Your Inner Child!

Taken from Google Images

 

This is a writing exercise to get you in touch with your child-self before we start writing your children's books! Choose one of the prompts below and write it as your child-self (this is going to take some thought)! 

What kind of things would you have to say about one of these topics when you were 5 years old? 7 years old? 9 years old? If you're feeling brave, use your multi-genre sheet! Make sure that you write in a child's voice - your child voice!

a. What do you want to be when you grow up? Why?

b. What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you? Why was it so scary? What did you do about this scary thing?

c. Talk about a time in which you felt proud of yourself. What did you do and why did you do it? Did you receive any awards for this task?

d. What are the differences between boys and girls in how they act? Why do you think that boys act one way and girls act another?

e. What would you do with a million-billion-zillion dollars? What would buy and why?

MG #5 - Magazine Article

For the first 10 minutes of class, I want you to read an article in the magazine that you brought. Does the genre of the magazine determine the types of articles that are written? How?  What is the importance of audience? What other techniques do publishing companies use in their magazines that hold reader interest? I mean, a magazine isn't simply made up of a bunch of articles, right?  What else do you see upon the pages?

For the next genre, we will be exploring elements of magazines and come up with a list of "genres" within a magazine that make up the publication as a whole. What can you find? Let's brainstorm and collaborate together!

Taken from Google Images



Think about a way in which you could incorporate various elements of a magazine into your multi-genre project. Here are some things to ponder before you get started:

• What kind of magazine would relate to your multi-genre topic? Womens' interest? Mens' interest? Health? Beauty? Sports?
  
• Who is your target audience? Who is most likely to buy the magazine, and how would you write the article for that specific group of people?
  
• What kind of photos, headings, and statistics could you use to make your piece more engaging and interesting for your readers?
  
• What type of advertisements do you see in the magazine?  Could you incorporate an ad into your MG project?

MG #4 - Diary/Journal Entry

Taken from Google Images

 

"It's an odd idea for someone like me to keep a diary; not only because I have never done so before, but because it seems to me that neither I - nor for the matter of anyone else - will be interested in the unbosomings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl. Still, what does that matter? I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart."

-Anne Frank

If you haven't already guessed, the genre we will be focusing on today is a diary or journal entry. What's the point in keeping a diary, you might ask? A diary entry is one of the most personal forms of writing simply due to the fact that the writer believes that his/her eyes will be the only ones to ever gaze upon the page. A diary is a place where one can disclose innermost thoughts - the reality, the raw nature, of one's life.

Anne Frank had thought this, but when her diary was discovered, a piece of history and a piece of a human heart were also discovered. Frank's diary has become one of the most famous pieces of literature in all history, and all because a little girl got a blank book as a gift. Her diary is history, thoughts, and emotions frozen in time.

For this piece, I want you to think about how you could incorporate a diary entry into your multi-genre project.  You could even use it for repetend, so think of a good place for a diary/journal entry to write for your piece, and expose whatever raw thoughts and emotions you or your character may have.

MG #3 - Interview

Taken from Google Images

 

For your third and final genre this week, you will be writing up an interview for your multi-genre project.  You have already written a poem and a letter, so think about how you could incorporate an interview into your project.  There are many different types of interviews conducted for many purposes, and you get to choose a scenario and run with it. 

 

Stuck?  Think about how an interview is structured.  In most instances, an interview consists of one person asking questions to gain knowledge (the interviewer) and the other person responding to the questions asked, providing that information for better understanding in any given situation (the interviewee):

Interviewer - Why are interviews effective for multi-genre projects?

Interviewee - Well, I think that writing an interview (fictional or not) is a good way for students to understand the thoughts of their characters, or even their own thoughts during the writing process.

Interviewer - Should students look at writing an interview like writing dialogue?

Interviewee - Yes!  An interview is dialogue, so students must make sure that the dialogue that they write for the interview is effective and ultimately moves the piece forward.

Interviewer - So, could a student interview an actual person for this genre?

Interviewee - Absolutely.  It may even make the interview more authentic!  Students should experiment and see where this genre takes their project!

As always, think about where this interview that you write will fit into the big scheme of things!

Let's Write a Letter! MG #2

Taken from Google Images

 

There are many different kinds of letters - letters of complaint, letters of recommendation, thank you letters, cover letters, or even just a letter to your grandma to let her know you're doing okay.  No matter what type of letter you choose, this is the general format:

 

Mr./Miss Your Name
Your Street Address/PO Box
Your City, Your State, Your Zip Code

Person Receiving Letter
His/Her Street Address/PO Box
His/Her City, State, & Zip Code

Today’s Date (ie – March 29, 2012)

Dear Receiver,

This is a basic letter in block format. When writing letters you need to use complete sentences, correct spelling, and proper punctuation. Put one space between each word and do not use enter on the keyboard until you get to the end of the paragraph.

The first paragraph in a letter should explain who you are and why you are writing. In the second paragraph you will give details as to the content and purpose of the letter. In the third paragraph you will restate the purpose in the first paragraph, and thank the reader for their time.

Use only proper English in written communication. Abbreviations, text-language, and emoticons make a poor impression on your letter readers. Written communication makes a lasting impression on the reader, and letters - although they are a lost art - are a big deal. So follow this simple format when you write a letter for your multi-genre project!

Thank you for your time,

 

Your Name

 

For this genre you will be writing a letter, and you get to pick which kind.  Would a letter of complaint or a goodbye letter work best in your MG project?  You choose.  Before you write, think about this letter's place in the big scheme of your project - what purpose will it serve? What theme will it carry?  And where will it be placed within your other pieces?

Multi-Genre #1 - Poem

Taken from Google Images

 

The first genre we will be exploring for this unit is poetry! 

Think about the three topics you are considering for your Multi-Genre Project.  Which one is most appealing to you?  How could you incorporate a poem into that project?  What would that poem say to your readers?  How would it carry the theme of your project? 

A poem is one of the five required genres you can use for this assignment, so think about a way to use what you write today as a mere puzzle piece in the big puzzle that will be your multi-genre project.  Below are some tips for writing poetry:

-Use imagery that paints pictures in the reader's mind

-Think about perspective; who is the speaker of your poem, and what does he/she have to say?

-Use poetic devices like similes, metaphors, alliteration, and personification to add life to your work

-Set the tone for your reader based on the diction (words) you use

-Use the 5 senses - sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell

-Try to make it rhyme!

To Get You Started...

Creeeeeepy.
Taken from Google Images

 

Begin this writing exercise with one of the following:

 

1. They met in an online chat room for people who...

 

2. He always looked so uncomfortable...

 

3. Clowns always made her...

In addition to using one of these to begin, also use the character "formula" that we used yesterday to create a realistic character for this writing exercise!