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.