This Is Just to Say . . .

I am underway with grading the rest of the poetry posts and will start reading and responding to your Hamlet posts as well.  Thank you for your patience with the time it has taken me to get to these.  I look forward to reading your insightful posts.

This week marks the end of our Spring Poetry Project.  We have one final post assignment; check it out on the page “April 22.”  We are also working on Hamlet all this week and next.  The Hamlet overview handout is attached to my Mrs. Hazle Web Page.  I’ve created a link to my page from my blog.  It’s under “Sources” in my right sidebar.  I’m working on reading and commenting on your poetry posts.  Grades will be entered into the gradebook as I work my way through your blogs.  I look forward to reading your posts.

Your charge from Mrs. Hazle: Read. Remember Emerson and Thoreau.  Walk.   Stretch out on the grass.  Talk.   Eat colorful food with people who make you happy.  Think.  Swim if you get the chance.  Organize a friendly euchre competition.  Write.  Definitely play badminton if the opportunity arises.

I’ll publish assignments for the blog project as pages so that I can post  various other information as blog posts.  I will organize pages by post due dates.  The next post is due April 1, by 11 pm or before you leave for Spring Break.

Here are the general constraints of the Spring Poetry Blog Project:

1. You should select a poet  and record your selection on the master poet list.
2. Developed your own custom blog and complete most of the Spring Poetry work via the blog.
3. Create a page or post which orients others to your selected poet.  Read widely from your poet’s work and read pertinent biographical, historical, cultural information regarding your poet.   Keep a record (electronically or manually) of the sources of your information so that you can give proper credit for any material referenced in your blog.
4. Compile a “mini anthology” of approximately 10 poems by your poet.  See me for exceptions.  Your anthology can be as simple as photocopies of the 10 poems stapled together.   If the poems are available electronically (or if you’d like to type the poems yourself and insert them) you may create your anthology as a separate page of your blog.
5. Complete in-depth analyses of 2-4 poems (depending on length and  complexity) by your poet.
6. Use scholarly resources to expand upon your analysis work in terms of your selected poems and other important aspects of your poet.
7. Influence–Looking Back: Discuss, compare and evaluate your poet’s work in light of Dickinson, Whitman, Frost, Eliot, Pound, Williams, Stevens.
8. New Historical–In the Moment:  Discuss, compare and evaluate your poet’s work in light of the period and environment in which he or she writes (or wrote).
9. Casting your net: Explore the blogoshpere (and other web sources) for people and groups discussing your poet or poems or subjects pertinent to your poet or his/her poems. Blogging is all about sharing your thoughts with the world-at-large, and this part of your blog should work to accomplish that end. You may be amazed to find how many people also find your poet interesting!
10. The majority of your work will be done via the computer/internet.  You may certainly utilize print media to find scholarly analysis, information and support.  Keep meticulous records so that you can give accurate credit to anything you include in your blog posts.
11. Mrs. Hazle will provide specific details/requirements through blog posts on “This Is Just to Say.”  I will require you to write several posts and make comments on other students’ blogs.