Wed. 9/17 Setting

Today we practice writing setting using sensory details. We watched a video about ice swimming in Russia for inspiration and described the first 5 - 10 seconds, including sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

Next we practiced working with sentence fluency and grammar. Here are the examples I used in class:

1. Sentence structures (Writer’s Inc. p.71)
Original: “Many houses were destroyed. Some just lost their shutters or their windows. Others lost parts of their roofs.”
Revised: “While many houses were completely destroyed, some lost only their shutters, their windows, or parts of their roofs.”
Active voice: Many houses suffered complete destruction, while some only lost shutters, windows, or parts of roofs.

2. Commas after introductory phrases (W.I. p.81)
“Because of the terrible thunderstorm, our school bus was late.

3. Comma splice (W.I. p. 81)
Incorrect: “I made the varsity baseball team, I will be a starting pitcher.”
Correct: “I made the varsity baseball team. I will be a starting pitcher.”
Correct: “I made the varsity baseball team and will be a starting pitcher.”
Correct: “I made the varsity baseball team, and I will be a starting pitcher.”

Lastly, we worked with our desk partner to edit and improve our "food postcard." We used the grading rubric that I'll be using to grade your homework, which is due on Monday.
_____ /2 Includes details about all five (5) senses
_____ /2 Uses a variety of sentence structures
_____ /2 All sentences are complete – no comma splices
_____ /2 Includes a comma after all introductory phrases

Homework:
Finish your setting worksheet.
1. Research a location from the setting that you will use for your travel story. How can I do research? Talk to someone who has been there, Go to the library: check out CDs, videos, books, magazines from your location, Get on the internet,

2. Write a descriptive paragraph about your setting.

If you were absent:
a. Choose a setting you can see to describe (your room, a spot at school, etc.) Be sure to take notes on all 5 senses. You will use these notes to write a paragraph about this setting. When you get back to class: be sure to get a setting worksheet from the binder in the back of the room or print it out (it's pasted below).

b. On a piece of paper, see how many ways you can combine and rearrange these sentences. Try to write at least three (3). You can add and remove words as necessary, but keep the basic idea the same.
Mozambique is in Southeastern Africa. It has placid white sandy beaches. There are lots of different kinds of fish at the outdoor fish markets there. I will always remember these two things about Mozambique.
(Note: Mozambique is a country in Africa.)

c. Write as many ways as you can (try at least three) to introduce this phrase: ...“Ellen had never seen a more resplendent sunset.”

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Travel Writing: Setting Name ________________________

Sample Setting Paragraph

“As I walked the Mekong River road, I passed people selling coconuts brimming with milk for the thirsty traveler, soda, fruit juice, and even unchilled beer. My God! When it’s 90 degrees in the shade and humid to boot, the thought of unchilled beer is almost as bad as no beer at all. I kept walking, until almost hidden inn the leafy folds of a giant banyan tree, and there on the river bank, I found a watering hole.
It was really little more than a wooden deck, about then by twenty feet, covered with thatch and tin, but set within the boughs of the banyan. It was a treehouse. The shady limbs of the great tree held the little house in a cool, dark embrace, giving protection from the midday sun while still affording a delicious view of the placid river.
I heard the friendly sizzle of food frying in good oil; that inviting sound that beckons travelers and laborers anywhere. And I heard the clink of ice and the pop of bottle tops. I stepped off the bank and went inside” (Sterling, “The Deep Fried Potato Bug,” p.36).

Practice. Use sensory details to describe the setting you just experienced in class.
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Mini Lesson on Fluency and Sentence Beginnings. Write your notes here:
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Research. Choose one of the settings you have brainstormed to research. Suggested sources include: people who have been there, the internet, films, books, etc. In the space below take notes on sensory details for one specific location from this setting. For example: don’t choose “New York City,” rather, choose an opera house on opening night or the subway platform in New York City. NO AIRPORTS! 

Sight:
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Smell:
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Sound:
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Taste:
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Touch:
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Writing. Now write a paragraph using as many of the phrases/words you just gathered to describe this location. Focus on description and fluency: you must incorporate all five senses and use a variety of sentence beginnings to receive full credit.
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