Blogging Fall 2011 Final Class Slideshow -- Your Words and Creations are an Inspiration

The talent and creativity in this class is astounding.  I must admit that I cannot watch this without a tear coming to my eye, a tear of joy for all that you have accomplished this term and a tear of nostalgia for the past time we had together.  Throughout the term, you tapped into something incredible inside of yourselves.  A place profound and beautiful, from where you could express the mysteries of the heart and universe.  Thank-you for this glimpse into the human soul and all the possibilities it contains.  I will miss you all.  Keep blogging and exploring and thinking and feeling and creating.  You are an inspiration.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the ALI and myself to all of you.  Your thoughts and words are amazing.  You inspire me so much and I am very thankful to have such bright, caring, and passionate students.  I know you will create your dreams in the world and look forward to sharing in those dreams with you.  It has been a privilege to spend time with you.  Please enjoy this video of the Thanksgiving Coffee Hour courtesy of Tara Tarpey and Skye MacLeod:  http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1764884/111611_tdayparty.mp4

Prompt #4: -- Music Stirs Us to Act, Feel, and Think

In class we discussed how music can have a social, political, and personal impact.  Post a song on your blog that had an impact on you.  Then, post your interpretation of the song using at least 3 words from the Academic Word List we went over in class (such as theme, commentary, implicit, interpret, ideological, and vehicle.)  Make sure to comment on everyone else's songs!  Here is one of my favorite songs.  The lyrics are taken from a famous essay — written in 1997 by Mary Schmich, a columnist with the Chicago Tribune.  Enjoy! 

Prompt #3 -- Choose a Style, Create a Poem

In class, we read some fun Shel Silverstein poems.  Now, choose one style and create a poem about yourself on your blog.

1) “Acrostic” poems - http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/acrostic/

and http://www.wishafriend.com/photo/namepoem/

2) “Persona” poems - http://pages.uoregon.edu/leslieob/bio-poem.html

3) “Up-and-down” poems - http://pages.uoregon.edu/leslieob/updown.html

Prompt #2 -- Response to the Fountainhead Excerpt

Write a response to the Fountainhead Excerpt we read in class.  See if you can incorporate the themes of the individual vs. society and creativity vs. tradition.  Are these always mutually exclusive ideas?  Explain.

Where the Sidewalk Ends - The Poetry of Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein's poems are wonderful examples of what you can do with rhyme and rhythm in the English language.  Check out the poems below, before class:

“The Meehoo with an Exactlywhat”

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/poems/14826

“Messy Room”

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/poems/14818

“Ations”

http://www.qu-i-x.com/ations.html

“Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout”

Poem: http://edhelper.com/poetry/Sarah_Cynthia_Sylvia_Stout_by_Shel_Silverstein.htm

YouTube video of Tori Amos reading "Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rKXq9TZc-c

Free Audio Books!

Go to http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/ to download free audiobooks in English in a variety of different formats (mp3, iPod, etc.)  This website has an excellent collection of fiction, mystery, fantasy, and non-fiction titles!  Audiobooks are a great way to improve your fluency.

Prompt #1 - Passion

"Passion rebuilds the world...it makes all things alive and significant." --Ralph Waldo Emerson.

What is your passion and why?  Give reasons and details to support your answer.