head.
Arithmetic tells you how many you lose or win if you know how
many you had before you lost or won.
Arithmetic is seven eleven all good children go to heaven—or five six
bundle of sticks.
Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your head to your hand to
your pencil to your paper till you get the answer.
Arithmetic is where the answer is right and everything is nice
and you can look out of the window and see the blue sky—or the answer is
wrong and you have to start all over and try again and see how it
comes out this time.
If you take a number and double it and double it again and then
double it a few more times, the number gets bigger and bigger and goes
higher and higher and only arithmetic can tell you what the number is when
you decide to quit doubling.
Arithmetic is where you have to multiply—and you carry the
multiplication table in your head and hope you won’t lose it.
If you have two animal crackers, one good and one bad, and you
eat one and a striped zebra with streaks all over him eats the other, how
many animal crackers will you have if somebody offers you
five six seven and you say No no no and you say Nay nay nay and you say
Nix nix nix?
If you ask your mother for one fried egg for breakfast and she
gives you two fried eggs and you eat both of them, who is better at
arithmetic, you or your mother?
POW # 32: Writing a Valedictory Speech
Assigned: May 7, 2007
Due: May 14, 2007
Your speeches in front of the class will begin on May 14, 2007.
**I have some sample valedictory speeches that you may refer to. Please ask.**
1. Think about
your audience. Your group will include peers, school staff,
parents, grandparents and other family members. Your language
needs to be quite formal and definitely appropriate.
2. What is the purpose of the speech? The farewell is a formal event, and the valedictory speech is the most important part of it. It is a serious and solemn way of saying thanks to those who have helped you throughout elementary school, and of wishing goodbye and good luck to your peers. How has this school helped you to become the person you are?
3. Keep your speech quite short—most are 250-400 words long.
4. Work in your theme (song title and lyrics).
5. A metaphor can be appropriate, but avoid using any comparisons that may seem trite or cliched (“Life is like a box of chocolates…”).
6. Some people like to open or close with a quotation or a poem.
7. It’s OK to mention a few memories, if most of the people will relate to them. Avoid inside jokes.
8. Although this is a serious speech, gentle and appropriate humour is usually welcome. Give your audience a chance to laugh, cry and remember!
Use this format:
1. Introduction: “ Good evening, parents, staff, classmates and special guests. My name is ____________ and I am honoured to speak tonight on behalf of the Silverwood Heights Class of 2007.” Set the direction of your speech by capturing the audience’s attention. Make a strong statement about what you are going to be saying. You may introduce your theme/metaphor here.
2. Body: organize the various points in your message carefully for maximum impact. Some people arrange their speech chronologically—start with preschool/Kindergarten memories, and progress briefly through experiences in various grades, perhaps sharing a memory or two for each year that most of their peers will share. It’s nice for you to acknowledge/thank the specific teachers and other staff (EAs, secretaries, administration, caretakers, library staff) in some way—it makes everything this year seem worthwhile for us. Try to be fair but equal in what you say about each. Do be sure to thank your parents briefly. Consider looking ahead at the challenges and opportunities that await you all in high school and beyond. Be inspiring, yet sincere. Make every word meaningful.
3. Your conclusion should be quite short. Aim for a strong and emotionally satisfying ending. It’s great (but not essential) to end with a poem or quote if you feel comfortable doing that.
2. What is the purpose of the speech? The farewell is a formal event, and the valedictory speech is the most important part of it. It is a serious and solemn way of saying thanks to those who have helped you throughout elementary school, and of wishing goodbye and good luck to your peers. How has this school helped you to become the person you are?
3. Keep your speech quite short—most are 250-400 words long.
4. Work in your theme (song title and lyrics).
5. A metaphor can be appropriate, but avoid using any comparisons that may seem trite or cliched (“Life is like a box of chocolates…”).
6. Some people like to open or close with a quotation or a poem.
7. It’s OK to mention a few memories, if most of the people will relate to them. Avoid inside jokes.
8. Although this is a serious speech, gentle and appropriate humour is usually welcome. Give your audience a chance to laugh, cry and remember!
Use this format:
1. Introduction: “ Good evening, parents, staff, classmates and special guests. My name is ____________ and I am honoured to speak tonight on behalf of the Silverwood Heights Class of 2007.” Set the direction of your speech by capturing the audience’s attention. Make a strong statement about what you are going to be saying. You may introduce your theme/metaphor here.
2. Body: organize the various points in your message carefully for maximum impact. Some people arrange their speech chronologically—start with preschool/Kindergarten memories, and progress briefly through experiences in various grades, perhaps sharing a memory or two for each year that most of their peers will share. It’s nice for you to acknowledge/thank the specific teachers and other staff (EAs, secretaries, administration, caretakers, library staff) in some way—it makes everything this year seem worthwhile for us. Try to be fair but equal in what you say about each. Do be sure to thank your parents briefly. Consider looking ahead at the challenges and opportunities that await you all in high school and beyond. Be inspiring, yet sincere. Make every word meaningful.
3. Your conclusion should be quite short. Aim for a strong and emotionally satisfying ending. It’s great (but not essential) to end with a poem or quote if you feel comfortable doing that.
Helpful Hints:
- For this speech, you will probably want to write the whole thing out (manuscript format), rather than using cue cards or an outline.
- Double space your final copy and write large and neatly enough so that you can read it easily.
- Use a lot of paragraphs. It will be easier for you to
remember.
- Mark in spots where you want to be sure to breathe or to change your pace for emphasis. Mark interpretation hints (inflection, emphasis, emotion or colour, pause.)
- Use powerful words.
- Practice out loud as much as possible, in front of an audience. You want to appear poised and confident, even if you are nervous inside.
- Practice walking confidently to the lectern, taking time to get organized.
- Stand comfortably, with your weight evenly distributed on both feet.
- Be sure not to fidget, shuffle your feet, or lean.
- Practice until you get rid of “ums” and “you knows” and other vocal and physical twitches. Tape or videotape yourself a few times.
- Make eye contact before you begin and during the speech.
- Consider memorizing your introduction and conclusion so that they are especially confident.
- Speak loudly and clearly. Don’t rush. Pause after important points to let the audience think about them.
- Think about your message as you speak so that your emotion comes through.
- At the end, thank people, pause, collect your papers, and return to your seat with dignity. Don’t bolt off the platform in a rush!
- Don’t make any disparaging comments about your speech or performance (or the speech or performance of anyone else who presents). Be a very good and encouraging listener when others are speaking. If you must leave the room, do so between speakers. Do not enter the room while someone is speaking.
POW
# 31: Memories of Elementary School
Assigned:
Monday, April 30, 2007
Due:
Monday, May 7, 2007
In our ongoing
quest to produce a pain-free, stress-free yearbook, this week’s POW
centres around the topic “Remember When?”.
Please list two
or three anecdotes about your elementary school experience. Aim
for funny experiences that people will relate to even if they weren’t
actually there at the time. Try to avoid inside jokes, and if you
write about embarrassing moments, make sure that you are the main
character. (In other words, don’t write anything embarrassing
about another person!).
For some of us,
the time at
Below are a few
examples of things that have actually happened to me during my time as
a teacher. (None of these events occurred at SHS!).
Remember
when…Mrs. Pilon closed the door a little more firmly than usual, and
the clock fell down?
Remember
when…Corey dropped a live mouse into Mrs. Pilon’s hand?
Remember
when…Mrs. R. turned all of the desks around in Mr. T’s classroom?
Remember
when…Mrs. R. and Mrs. P. “kidnapped” some of the ornaments during Mr.
T.’s Christmas party and held them for ransom?
Remember
when…D. thought Mrs. Pilon said “Eat Cream of Wheat!” in French class
and tried to go home for a second breakfast? (“Ecris-moi vite!”)
POW # 30: Chants and Cheers
Assigned:
Monday, April 23
Due: Monday, April 30
Due: Monday, April 30
Now that spring is here, let’s celebrate by coming up with some catchy new chants and cheers to support playground activities. Ultimately, we will try to teach some of your new chants and cheers to the younger students, so plan appropriately.
For this week’s assignment, you have many options. Please be sure that what you end up with is an original chant, cheer or rhyme (in your own words). You may want to start with a familiar piece, and then change a few words to give it a new meaning. Remember to keep a steady rhythm and a strong rhyme.
a) Many members of the class are avid skippers, so a new skipping rhyme, possibly with a few skipping tricks thrown in, would be lots of fun. Be sure you keep it rhythmic.
b) Ball bouncing rhymes or hackey-sack chants also are used to emphasize rhythm and suggest tricks that build skill and coordination. Some of them can double as jump rope rhymes.
c) Clapping games or hand jives are also fun to write and play. Sometimes the rhymes can be used for jumping rope or bouncing balls.
d) Those who prefer to be spectators might enjoy making up a new cheer to encourage a favourite team. Again, keep it simple and rhythmic. Consider using call and response.
e) A fifth option is to rewrite nursery rhymes or simple songs to make them funnier or more modern.
f) Finally, for the truly ambitious, think of a song (or a familiar, rhythmic poem like “Casey at the Bat”) and write new words for it. This is called writing a parody. Weird Al is the all-time master of the genre.
If you decide to write a parody, please include the original lyric, rhyme, chant or cheer so that it is easy to see how your imitation works.
Please come up with at least 12 lines of original writing. Tell what your work represents: a nursery rhyme, a skipping chant, a hand jive…
If you need some examples, the Internet is helpful. Just Google “jump rope rhymes”.
POW # 29: Introduce Yourself!
Assigned: Monday, April 16
Due: Monday, April 23
Note:
If you word process this assignment, it would be helpful if you e-mail
it directly to me at pilong@spsd.sk.ca . Thanks!
For this week’s POW, you will write a brief introduction of yourself. This item will be used for Grade 8 Farewell projects including the Yearbook. I will give you a list of possibilities to include, but you are welcome to add or change items if you prefer. Please write in complete sentences. Make your writeup as interesting as you can, so that even people who don’t know you well can get a sense of your personality and achievements.
1. Title: Your name (first and last)
2. Birthdate (optional)
3. How long have you attended Silverwood Heights School? If you have attended other schools, please tell what they are and how long you attended there.
4. What activities have you participated in at school?
5. What activities do you participate in outside of school (sports, music, dance, clubs, hobbies…)?
6. What personal achievements or accomplishments do you want to mention?
7. What are your favourite subjects or academic activities?
8. Where will you attend school next year?
9. What do you plan to do after high school (education, training, travel, dreams, ambitions…)?
10. Do you have any inspirational quotes or words of wisdom to share?
Your finished “blurb” should be about 100 words long. Please ask if you want to see samples from last year’s yearbook.
POW #28: Spring
Assigned: Monday, April 2, 2007
Due: Monday, April 16, 2007
This week’s assignment has a Spring theme (will it ever
come??). The format is up to you: it may be a poem, a song,
or a descriptive paragraph. Make the poems or songs at least 12
lines long; the descriptive paragraph should be at least 100 words
long. Think about the words you choose: make them as
perfect and descriptive as you can.
Imagery is important: think about metaphors, similes, alliteration, personification, onomatopoea… Listen to the sounds of vowels and consonants (assonance) in the words you choose. For example, if you were writing about spring showers, you might want to choose words that have a lot of sounds that contain consonants that remind you of that sound (pitter-patter; slosh; etc.)
Some of you might want to experiment with Cinquain or Diamonte poems. Especially in Saskatchewan, the wild fluctuations in springtime weather make a diamonte especially effective. If you choose to write cinquain and/or diamonte, two poems are enough.
Here is a reminder about how to write these types of poems:
A.
The traditional cinquain is based on a syllable count.
line 1 - 2 syllables
line 2 - 4 syllables
line 3 - 6 syllables
line 4 - 8 syllables
line 5 - 2 syllables
Stormclouds,Imagery is important: think about metaphors, similes, alliteration, personification, onomatopoea… Listen to the sounds of vowels and consonants (assonance) in the words you choose. For example, if you were writing about spring showers, you might want to choose words that have a lot of sounds that contain consonants that remind you of that sound (pitter-patter; slosh; etc.)
Some of you might want to experiment with Cinquain or Diamonte poems. Especially in Saskatchewan, the wild fluctuations in springtime weather make a diamonte especially effective. If you choose to write cinquain and/or diamonte, two poems are enough.
Here is a reminder about how to write these types of poems:
line 1 - 2 syllables
line 2 - 4 syllables
line 3 - 6 syllables
line 4 - 8 syllables
line 5 - 2 syllables
casting shadows
over weary soldiers,
threaten to cry heavy buckets
of tears
B.
The modern cinquain uses a word count of words of a certain type.
line 1 - one word (noun) a title or name of the subject
line 2 - two words (adjectives or phrase) describing the title
line 3 - three words (verbs) describing an action related to the title
line 4 - four words describing a feeling about the title, a complete sentence
line 5 - one word referring back to the title of the poem
trianglesline 1 - one word (noun) a title or name of the subject
line 2 - two words (adjectives or phrase) describing the title
line 3 - three words (verbs) describing an action related to the title
line 4 - four words describing a feeling about the title, a complete sentence
line 5 - one word referring back to the title of the poem
pointy edges
revolving, rotating, angling
Triangles are all different.
180o
C.
The diamonte is fun and easy to write. It is like a double modern
cinquain.The purpose is to go from the subject at the top of the
diamond to another totally different (and sometimes opposite) subject
at the bottom. Writing it out looks a lot more complicated than the
poem actually is! The structure is:
line 1 - one noun (subject #1)
line 2 - two adjectives (describing subject #1)
line 3 - three participles (ending in -ing, telling about the subject #1)
line 4 – two pairs of adjective+noun (first two related to the subject #1, second two related to subject #2)
line 5 - three participles (ending in -ing, telling about subject #2)
line 6 - two adjectives (describing subject #2)
line 7 - one noun (subject #2)
Catline 1 - one noun (subject #1)
line 2 - two adjectives (describing subject #1)
line 3 - three participles (ending in -ing, telling about the subject #1)
line 4 – two pairs of adjective+noun (first two related to the subject #1, second two related to subject #2)
line 5 - three participles (ending in -ing, telling about subject #2)
line 6 - two adjectives (describing subject #2)
line 7 - one noun (subject #2)
curious stuck-up
hissing scratching fighting
opinionated hunter companionable friend
barking tail-wagging fetching
loyal faithful
Dog
POW # 27: Haiku and Senryu
Assigned: Monday, March 26
Due: Monday, April 2
Desired Product: Two
original haiku or senryu poems
(If you choose to play around with one of the many haiku generators available on the Internet, please write four “artificial”poems.)
Here is a link to a fairly good haiku generator.
A great deal has been written about Haiku poems and their origins and variations. George Swede tells us that haiku originated in Japan, where the task of writing just three lines—17 Japanese or about 12 English syllables—to bring a heightened awareness to a meaningful but fleeting moment found in nature, became an art form. The images are direct and based on real experiences, without poetic devices like similes or metaphors or rhyme, and must be short enough to be told in a single breath. Every word is important; no word is repeated. Capitals and end punctuation are usually avoided.
(If you choose to play around with one of the many haiku generators available on the Internet, please write four “artificial”poems.)
Here is a link to a fairly good haiku generator.
A great deal has been written about Haiku poems and their origins and variations. George Swede tells us that haiku originated in Japan, where the task of writing just three lines—17 Japanese or about 12 English syllables—to bring a heightened awareness to a meaningful but fleeting moment found in nature, became an art form. The images are direct and based on real experiences, without poetic devices like similes or metaphors or rhyme, and must be short enough to be told in a single breath. Every word is important; no word is repeated. Capitals and end punctuation are usually avoided.
dead
roadside deer
snowflake melts
on its open eye
snowflake melts
on its open eye
tiger
lilies stalk
the wild petunia
in her lair
the wild petunia
in her lair
Jane
Reichold is a reknowned expert on writing Haiku in English. If
you enjoy rules, then "HaikuJane" is the girl for you! Go ahead
and Google her if the following samples make you want to know more.
evening wind colors of the day
blown away
the whole sky
in a wide field of flowers
one tulip
spring rain
the willow strings
raindrops
tied to the pier
the fishy smells
of empty boats
A
popular variation is the Senryu. It is usually humourous, and
focuses more on human experiences than on nature. For the truly
ambitious, the Renga links about 36 Haiku or Senryu in a
sequence. Usually three or four people take turns writing poems
for the sequence.
The following list of Haiku (aka Renga) about computers has some urban legends attached to it, but probably doesn’t really have anything to do with contest winners or the Sony Corporation!
The following list of Haiku (aka Renga) about computers has some urban legends attached to it, but probably doesn’t really have anything to do with contest winners or the Sony Corporation!
Windows NT crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A file that big?
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Web site you seek
Can not be located but
Countless more exist
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent, and reboot.
Order shall return.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ABORTED effort:
Close all that you have worked on.
You ask way too much.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Yesterday it worked
Today it is not working
Windows is like that.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
First snow, then silence.
This thousand dollar screen dies
so beautifully.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
With searching comes loss
and the presence of absence:
"My Novel" not found.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Tao that is seen
Is not the true Tao, until
You bring fresh toner.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Stay the patient course
Of little worth is your ire
The network is down
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A crash reduces
your expensive computer
to a simple stone.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Three things are certain:
Death, taxes, and lost data.
Guess which has occurred.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You step in the stream,
but the water has moved on.
This page is not here.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Out of memory.
We wish to hold the whole sky,
But we never will.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Having been erased,
The document you're seeking
Must now be retyped.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Serious error.
All shortcuts have disappeared.
Screen. Mind. Both are blank.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
POW #26: How to Torture Your Teacher
Assigned: Monday, March 19
Due: Monday, March 26, 2007
This
week, your writing assignment is a “Poem of the Week”.
1) Begin by reading the poem “How to Torture Your Students” by Jane Pomazal and Bruce Lansky.
2) Please memorize at least eight lines of one of the poems on this page and be ready to recite them for the class on Monday, March 26. You may work with a friend if you want to present the whole poem.
3) Write a new poem called “How to Torture Your Teacher”. Make it at least 12 lines long. You may follow the form of the original, or change it in any way you like. Aim for humour and irony.
1) Begin by reading the poem “How to Torture Your Students” by Jane Pomazal and Bruce Lansky.
2) Please memorize at least eight lines of one of the poems on this page and be ready to recite them for the class on Monday, March 26. You may work with a friend if you want to present the whole poem.
3) Write a new poem called “How to Torture Your Teacher”. Make it at least 12 lines long. You may follow the form of the original, or change it in any way you like. Aim for humour and irony.
How to Torture Your Students
Start
each day with a surprise quiz.
Don’t dismiss the class for recess until you’ve finished the lesson you’re working on.
At the end of the day, hand out a huge assignment that’s due the next day.
When a student says, “I have to go to the bathroom,” say, “You should have gone this morning before you left home!” or
“You’ll have to (wait); it’s time for the kindergarten to use the bathrooms.”
Never call on students who have their hands up.
Only call on students who have no idea what’s going on.
When a student asks you a question, say, “Look up the answer in a book.”
Don’t bother to mention the name of the book in which the answer can be found.
When you read, go as fast as you can.
Skip a line or two, then ask questions about the passage to see if the students were listening.
When it’s time for the students to read, call on someone who doesn’t have a book.
When you hand out pencils, make sure they’re dull and don’t have erasers.
When you hand out books, make sure they’re torn and tattered.
When preparing the students for a test, write all the information they’ll need to know on the board. Then stand in front of the board so they can’t see what you’ve written. As soon as you’ve finished discussing the test information, turn quickly and erase the board.
On the last day of school, hand out a surprise final exam.
Tell your students if they flunk it, they’ll have to attend summer school—
And if they flunk summer school, they’ll have to repeat the grade.
Tell them you hope they all flunk because you like them so much and you wish they could be your students again next year.
Don’t dismiss the class for recess until you’ve finished the lesson you’re working on.
At the end of the day, hand out a huge assignment that’s due the next day.
When a student says, “I have to go to the bathroom,” say, “You should have gone this morning before you left home!” or
“You’ll have to (wait); it’s time for the kindergarten to use the bathrooms.”
Never call on students who have their hands up.
Only call on students who have no idea what’s going on.
When a student asks you a question, say, “Look up the answer in a book.”
Don’t bother to mention the name of the book in which the answer can be found.
When you read, go as fast as you can.
Skip a line or two, then ask questions about the passage to see if the students were listening.
When it’s time for the students to read, call on someone who doesn’t have a book.
When you hand out pencils, make sure they’re dull and don’t have erasers.
When you hand out books, make sure they’re torn and tattered.
When preparing the students for a test, write all the information they’ll need to know on the board. Then stand in front of the board so they can’t see what you’ve written. As soon as you’ve finished discussing the test information, turn quickly and erase the board.
On the last day of school, hand out a surprise final exam.
Tell your students if they flunk it, they’ll have to attend summer school—
And if they flunk summer school, they’ll have to repeat the grade.
Tell them you hope they all flunk because you like them so much and you wish they could be your students again next year.
Just for fun, here are some poems about everyone’s favourite thing, HOMEWORK!
Homework, I Love You (Ken Nesbitt)
Homework, I love you. I think that you’re great.
It’s wonderful fun when you keep me up late.
I think you’re the best when I’m totally stressed,
Preparing and cramming all night for a test.
Homework, I love you. What more can I say?
I love to do hundreds of problems each day.
You boggle my mind and you make me go blind,
But still I’m ecstatic that you were assigned.
Homework, I love you. I tell you, it’s true.
There’s nothing more fun or exciting to do.
You’re never a chore, for it’s you I adore.
I wish that our teacher would hand you out more.
Homework, I love you. You thrill me inside.
I’m filled with emotions. I’m fit to be tied.
I cannot complain when you frazzle my brain.
Of course, that’s because I’m completely insane.
My Computer Ate My Homework (Ken Nesbitt)
My computer ate my homework.
Yes, it’s troublesome but true,
Though it didn’t gnaw or nibble
And it didn’t chomp or chew.
I was panicked and perplexed
When it consumed my homework whole.
As I pressed the Shift and Enter keys
Instead of Shift + Control.
It devoured hours of typing,
Every picture, chart and graph,
And it left me most unsettled
When I thought I heard it laugh.
I would guess it was a virus,
Or it could have been a worm,
That deleted every bit
But didn’t prompt me to confirm.
I suppose I might have pressed Escape
Instead of pressing Save,
But, regardless, that’s the last time
It will ever misbehave.
Yes, I found a good solution,
And I smiled to hear the crash
When I chucked it out the window
And it landed in the trash.
My Dog Does My Homework (Ken Nesbitt)
My dog does my homework
At home every night.
He answers each question
And gets them all right.
There’s only one problem
With homework by Rover.
I can’t turn in work
That’s been slobbered all over.
POW # 25: Limerick
Assigned: Monday, March 12, 2007
Due: Monday, March 19, 2007
This week,
have some fun writing Limerick poems. Warning: these can
become quite addictive when you get the hang of writing them!
1) Begin by reading the limericks below.
2) Practice singing them to the highly annoying but very successful “Limerick Song”.
3) Write at least two original limericks. You will know that they fit the rhyme and rhythm patterns if you can sing your own limericks to the tune of “The Limerick Song”.
1. Begin by choosing a character and a place name. There was a young man from Sydney
2. Think of some words which rhyme with your place name. Because the limerick is meant to be humorous, your rhymes may be silly: Sydney; kidney; didn' he.”
3. Use two of these words to end the first two lines of your limerick, which introduce your character.
There once was a young man from Sydney
Who only would eat steak and kidney.
4. Next, think of a problem for your character, and present it in your two short lines:
When the kidney ran out,
Though he started to shout,
5. Finally, finish with a resolution (ending) to your limerick, which should make your reader laugh.
He had to go hungry, didn' he?
6. Try this process to write limericks of your own. You don’t always have to start with a place:
A man with a very large nose . . . (rose, flows, knows, crows, blows, toes…)
I was startled one day by a hen . . . (pen, men, Zen, fen, when, den, Jen, Ken, Len, ten, yen…)
Here are a few well-known examples of limericks for you to read and enjoy. Most are anonymous, but a few were written long ago by the humourist Edward Lear. As you can see, the purpose of a limerick is to entertain. Please be silly!
1. A tutor who tooted the
flute 1) Begin by reading the limericks below.
2) Practice singing them to the highly annoying but very successful “Limerick Song”.
3) Write at least two original limericks. You will know that they fit the rhyme and rhythm patterns if you can sing your own limericks to the tune of “The Limerick Song”.
How to write a limerick
A limerick is
a short form of poetry known for its humor. Note that the first, second
and fifth lines each have eight syllables, and rhyme with each other,
while the middle lines have only six syllables and a separate rhyme. To
write a limerick, follow these simple steps. 1. Begin by choosing a character and a place name. There was a young man from Sydney
2. Think of some words which rhyme with your place name. Because the limerick is meant to be humorous, your rhymes may be silly: Sydney; kidney; didn' he.”
3. Use two of these words to end the first two lines of your limerick, which introduce your character.
There once was a young man from Sydney
Who only would eat steak and kidney.
4. Next, think of a problem for your character, and present it in your two short lines:
When the kidney ran out,
Though he started to shout,
5. Finally, finish with a resolution (ending) to your limerick, which should make your reader laugh.
He had to go hungry, didn' he?
6. Try this process to write limericks of your own. You don’t always have to start with a place:
A man with a very large nose . . . (rose, flows, knows, crows, blows, toes…)
I was startled one day by a hen . . . (pen, men, Zen, fen, when, den, Jen, Ken, Len, ten, yen…)
Here are a few well-known examples of limericks for you to read and enjoy. Most are anonymous, but a few were written long ago by the humourist Edward Lear. As you can see, the purpose of a limerick is to entertain. Please be silly!
Tried to tutor two tooters to toot,
Said the two to the tutor,
"Is it harder to toot or
To tutor two tooters to toot?"
2. There was a young lady named Lynn
Who was so uncommonly thin
That when she essayed
To drink lemonade
She slipped through the straw and fell in.
3. There was an old man with a beard,
Who said, "It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!"
4. There was a young lady named Bright,
Who traveled much faster than light.
She started one day
In the relative way,
And returned on the previous night.
5. There was a young lady of Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside
And the smile on the face of the tiger.
6. There was a Young Lady of Norway,
Who casually sat on a doorway;
When the door squeezed her flat,
She exclaimed, 'What of that?'
This courageous Young Lady of Norway.
7. There was an Old Man of Kilkenny,
Who never had more than a penny;
He spent all that money,
On onions and honey,
That wayward Old Man of Kilkenny.
8. The was a Young Lady of Bute,
Who played on a silver-gilt flute;
She played several jigs,
To her uncle's white pigs,
That amusing Young Lady of Bute.
9. There once was a cannibal named Sonny,
Who hated his food to be runny,
He said with a frown,
As he ate a clown,
“Is it just me or does he taste funny?”
10. An adventurous maiden called Rhona
Used to run with the bulls in Pamplona.
Friends would give her a shout
When the bulls were let out
Or just reach for their mobiles and 'phona.
11. Now the limerick, it's really quite true,
Most poets completely eschew.
Seems they all write free verse,
Or, quite possibly worse,
Engage in the dreaded haiku.
The last limerick is my own invention, and may or may not be a real threat!
The students whose poems are late
Will meet with a terrible fate.
Mrs. Pilon will write
All day and all night
Using those kids’ names as bait!
POW # 24: Creative ADventure
Assigned: Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Due: Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Due: Wednesday, March 7, 2007
On Tuesday, April 24, 2007, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix will be publishing its 28th edition of Creative ADventure, a supplement that features student work. This year, we have been invited to contribute to the editorial (written) content of this feature. This week’s POW assignment will give you an opportunity to write YOUR CHOICE of a poem, a story, an editorial or a short essay that may be considered for publication in this feature. The maximum length is 300 words; shorter is better.
The theme for this year is “A Helping Hand—Helpers from Our Community.” The preamble to the assignment from the official StarPhoenix package follows:
“People from all walks of life make positive contributions to community life. We invite students to write about different people or community groups who help others in various ways and also help to improve the quality of life in our community. Students may want to write about farmers, teachers, volunteers, service clubs, charity organizations, police officers, firefighters, medical emergency response personnel, business people, health care professionals, politicians, plumbers, etc.”
(OPTIONAL) You may make an illustration to go along with your written piece. It must be on a separate piece of paper, maximum 8 ½ by 11 inches. It must be in black and white, using black felt pen.
You are required to complete the written portion of this assignment because you will receive a mark for your composition. However, you may choose not to have your work submitted to the StarPhoenix.
Please word process this assignment if you want to have it submitted to the StarPhoenix. If possible, e-mail a rough copy to me first (pilong@spsd.sk.ca). This will make it easier for us to do any proofreading that is required.
DEADLINE: Wednesday, March 7 if you want to have the chance to have your work submitted to the StarPhoenix. (I need to submit our entries by Friday, March 9.)
Monday, March 12 if you don’t want to have your work submitted to the StarPhoenix.
Due anytime between February 28 and March 5
Please visit this link.
POW
#20-22: Write the Body and Concluding Paragaph of Your Essay
Assigned: Tuesday, January 30,
2007
Due: Monday, February 5, 2007
Please note that I am giving you all of the remaining information that
you need in order to complete your report on an issue facing a Pacific
Rim country. I hope that this will help those of you who want to
complete the whole essay before the February break. The completed
good copy of the essay is due on Monday, February 26.
The following instructions and
example are taken from
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/onlineresearch/thesis.html
Processing Information
How Do I Put It All Together?
At
this point, you need to sort, sift, and arrange all your information to
prepare a rough draft from your jot notes. Here area a few questions to
help you review and organize your jot notes:
______
am I making connections among ideas?
______ are all my details connected to my research question?
______ have I organized my information in an order suitable for my format?
______ do I need to gather more information?
______ do I need to rearrange my information?
______ does my information fit "the big picture", that is, have I responded appropriately to my research question?
______Optional/Bonus: you may include a separate page of “interesting facts about…”
______ are all my details connected to my research question?
______ have I organized my information in an order suitable for my format?
______ do I need to gather more information?
______ do I need to rearrange my information?
______ does my information fit "the big picture", that is, have I responded appropriately to my research question?
______Optional/Bonus: you may include a separate page of “interesting facts about…”
Middle Paragraphs or Body
Last week, your task was to write an introductory paragraph that ended
with a clear and focused thesis statement. Each of the supporting
ideas introduced in the first paragraph will now be developed in a
separate paragraph and forms the content of each of these middle
paragraphs. Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence which announces
the supporting idea to be developed. The remainder of the paragraph
develops and expands the topic sentence by providing factual evidence,
examples, reasons, and details. The paragraph ends with a suitable
general sentence that brings closure to the idea and leads smoothly
into the next middle paragraph.
You will need as many paragraphs as it will take you to explain your thesis statement. For most of you, three or four well-developed paragraphs may be enough. Your total length will probably be between two and three pages, double-spaced, although I am more interested in the quality of your thought progression than in length.
You will need as many paragraphs as it will take you to explain your thesis statement. For most of you, three or four well-developed paragraphs may be enough. Your total length will probably be between two and three pages, double-spaced, although I am more interested in the quality of your thought progression than in length.
Concluding Paragraph
In some ways,
the last paragraph of an essay is a mirror image of the first
paragraph. Begin your conclusion by reiterating your thesis, review the
important supporting ideas developed in your middle paragraphs, and
conclude with remarks that comment on the essay as a whole and/or
broaden the context of the information.*****
Sample Essay:
Wayne Gretzky: A Class Act
Sir John A. McDonald, Louis Riel, Drs. Banting and Best, Terry Fox,
Pierre Trudeau, Sandra Schmirler, Katriona LeMay Doan, Karen Kain, and
Margaret Atwood -- the list of Canadian heroes goes on and on. In the
last century, a Canadian hero emerged who some might say still tops the
list. That's right, Mr. Hockey, Wayne Gretzky. If he wasn't shattering
N.H.L records, the humble Mr. Gretzky
repeatedly amazed his fans with his display of hockey genius.
Although
retired from hockey, Wayne Gretzky continues to intrigue us as he not
only arouses our attention but also commands our respect.
Since he joined the National Hockey League., Gretzky literally shattered existing scoring records. He owns or shares sixty-one regular season and playoff N.H.L. scoring records. Three of his most triumphant occurred when he was a member of the Edmonton Oilers. In 1981-1982, he eclipsed the single season record for goals. The old mark was seventy-six, set by Phil Esposito. Gretzky's new mark rocketed to ninety-two by the end of the 1981-1982 season (Braver, 2002, p. 79). Gretzky also owns the mark for the most assists in one campaign. This mark is an astounding 163, a record which he set during the 1985-1986 season (Eviston, 2001). It was also during this season that Gretzky set the record for most points in one season. This record stands at 215 (Eviston). One of his most prestigious records occurred in 1989. He became the leading scorer in the history of the N.H.L. In just over ten seasons, Gretzky surpassed Gordie Howe's old record of 1,850 points to become the sole leader in this category (Braver, p.88).
As talented as he was during his playing career, the superstar remained humble. Each time he won an award, for example, he expressed thanks to his teammates, and especially to his fans. His humble nature has been expressed over the years when accepting the Hart trophy as the League's most valuable player. His acceptance speeches are "filled with praise for teammates and management alike" (Garven, 1992, p. 103). The one year he didn't win the award, Gretzky said it was good for hockey that Mario Lemeiux won it (Garven, p. 104). When he broke Gordie Howe's record for most points in a season, Gretzky again showed his humbleness by suggesting that Howe's 1,800 points were a lot different from his own 1,800 points (Whyte, 1996, p.38). His comment put into perspective the difference between his own time and Howe's era, emphasizing the greatness that Howe showed during his time.
Since he was a youngster, Gretzky has displayed his hockey genius. One needs only to review the record books and scoring summaries of the Sioux Greyhounds, Gretzky's junior hockey team. At a meager six feet, 160 pounds, the sixteen year old led his team while playing among the best seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen year olds. In one game, while playing with the Greyhounds, Gretzky collected five points. He started the game by sending a teammate in on a breakaway and earned an assist. He later set up a teammate with a behind-the-back pass for another assist. In the second period, Gretzky scored two goals, one on a tip from the point and one on a keenly placed wrist shot (Semenoff, 1993, pp 289-290). But the pièce de résistance was still to come. Gretzky, while killing a penalty, "took the puck, skated towards the opposition blue line, stopped, skated back around his own net, stopped, avoided a check by going completely around his net then up the boards and back to center where he was thirty seconds before" (Semenoff, p.291). His skill at puck handling frustrated the opposition, and they took a penalty. Gretzky promptly set up a teammate for his third assist. This is hockey genius at its best.
The attention and respect that Gretzky has drawn is well deserved. Like a modern day Merlin, Gretzky combined the elements of ice, speed, and dexterity to realize incredible scoring achievements and, in his own humble way, to write hockey history.
Since he joined the National Hockey League., Gretzky literally shattered existing scoring records. He owns or shares sixty-one regular season and playoff N.H.L. scoring records. Three of his most triumphant occurred when he was a member of the Edmonton Oilers. In 1981-1982, he eclipsed the single season record for goals. The old mark was seventy-six, set by Phil Esposito. Gretzky's new mark rocketed to ninety-two by the end of the 1981-1982 season (Braver, 2002, p. 79). Gretzky also owns the mark for the most assists in one campaign. This mark is an astounding 163, a record which he set during the 1985-1986 season (Eviston, 2001). It was also during this season that Gretzky set the record for most points in one season. This record stands at 215 (Eviston). One of his most prestigious records occurred in 1989. He became the leading scorer in the history of the N.H.L. In just over ten seasons, Gretzky surpassed Gordie Howe's old record of 1,850 points to become the sole leader in this category (Braver, p.88).
As talented as he was during his playing career, the superstar remained humble. Each time he won an award, for example, he expressed thanks to his teammates, and especially to his fans. His humble nature has been expressed over the years when accepting the Hart trophy as the League's most valuable player. His acceptance speeches are "filled with praise for teammates and management alike" (Garven, 1992, p. 103). The one year he didn't win the award, Gretzky said it was good for hockey that Mario Lemeiux won it (Garven, p. 104). When he broke Gordie Howe's record for most points in a season, Gretzky again showed his humbleness by suggesting that Howe's 1,800 points were a lot different from his own 1,800 points (Whyte, 1996, p.38). His comment put into perspective the difference between his own time and Howe's era, emphasizing the greatness that Howe showed during his time.
Since he was a youngster, Gretzky has displayed his hockey genius. One needs only to review the record books and scoring summaries of the Sioux Greyhounds, Gretzky's junior hockey team. At a meager six feet, 160 pounds, the sixteen year old led his team while playing among the best seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen year olds. In one game, while playing with the Greyhounds, Gretzky collected five points. He started the game by sending a teammate in on a breakaway and earned an assist. He later set up a teammate with a behind-the-back pass for another assist. In the second period, Gretzky scored two goals, one on a tip from the point and one on a keenly placed wrist shot (Semenoff, 1993, pp 289-290). But the pièce de résistance was still to come. Gretzky, while killing a penalty, "took the puck, skated towards the opposition blue line, stopped, skated back around his own net, stopped, avoided a check by going completely around his net then up the boards and back to center where he was thirty seconds before" (Semenoff, p.291). His skill at puck handling frustrated the opposition, and they took a penalty. Gretzky promptly set up a teammate for his third assist. This is hockey genius at its best.
The attention and respect that Gretzky has drawn is well deserved. Like a modern day Merlin, Gretzky combined the elements of ice, speed, and dexterity to realize incredible scoring achievements and, in his own humble way, to write hockey history.
*****
My Analysis: Look at
the first (introductory) paragraph carefully. First of all, there
are a few sentences trying to establish the notion of Canadian
heroes. You can decide for yourself whether these sentences add
to the essay or whether they could have been edited or even left out
altogether. What I really want you to notice is the end of this
paragraph. Do you
see the sentence that I have put in purple boldface and then
underlined?
This is your thesis statement. You will notice that I have
italicized and underlined other words that precede the thesis
statement. These are the three
supporting ideas that you will explain more fully, in order, one
at a time, giving each a paragraph of the body.
Notice, next, that you have three paragraphs in the body. That’s right, there is one paragraph for each of the three main ideas identified from the introductory paragraph. The first one talks about breaking scoring records and gives specific examples. The second paragraph’s topic sentence moves logically to talking about the humility Gretzky always displayed, despite breaking so many records, again giving many examples that show his humble character. The third paragraph talks about Gretzky as a hockey genius, even from his younger days, and gives examples of that.
The concluding paragraph starts with a restatement of the thesis (in slightly different words). I’ve underlined some of the other words in the concluding paragraph that refer back to the points made in the body (that he shattered records; that he is humble; that he made hockey history. I underlined “Merlin” because it was an interesting comparison. Was any of Gretzky’s fame or record-breaking the result of “magic”? (We could write another essay about that, perhaps.) Now, no matter what you personally think of Gretzky, the premise of the essay (he did things that continue to demand our respect and admiration: breaking records, being humble, and showing genius) is shown to be true, thanks to the examples given. It was a very logical and convincing presentation of facts and examples, used to back up a thesis statement in an undisputable way. Notice that there are no other details about Gretzky than those that directly support one of the main ideas. We don’t need to know about his family life, his salary, his work ethic, or his coaching career because, though interesting, these topics have nothing to do with the intended message of the essay.
Notice, next, that you have three paragraphs in the body. That’s right, there is one paragraph for each of the three main ideas identified from the introductory paragraph. The first one talks about breaking scoring records and gives specific examples. The second paragraph’s topic sentence moves logically to talking about the humility Gretzky always displayed, despite breaking so many records, again giving many examples that show his humble character. The third paragraph talks about Gretzky as a hockey genius, even from his younger days, and gives examples of that.
The concluding paragraph starts with a restatement of the thesis (in slightly different words). I’ve underlined some of the other words in the concluding paragraph that refer back to the points made in the body (that he shattered records; that he is humble; that he made hockey history. I underlined “Merlin” because it was an interesting comparison. Was any of Gretzky’s fame or record-breaking the result of “magic”? (We could write another essay about that, perhaps.) Now, no matter what you personally think of Gretzky, the premise of the essay (he did things that continue to demand our respect and admiration: breaking records, being humble, and showing genius) is shown to be true, thanks to the examples given. It was a very logical and convincing presentation of facts and examples, used to back up a thesis statement in an undisputable way. Notice that there are no other details about Gretzky than those that directly support one of the main ideas. We don’t need to know about his family life, his salary, his work ethic, or his coaching career because, though interesting, these topics have nothing to do with the intended message of the essay.
*****
POW # 21:
Writing a Reference List Using APA Format; Making your good copy;
Making a cover page
Assigned:
February 5, 2007
Due: February 26, 2007
Part one: MMGCI uses
the APA format for all essays. (This is a different format to
what you are using for your Science report; but the MLA style is also
popular so it is worth knowing, too.) There are many rules of spacing,
punctuation, capitalization, indentation and order of information to
follow. Probably the easiest is to provide an example for you to
follow. You are welcome to use the APA
Citation Generator here.
Key points:
Braver, M. (2002). Braver's encyclopedia of hockey history. Toronto: Bookish Press.
Eviston, J. (2002, May). Hockey legends: Wayne Gretzky. Retrieved October 29, 2003, from
http://www.hockeylegends.ca/gretzky.htm
Garven, P.H. (1992, December 20). Hockey at its best. Hockey Magazine, 23-27.
Whyte, A.R. (1996). The story of Gretzky. In William Hanson (Ed.)
Hockey narratives (pp. 67-136). Toronto: Essential Publications.
Part Two: By now, you should have an introductory paragraph concluding with a thesis statement; three to six body paragraphs; and a concluding paragraph. You also will have a separate reference page.
Please have someone proofread your work carefully, and sign your rough copy as usual. If you have words or phrases that you do not understand, it is possible that they may be plagiarized. Find a way to explain the material in words that you and your classmates will understand.
DO NOT include any headings or underlinings in your good copy. Just let your writing flow from one paragraph to the next. Be sure that your transitions are smooth. Study the Gretzky example for a good idea of how to achieve smooth transitions between paragraphs.
You should include page numbers, starting with the cover page. Each page also should include the title of the paper (or shortened form) at the upper right hand corner. You do this, in most cases, by choosing Insert->Header. Check out the cover page example link, below, to get an idea of what should be on each page, including the reference page. Notice that you DO NOT underline anything.
Part Three: Cover Page. Please check out the example on the back of your blue assignment sheet, or visit the link below:
Key points:
- Notice that sources are
listed alphabetically, by author’s last name.
- Only the author’s first
initial is included.
- The date of publication
follows the author’s name.
- If it is a magazine or
newspaper, include the month and/or date.
- Note that only the first
word of a title is capitalized.
- Next comes city of
publication: publishing company.
- For a magazine or an edited
book, include the page numbers that you used.
- Notice that you must indent
the second line of the citation.
- If you have five or six
references, that is enough.
- If you use an internet
site, tell what date you retrieved the information and include the full
URL.
- The reference page should
be separate from the report.
- The sample, below, goes with the Gretzky report. In “real life”, it would be on a separate page.
*****
References
Braver, M. (2002). Braver's encyclopedia of hockey history. Toronto: Bookish Press.
Eviston, J. (2002, May). Hockey legends: Wayne Gretzky. Retrieved October 29, 2003, from
http://www.hockeylegends.ca/gretzky.htm
Garven, P.H. (1992, December 20). Hockey at its best. Hockey Magazine, 23-27.
Whyte, A.R. (1996). The story of Gretzky. In William Hanson (Ed.)
Hockey narratives (pp. 67-136). Toronto: Essential Publications.
*****
Part Two: By now, you should have an introductory paragraph concluding with a thesis statement; three to six body paragraphs; and a concluding paragraph. You also will have a separate reference page.
Please have someone proofread your work carefully, and sign your rough copy as usual. If you have words or phrases that you do not understand, it is possible that they may be plagiarized. Find a way to explain the material in words that you and your classmates will understand.
DO NOT include any headings or underlinings in your good copy. Just let your writing flow from one paragraph to the next. Be sure that your transitions are smooth. Study the Gretzky example for a good idea of how to achieve smooth transitions between paragraphs.
You should include page numbers, starting with the cover page. Each page also should include the title of the paper (or shortened form) at the upper right hand corner. You do this, in most cases, by choosing Insert->Header. Check out the cover page example link, below, to get an idea of what should be on each page, including the reference page. Notice that you DO NOT underline anything.
Part Three: Cover Page. Please check out the example on the back of your blue assignment sheet, or visit the link below:
Assigned:
Monday, January 22, 2007
Due: Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Due: Tuesday, January 30, 2007
During this week, you will continue to do research and make jot notes for your Pacific Rim country report. Today, you will receive a handout which will help you to take notes and to keep track of your reference materials as you do your research. Although the handout refers to “books” only, please remember that you may use all kinds of resources, including internet sites, newspapers, and magazine articles. Watch especially for information about the economy of your country, and Pacific Rim countries in general. Have a look at www.apec.org –it’s a bit difficult to read through some of the information, but it is a useful site for getting an idea of trade and economic growth. Also try Googling combinations like “Malaysia + economy” or “Taiwan + APEC” and see if you get any interesting results.
Remember that each time you find a useful site, you should stop and write down the title of the site, the author (if there is one identified), the date the page was last updated (if it says), and the URL. All of this will help you to make your reference list later on. You can use the attached handout to help you. Then, as you read through the site material, be sure to make jot notes on the handout. It will help you to focus if you keep your research questions in mind. Don’t write anything down in your jot notes unless it directly answers a particular research question. You don’t need to print out the articles you find online, but if you do, always be sure to make jot notes out of the information. Don’t just cut and paste, because this invites plagiarism.
Once you have all of your notes collected, you should be able to make a decision about what the most important point of your paper is going to be. Write an introductory paragraph that includes statements that you have made out of your research questions. End the introduction with a thesis statement. Keep in mind that everything else you write in the report will relate back to your thesis statement. Here is a direct quote from a local high school teacher about their standards for writing reports:
“A clear thesis must be written at the end of the introductory paragraph. Body paragraphs need to clearly support the thesis, and the conclusion needs to have the thesis statement re-stated in the first sentence. “
A thesis statement is the answer to the question that underlies everything you are going to say in your report. It is the main point of your report. In other words,
THESIS = TOPIC + WHAT ABOUT IT? + SO WHAT?
Thesis = Indonesia + economy + influence of trade with other Pacific Rim countries
Thesis = Indonesia + economy + influence of trade with other Pacific Rim countries
To write a thesis statement, identify the most important question that you have researched. For example: “How has increased trade with Pacific Rim countries affected the economy of Indonesia?” The answer to this question becomes the thesis statement that you will use to end your introductory paragraph. “Increased trade with Pacific Rim countries has affected the economy of Indonesia by…” (you fill in the answer.) The rest of your report will be “about” this answer—you will be using your gathered evidence to help you convince others that your thesis statement is correct and reasonable.
Check out this site if you need more help figuring out how to write a strong thesis statement that will help you to prepare a thoughtful and focused paper.
If you need help with reporting in general, there is an excellent resource at
Online Research that has been put together by teachers from Saskatoon Public Schools. It’s worth reading through the entire site.
Another great, more interactive site is interactive research . I encourage you to check this site out as well.
We will have some limited time during the week to try out these sites and to do research online. You should expect to do additional research at home, and plan to spend more time going through at least one of the reporting sites named above, so that you get a solid overview of the entire process.
Your written products this week include:
--More research, with the reference information and jot notes notated on the handout provided (aim to use at least three references beyond the CultureGram, but don’t go beyond six.)
--An introductory paragraph, ending with a strong thesis statement.
POW # 18: Research Report, Part One
Assigned: Monday, January 15
Due: Monday, January 22
During the next few weeks, your
POW assignments will be designed to help you create a strong example of
a written research report. This will give you a valuable
reference document to leave on your computer (or a hard copy to keep
somewhere safe) to help you when you arrive in high school and are
asked to write a research report. Even though you may know a lot
about writing research reports, please go through all of the suggested
steps as carefully as possible. Once you have tried the entire
process out, you will be able to make changes with confidence the next
time you do a research report. There are also different ways of
accomplishing the various steps, but for this report, you are required
to follow the instructions exactly. We will explore some
variations or different techniques later on this year.
You have already selected a Pacific Rim country to research. For the first week, your job is relatively simple.
Prewriting: First, brainstorm a list or make a web of things you think it would be important to learn about your country. Examples: population, government, language, land and climate, resources… (hand in)
Next, please read through the Culturegram for your country. Pay special attention to the things you identified on your list/web.
Now, you will fill in a data sheet giving some general information about your country. (You will see a sample data sheet on the reverse of this page. You may use it, or make whatever changes you like.) Give each “important” topic from the list/web a separate section on the data sheet. Use ONLY the CultureGram information for this week. (You will be doing more research later.) Remember that each jot note entry should contain just a couple of words. Be very careful not to plagiarize (copy directly from the CultureGram). At the top of each rectangle (below), please write one important topic you identified during prewriting. In the rectangle, jot a few notes about that topic. Hand in your data sheet along with your list/web.
A.
Week One: Choose a Topic. Narrow it down. Collect
background information. Use a Data Sheet.
You have already selected a Pacific Rim country to research. For the first week, your job is relatively simple.
Prewriting: First, brainstorm a list or make a web of things you think it would be important to learn about your country. Examples: population, government, language, land and climate, resources… (hand in)
Next, please read through the Culturegram for your country. Pay special attention to the things you identified on your list/web.
Now, you will fill in a data sheet giving some general information about your country. (You will see a sample data sheet on the reverse of this page. You may use it, or make whatever changes you like.) Give each “important” topic from the list/web a separate section on the data sheet. Use ONLY the CultureGram information for this week. (You will be doing more research later.) Remember that each jot note entry should contain just a couple of words. Be very careful not to plagiarize (copy directly from the CultureGram). At the top of each rectangle (below), please write one important topic you identified during prewriting. In the rectangle, jot a few notes about that topic. Hand in your data sheet along with your list/web.
Note:
The data sheet below is a copy of the one the Grade Seven students will
complete. Grade Eight students may use this one, BUT they may
find it more useful to write different questions or headings, based on
the main areas of interest that appeared on the web/list done in the
prewriting activity. Remember that the CultureGram may not
provide answers to all of your questions. You will have access to
other research materials later, but for this week, please use the
CultureGram only, and focus on making your jot notes as brief as
possible.
Country:
___________________
| What is the
population? Where do most of the people live? |
What are the main resources? |
| What is the
system of government? |
What is the educational system like? |
| What
special customs do the people have? |
What languages do the people speak? |
| What
religions are followed? |
What foods do the people eat? |
| What are
recreation and the arts like? |
What is family life like? |
POW # 17: Thank You Note and Envelope
Assigned: Monday, January 8, 2007
Due: Monday, January 15, 2007
**Please
note that there are two parts to this assignment.**
Thank You Note
Over the past few weeks, all of us have experienced the thoughtfulness of other people. Sometimes this has been in the form of a special gift we have received. Sometimes another person has done something kind or thoughtful to make our day brighter. Sometimes we have been included in a gathering of friends and family members. Sometimes a special person is there for us all day, every day, providing support and encouragement, homework help, clean clothing, meals...
Your assignment this week is to take time to express your appreciation to someone who has done something thoughtful for you, by writing a thank-you note to that person. A thank-you note is usually quite short, and should be written as soon as possible after the event or the receipt of the gift.
If you are writing to thank someone for a gift, be very specific about the item, and tell how you plan to use it. This shows that the gift is something you really need and appreciate. If it is a gift of money, don’t mention the exact amount, but do tell how you are planning to use it. Be sincere! If you are writing to thank someone for a gift you don’t really like, it usually helps to focus on the thoughtfulness of the person who sent it, rather than trying to say a lot of complimentary things that you don’t really mean. If you are writing to thank someone for hosting a visit, family gathering or some other event, be sure to mention something you especially enjoyed about the occasion.
You may use regular (unlined) letter paper or a special card or stationery, if you prefer.
Please
handwrite this
assignment. It makes the note more personal.
Remember, you will actually be mailing this, so be
sure your work is accurate!
Samples and technical hints
Please be sure to check the format, capitalization and punctuation of
the sample letter, below. It’s fine to include only the date in the
heading, but be sure you punctuate
properly! This is a friendly letter, so use a comma after the
greeting
(salutation). Indent the first line of the body. Make a new
indented paragraph for the ending. The closing is set far to the
right, and only the first word is capitalized. It is followed by
a comma. Put the signature immediately under the closing.
If
you are writing to a relative or friend, your first name is enough.
Monday, January 9, 2006
Dear Ellen,
Thanks again for inviting me to spend Christmas Day with you and your
friends.
I was feeling very sad because I couldn’t get home for the holidays
thanks
to my work schedule. Your invitation really helped to make my
Christmas
brighter this year.
The food was delicious! I would love to have a copy of the recipe for that delicious cheesecake you served for dessert. The exchange of silly gifts was hilarious! I haven’t laughed so hard for ages. I know that I will find many special uses for the gigantic neon pink sunglasses I ended up taking home!
Thanks again for thinking of me and including me in your holiday celebration. It meant a lot to me. I hope that I can invite you to my house someday soon and return the hospitality. What are you doing for the Super Bowl? I will call you later this week and see if you are free to join a small gathering at my place that day.
Your friend,
Kim
Kim
Addressing an Envelope
- Write your name and address in the upper left corner of the envelope. This is called the return address. It should include your name, street address, city or town, province and postal code.
- The mailing address goes at the center of the envelope. It includes the name of the person who will receive the letter, his/her street address, city or town, province, and postal code.
- Attach a stamp with the correct postage to the upper right corner.
- Always write the address in blue or black ink—never pencil.
- Always write very legibly. It’s ok to print or even type if that is neater.
Assigned: Monday, December 11, 2006
Due: Monday, December 18
Oddly, I forgot to forward the #16 assignment. You should have it, however, on the other side of the "Snow Day" assignment. I'll attempt to post the assignment later this week.
POW # 15: Snow Day
Assigned:
Monday, December 4, 2006
Due: Monday, December 11
Due: Monday, December 11
Although it is not officially winter yet, it certainly looks and feels like it! Have you heard that we have just endured the coldest, snowiest November in 60 years? If anyone deserves a “snow day”, it’s probably people from Saskatoon!
Imagine that you and your family are snowed in for the day—a work and school day, of course. The snow has piled up so high that you cannot leave your house until the snow plows clear your street at 6:00 pm. What would you do all day?
Write a paragraph describing what your day would be like and how you and your family would pass the time. Use the back of this paper and create a list or web to plan your writing.
Checklist: Please complete this so that I am aware of your own evaluation of your work. Each category has a maximum of 5, based on the writing rubric we have been using in class.
1. _____ Your finished paragraph is about 8 to 12 sentences long.
2. _____ You have completed a prewriting exercise (web, list…).
3. _____ Your ideas flow smoothly from one idea to the next.
4. _____ You have written a strong and interesting concluding sentence.
5. _____ You have written a messy draft, signed by your proofreader.
6. _____ You have produced an attractive, inviting and mechanically perfect final copy.
7. _____ All the papers have been stapled together, with the final copy on top.
8. _____ Your name and the date appear on the final copy.
9. _____ Your finished paragraph is interesting and imaginative.
10. _____ Bonus: __________________________________
(Term Two, assignment 1)
Assigned: November 27, 2006
Due: December 4, 2006