Tag Archives: meter

Figurative Language, Sound Devices, and Paraphrasing

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First period worked on sound devices in “Cat!”, noting in particular the use of rhythm (the definition we included: a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in writing), onomatopoeia, and alliteration, all added to our revised graphic organizer. I’ve simplified it from what I used last year, and students created their own based on my model:

TermDefinitionExamples
onomatopoeia
(sound device)		words that imitate the sound of the thing they’re describing“psfts” in “Cat!”
alliteration
(sound device)		repetition of initial consonant sounds sleeky spitfire spatter
rhythm
(sound device)		a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in writing Catch her! Get her! (stressed-unstressed)

We also worked on paraphrasing the poem “Silver.”

Second and fourth period continued the poetry unit, looking at figurative language after our detour into sonnet-ville and a day learning some tricks on how to write a sonnet. We focused on metaphors with their tenors and vehicles.

Sixth period also worked on sound devices and paraphrasing, though they worked with “Ring Out, Wild Bells.”

Seventh period worked on paraphrasing with the poem “Annabelle Lee.”

Homework
  • First period: paraphrase lines three and four of “Silver”
  • Second and fourth periods:
    • read “Mending Wall”;
    • complete step two for “MW” (determine the meaning of unknown words);
    • study for tone words quiz tomorrow.
  • Sixth periods: paraphrase one stanza of “Ring Out, Wild Bells” according to your row:
    RowStanza
    1Stanza two
    2Stanza three
    3Stanza four
    4Stanza five
    5Stanza six
    6Stanza seven
  • Seventh period: paraphrase one stanza of “Annabelle Lee” according to your row:
    RowStanza
    1Stanza one
    2Stanza two
    3Stanza three
    4Stanza four
    5Stanza five
    6Stanza six

 

Learning about meters

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Today in class we learned about meters. not the meter like a meter stick, but a meter in poem. meters in a poem are defined as, the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. The stressed meter looks like this

/
this the unstressed looks like this

u
this.  We then read  Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare. It was a love poem. That’s how we ended our day.

Homework
  • page 615 (1-4)
  • then, do the timed wrighting  on that same page and be sure and write it in your journal

“Ring Out, Wild Bells”

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Alfred Tennyson

Image via Wikipedia

Today in first period we went over our homework from over the weekend.We then read a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson called, “Ring Out, Wild Bells.” This poem is on page 611.We went through the steps to figure out how to understand the poem. We got into groups of 2 or 3 and discussed this poem. We then thought up a phrase that only had 6 words in it to describe the whole poem. The one that the class agreed was the best one was, “replace the bad with the good.”

Homework
  • For today’s homework, we have to read over “Ring Out, Wild Bells,” and count how many syllables there were in each line and try to find a pattern.
  • We also have to go on page 612 and answer questions on the three poems that we have read in the literature book so far.

Cat! Scat!

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Eleanor Farjeon (pronounced far'-zhun) (Februa...

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Second and sixth periods worked on sound devices (onomatopoeia and rhythm) and context clues, reading the poem “Cat!” by Eleanor Farjeon.

Cat!
Atter her, atter her,
Sleeky flatterer,
Spitfire chatterer,
Scatter her, scatter her
Wuff!
Wuff!
Treat her rough!
Git her, git her,
Whiskery spitter!
Catch her, catch her,
Green-eyed scratcher!
Slathery
Slithery
Hisser,
Don’t miss her!
Run till you’re dithery,
Hithery
Thithery
Pfitts! pfitts!
How she spits!
Spitch! Spatch!
Can’t she scratch!
Scritching the bark
Of the sycamore-tree,
She’s reached her ark
And’s hissing at me
Pfitts!Pfitts!
Wuff! Wuff!
Scat,
Cat!
That’s
That!

We’ll be working on it a little more tomorrow.

Fourth period had a little bit of a surprise: the first group began its presentation only to find they’d been guinea pigs. We got back into groups to look at how the first group could have presented better during the teaching (“After all, you’ll be presenting information all your life, and that’s essentially all teaching is,” I explained.) and how to apply those findings to their own presentations.

Homework
  • Second and sixth periods:
    • practice reading “Cat!”;
    • read Walter de la Mare’s “Silver” (page 604).
  • Fourth period:
    • sonnets (recitation and written) due Monday;
    • continue planning presentations (to begin Monday):

Sonnets and Persuasion

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Fourth period began the arduous process of writing a sonnet. Our topic was the difficulty of writing a sonnet. The pre-writing paraphrase was the following:

  • I don’t want to write a sonnet: it’s too hard
  • Why is it so hard?
  • So much to worry about:
    • Rhyme
    • Meter: Iambic pentameter
    • Problem/solution
  • Kind of like juggling chain saws – one mis-step and it’s no longer a sonnet
  • What’s stressed and unstressed?
  • Solution: don’t write one. Oops, too late

The first lines of our sonnet were as follows:

My teacher really wants to stress me out.
He says it’s time to show our writing skills.
It is like fishing for a stubborn trout.

To close the lesson, everyone worked with a partner to write the final line of the first quatrain.

First, second, and sixth periods continued working on their persuasion projects. We’ll probably be finishing those up next week.

Homework
  • First, second, and sixth periods: continue planning project.
  • Fourth period: write the second quatrain of the sonnet.

Onomatopoeia and a Test

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Fourth period had a test on the parts of speech. They claim it was difficult; the results so far belie their claims.

First, second, and seventh periods all worked on their first poem for their poetry project portfolio. It was modeled on “Cat!”. As such, it was to include onomatopoeia and meter. (I added a few new pictures to the Classwork 2009/10 gallery.)

Homework
  • First, second, and seventh: finish first draft of poem.
  • Fourth period: read through chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Give Us a Beat

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First and seventh periods worked on rhythm in poetry, using “Cat!” to discover the patterns that create meter.

Cat!
Atter her, atter her,
Sleeky flatterer,
Spitfire chatterer,
Scatter her, scatter her
Wuff!
Wuff!
Treat her rough!
Git her, git her,
Whiskery spitter!
Catch her, catch her,
Green-eyed scratcher!
Slathery
Slithery
Hisser,
Don’t miss her!
Run till you’re dithery,
Hithery
Thithery
Pfitts! pfitts!
How she spits!
Spitch! Spatch!
Can’t she scratch!
Scritching the bark
Of the sycamore-tree,
She’s reached her ark
And’s hissing at me
Pfitts!Pfitts!
Wuff! Wuff!
Scat,
Cat!
That’s
That!

With a little work and some rapping, students were able to see two distinct patterns:

Patter 1
Pattern 2
dithery,
Hithery
Thithery		Git her, git her,
hard-hard-softhard-soft

Second period moved on to the poem “Silver” by Walter de la Mare. We began paraphrasing this somewhat challenging poem.

Fourth period began To Kill a Mockingbird. We will be having a test tomorrow on the parts of speech.

Homework
  • First periods: paraphrase the first four lines of “Silver.”
  • Second period: finish paraphrasing “Silver.”
  • Fourth period: read chapters 1-3 of To Kill a Mockingbird (pages 1-32).
  • Seventh period: none.

Sound Devices

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First and second period worked on sound devices, focusing on the use of rhythm and onomatopoeia in a poem titled “Cat.”

Second period finished up the ballad selection and poetry unit. We discussed a bit the portfolio (which will be turned in 2 December).

Seventh period finished up the test on The Diary of Anne Frank (we didn’t have class yesterday because of Career Day).

Homework
  • First period: none.
  • Second period:
    • re-read poems until mastered;
    • analyze “Drum” for onomatopoeia and meter;
    • analyze “Cat” and “Drum” for instances of  alliteration.
  • Fourth period:
    • parts of speech test Friday (November 13);
    • work on poetry portfolio.
  • Seventh period:
    • practice reading the poem until you’ve mastered it;
    • find the two passages that are most rap-like.

The Thief

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First and seventh periods went over act II scene 3. We looked in detail at the consequences of the theft. We’ll be finishing up the play tomorrow.

Second period completed the play today. We’re scheduled to start a new unit — on poetry — on Monday, with a small open-note, open-book test on the play Friday.

Fourth period finished up meter. Now students can explain with “iambic pentameter” means, as well as dactylic trimeter, anapestic dimeter, and other imaginary and real meters.

Homework
  • First period and seventh periods: read II.4 of Diary of Anne Frank.
  • Second period:
    • complete questions 1-4 on page 870;
    • read Anne Frank Remembered (906-911)
  • Fourth period: make a first attempt at using iambic pentameter by writing a sonnet rough draft.

Metered Kiss

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Fourth period worked on meter, learning what iambs, trochees, anapests, dactyls, and spondees are. It was tough going, but I believe everyone will get it tomorrow.

First and seventh period completed the second scene of the Diary of Anne Frank‘s second act. We saw the kiss and discussed briefly how social attitudes have changes regarding intimacy between males and females, using the text of the play as a point of comparison.

Second period completed II.3 of the Diary of Anne Frank. We looked at characters’ actions and their motivations.

Homework
  • First and seventh period: read act 2, scene 3 of the Diary of Anne Frank; we’ll be having a quiz on it tomorrow.
  • Second period: read II.4 of the Diary of Anne Frank; a quiz is likely.
  • Fourth period: revise the poetry turned in yesterday.

A Quiz, Some Questions, and First Presentation

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First period finished The Diary of Anne Frank. We took a moment to look at a scene from the Disney adaptation: the arrest of the Franks. The students were literally breathless as the SS officers stormed into the building.

Fourth and sixth periods took a quiz on the final scene of Act I, then worked on their diary project.

Homework
  • First period: questions at the end of The Diary of Anne Frank (I don’t know the page number off the top of my head, the board has been erased, and my book is on the other side of the room…)
  • Second period: “My Papa’s Waltz” and accompanying questions.
  • Fourth and sixth periods: questions 1, 2, 5, 6 on page 832

Apt Adjectives and Final Preparation

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Second period finished up their in-class preparation time for their student-teaching projects. The first group, covering meter and rhyme, will be launching their project tomorrow.

First, fourth, and sixth periods focused on improving their “We Are Anne” diary projects by focusing on the use of good adjectives to add sensory detail.

Homework
  • Second period: work on discussion forum for The Giver and Fahrenheit 451.
  • First, fourth, and sixth periods: add/improve ten adjectives to existing diary entries.