Sunday, March 4, 2012

Blog Comments



I'm very proud of all of you.  Most of your comments were intelligent, with decent use of grammar and spelling.  I think you all worked hard.  100 points for each of you....and a bunch of photos from the Yosemite trip to remind us all what an awesome time we had.


Monday, January 16, 2012

P is Presley Then More


P is Presley


Prickly and unpredictable is Presley--
Restless then silent
Escaping work then doing more than asked
Sharp and Sweet
Lovely and Laughing
Especially with wind in her hair
Yelling in playground wars or clever adult in conversation

Irritable or sad,
Silvery words or mischief

Always she'll have a space in my heart.

Lonely or lyrical,
Over the top rage or
Very quiet or in whatever
Emotion that swings through her--
I believe she has the strength to shape her passion into excellence.


I'll miss you, your writing and your mischief.
A bit of my heart will follow you.  Hugs, Kiddo. I wish you the best.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Everyone Starts with an A+





A whole new quarter has started.  And, guess what?  You all have A+.  You can keep it that way by

  • Paying attention to instructions
  • Turning in everything that is due
  • Turning everything in on time
  • Remembering to write your name at the top
  • Have a hard copy ready at the beginning of class (remember you can ask Ben or me to let you print before class.)
  • Ask for help if you have tried everything else
Maukie, the cat, thinks you can do it and so do I.


___________________
Clip art from here

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Monday, November 28, 2011

Gothic Horror and Modern Horror


The video above is of Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale, The Tell-Tale Heart.  He incorporates elements of the gothic--dark settings, etc.  But he also prefigures the modern horror story with his everyday settings like eating food, etc.

Take a look at this and hear the words of Poe used to make a movie.

Remember when you are writing modern horror, you must have

  1. Suspense
  2. Believable characters
  3. Shocking ending
  4. Everyday settings
It often has
  1. Supernatural elements though not always
  2. Short Titles that leave the reader guessing like Scream, The Exorcist

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

A Repeating Poem

Here is an example from By the Light of the Halloween Moon by Caroline Stutson and Kevin Hawkes
Go watch a video here.

A toe!
A lean and gleaming toe
That taps a tune in the dead of night
By the light, by the light,
By the silvery light of the Halloween moon!

A cat!
A thin black wisp of a spying cat
Who eyes the toe
That taps a tune in the dead of night

By the light, by the light,
By the silvery light of the Halloween moon!

A witch!
A watchful witch with streaming hair
Who snatches the cat
When he springs through the air to catch the toe
That taps a tune in the dead of night
By the light, by the light,
By the silvery light of the Halloween moon!

A bat!
A bungling bouncy breezy bat
Who bumps the witch as she snatches the cat
When he springs through the air to catch the toe
That taps a tune in the dead of night
By the light, by the light,
By the silvery light of the Halloween moon!

A ghoul!
A ghastly drooling graveyard ghoul
Who swats at the bat
Who bumps the witch as she snatches the cat
When he springs through the air to catch the toe
That taps a tune in the dead of night
By the light, by the light,
By the silvery light of the Halloween moon!

A ghost!
A williwaw ghost
Who trips the ghoul
Who swats at the bat
Who bumps the witch as she snatches the cat
When he springs through the air to catch the toe
That taps a tune in the dead of night
By the light, by the light,
By the silvery light of the Halloween moon!

A sprite!
A grumpy grungy hobglobin sprite
Who bites the ghost
Who trips the ghoul
Who swats at the bat
Who bumps the witch as she snatches the cat
When he springs through the air to catch the toe
That taps a tune in the dead of night
By the light, by the light,
By the silvery light of the Halloween moon!

A girl!
A small bright slip of a smiling girl
Who smacks the sprite
Who bites the ghost
Who trips the ghoul
Who swats at the bat
Who bumps the witch as she snatches the cat
When he springs through the air to catch the toe
That taps a tune in the dead of night
By the light, by the light,
By the silvery light of the Halloween moon!


Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Cultures You Can Write About for 5 Paragraph Essay

Here are the civilizations I would prefer you stick to for your next essay.


Sumer (and any ancient Mesopotamian)
Egypt
Assyria
Phoenicia
Korea
China
Babylonia
Hittite
Mongolia