Agenda Recap from yesterday: Class expectations; Letter to self Letter to me (Ms. Yoder) (10 min. max) Magic: Object (pairs, threes) Audience and Purpose Found poem: email to me tonight. yodera@wlwv.k12.or.us Agenda

Recap from yesterday Key question?? Bathroom procedures? Phone procedures? What question will I ask you if you’re being disruptive? Why are we here, together? Recap from yesterday

We’ll do a lot of writing about life, in general We’ll do a lot of writing about life, in general. Sometimes personal things come up. Please know that if you disclose anything to me in writing or in person that suggests that you are in danger—from someone else or yourself—or that you’re using illegal substance, or are intending harm to someone else, I will report it to your counselor. I’m required to, by law. Please note:

Introduce yourself to me… what are you interested in Introduce yourself to me… what are you interested in? What’s important to you? How do you feel about English? Reading? Writing? Public speaking? What should I know about you to be a better teacher for you? Example: test worries, etc. Anything else? Letter to Me (Ms. Yoder

Letter to Self… Stapled or in an envelope, with your name and period # Letter to Me (Ms. Yoder) Turn in.

Our main objective this week Audience and purpose

What is your goal in this piece of communication What is your goal in this piece of communication? Your purpose is where communication begins. It is not limited to: How do I get an A, although that might be part of it. Purposes can be several: You want to tell a good story; you want to explain something important to you; you want to convince me that your story is awesome. But always: What do I want from this communication? Purpose

No one must be left out. Take responsibility for others. Look around No one must be left out. Take responsibility for others. Look around. Be polite about it, too. Pairs or Threes

Magic: Object Place an inanimate object on your desk. The two of you must move that object, without physically interacting with it in any way. Figure out a way. Magic: Object

Identify your audience. Who are they. What do they like or expect Identify your audience. Who are they? What do they like or expect? How are you going to reach them in order to achieve your purpose? How do you indicate to them that you ARE trying to communicate with them, and not someone else? Focus on: your tone (attitude); your word choice (diction); your organization Tip: Pretend that you are ‘speaking’ directly to your audience, rather than writing. Audience

Here are two poems you’ve never read.

Y. Yevtushenko “Colours”

Mary Oliver “Wild Geese”

Found Poem Choose ONE of the poems. Using ONLY the words from that poem, in your pairs/threes write your own poems. One poem should have me as it’s audience. One poem should have your peers as your audience. Max 5 lines (so, part of a poem…) We will be sharing these. Found Poem

How do you demonstrate your awareness of your audience. Me (Ms How do you demonstrate your awareness of your audience? Me (Ms. Yoder) vs. your peers? Sharing of poems

Choose a line or two from one of the poems that brings to mind a memory of someone, or some story or experience. Write about that memory. Write about why the lines in the poem remind you of that memory or experience. Try to be as specific as you can about your memories/the experience that you’re recalling. Individual Writing

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain/ are moving across the landscapes, / over the prairies and the deep trees… Saskatchewan was a dry, dry place when I lived there. Rain would fall and curl up in the dust like a struggling insect that couldn’t right itself. There was rarely enough rain to really soak the ground. My dad irrigated as much as he could, but we relied on wells, and the wells ran dry, or the pumps failed… or something like that. And yet, it was home. For years, I wanted to move back. I was totally mad when my parents left Saskatchewan when I was 14. I think maybe I keep coming back to this poem because of those references to the landscape, to things I remember, that are home… but that a sense of home can be anywhere… even Oregon.

Share/read aloud w/ partners

Choose a line or two from the other poem that brings to mind a memory of someone, or some story or experience. Write about that memory. Write about why the lines in the poem remind you of that memory or experience. Try to be as specific as you can about the words, line(s). Individual Writing

“Love’s slipshod watchman” Careless. Careless at what one is supposed to be watching or taking care of… after all, you’re a watchman, you’re not supposed to ignore or even let it out of your sight. Love. Have I been a “careless watchman” when it comes to love? That depends. About family, absolutely not. But when it comes to friends? My closest friend, Rebecca, has had to forgive me many times. When we went to summer camp together when we were 10, I ditched her for Larissa. We joke about it now, but that was really bad. When we were in high school, I ditched her again. That was also really bad. And then I lost touch with her, and then she got back in touch with me… and then I cancelled on her (like not coming to Saskatchewan for her brother’s wedding)… But her willingness to forgive me… I don’t fully understand it. Am I really worth having as a friend? That’s changed. When I turned 30, I started to be a more careful watchman over love. She has become a second sister.

Share/read aloud w/ partners

Compare the two poems: where or how are they similar to one another. Compare your two memories: What do you notice? These are TWO separate paragraphs Individual Writing

Think about the memories that you wrote about Think about the memories that you wrote about. What do they tell you about what matters to you? This is another way of talking about what you think it means to live a “good life (with/for others)”? Write a paragraph. You might need to do some explaining or tell another story.

Homework Using both poems In a paragraph (or two…remember, more is always better), “What do the poems (individually or together) suggest about what it means to live a good life (with/for others)? Your objective (that is, what you are focused on) is to demonstrate and awareness of purpose (what do I hope to achieve with this communication, and audience (I am writing for a specific person…and here’s how I let her know.) (diction, organization, tone) Homework

Bring ALL your paragraphs for next class Bring ALL your paragraphs for next class. I will be checking/stamping at the beginning of class.