Welcome! January 12th, 2016 Thursday 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: Take a line from the last song you heard, make it the first line of a story, and write for a five minutes. GO!

Practicing Word Choice Remember: writing, telling stories, is all about surprising your reader. Make your word choices unusual and avoid clichés at all costs! We’re going to practice creativity with word choices with the handout from the front table. Read through Langston Hughes's “April Rain Song” and complete the poem – and remember, be original! Try to think of something no one else will 

Share! Share your poems with your group. After you all read, respond to the questions below in your group. 1. Did anyone in your group choose the same word(s) as you? If so, who, and what were the words? Did anyone in your group have a poem that was completely different from everyone else’s? 2. Whose poem was your favorite? Why?

Review: Mood and Tone Your word choice has a huge effect on the mood and tone of your poem. Remember, a tone is the author’s attitude toward a subject. The mood is the emotional impact on the reader due to the author’s choice of language.

Practicing with Mood and Tone 3. Write a poem using one of the tones in the list to the right. Your poem should be at least six lines, and I should be able to see that you made an effort with your word choice. If you’re stuck, write about a person walking in a park using your chosen tone (but if you have a better idea, go for it!). Remember to be descriptive – use figurative language to play with your words! Tone List: Betrayed Empowered Inspired Affectionate Hopeless

Practicing with Mood and TOne 4. Circle five words in your poem that most impacted your tone. Then, on the back of your paper, rewrite your poem – but put a blank space instead of the words you choose (just like the poem from the beginning of class). Trade with a partner and, just like the poem from the beginning of class, fill in the blank spaces with words that you think will surprise your partner. Remember, go for something that they will never expect! 5. Trade back. What do you think of what your partner did with your poem? How is it different? How did the tone change as a result of the different words?