Creative Writing
2nd Qrtr Fall 2004





 Day 40 - 1/27
  1. S.P.E.W. #37
  2. Writing Workday

Day 39 - 1/26
  1. S.P.E.W. #36
  2. Exposition: Background. What's happening. Badly done-really boring.  Don't put all the exposition together.
  3. Writing/Adapting a myth or legend.

Day 38 - 1/25
  1. S.P.E.W. #35 – This is a writing warm-up.  The students know what to do.  15 minutes.
  2. Plot: Create a plot summary (or graph) for your story and begin to write your rough drafts.


Day 37 - 1/24
  1. S.P.E.W. #34
  2. Plot: Today we will be searching for a Plot.  We want a story to tell.  So let's look at the myths, fairy tales, and fables of human history.  Check out this Hans Christian Anderson, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Tales from around the World, or do a search of your own.
  3. Find a story that you can adapt to a modern setting.  Write a list of the actions of the plot in a column on the left hand side of a piece of paper.  Now write your adaptation of the plot on the right.

Day 36 - 1/21
  1. S.P.E.W. #33
  2. Setting: Map Exercise II from Mugging the Muse.
  3. Plot: Discussion of adapting someone else's plot.

Day 35 - 1/20
  1. S.P.E.W. #32
  2. Setting: Map Exercise I from Mugging the Muse.

Day 34 - 1/19
  1. S.P.E.W. #31
  2. To Pass Creative Writing Students will have a portfolio with a cover, table of contents and numbered pages.  The cover should include some graphics.   It will contain the following assignments already assigned and several future assignments.  [Remember: for a letter grade the Portfolio will be electronic such as HTML or PowerPoint.]
    • 10 poems
    • 2 drafts of the dialogue assignment
    • scene and plot graph for the scripting unit
  3. Intro: Elements of Fiction - Setting, Plot, Character, Exposition, Theme, Dialogue

Day 33 - 1/18
  1. S.P.E.W. #31
  2. Final Draft Script Assn. Due Today.
  3. Implement Rob's suggestions for your script.

Day 32 - 1/14
  1. S.P.E.W. #30
  2. Script Assn. Due Today.
  3. Work Day

Day 31 - 1/13
  1. S.P.E.W. #29 - Write a character backstory (history) for one of your characters.
  2. Finish draft of script.

Day 30 - 1/12
  1. S.P.E.W. #28 - F ill out a detailed character sketch for one of your characters.
  2. Typing up script.

Day 29 - 1/11
  1. S.P.E.W. #27 - What happens in your script/story after the scene you're writing?
  2. Writing Scripting scene rough draft.

Day 28 - 1/10
  1. S.P.E.W. #26 - What happens in your script/story before the scene you're writing?
  2. Writing Scripting scene rough draft.

Day 27 - 1/7
  1. SNOW DAY - No School

Day 27 - 1/6
  1. S.P.E.W. #25

  2. Scripting Assn.

    1. Plot graph

    2. 1 written scene (from your plot graph) in playwriting or screenwriting format

      • -rough draft & final draft
      • -4 pages in proper format
      • Due: Jan. 14
      • This assignment can be the beginning of a script for an independent film class with Rob 3rd & 4th quarter.

Day 26 - 1/5
  1. S.P.E.W. #24
  2. Plot Discussion
  3. Plot Graph Assignment

Day 25 - 1/4
  1. S.P.E.W. #23
  2.  Holly Lisle Dialogue Exercise.  Do Part II.

Day 24 - 1/3
  1. S.P.E.W. #22
  2. How do people talk?  What have you heard people say in the last 24 hours?  Holly Lisle Dialogue Exercise.  Do Part I.  Check with Rob before starting Part II.

Day 23 - 12/17
  1. Grade Day

1st Half - Poetry
Note: Most samples will not appear on the World Wide Web
in order to maintain copyright availability.
Poem Samples can be viewed by pasting the following boldfaced line
\\Altsnap\students\Class Resources\robpoetry.html
into the address bar on a lab computer.  Then click go.

Day 22 - 12/16
  1. Poetry Portfolio Workday

Day 21 - 12/15
  1. S.P.E.W. #21
  2. Poetry Portfolio: Create a poetry portfolio.

    ·     Minimum standards are printed out copies with a cover including graphics.

    ·     (Make sure they are checked for grammar and spelling.)

    ·     For a letter grade assignment create either a power point or html poetry portfolio.

    ·     For each poem assignment please write a paragraph describing what you liked or didn't like about the form and what inspired the poems.  This can be on the bottom of each page in a different font.

     


Day 20 - 12/14
  1. S.P.E.W. #20
  2. Poem #11: Poems. 


Day 19 - 12/13
  1. S.P.E.W. #19
  2. Poem #10: Graphic Poems.  Write a poem in which the shape of the poem enhances the meaning/theme/content of the poem.

Day 18 - 12/10
  1. S.P.E.W. #18
  2. Poem #9: Acrostic poems. 1-5 poems - 25 lines total.

Day 17 - 12/9
  1. S.P.E.W. #17
  2. Poem #8: "You" poem.  You will write a poem to someone.  It could be a love poem, an Ode, a rant, etc. 


Day 16 - 12/8
  1. S.P.E.W. #16
  2. Poem #7: Travel/Motion Poem.  Rob's samples.  Write a poem in which you are moving through an environment: Ghost town, New York City, desert, woods at night, oceanscape, another planet, spaceship or dreamscape.  You don't have to be human.  You needn't even be alive.  No need for rhyme.


Day 15 - 12/7
  1. S.P.E.W. #15
  2. Poem #6: Symbols


Day 14 - 12/6
  1. S.P.E.W. #14 - What defines the times of your lives?  People, places and things.
  2. Poem #5: Headline Poetry.  Rob's sample poem: "Woman in the Moon."


Day 13 - 12/3
  1. S.P.E.W. #13 -
  2. Refrigerator Poetry.


Day 12 - 12/2
  1. S.P.E.W. #12 - Focused: Questions
  2. Poem #4 - 20 Questions.  Rob's samples.
  3. Type this and all your previous poems: Haiku (5), About a Day, Childhood Memories
  4. Letter Grade Assignment: Create an Electronic Portfolio of your poems with HTML or PowerPoint.  1 Poem per page, with transitions, appropriate graphic(s), and font.  There will be an intro page, table of contents, and a graphics/audio credits page.


Day 11 - 12/1
  1. S.P.E.W. #11 - Focused: Childhood Memories
  2. Poem #3 - Take one of the Childhood Memories above and expand it into a poem, 14-20 lines.  Feel free to do free verse (no rhymes.).  Rob's samples.





Day 10 - 11/30
  1. S.P.E.W. #10
  2. Finish Unsong Poet's Society




Day 9 - 11/29
  1. S.P.E.W. #9
  2. About a Day Poem Rob's samples
Assignment: Continue work on PowerPoint. Show Rob Rough Draft.  See Rob's Sample on Bruce Springsteen.  Final Draft due 11/30/04.


              

Day 8 - 11/24
  1. S.P.E.W. #8
  2. Workday on U.P.S.
Assignment: Continue Unsong Poet's Society.  Continue work on PowerPoint.  See Rob's Sample on Bruce Springsteen.
Rough Draft Due Today.  Final Draft due 11/30/04.



Day 7 - 11/23
  1. S.P.E.W. #7
  2. Poetic Devices: Symbology.  What are examples of nouns that provide visual or literary symbols?  
Assignment: Continue Unsong Poet's Society.  Continue work on PowerPoint.  Rough Draft Due Wednesday.



Day 6 - 11/22
  1. S.P.E.W. #6 - Consult "Writing Down the Bones."
  2. Poetic Devices: Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Allusion.  Write three examples of each in your notebook.
Assignment: Continue Unsong Poet's Society.  Write essay explaining why you picked this poet.  Begin work on PowerPoint.



Day 5 - 11/19
  1. S.P.E.W. #5
  2. Poetry Kaffeeklatch - Poetry Reading
Assignment: Continue Unsong Poet's Society.



Day 4 - 11/18
  1. S.P.E.W. #4
  2. Themes in Poetry

    Nature

    		Death

    Birth/Rebirth

    Religion

    Hapiness/Joy

    Sadness/Despair

    		 Poetry/Art

    Hate/Anger

    Love

    		 Embarrassment

     Calm/Patience


    Frustration

    		 Hope

    Despair

     Fear 

     Death

    Life
Assignment: Continue Unsong Poet's Society.
           
Day 3 - 11/17
  1. S.P.E.W. #3
  2. Haiku Intro/notes and samples
Assignment: Continue Unsong Poet's Society.

Day 2 - 11/16
  1. S.P.E.W. #2
  2. Sensory Walk. Walk outside writing down all the sensory items STSTS (Sight, Touch, Scent, Taste, Sound) you can find.  Aim for 20.
  3. Sensory expansion: How can you describe what you Saw, Touched, Smelled, Tasted and Heard (Sound) in a creative manner, with some depth.  Moving from "Picnic Table" to "Red-brick stained, rickety, rough picnic table."  Take 10 of your sensory items and expand them.  Samples

    ·         Picnic table rickety red rough table

    ·         Wind-Whipped Flag flailing it's metal clasps against the pole

    ·         Old diesel truck grumbling down the hill

    ·         Footsteps clicking on wood

    ·         Clouds, gray and white running from the wind

    ·         Crow greedily grabbing a bread crust

    ·         Wind whistling past my chilled ears

  4. Computer Lab: A few words about saving your work.  ALWAYS SAVE!
Assignment: Continue Unsong Poet's Society.

Day 1 - 11/15
  1. Introduction:
  2. Rob's General Syllabus
  3. Concept of S.P.E.W. - Student Personal Expository Writing.  Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.
  4. Expectations:
  5. We will write.  Then we will rewrite.  Then you will type it into the computer rewriting as you go.  Then I will give you suggestions and you will rewrite again.
  6. Decorate Cover of notebook.  Pictures are good if they're worth a thousand words, but I also want words that represent you. 
Assignment: Start Unsong Poet's Society.  Find a poem that means something to you to read at Friday's CoffeeHouse Poetry Reading.  Due to Rob by Wednesday. 

                    


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