August 13 & 14, 2025
Agenda
Why is Language An Art?
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Using the magnetic refrigerator words, punctuation marks, headers, and emojis provided at your station:
Work together as a team to create a poem that is at least 8 lines long.
You can move the words around freely to explore different ideas, themes, or moods.
Use punctuation and emojis creatively to enhance tone, rhythm, or meaning.
Try to give your poem a title that fits the theme or feeling of the piece.
Aim for a poem that flows well—don’t just place random words together. Think about imagery, emotion, or storytelling.
Once your poem is complete, each person should carefully write it down on their provided sheet.
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Compare the style and message of each artist. Answer the following as a team (bullet points or short answers are fine):
Language & Style:
Which writer uses more formal language? Who uses slang or conversational tone?
Find one powerful metaphor or image from each. What effect does it create?
Message & Theme:
What struggle or message is each artist focusing on?
Are they writing about personal pain, social injustice, or something else?
Sound & Rhythm:
Read the lines out loud. How do they use rhythm, rhyme, or repetition?
Which passage felt the most musical or lyrical? Why?
Then & Now:
What’s something surprising the poets and rappers have in common?
What’s one key difference in how they express similar ideas?
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Do NOT peek at the story yet!
One person in your group will hold the Mad Libs story sheet face down or folded so the rest of the group can’t see the full passage.
Fill in the blanks first.
As a group, take turns giving words that match the categories on the list (e.g., adjective, noun, verb, emotion, etc.). Be creative! Use high school slang, dramatic descriptions, or inside jokes — just keep it school-appropriate.
Reveal the story.
After all the blanks are filled in, unfold the story and read your group's version out loud. You can pick one person to read dramatically for full effect.
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Look at the four images provided at this station. They may seem totally unrelated — that’s the challenge!
As a group or individually, create a short story (8–10 sentences) that connects all four images into one meaningful or imaginative narrative.
Be creative! Your story can be realistic, funny, mysterious, dramatic, or completely bizarre — as long as all four images are clearly included.
Give your story a title and underline or highlight when each image shows up in the plot.
Write your story on the paper provided or type it if your station is digital.
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As a group, read the first paragraph of the story below.
Work together to write the next paragraph (4–6 sentences) that continues the story.
Your paragraph must make sense — it should clearly connect to the previous one and follow a logical flow. Keep the tone, setting, and characters consistent, or introduce a twist that still fits the story.
Each group member should contribute by writing one or two sentences in a different color pen.
Talk through your ideas together before you start writing. One person can read aloud to keep everyone on the same page.
Be ready to pass the paper to the next group when time is called.
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Practice recognizing how word meanings change as their intensity increases — and sharpen your vocabulary in the process.
As a group, you’ll build word chains that move from mild to extreme. Your challenge is to fill in the missing levels of intensity based on the words provided.
You’ll be given:
4 base words (you must think of 1–2 medium and 1–2 high-intensity versions for each)
3 medium-intensity words (you must come up with a base word and a more intense version for each)
3 high-intensity words (you must come up with a base word and a medium version for each)
Your Task:
Fill in the blanks on your chart by discussing and deciding on the most accurate word matches. Each chain should move from least to most intense.
Be precise — don’t just pick synonyms. Think about connotation and tone.
For each word set, briefly explain one of your choices. What made you choose that word for that level of intensity?
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Your group will read a short passage that uses abstract or figurative language to describe something without naming it.
Discuss as a group and guess what the passage is describing. Write down your guess.
Next, write your own original description of a different object or idea using abstract or figurative language—don’t name it directly.
Use metaphors, similes, or other figurative devices to make your description vivid and imaginative.
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Pick a Supreme Court case.
Read the background and the contested phrase/wording
Decide if your group agrees or disagrees with the Supreme Court’s interpretation.
Write down points from your discussion and whether you agree with the interpretation.
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Choose one of the provided pages to create your blackout poem.
Carefully read the text and circle or highlight words or phrases that stand out to you or inspire you.
Use a black marker or pen to black out the rest of the words, leaving only your chosen words visible.
Arrange the visible words to create a poem that conveys a clear mood, theme, or message.
Make sure your poem is easy to read and thoughtfully composed.
When finished, staple your blackout poem page to your packet for submission.
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Your group will receive a list of categories and a letter of the alphabet.
Each person works individually to write down one word per category that starts with the given letter.
Try to think of unique answers that others in your group might not choose.
If your answer is a double word phrase where both words start with the letter (like “Silent Storm” for S), you earn 2 points for that category.
After time is up, your group will compare answers.
For each category, if multiple people wrote the same answer, those answers don’t count for points. Unique answers earn points!
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Choose Your Lyric:
Think of your favorite song lyric—a line or short phrase that resonates deeply with you. Write it clearly on a Post-it note, and be sure to include the artist and song title.
Explore & Connect:
Review the sample individual lyrics provided by the teacher. Look for lyrics that share a common theme, mood, or style with yours.
Place your Post-it note on the workspace next to the individual lyrics you think are similar to yours to create “lyric clusters.”
Discuss & Reflect:
In your group, discuss what ties these lyrics together. Consider the emotions they evoke, the stories they tell, or the messages they share.
Write Your Reflection:
On your worksheet or packet, write down your lyric and a short paragraph explaining why you grouped it with those lyrics. Include insights from your group discussion about what these lyrics reveal when considered together.
Write Your Reflection:
On your worksheet or packet, write down your lyric and a short paragraph explaining why you grouped it with those lyrics. Include insights from your group discussion about what these lyrics reveal when considered together.
