Ms. Nancy Online

Share narrative writings and discuss. If students haven’t completed this writing, they should do so immediately. See last week’s entry for specific instructions.

Persona poem:

• Think about the masks you made in Ms. Carla’s class
• Writing a persona poem is like wearing a mask; you become some other person or thing and write about what that is like

Oral reading of Timber Snake by Marilyn Singer: notice the word choices and the sounds that are created by these words.  (Handout)

Some ideas to help you start: imagine being the thing or animal. What is life like for you? What are some of the things you like or dislike? Do you make any sounds? Do you have any exchange with other animals? What is it like to be an elderly person or a baby? What about a character from a nursery rhyme or fairy tale? Have you thought what it would be like to be Peter Piper or Cinderella’s ugly step-sister? Think about what it would be like to have an unusual profession (worm farmer, window washer of skyscraper, game show host).

Everybody worked hard in class today and we did the following:

• Discussion about the writing journals–date everything, demonstrate the difference between relating a series of events and thinking/reflecting about what happens during your day
• Ideas in your journal are the seeds of future writing projects
• Emergent writers can get help from their “secretaries” if necessary
• Write as often as possible; writers practice writing

Sharing of progress on wish poem project. The recordings are happening now and the kids are enjoying hearing their own words. I collected illustrations for wish poems if they were finished. Have your artist fill up the paper. Down with white space!

Discussion of timeline project. Where is your own story in it? Students should pick out an event that is important and create a story around that event. The best stories will have an attention grabbing introduction, a clear middle, and a conclusion that includes a lesson learned or a statement about why the telling was important. Emergent writers can draw their story and have parents take dictation to accompany illustrations. The best stories will reveal something of the heart of the writer.

Writing class was productive and we did the following:

• Quick writes–play sounds and have student write about what they hear. What color is the sound you hear? What memory does the sound suggest?
• Sharing of what has been written–alphabet books, wish poems
• Homework: re-visit your poems this week and see if you can improve them by adding more descriptive words or taking out unnecessary words. Illustrate your poem on a separate piece of paper.

New project: read poem by William Carlos Williams This Is Just To Say

• Notice how he uses ordinary language to describe ordinary event
• Short lines about just one event
• Theme: apologizing for something you’re really secretly glad you did
• Students try the technique with an event in their own life

The Locust Tree in Flower

• one word lines
• disjointed
• words look like brushstrokes in a painting–each word adds something to what you see, but it’s not until the end that you know what the whole picture is
• do this as a class collaboration
• Homework: try it on your own!

Preparation for project for next week: make a timeline of your life, highlighting important events you remember (or your parents can help you remember)

In the weeks ahead, I will be recording your student reading favorite poems that were brought into class a few weeks ago. Recordings will be at student meetings or special arrangements will be made for students not meeting with me in the next few weeks.

The conference I attended in Palm Springs excited me to get your kids writing even more than they already do. The sponsoring group is California’s “Computer Using Educators,” so of course, the orientation is not only making students computer literate, but finding ways to make learning more effective by using computers. There are two areas in particular where I want to start moving: podcasting and digitales. I think both will enhance our homeschooling world and give the kids more opportunity for genuine writing.

Podcasting is just a broadcasting medium that uses the computer as the vehicle. Wouldn’t it be great if all the kids in all the homes could benefit from what your 3rd grader learned about whales or germs or Indians? Or what about the benefit of having a recording of the first book your child read? If nothing else, the grandparents in Michigan or Florida would love it.

Another medium I learned about is digitales, a way for kids to tell the story of their own lives using a multimedia format. Everybody has a story to tell and there is meaning in all that happens to us. Writers think and talk about that meaning. I think your students know they have a voice that must come through their writing. This is another way to express that voice.

So as soon as I get all my paperwork finished, I’m diving into the tools to make this happen. The conference made me wish I was younger and not so obviously a “digital immigrant.” The “natives”–my children and yours–that have grown up in a digital world get the technology end so much more intuitively. I have to work at it.

All that aside, I hope the kids are writing in their journals. There is a place for paper, pencil and a regular time to reflect in writing even in the digital age! And remember, the best writers are readers. Do you have a DEAR (drop everything and read) time carved out for your child (and you) during the day?