Eclectic English Endeavors: Schoolhouse Rocks

Eclectic English Endeavors: Schoolhouse Rocks

Moment Poem

"Driving to Work"

It seemed like just another morning,

driving in the car, I turned onto the freeway

looking at the car ahead of me

I barely saw it at first, 

like a little piece of trash blowing across the road

at closer inspection within a split second

 I saw it's little legs running for the safety of the shoulder

Across two lanes this tiny kitten fled

it almost looked like he had been hit a few times

my heart sank pounding into the brakes

that I knew I couldn't hit

not at sixty miles an hour

I quickly saw him scramble out of the way

as I prayed he was alright

I knew there was no turning back to see

Waiting

Standing on the corner in the rain
weeping and wanting
something must change
and change soon

Do not make me scorn you
Do not make my wrath take you down
Do not make me regret ever meeting you
Do not make me walk away forever and not return

Standing on the corner in the sun
crying and fearful
something has changed
it always changes

Your Anger

You spew fire from your mouth and you expect me to jump
I do

Your words sting like a whip with each crushing blow
I fall

Your look set my face on fire and blinds me from the world
I scream

Your blows break my back and tear my heart in two
I cry

Your comfort means less and less as I lay upon the floor
I bleed

Nights

the breath of the wind blows across my face and kisses my cheek softly before the rain comes
it reminds me love both lost and found within the same time yet ever fleeting away from me

shall the night leave and never return is there anything that can really be done?
shall the sun rise will the face of the moon remain in my heart forever?

may the night last forever and the wind softly blow and the rain cleanse the air
and if by chance you should go then never forsake my memory of the night

National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month

November 1st through 30th

Everyone in English will need to participate in National Novel Writing Month.  Each student will receive a grade based on word count, content, length, originality  form and mechanics.  Each novel will also need a character analysis, a setting analysis and a plot analysis included for a total grade. Each student will need to sign up following the link below and turn in their user name in order to start the process.  If you have any questions please see me immediately for further information and instruction.

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing month)

Nathan' Poem

Winter weather, there's no other

Cold breeze, everything seems to be at ease

Slow walks, the air talks

One note, one beat, winter tends to

Speak!

This weather can talk, it speaks!

come winter, come closer

This weather brought us together

Pop Qiuz

For Self Paced English 4.   Come to class for your pop quiz by Friday.

Heartbeats

Please look at the types of poems page on the classroom site.  See if you can tell what combination of poetry  this poem is made up from.

Horseshoes and sunshine
rattles and spoons
cars and that little dog
ice cream and shoes

Memories we bring from childhood to bust
the little thoughts for each day we live with trust


Broken bottles and night
Police sirens and screams
guns and the raging bull
bullets and shame

Memories that disturb and destroy
now we are all lost girls and lost boys

Supplies for Projects

Please bring supplies like beads, feathers, fake flowers, lace, glitter, stickers, and material.  Pretty much any type of materials that you have laying around the house or anything you think you can decorate paper with for a poetry book project.  Start collecting today.

Today's Poem

Please attach your Today's Poem to this post.  Here is the basic outline.  Please be creative and think outside of the box.  Use as much figurative language as possible.

Today
is

It
is (time)

I
see

I
hear

I
smell


I
taste

I
wonder

I want

I need

I have

I
know
that

Tomorrow will be

Plaster

Respond to this poem.....


We do not often carry the weight of the world on our shoulders
instead it lays at our feet and we trample and stomp upon it
wading through the muck and making my shoes wet with mud
the rain never seems to wash any of it away or not so one can tell
how did this all end up on the ground? like plaster that fell from the walls

More than a book

Much Better Now

Little boat

Please look at these two short stories again.  You will need to find a non verbal story and post a link in the comment section of this blog.  You will each have a chance on Tuesday to present your non verbal story to the class.

Broken

As my body rejects
time, space, time, space,
means nothing

As my heart crushes
waste, time, waste, time,
means everything

As my mind deadens
time, place, time, and place
continue on without me

Pieces - By Request

Pieces

By Neil Dracos

I once asked you, "What do you like best about me?" A question cryptic, answer hard to see. You told me you love my eyes, I said it was your hair. But when I look in myself now, that answer isn't there.
My love cries for only you. And when you ask what I love most, one answer can't be true.
My hands long for the feel of your hair, yes, your hair. These twins seek it even in my sleep.
But my eyes see yours alone, even in the stones. They howl to gaze deep into your soul, lighting new fire from the coals.

My arms crave the touch of you in my embrace. And only in your arms does my blood race.

My feet feel like lead most every day. But move like a hare’s if you’re even a mile away.

My mind is married to yours, a love intellectually pure. And every time our lives connect, it seems all the newer.

My heart is bound to yours by weightless chains. You’re always there to abate my pains.

I once asked you, "What do you like best about me?" A question cryptic, answer hard to see. You told me you love my eyes, I said it was your hair. But when I look in myself now, that answer isn't there.

Bump - By Request

Bump

By Neil Dracos

Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump.

Pain beneath my breast,
never have I been so shattered.
Will I find rest?

Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump.

Have I ever felt more alone?
Wings like angels on my back,
below my ribs a heart of stone.

Ba-bump, ba-bump, crack!

Veins of ice, toxic blood.
Heart beats,
slowly pumping poison mud.

Raging stinging.

The jab of shards,
in a world so cold.
Fate has dealt the cards.

Tinkle, tinkle.

Life in pieces,
I find the pain,
most of all music eases.

Tinkle, tinkle…..bump.

Forlorn

If tears were shed for every time
we'ed lost a friend to death
or for something we've lost
and can never find again

Would it make a difference
in everything we've said
or just remind us of selfish sorrow
while wishing we were dead

Do we really cry for love
do we really weep
for all that;s passed us up
and all we'll never keep

Sitting here and crying
for all the time that's gone
makes me wonder if it's real
or am I just forlorn

Noumenon

My soul bleeds for a reincarnated heart beat,
cries for the sun to arise on a vicious and dreadful night,
kills me a little each day to keep me weak,
laughs at the fear and folly of my life

My Friend

I didn't know until I found you what I was really missing,
the warmth of your smile, the jig in your walk,
that funny little laugh and the way you talk,
it all makes sense somehow that it was meant to be,
seems it means a friend for you as well as it does for me,
I would miss you should you go and grieve a fond farewell,
until that happens I will always hold you dear,
and when your a million miles away, or have no phone to talk,
I will think of all the laughs we've had and all of our little talks,
and welcome you back with a great big hug,
and simply hold you in my arms,
and knowing what I have always missed,
for as long as I've been around,
I have found I have grieved and grieved
until you were finally found

I wonder

I wonder,

if one day all my mistakes will add up and I will become a winner...

I wonder,

will the rain ever stop and the sun shine in my heart forever...

I wonder,

When I am gone will they plant a tree above me instead of a headstone...

I wonder,

Will you ever come back to me.....?

Study Notes for TAKS

Study Notes for TAKS

Multiple Choice Questions

Read each question completely

Underline your evidence

Eliminate possible wrong answers

Take your time and stay calm

If you are unsure, pick which is most right

Use context clues

Short Answer Essay Questions

Read the question completely

Your answer should relate to the question

Each answer should have 5 or more sentences

Use quotes to support your answer, at least 2

Write which paragraph you found it in

Reread your answer to make sure it makes sense

Make any corrections necessary

The Essay for 10^th thru Exit

Read the prompt completely

Make sure your essay relates to the topic

Be Specific

Use Details

Write a minimum of 5 paragraphs

Use 5 or more sentences in each paragraph

Use your own experiences

Write complete sentences

Reread your work and make any corrections

The night before the test

Eat a good dinner

Go to bed early

Try to have a good breakfast

Arrive to school on time

Write like you read and not like you talk

Look for:

            Setting – time and place

            Characters – Main and supporting, antagonist and protagonist

            Conflict / Resolution – The problem and its conclusion

            Theme – Universal message

            Plot – the series of events in the story including introduction, climax / turning             point, and the conclusion

            Point of View – first person: I or we, third person: use of characters names,               omniscient: all seeing

            Mood - Tone that is set by time and place, use of figurative language

            Foreshadowing – Hints to what is to come next or soon in the story

            Flashback – Interrupts a story and relates to a previous event

            Irony – the difference in what appears to be and what really is

            Dialogue – written conversation between two or more characters

            Symbolism – a symbol that stands for something beyond the obvious

Read between the lines and make inferences

Make predictions

Look for comparisons and contrasts between the two stories

Draw a venn diagram

Make an outline

Compose on the scrap paper

Use persuasion in your paper

Organize your written work

Check mechanics

Read everything you write back to yourself

Create a Story

Story Bird


Please go to this link and pick a picture to write a short story and poem about.  Stories should be no less than 10  pages long and the introduction should include a poem based on the picture you choose and the story you have created.  This is a two grade project so in total worth 200 points.  You will need to create an account.  If you have questions then please contact me.


Good Luck

20 Poems Project

20 Poems Project

10 Poems- You will have specific directions as to what to write about and/or which literary devices to include.

  5 Poems-You will write five poems of your choice

  5 Poems-You will choose 5 poems by an established poet.

20 Poems Total

Poem 1:  alliteration

Define:  alliteration

Define slant rhyme

Discuss the alliteration that you used.

Poem 2: metaphor

Define: metaphor

Write a poem in which you use a metaphor.

Discuss/Explain the metaphor.

Poem 3: simile

Define: simile

Write a poem in which you use a simile.

Discuss/explain the simile.

Poem 4:  personification

Define:  personification

Write a poem in which you use personification.

Discuss/explain the personification.

Poem 5: narrative

Define narrative

Explain why this is a narrative poem.

Poem 6: lyric poem

Define: lyric poem

Explain why this poem is a lyric poem.

Poem 7: haiku

Define haiku

Poem 8: X poem

(Write a poem about a word that begins with the letter X.  Do not use the word X-rays.)

Poem 9:  Z poem

Write a poem that includes 3 words that begin with the letter Z.

Poem 10:  dialogue poem

Define dialogue.

Write a poem that includes a dialogue about two people ending a relationship

Poems 10-15: Write 5 poems of your choice. Write a one paragraph reflection about this poem. Why did you write about this particular topic?  What is the background?  What do you like about this poem? What do you dislike about this poem?

Poems 15-20:  Choose five of your favorite poems.  Be sure to include the author f or each poem, write 1-2 paragraph reflection.  Explain why you chose this poem. Also discuss any literary devices used in the poems

Trust

I could not give you the benefit of the doubt,
after all you are what you are

I had to stand up and make sure to shout,
how I didn't believe your words of the heart

As I sit here and begin to pout,
my memories are just to much to bare

So say it loud and get it out,
trust was gone before the start

Poetry Night

We all had a wonderful time sharing our poetry 

and would like to thank those who 

came out to support this event. 

A few pictures were taken by Ms. Allysun, 

as well as,  some video by Mr. Guerra.  

Here are a few picture we would like to share

and we will have the videos up as soon as they are edited.  

We will also be posting original poetry

as comments so make sure and read them.

Don't Forget Poetry Night

Where: San Antonio School for Inquiry and Creativity Music Room
When: Friday the 20th of January from 5:30 to 7:30
What: Music and original poetry from students (and maybe some staff)
and let's see those English 4 students

Come and Support the Arts !

Thank You

To my Dearest followers,

        I have enjoyed so much seeing the poets within you. Through poetry we learn to see ourselves in others as well as let others see themselves within us.  I hope you are all looking forward to the evening of the 20th when we host an open night poetry night in honor of National Poetry Month.which is soon approaching.  Please take a look at a few of the links below so that we can discuss upcoming events and opportunities to publish.  I would like to see your prepared work when I return on Thursday the 19th.  It seems that I have classes myself on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.  If i am released early enough however I will attend class so make sure to spread the word to check to see if I am in the classroom before making other arrangements.  I look forward to attending and participating in this event and seeing you there.  Have a great weekend and don't forget to prepare.......

                                                                  Always,
                                                                        Ev Hatfield

You Don't Have to Be sick to Get Better

Life Goes On As Time Goes By.......

Sitting watching the tears on your face,
and knowing that whatever happened,
may or may not happen again

The sweat pours off my body,
and I know that if health is the issue
sooner or later it too will pass.

The eyes are called the window of the soul,
but it is the heart that feels the pang of mourning,
gasping in love for the ones, the only ones

And as my head lays down for the finale of my life
I remember those who came before me and those who come behind
and yet my prayers....

Always fall upon deaf ears

Burning

The smell alone seemed to burn my eyes,
it was like electric fire light in the skies
I was awakened by the call of my soul,
just in time to see the smoke rise and fall
I do not remember what was said or how I felt
I was still in my bed, sleeping the night away
An angel came close and whispered in my ear
"wake up, wake up, a fire is near" and so I arose
to see the truth, a smoke filled room straight to the roof
and now in the day light it all seems clear,
we were saved last night from my greatest fear.

A lie is still a lie

Was it a lie?
Did you wait?
Did you want?
Did you love?

You said you did....
but you didn't