TV shows/Movie Mania

This week for your blog, I want you to discuss what makes a good TV show or movie. Yes, I know this was a journal entry this week, but have a little fun with it on your blog. Put up clips from the movie or TV show that exemplifies some of the highlights you've talked about! Full credit for writing plus a clip...partial credit for just writing! Have fun!

Blog Topic #6: School Rules

From Yoga pants to Soda Pop to the Healthy Kids Act, schools have a lot of rules/regulations that we must follow. Your blog topic for this week may take a little thought..."If you could change one rule about school, what would it be and why?"


*Please be SMART with your posts/reasoning. Any inappropriate posts/comments will be immediately taken down and given a ZERO. Don't use names, examples, etc.

Keep it classy, ADM.

What are you thankful for?

Since Thanksgiving is just over a week away, this topic seems fitting. I know you always get asked this around this time, but over the years I've realized that thinking about topics like this often keeps you  pondering "what means the most to you." Your blog topic this week is:

Name and explain the top 3 things you are thankful for this year. See my blog for an example!

Blog Posts this week

So I've decided to give you a few options this week for blogging. Remember that they are due by Friday. You can blog more than once, but you have to blog about one of these topics at least once.

1. If you only got to eat one meal for the rest of the year, what would you chose? Why would it be that?  

2. If you could go anywhere in time once round-trip, where would you go and why?  What would you see there?  What would you do?  Would you bring anything back or try to change the past? 

Week 1 of NaNoWriMo!

I hope you all have been writing fools this weekend! If not, just keep writing...just keep writing! Remember that it may not be perfect by December 1st, but your goal is to just write! We'll be talking about characterization this week--what makes a great character? What's one of your favorite characters from a book?

NANOWRIMO!

NANOWRIMO time is almost here! I know some of you cannot wait for it to start while others are dreading the day! The best advice I can give you is to have fun with it! It's going to be a LONG month if you come in to my class every day with a negative attitude.

For this week's Blog post, I want you to let your audience in on what your novel is going to be about! Just write me up a quick book talk. I also want you to respond to two other people's blog posts about their novel. I will be checking for those two responses!

To get your NANOWRIMO thoughts flowing, here's a little song about it:

Teen Read Week!

First of all, let me apologize for being gone! No parent looks forward to the day where their kid wakes up at 4 sick.

You probably don't know, but this week is Teen Read Week! For some of you, I know reading isn't your favorite thing. But when there's a whole week devoted to it, we are going to spend a little time talking about it. Remember what I said at the beginning of the year: Strong writers read ALOT! For this week's blog post, talk to me about reading. What do you like to read? What book are you reading now? What's your favorite book of all time? If you could give a Book Talk Thursday, what book would it be on and what would you say?

I don't care what avenue you take for this blog post, but be creative.CREATIVITY WILL GET YOU FULL CREDIT FOR THIS POST! Put pictures! Have links to the book! Make me and the rest of the creative writing class want to read that book!

Look at the link here. On Wednesday, I'll give you the opportunity to tweet to the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) to tell them what you are reading! Spread the love for reading!

Music Speaks to the Soul

There's a lot of emotion tied to music. A song can put a smile on your face remembering a fun night with friends or it can make you break down in tears thinking about a lost loved one. I want you to make a list of your top 5 songs that create a memory. Then choose one, and write about it. You could add a link to your blog to the song. 

See my blog for an example soon!

The Power of a Blog

Check out this story I found about a little 9 year-old girl from Scotland who uses a blog to "rate" her lunches (she calls them dinners). She uses it to raise money for a charity, but she almost had to close her blog down. Read an article about it here and visit her blog here! Cool Stuff!

High School.

For many of you in Creative Writing, this is your last year of high school. You have spent the last 12-13 years in this one place...and now you are all leaving to be your own person, do your own thing. Just think: Next week will be the last homecoming you have being a part of this school. The writing prompt for this week:

You have been sent back in time (to Kindergarten) and you have the ability to change your entire schooling experience. How do you change the next 12 years of your life or so to make your life better? Does it work?

Take some time and think about this. I want a well thought out response to this. Points will be given for the following requirements:

*well-thought out response (at least 2-3 paragraphs)

* A response that someone could respond to--i.e. that they could relate to, agree with/disagree with

* Grammatically correct (and follow all school policies towards topics, word choice, etc.)

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

We've been spending this week trying different poems/writing styles. Today, I had you look at a piece of art and respond to it. A few of you had a little trouble with this. The best way I can describe it is this: Have you ever looked at a picture and thought: wow, if only pictures could talk. There is so much meaning behind the picture that is up for interpretation of the audience. Same with an Art Reflection: what does it make you feel? How do you react when you see it?

For this week's blog post: What is a picture that "worth 1000 words"? It can be a picture of you or of someone you know, of an experience you've had, etc. Attach the picture to your blog post. Make sure you spend time explaining your picture.


NEW THIS WEEK: Comment on at least 4 other blogs. They can be blogs from your class or the other period, but try to make sure everyone gets at least one comment.

Happy Blogging!

-Mrs. Seidl

P.S. Check my blog tomorrow for an example blog post.

Blog ideas- Week of 9/10

Happy Monday everyone!
I read all of your blog entries from last week. Now that we are well into understanding how a blog works, I need to reiterate/set a few ground rules.

#1: To receive credit for a blog post, it needs to be a well-developed piece of writing. I.E. a sentence or two will NOT work! Spend some time thinking about what you want to discuss. Ask your audience questions! Question yourself and what you got out of an experience!

#2: Please be smart about what you post on here. I know it is YOUR blog, but it is still a school requirement. If I find anything to be offensive, I will ask you to take it down and you will get zero credit for your blog that week.

#3: Read other people's blogs. Not just your friends' blogs, but any blog you can get ahold of! You can get great ideas for blogs from others. Starting next week, I will require that you start commenting on your peers' blogs. So you might as well start now.


FOR YOUR BLOG THIS WEEK, YOU HAVE TWO OPTIONS:

1. It's starting to cool off (FINALLY!). Have a blog post about fall. Some examples may be: describe your favorite event of fall, write a descriptive scene during fall, why is fall your favorite/least favorite time of the year, etc. Be creative with this if you would like.

2. Tomorrow marks 11 years since 9/11. Talk about it. Examples: Where were you 11 years ago?, What does 9/11 mean today, What do you think about the war?,

Let's make these posts the strongest posts of the year so far!

Happy Writing!

-Mrs. Seidl

We're PUMPED to be Blogging!

Excited about blogging!

This week we set up our blogs! I am already excited about blogging with this group of students! Not only have they been having fun this week creating their blogs and making them their own, they are getting excited about the basic concept of blogging as well. I've had a few teachers come up to me and tell that students have shown them their creative writing blogs! I love that you are so pumped to blog and share your thoughts with your class mates!

Look how pumped this class is to be blogging! (especially Jordan!)


Keep up the good work and I can't wait to read them!

Welcome Back, ADM!

Hard to believe another school year is starting! Summer just flies by in the Seidl Household.

As each of you start to set up your own blogs, be thinking about how you want your blog to be set up. It's going to be a little of trial and error, but it's yours! Be Creative! I cannot wait to read them!

Getting all sentimental on me!

As the year ends, it's normal for most of you to get sad about the end of high school. You think about your friends that you won't see everyday next year and how good you really had it in high school. But don't get all sappy in your end posts--remember the good times! That is how you want to remember high school. Remember the Vitamin C  "Graduation Song" (wait, it may have been WAY before your time....click here) Even though the song is very cheesy, I still get flashbacks from high school when I hear it. A few favorite lines:

1. "And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day"

2. "Will the past be a shadow that will follow us round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly"

3. And of course, the chorus:

"As we go on, we remember
All the times we had together
And as our lives change, from whatever
We will still be, friends forever"


Enjoy these last few weeks....and remember to be happy and enjoy the memories!

Blog Posts!

As the year wraps up (hard to believe)...many of you are thinking about summer, graduation, the future, etc. Keep your blog interesting and exciting for your readers---ask for their opinions, keep them involved. This will keep your reader coming back for more. Can't wait to read your posts tomorrow!

-Seidl

Spring Break

A lot of you have been posting about Spring Break! It would be great if we stayed connected during spring break using our blogs! If you post during spring break...extra credit!

-Mrs. S.

If I Had a Million Dollars........

Nathan had an interesting post about winning a lot of money...and of course, this song popped in my head. But it got me thinking, if you or your family won a lot of money, what would you do with it? Travel? Buy a house, car, etc? Would you change your lifestyle or would you use the money in moderation? Although the odds of winning the lottery are one in 200 million (or something close to that), it is still fun to think about it.

Spring Break is Close!

What kind of Spring Break plans do you have? Going somewhere nice where Mrs. Seidl will be jealous of?

Another Post idea!

As I sit in the lab listening to all of you type, I get really excited to go home and read your blogs. This is just such a great way to find out more about who you are or who you want to be. I hope you are taking time to read your peer's blogs. In the end, I think we can become a closer class because of it.

Since we are working on poetry, I think it would be fitting if we all posted something about poetry. Examples could be: one of your own poems, a poem you like and/or relate to, a song that speaks to you, etc. I want more than you just posting a poem, though. Tell us what about it speaks to you. Explain some of the poetry elements you see in it. Ask your peers questions about your own writing/someone else's writing.

This is a great place to share if you aren't big into sharing in class. You can still get some great feedback without having to speak up in front of 20+ other people!

Happy Blogging!

-The Teach

Who do you want to be?

A few of you posted about classmates that you have. Some of you love them; others, not so much. But, instead of thinking about others and their decisions, you could post something about you. Who do you want to be when you graduate? Who do you want be 5/10/15 years down the road? Do you see yourself changing? What is your top goal as a person?

Snow!

I don't know about you guys, but I have driving in the snow. I go really slow, and I don't trust anyone else on the road. For a topic idea, write about your feelings towards winter weather. Like? Dislike? Remember a story about winter weather? Describe a winter scene from outside your bedroom window? Remember, you can post whatever you want (as long as it's appropriate).

-Mrs. S

Post Idea

I'll use this area to give you some ideas of things you could post about in your blog. Do you have to? No. If you have other ideas, go for it. Remember to read other blogs and leave comments! Let's have some fun with blogging!

Post idea: What's your New Year's Resolutions for this year? How do you plan to keep them?

Welcome to Creative Writing

As each of you begin to set up your own blogs, keep in mind some of the ideas we talked about with blogs. Blogs are like journals to the entire world, so be mindful about what you share.  Make sure you also share your blog links with me so that I can put them on the side of the this blog for all your classmates to be able to see it. Share your link with who ever you want!

Check back here to look for prompts for writing if you are struggling to get your blog started!

Creative Writing!