Add. Change. Remove. This is a strategy we use in our 2nd grade writing workshop to explain the revision process. In the lesson, which I think originally was an idea from a Six Traits lesson, the students create with Play-Doh and then at various intervals are asked to add something to their creation.
Category: inspiration
Relentless Hope: The Power Of an Avocado
For the last couple of weeks, I have been reminded of the fragility of the human spirit and the power of hope. But it is more than hope. Hope seems more passive to me now. I hope I will be healthy and happy, but how do I going about putting that hope into action. What … Continue reading Relentless Hope: The Power Of an Avocado
Kitchen Literacy: Fall Treats
Kitchen Literacy: When adults invite children into the kitchen to cook, they provide memorable experiences. When the recipe is connected to literature, children become more involved in reading as a form of enjoyment. They are intrigued by the comforting, adventurous, and magical qualities food has in these stories. Children feel a great sense of accomplishment as they open the oven door and see the results of their efforts.
Room to Read
I love having the opportunity to read and write with children and figure out why they are having trouble. I calm my monkey mind and I focus in on the student reader.
Writing Community
I have seen myself as a writer ever since I could hold a crayon. I drew and wrote letters, telling stories to anyone who happened by. Usually, that person was my mother. She was a teacher and always encouraged me. She’d look at my scribbles and pictures and ask me to tell her about them. … Continue reading Writing Community
Song of the Sky: Some Thoughts on Clouds
Songs of the Sky: Looking out towards the horizon, the sky and sea seemed infinite. Maybe that’s what intrigued Alfred Stieglitz about clouds: their ever-changing shape above Lake George and reflected on its surface. For over a decade Stieglitz photographed clouds. He first called his cloud work, Songs of the Sky, after the music he could surely hear as they drifted.
How Does Your Zen Garden Grow?
As I look towards the end of August, cognizant that my new school year is on the horizon whether it is virtual or in-person, I am committed to keep cultivating my own garden. By this I mean I want to keep in the forefront of my mind, my health, my writing, my artistic expression, and my connection to friends and family. It has not always been easy for me to have clear boundaries between work and my personal life. For decades, I put my work before everything else. Oh sure, I talked about balance, but I really didn’t know how to achieve it. How do I juggle a great jumble of responsibilities? How do I prioritize? What do I need to do to be successful? I struggled and struggled with these questions.
Listen to Their Songs
As we drift into August, I am beginning to get weary of learning. I desperately need a respite before the tsunami of teaching in a pandemic begins to swell again. This latest webinar feature A.J. Juliani as the keynote. I have heard this dynamic speaker before, and I was eager to hear what he had to say. What I didn’t expect was his final words of encouragement to teachers in the form of a video from Clint Pulver, a motivational speaker. Clint is an author, musician, and employment retention expert. He helps companies and organizations retain, engage, and inspire their workers. Clint believes that a single moment is transformative, and he demonstrates this in a video about his school experience about his interactions with his teacher Mr. Jensen.
Experience of Place
For the past thirty-six summers, my husband and I have been fortunate to be able to wander and travel around the country – our beautiful diverse country: mountains, plains, deserts, and coastlines. Most summers are now spent in the Green Mountains of Vermont or the White Mountains of New Hampshire, or the rocky coastline of Maine. This year is different. Very different. This year is a summer of home and schoolwork. As I look towards the fall, I yearn for those wondrous summer places. I look back at photographs and remember.
Memory is Hunger
Memory is hunger. When I read this recently, I paused, I underlined it, I wrote notes beside it in pencil. I’ve been concentrating on Hemingway this summer, and this quote came from his memoir, A Moveable Feast, about his time in Paris in the 1920s with his first wife, Hadley. It is Hadley who says these words as they reminisce about shared experiences: “There are so many sorts of hunger. In the spring there are more. But that’s gone now. Memory is hunger.” In this post I describe the power of food to trigger memories and help create healthy recipes with fresh, simple ingredients.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 