Monday, February 25, 2008

Poetry Blogging and Viewing

Today in class, you need to complete three tasks.
1. Be sure you completed the work from last time (see the blog entry below).
2. Create a new post; choose one of your synonym poems and post it to your blog.
3. Spend time viewing three of the animate poems at the site of Billy Collins. The link is below. As you view the poems, go beyond the visuals. Reflect on the poet's use of the literary devices we've discussed in class: alliteration, rhyme, rhyme scheme, perfect and near rhyme figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification), couplets/end rhymes, strong imagery (appeals to the senses).

www.bcactionpoet.org

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Poetic Devices

Today, you have five items to make sure you complete:
1. Be sure your blog is set up (permissions set and Mr. Stai has the info. to place a link on the class site.
2. Complete the first blog entry (an introduction to you and your blog).
3. Complete the second entry including three parts:
a. your four-line rhyming poem (that has a perfect end-rhyme and a near end-rhyme)
b. your favorite sample line which includes onomatopoeia
c. your favorite sample line which includes alliteration


Once you have completed these items, you may work on finalizing your reading log for tomorrow and read quietly.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Welcome back to the Lifeblog assignment. Today, you should be working on the following:
1. Get your blog set up, if you haven't already. It is ready to go when:
a. You have set up your blog with an address and password and submitted that information to Mr. Stai on the blue sheet.
b. You have set up the permissions so that only invited readers can view your blog. You can find the list to cut and paste for this on the team website. I will work in class to create a link to it on this blog.
c. You have chosen a basic layout and background style.

2. Once your blog is set up, work on your first entry. This first entry should be an introduction to you. What you include is up to you. Be sure to focus on the following writing issues we have discussed in class.
a. Use paragraphs and complete sentences.
b. Capitalize all proper nouns
c. Use apostrophes to show ownership or to create contractions.

Remember: Be patient. Learning new technology takes time. Mr. Stai and the other adults in the building are learning along with you. Don't get discouraged, get motivated. Help each other figure out how to get the program to do what you want. Once you learn something, share it with others so they can do it, too! Be an active learner; we'll get much further if we work together than if we wait for others to do it for us.