Writing a Haiku

Hello students,

Today, you’ll learn about Haiku in the lab session.

A Haiku is a particular kind of poem. In order to know more about this, you’ll need to do some research on the internet. For your research, consider the following questions:

• What’s a Haiku?
• Where does it come from?
• What do you notice about the structure of these poems (hint: think about syllables)?
• What is the general subject matter of these poems?
• How is this poetry different or similar to the limericks we studied last week?
• Why do you think the poets wrote these poems?
• What is significant about the length of these poems?
• What do you notice about the language used in these poems?

The Haiku present a snapshot of everyday experience, revealing an unsuspected significance in a detail of nature or human life. Haiku poets find their subject matter in the world around them, not in ancient legends or exotic fantasies. So, as an attempt to write your own Haiku watch the following video about nature.

After you watch it, do this:

• Lie back for 5 minutes and clear your mind of inner conversation.
• Think only of your five senses: smelling, hearing, tasting, touching, and seeing.

Personal Inventory:

Write down at least one sensation in each of your five senses categories.

• Smelling __________________________________________________________
• Hearing __________________________________________________________
• Tasting ___________________________________________________________
• Touching _________________________________________________________
• Seeing ____________________________________________________________

Steps to write a Haiku:

1. Write two lines about something beautiful in nature. You can use the ideas taken from the video. Don't worry about counting syllables yet.
2. Write a third line that is a complete surprise, that is about something completely different from the first two lines.
3. Look at the three lines together. Does the combination of these two seemingly unrelated parts suggest any surprising relationships? Does it give you any interesting ideas?
4. Now rewrite the poem, using the 5-syllable, 7-syllable, 5-syllable format and experimenting with the new ideas or perspectives that have occurred to you.

Present the poem to the rest of the class.

Poetry

Hello Students!!!

Today we will explore and learn what poetry is.

Sometimes poetry tends to be considered as a difficult literary genre because it is difficult to understand or because we think it is not present in our daily life.

However, it is much closer of what we really think.

We usually use “poetic language” in every day situations.

Look at these examples:

• falling in love (metaphor)
• racking our brains (metaphor)
• hitting a sales target (metaphor)
• climbing the ladder of success (metaphor)
• light as a feather (simile)
• I'm starving! (hyperbole)

Any doubts??

Ok, now let’s go to the definition of “Poetry”

Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. It consists largely of oral or literary works in which language is used in a manner that is felt by its user and audience to differ from ordinary prose.

Other main characteristics of poetry:

• It was originally sang (so, rhyme and rhythm are fundamental)
• It has to do with the expression of feelings and emotions. Also with the way the lyric speaker is thinking about something (in other words, his/her personal opinion about something)
• It is compressed (just a few words that say a lot)
• It plays with language ambiguity (it is not literal)
• It uses literary figures or rhetorical devices (metaphors, alliteration, assonances, comparisons, hyperboles, oxymorons, etc.), so it is decorated.

Activiy 1

Let’s star for the basics!

Listen to the following famous song and find some of the previously mentioned elements of poetry in it. Remember that original poetry was sang and meant to be read aloud so you can listen to it at the link below. Consider rhythm, rhyme and figures of speech. 

Hotel California

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair 
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air 
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light 
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim 
I had to stop for the night 

There she stood in the doorway; 
I heard the mission bell 
And I was thinking to myself, 
"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell" 
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way 
There were voices down the corridor, 
I thought I heard them say... 

Welcome to the Hotel California 
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place) 
Such a lovely face 
Plenty of room at the Hotel California 
Any time of year (Any time of year) 
You can find it here 

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends 
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends 
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat. 
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget 

So I called up the Captain, 
"Please bring me my wine" 
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine" 
And still those voices are calling from far away, 
Wake you up in the middle of the night 
Just to hear them say... 

Welcome to the Hotel California 
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place) 
Such a lovely face 
They livin' it up at the Hotel California 
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise) 
Bring your alibis 

Mirrors on the ceiling, 
The pink champagne on ice 
And she said "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device" 
And in the master's chambers, 
They gathered for the feast 
They stab it with their steely knives, 
But they just can't kill the beast 

Last thing I remember, I was 
Running for the door 
I had to find the passage back 
To the place I was before 
"Relax, " said the night man, 
"We are programmed to receive. 
You can check-out any time you like, 
But you can never leave! "

Activity 2

With the handouts, determine which rhetorical device correspond to each one of this everyday expressions:

• At the drop of a hat.
• Axe to grind.
• Back to square one.
• Bells and whistles.
• Bed of roses.
• Burn the midnight oil.
• Clean sweep.
• Chew the fat.
• Cold feet.
• Coast is clear.
• Down in the dumps.
• Ears are burning.
• Forty winks.
• Full of beans. Give me a break.
• Give my right arm.
• In a nutshell/pickle.
• In the bag.
• It's Greek to me.
• Final straw.
• Let the cat out of the bag.
• Long shot.
• Mum's the word.
• On the ball.
• Out on a limb.
• Pass the buck.
• Pay through the nose.
• Read between the lines.
• Saved by the bell.
• Spill the beans.
• Take a rain check.
• Through the grapevine.
• True colors.
• Under the weather.
• Up my sleeve.
• Upset the apple cart.
• Walking on eggshells.

Horror Stories

Hello Students!!

In today’s lab we will learn how to create a horror story and to identify its main parts.

ACTIVITY 1

 Let’s remember some famous horror stories:

• Do these films scare you?
• What is frightening about these films?
• Why are there considered “horror stories”?

Definition of a horror story:

 Horror fiction is a genre of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural. ...

It is typical for a horror story to show certain characteristics that make them distinctive of the genre. Most of them feature stories that depict, address, or explore people's nightmares, hidden fears, phobias, and psychotic and neurotic tendencies. The genre intends to evoke emotions such as fright, terror, panic, disgust, or shock to the viewers through scenes revolving around morbidity, murder, disease outbreak, or supernatural events. There are no exact distinctions that could brand a decade to be more explicit in showing gore than others. Eras mainly differ on the more specific graphic elements used than the degree of explicitness shown.

Some characteristics of a horror story are:

 Evil Forces and Their Victims

Horror movie characters can include just about any type of person, animal or creature, or sometimes, even objects like dolls and trees, whether they are based on reality or are fictional in nature. Yet, there are some very popular evil forces that typically appear in many horror flicks. These include vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demonic spirits, savage beasts, zombies, serial killers, and psychotic beings. Meanwhile, their victims are often physically or emotionally weak characters who tend to succumb to these dark forces or win over them.

Dark and Eerie Atmosphere

Mounting scenes that initiate fearful thoughts makes it possible for viewers to see through foreboding elements and apprehensions seen on screen. Some popular elements that incite a dark and eerie atmosphere in a horror movie include a close-up of a scared main character slowly walking towards a creepy door, the blackness of the night, the shocking look of a dismembered doll or human body, or a number of weirdly broken items seen around a creepy room.

Graphic Scenes

Graphic scenes rely on the use of horrifying shots or special effects, which can be mechanical effects that are shot live during filming or optical effects that are later added to the footage using computer-generated imagery (CGI). Explicit gore and jump scenes coming from the irrational or the unknown provide shock factors that can make moviegoers jump on their seats or cover their eyes because of the horrific intensity of shots shown on screen. However, horror movies don't necessarily show detailed explicitness all the time. Movies with R ratings usually have longer graphic scenes shown. Some of these commonly used scenes include slitting throats, mutilated or tortured bodies, and exorcism scenes.

Creepy Sound Elements

A horror movie's creepy sound elements maintain certain types of shocking factors to them. Some prominent ones include a sudden loud bang, an unlikely falling object, a darting animal, the chopping of body parts, or the suspense-filled opening of a squeaky door. Interestingly, even dead silence properly set in between disturbing sound elements can also contribute to a movie's tense-filled moments. Musical score and sound effects also help establish frightful and sinister scenes.

 

ACTIVITY 2

 Watch this horror film and determine why it is considered as so.

1. What terrifying elements can you find in this movie?
2. Did it scare you? Why?
3. Can you perceive some scary stereotypes or clichés in the scene? How could you notice them? Why do you think they cause horror in the viewers?

Short Stories

Hello students!

As you know we have already started with the narrative writing section of this course. So far we have seen personal narratives writing about personal events and travel journals. Today’s lab session will be about short stories.

Discuss with the class:

• Why do we tell stories?
• What makes a story great?

The short story is a sub-genre of the Narrative. Other sub-genres are the novel and the micro story.

Short stories tend to be less complex than novels.

Usually, a short story will focus on only one incident.

They have a single plot, a single setting, a limited number of characters,  and cover a short period of time

• What do you remember what each consists of?
• What do you remember about the plot line of a story?

Activity 1

Because of their short length, short stories may or may not follow this pattern. Some do not follow patterns at all. For example, modern short stories only occasionally have an exposition. More typical, though, is an abrupt beginning, with the story starting in the middle of the action. As with longer stories, plots of short stories also have a climax, crisis, or turning-point. However, the endings of many short stories are abrupt and open and may or may not have a moral or practical lesson.

Now, you’re going to watch a short film called “The Elevator”. How many elements from writing a story can you identify? Take notes if necessary.

Click on the link to watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-TQQE1y68c&feature=related

Activity 2

If you need to start writing a short story, it is also important that you start reading some as well.

Click on the following link: http://www.writingclasses.co.uk/story114.html

That will take you to a short story sample called “The Betrayal” written by a writing student in the UK. Read the story and identify its parts using the worksheet given by the teacher.

Writing a Travel Journal

Memories the Old-Fashioned Way

Hello students,

Today in the lab we will have a look at what a travel journal is. You probably remember the travelogue you had to write about a year ago. Even though a travel journal is similar to a travelogue in certain ways, you'll realize that a journal is a more personal kind of writing.

Writing a travel journal is a major part of many travels - they can be among your most prized possessions.

Why keep a journal when there are so many other options - you could create a blog, use social bookmarking, email, phone...?

Because there is something special about turning the pages of a new notebook on the first day of a trip, writing your name, the date, and the name of the place you're in.

Sometimes, when on the road, thoughts and feelings still flow better with pen and paper. Somehow filling a page sitting on a beach or under a jacaranda tree feels more 'foreign' than the Internet café.

People have many reasons for writing a travel journal. There is the reportage function - simply recording the facts, such as the location of a great food stall or a particular train timetable, etc.

Writing a travel journal is also a way of sharing your journey - with new friends along the way, or with family and friends back home when you return.

Your journal can also be intimate and private, never to be shown, to be guarded preciously.

Sometimes, a journal is a friend. Some people mostly travel alone so putting their thoughts and feelings down on paper is often the only way they have to discuss them with anyone.

And the travel journal can also be a mirror. When you write, you’re at your most honest. Since you can't really erase or delete what you've written, once your words are on the page, that's it.

What do you write about?

Here is a list of the common parts of a travel journal:

• What you see when you look around: colors, textures, people, houses, nature, cars, children, anything out of the ordinary or that sticks in my mind
• People you meet: what they look like, what they're wearing, what they say, what gestures they use, their language and customs
• What you hear: opinions, stories, random conversations
• Where you stay and eat: memorable hotels, huts, coconut vendors
• Your day-to-day occurrences: what you do that's different from what you would do at home - take a shower outdoors in the tropical rain with a bottle of baby shampoo as soap would qualify.
• Your feelings: are you lonely, tired, happy, curious, homesick, exhilarated, recently showered.
• Your thoughts: how things are different, what upsets you and why, new things you've learned

And what about the writing itself?

Here are a few basic travel journal writing rules:

• Write like you speak.
• When in doubt, read out loud. You'll know immediately how it reads if it sounds cumbersome or unclear.
• Keep it simple. No convoluted ideas. One thought, one sentence.
• Use active verbs: He bought the bag - NOT the bag was bought by him.
• Use evocative words. Rather than 'the sun was very bright', try 'the sun was luminous'. Rather than 'my clothes were very wet', try 'my clothes were soaked'.
• Speaking of picture, draw them in your mind. A sentence that paints a picture in the reader's mind is a strong sentence.

 Activity 1

Let's have a look at a writing journal sample. Click on the following link.

http://emilyschooley.blogspot.com/2007/09/sample-travel-journal-personal.html

Go through the travel journal and answer the following questions:

1. From the ones described above, what parts of a travel journal can you identify? Quote.
2. What positive and negative adjective are employed to describe Japan? Make a list. 
3. What kind of adjectives are used the most? How does this affect the impact of the journal?

Activity 2

Watch the following extract form the film "Cast Away". Write an entry in your travel journal considering the parts and the rules of travel journal writing described above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUDEjulbqzk

Biographies and Autobiographies

A biography is an account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another.

An autobiography is the biography of a person written by that person.

The following elements may be included in a biography or autobiography (depending on the extension of the biography and the person).

n  Birthdate and place (when and where that person was born? Why in that place?)

n  Family Members (birth order; spouse, children; any other notable members)

n  Childhood and School Life (interesting stories; early achievements; stories that caused impact)

n  Hobbies, Interests, and Activities (Do the person’s hobbies or activities make them more interesting?)

n  Anecdotes (Interesting stories that were significant in his/her life)

n  Career (Is their career why they have a book written about them?)

n  Reason for Fame (What did they do that caused someone to want to write a book about them?)

n  Later Life/Old Age (Did they contribute to society, enjoy life, continue working?)

n  Death When and where did they die?

n  Photos and Likenesses Photographs or artists’ renderings of the person may be included

Activity 1:

1. What do you know about the following personalities?
2. Can you determine some of the previous points in order to create a biography?
3. Comment in pairs

Activity 2

Read the following texts and answer the questions

http://www.memoirsbyme.com/fm14.html

http://www.memoirsbyme.com/fm18.html

• Are they autobiographies or biographies? Why?
• Which of the previously mentioned elements are present in these texts? Quote from them to indicate which ones and where they appear.
• What adjectives are present in the texts? How do they contribute to the tone of the stories? Give examples from each text

Narrative Genre

Hello students!

Today we'll start with the second unit of this course called "Narrative Genre".

About a year ago you attended a class called “Narrative Writing”, what do you remember from it? What kind of assignments did you have to write? Is there anything in particular that you remember?

Personal Narrative vs. Fiction Narrative

The second unit of this course will be divided into two categories: Personal and Fiction Narrative. And we’ll start with the first one. What kind of texts do you think personal narrative includes? Can you mention some of them?

Bibliographical Writing

In simple words, a biography consists of collection of events in somebody’s life.

Last year you had to read and write several biographies about different characters. Do you remember any of them? What kind of information would you normally find in a biography?

In order to trigger your previous knowledge regarding biography writing, here is a picture and key information about a well-known actor who you’ll have to write a brief biography about.

You’ll need to do some research about the following prompts in order to write his biography. 

Take notes in your notebook. 

Improving your writing: avoiding repetition, adding detail and personal comment

Possessive adjectives, pronouns, adverbs and other words are all used to avoid repeating words and phrases. Replace the word or phrase in bold with another appropriate one.

1. Anthony Horowitz is the author of Stormbreaker. Anthony Horowitz is a very popular writer.
2. He wrote Stormbreaker when he was 50. He wans’t famous until he was 50.
3. The hero of the book is a teenaged boy. The hero’s name is Alex Rider.
4. Alex’s uncle dies mistiriously. After he dies mistiriously, Alex discovers that his uncle used to be a spy.
5. Horowitz has written more books about Alex Rider. There are eight of the books altogether.
6. I don’thave a copy of the book, but my brother has a copy.
7. I didn’t see the film of Stormbreaker, but my best friend saw the film.

Adverbs can add detail and personal comment to a piece of factual writing, match adverbs 1-5 to similar words or expressions a-e.

Choose the best words to complete the sentences.

1. Tiger Woods is probably/fortunately the world’s greatest golfer.
2. Unexpectedly/Unfortunately, I’ve never had the change to go to a rock concert.
3. Jacqueline Wilson writes books for young people. Amongst girls, she is luckily/very likely even more popular that JK Rowling.
4. Wayne Roony is my favourite footballer. Reluctantly/Sadly, he’s not playing as well as he used to.
5. Jamie Oliver’s TV cookery series unwillingly/suddenly made an overnight success. 

From the notes you have taken about Johny Depp, write your biographical text considering the suggestions for improving your writing. 

Writing about a classmate

Think of a classmate you really like. Find out about him/her and make notes about the following.

• Early life
• Personal information
• Career/studies achievements
• Why you like her/him 

• Use your notes to write the biography.
• Use words to avoid repetition.
• Use adverbs to add interest or personal comment.
• Read and check for mistakes.
• Give you biography to your teacher at the end of the class today.

Describing Setting

Hello students!

Today, in the lab session, we will learn the importance of setting, how we can describe it and finally, what setting implies while telling a story.

What is setting?

Setting is the time and place in which a story (fiction or non-fiction) takes place.  The setting is not only the background for the story, but it can influence the type of characters that appear in a story as well as what events occur in the plot.

Activity 1: Answer the following questions:

1. What is a place that makes you happy and why?

A place that makes me happy is _______ because _______ 

2. What is one time when you were happy? Why were you happy?

One time that I was happy was when   _______  because _______ 

3. What is a place that scares you and why?

One place that scares me is   _______  because _______ 

Activity 2: Look at these settings/locations and describe them in detail, completing the boxes below for each of them.

Activity 3: Watch the beginning of these films and deduce time, place, characters, conflict, story, atmosphere, etc. Give evidence to support your statements.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkxW7dX1fpM&feature=BFa&list=PLF435D6FFBD0302B3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0btWLh90DSE&feature=BFa&list=PLF435D6FFBD0302B3

What do the music, rhythm, colors and camera movements “say” abou the story? 

Describing Characters

Hello students!

Today in the lab session you will work on describing characters, physically and psychologically.

How would you describe yourself?

Activity 1: Describing popular characters

Have a look at the following pictures.

• Are you familiar with these characters?
• What were they like in the film?

Using personality traits and your own arguments, complete the diagram below for three of the characters in the pictures.

Activity 2: Love Sick

Watch the following short film about a young man who keeps falling in love, and do the activities below.

Take notes about the film character using the diagrams below.

Activity 3

Using your own notes, write a paragraph describing the physical and psychological characteristics of the main character.

Silent Scenes

Hello students,

Welcome to this writing blog! Every week you'll find here different activities to work on in order to complement the lectures, enrich your writing process and enhance your creativity.

Silent Scenes

This year, the film The Artist, a black-and-white French film won the 84th Academy Awards for best picture. However, what really captivated the audience was the fact this is a silent film. You never hear anyone saying anything, and that's what makes this film so special.

Activity 1

Watch the following extract from the film The Artist. What do you think the man and the woman tried to say in this scene?

Discuss your ideas with one of your classmates and share your final thoughts with the class.

Activity 2

The next video is a longer extract from the film. Watch it and take notes about the following:

• Setting
• Characters
• Characters' feelings/mood
• Conflict
• Climax
• Resolution 

Activity 3

In small groups, write a brief play considering the notes you have taken about the last extract from the film The Artist. Then, read your play out loud for the rest of the class.

Hand in your work to your teacher at the end of the class.