Final Geezer Blog Hack

What a pleasure to spend the last couple days with you all. Would have been there today, but was called to active duty to help secure our alpine perimeter... ; )

Each of you are amazing in so many different ways. It was my honor to explore the realms of life and writing with you for a dozen weeks. I learned many profound lessons and am richer because of our time together.   

So, thank you all for playing your part in this beautiful one-act play called life.

Please remember Ali's advice to Remember....

And remember....... Mr D's advice to:

1. Live a deliberate life.
2. Think for yourself.

As good advice as I've ever heard. I'm sure Ali would agree.

I hope to see you around as the years roll by....... 

Clay

Geezer Blog Hack

Greetings from the Geezer.

There I was, minding my own business when I was ambushed by rowdy riff-raff on board an otherwise peaceful sailing of the M/V Columbia.

In spite of their obvious need for adult supervision, these Ferry Fairies were all working very hard on their homework.

Mostly.

See You Before You Know It!

cg

The whole show is slowly coming to a close. 

As we approach the end of the year we have done so much, crossed so many borders, and tried so many different things.  Now it is time to take something that you are proud of, expand on it and create something you are truly proud of. 

For a final project we are going to create a movie.  You will be working with I-movie in the lab, or something on your own, and put music, sound, and pictures together with your writing to make something amazing. 

My hope is that on your final week of school we will be able to sit back and watch the wonderful things that you have created.  I am providing a lot of lab and class time to finish this, please let me know if you have any questions.

Click here to get the overview on your final project!

Hey Team,

In the last week we took a look at Satire.  We looked at Juneau Douglas High School and played around with the different policies here.  I asked you to exagerate characteristics of the high school and come up with one of your own. 

To get your 12th writing challenge... click here.

Journal and In class writing

Here a couple more opportunities to make some points. 

1st. We have been writing in our journals everyday as part of our routine.  If you have been taking advantage of this time with either reading or writing you have earned the points. You can turn in your journal, show me that you have been reading, or show me your writing and I would be happy to help you out here.

2nd.  Lots of the writing that we have done has been in class, either in your journal or in groups.  If you take one of these pieces of writing, polish it up, and turn it in to me I will give you another 5 points.

Please let me know if you have questions and I would be more than happy to clarify.

The Ballad

With Folk Fest happening all week I hope that we can get inspired.  This week we are looking at literary ballads.  I pulled a few ballads for us to take a look at yesterday:  Bob Dylan, Coleridge, and Warren G.

This week your challenge is to write a ballad telling the story of something you found, or something that is a part of your life. 

Details of the assignment can be found by ...clicking here...

Media Criticism

This week we have been taking apart archetypes, allegories, and stereotypes.

I want you to apply your knowledge to the media and become a critic.

Pick out an advertisement, TV show, movie, or song and criticize it.  Tell us where it is coming from.  What archetypes is it displaying?  What is the hidden story?   What is it telling us we should be like?

Your criticism should be mature and collegiate.  It should be about one or two paragraphs long.

Please see me if you have any questions.

Pieces of a Whole Poem

We have been personifying, deconstructing, and vividly describing objects from our past and present.

Now I challenge you to put these descriptions together in a creative way.  Make a poem describing the objects from your life.

To get the full assignment, ...click here...

Writing for Publication

Throughout the course of the first nine weeks with you, I have read some of the most amazing, creative, and artistic writing.  You continually amaze me on a daily basis, and it has truly been an honor to see everything that you come up with. 

As the first quarter comes to a close, I feel like it is my duty to help get your voices to a wider audience.  I would like to help you publish a magazine.  In order to do this we need to be a team. 

Take one of the pieces that you wrote this semester, edit it, and polish it for a final draft.  If you turn this in to me I will give you five points.  Add some artwork and make a page that is interesting and wonderful.

Over the break I will see what I can put together. 

Most of all, please remember how truly awesome you are.  We have nine weeks left... lets make them extraordinary.

Mr. D

Realism and Modernism

This week we are looking at how literature changed after the Romantic movement.  We are looking at the Realist writers and the Modernist writers that described the harsh reality of a new world.  In class we read a couple of Hemingway short stories, and we looked at Dickens, London, and Hugo.

Your job this week is to tell a story about the day in the life of someone in Juneau.  Give a voice to someone that is voiceless, and show the harder side of living.

To get a copy of the assignment ...click here...

A story through poetry... the alternate assignment

Hey Everybody... Just wanted to give another option.  We have been doing a lot of journalism and reporting-ish writing.  I wanted to provide another option for points.  I am attaching a link to an alternate assignment where you can exercise your poetic muscle.  Tell me a story through poetry.

To get this alternate ...click here...

War of the Worlds!

Hey Team!

We are looking at how you can trick everyone into believing that your writing is the real deal and not fiction.  In the literary world this is called verisimilitude.  We read part of War of the Worlds in class, looked at how crazy it made people, and now I challenge you to make something similar.  Can you make us believe the unreal?   To access your assignment this week ....Click Here...

Geezer Blog Hack II

 Just a quick note to let you all know the Geez is alive and kickin'.

169 cm sled on the ridge last Friday.

Been doing bit of shredding the slopes and riffing on the tubs.  

Rockin at Centennial Hall Last week.

Teaching Teachers in AK.

Also blogging most every day with teachers all across the state.   

It's my other job.

Click Here to check out my AK History blog steeze. 



Click on the Image to Enlarge



So, I thought it was past time to remind you how amazing you are and how much I miss your face. 

That's right. I'm talking to you. 


Bottom Line: Time slips away like sands through the hourglass. 

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day.  You fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way.  Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town - waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

Time by Pink Floyd

 
Be dropping in like a bomb before you know it. 

Say hey to Mr. D. for me.

Peace Out! - Busta Hip

Journalism

During class this week, I spoke about how to structure a journalistic article.  Your job was to work with each other to create a front page of amazing creativity.  You may work with a group, but if you find yourself getting behind just give me an article written in the structure we talked about. You can check out details on this assignment by clicking... HERE.

P.S. the ones that I have seen ROCK!  You guys and gals are awesome!

Persuasive Writing

By now you should have a poster with your persuasive writing up on the wall of room 218!  If you have been out of town doing sports, traveling our wonderful state, or at home sick, you can still make a poster and get it to me for points.  Check out details on the assignment by clicking... HERE

Writing Assignment #3

We have been checking out some people who followed their passions and dreams.  They expressed emotion through all of their writing.  Your writing challenge is to add amotion to our daily lives by re-writing the news like a Romantic poet. Check out the assignment by clicking... HERE.

Blog Hack by the Geezer

Thought I'd hack my way into the old mother blog and let you know the geezer's okay.  

Just ask Julian, Liam, Bekka and Matt ; )

Weekly Challenge #1

This is your first weekly challenge on tone.  To get the assignment click here.

See You Later .....

Our time together has been transformational in so many ways.  A few months was not nearly enough time to know enough of your vibrant lives, though much was revealed through your writing and riffing.  Each triumphant and tragic story resonates deeply with me. 

I am pleased and proud as you have risen to difficult, vital challenges; not the least of which was finding room in your hearts to allow a yarn-yammering science imposter to play the impossible role of a suitable substitute for a brilliant and deeply loved teacher of the language arts.

Though thrust together, we learned to trust together and to hold each other up.  So, thank you for allowing me to do what I do in spite of my limitations -- for enduring my inadequacies and accepting me so warmly and gracefully.  And now it's time for more change.

It seems most of you have already discerned what I have learned about Bill Dwyer : That he is the real deal -- packed chock-full of energy, soul and a deeply rooted passion for words and people. Just what the doctor ordered. You're in very good hands now. 

It's been Good.  Have a wonderful time this semester and I'll see you later....