Weekly Assignments

1. Read the book Peanuts 2000.
2. Email a digital copy of your Final Semester Story to Miss Krystal by Mon, April 24. If you can make your story a Google Doc that is very helpful.
3. Email your anthology submissions to Miss Stephanie (1 story–your favorite story from the year, any 2 poems you wrote this year) by Mon, April 24. If you can make your story a Google Doc that is very helpful.
   • If you have an idea for a creative title for our class anthology, please email that to Miss Stephanie as well.
   • If you want to use a pseudonym instead of your real name in the anthology be sure to tell Miss Stephanie what name you want to use.
4. Watch these 2 videos:
   • Free Verse vs. Blank Verse
   • Book Formats: Prose, Novels in Verse, Graphic Novels **Parents please note that I have not read all of the books she recommends in this video, so I can’t advise about content, you may want to pre-read something to decide if it’s a good fit for your child and family.
5. Finish your Dust Jacket Assignment and be ready to present it to the class next week.
6. Finish your free verse poem from class. Here’s a website with a few tips for writing free verse poems. We will have some time in class to share your poems.
7. Fill out the end of class survey and bring it to class.

Optional

• Catch up on any missing assignments required for the second semester Creative Writer Award, the Newbery Award, or Pulitzer Prize. Please check the assignment tracker to make sure we have an accurate count of all the assignments you have completed. All assignments for all of the awards need to be turned in by class time on April 27.

Free Verse vs. Blank Verse

Book Formats: Prose, Novels in Verse, Graphic Novels

1. Do the Coming of Age Week 10 Homework Fix-It and watch the video to see the corrections.
2. Read the book Heartbeat.
3. Watch this video about haikus and write another haiku in your common place journal.
4. Finish editing your short story.
   • Focus on making sure all of your punctuation is correct. Refer to the two handouts from class to make sure your use of commas is correct.
   • Character Development: Make sure you have at least 2 moments of change/growth. You should have at least one moment of realization and one moment of putting the realization into action.
   • Continue using this editing rubric. You won’t have things to change in every category covered in the rubric. Every author has different strengths and weaknesses.

Optional

• Catch up on any missing assignments required for the second semester Creative Writer Award, the Newbery Award, or Pulitzer Prize. Some of the requirements for the Creative Writer Award will be assigned after spring break.
• Check out these grammar memes. Punctuation matters!

Coming of Age Week 10 Homework Fix-It

Haiku with Kwame Alexander

1. Do the Coming of Age Week 9 Homework Fix-It and watch the video to see the corrections.
2. Finish reading Anne of Green Gables.
3. Read this article about character development.
4. Edit your short story. Remember to read your story out loud before you start editing.
   • Character Development: Make sure you have at least 2 moments of change/growth. You should have at least one moment of realization and one moment of putting the realization into action.
   • Continue using this editing rubric. You won’t have things to change in every category covered in the rubric. Every author has different strengths and weaknesses.
   • If you would like Ms. Stephanie or Ms. Krystal to read your second draft before you do a final edit, email your story to one of them by April 10.

Optional

• Catch up on any missing assignments required for the second semester Creative Writer Award, the Newbery Award, or Pulitzer Prize. Some of the requirements for the Creative Writer Award will be assigned after spring break.
• The Grammar League Video
• Three Little Pigs Like You’ve Never Heard Before Video

Coming of Age Week 9 Homework Fix-It

The Grammar League

Three Little Pigs Like You’ve Never Heard Before

1. Do the Coming of Age Week 8 Homework Fix-It and watch the video to see the corrections.
2. Read Anne of Green Gables, Chapters 16-22.
3. Edit your short story using this editing rubric. Remember to read your story out loud before you start editing. You won’t have things to change in every category covered in the rubric. Every author has different strengths and weaknesses.
4. Read the poem The Lady of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson or watch one of the videos with a reading of the poem.
5. Author spotlight: Watch this short video about Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Optional Articles

• The Lady of Shalott painting by William Holman Hunt.

Optional Videos

• The Lady of Shalott (with words) read by Tom O’Bedlam
• The Lady of Shalott ready by Dame Sybil Thorndike

The Lady of Shalott, painted by William Holman Hunt.

Coming of Age Week 8 Homework Fix-It

Video about Alfred, Lord Tennyson

1. Do the Coming of Age Week 7 Homework Fix-It and watch the video to see the corrections.
2. Read Anne of Green Gables Chapters 8-15.
3. Find a Show, Don’t Tell passage from your reading, and copy it into your Common Place journal (be prepared to share it in class next week).
4. Using this rubric, proofread a classmate’s 2nd Semester Story First Draft. Bring both the filled out rubric and their draft to class next week.
5. Optional: Write a limerick to send in a letter to Barney the Leprechaun. Bring your letter to class next week (March 23rd) and Ms. Stephanie will send the letters to Barney.

Optional Articles

• How to Write a Limerick

Optional Videos

• The Lady of Shalott (with words) read by Tom O’Bedlam
• The Lady of Shalott ready by Dame Sybil Thorndike

The Lady of Shalott, painted by John William Waterhouse

Barney’s House

Coming of Age Week 7 Homework Fix-It

The Lady of Shalott (with words)

The Lady of Shalott

1. Do the Memoir Week 6 Homework Fix-It and watch the video to see the corrections.
2. Read Anne of Green Gables Chapters 1-7.
3. Finish your Onomatopoeia Poem.
4. Finish the first draft of your short story. Here is a writing prompt to help you with all the required elements. Make sure you have 2 rising actions and a climax. Think about your story arc and your main character’s arc. Fill in any missing sections in your story. Also consider cutting out sections that don’t help move your story forward or help with your character development. Of the two versions you wrote, use your favorite opening hook and story ending. Print out 2 copies of your complete story and bring both to class.

Memoir Week 6 Homework Fix-It Video

1. Do the Sci-Fi Week 5 Homework Fix-It and watch the video to see the corrections. (Due to technical difficulties, the Fix-It video will be posted tomorrow, probably. )
2. In Animal Stories by James Herriot, read the Introduction by James Wright. Then pick two animal stories of your choice and read them. Come prepared to share about them in class.
3. Commonplace journal: practice “serious” synesthesia with the activity sheet. Use some of your synesthesia phrases in a poem.
4. Write 2 different endings to your short story. Use the writing prompt to guide you. You are encouraged to type up your endings. Please fill out the writing prompt sheet with both your endings and staple it to the back of your endings.
5. Watch the video What’s a Memoir?

*Helpful Articles*

What’s a Memoir?

1. Do the Week 4 homework fix-it for E.T. and watch the video.
2. Read the short story by Ray Bradbury, There Will Come Soft Rains. Pay special attention to the way the story ends.
3. Edit your story focusing on main protagonist development. Fill in any gaps in the story. Follow the writing prompt. (The completed first draft of the story will be due March 9th.)
4. Watch the video Character Wants vs. Needs.
5. Watch the video How to Figure Out What a Character Wants.

Bonus Article:

• Want Versus Need: the Secret to Character Conflict

Optional Assignment:

• Commonplace journal entry: Pretend you are the protagonist of your story at the end of the story. Write a letter to “yourself” and send it to “yourself” so you receive it the day before your short story begins. What would you say to your younger/less experienced self?

Fix-It Video

Character Wants vs. Needs

How to Figure Out What a Character Wants

1. Do the Week 3 homework fix-it for E.T. and watch the video.
2. Finish reading the screenplay of E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial, scenes 184-the end. Pay attention to how the characters develop as you read.
3. Write a scene for your short story using the screenplay format. Follow the writing prompt. Read the article about screenplay format for help with formatting.
4. Watch the video What is Science Fiction?
5. Watch the video 7 Major Plots in Story Telling.

Bonus Video:

• How to make the audience care about your characters.

Fix-It Video

What is Science Fiction?

7 Major Plots in Story Telling

How to Make the Audience Care About Your Characters

1. NO fix-it homework this week! (Sorry for the confusion!)
2. Read the screenplay of E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial, scenes 1-183. Pay attention to the unique formatting in a screenplay as you read. Notice especially words that are ALL CAPS and how things are spaced. (If you print the screenplay out, make sure you print it double-sided to save paper! If you want to read it from a screen it would be helpful if you could bring a tablet or laptop to class so you can refer to the screenplay during class.)
3. Write the 1st and 2nd rising action elements and climax of your story. Aim for this part of your story to be at least 2-3 pages.
4. Watch the video The Pleasure of Poetic Pattern.
5. Watch the video Why Shakespeare Loved Iambic Pentameter.
6. Watch the video A Tip for Writing Action Scenes.

Bonus Videos:

• What is Rhyme in Poetry?
• What is Meter in Poetry?

The Pleasure of Poetic Pattern

Why Shakespeare Loved Iambic Pentameter

A Tip for Writing Action Scenes

What is Rhyme in Poetry?

What is Meter in Poetry?