Welcome! January 18th, 2017 Wednesday Do Now Find your seats! If you don’t remember where you sit, ask me. Write the date at the top of a new page in your journal. Once the bell rings, begin the freewrite. Prompt: Do you consider yourself funny? What role does humor play in your life? Who’s the funniest person you know?

Imagery! Imagery is when an author or poet uses language to capture the sights, sounds, smells, tastes of something in their piece. Poets and authors use imagery not just to create vivid descriptions, but also to get their tone across to the reader. To explore this, we’re going to look at John Loomis’ poem, “Deer Hit.” First, I’m just going to read it through to you. Just listen. I’m going to read it to you one more time. This time, pay attention to imagery – what does Loomis describe in a way that appeals to the senses? Your first job today is to read Loomis’ poem for a third time by yourself. This time, circle at least three images that stand out to you. Next to at least three of the images that you circled, write a quick response – what mood do you think Loomis is trying to create with this image?

Memory POEM 1. Today, we’re going to focus on memories. In your journal, begin listing important things you remember vividly from your life. Try to list at least five important memories. If you’re stuck, consider… A “first time” memory: the first time you rode a bike, the first time you went to school, etc.? A small moment memory: the smell of cookies baking in your kitchen, the squeak of a floorboard on the stairs, cracks in the ceiling of a room, etc. Happy traditions or memories around a special occasion like your birthday or a family holiday A memory inspired by a person who was/is important to you A traumatizing moment from your childhood

Narrowing it Down 2. Next, you’re going to focus on one of your memories to write a narrative poem about. Make sure you choose one that you can write about using sensory details – sights, sounds, smells, textures! You’ll need details and poetic language in your poem. My list: Getting my dog on Christmas Eve My grandmother’s secret money* Going to the lake with my parents My grandmother’s death Meeting my brother Once you’ve chosen a memory to focus on, take five minutes to write down every detail you remember. Don’t worry about sounding pretty or making sense-just try to capture your memory, stream-of-consciousness style 

Narrowing it Down 3. Read through your five minute freewrite. What mood do you think you want to create in your reader when they experience your poem? Describe what you want your reader to feel.

Room 1 Once you’ve chosen your memory, we’re going to work on describing it from multiple perspectives (or “rooms”). In the first room, picture your memory in your mind’s eye and describe it in about a paragraph. (You may re-use lines from your five minute prewrite if you’d like). Room 1 (My Example): When I was six, I used to help my grandmother crush grapes in her basement to make wine. Once when we were stomping grapes, she told me a secret. I remember standing in her dark basement behind the barrels of wine. She showed me the secret hiding spot where she was keeping money for me to have after she died.

Rooms 2-6 Once you’ve filled out Room 1, you can continue working on the other rooms. Note: if you don’t like one of the room’s topics, feel free to replace it with something else. My Example: Room 2: A dark cellar, only one flickering bulb, it took a few minutes for your eyes to adjust, dust floating in the dim light, could barely see where the money was hidden, behind the barrels, wooden rotted shelf Room 3: very quiet, puddle dripping in the corner creak of the door, shuffle of her feet, she said in a growling accent, “Remember, when I pass away” (my grandmother loved me)

“My Grandmother’s Secret” in the cellar behind strong barrels in the damp cellar with one bare bulb flickering in the floating dust a box of tattered money for me tucked away on the rotting shelf the dry scrape of her bare feet on concrete her accent like gravel “Remember, when I pass away.” But why did she hide the money? Drafting your memory Once you’ve filled out all of the rooms, you can begin drafting your poem. Your poem should be at least 10 lines long and should include something from each one of your rooms.