English 30: reading these, making these, writing these, discussing these

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A student asked me today, "When are we going to start that Poetry unit?" I have more than once looked at the cardboard box of Grade 10 poetry textbooks and asked the same question.

How tough is it to create the slick political attack ads that flood the airwaves during an election? Well, not so tough. I stumbled onto a site that generates attack ads as fast as refrigerator magnetic poetry. http://attackadgenerator.com/ I'm sure ten minutes is all you'll need to create an ad that rivals any real attack ad. Post a link to your "Attack Ad" here. Attack Add Demo

I was watching the game, but Tampa was up 4-0 on the Phillies so I started "surfing-the-net-on-my-laptop-on-the-couch" again. I'm in search of a word or phrase that describes the often endless evening hours I spend, well "surfing-the-net-on-my-laptop-on-the-couch". If "couch potato" was the 20th century term for spending too much time staring at the TV, there needs to be a term for someone like me who spends too much time on the couch staring at his laptop computer.

I asked a student, "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" today. Their blank look reminded me that the older I get, the further removed I become from the popular lingo of my students.

Ask yourself the following questions that apply to your focus question. Make notes as you go, and you will find it easier to organize your thoughts for the first draft.

• The poem's basic content
  1. What is the context of the poem? Identify the speaker(s) and any background information that would help explain the poem's basic message.
  2. How are the thoughts organized?
  3. Does the poet contrast any ideas? Does he/she juxtapose any for effect?
  4. What feelings does the speaker reveal?