Friday, July 8, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Day in the Life of Tom Sawyer
I wake early
hung-over from the breath of her snores
because she drank too much wine
i wiggle free from the constraints of a heavy arm
and a heaping mound of covers
and ecstatically leap to the floor
paws prancing,tail wagging
ready to take on the world
she awakes reluctantly
with an overwhelming hesitation
because she ponders the possibility
of drifting back to sleep and ignoring my urge
until eventually the anxiety of what could be
draws her from the clouds of comfort
because she would rather touch her warm
bare feet to the cold hard floor
than deal with the consequences of
a full bladder and a long nights sleep
so i look at her with longing eyes
and i cock my head slightly to the left
as i try to figure out
why she is making me wait so long
i jump from side to side to try to share
my anticipation and desired relief
filled with excitement
and an empty belly
she sleepily rubs her eyes and stumbles
through the kitchen
in her underwear
unable to see without her glasses
unaware of anyone else in the world,
she picks me up
rubs my belly affectionately
and delivers me to my spot
where she squeakily and sleepily calls out
"go potty angel pie! peepy deepy!"
and i secretly laugh because we both know
how silly she sounds
i race her back to the door
but i clearly dominate
because im overflowing with energy at 6am
and she is still in a dreamy haze
as i inhale my breakfast feast
i ponder how am greatful i am that she doesnt put it in a bowl
because i prefer to eat right off the floor
when i've consumed my meal
we return to our chamber to resume our slumber
and i simply cannot decide...
if i want to snuggle her or my frog
but when i finally find comfort
and am about to drift back to sleep
i am rudely interrupted
when she turns on the tv
because for some reason she cant sleep
as if its my fault
she woke up at 6am
on my luxurious vacation
hung-over from the breath of her snores
because she drank too much wine
i wiggle free from the constraints of a heavy arm
and a heaping mound of covers
and ecstatically leap to the floor
paws prancing,tail wagging
ready to take on the world
she awakes reluctantly
with an overwhelming hesitation
because she ponders the possibility
of drifting back to sleep and ignoring my urge
until eventually the anxiety of what could be
draws her from the clouds of comfort
because she would rather touch her warm
bare feet to the cold hard floor
than deal with the consequences of
a full bladder and a long nights sleep
so i look at her with longing eyes
and i cock my head slightly to the left
as i try to figure out
why she is making me wait so long
i jump from side to side to try to share
my anticipation and desired relief
filled with excitement
and an empty belly
she sleepily rubs her eyes and stumbles
through the kitchen
in her underwear
unable to see without her glasses
unaware of anyone else in the world,
she picks me up
rubs my belly affectionately
and delivers me to my spot
where she squeakily and sleepily calls out
"go potty angel pie! peepy deepy!"
and i secretly laugh because we both know
how silly she sounds
i race her back to the door
but i clearly dominate
because im overflowing with energy at 6am
and she is still in a dreamy haze
as i inhale my breakfast feast
i ponder how am greatful i am that she doesnt put it in a bowl
because i prefer to eat right off the floor
when i've consumed my meal
we return to our chamber to resume our slumber
and i simply cannot decide...
if i want to snuggle her or my frog
but when i finally find comfort
and am about to drift back to sleep
i am rudely interrupted
when she turns on the tv
because for some reason she cant sleep
as if its my fault
she woke up at 6am
on my luxurious vacation
Google Docs Rock My World :)
First things first: What a fun way to warm up!!! Protector and Enemy was an awesome way to get comfortable and get moving first thing in the morning...Great game!
We are soooo lucky to be getting so many awesome ideas from the Demo's!
This morning, I was really really fascinated by Stephanie's Storify...what an awesome way to create a timeline! It's going to work wonderfully for my Tech Display tomorrow! ....I am going to take snapshots of my life like pictures and movie clips etc. to create a moving editorial...
I loved the connection from Stephanie to Melissa! I am going to use this idea to incorporate a fresh update to my NonFiction unit! I really love the collaboration between colleagues in this way--everyone lights up when they have a realization of how they can implement a strategy in their classroom: Sally was particularly fun to watch during Stephanie's :)
I really enjoy "Tech Time" during lunch. For the past 2 days I have been using the time to revise and RE-VISION my writing. Eating and talking and reflecting with colleagues is super helpful. I feel extremely productive during this time...
Having a recap of a fish bowl was helpful for revising in writing groups, but I especially liked getting verbal feedback on my writing as well as conversing via Google Docs. It was so helpful! I love my writing group because they are so attentive and encouraging....and fun to snuggle with on the couch :)
I am excited to work on my Storify, edit my Authority piece, and post to E-anthology tonight!!!
We are soooo lucky to be getting so many awesome ideas from the Demo's!
This morning, I was really really fascinated by Stephanie's Storify...what an awesome way to create a timeline! It's going to work wonderfully for my Tech Display tomorrow! ....I am going to take snapshots of my life like pictures and movie clips etc. to create a moving editorial...
I loved the connection from Stephanie to Melissa! I am going to use this idea to incorporate a fresh update to my NonFiction unit! I really love the collaboration between colleagues in this way--everyone lights up when they have a realization of how they can implement a strategy in their classroom: Sally was particularly fun to watch during Stephanie's :)
I really enjoy "Tech Time" during lunch. For the past 2 days I have been using the time to revise and RE-VISION my writing. Eating and talking and reflecting with colleagues is super helpful. I feel extremely productive during this time...
Having a recap of a fish bowl was helpful for revising in writing groups, but I especially liked getting verbal feedback on my writing as well as conversing via Google Docs. It was so helpful! I love my writing group because they are so attentive and encouraging....and fun to snuggle with on the couch :)
I am excited to work on my Storify, edit my Authority piece, and post to E-anthology tonight!!!
Re-visioning revision :)
Day 2 at SI :) I have had the opportunity to write more in these two days than I think I ever have... and I am loving it.
I LOVED the Demo...Rebecca was just so calm and inviting! I LOVE LOVE LOVE incorporating children's books in my classroom! I can't wait to use Scranimals!!!!
The most productive/beneficial moment for me was the 25 minutes of revision... I love to write, but honestly have never really been a reviser... When I get it down on page (or screen), I just kind of forget about it and move on...until now :)
I had written a post on EAnthology about my dog, Tom Sawyer just for fun one morning. During the revision time I went back to this poem, and I tried some strategies. During Lil's class last semester I tried some of Cindy's strategies for revising, so I decided to practice for my Demo by working with the "brush strokes" that Nodden discusses. Using these strategies was really helpful because it helped me get more of a vision for my Demo, and of course improved my writing! I thought I was a revision hater, but have come to the magnificent realization that I LOVE revising! I really like what is in the works!! Check out "A Day in the Life of Tom Sawyer" on my EAnthology page :)
Because of today's SI, I have decided to go back to all of my writing from the past few years (which I have never revisited) and look to see what the possibilities are....
SUUUUPER PUMPED! :)
I LOVED the Demo...Rebecca was just so calm and inviting! I LOVE LOVE LOVE incorporating children's books in my classroom! I can't wait to use Scranimals!!!!
The most productive/beneficial moment for me was the 25 minutes of revision... I love to write, but honestly have never really been a reviser... When I get it down on page (or screen), I just kind of forget about it and move on...until now :)
I had written a post on EAnthology about my dog, Tom Sawyer just for fun one morning. During the revision time I went back to this poem, and I tried some strategies. During Lil's class last semester I tried some of Cindy's strategies for revising, so I decided to practice for my Demo by working with the "brush strokes" that Nodden discusses. Using these strategies was really helpful because it helped me get more of a vision for my Demo, and of course improved my writing! I thought I was a revision hater, but have come to the magnificent realization that I LOVE revising! I really like what is in the works!! Check out "A Day in the Life of Tom Sawyer" on my EAnthology page :)
Because of today's SI, I have decided to go back to all of my writing from the past few years (which I have never revisited) and look to see what the possibilities are....
SUUUUPER PUMPED! :)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
new developments :)
LOVED today!
Starting out with some insecurities in regards to the Digital Documentary Project. All cleared up now... Thinking of doing something about my experience with Nifty the Dolphin :) I loved that book, and thought I had done amazing! ...But then not only did the classroom mom glue my pages in in the wrong order, but she also requested that I change MY ending to make the story less traumatic...talk about a stab in the heart! I am interested in working with this idea of writing confidence and how my experiences as a young (or 20-something) writer have an impact on my students! I am really looking forward to diving into Movie Maker (or something similar) because I don't have previous experience with it, but have heard that it is really student friendly (and hopefully, therefore, teacher friendly :))
The lunch group REALLY got me thinking about the possibilities for my demo....
Just some brainstorms:
--do the 5 stations
--create a booklet (flip book?)
--pose the "why" and "how?" questions (why is this method useful? how can this method change our understanding of writing? what will my students gain from this? how can this help me as a writer?
As for my personal piece, I am really excited to give poetry a shot. So far, I was thinking of working on my role as the authority figure in my classroom, and how it helps me connect more with my students. I am really excited to see what develops tonight :)
Lots to do!!!!!!! Overall, AWESOME!
Starting out with some insecurities in regards to the Digital Documentary Project. All cleared up now... Thinking of doing something about my experience with Nifty the Dolphin :) I loved that book, and thought I had done amazing! ...But then not only did the classroom mom glue my pages in in the wrong order, but she also requested that I change MY ending to make the story less traumatic...talk about a stab in the heart! I am interested in working with this idea of writing confidence and how my experiences as a young (or 20-something) writer have an impact on my students! I am really looking forward to diving into Movie Maker (or something similar) because I don't have previous experience with it, but have heard that it is really student friendly (and hopefully, therefore, teacher friendly :))
The lunch group REALLY got me thinking about the possibilities for my demo....
Just some brainstorms:
--do the 5 stations
--create a booklet (flip book?)
--pose the "why" and "how?" questions (why is this method useful? how can this method change our understanding of writing? what will my students gain from this? how can this help me as a writer?
As for my personal piece, I am really excited to give poetry a shot. So far, I was thinking of working on my role as the authority figure in my classroom, and how it helps me connect more with my students. I am really excited to see what develops tonight :)
Lots to do!!!!!!! Overall, AWESOME!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Myer's Mind: Image Grammar!
Myer's Mind: Image Grammar!: "The days of worksheets and monotonous grammar rules are over, my friends! Harry Noden hits the nail on the head in his book, Image Grammar...."
Image Grammar!
The days of worksheets and monotonous grammar rules are over, my friends! Harry Noden hits the nail on the head in his book, Image Grammar. The philosophy is quite simple: the writer is an artist, and with 5 simple brustrokes, anyone can create a masterpiece.
The first step is to familarize yourself with the idea of writing(painting) with these brustrokes:
1) Painting with participles 2) Painting with absolutes 3) Painting with appositives 4) Painting with adjectives shifted out of order 5)Painting with action verbs.
Once the brushstrokes are understood, Noden explains the art of combining brushstrokes in order to create this work of art.
Using this simple strategy provides students with a fun, interesting, and activity filled "grammar lesson" that they can easily master.
The text is packed with accessible activities for each of the different strategies, complete with lessons, ideas, student examples, printables, and more. The CD-Rom is an invaluable tool that provides quick and easy handouts for students.
Sianara boring grammar memorization and repetition....this is the begining of an entirely new philosophy for teaching grammar. Go forth and paint a masterpiece :)
The first step is to familarize yourself with the idea of writing(painting) with these brustrokes:
1) Painting with participles 2) Painting with absolutes 3) Painting with appositives 4) Painting with adjectives shifted out of order 5)Painting with action verbs.
Once the brushstrokes are understood, Noden explains the art of combining brushstrokes in order to create this work of art.
Using this simple strategy provides students with a fun, interesting, and activity filled "grammar lesson" that they can easily master.
The text is packed with accessible activities for each of the different strategies, complete with lessons, ideas, student examples, printables, and more. The CD-Rom is an invaluable tool that provides quick and easy handouts for students.
Sianara boring grammar memorization and repetition....this is the begining of an entirely new philosophy for teaching grammar. Go forth and paint a masterpiece :)
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