Category Archives: Writing

Pearls of Writing Wisdom – Teachers Write! Day #3

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Teachers Write!

 

I am determined to catch up with the Teachers Write! author-generated writing prompts. Yesterday’s challenge came from guest author Melanie Crowder whose debut novel, Parched was one of Bank Street’s Best Books of the Year and a Junior Library Guild selection. Her second book, Audacity, has received three starred reviews and is an Editor’s Choice at BookBrowse and a Top Pick from BookPage. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to find inspiration from a published author. 

The assignment:

Pick one character, and one image connected with that character. Either as you rewrite an existing scene, or as you draft a new one, bring that image with you. Use it when you describe your character or when it’s time for a metaphor to reveal your character’s emotion, and hey—if all else fails, throw that object into the scene with them and see what happens.

To get started, if you haven’t already, draw up some sketches for a few of the characters in your story. I don’t mean actual drawings; brief descriptions will do. (What they look like, their hobbies, their habits, their flaws, their nervous tells.

PearlsCreative Commons License Milica Sekulic via Compfight

Transparent Pearl

Eyes float over my existence

First impressions are impressionless

Despite the bronze badge that states otherwise

I am nameless, faceless, useless — to you

Clattering dishes litter my slow-moving cart

A uniformed, puckered, splotched obstacle in your path

Arthritic knees scream in silent protest

You refuse to meet my grey-blue eyes

Judging my sweat-tinged, curling silver hair

Viewing my pained shuffle as an inconvenience

My sturdy brown Rockports as fashionless

How dare you

I am as priceless as the heirloom pearls

 regally encircling my aging neck

A peacock-proud mother of five grown men

A recent widow of a 47-year love affair

A lifelong churchgoer who knits baby blankets

for infants like the one in your protective arms.

I am an unbreakable string of indelible life experiences

perfectly, delicately, lovingly woven together.

 

Before I wrote the poem, here’s what I jotted down as my list of potential character details (based on my previous night’s observations at Panera). Obviously, I didn’t use them all. I’ve spent about 45 minutes on this poem, which is all I have today because there’s another writing prompt to conquer. I hope that if you’re reading this, you’re enjoying this writing camp as much as I am! If you’re a middle-school English teacher, let’s connect!

  • middle-aged women, in her early sixties, about five foot two if she didn’t slouch a little
  • works at local chain bakery, cleans up after customers
  • wears cornflower blue short-sleeved golf shirt with bronze name badge on her left chest
  • khaki pants, a little baggy around the waste and bottom
  • brown leather shoes, probably Rockport or another walking-friendly variety
  • short, gray wavy hair that curls up around the edges of the matching cornflower blue visor
  • gray-blue eyes looking downward as she performs her duties
  • simple but class pearl necklace around her neck; single pearl stud earrings
  • more shuffling than walking, seems to be lost in thought
  • no eye contact with any customer; works silently as customers unload their dishes and trash into the marked bins
  • hobby – knitting silently while watching Steve Harvey’s talk show
  • habit – rubbing pearls between thumb and index finger when lost in thoughts, also dipping her right to an unknown beat–a tick she picked up from her mother

Out of Character – Teachers Write! Day #2

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Teachers Write!

 

I am a day behind, so this morning’s quick write for Teachers Write!, author Kate Messner’s virtual writing camp for teachers, will have to be super quick. I’m scheduled to walk with my friend Christina in about an hour, and I need the exercise as much as I need the writing. Let’s see if I can  whip this out.

Yesterday’s prompt was delivered by Phil Bildner, the author of the New York Times bestselling Sluggers! series, the Texas Bluebonnet Award-winning Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy and its companion, The Shot Heard ‘Round the World, both illustrated by C. F. Payne; and Twenty-One Elephants, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Phil’s new picture book, Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans, comes out this month from Chronicle.

Here’s Phil’s prompt…

People make wonderful prompts. Sometimes when I’m building characters, I’ll go to a place public — a coffee shop, a park, the library — and I’ll people watch. When I taught middle school in the New York City public schools, on my way to school, I would sit with my journal in my lap (when I got a seat) and make up stories and build characters based on those around me.
 
Find a fresh place to write. People watch. Create characters or character traits based on those you see. You’ll be amazed at how quickly the ideas develop.
 
 
 
Here’s my  quick-write response…character development and dinner, courtesy of our 7:30pm trip to Panera.
 
Anyone glancing over from a nearby booth would see nothing out of the ordinary about the Krikalos family. They might notice Amara’s tossed mahogany brown hair boasting a  rainbow hairwrap, a souvenir of their week spent along the crowded boardwalks of Ocean City, Maryland. Or perhaps they’d focus briefly on  her oversized, highlighter yellow tank top that drapped loosely over a hot pink bathing suit. They probably wouldn’t see the plain white Adidas that thumped beneath the booth seat. No one would comprehend the magnitude of eleven-year-old Amara’s desperation as she sat giggling and sipping tropical-flavored smoothies with her brother, Dorian. Just 11 months younger than his sister, Dorian already had the popular kid look–perfectly coiffed boyband hair the color of Kraft caramels. His olive skin, like Amara’s, had darkened after a week at the shore. Their noses bore peeling pink reminders  of a summer day spent too long in the surf. 
 
At first, George Krikolos seemed relaxed with his two offspring. His gold-rimmed sunglasses were perched atop his curly salt and pepper hair, which from the front hid the circular patch of baldness that was about the size of a dessert plate. He’d left his charchoal grey Armani suit back at the office, and instead was dressed in nearly all black athletic gear, suited up for the squash game he’d scheduled in an hour with his business partner, Alex Warner. Despite the impending court time, George was determined to make good on the promise he’d made these two kids.
 
“All the gadgets in the world can’t replace time with you,” his exwife had reminded him a zillion times, most recently at the door for tonight’s custodial tradeoff. Yet gadgets they had. Between laughter and slurps, Amara and Dorian’s restless fingers reached repeatedly for their state-of-the-art iphones. Nothing but the finest for the Krikolos kids. That’s what the world imagined. That’s what every student at Freedom Middle School assumed–and frequently whispered to Amara at her locker, as the masses passed her in the hallways, or as she sat alone rereading Harry Potter for the eighth time.
 
Forty two minutes is all he could give. One ring and Amara’s father snatched up the glistening black Samsung Galaxy S6, the latest gadget in his work-is-more-important-than-family arsenal. Amara’s hopeful eyes clouded over. She sunk into the booth, twisting her rainbow hairwrap until her scalp burned.
 
 
 
Uh oh. I ran over my time limit. I’ve got to race off to walk with my already waiting friend. I’ll get busy on today’s prompt from guest author, Melodie Crowder, later today.
My dinnertime scribbles at Panera.

My dinnertime scribbles at Panera.

I’m back after my walk and Starbucks run. I know it will be helpful (to me) to reflect on this particular writing experience.
 
Here’s what I learned: There is a wealth of public material from which to write. It felt a wee bit odd to be studying people from a short distance. I was worried they’d start to notice my glances and resultant scribbling. A few times, I’d ask my daughter or son to peer over and give me a detail I might have missed. I actually wrote three separate descriptions: one for the completely fictional Krikalos family, one for a twentysomething young woman who sat solo flipping through her Ipad, and the last for an older woman who was pushing the cleanup cart. In contrast to the casual, nondescript Panera shirt and khaki pants uniform, the older woman wore a string of pearls around her neck and pearl studs in her ears. I could imagine really developing a character like this–all the subtle contrasts I could paint.
 
For this morning’s quick write, I focused on the family, which sat the closest to us, because I had gathered the most details. While the children didn’t seem to have any accents, when the father announced, “Finish, so we can leave,” I heard a familiar accent from my own childhood. My next door neighbors were the Krikales, and Mr. Krikales spoke in a distinct Greek accent. So that’s where I borrowed the family name and heritage. I did a little research too, looking up common Greek names for boys and girls. Of course, I got to choose my favorites because it’s my character study. Ha!
 
As a teacher who daily uses the web for research and inspiration, I realized here, too, I have infinite connections and resources that can help me shape characters and stories. I think I’m diving into sponge mode–full absorption of all that I’m experiencing through this writing playground. Now, it’s off to make lemon icebox pie for my husband, who returns from Nashville tonight. More writing soon.

I Wonder — Teachers Write Day #1

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Teachers Write!

Yesterday, I walked the concrete paths of Cornell University, contemplating my son Bryan’s college future. Could I see him in the faces of the backpack-toting students who crisscrossed the campus? This Ivy League school, with its soaring stone clock tower, stretches across a seemingly endless green landscape overlooking Cayuga Lake.  As Amanda, the bubbly campus tour guide with bouncy chestnut curls, rattles off her freshman year favorites, I watch my six foot three son’s face for reactions. Trying to read his expressions is like rereading the same page in a book five times when you’re falling asleep. Hopeless.

My husband, 15-year-old daughter Cady, and our rising seventh grader, Sean, join me in the back of the pack. I wonder…what does Bryan think of this place, nearly six hours from home. Could he be a Cornelian? Does he even want to be a Cornelian? Can we even afford such thoughts? How do we help our children stretch for their dreams–and still put five kids through college? When these doubts, like ricocheting pinballs, start to spoil a perfect summer day in Ithaca, New York, it’s time to shut down the worry. One day at a time. One child at a time. One dream at a time. Today, it’s Bryan’s dream up against Dad’s impending deadline.

photo credit: cornell.edu

photo credit: cornell.edu

Our time on campus is limited, as a flight from Dulles is on my husband’s evening agenda. There are 327 miles (5 hours and 36 minutes, according to Google maps) between us and Leesburg. With every toll of the clocktower, the urgency for departure grows, as do the snippy comments and irritability. We are all tired. We are all hungry. A 36-hour trip up and back to Ithaca, New York, is quite an adventureI Add in yesterday afternoon’s spontaneous vertical hike alongside Buttermilk Falls, and now there are five slightly sore campus visitors whose exhaustion has morphed into impatience. The clock is ticking as Bryan decides to stay after the Engineering info session to trail yet another happy-faced Cornelian around campus. Mom feels Dad’s tension as he calculates the countdown to takeoff. I wonder…how can someone’s tone of voice completely change the way we receive information? How do we recognize the stress, understand its implications, and yet are unable to deflect the crabby comments that dig a little too deep?

After making a quick trip to the Cornell Dairy Bar for grab-and-go sandwiches (and a single dip of ice cream for three of us), we hit the road close to 2pm, an hour later than planned. The five hours and 29 minutes forecast by Google Maps turned into six hours and 42 minutes with construction traffic, backroad detours, and emergency pee breaks. My salvation? Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner. My sixth graders closed out the year with rave reviews for their book club selections, including Wake Up Missing and All the Answers. I ordered Eye of the Storm for my own rising 7th grader; but guess who reads it first? Me, which keeps me chasing down monster storms with Jaden, Alex, and Risha instead of stressing about the climate inside our SUV during our own race against time. (I wonder…what really happened to grandma?) So I start yesterday at the storied Cornell University and land smack in the middle of a twisting, turning story by Kate Messner. I wonder if coincidences are really coincidences, or if there’s something more spiritual at work.

photo credit: amazon.com

photo credit: amazon.com

 

Climbing out of bed this morning, I spend a few minutes fiddling in the kitchen and then plop down in front of the computer, a computer I’ve banished myself from since June 16th when school ended. Today, in the productive silence of a sleeping, husbandless house, I troll Twitter and listen to a few awesome podcasts. I order more books, including How Children Succeed, so I can inspire courage, curiosity, and persistence in my classroom. Next I shuffle some papers on my desk and find Kate Messner’s 59 Reasons to Write staring back at me. Do I really need 59 reasons? I could probably use just one. I start reading, and I am quickly reminded about Teachers Write!, the summer online writing workshop for teachers like me. I’d checked earlier in the year, but the details weren’t post yet. This morning, after yesterday’s car ride glued to Kate Messner’s story, I type “teachers write” into the Google search bar and discover I’m already one day behind. That’s okay; I am now signed up for another heart-pounding Kate Messner adventure.

Today, it’s my dream, and there isn’t any deadline. I wonder what I’ll write about in the month ahead. I wonder what prompts will give my fingers freedom to clatter across the keyboard. I wonder how my writing will evolve.  I wonder if there’s a storm of stories percolating inside of me. I bet the answer is yes.

The Unseen Sounds of Morning on the Porch

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Except to approve comments on student blogs, I haven’t touched my blog since school ended on June 16th. It’s time to reconnect. Today, I’m publishing a poem I penned while sitting out on my newly cleaned screened porch. Ramya, one of my former students, is regularly writing poetry, which I often see in  my Edublogs Reader. Reading all of her poetry inspired me. So, here is my first poem of summer. I’ve also been reading like a madwoman, so I’ll post reviews shortly! To all of my former sixth graders, I hope you’re enjoying every second of this summer! 🙂 

photo credit: img0.etsystatic.com

photo credit: img0.etsystatic.com

I sit on the porch

facing a sky-high wall of greenery 

shimmering in the early morning sun

some branches so close

they reach out

like

jungle

fingers

touching the wire screen that divides us

an orchestra of feathered voices  communicates

in the inimitable rhythm of creation

the absolute stillness of the green towers

belies the true nature of this

dense

backyard

forest

invisible creatures, perched high within this verdant canopy

warble, trill, whistle, and twitter

robotic beeps and chirps create a sci-fi soundtrack

a hidden woodpecker knocks its jelly-packed brain

against a dying tree

tap. tap tap. tap. tap tap. tap. tap. tap.

the baritone beat sends a  morse code message

I listen to these ceaseless conversations

rocking

sipping coffee

absorbing the unidentifiable voices

a plane rumbles overhead

its engine temporarily deafening the concealed crooners.

once the roar fades, the forest’s songs resuscitate

I sit listening again to the unseen sounds

of a summer morning

on

the 

porch.

— Martha Seals Rombach

 

 

If You Give a Student a Writing Prompt…

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If you give a student a writing prompt, she’s going to imagine herself writing a thrilling short story. When she imagines herself writing a thrilling short story, she’ll realize she needs to open a new blog post to get started. When she opens a new blog post, she’ll see a blank white page craving words. When she sees the empty  white screen, she’ll type in her writing prompt. When she types in her writing prompt, hundreds of words will rain down on her page. With every keystroke, a thunderstorm of creativity will flash across her screen. When she stops to read and admire the amazing story she’s written, she’ll decide she needs a photo to accompany  her brilliance. Once she’s added a perfect, properly credited photo to her story, she’ll consider  all the student bloggers who are staring at empty pages, unsure about what to write . When she imagines her peers in the blogosphere struggling to  conquer  writer’s block, she’ll decide she needs to end her blog post with a supremely clever writing prompt. We all know what happens if you give a student a wickedly wonderful writing prompt: He’s   sure to write a thrilling short story.

Thank you, Laura Numeroff, author of If You Give a Moose a Muffin, for providing the inspiration for my  opening paragraph.

Dear students, your  writing inspiration comes direct from Mrs. Donofrio’s Hey Kids! student bloggers.  Like us, our  Florida-based counterparts are  ticking down the days until summer break. They’ll be drafting blog posts based on your wild and wacky writing prompts–and you’ll be doing the same here today. Wherever your story goes, focus on delivering your very best descriptive writing. Allow your one-of-a-kind voice and writing style to take centerstage on your latest, greatest blog post.

Click here to view and choose one of the Hey Kids! writing prompts. Then, get busy blogging. 🙂  If you’re a teacher who’d like a copy of these prompts, please  leave me a comment with your email address.  I’m happy to share, but can’t do so through our school Google account.

Will we share these stories in class? You betcha! 

See you at The End.

Mrs. Rombach 

credit: http://www.learningarchitects.com/

I

Student Blogging Challenge Week #9: Let’s Shine!

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 Week 9: Let’s shine

Shiny, Capt.

Ken-ichi Ueda via Compfight

This is our penultimate week in the blogging challenge.

When you come to the end of a topic, what does your teacher often do?

  • That’s right! We give you a test.

This week’s challenge is a test about your blogging skills.

Having read many of your posts, Miss W came up with the following essentials in a great post.

  1. catchy title
  2. includes at least two visuals whether photo, cartoon, video or another web 2.0 tool like padlet, animoto (use Mrs. Rombach’s class login), tagxedo, haikudeck (check out Mrs. Rombach’s example below)
  3. interesting topic with the passion of the author coming through, shows well-researched topic
  4. well written and not copy/pasted from somewhere else
  5. shows it has been proofread and spellchecked
  6. written in paragraphs – at least three of them
  7. includes links to other websites on similar topics – at least two of these
  8. attribution for any images, video, music or clip art used – including those used in slideshows etc

Here are some examples of posts from a previous challenge:

When you have finished your post, please leave a comment for Miss W at the Student Blogging Challenge so she can have a peek at your work. Make sure to include your blog URL! 

Presenting this week’s topic:

**ANIMALs…ANIMALS…ANIMALS**

Yawn! jerkylicker via Compfight

1. Do a quick Google search on your favorite animal and share out your findings.

2. Address problems like poaching, cruelty, or extinction (you might share the social issues presentation you’ve already done!)

3. Should wild animals be kept in zoos? Write a persuasive argument for or against zoos.

4. What are the benefits of pet ownership and which animals make the best pets?

5. Share your persuasive writing about exotic pet ownership.

6. Have a different idea? Go for it!


cows are cool – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

Make sure you check hints 2, 7 and 8 in the essentials of a great post

Still got time left this week:

  1. Visit Namitha to add some words of help for people in Nepal or write your own post sending words to Nepal.
  2. Keep visiting other student and class blogs to leave comments and continue conversations.
  3. Check out the Flipboard magazine to see if your post is mentioned there and visit some of their blogs
  4. Leave links to your posts on the student blogging challenge blog post so Miss W can visit and leave comments or flip your posts to the magazine.

Student Blogging Challenge Week #8: Let’s Travel!

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Let’s Travel..It’s Time to Explore the World!

Imagine you’ve just graduated from high school, and you have several months of freedom before college starts. Wanderlust, the down-in-your-bones hunger for travel, is consuming your every thought. So, you’ve decided to spend all your graduation gift money on a whirlwind trip abroad. Where will you go, who will you visit, what will you see and do during your globetrotting adventures? For this week’s challenge, take us to the places highest on your travel bucket list. Or, if travel doesn’t float your cruise ship, write a post about any country that mesmerizes you.

Better yet, follow in Namitha’s footsteps and devote an entire post to offering encouragement and hope to the earthquake survivors in Nepal. To read more about the earthquake, click here.

Please use one or more web tools you haven’t used before –  Glogster, Storybird, Flipbook, Bitstrips, Kizoa, Note.ly, or Animoto – there are lots of tools to use  here  and the Edublogs staff  has put together a great list including how to embed the end products into your blog.

Planning your trip

  • Find out the requirements for passports, visas, or work permits for 3 countries you would like to visit.
  • Create a map showing your proposed journey. Try this mapmaker or this one.
  • What will you need to pack? Remember weight limits when flying. (Try writing using enumeration/listing text structure!)
  • How will you travel?
  • Where will you stay?
  • Create a realistic budget for a day of your journey. What will you spend money on?

On your way

  • Check out international signage for toilets etc, signs on roads – find pictures to share!
  • What will my money buy?- explore exchange rates – How much is a cup of coffee in 3 different countries?
  • Contacting Mom and Dad – know your time zones; explain how to use Skype or similar tech, or insert an international clock!
  • Flight times – using 24 hour time – how long are flights between major cities?

Visit at least one country in each continent (include Antarctica in Oceania)

  • Make a collage of where you visited. Try this collage maker, which is free and doesn’t require registration.
  • Teach us some of the language of at least three countries. For example, how would you say “How much is a cup of coffee?” in Mandarin or “Where are the toilets?” in Bengali?
  • Create a story of your journey.
  • Interview some of your employers or relatives you visit.
  • Create a playlist of 9 pieces of music or dance from your journey – not in English.

Home sweet home

  • How will you tell your friends about your journey?
  • What were the highlights and lowlights of each country?
  • Where would you visit again and why?

Add travel photos

Images make every post better. Remember only to use free photos or clipart that are licensed under creative commons. Use Compfight or Getty Images.

I can’t wait to travel to the far corners of the world with you. Let’s pack our bags and get moving!

*Here’s another student’s travel blog post to visit for inspiration!

Mrs. Rombach

 

 

Choosy Bloggers Choose One.

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Choose one.

Today, I want you to choose one of your blog posts that you believe demonstrates your very best writing. In addition, the blog post should meet all of the requirements listed below. This assessment is worth 50 points, so make sure you choose wisely. Once you’ve selected your superlative blog post, scroll down to leave me (1) your first name, (2) the title of your blog post, and (3) the URL link to the specific post (Click on the post headline and then copy and paste the updated web address from the browser).

Requirements 

1. Meets all sixth grade writing expectations (punctuation, spelling, capitalization–including comma rules).

2. Features at least three, well-written paragraphs. I’ll be looking for topic sentences and supporting details, as well as a concluding sentence.

3. Includes at least one image/video that has been properly credited (or attributed) to its creator. Uses CompFight or GettyImages (embed photos only).

4. Includes at least two tags and at least two categories. (Click on the links if you’re not sure how to do this.)

5. Includes at least one embedded link to another middle-school appropriate website or blog.

6. Ends with a question or quiz for your audience. If you’d like to embed a quiz in an existing blog post, click here for a list of 12 quiz makers.

7. Offers a creative, catchy headline that is properly capitalized; see any of mine as examples).

Click here for a copy of the grading rubric.

The GATES test you’re taking today has timed sections. If you complete a section early, you’ll first focus on finding and reviewing the blog post you’d like me to grade.

After that, here are your options:

1. Write a blog post about taking tests. Are you for or against standardized testing? Share your opinion and the reasons behind it.

2. Go on a commenting spree. This week’s Student Blogging Challenge involves visiting blogs around the globe. “I like this post because…” Click on the link above for all the juicy details.

3. Check out the poem I gave you. It’s National Poem in Your Pocket Day. Carry it with you all day. Post it on your blog (with credit to the poet) and write a short reflection. Or, write your own poem to celebrate today!

3. Read. Catch up on book club reading–or get lost between the pages of your own book!

Today is National Poem in Your Pocket Day!

 

Tomorrow is Friday…bring your beach towels for outdoor reading!

 

Happy 451st Birthday, William Shakespeare!

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According to historians, the Bard of Avon, the mastermind behind Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, was born 451 years ago today. In honor of Mr. Shakespeare’s birth, I’ve shared Sonnet 18, undoubtedly among the most famous of his 154 sonnets, Best of all, Mr. Rombach and I worked together to pen our own Shakespearean sonnet. On Friday, after you finish the first of three standardized tests (ugh), I invite you to investigate the man who, according to The European Graduate School, “altered the course of European and World literature.” 

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare 

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Sonnet 155 by Mr. and Mrs. Rombach (with a little help from the Bard)

Shall I compare thee to a schoolhouse day?
Thou art more lively and more literate:
Loud bells chime to get classes underway,
Mere weeks remain ’til bathing suits must fit:

Sometimes too heavy the sharp pencil weighs,
Multiple choice brings on multiple pains,
The tests they stretch on for too many days
Our brains and our hands, every part complains;

But thy elusive summer shall not fade
Sandy beaches beckon, calling our name
Bags bulge at the zippers, travel plans made,
Come June 16th, our freedom we shall claim

So long, Eagle Ridge, our work here is done
Fare thee well, sixth grade, we’re off to have fun.

 

Eager to try your hand at creating a Shakespearean sonnet? Click here for step-by-step instructions.

My apologies to Shakespeare enthusiasts. My dear husband informed me that my original source for Shakespeare’s birth was dead wrong. In 2015, the Bard would be 451 (not 399 as previously posted). 

Quote by William Shakespeare

 

 

 

Mondays are Fun Days!

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It’s Monday, and that means I’m not in class with you today. Please be shining stars for my substitute. So, what are you doing today? Let’s take a look:

(1) Vocabuary

You’re adding Week 20 vocabulary words to your spiral notebook. For each word, draw a picture that will help you remember the word’s meaning.

Slide1

 

(2) Poetry

First, let’s read aloud Margaret Walker’s poem, Lineage.

Next, you’ll highlight words and phrases that are rich with imagery.

After that, annotate alongside your highlighted sections, jotting down connections, questions, or observations. Remember, imagery is a writer’s use of sensory words and descriptive details to paint a mental picture for the reader.

Subsequently, you’ll brainstorm content for your own poem about an adult who is special to you (parent, relative, teacher,  or coach).

Finally, you’ll write your own free-verse poem. You know we’ll be posting these on our blogs later this week! 🙂

Note: I’ll give a ticket to anyone who leaves a comment here on Monday to tell me which type of text structure I just used to tell you about our poetry workshop.

(3) Independent Reading

Catch up on your book club reading, if needed. If you’re where you need to be for tomorrow’s book clubs, read your own book. After reading, turn and talk to your table partner about what’s currently happening in your books. Ask each other about the changes you’re seeing in the main character’s thoughts and actions.

(4) Comma Rules or Text Structures Review

If you’re in Blocks 2/5 or 4/8, you’ll complete the two-sided comma rules review. If you’re in Block 3/6, you’ll review Text Structures in preparation for tomorrow’s test.

(5) Extra Time is Poetry Time

Here are a few poetry readings I’d like to share with you: