Read first 15 minutes of class.  Today we organize your binders!  You can find detailed information on how to label your dividers and what goes in each section if you click on the Language Arts Binder tab at the top of the page.  I try to upload many of the handouts to this page in case you lose them want to see them when you don’t have your binder.  We will start discussing and taking notes on different genres of literature.  Today we’ll describe realistic fiction.
Homework: Read.

Tuesday

Read first 15 minutes of class.Where does poetry hide?  Read and discuss “A Valentine for Ernest Mann” by Naomi Shihab Nye.  Brainstorm a list of places poetry–or writing–might hide in your life.  Draft a poem from one of your ideas or draft a list poem combining several ideas. Genre notes on mystery/suspense.
Homework: Read.

Wednesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.   Create a six room image poem.  Poets write with vivid imagery.  This strategy can help you gather words and phrases to craft a poem about an image.  Choose a vivid image you want to write about.  Divide your paper into six boxes.  In the first box, describe what your image looks like.  In the second box, describe what sounds you hear in the image.  If it is quiet, what kind of silence is it?  In the third box, describe the quality of light in your image.  In the fourth box, write down questions you have about the image.  In the fifth box, write down what you feel about the image.  In the last box, write down an important word or phrase from one of the previous boxes and copy it three times.  Use the words you have gathered to craft a poem.  Genre notes on historical fiction.
Homework: Read.

Thursday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  The rule of write about a pebble.  The best poems–and writing–are grounded in specific concrete objects.  Look over the drafts of your poems.  Are you writing about something in general (puppies, love, friends, family, nature), or are you writing about a specific fall day, a kitten you play with, a time you went camping, the amazing sunset you saw last night.  Revise one of your poems by focusing on something specific.  OR choose an object from my collection to write about.  Genre notes on science fiction.
Homework: Read.

Friday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  Welcome to blogging!  Before you get your own blog, spend some time exploring my blog.  Complete the Blog Scavenger Hunt.  Be sure to leave a comment on some page or post on my blog before you leave.  Genre notes on fantasy.
Homework: Read.