Meaningful Writing Activity 4

1. Once you’ve opened this powerpoint, click on the icon that looks like this.After that, you’ll just need to push the arrow key to move to each new slide.

2. Meaningful Writing Activity 4 • Our fourth meaningful writing activity is Mr. Stick Cartoons. (fun,right?) • This will be due in TWO weeks. That means Friday, November 15! • You will start working on it and you’ll have time in class next week as well.

3. Please CaReFuLLy read the slides in this presentation to learn how to do Mr. Stick cartoons with your vocabulary words.

4. Most of the vocabulary words you find and collect can have more than one meaning or multiple definitions. It is important to choose the correct definition based on how the word was used in the text or context you found it. marginal(adjective) Has 3 Meanings! being adjacent geographically, as in states marginal to Canada. barely within a lower standard or limited in quality, as in the marginal accommodations at the cheap motel. written in the margin of a book, as in marginal notes. Vocabulary Collectors Here is an example sentence with a vocabulary word: In our writer’s notebooks, we sometimes illustrate our ideas using a character named Mr. Stick; he serves as our marginal“mascot.” Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons Which of these three definitions for the vocabulary word works best for the sentence at right?

5. The only definition you need to record in your vocabulary collection section is the one that fits the context of the sentence you found it in. marginal(adjective) –written in the margin of a book, as in marginal notes. What does this word mean? Vocabulary Collectors noun form: marginality or marginadverb form: marginally When you find a potential vocab word for your collection, you might need to go back and find the word in your book again, especially if you discover there are multiple definitions for it. That is why you should record page numbers on your bookmark. A Symbolic Representation: I chose this clipart of a strip of film to represent marginal. Between each frame of film, there is a solid black margin. I suppose you could even say the black strips with holes in them are marginal too. Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons

6. potential(adjective) –a word to describe something or someone that has or shows great possibility. What does this word mean? Vocabulary Collectors noun form: potentiality or potentialadverb form: potentially When you find a potential vocab word for your collection, you might need to go back and find the word in your book again, especially if you discover there are multiple definitions for it. That is why you should record page numbers on your bookmark. Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons

7. A Mr. Stick Cartoonrequires you to apply a vocabulary word’s meaning to a situation involving a person and to document your understanding through a cartoon. potential(adjective) –a word to describe something or someone that has or shows great possibility. Vocabulary Collectors noun form: potentiality or potentialadverb form: potentially A Mr. Stick cartoon must contain a dialogue bubble and/or a caption that correctly uses your vocabulary word—or one of its other forms, if you have them. What cartoon might you have made for the word potential? A Mr. Stick Cartoon: Just because it doesn’tmake any sense doesn’t mean it’s a bad narrative! Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons In the hallway, Jaysen shouted with rage because his English teacher said his story showed no potential.

8. One of your vocabulary options each week will be to create a Mr. Stick Cartoon based on one of your collected vocabulary words! potential(adjective) –a word to describe something or someone that has or shows great possibility. Vocabulary Collectors noun form: potentiality or potentialadverb form: potentially This will teach you to put a word’s meaning into an actual context. This will help you improve your ability to be visual, which I also expect in your writer’s notebook. This will tap in to your sense of humor, which shows higher-level thinking…if you do it thoughtfully. A Mr. Stick Cartoon: Just because it doesn’tmake any sense doesn’t mean it’s a bad narrative! Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons In the hallway, Jaysen shouted with rage because his English teacher said his story showed no potential.

9. Teachers: Click here to access an online Powerpoint that teaches how to draw basic Mr. Sticks. “But what if I can’t draw?” some of you are asking. Vocabulary Collectors I happen to think this is a pretty great Mr. Stick Vocabulary Cartoon. Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons Ashlee never thought she could draw either, but she made this.

10. “But what if I can’t draw?” some of you are asking. Others are saying, “I can draw better art than just a stickman.” Vocabulary Collectors Emily, an amazing artist, still drew Mr. Stick and perfected his unique facial expressions. Rebekkah, another fine artist, still used Mr. Stick but artistically presented him to us. Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons

11. Vocabulary Collectors Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons Click here for a printable version of this rubric for your students.

12. Vocabulary Collectors Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons Did Kage earn a 3 or a 4? What should he do, if anything, to improve?

13. Vocabulary Collectors Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons Did Gino earn a 3 or a 4? What should he do, if anything, to improve?

14. Vocabulary Collectors Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons Did Brooke earn a 3 or a 4? What should she do, if anything, to improve?

15. Vocabulary Collectors Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons Did Mimi earn a 3 or a 4? What should she do, if anything, to improve?

16. Vocabulary Collectors Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons Did Hannah earn a 3 or a 4? What should she do, if anything, to improve?

17. Remember, it’s okay to “go the extra mile” with your Mr. Stick Vocabulary cartoons. Creatively help yourself remember words’ meanings by inserting them into a visual scene that shows you understand when the word can be applied to life. Take a look at these last two personified vocabulary words. Both based on good words. Both thoughtful. Whose do you like best? Alex’s or Madelyn’s? Vocabulary Collectors Alex Madelyn Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons

18. From A Tale of Two Citiesby Charles Dickens It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. This is an optional extra text analysis task . Click herefor a printable version of this passage. Vocabulary Collectors What kind of mood is the author setting by using antonyms and synonyms in this way? Circle the passage’s three most challenging words. Look those words up. Which would make the best Mr. Stick cartoon? Work with a partner to design a Mr. Stick cartoon that would earn a solid four on the rubric. Be creative and be funny! Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons

19. Vocabulary Collectors Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons Never be afraid to consult the rubric three or four times.

20. Teachers, one last note. Mr. Stick has become a beloved “marginal mascot” in my classroom over the years. Every May, I now host a “Mr. Stick of the Year” entry contest in my students’ writer’s notebooks. My students craft the most amazing entries. I invite you to peruse this Mr. Stick of the Year write-up online and host your own contest if your kids like Mr. Stick as much as mine do. Vocabulary Collectors Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons

21. And don’t forget there’s a multitude of online ideas and resources for using Mr. Stick at my website. Click here to access these freely posted resources. Thanks for watching. Collect vocabulary to better your future. People like you if you have a good vocabulary. I expect my students to include visuals in their notebooks that will accompany their ten minutes of daily sacred writing time. I love how Marissa Moss’s Amelia’s Notebook series cleverly demonstrates what this might look like from a Vocabulary Collectors young writer’s composition book. Because I personally can’t draw as well as Amelia, I feature a whole page of “Mr. Stick resources” at my website to help my artistically challenged students not be intimidated by art. Meaningful writing activity = Mr. Stick cartoons