Weeks 14, 15, 16
We've been spending these weeks working on our continuous assessment. I gave feedback and walked everyone through the process. First drafts were pretty high quality - good job! I have gotten the final drafts back and will mark them this week. I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone did!
Today, I have given a revision worksheet. We did the first part in class.
For homework, please complete the reflection at home and hand it in on Friday.
Today, I have given a revision worksheet. We did the first part in class.
For homework, please complete the reflection at home and hand it in on Friday.
Week 12
It's the last week before CNY and we only have one lesson. We hade a very productive lesson, discussing what we will be doing for the second Continuous Assessment. Here's what we're going to do:
- Write a poem about being lost in the mountains. You are alone.
- You need to use at least two (2) of the following literary devices that we learnt this term:
- metaphor
- sensory words
- onomatopoeia
- imagery
- For all of these things, you should go back and re-read the poems in each unit to have a better idea of how to use them.
- You need to use at least two (2) of the following literary devices that we learnt this term:
- Finally, your writing is going to be a poem about being lost in the mountains and also an explanation of what you wrote (kind of like a reflection, but you should also explain the literary devices you used and the meaning behind them).
- Please follow the instructions on p.36, and also carefully go over the marking rubric on page 37 so you know how to get full marks!
Week 11
In today's lesson, we had a really good discussion about what happens to innocent people when war comes to their homes. We also reviewed the poem one more time and went over the questions from the last homework on p.31-32.
We also broke down the meaning of each stanza:
Homework is to complete p.33-34 and hand it in tomorrow.
We also broke down the meaning of each stanza:
- First stanza: the author, a boy, intorducing the other boy who is escaping the war together with him.
- Second stanza: cannons firing, explosions, on the other side of the hill. Cicadas stopped making noise, but there is a dog who has been abandoned by its owners, barking behind the fence in the yard.
- Third stanza: Finding sweet fruit to eat, distracting them from the tragedy going on around them.
- Fourth stanza: They've been separated and the author doesn't know what happened to his friend.
- Fifth stanza: Even when you don't know someone's name, they can mean more to you than "just a friend" when faced with life and death circumstances.
Homework is to complete p.33-34 and hand it in tomorrow.
Week 10
Friday: We re-read the poem today and broke down the stanzas in order to better unsderstand the mesage that the author was trying to convey. This helped us get through the comprehension questions on p.31 and 32.
Homework is to complete pages 31-32 and hand it in on Monday.
Homework is to complete pages 31-32 and hand it in on Monday.
Wednesday: I am so happy to see so many of you "getting it" in these units. What an intelligent group you are! Today we reviewed a bit of what we have learnt in prior lessons this term: metaphors, sensory details, and onomatopoeia.
This unit, we will focus on imagery - or painting a picture in the mind of a readers using words. Good poets are able to do this, as discussed today using the example of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. Frost used a path in a forest as an example for the choices we make in life. This was his way of painting a picture in his audience's mind - through his words. This is someting that we will go deeper into in the upcoming lessons.
Homework is to complete GN p.27-28. Please hand it in tomorrow.
This unit, we will focus on imagery - or painting a picture in the mind of a readers using words. Good poets are able to do this, as discussed today using the example of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. Frost used a path in a forest as an example for the choices we make in life. This was his way of painting a picture in his audience's mind - through his words. This is someting that we will go deeper into in the upcoming lessons.
Homework is to complete GN p.27-28. Please hand it in tomorrow.
Week 9
Wednesday: Fantastic, productive lesson today! First off, we talked about onomatopoeia as a NOUN, VERB, and ADJECTIVE. We used the word BOOM as an example.
Next, we talked about the musicality of the language in the poem Weather.
Finally, we talked about alliteration. Alliteration is when words share the same INITIAL sounds. For example: slither, slather, and slosh. They all start with "S". Merriam uses alliteration very well in Weather. In the end of the poem, the alliteration turns into a kind of chaotic rhyme, but it is effective in making the reader feel something.
Homework is to complete GN p.23-25 and hand it in on FRIDAY. You should write a poem that EFFECTIVELY uses onomatopoeia to convey a feeling about a summer rainstorm. Do not copy Weather and change the words. Your poem should be unique and convey a feeling!
- as a noun: The bomb went off with a boom.
- as a verb: The boulder boomed down the hill.
- as an adjective: The classroom was booming with laughter. / Boom! Went the bomb.
Next, we talked about the musicality of the language in the poem Weather.
- dot a dot dot - cymbals/drums
- umbrella umbrella umbrella umbrella - bass/trombone
- slosh a galosh - rainstick
Finally, we talked about alliteration. Alliteration is when words share the same INITIAL sounds. For example: slither, slather, and slosh. They all start with "S". Merriam uses alliteration very well in Weather. In the end of the poem, the alliteration turns into a kind of chaotic rhyme, but it is effective in making the reader feel something.
Homework is to complete GN p.23-25 and hand it in on FRIDAY. You should write a poem that EFFECTIVELY uses onomatopoeia to convey a feeling about a summer rainstorm. Do not copy Weather and change the words. Your poem should be unique and convey a feeling!
| weather_-_onomatopoeia_2020.pptx |
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Week 8
Friday: Today we went back and looked at GN p.22 again and discussed the poem and the comprehension questions. Remember that the poem Weather, doesn't have much meaning at all - it's just a fun-sounding poem. Poems don't always need to have metaphor, hyperbole, or a deeper hidden meaning. Some poems can just be fun!
No homework today. See you on Wednesday!
No homework today. See you on Wednesday!
Wednesday: Today we learned about ONOMATOPOEIA. It's a topic that we have learned about in the past, but there are some new concepts that we covered in our lesson:
Homework is to complete GN pages 20 and 22.
- There are different kinds of onomatopoeia.
- Real words that sound like real things (e.g., meow, vroom)
- Real words made to evoke the sound of real things (e.g., UMBRELLA in Weather)
- Made-up words that sound like real things (e.g., aluddle, ajuddle)
- A series of letters that make a raw sound (zzzzzz, brrrrrr)
- Onomatopoeia can be a NOUN, VERB, or ADJECTIVE.
- The gun went off with a loud bang! (noun)
- The gun made a banging sound. (verb)
- The gun banged loudly as he pulled the trigger. (adjective)
Homework is to complete GN pages 20 and 22.
| g6_u3_onomatopoeia.pptx |
Week 7
Friday: It was a beautiful day, so we went ouside for our reading lesson and the class picked comfortable spots to read on their own. Nice!
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Wednesday: Today we went deeper into Silverstein's poem and the sensory words that he used in order to convey feeling. Words like rotten, gristly, rancid, rubbery, and blubbery make us FEEL something when we read them, and that's why it's important to use sensory words in our writing.
For this week's homework you need to write a poem using sensory words. First, have a look at the list of sensory words on page 15 of your guiding notes. This will give you a better idea of how to describe the details in your poem. Next, on p.16, you should think about place or situation to write about - a topic. Then, write down details about your poem in the lefy hand column, and also sensory words that help describe the details in the right hand column.
Finally, you should write a poem using some (or all) of the things that you have written on p.16. Your poem should make the reader FEEL something when they read it.
Homework is to complete pages 16 and 17 in your guiding notes and hand it in on Friday.
For this week's homework you need to write a poem using sensory words. First, have a look at the list of sensory words on page 15 of your guiding notes. This will give you a better idea of how to describe the details in your poem. Next, on p.16, you should think about place or situation to write about - a topic. Then, write down details about your poem in the lefy hand column, and also sensory words that help describe the details in the right hand column.
Finally, you should write a poem using some (or all) of the things that you have written on p.16. Your poem should make the reader FEEL something when they read it.
Homework is to complete pages 16 and 17 in your guiding notes and hand it in on Friday.
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Week 4
Wednesday: Today we talked about sensory details and went through the poem, Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out, identifying the sensory details of the poem. The internet wasn't working in the classroom today, so I wasn't able to do everything that I planned for the lesson, but we were able to thoroughly go throguh the poem and get a better understanding of the importance of sensory details in our writing.
No homework this week, and this was also the last class before Christmas, so have a happy holiday and I'll see you again in January!
No homework this week, and this was also the last class before Christmas, so have a happy holiday and I'll see you again in January!
Week 3
Wednesday: I had enough time to read all of your poems that I assigned for homework last week, but I didn't have time to mark them and give feedback yet, so I'll do that on Friday. That being said, I loved your poems and most of you did a wonderful job using metaphors in your two stanzas. Many of you were even able to incorporate rhyme scheme - well done! We started today's lesson with a recap of the first unit, and everybody seems to have a really good grasp on the concepts that we have learnt. For your reference, you can use the picture below for future reference.
After revising the concepts for the first unit, we started the second unit - about using sensory words. Sensory words are important because they help us to SHOW and NOT TELL, as well as evoke feelings in our audience. Remember the fingernails on the chalkboard 😨😨😨😨😨 And remember how we used metaphors to make our readers feel something...
Something that I mentioned in class that I think is very imporant: If there is one thing that I want you to take from our GTE class this year is to write in a way that makes your reader FEEL something. And I loved seeing those lightbulbs over your heads going off today! It feels like you are really getting it!
But on to today's lesson - we talked about the author of this unit's poem - Shel Silverstein. He was a musician, a poet, and a writer. It wasn't until later in his career that he became a children's author, writing his most famous book: The Giving Tree.
We also talked about sensory words (words that make us FEEL). You all have a good idea about what our senses are, and sensory words are just that - words that evoke feelings.
Finally, we read the poem and went over the vocabulary. In the next lesson, we will learn more about the sensory words that Silverstein used and learn how to use them in our own writing.
Homework tonight is to finish GN p.11 vocabulary and hand it in tomorrow.
After revising the concepts for the first unit, we started the second unit - about using sensory words. Sensory words are important because they help us to SHOW and NOT TELL, as well as evoke feelings in our audience. Remember the fingernails on the chalkboard 😨😨😨😨😨 And remember how we used metaphors to make our readers feel something...
Something that I mentioned in class that I think is very imporant: If there is one thing that I want you to take from our GTE class this year is to write in a way that makes your reader FEEL something. And I loved seeing those lightbulbs over your heads going off today! It feels like you are really getting it!
But on to today's lesson - we talked about the author of this unit's poem - Shel Silverstein. He was a musician, a poet, and a writer. It wasn't until later in his career that he became a children's author, writing his most famous book: The Giving Tree.
We also talked about sensory words (words that make us FEEL). You all have a good idea about what our senses are, and sensory words are just that - words that evoke feelings.
- seeing words like gloomy, dazzling, and foggy.
- feeling words like gritty, slimy, and fluffy
- hearing words like piercing, thumping, and ringing
- smell and taste words like tangy, sweet, and rotten
- motion words like swiftly, soaring, and vibrating
Finally, we read the poem and went over the vocabulary. In the next lesson, we will learn more about the sensory words that Silverstein used and learn how to use them in our own writing.
Homework tonight is to finish GN p.11 vocabulary and hand it in tomorrow.
| sarah_stout_2023_24.pdf |
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Week 2
Friday: Today's lesson was quite intensive and important to get you started writing your first poem - a four-lined, two-stanza poem that has a metaphor in each stanza. I'll try to simplify it as much as I can here:
I am not perfect,
And when I am not,
Class is a caged pet,
An owner forgot.
I am not perfect,
And if I don't try,
School is a vase,
Wilted and dry.
As you saw in class, I revised the poem quite a few times in order to create a rhyme scheme. So you may need to spend some time to re-write your poem a few times to get it just right. What I saw in class was fantastic though - the gears were really turning, and you were coming up with some fantastic ideas and metaphors. I'm excited to see what you come up with!
Homework is to complete GN p.7-8 and hand it in on Monday.
- To start, you need to choose something that you identify as. For my example, I used teacher.
- Next, you need to state something that makes your identity meaningful. This is very important. So for my identity, a teacher, a very meaningful thing to me is patience.
- Next, you should think about what your identity would be without that meaningful thing, and write two metaphors for that. So for me, being a teacher without patience is:
- Class is a caged pet, that an owner forgot.
- School is a vase, wilted and dry.
- Finally, you need to write a two-stanza poem, with your first metaphor in the first stanza and your second metaphor in the second stanza. Here's what I came up with:
I am not perfect,
And when I am not,
Class is a caged pet,
An owner forgot.
I am not perfect,
And if I don't try,
School is a vase,
Wilted and dry.
As you saw in class, I revised the poem quite a few times in order to create a rhyme scheme. So you may need to spend some time to re-write your poem a few times to get it just right. What I saw in class was fantastic though - the gears were really turning, and you were coming up with some fantastic ideas and metaphors. I'm excited to see what you come up with!
Homework is to complete GN p.7-8 and hand it in on Monday.
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Wednesday: Today we started off the lesson with a bit of an example of segragation - something that influenced Langston Hughes' writing and something that he faced in his lifetime. It was an important example for us to realize in order to better understand the poems that we are learning in this unit.
Some important points to note from today's lesson:
Some important points to note from today's lesson:
- GN p.4 - In your own words, explain what this poem means to you. Here, I want you to think about how the poem makes you feel. What the words mean to you. You can also think about this question to help you write something if you feel stuck - What was Langston Hughes trying to say?
- There are two metaphors in the poem - Life is a broken-winged bird and Life is a barren field. What do these mean and why do we need to Hold fast to dreams (Why do we need to have dreams? Not the kind of dreams that we have when we sleep, of course)? This is a very important question to ask yourself in order to understand the meaning of the poem.
- GN p.5 when you watch the video, the third question goes by pretty fast but there can be a couple different correct answers. What is poetic form? It can be the structure, rhythm, and meter. It's basically the shape of the poem. You can watch the video again here: https://vimeo.com/881089707/c2590d88a6?share=copy
- Finally, we talked about stressed and unstresses syllables. We used our names as examples, but in fact, all syllables will either be stressed or unstressed. In poetry, this is important, because it helps us to interpret the rhythm of a poem.
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| unit_1_dreams__1_.pptx |
Week 1
Friday: This was our reading day - we got through the first couple chapters of Granted.
Wednesday: It's so good to be back and see you again! Today we jumped right back into learning, starting off with a bit about the Harlem Renaissance and some simile review wich led us into metaphors.
The first thing that we need to remember is that there is a difference between similes and metaphors.
The first thing that we need to remember is that there is a difference between similes and metaphors.
- Similes use "like" or "as" to compare things.
- He is like a giraffe.
- He is as tall as a giraffe.
- Metaphors do not use "like" or "as" - instead, they state one thing is another thing.
- He is a giraffe.
- Remember that the two things in a metaphor should be strong examples of each other:
- He is a squirrel instead of something like He is a car.
- Squirels move around quickly and cannot hold still for a long time. Cars can also move around quickly, but that's not our initial thought when we think about a car.
- He is a squirrel instead of something like He is a car.
- Some metaphors have been around for a long time, and might not make sense if English is your second language:
- He is a chicken = He is afraid - however, we may not initially equate chickens to fear.
- A lot of the slang you use today are used in metaphors:
- This class is a W.
- Your computer is trash.
- This sandwich is garbage.
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