January 16th, 2013

1/16/13

In Class:
Journal--  Respond to the following quote: "Always be yourself, express yourself, and have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it." -Bruce Lee

GMX-- Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
In the following sentences about the Appalachian Trail, bracket the prepositional phrases and circle the subjects.
   1) The famous trail stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahadin in Maine.
   2) One quarter of the trail goes through Virginia.
   3) The majority of walkers hike for one day.
   4) For most hikers, the trip through fourteen states takes four or five months.

Discussed the dimensions of "Expression and Reflection" in writing and the relationship of the two elements. (See notes from another student.)
To practice expression & reflection, students practiced "What My Childhood Tastes Like." Model:
 

What My Childhood Tastes Like

- Plain cheese quesadillas, made by my mom in the miniscule kitchenette of our 1-bedroom apartment

- “Chicken”-flavored Ramen noodles, at home alone after school

- Cayenne pepper cherry Jell-o at my grandparents’ house

- Wheat toast slathered in peanut butter before school

- Lime and orange freezy-pops

- My stepdad’s meatloaf—ironically, the only meatloaf I’ve ever liked

- Cookie Crisp cereal (“It’s cookies—for breakfast!”)

- Macintosh apples and creamy Skippy peanut butter

- Tostitos Hint of Lime chips and salsa

- Love-Apple Stew that only my grandma can make right

- Caramel brownies, by my grandma who can’t bake anymore

My mom became a gourmet with only the most basic ingredients. We lived bare-bones in a one-bedroom apartment in the outskirts of Denver; for whatever selfless reason, she gave 4-year-old-me the bedroom and she took a futon in the living room. She would cook for me after caring for other mothers’ 4-year-olds all day long: usually plain cheese quesadillas (never any sort of add-ons, meats, or veggies—besides my abundant use of store-brand ketchup) or scrambled eggs (again, with puddles of ketchup).

When I was 6, my dad eventually used ketchup as a rationale for my second stepmom: “Shane, look! Judy likes ketchup on her eggs too!” But it was my mom I remembered cooking for me every night—not Judy, and certainly not my father.

“I don’t like that anymore. I like barbecue sauce on my eggs.”

Studied the genre of eulogy using a clip from Zoolander and a traditional eulogy. Appropriate humor, anecdote, focus on the deceased and the community of mourners.
Express and reflect: what story or explanation can you offer to express how you feel about the loss of this person? How does this change affect the lives of others?

Homework:

Write a brief eulogy for yourself, OR finish developing your "What My Childhood Tastes Like" story.
Find your book.

Catch up on any missed work.