Blog Post #4: 4th 6 weeks

This past week, we closed out our unit on persuasive media. It was a great unit, full of things like commercials, media analysis, a Prezi, and knowledge of different tactics used by advertising agencies to make their products more appealing. I hope you learned a lot over the past three weeks. I always love teaching about persuasive media. It's just so interesting!

We move on this week to a semi-review unit over cross-cultural literature. I think you will enjoy this unit as well because Mrs. Jackson and I came up with a new way to teach it this year. Let me provide you with a few refreshers from the 2nd 6 weeks. We primarily focused on learning the different elements of plot, which are essential to any good story. We learned that the climax is the most exciting, intense part where the reader is not quite sure exactly who (the protagonist or antagonist) will win. Being able to identify a story's climax is essential to passing your district and STAAR assessments. You may not have questions that directly address the climax, but you will have questions about plot. Remember that the climax is pretty much the key to understanding the events of a story. 

We also spent a lot of time on theme. Theme is the most crucial part of a story. It is what defines the story and ties to all elements of the plot. When you do not understand the theme of the story, you do not understand the purpose of it. Every writer writes for a reason. He/She is trying to convey a feeling or message about something. The audience is supposed to understand, learn, or feel a certain way. The author communicates a story's deeper meaning by centering the plot and characters around that meaning. In other words, the characters and plot help the reader to understand the theme. Remember also that theme is what the author feels about the subject of the story. It is not just one word, it is a sentence about the subject. Therefore, in Romeo and Juliet, the theme cannot simply be love. It has to go beyond love and explain how William Shakespeare feels about love. The theme would become "Love is worth dying for," a message conveyed through the actions and feelings of the characters and exemplified when the young lovers commit suicide.

So here's the prompt for this week: Think of a story that you found really exciting. It can be any story. Explain in 4 elaborate, insightful sentences what the plot of the story was and how the actions and feelings of the characters and the plot of the story helped you to determine the theme of the story. To answer this prompt, consider the following sub-questions: 1) What was the story? 2) What happened in the story? 3) What was the climax of the story? 4) What is the one-word subject of the story (i.e. love, peace, death, war, etc.)? 5) What was the author trying to convey about the subject of the story? In other words, what was the theme of the story?

Happy writing, all!

Blog Post #2: 4th 6 weeks

Last week we visited the topic of advertising. You were asked to think about a commercial you’d seen and decide whether or not it was effective in “selling” you on either the product or idea. In class, we learned about various advertising techniques and how they are used to “sell” something to viewers. We also looked at a sample from an anti-smoking campaign that used irony as a means of promoting its message. As we continue with this segment of the six weeks, we will look at many more examples and even watch some commercials in an effort to determine if the advertisement is effective and why it is or is not.

This week’s blog post is two-fold. The initial question: How do commercials appeal to specific audiences? To answer this question, consider the following sub-questions: 1) What technique(s) are used? 2) Do they use any specific characters (i.e. cartoon characters, TV or movie personalities, etc.)? 3) Is the targeted audience obvious? How do you know? 4) What message is conveyed? Are they trying to sell a product or idea and how are they doing so?

Answer the initial and sub-questions in 4 complete, thoughtful sentences. Happy writing!

Blog Post #1: 4th 6 Weeks

Wow, can you believe a whole semester has come and gone and here we are at the start of a brand new year! Before you know it, it will be time for the STAAR test, and shortly after summer break will greet us with smiles and swimsuits. We had a wonderful first semester together, and I anticipate the second will be even better.

Mrs. Jackson and I have some exciting things planned for you guys this six weeks. Our focuses will be on persuasive techniques and media, and the second half will pretty much review information from the 2^nd six weeks but in more depth. We’ve got PowerPoints and Prezis, commercials and videos, plot diagrams, and a graphic novel on our agenda. It’s going to be a lot of work but a lot of fun at the same time.

So here is your prompt. Before I get into the questions, I want you to each think of a commercial. It can be any commercial, but it must be one you remember very clearly, meaning you must remember what it was advertising. The initial question: What made this commercial stick with you? In other words, why do you remember it? To answer this question, consider the following sub-questions: 1) What was it advertising, a product or an idea? 2) What techniques did they use in the advertisement? Did they use a catchy song, or have a celebrity, for instance? 3) Did the advertisement make you want to buy the product? 4) Who was the target audience? Was it kids your age, adults, or pet owners, for instance? 5) How did you know the target audience?

Answer the initial and sub-questions in four complete, insightful sentences. Remember to write in paragraph form!