Something interesting about reading.
"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in
waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the
frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses
and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid
deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
If you have time write down this text.
Haiku.
A popular form of poetry is Haiku.
Haiku is a poetic form and a type of poetry from the Japanese culture. Haiku combines form, content, and language in a meaningful, yet compact form. Haiku poets, which you will soon be, write about everyday things. Many themes include nature, feelings, or experiences. Usually they use simple words and grammar. The most common form for Haiku is three short lines. The first line usually contains five (5) syllables, the second line seven (7) syllables, and the third line contains five (5) syllables. Haiku doesn't rhyme. A Haiku must "paint" a mental image in the reader's mind. This is the challenge of Haiku - to put the poem's meaning and imagery in the reader's mind in ONLY 17 syllables over just three (3) lines of poetry!
One of the most famous Haiku poets was Basho, Matsuo. (1644-1694). http://www.toyomasu.com/haiku/#basho
The name Basho (banana tree) is a sobriquet he adopted around 1681 after moving into a hut with a banana tree alongside. He was called Kinsaku in childhood and Matsuo Munefusa in his later days.
During the years, Basho made many travels through Japan, and one of the most famous went to the north, where he wrote Oku No Hosomichi (1694). On his last trip, he died in Osaka, and his last haiku indicates that he was still thinking of traveling and writing poetry as he lay dying:
At the time of his death, Basho had more than 2000 students.
There are other forms of poetry developed from Haiku they are called Cinquain and Diamante poems. 
http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/newpoem.htm how to create an instant Diamante poem online.
And don't forget IDIOMS!!!!
What is an idiom?
An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not compositional—that is, whose meaning does not follow from the meaning of the individual words of which it is composed. For example, the English phrase to kick the bucket means to die. A listener knowing the meaning of kick and bucket will not thereby be able to predict that the expression can mean to die. Idioms are often, though perhaps not universally, classified as figures of speech.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioms
ma, idimat-, from Greek, from idiousthai, to make one's own, from idios, own, personal, private; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots.]Here are two exercises for you:
http://a4esl.org/q/h/9807/km-animalidioms.html
http://a4esl.org/q/h/9801/sb-idioms.html
This is an interesting site about idioms
October 18th
Similes
Create a simile by filling in the blank. Try to create some similes. Remember that similes draw comparisons between two things that are alike in a certain wayTry to appeal to each of the senses at least once.
Example: Susie was as slow as a snail.
As ____as ___
As ____as ___
As ____as ___
As ____as ___
As ____as ___
As ____as ___
As ____as ___
As ____as ___
As ____as ___
As ____as ___
OCTOBER 19th
A new idea......let's play with this anagram genius and write the results on the blog.
http://www.anagramgenius.com/server.html
CROSSWORDS
www.manythings.org/vq/img001.html
HANGMAN
JOBS
http://www.1-language.com/eslhangman/jobs1.htm
www.1-language.com/eslhangman/index.htm
NOVEMBER 10th
WHO WAS LUCY????
Lucy, as in Wordsworth's "Lucy poems" is believed to be based upon Peggy Hutchinson and his own sister.
The tale of Lucy Gray is based upon a true tale. Lucy Gray was a young child who did wander out onto the moor, lost in bad weather. Where the real tale and the one portraited by Wordsworth differ is that, Wordsworth claims some continue to hear her voice even though she was never found. In the real tale behind the poem, the dead body of Lucy Gray was found. So, the elegy was based on a real event, although Wordsworth gave it a more romantic ending and possibly created a legend at the same time.
Topics for Discussion |
Romantic age and Coleridge
Many Romantics believed that a writer could only write when inspired to do so. What do Coleridge's revisions of the poem indicate about the importance of editing in the writing process?
Why does the mariner kill the albatross? Is his action a typically human response or trait? Why does Coleridge spend comparatively little time describing the incident?
What is the significance of the albatross being hung around the mariner's neck?
The ancient mariner's shipmates all die unpleasant deaths. Is it fair that they should suffer because of his actions?
At the beginning of Part 4, the wedding guest interrupts the mariner's story to express his fears. Why does Coleridge not have the mariner tell his tale straight through?
What is the importance of the line, 'I looked to heaven, and tried to pray' (1. 244)?
Discuss the meaning and importance of the last eight lines. Is there a moral to the poem? Where is it explicitly stated?
http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides3/Rime.html
http://uk.encarta.msn.com/sidebar_701610967/%E2%80%9CThe_Rime_of_the_Ancient_Mariner%E2%80%9D.html
NOVEMBER 13th
This portrait commemorates Byron's famous adventures in Albania. It can be viewed at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
http://englishhistory.net/byron.html
As a leading Romanticist , George Gordon Byron's chief contribution is his creation of " the Byronic hero . " What is " Byronic hero " ?
T H E A B C O F F R I E N D S H I P
A friend does most of these:
(A)ccepts you as you are
(B
elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up on you!
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffer support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains thing you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality
Find some idioms, proverbs and quotations about friendship.
