Five Card Flickr Storytelling I Keep a Writer's Notebook alongside my Students. Do you? I began requiring journal writing way back in 1990--my first year of teaching. I had taken a methods class at my university that stressed the importance of having students keep journals to record daily responses to topics. I said, "Why not?" and every student from day one maintained a spiral-bound "journal" for me. In the spring of 1998, thanks to my high school journalism students' hard work, I was awarded with a month-long, summer fellowship from C-SPAN in Washington, D.C., and the first thing the wonderful folks at C-SPAN asked me to do upon arrival was to keep a daily journal that documented my experience there. When I returned to my classroom in August of 1998, I showed and shared entries from my summer journal every day during that first month of school. Over the next dozen years that followed that trip to D.C., I slowly improved my ability to inspire my students with the daily writing expectations. I have to be doing something right.
Thinking about writing journals? I'm starting to plan for my 6th year as a 7th grade reading/writing teacher at Chicago-area middle school, and I wanted to "think out loud" about writing journals/notebooks and their use in the middle-school language arts classroom. There are several schools of thought on this, and a lot of powerful ways to use these things, as well as several possible ways to handle the logistics. Here are some ways that I've used journals (let's just call them that for now) in the LA classroom: As a daily "Do Now" or immediate activity done at the very start of class. This strategy is useful to reinforce management and get students seated and working. It helps maximize productive class time. There is at least one other really cool way to use journals - as the "writing notebook," a kind of catch-all or "commonplace book" that writers use to gather their thinking and random ideas. All of these cost money, and every year except one, I have provided these notebooks to my students.
Poetry 180 - Home Page Welcome to Poetry 180. Poetry can and should be an important part of our daily lives. Poems can inspire and make us think about what it means to be a member of the human race. By just spending a few minutes reading a poem each day, new worlds can be revealed. Poetry 180 is designed to make it easy for students to hear or read a poem on each of the 180 days of the school year. Listening to poetry can encourage students and other learners to become members of the circle of readers for whom poetry is a vital source of pleasure. Billy Collins Former Poet Laureate of the United States Learn more about Billy Collins More Poet Laureate projects
Smories - new stories for children, read by children How to write comedy: Honing a joke There is more to this than simply having a "crazy idea". If you cannot express it then all is lost. There is a rhythm to a good joke, a certain pacing. You can learn more about the technical side of things by listening to and watching the professionals. You may well start off by unintentionally imitating the style and intonation of someone you admire, but it's important to discover your own voice. As a novice it is best to try and distil your ideas down into the fewest possible words, but more experienced comedians can stretch and explore one idea thoroughly over several minutes. It is rare for a joke to emerge fully formed and it is worth grafting away until it is absolutely right. There is no correct path. A beautifully chosen, unexpected adjective can transform a comedy routine into poetry, while the banal repetition of a common place noun can make that word, and consequently all language, suddenly appear ridiculous. You might be saying too much.
4 Ways To Enhance Your Teaching With Mind Mapping The more efficient your teaching technique the better your students’ comprehension level. This is just one of the benefits of mind mapping and encouraging students to work together as they learn new things. The following techniques, can be easily integrated in your teaching activity: 1. Brainstorming This technique allows students to work either on their own or together with other people. The benefits of using this method are numerous and valuable for any educator who wants to present a new topic or concept, to test students’ retention of material, to encourage critical thinking, teamwork etc. In addition to this, students will directly benefit from this experience because they can: ● become active participants ● share their ideas and opinions ● understand different perspectives ● enhance their creative thinking ● identify key concepts In the image below you can see an example of brainstorming on a particular topic “Why learn a foreign language?” 2 . 3. ● improve their technical skills 4.
Teaching English: I have seen the writing on the wall! This activity was inspired by a photo dear Nora Touparlaki uploaded on her Facebook account and it immediately struck me as a great creative writing activity. All you need is a washable pen which also writes on the wall or in case that's not an option some construction paper or card stock. The idea is simple, you ask your students to write a story but instead of drawing the story setting on a piece of paper, you transfer the action on the wall. This was the original picture but you can find more amazing wall decals here Possible ideas Hole to another universe: What is the new universe like? A door within a door. Road on the wall/Arrow on the wall: Draw two lines on the wall and create a road or an arrow. Hello, how are you?
40 of the Best Websites for Young Writers Jun 09, 2011 Looking for writing help, peer review, grammar tips or just a little bit of advice from the World Wide Web? Don't miss these 40 helpful websites for young writers. Writing Communities and Courses Young Writer's Society - Dedicated to scribes between the ages of 13 and 25, the Young Writer's Society is the world's largest website for young writers. The members-only community encourages submissions and offers tips that will help anyone become a better writer. Grammar and Reference Websites The Purdue Online Writing Lab - Purdue University's Online Writing Lab is a wonderful place to learn all of the various rules of grammar and usage. Creativity Boosters The Story Starter - Creativity abounds at Story Starter!
Story Starters: Creative Writing Prompts for Kids If you’re looking to inspire your students’ writing and creativity, turn to these fun and exciting writing prompts. Perfect for overcoming writer’s block or even starting a brand-new short story in a different narrative, creative writing prompts can help students begin a new piece with confidence. Plus, these story starters can also encourage students to explore different genres while honing their writing skills. There are a lot of ways you can use writing prompts in your classroom. Reading a book in a genre, then having students use a story starter in that same genre. Take inspiration from classics like Treasure Island and newer popular series like The Bad Guys to explore how to write thrilling adventure stories. You’re part of a pirate crew in search of a long-lost storied treasure trove. Get students excited about adventure stories with these great books: If you’re looking to inspire your students’ writing and creativity, turn to these fun and exciting writing prompts.
(More) tips for writing well (Austin Govella at Thinking and Making) Published Wed, Jul 8, 2009 by Austin Govella. Updated Wed, Jul 8, 2009. As an editor, I’ve noticed several recurring bad habits you heathens would do well to disabuse yourselves of immediately. Almost without exception, these bad habits instantiate themselves as a series of stock phrases and constructions that reflect a lack of focus, a lack of fully developed argument, or the kind of intellectual laziness that sets in as you slog through your first draft. These things happen, That’s ok. 16 things to check when you edit Be vicious when you edit. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. After you edit… The finished piece should be so tight, terse, concise, and clear that it’s boring. Boring. Then sand off the rough edges. Write like you talk. The first 16 recommendations remove fluff and force you to think and communicate.