Ongoing Projects

Writing Workshop (every Tuesday)

This ongoing project has only one deadline (the portfolio due date listed below), but you will need to set yourself intermediary deadlines in order to keep on target.

NOTE: Upon request, I will set individual deadlines for those who need them. You will be held responsible for such deadlines.

• Remember: Each piece must have two conferences with me before it is eligible for the portfolio (more if you're in Creative Writing)
• You must also have at least 2 conferences (more in CW) with classmates and 2 outside of the class, one of which must be with an adult.
• You may work on a single piece until it is done, many pieces at once, or bits and pieces of pieces. Just be certain that you are working toward that portfolio deadline!

Portfolio Information

Click above to find out everything you ever could want to know about writing a portfolio. And remember: The key to a good portfolio is variety.

Portfolio Due Dates:

CW: Friday before Christmas break

E3H: March 1, 2004

E2H: April 23, 2004

Reading Workshop (every Monday)

This is another ongoing assignment here, and one that can be confusing (but it does not have to be). Your responsibilities here (in addition to reading, which should be obvious), are basically twofold: provide a written record of your thoughts concerning the books you read and/or have a conference with me about one of them. Each quarter, the assessment may be different; this will be discussed in individual classes.

Written Record

There will be one assessment per quarter in RW. A written assessment may be in one of several forms, among which are:

• a dialogue of letters between two people reading the same book
• a series of e-mails or IM conversations
• a reading journal done individually or in pairs
• a Reflection Letter of your thoughts on reading this book

A word about reflection letters

I am working on uploading a sample reflection letter, but until I do, just know a few key points:

1. This is a scholarly paper even if it is creative in format, so be sure to develop and support it as you would any paper.
2. It should not be a sixth grade book report, focused solely on plot. In fact, plot discussion should be limited to what is needed to discuss other points, and at no time should you reveal critical plot twists.
3. Do discuss issues related to the book's impact on you and connections to your life, to other things you've read, etc.
4. Do discuss the author's style and whether you liked the book or not and why.
5. Do have fun with this; it's academic but it is a personal or even creative piece; it should reflect a writer having some fun. :-)

Although your own reading schedule will determine due dates, you may assume that something is due in RW at least a

week before the quarter ends.

Book Groups

Groups of students reading the same book at the same pace may be used to invigorate discussion of the book selected by the group. Click here to find an annotated selection of possible multicultural books of interest.

Conferences and Presentations

Book Conferences: If this is assigned, you and I will meet on a date that we agree on and you will basically present your reactions to your book. This should be more than a summary: discuss writing style, character development, issues connected to the book, other works it reminds you of, and specifically why you liked or disliked it, along with anything else you think of. You must prepare notes (or bullets) for this, and you must quote liberally from the text. If your book is not conducive to this kind of depth, we may decide to wait for a different one.

Book Presentations: If this is assigned, you and a partner (or partners) will present a book to the class in a clever, original and entertaining way. These have ranged from videos to board games to dramatizations to talk show or news show formats,

and have been a lot of fun.

Though there are minimums you have to reach, I do of course encourage you to read as much as you can. Those who are better read are almost always stronger writers. Enjoy books!

Goals: E2H 1 book per qtr E3H 1 book per month