Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood

Click here for an introduction to the Renaissance. Read through each of the following sections, and take notes on key points.

The Renaissance.
*Introduction
*Out of the Middle Ages
*Exploration and Trade
*Printing and Thinking
*Symmetry, Shape, Size
*Focus on Florence

As you are reading, reflect on our essential questions:
1. Why do people create art?
2. How does art show what is important to a society?
3. What makes a “Renaissance Person?”

Post a copy of your notes to your blog. Don’t forget to include a title for your blog post.

Bonus table points: Based on your notes, prepare 10 questions to ‘test’ your classmates with tomorrow.

alliance

collaborate

colleague

conspire

federation

harmonious

interact

populace

unanimous

uniform

VIRL in the comments!

As you prepare for the SLAM tomorrow and Friday, use this rubric to help assess your own work.

As discussed from the very first day we began talking about poetry, memorization is an expectation.

You will be graded accordingly.

When you come to class on Wednesday, your portfolio must be ready to turn in. Do not forget…

A catchy, meaningful title for your portfolio
A catchy, meaningful title for each poem
A picture for your cover page that represents you and your work
A picture for each poem that connects to its meaning
Labels down the side (Remember to change the ones from the sample portfolio)

Also, do not forget about the connections questions!

Additionally, all the writing should be done for your SLAM poem. Wednesday’s class should be used for memorization and practice (PIPES, gestures, etc.).

annihilate

contaminate

corrode

curtail

deplete

deteriorate

extinct

negate

rancid

squander

Vocab HW is due Thursday. Quiz on Friday. VIRL in comments.

YES!

There are no rules when writing a free verse.

Q. What’s the rhyme scheme? A. Whatever you want! Or none at all!

Q. What’s the rhythm? A. Whatever you want!

Q. How many syllables in each line? A. As many as you want!

Q. How many lines should it have? A. As many as you want (as long as you want at least five)!

None of that matters. It’s all about expressing your thoughts and feelings using strong words and sensory language. YOU ARE NOT TRYING TO TELL A STORY (or be funny).

Here is an example. The poet takes an ordinary event and makes you think what she is thinking, feel what she is feeling by using sensory details.

Here are two examples that students wrote last year. Can you guess which EQ’s they are writing for?

While it sounds easy, be careful. It’s not. You really have to work hard to find that perfect word. Since there are no rules, there are no excuses for not doing it just right. Think you can? Post one in the comments for a point.

When you are done, work on your SLAM poem. The rough draft is due Monday.

Please check PowerSchool for missing poem drafts. If you did not post your attempt at a poem in the comments section, you have a zero until I see something from you.

Acrostic poems are written by taking one word (or a group of words) and writing it vertically. This word is the topic of your poem. Then you can write one word or a short phrase that describe the topic.

Here is an example:

———————————————-

Border between girl and woman

Into an uncertain fate

Running away from your future

Desperate to be anything but yourself

You should follow your heart

———————————————-

Acrostic poems seem easy at first, but looks can be deceiving. You must really take your time and choose powerful words. Avoid overused words like nice, bad, or awesome . Instead, try for strong words like breathtaking, horrific, or glorious.

Capture the heart of your topic!

Look at last year’s students’ work below.

Post one in the comments. If it has dazzling adjectives, vivid verbs, and description that you can see, feel, smell, taste, and hear, you’ll get a group point.

A limerick is a poem, often very funny, composed of five lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme. Lines 3 and 4 rhyme. Lines 1, 2, and 5 are longer than lines 3 and 4.

Here is the example Mr. Robinson wrote.

———————————————-

There once was a boy named Royce,

who made an unfortunate choice.

He caught my attention

and has lunch detention,

and can’t even use his own voice!

———————————————-

Post one of your own in the comments to get a group point!

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A sonnet is similar to a ballad because both are made up of quatrains. A sonnet, however, has some important differences. Here are the rules for a sonnet:

1) A sonnet has 14 lines and each line has ten syllables.
2) Sonnets have four stanzas. The first three stanzas are quatrains (4 lines) and the last stanza is a couplet (2 lines).
3) A sonnet’s rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG (Notice that the rhymes are not repeated.)

Example:

The World in White Spectacle

A winding shroud of snow wraps field and tree,
So silent, still, like birds in gliding flight
Whose shadows cast with icy wings on sea
And land, spread restful peace of winter’s night.

When crystal droplets hang from branches bare
To catch the strands of moonlight soft and low
As if to mourn the fall of seasons fair,
Old Winter hides sweet grass and buds in snow.

Yet frozen death is birth in white disguise
As hilltops shine so bright in moonlight pale;
The world is made anew before my eyes;
Oh see the snow so smooth like tall ship’s sails.

And as the birds alight on powdered bough;
The feel of winter’s peace, a calmness now.

Now let’s see what you can do. Put yours in the comments for a point. Practice following all the rules and making it technically, then try to make a couple that connect to the EQ’s, the Middle Ages, or Catherine, Called Birdy.