Circular Poetry!!!

In a lyric poem, sensory details musically work together to convey an emotional experience.
Along the shore, seashells gather until the tide takes them back to sea.

One such seashell is called the "Nautilus".  This delicate creature began life in a tiny room that it built around itself.  As it continued to grow, it built larger rooms that gradually wond their way around and around that first small room.

Early American Poet Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote about this interesting sea creatures in his poem, " The Chambered Nautilus."  Eventually, the creature slips from the last chamber, and empty shelll is left behind.  The powm infers that, as we grow, we also  move forward, becoming a new person; we can't relieve the past.

In today's challenge, create a short lyric poem that gives advice or offers a special insight into life.  On your W.A.L.L. begin brainstorming the topic, rhyme scheme, and words you will be weaving together.

If you get stuck on the topic, think of another natural element (the trees in the fall, tiny grains of sand, eagles, earthworms, even mosquitoes).  Finally, pull your ideas together to create a first draft.


EXAMPLE:

107. The Chambered Nautilus

THIS is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sails the unshadowed main,—
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,	5
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.
Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is the ship of pearl!
And every chambered cell,	10
Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed,—
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!
Year after year beheld the silent toil	15
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year's dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,	20
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wandering sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born	25
Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!
While on mine ear it rings,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:—
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!	30
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!

Characterization Review!!!!

As a reporter for the Literary Press, you are to interview a literary character from a book or short story you have read.

First, decide who you will interview.  Aside from his/her basic background information, there are three important questions you want to ask this character:
1. Why were you chosen for this role in the story?
2. What other character was considered for your part?
3. Why wasn't the other individual chosen?

Let your character answer these questions in his/her own words. Example: "Actually, i wasn't George Orwell's first choice for the role of Boxer, the horse, in Animal Farm. No, he had some crazy idea that Count Fleet would be better, but what kind of name is that for a horse who works on a farm? Besides, when Orwell was writing the story in 1945, Fleet was busy winning the Triple Crown- three of the biggest races in America- so he wasn't even available for the part. That's why he settled on me."

Now it's your turn.

Underwater Theme Park :Parts of Speech!!!!

Spongebob Squarepants and all his friends are so excited!!!!They are going on a vacation to an underwater theme park.  Two of you are going along to take pictures.  At the end of the day, you will look back through hundreds of photogaphs and select five pictures to print and label, using active verbs.

For Examples:
Picture#1
Mr. Krabs growls at the camera as he emerges from the Seagrass maze.
Picture #2
Spongebob slurps down a sixteen-ounce Frozen Algae Foam.
Picture#3
Patrick Star races to the finish line in the Seahorse Race. the

Tassk:
Describe five photographs using active verbs.
Be sure to identify the individuals in each photo as well as activity taking place.

Name Game!!!! Sentence Structure

When people text each other, mucgh can be said with only a few letters.  Acronyms such as LOL( laughing out loud) use the first letter of each word to represent a thought or idea.  For this challenge, however, ONLY complete sentences may be used.  That means that every group of words must form a complete thought and have a subject (or an understood subject) and a verb.
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EXAMPLE:
Amy has just discovered something interesting.  if she takes each letter of her name, she can make a sentence"Add More Yellow". This is the Acronym Game, in which each first letter of a name is used as a separate word.

In This game, however, the words must make a complete sentence.  Amy also could have created "Ask My Yak" or "Aunt Maggie Yawned".  Even if your name is Cy you can still participate in this task: "Chris Yodeled".

In this task, you will use your name as an acronym to develop at least three sentences.
You can use either a dictionary or thesaurus.

BE Creative
Have Fun!!!!

Please view the following link and write down a short response on your views in regards to the video.  What did you like best? what could've been omitted? How can "WE" as a class benefit from such activity????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI5rtUHuVGc&feature=player_detailpage

Eight Days a Week: Myth!!!

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Franzday, Friday.....Franzday?  What is there really was an extra day in the week?

The task today is to consider this new day of the week..Like the other weekdays, this one will also be named after a god, the fictitious Norse god Franzor.

Who was the god Franzor, and what special powers did he possess? How should people observe Franzday? What is its special significance?

Descriptive Writing!!!

Amazingly, scientists at the Walters Planetarium have discovered a new star on the horizon.  As the lead investigator on the team, you have the honor of naming the star.
What will it be called? What does it look like? What type of physical characteristics does it possess? On your post, name this unique object and then describe it using vivid adjectives and active verbs.

Example:
Kyrial: An orange glow radiates from its rocky surface.  Through the hazy outer layers of its thick atmosphere, tiny rays of light flicker from cliffs of towering quartz.

Animal Antics! Idoms!!

Quit Horsing around!!!!! Don;t hog the Blanket!!! We're sitting ducks!!!When things aren't going well, animals get all the blame in the idiom game.  Can you think of other examples of idioms that include the use of animals? For this challenge, create a list of four common idioms plus two original idioms. Use each original idiom in a sentence.