Writing

WRITING AND GRAMMAR 

IDENTITY BOXES 

DEAD WORDS.....

In writing, we are trying to EXPAND our vocabulary!  We made posters of "dead words", and we came up with synonyms for each word!  We are making a wall of all of our "dead words"!   

Don't forget to proofread your papers....

Click on attachment below to edit your paper!  

MONTHLY POEMS

Each month, you will be asked to find AND write a poem with a specific format.  Please check this page for the directions each month.  The due date will always be announced in class.  It will be your responsibility to check this page and see the teacher if you have any questions BEFORE the end of the month!

Poems not your thing?  Here are some tips for writing a successful poem!  

(Info from www2.scholastic.com)   

Go to a place where you can concentrate.
It's pretty hard to collect your thoughts when your computer is 8 feet away, tempting you to IM your best bud, your friend calls you every 5 minutes to tell you about her crush, or the football game is on the TV in the next room. Go somewhere that's conducive to creating your best work. Some poets need silence to compose quality verse; others thrive surrounded by hustle, bustle, noise, and people. Try writing in a few different places before you commit to a location, whether it's the coffee shop down the street or by the big willow tree in your backyard.

Start writing and don't pick up the pen from the page for at least 5 minutes.
Once you've found a poetry-writing spot, whip out your pen and notebook and start writing. It doesn't really matter about what — just keep the pen on the page for at least 5 minutes. Don't worry about punctuation or spelling or neatness. Nobody's grading this portion of your poetry! This is an exercise to flex the creative muscle in your brain. When the time is up, you may realize that a lot of what you wrote isn't going to make it into your poem — but with a little luck and a lot of writing, you'll find a string of words that you're proud to have created.

Use all your senses.
Refresher course: you have 5 — that's right, 5 — senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. In poetry, you can express them all. In an effective poem, you'll often find that the best lines are the ones where the words describe something so vividly that you can "see" what the author's describing in your imagination. So pay attention to how the distinctive "dings" in your beat-up bicycle look, the taste of your mom's made-from-scratch chocolate-chip banana bread, the scent of laundry just out of the dryer, the way a new pair of running shoes feels, and the sound of a thunderstorm in the distance. All of those sense experiences can easily become a poem.

Play some music.
Poetry is meant to be read aloud, so when you write your descriptive, evocative, expressive, insert-other-adjective-here poem, say the words as you write them. This will help you get a feel for the rhythm of your verse, which is one of the most important aspects of poetry. One of the best ways to do this? If you can deal with the potential distraction, play music while you write. You'll be tapping your foot to your favorite tunes, subconsciously using the rhythm as a frame for your own words.

Look at the mundane in a different way.
Ever get up really, really close to something — so close that you have to adjust your eyes by squinting? Try it sometime. When you look at ordinary objects in a different light or from a new perspective, all of a sudden those things aren't nearly as common. So try something different, like looking at your bedroom while standing on your head or getting as close as you can to the bathroom mirror to describe your own eye. Finding unusual details in stuff you see or do every day is all part of poetry.

Do something out of the ordinary with your words.
The structure of a sentence is less strict in poetry than in your usual Language Arts class. Rearrange the order of your words or try out descriptions you wouldn't normally use. As long as it makes sense, anything goes — if it's complete gibberish though, your teacher won't understand what you're trying to do creatively and you probably won't get the best grade.

APRIL POEM