Please read your novel in verse over the weekend. We will looking at selected poems from you book on Tuesday.
Thursday - Riverdale field trip - visit to a famous Little Free Library…
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You have each been tasked with writing a 12 (or more) line poem about the Maze Runner. This can includes important events, key characters and/or how you feel about the book. Please write in rhyming couplets. See me if you wish to read some examples.
Possible first line to get you started... Tom arrived in the box, cold and hungry, one day He had no idea how to act or what to say Please be ready to hand this in on Tuesday, June 3, 2014. On Tuesday, we will begin our new short unit: Novels Written in Verse. “Shouldn't someone give a pep talk or something?" Minho asked, pulling Thomas's attention away from Alby.
"Go ahead," Newt replied. Minho nodded and faced the crowd. "Be careful," he said dryly. "Don't die.” Keep Reading, Keep Reading!! Last week, we discussed Thomas' "crime" of leaving the Glade to help Alby and Minho in the Maze. Do you think that Thomas ran out of the Glade with the main intention of helping the other boys or was he overcome with curiosity? Do you think that the Council's punishment of one day in the "Slammer" is appropriate as a penalty for breaking this rule. This week we will do some persuasive writing as to whether Thomas should be Keeper of the Runners as suggested by Minho. Last week you began working in pairs to produce a map of the Glade. We will continue on Tuesday to finish this off.
While you do this, think about the language that the boys use in the Glade? Why do you think that they have adapted this new language? A few of you need to memorize a portion of a poem to recite to the class. Work on lines that mean something to you...We Real Cool or The Brown Season or the wonderful Digging by Seamus Heaney. All three of those poems have some wonderful images and sounds.
I hope that you all have four similes by now about characters in the Maze Runner. Start listing out event highlights in the book up to the point that you have read. The lift moves back and forth and Thomas wants to hurl...the arrival of the girl...the Grievers..."I never want to leave her"...Can you see some rhyming possibilities for your poem? Keep reading!! Don't forget about memorizing a portion of a poem...see the post from last week!!
Tuesday, April 22: Chapters 1 - 12 Response Similes Figurative language can be a very powerful tool both in poetry and in novels. At this time, I hope that you have read at least 12 chapters of Maze Runner and have met most of the characters in the book (if you aren’t at this point, get reading!!) Your task is to come up with four (2) similes for four characters in the book...one of which can be Thomas. Each of the simile should focus on a different attribute of the character, and at least two of your creations must be non-physical descriptions that you generate. Your similes and metaphors will be graded upon creativity as well as depth of thought. Review of a simile: a comparison of one thing with another using the words like or as Thomas is as brave as a lion. Ben battled the other boys like a furious hornet trapped in a room. Once you are done, go to the computer lab and post your similes on Good Reads so that everyone can view them. Thursday, April 24 - poetic chapter summary Armed with the images from your similes (and your classmates’ creations) as possible inspiration, your task is to summarize the book, thus far, in the form of a 12-16 line poem. The poem should have a rhyme scheme, and it should address as many of the major events that you can think of. Here are some possible rhyme schemes The first is AABB, the second is ABAB, and the third is ABCB: My cat is nice. A My cat likes mice. A My cat is fat. B I like my cat. B My cat is nice. A My cat is fat. B My cat likes mice. A I like my cat. B My cat is gray. A My cat is fat. B My cat is cute. C I like my cat. A Take a look at the poems that we have studied to find some other creative rhyme schemes: - We Real Cool - How do I love thee? Friday, April 25 - simile and poem sharing Be prepared today to share the similes and poem that you have created. Keep reading The Maze Runner!! Every Friday, we take a look at the poem. Remember Digging by Seamus Heaney, Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes, and the Brown Season by Clea Roberts. How about We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks and Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost. I choose some of these poems because they related in some way to the theme that we were discussing in the our books or they represented a slice of what was happening outside our doors such as springtime or simply because I love the way that they sound.
For Tuesday, I would like you to choose one of the poems which you really like and see if you can memorize all or part of it to recite to the class. Try a few lines and once you have those mastered, add a few more. Any questions, come and see me in the library! Our book / movie comparison unit is now complete. All comparison papers are due by this Thursday, April 11th. If you have any questions, please come and see me. On Tuesday we will start reading a class book...James Dashner's bestselling thriller The Maze Runner. Check out this trailer to find out what is store for you... Everyone must be finished their novel by Friday. This will give you time to watch the corresponding movie over spring break and complete your comparison chart. It is a good idea to do this while you are watching the movie so you don't forget the similarities and difference.
We will take the first class when we return to write up our contrast and compare paper. After spring break, we will be reading a class book together: Maze Runner by John Dashner. Some of the characters in Spellbound, the documentary that we watched in class, had similiar experiences as Junior has in Sherman Alexie's book The Absolutely True History of a Part Time Indian. Taking the speller Angela as an example, be prepared to write about how these characters deal with their situations and how they pursue their dreams.
Keep reading your movie book! Who would you cast in the movie version of your tale!?! |
Madame Clarke:
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