UNTIL LATER

Thanks to all of you for enlightening me to academic, administrative and teaching issues that I was not aware of. Also thanks for your input and for a writing and teaching experience that will influence my writing and teaching in the future. Good luck to all of you and have a great summer!!!

final thoughts

What an amazing experience it was sharing our narratives. So many of us came through some major obstacles to get where we are. So much talent and so much passion. It was my pleasure to spend my summer with you all. This has changed who I am.

I am once again a writer.

See ya!

What a whirlwind we have been on but I could not have chosen a better group of travelers to journey with. Thank you for the support and encouragement you have given to me.

Final Day

I experienced one of the best courses/classes/professional and personal writing groups ever found in America. Thank you for starting AWP in Athens, Ohio. Teachers in south-east Ohio are some of the best to be found! I plan to be in a reading group, people, so join up!

Link to National Writing Project Evaluations

Here's the link to the NWP evaluations. Have fun!

Inverness

The password is "writer" without the quotation marks.

Chad's lesson for Google Docs!

I have already begun to experiment with Chad's advice that he freely parted to me earlier in the course. I have learned much and have new questions to ask my tech man. I agree with Don; tech guys are useful and nice, so be nice to them.

Chad's Demo

Fantastic and really informative presentation. Google and Chad Rocks

!!!

Chad's Demo

Please add a comment here to say something about Chad's Demo.  Feel free to ask questions as well.

SUMMER INSTITUTE by Lisa Grays

Ohio University A W P

Summer Institute was the place to be

Teachers from all over, teaching one another

Sherrie,Deb, Talinn and Don, our brother

Parking drama and walking up 'the hill'

ID cards, oh what a thrill

Donald Murray, Qualley, and Bean

Teaching Demos and Journaling

Reflexivity and Inquiry

Computer Lab and Alden Library

A personal visit from the author of Cion

Reading Circles and Gloria Steinham

Biography Commonalities

Annotated Bibliographies

Art Museum on Writing Instruction

Conferences and Group Discussion

Laurie, Eileen, Beth and Lisa

Karen, Sylvia, Chad and Tina

Shannon and Sandra, Kaye, Brenda, Scott

Angel and Lori, we all learned a lot

We are writers, we have something to say

Listen to our Narratives on Visitor's Day

We love to write, we love to teach

We'll never become a Starberry Sneech!

So thank you all, it's been WAY COOL

We'll be better teachers back at our school.

the art of teaching writing

I feel this book is very much worth reading. As I said earlier, it is for elementary teachers. I don't think high school teachers would get a lot out of it. The first 15 chapters were the best, but all had something to offer. An easy read, with great examples.

The Art of Teaching Writing

I have really enjoyed reading this book aimed at elementary school teachers. It was very usable and had many adaptable ideas for my classroom. I especially received help looking at the chapters for other grade levels and knowing a bit more of the way writing workshops can be set up there also. The first part of the book interested all of us, even though we were educators from Preschool through 6th grade. The last of the book was a little harder to get involved in because of time restraints and individualized themes. I'm definitely going to go back and reread some of the chapters that we "skimmed" as a group. I give this book a "thumbs up!"

Grade Level Books

I felt THE ART OF TEACHING WRITING was a jewel. I definitely plan to reread it with more focus after our time here is finished. Calkin did a great job of presenting ways to engage children in authentic writing experiences and helping students to see themselves as authors. The text provided much detailed information on how to enrich writing tasks for young children.

On the other hand, it is a lengthy text and our group felt we were rushing too much to try to get through it. It would have been more beneficial to spend more time on the beginning chapters of the book. Most teachers would see the value of the information and complete the later chapters on their own.

book club review

I was part of the Lucy Caulkins book group. This book is a real gem. Lot of ideas of how it works, how it looks, what to expect, and trouble shooting mixed with experiences from classes she has worked with. As a group, we felt the need to get through the book, and it was a thick one. We chose to split up the book, chapter by chapter with each person picking the chapter they thought they might like to read and report on. The rush to complete meant that we didn't spend as much time on the key ideas and chapters as was needed. The first few chapters really are the most important and the rest get into details that not everyone felt were pertinent. I think that if we had been given more guidance going in, then we would have gotten more out of it as a group. This was a book I think you should use again, but with some direction before hand.

The Art of Teaching Writing

Lucy McCormick Calkin's book for elementary educators is an excellent resource. Of particular note are chapters 1-5. Chapters 6-10 focus on PreK - upper elementary. Chapters 11-20 focus on the ongoing structures in the writing workshop. Any easy read with many examples.

Inquiry As A Stance

I feel the book is a lot of theory to absorb in a very short amount of time. I suggest giving the book early with some guides prior to SI. I think it would be better to read some theory and some case studies--back and forth. The discussion groups help to break it down. It is a great resource for my professional library. I feel the case studies are beneficial. I would totally leave out the last chapter as required reading. If you want to read it sometime when you have nothing else to do... The section on NCLB is interesting and will benefit my inquiry search. I am sick of evidence presented by "Those who can do and those who can't teach" mentality.

Inquiry as Stance

The chapter that I found most interesting in this book was chapter 3 which deals with NCLB and high stakes testing. Particularly, I found the discussion of how the law is changing the way teaching is done as interesting.

A bit of an eye-opener, was the discussion of politicians attacking the teachers' union and teachers as a whole.

Perhaps I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist, but I believe NCLB was intended to weaken and/or break the teachers' union and this was backed up by some of the comments in the text.

Inquiry as Stance

Our high school/college reading level book - Inquiry as Stance Practitioner Research for a New Generation - opened up the practical issues of conducting research by those who are actually in the classroom. Though an educator's life is busy and full, it is so important that we take the time to document the challenges facing us and conduct formal research based on representative models that can be used in various venues, especially for the purpose of educating non-educators, administrators, and legislators about those issues. The first part of the book provided theoretical evidence about the benefit of this research and the last part of the book provided case studies that were valuable in context. As discussed in class, the information was very dense for the quick read assignment in the S.I., and a complete restructuring of the book in terms of organization could have been more conducive for a more comprehensive study.

Middle School Book

The Glascow book was really helpful!! I loved the unit ideas and writing activities she presents!! I will absolutely use this book....out of all of the books we were assigned to read, I feel that this one was the most practical!!

Glascow

This book provided excellent examples of how to incorporate reading and writing strategies into a language arts or a social studies class. It gave detailed information in a lesson plan format that a teacher could use if teaching that particular topic. As a mathematics teacher, I would have preferred to read a book that was designed toward reading and writing across the curriculum.

The Art of Teaching Writing

I thought that this was an interesting book. It's an easy read, but at over 500 pages it takes awhile to get through. I thought that the first part of the book was the best. When it begins to break into the different genres in Section 4, I began to lose interest. I really liked the chapters on setting up a writing workshop, but would have liked to see a schedule of how it could work in a classroom. Overall, I recommend this book.

Reading Recommendations from Class Discussion

Yesterday in the AM discussion, several people discussed recommendations for summer reading.  Here are a few that were mentioned:

• The Heart Mender by Andy Andrews
• The Shack by William P. Young
• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
• River of Earth by James Still
• The "Kinsey Millhone" series (A is for Alibi) by Sue Grafton
• The "Stephanie Plum" series (One for the Money) by Janet Evanovich
• The "Lincoln Rhyme" series (The Burning Wire) by Jeffery Deaver
• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
• Layla and Majnun by Nizami
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert

Here's How To Attach a Picture and a Link

Right above in the posting box is a toolbar.  Use those to tools to add pictures and links.

Here is a link to the National Writing Project Website.

LAST FEW DAYS

My goodness, this month flew by so quickly. And in looking back we have accomplished so much. That is a testament to excellent facilitators in Sherrie, Don and Tillin and a well organized program. I haven't written so much using the archaic long hand method since I was in grade school, so I started off pretty rusty, but eventually I got the hang of it again, like riding a bike (!). And I didn't find it to be nearly as adverse as I had anticipated. I'm sure that we are going to write a wrap up blog, so I will save other thoughts for then.

We covered so much today with Tina's excellent teaching demo and poignant letter, along with the valuable prompt this morning that resulted in our introduction to the inquiry paper. Thank you, Don, for that nudge, and thank you, Tina, for your expertise.

Tomorrow is going to be exciting and I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's narratives. Good luck to all of us on the annotated bibliographies.

Book talks

I loved the books talks. Gave me some ideas of books to read other than children's books which I love. They are so to the point without messing around with language, sex, etc. just good storytelling. Having said that, I don't mind reading the above, but sometimes I feel that it is overused. Another book people might be interested in if one likes horror is an anthology of horror by E.F. Benson. He wrote during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Most of his horror is suggested rather than "in your face". I am rereading it for the second time.

Time

Time is valuable. Thank you for allowing us the time to work on our paper today. I am so much more productive when I work on campus.

Writing Time

I just wanted to say how much I appreciated the time today to do some research and some writing. I think I have all the sources I need now, and have a decent start on my annotated bib. Hopefully tonight I can get the annotations done!

putting pen to paper

I do not know why it has taken me so long to acknowledge my desire to write a memoir of my mother. Perhaps it's because in my subconscious, I have a difficult time confronting the reality that my parents will not be around for too many more years. Five years ago, I designed a present for them, which I called "meaningful memories". It took me a few months to write down some of my favorite childhood memories. Many were written on scrap paper as they came to me. At any rate, I selected 30 or so of my favorites, transcribed them into calligraphy and designed a border to go around the writing. I had this framed and gave it to them as a Christmas present. They loved it. The summer writing institute has reawakened this part of my creative spirit. I intend to set aside time to delve into collecting what I am certain will be inspiring stories of my mother's.

Morning writing prompts

I feel that as our class time is coming to an end, I have been encouraged by other teachers/students and by Don and Sherrie to go forth and write. The two books that I have procrastinated about writing and having published may become real life in the near future. With all of the information that we have learned and that Karen has shared also about being published, I feel encouraged that, even I, could write a book. The first prompt this morning helped me to really see what my obstacles have been and I believe that I know where I can go for the help needed. Thanks so much!

Tuesday's art, four journal choices, and annotated work...

Kaye, please blog your love letter to writing! Be confident, woman. Sylvia, the restroom stall inscription from first floor Ellis reads----"Watch with glittering eyes the world around you. The most extraordinary things exist where you least expect it. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it" (R. Dahl)---- and should interest you! We love Roald Dahl. So, my point is this: all of you read his "adult" stories for an uproariously fun evening. Also, since we are working on citing sources, I have a tie-in to the quote. The quote has not been checked; source of it is dubious at best.
Thank you to Tina for a merry morning of masterpiece creations! Good luck to all of us on our papers due next week!

Does anyone have a detailed list of awesome learning moments from AWP this summer that he/she is willing to share?

One more model Inquiry Paper

Lois Spencer generously provided us with her Inquiry Paper for people to look at and use as a model.  Lois is a tremendous writer; I highly recommend looking at her work.

Click here to read Lois Spencer's Inquiry Paper

Thanks for sharing, Lois!

So Much to Talk About!

I don't even know where to begin today! I feel like so much was covered in such a short period of time! I LOVED Tina's lesson and her enthusiasm! I'm going to steal this idea and translate it into my own classroom! I also appreciated the writing prompts given to us this morning! The letters to writing were just so much fun to listen to!

As for my personal summer reading list, here are a few of my favorites:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

The Birth of Venus and In the Company of the Courtesan both by Sarah Dunant

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

These are all really textural vivid books about really eccentric characters and situations! On a fairly unrelated note, if you've not seen a movie called Mary and Max, you simply must!!! I watched it last night. Seriously one of the best movies I've ever seen!!

Dear Writing

Dear Writing,
I hope your summer has been as rich and full as mine. The biggest part of my summer has been the four weeks I have spent getting to reconnect with you. What a gift it has been.
Remember those days when we visited daily? You were part of the long letters I wrote from college and then from Oregon to connect my loved ones to my life. You were there when I needed to journal about being a new mom and all the fears that it held. You held my hand while I vented, calmed, then made new discoveries about myself.
I am forever grateful for your company while I was in graduate school. We learned about computers and the internet together. I know we are both better for having discovered spell check.
I don't know what happened, but we seemed to have drifted apart. Sure, I ran into you at work where we met over IEP's, progress reports and assessments, but you seemed cold and so matter-of-fact. Though you were always very professional, I missed our old relationship. Those nights when we stayed up late together studying my life and early mornings when everyone was asleep were my favorite times with you. When did my journal get lost amongst the pile of books next to my bed? I used to carry it everywhere.
This month gave me the opportunity to renew our old relationship. We started off stiffly and formal, but now I look forward to being with you and sharing my life once again. We were quite the team when it came to the autobiography, but I am feelign some hesitation when it come to the inquiry paper. Is it because you are afraid to go back to the business relationship? How about if I go out and buy us a new, beautiful journal so that we can start over? I promise to carry it everywhere. How do you feel about the sweet pink netbook? Can we try to use it a couple of times a week before we leave work?
I look forward to spending more time with you in bed, and in the hammock before school starts. I know you are concerned that the cross word puzzles will get in the way, but I think I can balance the two of you.
I am so glad we spent time together and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you.
Love,
Tina

today's demo.

great lesson. What is nice about the lesson is that it can be applied to many different subjects. Animals would be a fun topic, and the students could draw the little bodies of the animals. You could also have them draw the habitat that you would fine the animal living in, such as fish in water. just a lot of fun, and a lot of learning. nice job!!

From the Rural Sites

Summer is a good time to catch up with books that have everyone talking. We hope you can join us for a discussion of Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or the whole Millenium series on the NWP's Book Group Ning:
http://nwpbookgroups.ning.com/
The discussion will run from August 3 through August 17 and will be hosted by Bonnie Kaplan, Hudson Valley Writing Project. You can join the group(s) now or later. Read the books; see the movies; tell us what you think.

Inquiry Paper

Many of us have not done an in-depth research paper since college or graduate school, but like the resources that Don has provided for us, combined with the excellent resources that we have received in this program, it shouldn't be too difficult. I have found that narrowing down a specific research or inquiry question has been difficult. I've changed my focus three times, but I think I have finally found a topic that I want to know more about, that there is plenty of information about and may have societal value if taken to another level. No effort should be wasted, and this paper should provide a stepping stone to something more. I'm looking forward to discovering what my sources reveal about my topic.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Annotated Bibliography Resources

This morning, I offered some online resources for helping you put together your Annotated Bibliography (which is due next Thursday).   Here are a few I mentioned:

•  The Purdue Owl Writing Center has excellent explanations and sample works for you to look at.
• The Diana Hacker Website demonstrates how to cite a wide variety of sources in MLA style.
• Easybib is just one of many Citation Generators.

Furthermore, Sherrie reminds us that the last couple of chapters of  Reading Rhetorically is a fabulous resource for dealing with the "how to's" of MLA style (especially in dealing with the in-text attribution and the formatting of "hanging indents.")

Feel free to add a comment if you have additional questions or resources.

Here's a link to a Couple of Inquiry Papers

Several people have asked if they could see an example of an Inquiry Paper written by former SI participants.  Susan Hagerty, who led the Brown Bag Session on using online posters,  and Jayne Burger, who did the SI in 2008,  has generously offered their papers from a few years ago for people to look at.  You can find Susan's paper here  and you can find Jayne's paper here.

Thanks, Susan and Jayne!

The Art of Teaching Writing

I love this book! After the class and papers are all in, I plan on reading some of the chapters more closely. Going through them with our groups has helped to point out main points, but as I glimpse in between the highlights I see some really great illustrations from the classroom. Thanks to the elementary reading group!

BOOK MAKING AND TOURING THE "MUSEUM"

I am trying to figure out a way I can incorporate making books in my classes but I might be able to use the idea in a series of workshops I will be conducting this Fall for writing teachers instead.

The muesum tour approach to writing addressed a number of issues. Certainly showing us how to right a well focused summary as well as getting us up and out of our seats. It also created a true community of learners in that we reviewed each other's descriptions, anonymously, and had the opportunity and discuss.

Racist thoughts

I read the article with reflexive thoughts. I go back to my days in AZ when I thought I was the minority. I guess I was with white washed values. Probably why I am here after 10 years of struggling to fit in...

Another Day - they are starting to blur

What a day. The morning's activity really brought home what it is that we all hold dear when it comes to writing. It would have been interesting to ask this question at the beginning of the workshop and again at the end. I know I have learned much.
I am a big fan of the books Scott and Lori made as part of their Demo. Can we meet one lunch hour to go over some new ideas about book making? Maybe Tuesday?

museum tour

I enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts regarding writing instruction. What a great way to keep it all in focus and discover the common themes.

Thank you all for your willing spirits this morning as I shared some ideas for poetry. Mattie referred to celebrating his heartsong - what nurtured his soul. If anybody feels comfortable sharing their writing, I would love to hear it.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

I hope I'm not the only one who is still slightly nervous about this Inquiry Paper. I'm not afraid of it but I need to get the ball rolling a little faster. Today seemed to be a day full of different moods and attitudes which is not a bad thing. Thank you Laurie for your calming and enjoyable lesson. Thank you Sherrie for facilitating such a rich conversation around Trainor's article. Thank you Don for the Art Museum writing activity, and Thank you all for each contribution made. I am gleaning SO MUCH from this class...Oh, and thanks to Scott for the cucumbers!!!

Thursday's Purge

I am going to repeat what I said in yesterday's blog, because the recommended book to read is worthwhile in many ways: whiteness issues, hidden racism, and critical reflexive conversations. By the way, my favorite book is Pride and Prejudice (I'm such a sucker for a mysterious man). For those of you in need of a memoir/novel to read, try Same Kind of Different As Me. Wow! It is told in two points of view (one is a formerly indigent black man, the other is affluent white).

In Trainor's work on page 109 it states, "Cintron writes that the most important human encounters are those that cause anxiety and even anger." I am still rolling around and circulating thoughts about cognitive development and adolescent maturity... anxiety and anger create walls, big ones at that. Children who feel that they have to defend (here as the white entity) themselves seem to be more emotionally threatened than some adults I have met. Limit ourselves through attempting conversations... I'll have to do more research.

On page 85 of Trainor's work I had to read the following sentence three times. I really believed that I had turned "stupid." Racist assertions do not always or even often originate in racist attitudes or belief.

I like the written piece I created during Laurie's lesson today, so thank you to Laurie for allowing time for my personal well-being! Good Job!

Musical Intel.

I was thinking today about the absence of music in my classroom.  It is something that I don't often include, but know that I should.  I believe that this year, during some journaling exercises, I will invite students to play their instruments softly and quietly while we write.  If it works fine, if it doesn't, fine.  Students playing need not complete the writing exercise.  I'm thinking instrumentals only, recordings are fine.

brain overload

I don't know about the rest of you, but today I feel I am suffering from brain overload. Great to probe our thinking. It helps to look deeper than the surface, even when it hurts. I know I can't fully comprehend someone else's experience, but it is important for me to listen carefully and attempt to understand.

I believe we will all walk away from this class with a deeper understanding and appreciation for writing and writing instruction, but we will also be able to make a difference in our little corner of the world through leadership and example.

Enjoyed the teaching demo.

This afternoon's discussion

I found one thing particularly interesting this afternoon concerning our discussion of class, race and culture.

The reading that we did was the same reading that I had to do as a freshman in college and again as a senior.

What struck me this time around though, was how much more reflexive I could be concerning the reading. Is this a result of maturity, education, development, or reflexivity? Interesting to think about...

ART WORK REVIEW

It was interesting how so many of us touched on the same theme when it comes to "good writing instruction". I like the idea of using the post a note cards. It forces you to cut out the fluff and right to the heart of the matter.

book making

I liked the book making. I have made them in the past, but have always used "boring" white paper. Using decorated or colored paper would be way cooler plus I could do units that way. I also liked the poetry with the art. Good way to get the students to see great art and read at the same time.

Inquiry Question

I am starting to feel the pressure of completing the research paper. Although I am at a comfortable spot to start reading the research, I am afraid that I won't be able to get it done in time. I appreciated Tina's comment today, "if it wasn't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done." This is how I have survived academia thus far so I guess I'll get it done in time.

Thursday -- Blog Time

Lots to chew on and respond to.  Don't forget to take a few minutes and comment on your classmates posts.  Blogs function best when the conversations intertwine rather than merely record our individual take on things.

Possibilities and starting points:

• The Art Museum Micro-theme on "What makes good writing instruction"
• Laurie's teaching demo on poetry and book-making
• The after lunch discussion on Racism and "Normalcy"
• Reading Circle Discussions of your books
• Questions and concerns you may have about the Inquiry Paper
• And, of course, anything that you've wanted to say but perhaps couldn't figure out how to say it in class.

Link to Woody Herb Story

I mentioned in class that I would put a link to my full-blown Woody Herb short story.  You can read it here.

Research, research, research

I now have a great big stack of books from the library, which is good, because I haven't had anything to read lately.




























(Sarcasm anyone?)

ZAKES

Very interesting. I enjoyed the time he spent with us. I also have a better understanding of the book and his point of view. His visit is a must each session!

Wednesday from Loganite Point of View

Ok, I loved our informal talk about Cion; I am glad that all of you make me feel comfortable enough to share.

My comfort zone for writing invoked physical awareness; here's my list.

• outside
• forest/woods
• lakeside
• back porch
• with friends
• without friends
• any time of day

As for Lisa's question in regard to her teaching lesson, my favorite movie is Arsenic and Old Lace. Any interested persons in movie night? My favorite book is Pride and Prejudice (I'm such a sucker for a mysterious man). For those of you in need of a memoir/novel to read, try Same Kind of Different As Me. Wow! It is told in two points of view (one is a formerly indigent black man, the other is affluent white).

Now, I want to share a hint of my journal entry from 9 am today. Stop reading here if you are bored. I don't wish to have you in agony.
Why do we need history? Roots grow best in areas of family, friends, stories, and memories. There are poignant moments that deal with idolized ancestors, deranged lunatics (twice removed on both sides), and rainy-day weddings. We script our stories because we don't wish to veil our lives by walking in the shadows of others. Within our writing, we express a moral code that guides our conscious actions and thoughts, love for family, friends, and God, and the writing reveals a desire to be better--whether it be as a teacher, relative, or friend.

Lisa, great work today!

Meeting Zakes was definitely a plus today! It's always fascinating to hear the author's approach to the writing. Very enjoyable and informative.

Good presentation, Angel, I didn't realize I missed the challenge of Junior High Math.

The "What Are the Odds?" activity was certainly entertaining and provided a little lilt to the day. A day when we are all facing (and are apprehensive about) the BIG writing project.

We have learned much in a non-threatening way.

Erin Brokovich

Got your attention? I have been thinking about research especially after Zakes conversation with us. I think the story about Erin's research project is a great one to show kids how questions lead to other questions, lead to other questions. It also shows the need for primary sources and where that can lead along with investigation. Just my rambling thoughts as I am desparately trying to narrow my inquiry focus. I am all over the place.

Narratives

I revised and edited my narrative so many times, adding pages, removing paragraphs, thinking that this isn't important, but this is; no wait! It's all important. I hope I removed what needed removed and added what was needed and found all of the mistakes when editing. It is kind of like it is a never completed writing. I'm still learning!! That's good, I guess! I'll be back tomorrow to learn more.

Author presentation

I loved the way in which Mda discussed how he writes a story. The research part was fascinating to me. I had learned about breeding from presentations done at Williamsburg, VA. I wonder where they got their information. I am going again this summer so I'll make sure that I ask.

Zakes

I really enjoyed Zakes' visit.  Having him come in and talk about his writing process gave me a greater respect for Cion.  I look forward to reading it again. 

Zakes

I was very intrigued by listening to Zakes speak today. I read the book prior to beginning class but it seems like ages ago, so I am going to read it again. I wonder if I will have new reader perceptions the second time around?

Thank you all for your feedback today on my demo. You gave me some good advice for making the Indicator Project better. Who wudda thunk that I should have had them turn in a rough draft first. Thanks again, I plan on using your suggestions.

Day 11

What a day. Finishing our narratives, listening to Zakes, tackling our math phobias...I need a nap. I am sad to think that we only have 8 days left? What ever will I do the rest of the summer?

coincidence?

I loved sharing the stories this morning. We all have stories to share, and stories connected to the stories - endless connections. I hadn't thought about our trip to New Orleans in such a long time. What a creative way to blend so many of the points presented in our readings.

Narrative Blues

While turning in my narrative today, I felt like I was giving away my child. Is that strange?

Cion---Ways of Living

Our writing doesn't have to be what we know. Zakes confirms that one learns from his writing, and he doesn't need to learn before writing. This is a significant point: writers are more diverse than expected---we don't have to have a fixed outline, no title needed before writing, and we don't need a paragraph of five sentences long to express our thoughts. I also love Zakes' nefarious ragamuffins on page 169; a description that may not have been used if more planning had guided his pen? To wrap up, is it possible to know what you are before you are told (page 88 summary)?? Well, the story doesn't know what it is before the writer places the last period. Thank you to our author today!

ZAKES MDA

As an author with a number of published friends, I always find it fascinating to hear about the process that authors, and in this case Mr. Mda, follow in order to produce their work. Whether it's nonfiction or fiction, every author has his/her own approach, and the more prolific s/he is, the more assured s/he is in that approach.

Mr. Mda exquisitely presented the method he uses in information gathering and then how he fits the pieces together like a puzzle to form a comprehensive, creative and mythical story. I enjoyed his book immensely and especially its mythical realism (a new term for me) based on in-depth historical research, my favorite area. He is an excellent storyteller injecting a fair amount of imagination. I feel honored that he took the time to share his insights with us.

Zakes

I was just fascinated while listening to Zakes Mda speak. What an inherently gifted storyteller! Just listening to his inflection and watching his expressions change would have captured my attention for hours on end! I'm so glad I had the opportunity to listen to him speak!!

Cion

It was interesting to hear from Zakes today. I always imaged (and maybe this says something about me as a writer) that the author has a certain way in their head that the story goes. It was refreshing and maybe a little liberating to see him let it go and let the reader have their own input.

I was really taken aback by how, even though he meticulously researched the historical happening in the book, he left a lot so open ended. (I don't mean that in a bad way, I thought it was cool!)

Tuesday -- Cuttings and Grafts

Tuesday at the OUAWP.

Another full day: People wrote their stories of "What are the odds?" and we briefly discussed "magical realism," Angel gave us an awesome demo, and Zakes shared some of the inside wonders of Cion.

 Post on whatever you have the most to say about.  Make connections -- graft your thoughts onto whatever strikes your fancy and see what grows from there.

River Between Us

I had to finish the book. I did not see the end until it was in front of me. Oh the paths we traverse alone and together. I see so, so many possibilities: reading circles; independent research. THOMAS JEFFERSON'S CHILDREN could be used. The author talks about all the research required to write the book. I love that part because I think it is important to make clear that historical fiction has real history in it. You can do your own further research! Oh the places we can go with this. I am writing my requisition order this weekend!

WEEK TWO

What a great week! There is so much that I could say about the past two weeks, but I'm sure that will come later. As for today, the approach to reviewing and discussing the Murray book was new to me, but one that I will use in class. It is so hard to get students to read, and unless they are tested they will fake it. This exercise allows them the time to review and the subsequent discussion turns up the heat a bit so that they all have to participate. That works well.
Coincidentally, Sandra's demo presented another approach to reading and presenting book material that gives students the chance to truly appreciate the wonderful world found in longer literature. Thank you for such a good job.

Um....Help, Please?! :)

Okay, so I interviewed at Collins Career Center today for an 11-12 grade teaching position. There were 12 other applicants and they've narrowed it down to the top four. I'm one of those four. They now want us four to create our own lesson plan that incorporates elements from the welding program. At the end of the school year, the English teacher and the welding teacher collaborate on a "final project" that combines the two subjects. The school is pretty big on community involvement and incorporating technology.

I think I'm going to use the idea of glogging and have students create a glog and complete four essays (1 per 9 weeks). The topics I'm thinking about are: "Who are you?", "Why is welding important to you?", "What do you want to do after high school?", and...?? They would present their final blog to me, the welding teacher, and one another at the end of the year.

Along with this, I'd like to have a really great final project for them do, but I'm a bit short on ideas! If you can think of anything, I'm all ears! :)

.....A few hours later: I *think* I might have something workable! I have to submit it by Sunday, and I know that since it's a holiday weekend everyone is going to be consuming adult beverages and "ooing" and "awwwwing" over the fireworks (which invariably cause my eldest dog to shake like a leaf and wee a bit). If you get the chance feel free to throw out some suggestions/comments! Thanks for being a wonderful little community & have a safe and fun holiday (preferably without dog wee!) ;)

Searching for Research

Well, we have arrived at our destination---for week two. Most of us have in our hot little hands research that will assist us in writing our paper. I am still searching by reading various chapters in texts I have checked out of Alden. Wow. I am reading textbooks that may help me become a better educator, and the books are pleasurable (that part is for Sherrie). I do not often read, browse, or hold textbooks for my professional growth, but this course motivates me. What can I say?

Civil War connection to reading

I'm definitely going to read The River Between Us. As a matter of fact, I'm sure it's in my classroom library-shame on me for not having read it! I'm going to take her suggestions and allow my students work more at their own pace. Also, I loved the video clip! Dynamite demo chick:)

You Guys Rock

At the end of the second week I can say this and mean it from my heart--you guys rock! Thanks for the hard work, the willingness to step into the air without a parachute, the grace with which you meet uncertainty. Have a great weekend. Be safe. Come back to the AWP on Tuesday all in one piece.

Slash and burn

I really liked the editing/revising activity this morning. Granted, I might only keep 1 or maybe 2 of the changes made, but they're GOOD changes!

I dig it.

Home schooling.

Shannon--look at pg 139 in THE CRAFT OF REVISION. The moral of the American Chop Suey story is why some people home school and why other's are glad they do.

Lisa's poem & Lori's metaphor

What talent we have in the classroom! Very poignant in such a brief amount of time. We are all amazing!

Not my problem...

Karen's presentation will be very helpful this fall when I begin teaching tolerance.
I gave a very tongue-in-cheek reply when Karen asked what I did about the girls' tennis team being drug tested and not the boys. I could be considered a bystander by not jumping in and complaining about the omission but I have been on this planet long enough to know the battles with which I need to be involved. I do think parents of these girls need to ask why the female team was specifically targeted and not the boys. Maybe the newspaper made a reporting error? I feel testing is an infringement on someone's rights. I believe random drug testing is a violation of our basic civil liberties: innocent until proven guilty. Why test unless there is just cause? But I seem to find myself in the minority opinion on drug testing.
k sarah sarah

DIVERSITY IN EDUCATION

Our days move so quickly...it's hard to recall what territory we have covered just a mere 7 hours later. Sherry's white paper - poem-metaphor-description - exercise was very insightful as it helped focus on the key point of the autobiography.

The vast amount of resources in the library is mind-boggling, but so helpful once I understand how to navigate the system. During the quarter, I will take my students to the library for a virtual and facilities tour, but sources change so frequently, that I have to make an effort to keep up, so this afternoon's journey with Lorraine was very valuable.

Burger King

Reading my poem today was a bit emotional. This whole narrative process can be quite emotional. I enjoyed all the events of the day. I think I'm headed to Burger King.

Thursday from Alden

If your research is going well, please keep going.  We'll catch up with the Blog tomorrow.

If you have things you want/need to say, please go ahead and blog!

Here is a link to a PDF of my dissertation (in case you are interested).

Poem/Sentence/Metaphor Activity

I really liked the activity that Sherrie had us complete this afternoon in which we were asked to write a poem, a metaphor, and a single sentence about our narrative. It really made me take a step back from my work and really focus on the idea of my story. It was a big help in putting things in perspective. I will also now steal Don's hamburger analgy. I'm noticing a lot of food metaphors.......spaghetti on the bottom of the plate, anyone? :)

Thursday Summarized

My eventful day is floating in and out of my mind---what notes do I have that I definitely want to recopy onto my computer, how will I be able to work better with my students when we read Elie Weisel's excerpt "Night," will my personal narrative be as smooth in sound as I long for it to be, and will my Inquiry Paper impress itself upon my soul in addition to my colleagues' minds??? Then, there was Lorraine! Thank God there is a librarian who has a sense of humor. And I am glad I met this guy named Big Eric(more mature) and my Academic Search is Complete ( but my IQ paper lingers on). Now, I go home to plan for my Friday lesson. Whew.