LJ #1 Think about either a TV show or movie you’ve seen . . . 1. What is the name of the TV show or movie you’re thinking about? 2. What is the setting(s) from this show/movie? 3. Write down two conflicts. 4. How were these conflicts resolved?

Learning Journal # 2 9/16/13 Nouns and Proper Nouns 1. What is a noun? 2. What is a proper noun? 3. Look around the room and list 5 nouns. 4. Now name 5 proper nouns.

LJ # 3 Indirect Characterization Let’s first review “direct characterization” . . . “Direct characterization” is when the writer reveals a character’s personality by telling us directly what the character is like.

Now, let’s learn about “LATTE” “LATTE” is a mnemonic to help remember the five characteristics of indirect characterization.

LATTE – the author L = Looks describes how the character looks and dresses. A = Acts lets us see how the character acts. T = Talks lets us hear the character talk. T = Thinks lets us listen to the character’s inner thoughts and feelings. E = Effects on others Reveals what other people think or say about the character.

Learning Journal # 4 9/23/13 Personal Pronouns

Pronouns A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Personal Pronouns can be in one of three cases: Subject, Object, or Possessive.

Subject Personal Pronouns Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence. Example: ______ did the job. I, you, he, she, it, we, they 

Object Personal Pronouns Object pronouns are used everywhere else  me, you, him, her, it, us, them. Examples: Kylie talked to him. Are you talking to me?

Possessive Personal Pronouns Possessive pronouns show ownership and never need apostrophes.  mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs NOTE: The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has. Examples: It's a cold morning. The thermometer reached its highest reading.

Please write one sentence for each type of Personal Pronouns: Subject Object Possessive

LJ#5 What exactly is “theme”? Theme = an idea or insight about life and human nature that gives the story meaning. For example, in “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pockets”, the theme could be “families are important”.

6 easy steps in discovering theme in literature . . . 1. Determine how the protagonist changes during the story. 2. A good clue to theme is how the conflict was resolved.

Discovering theme . . . 3. Think about the title of a work of literature. For example, “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pockets”. 4. Theme is NOT the same as a moral, which is a rule of conduct. Do not make “you” statements. Don’t say “Crime doesn’t pay” Don’t say “You must choose the right path” Rather, say, “Choose the right path in life”.

Discovering theme . . . 5. Theme must be expressed as a generalization about life (do not reference specific characters or events). For example, don’t saw “Tom learned that family is important”. Rather, say “Families are important in life”. 6. There is no single correct way to state the theme in a work of literature. For example, the Harry Potter series have a variety of themes: Friends are important. Loyalty is admirable. Family support is critical in life.

Biographical Narrative Elements LJ # 6 Biographical Narrative Elements bio = life graph = writing narrative = story Who do you know? You will choose one person and write about their: background personality traits significance in your life

Background information questions you need to know how to answer: When did you first meet or how long have you known this person? What is your relationship? What are some important facts that will help the reader “get to know” this person? age, type of employment, typical activities, life experiences….. 4. What does this person look like?

How do I write about someone’s personality? There are two ways to show the character or personality of a person: directly and indirectly. Direct characterization: The writer __________ the reader what this person is like. Create a word bank of adjectives that would directly describe a person’s personality: Word bank:

Indirect characterization is the most powerful way to reveal someone’s personality or the characteristics you want to present. There are several ways to do this (remember LATTE …?) L _____________ A ____________ T ____________ E ____________

List the examples of indirect characterization from this clip A Christmas Carol - Ebenezer Scrooge

Analyzing the significance of the subject (the person you’re writing about) Complete some of these sentence starters to help you explore the significance of this person in your life: I am grateful for…. I have learned that…. I now know that…… He/she has influenced me by…. I will never forget how he/she ……

I need to remember an anecdote or two so I can indirectly characterize my subject. An anecdote provides a great way to indirectly characterize someone or “show” him or her to the reader. But not just any anecdote will do. It has to have a purpose. Your background information and your anecdotes should all support and elaborate on the main points in your thesis. How do you establish a thesis? Ask yourself…. Why did I choose this person? What main points about this person do I want to focus on?

LJ #7 10/3/13 Write a sentence using sensory detail for each of the 7 sensory stations . Station 1 - Appearance: Model with short hair Station 2- Location: Outside Sation3- Appearance: Old lady Station 4- Taste: Mint Station 5- Smell: Candle Station 6- Appearance: Chef Station7- Appearance: Girl w/ bow

LJ #8 Demonstrative pronouns . . . represent a thing or things. For example . . . Near in distance or time (this, these) This tastes good! These are bad times.

Demonstrative pronouns also. . . represent far in distance or time (that, those). For example . . . Look at that! Those were the days!

Demonstrative pronouns are usually used for things only. They can be used for people IF the person has been identified. for example, “That sounds like John”.

LJ # 9   COMPOUND SENTENCE A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinator. The coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Except for very short sentences, coordinators are always preceded by a comma.

Here are three examples of compound sentences: A Here are three examples of compound sentences: A.  I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English.  B.  Alejandro played football, so Maria went shopping.  C.  Alejandro played football, for Maria went shopping.

F - for A - and N - nor B - but O – or Y - yet S – so