Another brief update today.

Tomorrow:

E3H will only meet briefly, as there are Counselor Seminars.

CW will finish going over portfolio requirements and then move to P2P.

E2H will move on to something new...and something old...

:-)

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now i want a cheeseburger...

Can't listen to songs about burgers all day without some kind of repercussion, I guess. Damn!

So...

Tomorrow is a late start day. Once you arrive...

CW will be talkin' smack about portfolios. (Well, talkin' portfolios, anyway.)

E3H will be eatin' stuff and watchin' fantasias.

E2H will be startin' somethin' new...

Where does that leave you tonight? Exactly where you were last night!

Today's Missed Conferences: only Iain...but check the latest schedule; do you have any missed conferences? (HL in red?) MAKE THEM UP!!!:

Tomorrow's Conferences: Jeffrey, Harrison, Cole, Alex, Carolyn, Stacey. Max, Kyle G, Laurel (NOTE: LATE START DAY; CHECK TIMES FOR OUTSIDE OF CLASS CONFS!!!)

Here's a two-parter from an Italian director (Bruno Bozzetto) riffing on Disney and Ravel's "Bolero":

Part One:

Part Two:

And, just for fun, Cheeseburger Lovers:

J: imaginary cheese Music: "cheeseburger in paradise"--jimmy buffet

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a quick update (with a great video)

Not much to report today, to be honest. :-)

We basically reviewed the weekend in all classes. CW spent some time on portfolios...much more to come on that topic. 3H started discussing the "dream class" (which you may continue online in Sara's thread in "General Discussions"). We'll talk fantasias tomorrow. Oh, if you want to read and leave feedback for your classmates' metapoems, feel free! In 2H, we had RW, with WW tomorrow.




Today's Missed Conferences: NONE!

Tomorrow's Conferences: Laura C, Brittni D, Austin M, Julia S, Kenny S, Iain B, Neil P, James G, Rheanna D, Jordan B, Alex A, Kelly M

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a whole new world

I love epiphanies. They don't come all that often, but when they do it's just such fun! And my huge "we can make E3H anything we want" epiphany might turn out to be extremely fun...depending on where we take it. So spend some time this weekend and really brainstorm: you know what we have to do, what we have to cover, etc. But within that framework, what have you never been able to do in an English class here because the class has simply been too large to make it work? Or what are the most important things that we could do in class to make it utterly fantastic for you?

With so few students, I see no reason that we should not be able to re-invent this class to give everyone the best possible experience that he or she can have. And here's a challenge to work with: I see no reason why everyone in these small sections should not go into December with the opportunity to get an A in this class. Everyone. (Why not???) :-)

And while we're at it... the E2H section is not particularly large either, so why should anyone in there struggle? Reminder: If you ever need assistance, see me right away!!! Don't let things hang until they get so bad that you feel overwhelmed; just come in and talk, or send an email. I promise: I don't bite. (And even if I did, I'm up to date on my rabies shots.)

HW:

In CW, we concluded our discussions of how to take a character from initial conception to story. Your assignment this weekend: begin to do so. Specifically: Write the first couple of pages of your story, and then rewrite it in a completely different point of view. Remember that this involves more than merely changing the pronouns.

In E3H, we discussed a couple of the Ch 6 poems and I said that I'd have you write an essay over the weekend. You may do so if you choose. The topic of the essay is figurative language in poetry, and you may create your own thesis based on any of the poems we have read other than those we specifically discussed in class. Alternatively, you may discuss this topic on the now-open Figurative Language child board in the Poetry section. Such conversation should not be a "chat"; it should be substantive analysis with peer response. Requirements: The essay alternative should again be about 500 words. The board conversation alternative should encompass at least four posts made at varying times whose substance would be equivalent to an essay of that length.

In E2H, we finished up the "Civil Disobedience" conversation and explained this weekend's essay, the specific assignment for which can be found in last night's post. (See below or, if it was bumped, in the archive on the left.)

have a great weekend!!!

J: #16 Music: Sixteen--The Indelicates; Silly 70's: You're Sixteen--Ringo Starr, Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo

It's good to know that our Commander in Chief has at least one thing down pat: his smile is the most consistent thing in the known universe:

Barack Obama's amazingly consistent smile from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.

Today's Missed Conferences: Emma F, Neil P, Katie M, Laura C, Max B, Alex M

Monday's Conferences: Kara Z, Johnny P, Megan W, Julia S

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sick days

There are some days when it's not worth it to get out of bed. And there are some days when you just can't. That was me the last two days; sorry I missed you guys. It was not much fun.

Anyway, I'm back, and today went reasonably well. A couple of announcements before we get going:

1. Ellen Hopkins is coming tomorrow. She will be here 8th Period. If you wish to hear her, sign up in the library.
2. I'm still missing a couple of permission slips. Where are they?
3. Both E3H and E2H will have paperback texts to purchase next week. You'll need maybe $20 for two books. I'll know the exact amounts when they come in.

OK, back to your previously scheduled blog message:

In CW today, we discussed POV as it relates to developing character. We briefly touched on setting as well, and left with the assignment to write to someone you know very well, past or present, fictional or real, and tell him or her "I love you"...and mean it.

In E3H today, we discussed the poems in Ch 5 and the various kinds of metaphors. For HW, read Ch 6 on symbol and allegory, paying attention to the following poems especially: "The Road not Taken," "A Noiseless, Patient Spider," "To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time," "Curiosity," and "The Writer."

In E2H today, we had excellent discussions (again!) about Thoreau. These will continue tomorrow, when we will also take a look back at the quotes we started with a few weeks ago.

Over the weekend...

Here are a couple of links to discussions of what Transcendentalism is:

http://www.transcendentalists.com/what.htm
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/ideas/tr-aldef.html

and one link to just about everything transcendental:

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism.

And as a refresher (and a simple list), here are some of the most important ideas found in Transcendentalism:

· Oversoul

· Importance of Nature

· Self-confidence

· Non-conformity

· Self-reliance

· Free thought

· Simplicity

· Getting the most from life

· Society’s effect on the individual

· Importance of dreaming big

OK. First of all, and this is important, you don't need to read all of the pages listed above. Just visit them and skim through them until you feel comfortable moving on to the following:

In an essay of between 600-800 words, discuss the importance of or influence of Transcendentalism in modern society. In your essay, you must:

• quote from at least one of the web pages listed above,
• quote directly from both Emerson and Thoreau, and
• cite examples of transcendental thought in modern culture or society.

The first draft of this essay will be due on Monday. For this essay we are going to try something new, for those who wish to participate:

We're going to try some online editing and review, but in order to do so we need to set up some access. If you want to be involved, this is what to do:

• Go to google.com and open a google account
• Compose your paper on googledocs (google documents)
• Send it to me by "sharing" it with me (use e2h@sunspark.com)
  
• Make sure that "to edit" is checked in the share box

Otherwise, simply e-mail it to me as usual. Either way is fine; no worries. Note that this draft is not the final graded essay, but it must be a completed draft.


J: bugs Music: Scorpion--Lucy Kaplansky






Today's Missed Conferences:Cole B, Sarah B, Andy W

Tomorrow's Conferences: (check schedule for times) Emma F, Jeffrey N, Laura C, Katie M, Emma N, Neil P, Stephanie C, Max B, Alex M

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seminar tomorrow

Don't forget: I have a seminar tomorrow and will be missing the entire day. I know: I'll miss you all too. But it's going to help me to be a better teacher, so that's a good thing, right? :-)

(CW-ers: I forgot this when I was in class today; I'll be adjusting what you'll do tomorrow accordingly. Be prepared for P2P and then for a bit of in-class writing.)

E3H-ers: P2P tomorrow; For Wednesday, read Chapter 5 of Sound and Sense, concentrating on the following poems: "The Guitarist Tunes Up," "The Hound," "It Sifts From Leaden Sieves," "Metaphors," "Toads," and ""Dream Deferred." (Feel free to read the others as you read the chapter, but these are the assigned ones.)

E2H-ers: P2P tomorrow; For Wednesday, read the assigned passages of "Civil Disobedience." (See last Wednesday's post.)

Today's Missed Conferences: Nicole C ??

Tomorrow: No conferences. I have an all-day seminar.

Today's videos, connected to today's journal song:

First, a fan video:



Then, an official "Death Cab" video:



And one more official video, with bunnies.

J: into the gloom Music: I Will Follow You Into the Dark--Death Cab For Cutie

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god i need a weekend

So, this week mercifully comes to an end. More great discussions today everywhere: 3H groups were dynamite, 2H discussion was excellent, CW had some wonderful ideas. If you guys keep that up, you'll make my job way too easy. :-)

My apologies to the 8th period conferences, who once again were put off. :-(

The weekend looms...

CW-ers have pretty much the same HW they had yesterday. If you feel comfortable posting your draft, do so on the "Character Sketch" child board.

E3H-ers are (finally) doing the "Writing Metaphors" assignment. The assignment says to post the poems on the "Your Metapoems" child board (under the "E3H/Writing Workshop" board). But you should only do this if you feel comfortable doing so. If not, then just email the poem draft to me.

E2H-ers, do last night's assignment about reading "Civil Disobedience." (See yesterday's blog post.)

Have a great weekend!

Here's one of my favorite videos ever:




Today's Missed Conferences: Alex M

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one day more

This day was good.

Excellent discussions in all periods...the kind of day that I like to have. Even some good conferences! And someday we'll even get to the bottom of the board issues. Someday. :-)

Last night's post having been so absurdly long, I think I'll just get right down to business today:

E3H-ers, we started out with some good conversations about the poems from the poem groups, which we'll continue tomorrow.

E2H-ers, nice work on the Emerson stuff today, and we'll get more into Thoreau tomorrow. The "Civil Disobedience" essay, which you will be reading over the weekend, is located at http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil1.html. Read the following paragraphs in each section:

1. 1,2,3,4,9,10,13
2. 5,6,7,8,9,12,13,14
3. 1,2,3,6,9,10,11,19

CW-ers, we're building a character. Spend time tonight asking questions of your character, trying to find out things about him or her. Where is she from? What does she want? What are his favorite foods? Does she have family? What is his greatest regret? These are just a few of the many questions one might ask of a character. To find more: go to the Related Links page and click on the new Character links.



Today's Missed Conferences: Austin (huh?), Max (why?), Kyle V (???)

J: #9; Music: Nine, Nine, Nine--Square One

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ok...about the boards

I'm really addressing the E3H-ers and E2H-ers here, as the CW-ers have been using the blog only in spots and will continue to do so, but I wonder if I might take a moment to address a few things that might be misconceptions or misapprehensions. I would be delighted to start a conversation and listen to your feedback. As we've taken tons of class time on nuts and bolts issues already, though, would you mind terribly if we do it here? Just respond to this post as a comment if you'd like, and we can open things for discussion.

(Parents, if you wish to add something, go right ahead. It's everyone's forum.)

First of all, I'm pretty impressed with they way that a lot of you are taking to the board discussions. However, that is not, of course, universal. As you can easily note from both the posts themselves and your grades for the first sessions, not everyone is as focused as perhaps I'd like them to be I tried to address that in class, but let me do so again and extend what I said before.

First of all, I gave you the option of mitgating weak initial efforts. No one needed to be stuck with a poor first grade; I did not want that. I simply wanted to open up the concept of the boards, which we will be using on many occasions in many ways this year, and get you used to them. In E2H, I offered a full-class redo. In E3H, where the issue was less severe, I offered extra credit if you asked for it. And I was, I think, outrageously nice about that too: those who sought amelioration were told to write a two page analytical essay on the poem that they had already prepped with their group for discussion tomorrow. It wouldn't be the full grade, but it would definitely help a lot.

(Yes, before you even ask: go ahead. Do it. Even if you didn't seek me out. But do it tonight. And know that I'm not likely to be this nice again.)

So anyway...

I have tried to explain this before, but let me try again in case you do not fully understand: what are we doing these boards for?

First, I think you need to appreciate that the boards are not a replacement for in-class discussion. They are intended to be a supplement to it, a springboard to further discussion, an opportunity for those who did not get their say to express opinions, a way to probe each other's brains for ideas and bounce ideas off of each other, and a very informal exercise in group analytical writing.

They are also not supposed to consume half of your night (unless I suppose you are Christian or Bonamico). If I ask you to post, I am cognizant of that fact and I do not also give other HW due the same day. Posting involves some reading--though not as much as some of you seem to think. (There is no reason to believe that you need to be involved in every single thread that is out there. If you can, more power to you, but that is above and beyond the call.) Become involved in those threads that you find most interesting, just as in Writing Workshop you don't try to edit everyone's piece in the entire room.

There is no reason why a night's posting assignment should take longer than 30-45 minutes, an hour at most, unless you get involved in things and allow it to, which is of course your choice.

Besides, it is very rare that I ever give a posting assignment over a single night, or even two nights. Usually there is at least a weekend, and that almost always means an automatic five days because of workshop extensions. An hour of posting a couple of times over that kind of period really doesn't seem like much.

But...

Maybe it does to some of you. Goodness knows that I was frustrated when I saw all those folks with four posts in two weeks. I didn't expect everyone to have 120, but 4? I don't think you have really given it a fair try. But once you do, maybe you will find that it is not your best assessment tool or discussion tool. But the reality is that you almost definitely will be using this kind of board in college, and getting used to it now is a good opportunity to get ahead. Still, there will likely be with some sort of alternative later on.

The boards are not the only means we have of assessment. They are not even the most important, though they are of course significant. In the unit we are currently in, for instance, the Poetry Unity, we have had one board grade (posted) and one essay (to be posted). There will be another (lesser) board grade attached to what you are now doing and an essay based on some Sound and Sense poems and concepts. And then there will be a creative project. There might be other things, but that is at least five grades, only two of which are boards, and those will only account for maybe 20-25% of the unit grade.

I understand that a few of you are frustrated because the boards seem so important. But they are only a part of things: something has to be the first grade, and the boards just happen to be what I scored first. When all is said and done, they are just one of many different kinds of tools we use.

Does that help answer questions? Do you have others? Should we continue this discussion? Just comment and add you thoughts. It's open forum time.

J: short! Music: Short People--Randy Newman

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is it any funner yet? :-)

(Fifth period understands the titular allusion.)

So are there any questions about Reading Workshop expectations? I did receive this one from a few students today, and I think it is a reasonable one:

If we have to read outside of class anyway, why do we need to make up a missed Monday session?

As I said, it's a fair question. My response is this:

You shouldn't have to. And you won't, once we establish that people are in fact doing what they are expected to do. But since RW is one of those class expectations that is so enormously left up to the individual to fulfill, I need some means of maintaining a minimum standard until then. So I'm asking you to put up with my silliness for this quarter. If we are all doing fine at that point, then the only RC makeup will be for those who come to class unprepared on Mondays.

If you have unresolved questions, just ask. :-)

Since we spent today discussing RW books, we will use the shorter periods tomorrow to do some P2P conferencing in all classes. But be ready on Thursday, sophs and juniors, to continue lit discussions!

(Remember: P2P requires a NEW draft: either an x.0 draft or a brand new piece.)

(Also remember: if you have a conference with me, email me a CONF draft in advance AND an updated WS.)

Looking forward to meeting parents tonight!

J: when parents know Music: Secrets and Lies--Jonatha Brooke



Today's Missed Conferences: None! (If you don't count Austin...)

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the bookladies cometh!

Ah, a day with the bookladies. What could be better????

Do you all have a book to read now? Do you all understand that Reading Workshop is not just for Mondays during class? Add your book selection(s) to your WS. (E2H-ers, wait; you'll learn about this soon.)

Tomorrow it's P2P for all! Be prepared!!! And don't forget to recheck the conference list.

Double video today...



And surely by now you've heard about Kanye's contribution tot he nation's uncivil discourse. Well, within about an hour, someone had posted this:



J: Rex Redux Music: Deja Vu--Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Today's Missed Conferences: Sarah Burkhardt, Julia Saran

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that Tuesday morning

Downer of a discussion today, but 9/11 brings out the worst in me. If you're interested, check out this link for my poem about the Kennedy assassination--the childhood memory that is my generation's version of the terrible loss of eight years ago today.

Anyway...on to bluer skies...

Stuff for this weekend:

CW-ers: compose a piece aimed at an audience of children of a specific age. Have fun!

E3H-ers: be ready for your discussion leadership on Wednesday (Late Start!!!); RW Monday (Bookladies!!!); WW Tuesday (P2P!!!).

New stuff: For Thursday (but start now), board discussions of other metapoems that strike your fancy. (See links at bottom of yellow pages on E3H link.)

E2H-ers: RW Monday (Bookladies!!!); WW Tuesday (P2P!!!) New stuff: read Thoreau's essay excerpts in the online packet. Online discussion about Walden (each section) and Civil Disobedience. Discussion Wed & Thur; we'll be writing about these guys on Fri!!!! By the way: Class on Tuesday and Wednesday will be in Room 305!

New Feature: Today's Missed Conferences:

Luke B and Alex M, where were you? Alex A, see me Monday to reschedule. :-)

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

J: 9/11 Music: "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?"--Alan Jackson

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mea culpa

As I said in class, I dropped the ball last night by not posting here. So, so sorry. And for E3H-ers anyway, it did cause some issues. So again: sorry.

Tonight:

Those E3H-ers should continue their online discussions in the three designated threads (Clock, Video, Stage). If more than one thread exists for a group, please choose one to post in tonight so that things are not repeated. No matter which poems may have been discussed in that thread last night, tonight please discuss the ones your group was focusing on in today's class session.

Tomorrow, you'll be leading large group discussion of your poems, focusing on how the poet says what he or she says; this is below the surface stuff, so don't stick to just water skiing, OK?

E2H-ers, we'll be discussing Emerson's other essays tomorrow in class.

CW-ers, if you did not bring in a memento of your childhood today, please do so tomorrow.

And...

EVERYONE: If you still owe me a permission slip, please bring it tomorrow!!!!

(Is that enough of a reminder, Emma S?) :-)

And now, for your viewing pleasure, something to hum as you go out to protest health care reform:



J: drop the ball Music: The Ball Is Coming Down--Ellis Paul

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Important E2H update

E2H tomorrow (Wed) will be a Reading Workshop. Bring a book to read. Please pass this information to your classmates.

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rusty bolts

Back again after a three-day weekend, and (most unfortunately) it sort of feels as if we never left... The good news, though, is that we'll have another weekend after only three more days!

OK, folks: I don't know about you, but I for one am utterly tired of nuts and bolts crapola. You need more nuts and bolts? Ask me to explain things and I'll do it here. We need to get on with course work in our limited time together. So enough with the explanations of stuff that needs doing; I'll put it here and you check it out, OK? And email me with whatever questions arise.

:-)

That being said...

CW-ers: come ready for conferences tomorrow. We may do something else too, but we'll have time for a conference first. :-) Oh, and check the CW pages for your off-school permission slip (Related links).

E3H-ers: we're back in the saddle again discussing those metapoems. We'll begin with "Ars Poetica" and move quickly through the front page poems before going into some of your favs from the links. Feel free to check out the linked poems if you have not yet done so; there are some great little poems out there! (Oh, and period 5... I'm waiting...)

E2H-ers: after a weak effort over the weekend, we'll try a second time tonight to discuss the Emerson sections online. Now I'm looking for at least six posts from everyone...

J: 20 topics Music: "Stupid American"--Eddie From Ohio"

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Conference Schedule Is Up

Please click on "Conferences" on the tab above.

Find your specific conference date. If you are in CW, you will have one scheduled each week. (Check to be sure it's the same each week.) If you are in 2H or 3H, you will have one every second week, so there should be one somewhere on this schedule, which currently is for the first two weeks.

Please be certain that your assigned time is one you can actually make.

Because today was Labor Day and therefore a day without school, some of you have already "missed" a conference date. Please be responsible to find a day during this two-week window to make up your missed conference. See me to reschedule it ASAP.


Any questions or problems? Email me.

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it's called "Labor Day," right? ;-)

First of all, thank you to those who turned in their permission forms. However, not everyone did so. Please remember to bring it in on Tuesday!!!!

Anyway...

We've made it! The first three-day weekend of the 2009-2010 school year! (And when, exactly, am I going to stop typing a "1" automatically when I begin to write down a year???? I mean it's been almost a full decade for crying out loud!!!)

Anyway...

(I already said that.) (Yes, Mrs. T is a bit slap-happy. 4th cup of coffee today.) So a brief recap of the week is in order. For once (and for perhaps the only time all year), all three classes were in near-perfect harmony. We explored techniques for holding stronger P2P conferences, actually held some that worked well, discussed some workshop nuts and bolts, and ended with a Silly 70's song and a discussion of where we'll be next week. Not shabby. But all good things must end, and so we move on...

Next week...

Well, first of all everyone needs to have a class three-ring binder for writing workshop. And everyone needs to check the "Conferences" tab above at some point later this weekend to find out when you are scheduled for a teacher conference. (Note: I will post a new message here when I have uploaded the conference schedule.)

CW-ers: We will being on Tuesday with P2P's of a new draft of anything--either an x.0 draft of an older piece or something entirely new. Meanwhile, here is another assignment that I'd like you to do over the weekend...another class prompt that I forgot to give you:

At some point this weekend, take a twenty minute walk in a place with which you are thoroughly familiar. During this walk, do everything you can to keep your focus in the here and now; that is, don't think about issues connected to the past or the future, just about what is happening at this moment. Notice everything. And then, when you are through, spend some time writing a journal entry about it. What did you see, hear, feel, etc. that was new to you, despite the familiarity you already had with the place? What struck you?

After you finish the journal entry, put it away. Come back to it a day later, read it, and then see what kind of idea for a piece it generates. We'll look at both the journal entry and the first draft of the piece on Wednesday.

E3H-ers: It's "Ars Poetica" weekend. Here is the assignment: Over the next two days, I'd like to see you discussing online what you think MacLeish is saying in this poem. Hash out the images, the metaphors, and (yes) even the punctuation. (Yep, the colon after "equal to" is important.) When he says "A poem should not mean But be" is he telling us it should actually have no meaning? Or is this another MacLeish misdirection as in the other poem of his we looked at? Or is there a third option? Discuss this at length online.

Monday: Compose an essay (maybe 500 words or so) in which you take a stand about MacLeish's poem and support that stand. Email it to me.

Note re: the overwhelming board presence of Christian and Bonamico:

Always begin new discussion with open threads, but if you determine that their very enthusiastic participation is too much to keep up with at some point, you may (at your option) begin a separate thread without them on the same topic. Simply use the same topic as a subject header but place the initials NCB--non-Christian&Bonamico--before it. I encourage all of you to accept the challenge that their intense board use offers, but I also understand that it may simply be too much for certain conversations. Do as you wish. But again: always begin a topic with an all-inclusive board.

E2H-ers: Where's Waldo? Well...we wonder where, when we watch with withered, weary wills.

Whatever.

He's on the E2H page, that's where! The link is called "Transcendentalist Writings," but on the old E2H pages (and the new ones are not finished yet) the first word is invisible. Click on "writings." Your assignment: Read the Emerson bio stuff and the excerpts from his essays. Read it all but pay particular attention to the highlighted sections. Then, online, find the threads under "Emerson/Thoreau" that are dedicated to each of these essays. I would like you each to post at least once, but preferably twice, in each of these threads. These posts will be graded after this weekend. So make them strong and clear, and use the texts for support of your points.

Note: The biggest difference between posting and formal analytical writing? You are writing informally in a post, so your organizational structure is less critical. And sometimes it is more like a dialogue. But the process of building an argument is pretty much the same.

I found this online and thought you might enjoy it, especially if you like Disney and the musical "Chicago":



J: sleeping in Music: Working For the Weekend--Loverboy Silly 70's I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family

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permission forms needed!

(So, was that title too blunt?) ;-) E2H-ers and E3H-ers, please return permission forms tomorrow. Thanks!

Today's conferences were heartening. Great job, everyone! Tomorrow, the soph and junior classes will get back to their lit focuses (so be sure you're up to date online) while the CW-ers do something different.

CW-ers: Tonight's assignment is to work on a draft of that "Name" prompt, in which you write a piece reflecting your own name with attitude. You may write about how your name sounds, its etymology, how it fits your personality, why you were named that way, why you detest it more than a bowl of mashed termites for dinner, etc. Enjoy.

And E2H-ers and E3H-ers, did I mention that I need those permission forms? :-)



(Why this song? didn't you hear the first line? Thanks Lin Brehmer!)

J: penguins on parade Music: "Allegria"--Cirque du Soleil

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nothing heavy

And we're more than halfway through Week Two!

I think Writing Workshop is getting underway reasonably well in all classes at this point. (Am I wrong?? Maybe in E2H?) The P2P and goldfish bowl conferences today were wonderful, and a big thanks to Sarah B in 2H for being a good sport and letting her piece be critiqued in front of the class. (Hope you got something valuable from it!)

The bottom line is this: we get so much from the workshop experience that it is worth spending the time to learn how to do it well. If that means taking a few days out of literature discussions to get things untracked, so be it. Those discussions won't go anywhere.

With that in mind...

CW-ers, counselor sessions tomorrow but those who will stay should be ready (as always) for P2P.

E3H-ers, be ready for P2p and discussions of poetry; continue online discussions tonight.

E2H-ers, be ready for P2P (with actual printouts this time). ;-)



Ciao,

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tuneless tuesday

Musicless Monday bleeds into Tuneless Tuesday. Thank goodness for the karaoke machine in my closet! I honestly don't know how people existed before the invention of music; did they beat on rocks with mammoth bones?

OK: Some excellent things going on today. I was thoroughly impressed, for example, by the P2P conferences in CW this morning: very focused, very together, very directed. Several of you didn't even want to stop when the period was over! And the comments that you wrote on the board as most helpful varied from grammatical to stylistic to content-building to miscellaneous; obviously there was quite a lot of variety in the commentary and conversation. Great work!

Tonight, CW-ers, revise the piece you conferenced today. Use color-coding; don't forget both the color key and the draft declaration telling where your focuses were in the revision. (Both should be at the top of the page.) Also don't forget about updating your WS, which you should do each time you work on anything.

E3H-ers, we had another good all-class conference (though this one was, I think, mostly me) in 2nd P, and two more in 5th. I hope that each of you took something positive away from them; we'll be doing a session of in-class P2P conferences tomorrow before returning on Thursday to our regular literature programming. ;-)

Tonight, you should examine your Frozen moment piece to see if there is anything you wish to revise at this moment and make whatever revisions you see fit for tomorrow. (Note that revisions should be color-coded; see CW notes above.) In addition to that, there are two more things:

1. procure a three-ring binder for use in writing workshop, and
2. go to the Workshop Summary link on the class page; read what this is and set one up for yourself; email me a copy using the subject header WS (date)

E2H-ers, I hope that the "class conference" we held today made some sense, even if it was not on one of your pieces. (We'll rectify that situation tomorrow.) ;-)

Tonight, try creating your own "frozen moment" piece: freeze a single sparkling moment of your summer and show it in all of its sensory glory. Maybe it sparkles because it was incredibly wonderful; maybe it sparkles in your mind because it is dripping with metaphorical gore. Who knows?

You know what else I don't know? I don't recall what video I said I would try to look up today in E2H. Darn. Sorry about that. Here's something chosen at random:

J: frustrated music: Dancing Clouds Over Oak Creek--Alexander

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