Before attempting this kind of writing, students and us as teachers have to be “marinated” into this type of writing.  Once again our attention is drawn to having students experience the form of writing that we are wanting them to mimic or learn.  Oh, to be able to have a year long writing assignment would have an enormous impact on students.  They would truly see how they develop as writers.  To me, even as the teacher, the thought of a “year long” assignment is intimidating.  The author of the article put my mind at ease a little by just spending time “reading and talking” before even asking the students to write.  Then upon this book conversation, students are then invited to write. 

This article breaks the memoir study into bits and pieces to make this type of writing, un-intimidating for the teacher and students.  Having conversations with students allows for them to see the importance of what is happening in their lives.  Asking them questions and driving them to think deeper about those memories are all keep parts of memoir.  To also help in their writing developments, students choice of mentor is important to their own writings.  Another important additive is giving students checklist to support their writings along the way.

The ultimate craft of memoir, I feel, is to make the reader think about similar attributes or events from their OWN life.  When reading “When I Was Young In The Mountains,” my mind went to digging up memories from my childhood.  My dad would always come home and my sister and I would walk to the barn to feed the horses with him.  Mom’s kitchen was always filled with good smelling foods.  Going to the “Seed Store” with my Aunt Irene was a big spring event, oh and “William’s Grocery”.  I have to admit, I smiled a little reading this story because it DID bring out my own childhood memories.  “Boy” had some of the same effects.  In boy the memories were more specific to myself, instead of family relations as the Cynthia Rylant story did.  I did remember the time my Kindergarten teacher came to meet me in my home and was chased off by a swarm of bees.  I remembered the time I tried to steal cat treats for my new kitten from Lowe’s Foods because my mom wouldn’t buy them for me.  The good and the bad and the controversial memories are all brought up when you read stories like these.

I am a cheetah.

I wonder what happened to my ancestors.

I have golden fur with round, black spots.

I hear the grasses blowing in the wind.

I see unsuspecting impalas and gazelles grazing on the open savannah.

I want to hunt them with my nonretractile claws.

I am a cheetah.

I pretend that we are numerous once again as we stand camoflaged among the tall grasses.

I feel distant from Africa to Asia to India.

I touch my prey’s neck with my sharp teeth.

I don’t worry about my prey escaping my clutches because I suffocate them.

I pretend to cry because my tear stripes surround my eyes.

I am a cheetah.

I understand that I am fast, running 60 miles per hour.

I say purr because I’m a big feline.

I dream of protecting my cubs, moving from place to place.

I try to avoid lions and hyenas with my cubs.

I hope conservationist’s efforts are successful.

I am a cheetah.

http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/cheetah.php

(Text) – Child friendly search through Yahooligans!

http://www.onlineartdemos.co.uk/misc_images/on-easel/Cheetah/cheetah-oil-painting.jpg

(Picture)

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Example

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Explanation

Upon giving this invitation to my students, I used this as a springboard for a lesson not only on writing, but also on the parts of the Newspaper.  We explored the different parts of the newspaper as a class.  As we explored, I found an article talking about the anniversary of hurricane Hugo.  I cut out an insert map of the track of the hurricane and glued it into my notebook.  By finding this I was allowed to share something personal with my students.  I first shared about my experiences during Hugo, then I wrote about them.  Students were given a few minutes to take part of the newspaper and choose words or even a picture that inspired them.  Some chose clothing ads, other chose sporting events, but my favorite was a student chose a clipping from the comics.  This activity opened up many doors for my students to write.  They were all excited to get to share their point of view from a piece of a newspaper article.

Found Poem

Ode to Fall

Color Cruise

Gold Standards

Cozy Orange                 Orange zest

glowing color                    pumpkin seed

NATURE’S ARTISTRY                                     BRIGHT BOUNTY

                           MELLOW YELLOW

NOW THE COLORS OF LIFE CAN LAST A LIFETIME

Acrostic Poetry

Unyielding in times of trouble

Never placing blame

Considering the needs of others

Overwhelming happiness

Noticing the little things

Daily

Ignoring imperfections

Taking no records of wrongs

Intimate

Overflowing with joy

Never failing

Always trusts, hopes, and perseveres

LOVE

The freedom that I Poetry allows is great for students.  It can rhyme, or it doesn’t have to.  The most important part is that the I Poem shares the “narrator’s point of view”.  The writer gets to decide what is important to share about the person or object that they are describing. 

Before beginning the process of writing I Poetry, as we have learned in previous classes, it is important for students to be “marinated” into this form of poetry.  I did not realize how prevalent this poetry was and was pleasantly surprised by this weeks reading selections.  “Atlantic” is a poem that reveals truths about the Atlantic Ocean.  Through this simple book so much content is shared.  The way the other oceans are described as “my relatives we are one big family” is a great way to show how there are more than just one ocean.  The sun heats the water and the moon controls the tides.  On the last page, more facts are shared about the Atlantic Ocean.  I would really enjoy using this book in a Social Studies lesson.  This book also has the aesthetic appeal for students with the varied ways the words are written.

“I Am the Mummy Heb-Nefert” would be a great book to share with those in upper elementary.  Before reading this, I had no idea who Heb-Nefert was.  She was a Pharaoh’s wife who came from mere beginnings, to living a fabulous life of wealth.  She was humble, I felt from the description in this story.  Loving her life old and new.  Students would be able to learn these things as well.  Also, they would be learning about the ceremonial burial process. 

“Mohave” was another book that shared about landforms, this time the desert.  I really liked reading this book, especially when I go to the last page:

Chris and I recently visited Arizona and the Grand Canyon, so for me, the brief mention of the Joshua trees was really personal because I have seen them in person.  This would allow me to share that with students.  Students can learn about animals from the dessert habitat.

With “I Poetry”, students have a format to follow, so this eases the tension more than a “free verse” poem.  This structured support ensures student success.  It would be up to the teacher to help students extend vocabulary and seek out words that are more appealing.  Students can imagine to be themselves or someone else.  We have to teach them to choose words that will impact not only their thinking, but those who read the poetry.

On another perspective, “Dirty Laundry Pile” lets the reader imagine that they are completely something else.  This is a little different from “I Poetry”.  In these poems, Paul Janeczko compiled lots of different poems, that “the poets let their imaginations fly and feel what it might be like to be a mosquito, a crayon, a kite, a turtle.”  In these poems the writer is able to “mask” themselves and pretend to be something completely different.  I feel that this is a little different from “I Poetry”, in that these poets completely become what they are talking about in their poetry.  In the “I Poetry” the writer doesn’t necessarily have to transform into something else, they just have to describe it.  There is a transformation that occurs in the poets of the “Dirty Laundry” poetry.  This type of poetry would prove to be a little more challenging to get students to write, but bring on the challenge.  If they are emmerced in enough “good, quality” poetry then they will be successful!

Wow, from the very first page of “African Acrostics: A word in edgeways” you are introduced to Acrostic poetry.  Automatically you are invited in as a reader and writer.  This would be an EXCELLENT way to show students about this type of poetry. 

All students also are fond of animals, especially those that are wild.  This is another key that would hook the students in.  I love how that the author doesn’t just use the names of the animals, but yet you learn about them through the words that were chose to describe the animals.  For example, Harley uses the words “Cloud Friends” to describe Giraffes.  Also in this book, there is more information about Acrostics and different ways to present them.  The “Cross Acrostic” would be a challenge for our young writers.  I like how in the Acrostics, the “letters help you choose” – this is from the Acrostic using the word Acrostic. 

Exposing students to this type of poetry will allow them to play with all kinds of language.  They can take any object or word and turn it into an Acrostic.  When I was a student, I was taught the misconception that I could only use one word per letter.  This is not the case.  I can use one word or I can use a phrase.  I can really see myself using this type of poetry in my classroom.

Whether sharing with primary, upper grades, or even high school students the framework still remains.  Expose students to rich poetry (“marinate them”), demonstrate, and then turn them loose.  The cross curricular connections in the Article and “African Acrostics” were a great eye opener that allows students to share information in a more creative way, instead of just writing a research paper or answering questions about a topic.  Students have to carefully chose their words through the guidance of the topic.

“Flicker Flash” a book of Concrete poetry.  When I was young, Concrete poetry was one form that I remember trying to write, but this book brought out a whole new light for this type of poetry.  The way the words lay on the page, the colors, the shapes, and the word choice were all key in making this poetry work.  Words faded or changed colors; font sizes also changed.  The unique ways that language was chosen.  All of the words described everyday things.  Students of all ages can relate to these poems.  I was totally sucked into this and found it entertaining, as well as educating.  This book shared how far the sun is away, about Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison, so this could span and be shared across the curriculum.  I found myself wanting to share these poems with my students.  This is something that could be shared as a whole or in parts.

As much as I like Concrete poetry, I don’t see myself using this form as much as I would the Acrostic.  However, students who are very artistic, would LOVE the challenge of making words into a picture.  I definitely see myself sharing this type of poetry and even struggling through (because it is good for my students to see me struggle as a writer) writing a poem like this.

 So much depends upon

my double knockout roses

bright fandango pink

needle point thorns

breathless beauty

to last until the first frost.

So much depends upon

my flip flops

soft Rainbow leather

broken in from wear

impressions of my feet

honoring the freedom of toes.

Thinking about how poetry is perceived, I like the quote that “Boys don’t write poetry.  Girls do.”  This comes from the book Love that Dog.  I loved how reading the novel and article are closely linked.  Jack did not think of himself as a writer of poetry, but it was very evident in reading the book of how he developed as a writer from being exposed to good, quality poetry.  The article reveals how the first thing that children do is to mimic good writers.  This was also shared through the master writer of Stephen King. 

Is it okay to share funny children’s poetry?  Yes, but also expose children to poetry that doesn’t just focus on the funny, nature topics.  This allows students to develop as mature readers and writers of poetry.  I personally will admit that my exposure to poetry was very limited.  I did not like reading it and definitely did not like writing it.  I didn’t get to experience a teacher that allowed for free verse, where the emotions and message were the focus and not the rhyming.  I was never exposed to the “language of the past” and when I was finally exposed in High School, it was probably more difficult. 

This this article and other readings this week made me think about the kinds of poetry to share in my classroom.  I love the suggested collections for classic poetry.  Also, the way that poetry is presented showed to be important in how children perceive it.  Reading it more than once and providing them with the opportunity to read was what stood out to me. 

As for the writing aspects, the linkage from print to the ideas of students is extremely important.  Even in just ordinary notebook prose, I have had to make sure that my topics are broad enough.  The traditional writing prompts of my generation creates such robotic writers.  Students need have freedom to create and freedom of choice.  Students are limited to their own life experiences and all are different.  I work at a high poverty school and I have a student who is fortunate enough to get to go to Disney this coming week.  She is gaining a life experience that not many of my students will gain in a lifetime.

Poetry is not bound to “rhyme,” but to the student’s perspective from which they are looking, listening, and reading poetry.  It is my job to make sure students get a positive exposure to good, quality poetry.

2.  Blogging for my class would probably be more of a “Classroom News Blog.”  At my school, students don’t have good access to technology in their homes.  Therefore, for me to require students to Blog on their own personal Blogs, would not be easy for students outside my classroom.  Hopefully, I will learn to better use this new 21st century learning technique to help address the Higher Order Thinking questions.

3.  Stephen King’s “On Writing”: Chapter 1 – “Circus Strongboy”;  page 7 – “Eula-Beulah farts”; page 11 - ear piercing; page 15 – first writing (stolen ideas); Chapter 10 – the Electromagnet;