Performance, Word, and Text: Blog Links, Feedback, and Stuff!

Woooo look it's all of your blogs! 

Cameron's Blog (WordPress)
Jahde's Blog (Blogspot)
Amanda's Blog (Blogspot)
Avana's Blog (Blogspot)
Aslin's Blog (Blogspot)
Kierra's Blog (WordPress)
Nandi's Blog (Blogspot)
Robert's Blog (Blogspot)
Kami's Blog (Blogspot)
Gilda's Blog (WordPress)
Leilanis' Blog (WordPress)
Rashid's Blog (Blogspot) 
Justice's Blog (Blogspot)
Jasmina's Blog (Blogspot)
Kadeja's Blog (WordPress)
Rosalia's Blog (WordPress)
Janelys' Blog (Weebly)
Hetep's Blog (Blogspot)
Olivia's Blog (WordPress)
Reyenne's Blog (Blogspot)


Having a blog is cool. It's especially cool if people are reading what you're writing! It's even cooler if there are people besides me reading what you've written. Basically, we're going to follow each other. It sounds more complicated than it actually is, so I have faith that y'all will be fine. There's a breakdown of the different blog platform that you're using, so you'll be following each other according to the platforms you've chosen. Part of your grade is going to be leaving constructive feedback on a couple student's blogs. Firstly, let's address some things...

How do you leave constructive feedback? Omg great question. 

BAD feedback does this:
"This is good."
"I like this."
"This story sucks."
"I'm gonna take a selfie."

GOOD feedback RISEs:
"I like what you did with X because..." (Reflection)
"Have you considered looking at X from perspective Y...?" (Inquiry)
"You might consider tweak X for effect Y..." (Suggestion)
"Perhaps you can expand X to further address Y..." (Elevation)

Here's a link to the RISE model for meaningful feedback if you'd like to look for yourself.

How am I grading creative blog posts? Another great question.

Organization: 1-4 points
Creativity: 1-4 points
Grammar, Usage, Mechanics, and Spelling: 1-4 points
Requirements: 1-4 points
Blog: 4 points


4th Period:
During 4th period each of you is going to be split into groups, the purpose of which is to comment and give meaningful feedback to the members of your group. Don't panic, you're going to be okay. Good feedback is required! If you have any questions about what that is, please ask. Otherwise, refer to the RISE method of feedback.

Read the 500 word short stories of your group-mates and leave constructive commentary. This is required by the end of class. Your groups are either of 3 or of 4, so you need to read and comment on your whole group by the end of class today! I'll be grading comments out of 4, using the RISE model as a template.

An Ultimatum and More Short Fiction

Let's look at some of your blogs real quick:

This is your blog, post as much as you want!

Have some fun with your blogs!

It's your blog, so write like you!

Take care of your stories!

Classwork:

A few of you may be under the impression that some of the classwork can be glazed over. A perfect example is the book review assignment. Few of you actually did it. Unless I say otherwise, everything assigned in class should be posted by the end of class. It's okay if it's still in the drafting stages. A huge part of writing is editing and revisiting more than once. Also, a great thing about having your own blogs is the ability to go back and edit a published post. I would ask you if this makes sense, but it totally does.

Okay, on to better stuff...

Hi friends! Last time, most of y'all started (or finished) writing 500-ish-word short works of fiction. A major part of writing, especially for publication, is sharing your work. Otherwise, why would people publish books, have blogs, tweet, or write in general? It's all about the followers, sharing, retweets, etc. In essence, people put pieces of themselves into words for others to read. So, today you're going to have a chance to finish, revisit, edit, tweak, and/or write another story.

3rd period: 

1) Finish your 500 word short story (or stories), revise any mistakes from before, make any changes that need be made, and post it to your blog. Remember, you'll be sharing this with your classmates in small groups, so make it work you're proud of.

2) Some things to think about as you edit: Is everything you've included necessary? Are there misspellings, grammatical mistakes, confusing sentences, etc.? Is it something that you want to read (if not, make it be!)?

4th period:

1) Small group sharing of short fiction. We're focusing mostly on the short fiction you wrote that's 500 words or less, but if there are other things you'd like to share as well (hint/micro fiction), that's awesome. Go for it. As long as the 500 word stories are the first priority.

2) When sharing in your small groups, be courteous. Listen, avoid interrupting, put your phones away, and provide meaningful feedback. After groups read, discuss, and review the stories being shared, all of the feedback should be applied to the story! Take another look, consider the feedback that's been given, and make your story into something polished and fabulous. 

3) Post. On. Your. Blog. Don't stop. If you think you're done, you're not. You've practiced hint fiction, micro fiction, and now the 500 word fiction. Keep writing. The only thing that makes this process easier and more natural is practicing it. Plus, remember, creative writing can be exactly what you make it. I'm here to help, too, so if you're having trouble let me know and we'll work together.

4) Please return my video release forms. If you forgot them, don't forget them next time! PLEASE AND THANKS. 

HOMEWORK:

I'm sending you home with an article about writing and procrastination. It's a great read and really speaks volumes on something we all do: put things off until the last minute. Please read this article and post a reactionary post by next class. If you're not a big fan of paper, you can access the article online here. 

Reviewing and More Short Fiction

Welcome back! I hope your break has been restful and awesome. Now, you've selected and read collections of short stories over break. Having done this, you'll want to think about how you reacted to what you've read. One of the aspects of being an excellent writer is reading critically. This entails reading more than just the words on the surface of the page. Critical reading requires really interacting with the text; asking questions, having likes/dislikes, being able to provide evidence for reasons, etc.

During 3rd period, you're to write a blog post reviewing the short story collections you've read over break. What do I mean when I say "review"? Provide a brief summary of what your collection contains and consider some of the following questions: Who's the author? What type of stories did s/he write? What did you like? Why did you like it? What did you not like? Why? What were the strengths/weaknesses of the collection? Whenever reviewing a text, be sure to provide evidence from that text to support any claims you might make (but no spoilers!). Check out the NY Times list of book reviews for some examples. Another resource to look at is the Purdue OWL; I've used this site throughout college and continue to use it still. It's super helpful and breaks complex stuff down into much simpler terms. Get to it! 



Over the past few weeks, we've been looking at and practicing a variety of different creative short pieces of fiction. You've done hint fiction (25 words or less) and micro fiction (200 words or less). It's easy to think that writing shorter pieces is easier than writing longer ones. That's not always the case, especially when you're trying to grab the reader's attention and only have limited space to do so. Today, during 4th period you're going to practice the 500 word short story. You guessed it, it's a short story that contains 500 words or less. Around the country/world these 500 word stories are collected in various contests for a range of ages, competing for awards, scholarships, and literary recognition. 

With writing short fiction of 500 words or less, it requires the sort of scrutiny you've practiced with the other shorter forms of fiction. You should look seriously into keeping what you need in the story and removing anything that's unneeded. However, you're the one who makes these decisions. Here are some videos with helpful advice: every word has to count, read other authors, and write something you'd like to read!

Here's an example of a rather powerful 500 word short story. Now, in your own writing, you're allowed to do some creative exploring. If you're having trouble thinking of something, use some of the advice from earlier to give you a starting point. A helpful starting place I'd recommend would be the short story collections you've read over break. Use a theme, aspect, or style from the author/stories you've read to inspire your own creativity. Finally, write, write, WRITE! I'll be wandering around keeping an eye on things. I'm here to help, obvi, so let me know. 


HOMEWORK:
If you've not finished your 500 word short story, save your progress and continue to work on it. Post it to your blog by next class. I also have video release permission forms that need to be taken home and signed by a parent/legal guardian. This is for my own requirements at U of R as well as from New York State. Please bring these back signed (or refused) by next class. Thanks!