Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Publishing Resources

Self Publishing
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tech/hightech/self-publishing.html (CBC news post that explains the ins and outs of self publishing. Success!)

http://www.writers.ns.ca/selfpublishing.html (more self-publishing information)

http://www.blurb.com/ (A very good self-publishing / market place site.)

http://www.lulu.com/ (like blurb - but less awesome.)


Non-Self Publishing
http://www.brownbooks.com/submit-a-manuscript.asp

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/160347_submit-childrens-book-random-house.htm

http://www.venturepublish.com/en/proposalsubmission

Resources
http://www.heartsongbooks.com/tips.html (even though it's ugly - it's still useful.)

EWC4U 30% SUMMATIVE EVALUATION

EWC4U 30% SUMMATIVE EVALUATION
Artifact Creation: Putting it All Together

Creating a physical text is something that we have been working towards all year. Each student should now be prepared to bind a text, create valuable content, and present it in an engaging fashion. Students will work independently towards this end to create a physical artifact, a book.

Students will also be tasked with the research of publishers, and submitting their book to a publisher. The submission can be to a large well known publisher, or a lesser known publisher. Self-Publishing is also an option, though it must be through a more reputable source than Kinko’s.

Artifact Creation:
Students are responsible for creating a book of no less than twenty text-filled pages. Students may choose their subject, and genre. Students may also feel free to create an experimental text.

Students are responsible for creating well thought out, properly formatted, written, and edited content. As well they will be responsible for creating a visually appealing text that is properly bound. Putting staples through sheets of paper is not an acceptable option.
/45 Writing Strand
/25 Media Strand

Publishing Explanation:
Students need to write a one page report on the publishing process. They must explain how they chose their publisher, as well as why they made that specific choice. Students must also show proof that their piece has been submitted to the publisher, as well as any feedback related to the submission process. This section will be marked based on the in depth factual content, as well as clear well thought out writing in the report.
/15 Reading Strand

Presentations:
Students will explain their publishing choices, as well as reading excerpts from their text. The mark will be based on clear and engaging communication with the audience
/15 Oral Communication Strand

Time Line
Project Introduced May 6
Content Creation May 8
Content Editing May 12
Publishing Research May 14
Book Binding Information May 19
Book Preparation May 21
Rough Copy Editing May 25
Presentations May 29
Presentations June 2












Artifact Creation [Writing Strand]:
• text consists of no less than 20 text (content)-filled pages
• content is consistent with the chosen form
• content is engaging for target audience
• content adheres to required grammatical and formatting conventions
• content reflects proper capitalization and punctuation

Artifact Creation [Media Strand]:
• text contains visually appealing elements
• text is properly bound (i.e. not just stapled)
• cover is designed in an engaging fashion
• cover conveys text’s contents
• creative elements used in text construction

Publishing Explanation [Reading Strand]:
• text submitted for publishing
• proof of submission presented
• 500 word write up details submission process, and publisher choice
• write-up adheres to required grammatical and formatting conventions
• write-up reflects proper capitalization and punctuation

Presentation [Oral Communication Strand]:
• students present for 3 – 4 minutes
• students communicate in an engaging fashion with audience
• students use voice effectively, speaking clearly and articulately
• students use ‘classroom appropriate’ diction
• students present an excerpt of their work
• students explain their publishing submission process

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Links for Celebrity Biographies

Neil Patrick Harris [link]
J.K. Rowling [link]
Sarah Michelle Gellar [link]

journal entry: fictional biography

Choose one of these images, and write the fictional biography of the person.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Journal Requirements

- 2 choices from writing prompts
- your biography
- your partners biography
- parental biography questions
- 3 picture biography
- rewriten biography "NPH, JKR, AW, SMG"

March 23

18. AllieCockblock - Outakes

17. Teeshurrz - Jay Tee Sings Happy Birthday at Semi

Parental Biography - Questions

So, what’s the homework?
You will be writing a biography. Not an autobiography? Afraid not. It will be a biography. This means you need a subject – but whom will this subject be? Read no further than the next sentence, and all will be revealed.

You will be writing the biography of either your mother, or father. In the absence of such a character, you will write the story of the “parental figure to whom you are most close.”

What does this mean?
It means that over the next few weeks, you will be focusing on creating the story of their life. Now, we will be doing other things in class as well – things linked inextricably to the genre – but your main task for this unit is this work.

Break it down for me a bit more.
Your biography will catalogue your subject’s life from birth to their current state. It will run no less than two thousand words – it can go over if you feel you need the extra words.

But what will we cover?
That’s up to you. Remember though – as always, you are writing for an audience. In this case, it’s a high school teacher who does not want to become bored from reading tedious tales.

Hmm – but how can we avoid that?
By taking every single thing you have learned this unit and putting it into action. You’re writing non-fiction, and yet those skills still apply! It’s fantastic, isn’t it? All of that stuff earlier on about setting up your character, and describing them, that’s useful. Being able to paint a picture of your setting will also come in handy here. Knowing where to add images – something we picked up in the children’s book unit… well, you can put that in here too.

So, how do I start off?
Lucy was born on September 4 1969. She was born in St. Michael’s Hospital at 5:00am.

[that right there? That is how to – absolutely – not start! Let’s try something else.]

The gentle warm breeze, blowing softly through the loosely curtained windows of St. Michael’s hospital heralded the coming of a new life. The warm colours, an apparent trace of nineteen sixties design before the seventies ushered in olive greens and dead browns, would provide the background for one Lucy Chamberlain, as she entered the world, silent as the morning mist rising over the lands outside.

[you see how that’s a little different? Of course you do. Now we can move on.]

Aside from a beginning – what do we need?
Stories – the stories that make us who we are, and who we were! And how do you find out about them? Shock of shocks – you’ll have to sit down and… talk… to your subject!
[Starting Questions]

When and where were you born? ___________________________________________

What is your earliest memory? _____________________________________________

What was your home like? ________________________________________________

What was your room like? ________________________________________________



[School Years]

What was your education like when you were age 5 – 11? ______________________

_______________________________________________________________________

What is your strongest memory from those years? ____________________________

_______________________________________________________________________


What was your education like when you were age 12 – 17? _____________________

_______________________________________________________________________

What is your strongest memory from those years? ____________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

When / Why was the first time you seriously lied to your parents? _______________

_______________________________________________________________________

Do you regret having lied to them, or did it lead to a good experience? ___________

_______________________________________________________________________

What were your friends like? ______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Who was the best influence you had? _______________________________________

Who was the worst influence you had? ______________________________________
[From then ‘til Now]
What are the top five most powerful memories, good or bad, that you keep with you to this day? Expand upon them.




What is the one thing that you are so glad you did? ___________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

What is the one thing you wish you never did? _______________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

What is the one thing you always wish you did? ______________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Why didn’t you do it? ___________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________


[The Coming Storm]

How did you meet your partner? __________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

At what point did children enter into the picture? ____________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

How did this change things? ______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Friday, March 6, 2009

March 10: Bring your photos!

Tuesday March 10, 2009:

For this class you are expected to bring in three photographs. You need to have:
  • one photograph of yourself age 0-3
  • one photograph of yourself age 10-13
  • one photograph of yourself taken within the last 12 months

We will be working with these images, and you can not complete the writing assignment without them.

[note: you are required to write one paragraph explaining how the person in your baby picture is actually you. Physically you are no longer the same person, and in most cases your personality has been redically altered. So if you no longer look the same, or feel the same, or think the same - how is that person in the photograph you?]

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Monday, February 2, 2009

Assignment

Below you will see links to the thirteen videos that were submitted to me for marking. During this period, you are invited to watch them all and consider what makes them effective or what hinders them. While this may seem like a free period, of sorts, it is - unfortunately - not.

You will need to write a piece (no longer than a page; half a page should suffice for most people) explaining what your favourite video was, and why. Simply writing "It was funny Lolz!" is not an acceptable response. You are grade twelve students, and as such you will be using the knowledge you gained over the course of this unit, pertaining to what makes a successful YouTube video in your explanation.

Once completed, you will also choose one video that you feel has the potential to be so much more than it is. You will write what you think works well in the video, and what you believe could still use some work. Explain how the video could be improved, and to what effect.

Last, you are responsible for writing about the video you think has the most potential to go viral. Once again, please use your knowledge to justify your choices.

[ Summary ]
1. What is your favourite video? Why?
2. What video has great potential? How can it be realized?
3. What video can become a viral video? Explain your choice.

Monday, January 26, 2009