Week of 6/3

6/7: Complete your final self-evaluation (CWFinal2) in E102. Share the self-eval with links to the example papers and your journal (Journal#6) before the end of the period.
6/6: Seniors complete the Final Exam Self-Evaluation.. Review early undergraduate exams. Read and write poems about food (Food Poems). Group hug.
6/5: Share early exams. Review returned short story rubrics and Short Story feedback. Food poems or poetry poems tomorrow? (Food poems need food.) Read “Where I’m From” Poems and write a “Where-I’m-From” poem.
6/3: Share early senior exams. If weather permits, go outside to the cross country trail and write poems (NatureWriting).  If you are tardy, go to Commons and write a poem (NatureWritingTardies). If the weather does not permit, read Poems to, from or about Poetry and write one.

Week of 5/28

5/31: Short stories shared? Review final exam assignment (CWFinal2), due dates and criteria. Review traditional (5JapanesePoems) and untraditional haikus (Assorted Haikus) and write a haiku. Review the Greater Romantic Lyric (Naturepoems),  Write romantic lyrics, haikus, low-kus or extended haikus.
5/30: Review Short Story Proofreading Ideas (SSProofreadingIdeas) and share in proofreading groups of five or six people who not the same people you shared with yesterday. Start with different papers so everyone receives a few thorough readings.
5/29: Review Short Story Revision Ideas. Share your story with a group of four different people than those you shared with yesterday. Share three areas of concern and read your story aloud (EarlyConfrnce). Don’t let the group move on from your story until you have concrete suggestions to improve it. Revise on the computer if time allows. Hand in Journal Collection #5 .
5/28: Review final exam assignment (CWFinal2), due dates and criteria. Review the Elements of Story, the Major Dramatic Question (MDQ) and DADIMix. Share short stories in groups of four on the computers in E102.  Look at three areas identified by the author in addition to the beginning, the MDQ, the complications and rising action, the climax, the resolution and the emotional arc.  Look at the DADI mix.

Week of 5/20

5/24: Review the Short Story Rubric (CW SS Rubric), the line of the story (Line of the Story), MDQ and DADI (ElemntsofStry). Workshop AC’s short story.  Complete a Self Conference  about your short story.
5/22: Go to E202. Review the line of the story (Line of Story Elements), MDQ and DADI (ElemntsofStry) and type up a new short story in E202 as if you were the first reader. Two workshop volunteers for tomorrow? Email me Powers. Remember to share your story drafts.
5/21: Freewriting Activity: Start with the word “change” and write for eight minutes. Read The Dialogue Story. Look at “The Windshield is Melting” (The windshield is melting2) to see how complications and rising action (Line of the Story) make a story more complete and satisfying.  (ElemntsofStry). Read “Just a Man” and look at how the main character changes from beginning to end (the narrative arc and the emotional arc) and how the author shows that change. Read “Pools of Green” as an example of convincing details and a subtle change or realization. Revise stories on laptops.
5/20: Read “Orientation,” and “How Could a Mother?”  (“Like Totally” (LikeTotally) and The Visit.doc  and “Adams” are other examples.)  Looked at characteristics of a story told in second person story and/or a story beginning with a distinctive voice.  Began a second person story.

Week of 5/13

5/17: Freewriting Activity: Pick a random book, a random page, choose the first interesting adjective and write for eight minutes. Embrace the random. Write as your first reader. Review the line of the story (Line of Story Elements), MDQ and DADI (ElemntsofStry). Read “Just Desserts” to look at ambivalence and to see how complications and rising action make a story more complete and satisfying. Look at how the character has changed from beginning to end. Return to developing your own story with an eye on the emotional arc as well the obstacles and ambivalence in the narrative arc.
5/16: Freewriting Activity: Pick someone you know or have seen who deserves to be in a story and write him or her for eight minutes. Read “Passing Time with Master” and look at the effect of third person and first person. Read the “The Biscuit has Been Buttered” and look at Boo Boo stories and stories that begin from a character.  Also collect form ideas and techniques.  Other Boo Boo story: The Windshield is Melting; The Sun is a Rose (The windshield is melting2). Begin a story from an interesting character. Put her in her environment or in a foreign environment. Give her a problem. Write the story to see what happens.
5/14: Go to E202. Read “In the Current” (In the Current) & “Passing Time” (Passing Time).  Write a story in that form. (Additional “in the Current Story”: “Learning to Fetch”.)
5/13: Freewriting Activity: Pick a random book, a random page, choose the first interesting adjective. After a few minutes use the word “However.” Write for eight minutes. Review the returned feature article rubrics (RvwdwFA) and returned journals. Look at how dialogue is used to convey setting, character and conflict in “A Perfect Day for Bananafish.”  Look at how a real conversation (Jackie’s Not Home) can be launched into a story by asking, “What if?” Read “Mikey’s Not Home.” (Mikey’s Not Home).  Collect conversations for story starts.  Make a list of 10 story ideas, pick one and begin a draft.

Week of 5/6

5/10: Freewriting Activity: Go back to The Three Poisons sheet and choose something you’re indifferent about (fabric stores?) or something that angers or repels you (dentists?) and write for eight minutes in the voice of someone who loves that thing. Look at the story guidelines; limit to two hours, one scene, one POV and two or three characters (ShapingTheShortStory).  Read “Thank You_ Ma_am” and “Nice Pants” (Nice Pants).  Look at guidelines, story ideas (and What if?), form ideas and techniques. Begin a list of story ideas. Hand in Journal Collection #4.
5/9: After reading “Reunion” and “Settled,” write a story that includes at least three of the following: a parent and child as two of the characters; at least one scene in a restaurant; a variation on either, “I wished that we could be photographed” or “I want to get a rise out of this chap;” a circular shape.  Another “Reunion” story: (Raising a Little Chap).
5/8: Freewriting Activity: Start with “The most interesting person I know is…” All feature articles shared?  Generate a list of story elements. Review the Short Story Assignment. Write a story from a postcard (Postcard Story).  Share drafts. Read “Von Trapped” (Von Trapped).
5/7: Review the Feature Article Rubric (CWFARubric3), and add more description and action throughout the article. Share drafts on google docs and proofread feature article in groups of three.

Week of 4/29

5/3: Review the (FAWorkshopGuidelines) and workshop Ian and Santiago’s feature articles.
5/2: Review the Feature Article Rubric (FARubric) and workshop your feature articles in groups of three or four (FAWorkshopGuidelines).
5/1: Go to E102 and create a feature article draft (FAAssignment). Two volunteers to workshop feature articles on Friday?
4/30: Freewriting activity: (Note: I will ask you to share from these responses.) Think of a class activity you enjoyed that effectively introduced or developed an essential concept or skill of this course. What made it enjoyable? What characteristics of the activity could be replicated in other class activities? Think of an activity in another course you enjoyed that effectively introduced or developed something essential. What made that enjoyable? What components could be used more often in other activities? What other suggestions do you have for me or other teachers to make your classes more enjoyable? Share responses. Review the Feature Article Rubric (FARubric) apply it to “Life as a Blockhead” and “The Man Behind Hagar” and note the author’s words. Look at form ideas and techniques including when the writer should appear in the article and when they should not.

Week of 4/22

4/26: Freewriting Activity: Start with the word “Interview” and write for eight minutes. Review the checklist-for-interview-descriptions) and write a description of a classmate with a focus on physical description. Choose your interview topic or question and generate a list of 20-25 potential questions to ask in your interview. Review the Feature Article Rubric (FARubric) apply it “One Day at a Time.” Note descriptions and anticipating readers’ questions.
4/25: Freewriting Activity: Write about an experience you keep coming back to. Insert these phrases as I call them out: This isn’t about that…/ Forget that… /This is not about…/But I was too young…./ This is about something else…. Share your Feature article ideas with a neighbor. Trouble shoot problems.  Finish looking at pieces of an interview transcribed and the process of turning that into the final feature article: “You Have to Love It”. Review the Feature Article Rubric (FARubric) apply it to  Then One Day it was Quiet. Look at form ideas and techniques including when the writer should appear in the article and when they should not.
4/24: Freewriting Activity: Write an extended description of the person who bothers you in which every sentence is a lie. Be generous. Be specific. Be realistic. Write for eight minutes. Review returned poems (PoetryRvsnIdeas). Talk about planning an interview, brainstorming questions (Questions for Connor) and bringing a tape recorder.  Watch a sample interview, write descriptions and talk about the characteristics of an effective interview.   Look at pieces of an interview transcribed and the final feature article, “You Have to Love It” (No Heroes – JP).
4/22: Freewriting Activity: First line: “On the horizon…” Write for eight minutes. Review returned poems (PoetryRvsnIdeas). Share three experiences, interests or accomplishments you might be interviewed about. Read  “Ecce Magistra” and look at quote/summary ratio.  Also look for article ideas, form ideas and techniques.

Week of 4/8

4/12: Freewriting Activity: Write about something you’re surprised you don’t miss. Review the Feature Article Assignment (FAAssignment). Share Feature article ideas. Read “The Believers.” Generate a list of reusable content ideas, form ideas and techniques. Practice descriptions for the feature articles by observing someone in the class. Write a two-paragraph description that includes clothing, coloring, age, mannerisms and movements (checklist-for-interview-descriptions). Think of it as a portrait (or short video clip) in words. Read “Fifteen” and generate ideas.
4/11: Freewriting Activity: Use the phrase “My imaginary life.” Write for eight minutes. Read “Silk Chute Wedding” (SilkChuteWddng), “The Running Artist” (RunningArtist) and “Is Graffiti Art?” (GrafittiArt) in groups of three and identify the characteristics of the feature article genre by generating a list of reusable content ideas, form ideas and techniques (FAIntrosinSmllGrps).
4/10: Go to Poetry Day in the LLC and read a poem!
4/9: Share the typed poem drafts.  Workshop poems in groups of four using the Bosselaar Cards (Bosselaar Terms). Respond to areas of concern and line edit as well as the topics on your cards. Plan revisions to make tonight.
4/8: Review the returned Quarter 1 Self-Evaluations and Suggestions (MdtrmFdbk-Sggstns).Workshop ML & JB’s poems using the Bosselaar Cards (Bosselaar Terms). Look at lineation (Lineation) and the different ways to break the lines and to shape your poem.

Week of 4/1

4/5: Freewrite activity: Start with “I love…” and write for eight minutes. Midterm & Journal 3 update. Read, write and share odes (OdeAssignment2) or “I’ve never seen…” poems (buttercow2). Two volunteers to workshops poems on Monday?
4/3: Review the Quarter 1 self-evaluation (CWMidterm) looking at the overall assessment. Complete your self-evaluation and share it as a single document by the end of the period. Also share your journal Collection #3 and links to your example papers.
4/2: Freewriting Activity: First line: “I used to believe…” Write for eight minutes. Review the Quarter 1 self-evaluation (CWMidterm) looking at the journal assessment and the course assessment. Review the returned Position Paper Rubrics and Position Paper Feedback. Assemble the lines in a “Sensory Details Poem” and read other poems using rich Sensory Detail Poems.  Write one of your own.
4/1: Read “Homestead Park” (HomesteadPrkPoems), look for reusable poem ideas, form ideas and techniques. Write your own poem using some of them.

Week of 3/25

3/29: Freewriting Activity: First line: I am your son/daughter (whatever you are not). Write for eight minutes. Update on Self-Evaluation progress. Review the three poem shapes: circular (RbtWnnr:Round), incremental (LvesofGrss, Blue Cardigan, 1969) and dialectical poems  (MissAnything, TacoBell, A C or a K)  Write dialectical poems. Share circular, incremental and dialectical poems. Look at a poem that mixes shapes (KING OF THE RIVER ) and write a poem that mixes shapes.
3/28: Freewriting Activity: Pick a random book, a random page, choose the first interesting noun or verb and write for eight minutes.Review the Quarter 1 self-evaluation (CWMidterm) for assessing goals. Look at poem shapes (PoemShapes).  Read circular (RbtWnnr:Round), incremental (LvesofGrss) and dialectical poems  (MissAnything, TacoBell)  Write and share circular, incremental and dialectical poems.
3/25: Review the format for in-text citations (Naming Sources in the Text) and the Works Cited as in The Barlow Writing Tools  or easybib.com. Set up in groups of three and share your paper with your two group-mates for proofreading. Proofread two papers yourself. Revise papers in E102 incorporating feedback from the workshop, your revision group, my  google doc comments and new research to support your argument. Share your final draft by tomorrow. Staple or paste a best copy in your journal.

Week of 3/18

3/22: Write down your position in a sentence and list your three (or four) reasons. Look at revision and editing ideas in “Pondering the Plain Positives” (PositiveCitations). Review the format for in-text citations (Naming Sources in the Text). Proofread position papers in groups of four. Pay closer attention to sentences. Or Read “Bosnia Tune,” “The Colonel,” “Belly Button Patrol” (PPPoems), and “The End and the Beginning” (EndandtheBeginning). Write position paper poems.
3/21: Share your position paper in groups of four and ask for feedback on areas of concern as well as feedback on your research base (What expert(s) could you find or consult to improve the weight of my argument? What statistics or testimony could improve the depth or breadth of the support?).
3/20: Review the Quarter 1 self-evaluation (CWMidterm) looking at Class participation. Review the Workshop Guidelines (PPWorkshopGuidelines) and workshop SC & HW’s position papers.
3/19: Complete your position paper draft in E102. Need last minute inspiration? Try countering a popular argument (Barbie Everyone Needs a Best Friend). Share it with me at jpowers [at] er9 [dot] org. Two volunteers for workshopping?

Week of 3/11

3/15: Review The Inner, Outer and Secret Practices by looking at Stafford’s Golden Thread. Freewrite activity: start a freewrite with the word “Rule” and write for eight minutes. Look at templates for organizing position papers (WtgInsideOut) and see how they apply Five-Hour Energy, TheProofisintheSnuggie, “Unnecessary Necessaries” smart boards). What’s the best template or combination for your position paper arguments and drafts? Begin writing or make a plan for Tuesday.
3/14: Freewrite activity: start a freewrite with ‘Nap” and write for eight minutes. Read I Learned in College That Admission Has Always Been for Sale and note how the writer has made the issue his own. How does he make it more than a complaint? How can you make your issue your own? Review Purpose, Audience, Form and Voice and see how they apply to position papers. Read File Sharing, and Ditch the Internet, looking at purpose, audience and research. Look at an Audience Mood Meter Audience Mood Meter and share your tentative position paper topic and audience. Look at fine tuning the audience. Hand in journals.
3/12: Share ideas from instant drafts. Look at “Good Riddance to Halloween“ and write a position paper draft in E102.
3/11: Freewrite activity: start a freewrite with the word “Change” and write for eight minutes. Add some shifters: “This isn’t about that,” “Forget that,” “This is not about,” “But I was too [young],” “This is about [something else].”Read “Don’t Fear the Digital,” (Don’tFearDigital) and look at the use of analogy and a cost/benefits analysis. Read This Will Knock your Socks Off and look art how to make a light topic serious.

Week of 3/4

3/8: Look at different types of metaphor. Read “Rite of Passage,” and “Thesaurus.”  Write a poem or description using different types of metaphor. Read “Facing It” and “You and I are disappearing” and look at stacked metaphors (Metaphor Assignment). Write a poem of stacked metaphors.
3/7: Freewriting Activity: Choose  a random word and freewrite for eight minutes. Read the change-of-perspective position papers in groups of three. Read one of the essays: ChangePPsinSmllGrps):”I Am Not a Camera,” (NotaCamera), and “Give Thanks for Meat” (Give Thanks for Meat) and”The Blueberry Story”(BluebrryStry). Look at form and techniques.  Note how carefully the author analyzed the issue (cameras in the courtroom, the ethics of eating meat, how to improve schools) by showing his conversion.  Use that as a model for examining your own issue.  Treat your issue as important enough to require this degree of self-reflection and important enough to be right to the best of your ability. Make a list of change-of-perspective position paper ideas.   Pick one and begin writing a draft.
3/6: Freewrite activity: start a freewrite with the question: “Do you need to be angry to write a good position paper?” and write for eight minutes. Brainstorm a list of position paper ideas.  Eliminate the tired topics. Review the Position Paper  (Position Paper Assignment). Read “The Road to Creaseless Glory” (Popped) & “What Can a Flawed Test Tell Us, Anyway?” (FlawedTest) and note the range of position papers.   Look for reusable position paper ideas, form ideas and techniques. Read “Don’t Fear the Digital,” (Don’tFearDigital) and look at the use of analogy and a cost/benefits analysis.
3/5: Freewrite activity: start a freewrite with the sentence “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” and write for eight minutes. Review the returned personal essays rubrics and skills (PESkills). Consider the idea of code switching. Look at our intuitive knowledge of grammar through adjective order and sentence construction activities (SentenceExercises). Read, write and share one-sentence poems (One-SentencePoems).

Week of 2/25

3/1: Freewriting Activity: start a freewrite with the word “position” and write for eight minutes. Clarify the difference between a position paper and a personal essay by reading: “Spring Ahead: Fall Apart,” “All Work and No Play” & “Clowns: Please, Oh Dear God, Leave Me Alone.” Generate ideas in groups and share on the board. (PPsinSmllGrps)
2/28: Freewrite activity: Start with the word “Once” and freewrite for eight minutes. Try to alternate longer and shorter sentences. All personal essays google docs re-shared? Read and write curse poems (Write a Curse).
2/27: Look at “A Brief History of Punctuation” (BriefHistryofPncttn) and “Punctuation Usage and Examples” (Punctuation_Definitions) as an introduction to editing our personal essays.  Look briefly at “Rules and Guidelines for Clear and Accurate Writing” (R&GforWrtng), in particular at LIES as a pneumatic device for remembering comma rules.  Proofread personal essays in groups of four different people then you met with yesterday..
2/26: Freewriting Activity: Choose  a random word and freewrite for eight minutes. Pick your own revision group of four people. Share essays following the guidelines of Monday’s workshop (EarlyConfrnce). Personal Essay Final Draft Due: Thursday, February  28. 
2/25: Look at “Metaphors and Cliches” in “Gary Keith Ron.” Review Google doc comments. Continue revising using lateral revision strategies: self-conference, moment/scene or dialogue and change of form (RevisionWorkshop. Begin linear revision by looking at beginning, middle and end and paragraphs.

Week of 2/19

2/22: Freewrite Assignment: Begin with the word “Friends” and write for eight minutes. Keep the pen moving. Review the Personal Essay Rubric. Review the PEWorkshopGuidelines and workshop LH’s personal essay. Look at your own essay in terms of the rubric criteria and choose three things to revise.
2/20: Two volunteers for workshopping personal essays? Review personal essay drafts. Review the writing process and begin revising using lateral revision strategies: complete a self conference, introduce moment/scene or dialogue (RevisionWorkshop.
2/19: Review returned journals (RvwdwJrnl). Type a complete draft of a personal essay that you are willing to revise in A102 . You have three choices: 1) write about a new idea of your own; 2) Use the significant object prompt (begin with a description of an object associated with an influential person, move to the person and finally to a scene that includes the narrator and shows the influence (grannys-radio)’ or 3) read “Salvation,” look at the use of litany, one-sentences paragraphs and the sensory details, and write about a time you lost or found faith or 4) Read “A New Perspective” (A New Perspective) and generate a list of reusable essay ideas, form ideas and techniques. Begin an essay of your own using at least one idea for each column. (For example: write an essay about an issue now seen from a different perspective.  Also borrow form ideas (90% in old perspective) and techniques (repetition, sensory details. etc.).

Week of 2/11

2/13: Freewriting Activity: Write for eight minutes starting with the word “Accident.” Look at tone/attitude, (Tone Continuum) in particular tones along the continuum from earnest to sincere to ironic to sarcastic to cynical.  Read “The Ruin of Me” (The Ruin of Me) and Saved. (Stupid and Stupider has a similar tone to “Ruin.”) Choose one of your personal essay starts and begin a draft with a different tone.
2/13: Freewrite: Write about something dull and keep it dull. Every sentence must be so dull that it renews the dullness. Say the title seven times in the piece. Review the writing sample patterns and look at purpose, audience, form and voice. Review the Personal Essay Assignment as well as general feedback from the essay drafts. Read “Granny’s Radio” as an example of an essay that begins with a description of an object associated with an influential person, moves to the person and finally to a scene that includes the narrator and shows the influence.

Week of 2/4

2/8: Freewrite: Explore the three poisons (passion, aggression and indifference) to get the right distance from the subject. From a list of random words, put a star next to things you find attractive, put a minus next to things you feel repelled by and an X next to things you’re indifferent to. Choose something you are indifferent about and write about it with passion (The Three Poisons). Share goals and look at variety (mechanical, product, process, attitude, skill), clarity and achievability. Review “Life at Home and Abroad” (Life Abroad) and write a deliberately bad essay.
2/7: Read, write and share litanies (Litanies).  If time allows read, write and share one-sentence poems (One-SentencePoems).
2/6: Work on your personal essay draft in E102 (TmdWrtgPEChoices). Share your google doc at the end of the period. (You will have a chance to revise tonight. I won’t read it until tomorrow night.)
2/5: Freewrite: Think about a subject that you’ve tried to write about many times. Start with “Every now and then I tell my story…” Incorporate random words/suggestions thrown in: math, a musical instrument, moldy bread, Frank Sinatra, rubber, Miss Bangladesh, the Army Corp of Engineers, trusting, the lady, quotidian horror, wisdom. Review the timed write prompts (Personal Essay Prompts). Share goals. Read  “Life at Home and Abroad” (Life Abroad) and look for reusable ideas, form ideas or techniques. Read “Even Homeowners Need Heroes” and look at form and using your writer’s license to show change.
2/4: Freewriting Activity: Pick a random book, a random page, choose the first interesting noun and write for eight minutes. Read “Chasing the Night”  (ChasingTheNight) and look for reusable ideas, form ideas or techniques.  Begin a personal essay draft using ideas from each column.

Week of 1/28

2/1: Freewriting Activity: start a freewrite with the word “present” and write for eight minutes. This is practice in neuroplasticity, mental flexibility. Check homework: Write a “My Physics Teacher” or “This is just to say” inspired poem. Look at ways to structure a personal essay. Read “The Philosopher.” Generate personal essay ideas, form ideas and techniques. Start an essay of your own using at least one idea from each column.
1/29: Pick a random book, a random page, choose noun or verb, choose the first interesting “noun” and write for eight minutes. Rules: 1) Write continuously; 2) Every sentence must be three words shorter or longer than the previous sentence; 3) At least every other sentence contains an image; 4) Thrown in the middle: “But that’s not quite right.” The interesting freewrite is usually not the first thing written. Look at a few sensory descriptions. Writing from models: Read  “My Physics Teacher” and “This is just to say“ (My PT-This is-MyTrig). Look at poem ideas, form ideas and techniques.  Write a poem using one or more of those ideas and techniques.
1/28: Begin writing about a pivotal moment in your life with “Here’s what happened.” While you are writing I will bother you with “shifters”: But, however, I just lied, and yet strangely enough, in other words, then again, It’s as if, maybe. Look at the sensory description examples (Sensory Desc). Review your list of ten ideas for a personal essay. Write an intensive freewrite draft about one of the them. Look at a personal essay, The Crane, and tease out some of the essential qualities.

Week of 1/23

1/25: Freewriting Activity: Pick a random book, a random page, choose the first interesting verb and write for eight minutes.The training and practice consists of working on the three practices: Outer (writing regularly), Inner (working the muscles, playing with techniques, freewriting) and Secret (learning and working to be open to surprise). The route to being surprised is Writing Off The Subject. Generate and share a list of the qualities of good writing and look at the JBHS Writing Rubric (Diagnostic).  Review the writing process (The Writing Process) and make a list of ten ideas for a personal essay.
1/24: Freewriting Activity 1: Choose a random phrase from book and begin writing. If you get something, hit a stride, go with it and ignore the rules. Review Intensive Freewriting. Free writing is training that will give you an edge as a writer. Freewriting Activity 2: “Cousins.” Review the expectations for the Journal (Journal). Look at the qualities of good writing and the JBHS Writing Rubric (Diagnostic).
1/23:  Share names, reasons for being here, and goals for course.  Overview of the course (CW Overview).  Intensive Freewriting is training that will give you an edge as a writer. Assignment: Pick a random book, a random page and  choose the first interesting topic or word or phrase and write for eight minutes. The rule is: You have to keep the pen moving. You have to accept every detail. (Like the first rule of improv: Just go with it.) Embrace the random. Review the new class cell phone policy (Cell Phone Letter JP).