Announcements and Reminders:
 September 18-21. You will be writing pretests for argument and informative writing, and may have extra time to read.
Remember to choose and read your
Book-of-the-Month!
(a novel -- any genre)
Sign up for your book, so it can be approved by the teacher.
Sign-ups were due by September 11! You can still sign up!
Have your book read by September 26/27.
See the tab above for "Required Reading" to learn more about the assignment.
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Targets for Today:
I can imitate a well-made sentence.
I can write an effective description of a place. |
Today’s Agenda:
Copy this sentence into your composition book
Label this CSI #4, and add today's date, 9/14/18 or 9/17/18.
Write down three or more things you notice about the sentences (English class things such as punctuation, spelling, parts of speech, sentence type, etc. The sentence is correct – no errors in it.)
Now, look at these imitations, using different topics:
Hector's room smelled of gym socks, Hot Cheetos, and lies.
--- Jeff Anderson
My car smells of Armour-All vinyl cleaner, banana peels, and teenagers.
--- Ms. Dorsey
Now, write one of your own, following this pattern:
[imitate the original sentence, writing about a different topic.]
[Place] smells of _________________, _________________, and ________________.
(If you have extra time, read!)
Narrative Writing, Lap 1: Descriptive Writing
Last time students received a tape-in for the composition book about Characteristics of Descriptive Writing. It should be tape it in on the next page of your composition book. Narrative Writing -- fictional or nonfictional Look at your list of stories you could write (in your composition book). Pick one -- or add a new one --that you think you'd most like to write about. Lap 1: Description of a Setting -- Think about the setting you will describe -- fictional or nonfiction, one you can use in your narrative, and describe a setting in that story. Lap 2: Write a scene (for your story) as a scene from a play Lap 3: Change your scene into regular prose -- a story Lap 4: Put together several scenes to tell a story. I have a dog! 
See examples, then begin drafting. See Helps and Enrichment below.
You are writing a description of a setting for the narrative (story) you will write later.
This is JUST description. You are not yet telling the story.
A snapshot is usually better than a panorama.
It should be a paragraph or more long.
Title it "Description," and add today's date.
Write a first draft of your paragraph in your composition book.
Write in pencil.
Write every other line.
Ask yourself if you are "showing" your reader the place,
not just telling about it.
A2 listened to "Tuning" by Gary Paulsen
B-Day Classes did not.
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If You Were Absent:
You can do your CSI assignment and your descriptive writing on paper that you will tape into your composition book, or you can make up the work during cavetime or after school.
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Vocabulary:
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Help and Enrichment
Descriptive Writing Sensory Details: Count them off on your fingers! Fingers for Writing with Sensory Images From what perspective should I describe the place I've chosen?
In what order should I describe the place I've chosen?
Imagery Examples of Effective Description -- See the description of a place! Description Internal Text Structure -- See the description of a place!
Descriptive sentence:
The following excerpt is from Moominvalley in November by Tove Jansson
The forest was heavy with rain and the trees were absolutely motionless. Everything had withered and died, but right down on the ground the late autumn's secret garden was growing with great vigour straight out of the mouldering earth, a strange vegetation of shiny puffed-up plants that had nothing at all to do with summer. The late blueberry sprigs were yellowish-green and the cranberries as dark as blood. Hidden lichens and mosses began to grow, and they grew like a big soft carpet until they took over the whole forest. There were strong new colours everywhere, and red rowan berries were shining all over the place. But the bracken had turned black.
The following excerpt is from The Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli
Luscious rose brittles capture the light in air bubbles that seem to move on a sunny day. They line the outer walls. Bright red buttery caramels form a cornice on every window. Palest of jellied gumdrops stick up in cone-shaped mounds along the roof. I know they are delicious, though I do not indulge myself. Their sight is enough of a pleasure. The entire log house is decorated with candies. I've achieved a harmony of lights and darks that would bring a flush to my Asa's face. I know that. Or maybe I just fool myself into believing that. Can you guess what this is describing? The Entrance Hall was so big you could have fitted the whole of the _________s’ house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at __________, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. |
