Integrated Writing, section 1: "The Veldt" Text Detectives

Using your text detective skills, PROVE in writing your argument that the parents were killed by the lions at the end of the story. Use evidence in the form of quotations from the text, and explain (overexplain) how your evidence supports your argument!


Watch Deadmau5 video for their song "The Veldt," which is based on the story!


Homework: Text Detective writing due Monday.

Language Arts 11: Viral Marketing and Memes

Warmup: vocab check. Define the five words (from the last articles we read) listed on the screen.

Notes with definitions of viral marketing and of meme.

View examples of each.

Write your own "First-World Problems" meme.


Homework: For Monday, bring in your favorite meme. Print out a copy, or email it to me by Sunday
evening.

Language Arts 10: The Pearl Anticipation Guide

Fill out the Anticipation Guide handout, marking whether you agree or disagree with each of the twelve statements. Take a stand--don't be wishy-washy!

On the back of the paper, write a paragraph about each of the TWO statements you feel most strongly about. 

These statements are all ideas used as themes in The Pearl. 

Graded class discussion. A nonvolunteer picks a statement to discuss. Volunteers then will be able to respond. When the statement is exhausted, a new nonvolunteer is chosen. 

Homework: None!

Language Arts 12: Magic Realism with a Social Purpose

Writer's Journal entry: We talked yesterday about how "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" made a point about exploitation, and about how the inclusion of the fantastic element helps to strengthen that theme.

Now, brainstorm in writing another way that magic or folklore could be introduced to a realistic story in order to make a social or political point stronger. Explain in a paragraph what could happen in that story.

Discuss examples of magic realism used to make a social or political point. 

Assignment: In pairs, create a magic realism movie-ish poster to demonstrate your understanding of the genre. Your poster should include an image that clearly shows fantastic elements within an ordinary world, delivering a social or political message. Include a tagline or quote (make up the quote yourself) from the hypothetical story as well. Your story and its social message should be told through both the image and the line of text. 

Homework: Poster due on Friday, if not finished in class. 2 points.

Language Arts 9: River of Words poetry

Warmup: In your writer's journal, list as many water-related words as you can think of. Win a point of extra credit by having the longest list of words that no one else thought of!

Read poems from previous winners of the River of Words poetry contest.

Draft your own poem for the contest.

Homework: River of Words poem due Friday. It must be at least 15 lines long, and typed or written neatly in ink. Include imagery, metaphors, similes, and symbol to make your poem stand out from the rest! (3 points)

Language Arts 12: Magical Realism

Warmup:  On one half of a piece of paper, draw a picture of what you think of when you hear the word "angel."

"In My World" game, for extra credit. 

"In My World" concept attainment with examples and non-examples of magical realism. Based on what all of the examples have in common, how would you define magical realism? 

Notes on magical realism. 

Read Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings."  Reading strategy: 

• Find places where, in a single sentence, you have a magical detail and a realistic detail.

• Mark all of those sentences with a star.

• Underline the magical detail and double underline the realistic detail. MARK AT LEAST TEN. 

Revisit your angel drawing. On the other half of your paper, draw a picture of the angel from the story, using the passages of descriptive imagery to create your representation.


Homework: None!

Language Arts 9: River of Words, Arizona Water Web

Today we had a visit from Yajaira Gray, of the Pima County Natural Resources Department.

After discussing the sources of water and consumers of water in our local area, you participated in a hands-on demonstration. You created a model of what happens to our water resources when there are competing demands from a wide variety of water users.


Homework: None!  Tomorrow we will be working on writing original poetry for the River of Words poetry contest. How can you turn what you learned today into a poem?