1. 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: to me tonight.
Agenda

2. 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

3. 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:

4. 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

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

6. Our main objective this week
Audience and purpose

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. Here are two poems you’ve never read.

12. Y. Yevtushenko
“Colours”

13. Mary Oliver
“Wild Geese”

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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.

18. Share/read aloud w/ partners

19. 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

20. “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.

21. Share/read aloud w/ partners

22. Compare the two poems: where or how are they similar to one another.
Compare your two memories: What do you notice?
You can use bullet points. You don’t have to use complete sentences here.
Individual Writing

23. 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.