The Glee Factor Contestants

I'm really enjoying The Glee Factor show on the Oxygen Network.  Here are some thoughts!
Before I list my favs in order, I want to first go on record as saying I don't for one second believe Ryan Murphy is going to only take one of these kids for 7 episodes and maybe one or two for a guest appearance of some sort. I believe he is going to use SEVERAL of them throughout the season, the primary winner early on for the 7 or more episodes storyline, and maybe two others the first half. Then I believe we will see yet 2-3 more of them in the back half of the season. Then we will see Glee Project #2 getting additional cast members identified for season 4, etc. This will give the writers more time to prepare ahead for storylines by knowing who will be in their cast ahead of time. 

OK, here is my list of favs in order.

#1 Bar none, Damian. Talk about an opportunity for exploring the challenges of being from another country and somewhat unfamiliar with a new culture-some minor language obstacles that have HUGE comedic potential-Huge appeal based on his looks-magnetic personality once you get to know him-And frankly, those who say he isn't all that as a singer....well, several million others around the world beg to differ. I'm impressed he chose to audition via the same method everyone else did...He subbed a one minute clip of himself singing into the camera built into his laptop computer......He COULD have subbed a one minute clip from any of his performances from around the world, but he did not go that route. He also has an innate sense of humor and says things off the cuff that are funny-Ryan Murphy and the writers like to work off of that kind of thing. I think Damian will win despite the fact he will struggle with some, if not many of the challenges.....but the fact he struggles and how he handles it is part of his appeal as well. Watching how challenging it is for a yound man who in REAL LIFE is already idolized in other parts of the world, but struggles to make cultural adjustments and fit in here in the states is precisely the kind of character I would love to write for myself! By the way, I would NOT write him in as a foreign exchange student, but rather the son of a parent/s who moved to the states due to a job transfer---as a foreign exchange student he would basically be limited to a one year run and that is it. I think his potential is too huge to waste on a one year character.

#2 Cameron..My initial response to Cameron on the first episode was rather indifferent. As I've become more familiar with him, I see tons of potential storylines within the Glee environment he would be perfect for.....My overall sense is he is 100% genuine and being upfront and honest about who he is....and just as he was rejected in his own high school for being like that, again, he is being rejected by some who are posting that rejection right here in this forum. I find that interesting and worthy of investigating- why that is happening-and I'd write that into his character's storyline....

#3/4 Marrissa and Hannah Both intriguing but in totally different ways. Marrissa has a depth to her persona that draws you in wondering what her "whole story" might really be...And Hannah is almost the exact opposite but leading to the same questions--Her "mask" so to speak is her use of humor to cover up some of her internal pain---I think she genuinely does enjoy life and can laugh freely as well, but you just wonder what more is there to her going on we cannot see up front? Regarding being a "big girl" and we already have two--one of the two sort reflects sadness about her size---the other one uses intimidation/brashness to deal with her size---Hannah would be the big girl using humor to deal with her size---so there could be a place for her.

#5/6 Matheus/McKinleigh--- I see potential for both of these characters---The "small guy syndrome" used to be the primary reason kids were bullied-along with wearing glasses and being overweight..Since the bullying issue has largely been dealt with directly, it shouldn't continue to be the primary focus, but as a continuing connection to that theme, Mattheus bravado and confidence could potentially drive Sue crazy---plus lots of humor potential around his developing romantic life could be fun! McKinleigh has potential in breaking the mold that black girls who sing are probably R and B or hip hop/rap singers and most often are divas...I personally find myself rooting for some of the quieter personality types who get "lost" in the shuffle....I see potential for audience connections there.

#7 Samuel At first I was a tad bit indifferent to him and thought he was maybe just going to be the stereotypical reggae/dreds/stoner kind of guy....but I see a soft side to him that could easily be cultivated. I have to admit, I'm "older"---I prefer "well-seasoned" actually, and despite coming out of the late 60's to mid 70's years when i was in jr.high/high school, I never connected at all to long hair and all the rebellion associated with it...i can see Samuel being a great instrument for helping change that kind of mind set if written that way!

#8/9 Lindsay/Alex Both talented in their own right, but I see them more as future replacements for characters already in place....Now the season is still young so maybe more will be revealed to help me see them better, but right now they look kind of "more of the same-ish" to me---which CAN be used to create new conflict if that is what the writers want to accomplish...

As for their talent level---I find all of the top ten to be perfectly acceptable to me..Glee is partly about discovering talent and helping DEVELOP IT! Diamonds in the rough...Out of 40,000 applicants, I believe the producers have done a fabulous job finding 10 diamonds in the rough--- 


Would love to read more comments! Please share!

Somebody Wanted But So Then However In the End

Somebody -- character, traits/flaws, interests, etc.
Wanted -- desire 
But -- obstacle (loss, fear, change, insecurity, etc.)
So -- character's attempt to resolve conflict -- a poor choice to complicate things (lie, cheat, steal, avoid, be fake, fight, etc.)
Then -- negative consequence to the poor choice (caught, loss of trust/friendship, punishment, guilt/shame, etc.)
However -- the aha moment, epiphany, internal turning point as climax (advice from an unlikely source, TV commercial, song on radio, flashback, etc.)
In the end -- lesson about life or coming to terms with inner struggle even if external conflict is unresolved, from now on... 

I've used story frames like this one and have seen good results with certain kids.  While the majority of my experience was with 4-5th-6th graders, I thought this through and am wondering if you might take this approach with younger kids:

During minilesson time, have each kid generate a list of 3 fictional characters they would like to write a story about.

Ask them to narrow their list down to one.  With this one character, ask them to answer this one question_  What does he/she/it want?  Then ask them to go write a story about it.

Next session, ask kids to share their stories.  After they have shared, ask them to read it aloud a second time but tell them this time you are going to ask them to stop periodically so you can ask the class a question about their story.  Anytime you hear them include elements that answer the "But/So/Then/However/In the End" elements, that is when you can interject a question for the class pointing out how important or interesting it makes the story for that element to be included.  

Next round, have them choose a second character, but have them include the Somebody/Wanted/However/In the End elements.  Repeat the process of sharing and pointing out how the "But/So/Thens" you hear help make the story more powerful/interesting/understandable/etc.   Using these terms a million times over will help kids to imbed these things in their thinking---- the auditory input from you using their actual stories will be what makes it stick for the long haul.

Why We Do What We Do (Author Unknown)

I'm sure many of you have seen variations of this story, but it is a great reminder for writing teachers to see and share the power of the written word. One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.  It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.     That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.     On  Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew I meant anything to anyone!" and "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments.     No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.     Several years later, one of the students was killed in Viet Nam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature..     The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.     As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "Yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."     After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.     "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it."     Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.     "Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."  All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."     Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album."     "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary"     Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said. Without batting an eyelash, she continued, "I think we all saved our lists."    That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.     The density of people in society is so thick  we forget life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.     Remember, you reap what you sow. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.

D.I.R.T. Daily Individual Reading Time

   Give Me the D.I.R.T. 

Writing about books we are reading is part of many real writer’s lives.  In our Write NOW Notebooks, one option you have is to write about your D.I.R.T. books and Novel Team books.  

You might do an entry at the beginning of a book when something really grabs your attention.  

You might write an entry somewhere in the middle of the book when you have exploding thoughts about the story line. 

You can always share predictions you absolutely must make.  

You might wait until the end of the book to discuss how the author wrote a dynamic, thought provoking conclusion.  Maybe you will write about how you would have ended the story differently.  

Feel Free to write as often as you want about your D.I.R.T. and Novel Team books, but instead of writing a review of what is going on in the story, focus more on your thoughts and feelings about the story and characters, and also writing craft you notice the author using to make this story work!

Cliffhangers

        Cliffhangers 

When the teacher finishes reading a great chapter of a great book during read-aloud time, why do kids beg and plead for the teacher to read on into the next chapter? 

Because the writer, or author, of the book did something special near the end of the chapter to make you hungry for more.  This is known as a cliffhanger. 

Effective cliffhangers often leave us with big-time questions which will only be answered if we read on.  Good authors know how to plan for cliffhangers and know how to leave their audiences begging for more. 

As you write your stories, make sure you leave some questions unanswered until later in your story.  The trick is knowing when to do this.  Try using cliffhangers throughout your story, even if it is not a chapter book. 

Zingers!

 Zingers!!!

Zingers are defined as “endings that ZING the reader so he/she is:

surprised, 

provoked to think about, 

or made to laugh or cry.”

Is the ending to your story a ZINGER?  

If not, how can you rewrite the ending so it becomes a zinger?

Ask yourself this:  

Will my audience be surprised by this ending?  

Will my audience be provoked to think about something?  

Will my audience laugh or cry because of this conclusion?

If you cannot say yes to at least one of these questions, you might want to rewrite your ending.

Advanced Connections

                               

                              Advanced Connections

1) An event or experience in this reading  CONNECTED TO an event or experience in your life___________________________________

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 2) A character in this story CONNECTED TO a character in another story______________

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3) A character in this reading CONNECTED TO a character in your life. ______________

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 4) A job, activity, interest or a skill of a character in this story that would be useful in real life.___________________________________

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5) A setting in this reading CONNECTED TO a setting in your life.______________________

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 6) A theme being developed in this reading  CONNECTED TO a theme that was developed in another story_______________________

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7) A setting in this reading  CONNECTED TO a setting in another story.______________

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 8) A plot being developed in this reading  CONNECTED TO a plot that has happened to someone in real life________________

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Robert A Redmond  2010