Creative Writing-Grinch

We have spent a couple of weeks on grammar, prepositions, direct objects, and predicate words. It's time to revisit some creative writing to keep up those skills! We will view a reading of the original book by Dr. Seuss "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" as an inspiration. Students will need to rewrite the story with the Grinch as the hero throughout the plot (instead of the villain). Your narrative should be two-three pages long, and it should include characters, a good plot, and avoid "dead" verbs whenever possible. You may be able to use some suspense strategies, too! Your rough draft should have the proper English heading and be titled "Creative Writing-Grinch." 

This is going to be a practice of "low-stakes" writing. Students should be more concerned with creativity and a cohesive plot than mechanical mistakes or grammar. 

Here is a timeline for the writing process with this piece:

• Wednesday- We will view a reading of the original story as inspiration (video below). You will brainstorm an idea for your narrative where the Grinch is not the villain. (We will discuss how the author of "The TRUE Story of the Three Little Pigs" did it with the big, bad wolf.) Once you are finished brainstorming, you can begin your rough draft. The story should be 2-3 pages long. 
• Thursday- Continue writing your rough draft. 
• Add dialogue and good descriptive details to your story. 
• Make sure you are "showing" the reader what is happening through details and description rather than "telling" them. Add details and description whenever possible
• Remove the "dead" verbs from the story. The dead verbs tombstone is in a previous post on the blog. 
• Characters, details, description, dialogue, and a good plot. 
• Friday
• Finish Rough Draft
• Read your rough draft and make revisions if necessary
• Make sure you have the creative/narrative requirements above
•  I would love to hear some of these stories in class on Friday! 

Roots Test

We will have a Roots Test this Friday (12/2/16) in reading class. The quizlet for this week's test is below.

Roots Test Quizlet

Verb, DO, IO, Predicate Words Notes/Grammar Review

We will be learning and reviewing several grammar concepts for the next couple of weeks. Several of the resources that we will use are posted below. If you misplace the copy given to you in class, you can print a new one from the link(s) below.

Verb Notes

Direct Object, Indirect Object, and Predicate Words Notes

Verb, DO, IO, PA, PN Practice

Grammar Review (Friday)

Creative Writing- Thanksgiving

We have spent a couple of weeks on grammar, prepositions, and commas. It's time to revisit some creative writing to keep up those skills! Choose one of the pictures below to base your story upon. The picture could represent the beginning, middle, or end of your story. Your narrative should be at least two pages long, and it should include characters, a good plot, and avoid "dead" verbs whenever possible. You may be able to use some suspense strategies, too! Your rough draft should have the proper English heading and be titled "Creative Writing-Thanksgiving." Your final draft should have the proper English heading and your own creative title.

Here is a timeline for the writing process with this piece:

• Monday- You will pick a picture and brainstorm ideas for the story behind the picture. Remember to include characters and a good plot. Once you are finished brainstorming, you can begin your rough draft. 
• Tuesday- Finish your rough draft and add dialogue and good descriptive details to your story. Then you can edit and revise your story. Make sure you have flawless spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Use your notes on commas to help you make corrections. As you revise, make sure you have the following in your story:  
• Make sure you are "showing" the reader what is happening through details and description rather than "telling" them. Add details and description whenever possible
• Remove the "dead" verbs from the story. The dead verbs tombstone is in a previous post on the blog. 
• Characters, details, description, dialogue, and a good plot. 
• Wednesday
• Make sure you have all of the requirements (above) and it is edited to perfection. 
• Use the proper English heading with your own creative title 
• Write neatly in ink
• If you make an error, draw one line through it and move it. Don't scribble it out. 
• Don't skip lines and don't use a pen that bleeds. 
•  Hopefully we will have time to share some stories on Wednesday in class! 

Preposition Poem

Today and tomorrow we will be working on preposition poems in class. Today, students will read some examples of preposition poems, brainstorm for their own poem, and write their rough draft. Tomorrow, students will edit/revise the poem and write a final draft. If students don't turn in the final draft in class on Friday, they must turn it in on Monday (11/21/16) at the beginning of class.

Here are the complete Preposition Poem Directions.

IDR Project

Several students have mentioned losing their IDR Project Instructions/Options. There is a link to the document below, and there is a link to the grading rubric used for all of the projects.

The IDR Project due dates for the second nine weeks are: 11/18/16, 12/09/16, 1/13/17.

IDR Project 2 (due 12/9) will have different requirements than the other IDR Projects. This will be discussed in class, and time will be given to complete the entire project in class 


IDR Project Options
Grading Rubric

Roots Test

We will have a Roots Test tomorrow, 11/10/16, since we are out of school on Friday.

Roots Quizlet