January 13

I gave you a considerable amount of time to work on the USA Dictionary Project in class today. Most of you are starting to finish off your rough draft of the key terms. I still have to set a due date for the rough draft of the key terms. We looked at a poem in class today, which you were required to copy out, as well as the questions that accompanied the poem. The poem and the questions appear later in this post, you are responsible for copying the poem out into your Writer's Workshop duotang, and answering the first three questions for tomorrow's class.

Here is the poem that we discussed:

"At the Bus Stop, One Autumn Morning"

by: M.W. Field

It began at the back of my neck.

I was thinking about relaxing

stony muscles there

when prehistoric points began emerging.

They flared

up the back of my head, down

my vertebrae, off in a triangle

studded tail, My spine lost

its S-curve, so I tucked my thickening

hind legs underneath and sat down.

Flicked my powerful green tail twice

and wrapped it round my feet.

Arms had lengthened

my jaw relaxed and expanded: gone

were the grinding molars. I yawned.

By the bus shelter:

a stegosaurus observing

the smells and colours of the opening

sky, shifting

my weight on my forefeet.

No buses came.

Here are the questions that you are responsible for:

1. What animal would you choose to transform into, if you had the opportunity? Write a response, explaining why you chose that animal and what it represents to you.
2. Write a profile of the character in the poem, based on clues in the text itself. Do you imagine he or she is young or old? Happy or depressed? Satisfied or dissatisfied with life?
3. People have long associated certain emotions or qualities with particular animals. For example, dogs are considered loyal. Brainstorm a list of qualities associated with dinosaurs. Which of these qualities do you think are relevant to the poem?
4. Write a "transformation poem" based on your experience as an adolescent. Choose an appropriate setting for your transformation, and decide what animal or form your hero will change into (or from).

Please don't forget to bring a duotang! The following are some important dates:

• S.M.A.R.T. Plan Friendly Letter is due Monday, January 17th
• USA Geography Test is on Tuesday, January 18th (have you studied yet?)
• "Introduction to Poetry" poem (good copy) is due on January 18th