1. What is the name of the TV show or movie you’re thinking about? 2. What is the setting(s) from...

1. What is the name of the TV show or movie you’re thinking about?

2. What is the setting(s) from this show/movie?

3. Write down two conflicts.4. How were these conflicts

resolved?

LJ #1

Think about either a TV show or movie you’ve seen . . .

1. What is a noun?2. What is a proper noun?3. Look around the room and list

5 nouns.4. Now name 5 proper nouns.

Learning Journal # 2 9/16/13

Nouns and Proper Nouns

“Direct characterization” is when the writer reveals a character’s personality by telling us directly what the character is like.

LJ # 3 Indirect Characterization

Let’s first review “direct characterization” . . .

“LATTE” is a mnemonic to help remember the five characteristics of indirect characterization.

Now, let’s learn about “LATTE”

L = Looks

describes how the character looks and dresses.

A = Acts

lets us see how the character acts.

T = Talks

lets us hear the character talk.

T = Thinks

lets us listen to the character’s inner thoughts and feelings.

E = Effects on others

Reveals what other people think or say about the character.

LATTE – the author

Learning Journal # 4 9/23/13

Personal Pronouns

PronounsA pronoun is a word that takes

the place of a noun. Personal Pronouns can be in

one of three cases: Subject, Object, or Possessive.

Subject Personal PronounsSubject pronouns are used when

the pronoun is the subject of the sentence.

You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence.

Example:______ did the job.I, you, he, she, it, we, they 

Object Personal PronounsObject pronouns are used

everywhere else  me, you, him, her, it, us, them.Examples:

Kylie talked to him.Are you talking to me?

Possessive Personal PronounsPossessive pronouns show ownership

and never need apostrophes. mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs

NOTE: The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has.

Examples:It's a cold morning.The thermometer reached its highest reading.

Please write one sentence for each type of Personal Pronouns:◦Subject◦Object◦Possessive

LJ#5What exactly is “theme”?Theme = an idea or insight about

life and human nature that gives the story meaning.

For example, in “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pockets”, the theme could be “families are important”.

6 easy steps in discovering theme in literature . . .1. Determine how the protagonist

changes during the story.

2. A good clue to theme is how the conflict was resolved.

Discovering theme . . .3. Think about the title of a work of

literature.For example, “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pockets”.

4. Theme is NOT the same as a moral, which is a rule of conduct. Do not make “you” statements.

Don’t say “Crime doesn’t pay”Don’t say “You must choose the right path”Rather, say, “Choose the right path in life”.

Discovering theme . . . 5. Theme must be expressed as a

generalization about life (do not reference specific characters or events).

For example, don’t saw “Tom learned that family is important”. Rather, say “Families are important in life”.

6. There is no single correct way to state the theme in a work of literature.

For example, the Harry Potter series have a variety of themes:

Friends are important.Loyalty is admirable.Family support is critical in life.

Biographical Narrative Elements

bio = life graph = writing narrative = story

Who do you know?

You will choose one person and write about their:• background• personality traits• significance in your life

LJ # 6

Background information questions you need to know how to answer:1. When did you first meet or how long have you

known this person?2. What is your relationship?3. What are some important facts that will help the

reader “get to know” this person?age, type of employment, typical activities, life experiences…..

4. What does this person look like?

There are two ways to show the character or personality of a person: directly and indirectly. Direct characterization: The writer __________the reader what this person is like.Create a word bank of adjectives that would directly describe a person’s personality:Word bank:

How do I write about someone’s personality?

Indirect characterization is the most powerful way to reveal someone’s personality or the characteristics you want to present. There are several ways to do this (remember LATTE …?)L _____________A ____________T ____________T ____________E ____________

List the examples of indirect characterization from this clip

A Christmas Carol - Ebenezer Scrooge

Analyzing the significance of the subject (the person you’re writing about)Complete some of these sentence starters to help you explore the significance of this person in your life:I am grateful for….I have learned that….I now know that……He/she has influenced me by….I will never forget how he/she ……

I need to remember an anecdote or two so I can indirectly characterize my subject.An anecdote provides a great way to indirectly characterize someone or “show” him or her to the reader. But not just any anecdote will do. It has to have a purpose. Your background information and your anecdotes should all support and elaborate on the main points in your thesis. How do you establish a thesis? Ask yourself….Why did I choose this person?What main points about this person do I want to focus on?

LJ #7 10/3/13Write a sentence using sensory detail

for each of the 7 sensory stations . Station 1 - Appearance: Model with

short hairStation 2- Location: OutsideSation3- Appearance: Old ladyStation 4- Taste: MintStation 5- Smell: CandleStation 6- Appearance: ChefStation7- Appearance: Girl w/ bow

LJ #8Demonstrative pronouns . . .represent a thing or things.For example . . .Near in distance or time (this, these)

This tastes good!These are bad times.

Demonstrative pronouns also. . .represent far in distance or time

(that, those).

For example . . .

Look at that!

Those were the days!

Demonstrative pronouns are usually used for things only.They can be used for people IF

the person has been identified.

for example, “That sounds like John”.

LJ # 9

 COMPOUND SENTENCE

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinator. The coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Except for very short sentences, coordinators are always preceded by a comma.

Here are three examples of compound sentences:A.  I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English.  B.  Alejandro played football, so Maria went shopping.  C.  Alejandro played football, for Maria went shopping.

F - forA - andN - norB - butO – orY - yetS – so