Writing (Eureka Week)(Usually History Week)

 Writing

1. Read the preface and chapters 1-4, or to page 95 of "The Princess Bride," by William Goldman.

2. Write this paragraph from the book in your best handwriting.  Notice the use of commas.  They are used in a variety of ways.  

This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.

How is such a thing possible? I’ll do my best to explain. As
a child, I had simply no interest in books. I hated reading. I was very bad at it, and besides, how could you take the time to read when there were games that shrieked for playing? Basketball, baseball, marbles—I could never get enough. I wasn’t even good at them, but give me a football and an empty playground and I could invent last-second triumphs that would bring tears to your eyes. School was torture. Miss Roginski, who was my teacher for the third through fifth grades, would have meeting after meeting with my mother. “I don’t feel Billy is perhaps extending himself quite as much as he might.” Or, “When we test him, Billy does really exceptionally well, considering his class standing.” Or, most often, “I don’t know, Mrs. Goldman: what are we going to do about Billy?”

(Preface)

3. Do 2 pages in your handwriting books. Bring them to class!  $5 for me if you don't bring them completed.  You should have at least 30 pages done.

4. We are going to do a creative writing unit that includes all kinds of poetry and different writing styles. 

We will start with "The Crot."

What in the world is a crot?  

THE CROT:

Where Creativity

And

Nonfiction Intersect

Prose Poetry

prose

/prōz/

Learn to pronounce

noun

1. 1.

   written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.

Go look at this website to look at some good examples of a crot. 

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-crot-1689945

See how the fragmented sentences create a story.

Now look at these examples of doodle poetry.

                                        

Go to this webpage to learn about white space. https://novacreative.com/5-benefits-of-using-white-space-in-design/

Here is a link that helps explain a crot. http://nickerson.pbworks.com/f/The+Crot.pdf

Now you are going to combine all of these things into a crot.  The part where nonfiction comes in is when you select your topic of something that is true.  You can use research from your research paper, or something from your autobiography, or start with a new topic.  Here is a description of what you will be doing.  Please keep in mind that this is creative writing.  This means there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do it.  You are just conveying research through a creative lens.

CROT Poetry

Crots have many definitions – especially as we look at them throughout history. For our purposes, a crot is defined as a series of snippets (thoughts, figurative language, direct quotes, inner or spoken dialogue, fragments, lists, descriptions, single sentences, and etcetera). Each snippet should be related to the same topic. Crots can be composed of multiple sources of inspiration, and they can teach, entertain, inform, argue, or ponder.

When creating a crot, you should approach it as a type of creative writing that blurs the line between poetry, prose, and art. The goal is to represent information you learn about a topic (from one or more sources) artistically. Crots can be hand drawn or generated digitally. They often include images, doodles, colors, contrasting font sizes and styles, and drama (diagonal writing, words that run together, shadows behind text...what can you add to the words to create a more emotional impact on your audience? What stylistic effects would help to symbolically represent your points?)

Crots use white space (the area on the page not covered with words and art) to maximize the impact of the existing crot content.

When writing a your crot, you should follow this general sequence:

1. Identify a topic.

2. Find at least one text (article, short story, poem, play, etc.) from which you will draw inspiration.

3. Read the text(s) and write down or highlight information that stands out. Annotate the text if it helps.

4. Zone in on a purpose for your crot. Will you write to inform, entertain, educate, argue, inspire, compare, etcetera?

5. Keeping in mind your topic and purpose, select the ideas from your sources that you would like to

   include in the crot. You can use direct quotes, paraphrased information, and ideas that you thought of on your own as you read. Begin arranging these ideas in a vertical list.

6. Add figurative language. Crots come to life with imagery, alliteration, assonance, personification, similes, metaphors, hyperbole, etcetera. Where can you show with your words instead of tell ?

7. Arrange your thoughts into an order that makes sense. Get rid of the ones that don’t fit, or add additional ideas as you feel so inspired.

8. Play with the white space on the page. How can you avoid a crowded appearance so that the white space complements your ideas, thereby increasing their power?

9. Add artistic elements to the sections of your crot. Think about the style, color, and size of your words as well as the images, doodles, and other creative elements you might add.

10. Create your first draft.

11.Revise it until you like the content, organization, and appearance. 

12.Edit it to avoid proofreading errors.

13.  BRING IT TO CLASS TO SHARE!

Here is an example of what I'm looking for: Notice the topic, the art, the prose, the white space, etc... All of these things make a crot.

Ok, last but not least!  It seems that most of you wanted to continue with the spelling bees.  So, here are the spelling words!

shrieked - uttered a high-pitched piercing sound or words; an expression of terror, pain, or excitement.

exceptionally - to a greater degree than normal; unusually.

princess - the daughter of a monarch.

possible - able to be done; within the power or capacity of someone or something.

gorgeous - beautiful; very attractive.

week/weak - week - a period of seven days. weak - lacking physical strength and energy.

triumphs - a great victory or achievement.

considering - taking (something) into consideration; in view of.

meet/meat - meet - make the acquaintance of (someone) for the first time. meat - the flesh of an animal (especially a mammal) as food.

remarkable - worthy of attention; striking.

translation - the process of translating words or text from one language into another.

beginning - the point in time or space at which something starts.

predecessor - a person who held a job or office before the current holder.

privilege - something regarded as a special honor.

considerably - by a notably large amount or to a notably large extent; greatly.

gracefully - in a respectful and dignified way.

daughter- a girl or woman in relation to either or both of her parents.

singularly - in a remarkable or noticeable way.

banquet - an elaborate and formal meal for many people.

overwhelming - very great in amount.

shrieked exceptionally

princess possible

gorgeousweek/weak 

triumphs considering

meet/meat remarkable

translation beginning

predecessor privilege

considerably gracefully

daughter singularly

banquet overwhelming