Todays Focus: Voice

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Todays Focus Voice

• You will identify the trait of voice in writing
• You Will add voice to your writing

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VOICE

• Voice creates the tone of the paper.
• It lets the writers personality shine through.
• Voice shows the writers enthusiasm and
  creativity.
• Papers without voice are blah and uninteresting
  to read!!!!!

3
REMEMBER

• When trying to write an essay that has strong
  voice, laziness and lack of caring are your worst
  enemies!!!
• You MUST care about entertaining your reader if
  youre going to be able to have ANY voice at
  all!!!

4
Kinds of Voice

• Ask yourself Is the writing
• Serious?
• Funny?
• Romantic?
• Poetic?
• Factual?
• Upbeat?
• Depressing?
• Straightforward?
• Flowery?
• Silly
• See character faces for more!

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Unusual Lost and Found Ad

• Go to this website
• http//www.writingfix.com/leftbrain/lostandfound.h
  tm
• Type (in Word) a lost and found ad (see examples
  on website) that matches the topic
• Try to make your article have lots of VOICE

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Wacky Tabloid Heading

• Go to this website
• http//www.writingfix.com/rightbrain/serendipitous
  wackyheadlines.htm
• Type (on the same page) a short article (about
  8-10 sentences) that matches the headline
• Try to make your article have lots of VOICE

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A Day as Your Shoes

• Go to this website
• http//www.writingfix.com/leftbrain/ADayAsYourShoe
  s.htm
• Follow the instructions
• Type your responses in Word. Add them to your
  other two.

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Serendipitous Crazy Illustrations

• Go to this website
• http//www.writingfix.com/rightbrain/serendipitous
  crazyillustration.htm
• Draw a picture
• We will trade pictures when we return to class on
  Wednesday
• We will write short paragraphs to go with each
  others pictures

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The Web Files

• Listen as I read the story
• See if you can hear the VOICE

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Songs Have Voice Just Like Essays and Stories!!

• Listen to the following songs
• Think of adjectives that describes the songs
  voices

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1. Keep Ya Head Up by 2Pac

• What is the main idea of this song?
• What kind of VOICE do you hear in this song? Use
  your chart.
• Explain why you described the voice the way you
  did in your answer to B.

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2. Keepin It Real by Shaggy

• What is the main idea of this song?
• What kind of VOICE do you hear in this song?
• Explain why you described the voice the way you
  did in your answer to B.

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3. Dancin in the Moonlight by Toploader

• What is the main idea of this song?
• What kind of VOICE do you hear in this song?
• Explain why you described the voice the way you
  did in your answer to B.

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4. Amarillo by Morning by George Strait

• What is the main idea of this song?
• What kind of VOICE do you hear in this song?
• Explain why you described the voice the way you
  did in your answer to B.

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4. Dont Stop (Holes 10) by Eagle Eye Cherry

• What is the main idea of this song?
• What kind of VOICE do you hear in this song?
• Explain why you described the voice the way you
  did in your answer to B.

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Suggestions from a Real Writer

• Novelist John Berendt (Midnight at the Garden of
  Good and Evil) suggests you keep these things in
  mind
• Writing is ENTERTAINMENT for the reader
• What good is a piece of writing, however
  brilliant, if nobody reads it all the way
  through?
• Always ask yourself, 'Are they still paying
  attention?'"
• In other words, if you concern yourself with the
  reader more than concerning yourself with you
  ("Let's talk about me") then you're
  subconsciously working on a good voice
• If you realize you're not funny enough or
  interesting enough, rewrite. Writing is about
  rewriting.

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TAKS Writing Rubric Voice

• The writing is BORING
• The writing has no originality no creativity
• No personality
• The reader has much difficulty finishing the
  piece because it doesnt catch his/her attention

• The writer sustains the reader holds the
  attention through most of the piece
• For the most part the piece sounds real
  original
• You might feel like sharing some places aloud

• Honest passionate
• Stands out from the other papers
• Original
• Much personality
• You feel like sharing the whole thing aloud
• Writers curiosity or enthusiasm keeps the reader
  reading
• The writer keeps the readers attention through
  the whole thing

• There may be some places where the writer gets
  the readers attention but fails to keep it
• Some parts may sound original, but for the most
  part, the piece is unoriginal

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Diary 24

• What is this about?
• Score the piece for voice (1, 2, 3, or 4)
• Use adjectives from the Character Faces chart to
  describe the pieces voice. Try to list at least
  3.
• Explain why you scored it as you did. USE WORDS
  FROM THE RUBRIC IN YOUR EXPLANATION

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Using Your Toaster

• What is this about?
• Score this piece for voice (1, 2, 3, or 4)
• Use adjectives from the Character Faces chart to
  describe the pieces voice. Try to list at least
  3.
• Explain why you scored it as you did. USE WORDS
  FROM THE RUBRIC IN YOUR EXPLANATION

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Chores!

• What is this about?
• Score the piece for voice (1, 2, 3, or 4)
• Use adjectives from the Character Faces chart to
  describe the pieces voice. Try to list at least
  3.
• Explain why you scored it as you did. USE WORDS
  FROM THE RUBRIC IN YOUR EXPLANATION

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Well from Teen Ink

• What is this about?
• Score the piece for voice (1, 2, 3, or 4)
• Use adjectives from the Character Faces chart to
  describe the pieces voice. Try to list at least
  3.
• Explain why you scored it as you did. USE WORDS
  FROM THE RUBRIC IN YOUR EXPLANATION

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If I Were In Charge of the World

• Listen as I read the poem
• Pay attention to the organization and the voice
  of the poem
• After I have read the poem, think for a few
  seconds of how you would fill in the poem in your
  own voice
• Using the next slide as your template, rewrite
  the poem in your voice

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If I Were in Charge of the World

• If I were in charge of the world I'd cancel
  oatmeal, Monday mornings, allergy shots, and also
  Sara Steinburg .
• If I were in charge of the worldThere'd be
  brighter night-lights, healthier hamsters, and
  basketball baskets forty-eight inches lower.
•  
• If I were in charge of the worldYou wouldn't
  have lonely.You wouldn't have clean.You
  wouldn't have bedtimes.Or, Dont punch you
  sister."
• You wouldnt even have sisters.

•  If I were in charge of the worldA chocolate
  sundae with whipped cream and nuts would be a
  vegetable.All 007 movies would be G rated.And a
  person who sometimes forgot to brush,And
  sometimes forgot to flush,Would still be allowed
  to beIn charge of the world.

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If I Were in Charge of the World If I were in
charge of the worldI'd cancel (4 different
things). If I were in charge of the worldThere'd
be (3 things you would make better). If I were in
charge of the worldYou wouldn't have .You
wouldn't have .You wouldn't have . If I were in
charge of the worldA (food item)would be a
vegetable.All (music or movies) would be
(whatever you want).And a person who sometimes
forgot to(blank),And sometimes forgot to
(blank),Would still be allowed to beIn charge
of the world.  
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Whose Voice?

• On paper voice is like personality
• Can you tell which celebrity is credited with
  each quote based on what you know about the
  various celebrities voices (i.e.,
  personalities)?

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VoiceOr Not..

• Draft Some people just do not know how to drive
  well. Roy is one of them.
• You do not want to be a passenger when Roy is at
  the wheel. He either cannot recognize the color
  red, or else he does not know what red lights are
  for. He never stops. I pity drivers who get in
  his way. He zooms right up behind them and hits
  the horn full blast. Whats worse, he passes
  everything on wheels, even if he has to go into
  the ditch to do it!!

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Adding Your Voice

• Revise the following ideas
• Add your voice to each idea to form a
  well-constructed and unique paragraph
• Dont be afraid to let your true personality
  shine through

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REMEMBER

• When trying to write an essay that has strong
  voice, laziness and lack of caring are your worst
  enemies!!!
• You MUST care about entertaining your reader if
  youre going to be able to have ANY voice at
  all!!!

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Add Voice!

• Ted stares at the TV all night. He watches
  anything that is on. He must like TV a lot.

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Add Voice!

• Mary Ellen is fearless. It is amazing. She is
  just not afraid of anything.

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Add Voice!

• I have this one thing that I love to do with my
  friends after school. It is so cool. It is just
  really, really neat.

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Tuning Your Voice

• The following short writing assignments will help
  you tune your voice.
• Describe each of the following experiences,
  things, or objects from a different perspective.
• Try to assume the role of each person.
• Focus on the voice of the person. Make it obvious
  in your writing.

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A Piece of Cheese Cake

• Describe it from the perspective of a person on a
  strict diet
• Describe it from the perspective of a hungry
  lumberjack whos been working all day

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A Deer

• Describe it from the perspective of a hunter
• Describe it from the perspective of an animal
  rights activist

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A Game Winning Shot During the Last Seconds of a
Basketball Game

• Describe the shot from the perspective of a fan
  from the winning team
• Describe the shot from the perspective of a fan
  from the losing team

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A Heavy Metal Rock Concert

• Describe the perspective of a seventy-year-old
  grandmother
• Describe the perspective of a seventeen-year-old
  Metallica fan