Holiday Bonanza 2016

how do you adjust and refine your writing style?

Writing comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes with scintillating sounds that speak to the senses... in other instances, particular writing styles address specific needs within the realm of exhibiting understanding of a subject.

This week, we'll explore holiday-related topics by trying our hand at different writing styles to stretch your talents and voice. Tally ho! (ok, tally ho doesn't really make sense there, but whatever. Right now, I'm using parenthesis to show a different way of speaking to your audience in a fresh tone. This one is narrative. In case you were wondering.)

Module summary:

review principles of various writing styles:
- explanatory
- persuasive
- creative (poetry)
- narrative
practice each writing style
create a piece of writing for each style
revise to perfection!

essential questions

Why is it important to understand and practice different types of writing?
How do we shift our voice for different writing purposes?
How does the revision process strengthen our writing?

goals

Students will understand that writing takes different forms, depending on the context and purpose.
Students will understand that voice is a writer's style and is defined by diction, syntax, punctuation, tone, and content.
Students will understand that revision strengthens writing by being critical, looking for holes in the story, and ensuring ideas are expressed clearly.

activities

Monday

Warm-up: describe or respond to a Norman Rockwell painting (choose one on this page - click to see it bigger) using alliteration.
- Alliteration: repetition of the first letter in each word.
- For your response, aim for 3-4 sentences with a different letter focus for each sentence (example: repeat "r" words for the first sentence, "t" words for the second, etc)
Overview of module and syllabus
Explanatory writing mini-lesson: use of voice
- Read and discuss examples of voice
- Practice: write an introduction to yourself, emphasizing your voice. Tell us who you are based on your personality, not just events. What are you like? what makes you "you"? what should we know about you?
Create a "listicle" with a winter holiday theme
- choose a holiday-related theme (music, food, memories, etc)
- identify 10 items that fit your theme
- describe each item in your own voice. 3-4 sentences per item.
- integrate 2-3 images with captions into your listicle

Tuesday

Persuasive writing mini-lesson: Question Formation Technique process
QFT process with focal concept: "gift giving"
Discussion based on questions generated
Write persuasive paragraph based on discussion

Wednesday

Creative writing mini-lesson: rhyme and meter in poetry
- Practice identifying meter and rhyme with handout (download at the bottom of this page)
Read "The Night Before Christmas"
- Summarize poem and identify key elements
Write a spoof of "The Night Before Christmas"
- Choose a theme that connects to you in some way
- Write a spoof poem (4-10 stanzas) that echos the same structure and characteristics of the original, but that fits your chosen theme

Thursday

Finish poem
Narrative overview and definition
Watch the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
- Review of plot and message
Write a narrative (about one page, double spaced) about one of the following situations:
- A holiday moment where you were grumpy or upset and were pulled out of it unexpectedly
- A time where a holiday event or moment didn't go as planned, and you had to make the most of it
Your narrative should tell the story from your point of view and show what you learned from the situation

Friday

Revise and polish writing pieces
Get syllabus signed off

c-tachs

Writing

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach

Language

Demonstrate command of conventions of standard English grammar when speaking and writing
Demonstrate command of standard capitalization and punctuation
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meaning