tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36669831056506637432024-03-04T21:21:38.766-08:00Writing for Students and Teachers: Inspiring Awe for Words and Awesome WritingShared writing prompts and creative lesson ideas for students of all ages, along with fiction and poetry by my own students, make this blog a unique resource for inspiring awe for words and awesome writing.Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-75169613931712103122021-02-18T17:48:00.004-08:002021-02-18T17:48:45.213-08:00When a Character Lingers in My Mind, I See Them in Odd Places<p> </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial;">I just finished reading a YA novel, <i>The Life I'm In, </i>by Sharon Flake, about a girl named Char, born into a hard life that gets significantly harder when she is lured by a predatory man into sexual slavery. In the end, she rises above even her own expectations and endears herself to readers with her resilience and newfound compassion. Char has lingered in my mind, apparently, because I saw and photographed a eucalyptus sapling today because it reminded me, metaphorically, of her! </span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcZqeHjbQJ69yt3JlQOK1iOVb1FnOE0_FxQF7NCedByD30G8j0COXScP1x2gVSCCtVi4pc2oWI3xZK9zHwkDCwo5QwY3bSHvzZsEip6FGcmXv1xBzlyy35VcYoRpXnHTUvYB0UTnAeQY/s2048/treeinarock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcZqeHjbQJ69yt3JlQOK1iOVb1FnOE0_FxQF7NCedByD30G8j0COXScP1x2gVSCCtVi4pc2oWI3xZK9zHwkDCwo5QwY3bSHvzZsEip6FGcmXv1xBzlyy35VcYoRpXnHTUvYB0UTnAeQY/w371-h424/treeinarock.jpg" width="371" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Every author aims to create characters who linger after the reader has closed the book. That is why VOICE is so important. An authentic voice and the opportunity to evolve enable a character to grow, beyond the pages, into the reader's heart. And maybe even into a poem, by the reader, evoked by a memorable protagonist. Here's mine: </span></h3><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></h2><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">DEFYING HARDNESS</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">by Susan L. Lipson</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Like a child born into hardship,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">the sapling sprouts from a rock,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">unexpectedly vibrant, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">admirably resilient,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">green and pliable,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">despite the hard, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">unmoving origins of its roots.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">I utter a blessing for its growth,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">that it may weather storms,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">anchored by its heavy base,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">reaching through and around</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">to nourish itself and</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">eventually overshadow its</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1N-WVi6ILljM3PP-MidSQ4rV8YdxsEcv1VzjrxQJkzrLyKaB1rBI4Z4PU78ZagVrHoXKFs9SEr8gIFYsxlYq2pcO0qVPFii8_f06D4jB0Mant4B7i_0LjNQp5qfEwxSSyxgUSszXZPmk/s2048/IMG-6711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1N-WVi6ILljM3PP-MidSQ4rV8YdxsEcv1VzjrxQJkzrLyKaB1rBI4Z4PU78ZagVrHoXKFs9SEr8gIFYsxlYq2pcO0qVPFii8_f06D4jB0Mant4B7i_0LjNQp5qfEwxSSyxgUSszXZPmk/w300-h400/IMG-6711.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">unyielding foundation.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-85498444875658151442020-07-27T18:00:00.000-07:002020-07-27T18:00:58.797-07:00Writing Lesson To Evoke Empathy and Emulate Voice:<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Three middle-school writers chose to respond to the following prompt in my summer writing workshop based on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Skin-Im-Sharon-Flake/dp/1423103858" target="_blank">Sharon G. Flake’s YA novel </a><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Skin-Im-Sharon-Flake/dp/1423103858" target="_blank">The Skin I’m In.</a> </i>If I hadn’t observed them writing their poetic pieces on Zoom, and hadn’t seen them revising onscreen in response to the questions and comments I was leaving in the margins of their documents, I would swear these writers had been transcribing part of a conversation they had had with the fictional protagonist Maleeka herself! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><u>Prompt 8A: </u></span></b><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Reread pages 73-74 (69-70 in newer edition), when Maleeka recalls her momma’s response to grief over her husband’s death. <i>“When my daddy died three years ago, Momma fell apart. She couldn’t eat. She couldn’t sleep…. I was ten years old and brushing her teeth, feeding her oatmeal like a baby. She cried all the time.”</i> Write a short descriptive scene or poem about this time in Maleeka’s life. Try to use Maleeka’s point-of-view and voice. </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Here are the three poetic creations by Nakita Ray, Resha Shukla, and Ryan Hu—whose artistry is equaled by their obvious empathy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Tearstains are left on my cheeks.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Yet it’s nothing compared to Momma.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">She looks like she’s been crying a river.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Their bed has not been slept in ever since he was declared dead.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Instead he’s lying in a box that’s underground, six feet deep.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Every time I check on Momma at night, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">her eyes are open like she’s dying of fright.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Daddy’s ghost looms over us </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">like</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;"> a shadow that never leaves. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Needles pierce my heart and I feel so much agony.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">I’m shaking but Momma looks like a wreck compared to me.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Getting up from the ball I was in, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">I stand up to help Momma all that I can.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Holding up a spoon of oatmeal,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">I’m pleading to Momma to open her mouth,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">But she looks so lost.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Her eyes gloss over the spoon and me,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Looking behind, seeing an endless path,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Momma reaches for something that she cannot have.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">A dream of paradise with Daddy alive,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">I see it, too</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">. </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">(seemingly dictated by Maleeka to Nakita Ray)</span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">It’s morning, and the last thing I want to do is get up. After last night's fiasco of hauling Momma up to her bed, my limbs are about to turn into mush and give out. Doesn't help that I ain’t that strong anyways. Momma’s like a lifeless body, but somehow, she’s still got some life in her, and I'm sure that that's all that's keeping her from collapsing. For the past week, mornings have been the same. Get up, make me and Momma some breakfast, drag Momma downstairs, feed her (even though most of it don't even make it into her mouth), and eat my own share while Momma stares out the window, not saying a word. I'm getting sick of this, every day I follow this stupid routine and then leave Momma alone in her thoughts until it’s time for another meal or sleep. The main problem, though, is how quiet it is. Momma don’t try speaking, and I can't seem to find the right words to say. No words are spoken in this house, and it seems like with the way our family is functioning, in the future there won't be any either. It would’ve been fine cause I know that Momma's brain is never gonna stop thinking about Dad, but the silence and lack of words is leaving me in my thoughts also. And to be honest, I don't wanna be left alone with my thoughts at all. ‘Cause I'm afraid, I'm afraid that I'll become like Momma. And then there'll be no one left supporting us. ‘Cause it feels like I'm facing this problem alone, even though me and Momma need to work through this together. And I know for a fact that Momma won’t start getting better on her own. She's in her own bubble, a bubble of despair, grief, regret, and pain. Momma don’t trust me with needles, so I can’t burst her bubble like that, but I have my own, intangible needle. And it’s the only thing I can use to bring Momma back to life. “So, Momma, what do you feel like having for dinner?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">(from a fictional interview transcribed by Resha Shukla)</span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Helpless</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">By “Maleeka Madison”</span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Momma’s mouth does not take anything</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Her head won’t rest onto her pillow</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Her lips are motionless</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Like a hand </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">snatched the spirit she used to have</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">It ain’t fair at all,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Daddy’s gone</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">And momma’s been useless,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">For almost two years now,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I wonder every day,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">If the hand will return her spirit the next day, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">But I know the hand ain’t ever gonna hear my voice begging,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">A hand don’t got ears anyways.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">“Momma open your mouth, please…”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Her eyes are remote, her thoughts are, too</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> She gazes past my spoon of oatmeal, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Her mouth muttering.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Occasionally a tear drops down into her lap;</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I turn my back to her naturally.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">At times, I want to sob with her, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Or shake her violently,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">And scream at her to come back.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I never do though,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Because there is a heavy blanket I cannot see</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">that wraps around me,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">and reminds me of daddy’s arms,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Hugging me,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">And telling me to stay strong.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;">(Maleeka’s words channeled by Ryan Hu)<o:p></o:p></span></p>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-50924643451520621722020-05-19T17:56:00.000-07:002020-05-19T17:56:19.828-07:00REACTING AND CREATING TO DEEPEN LEARNING<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; font-family: georgia, serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><font face="trebuchet">As a poet myself, I teach poetry with the aim of imprinting admirable poems in my writing students' memories. I imagine my now young students (ages 8-17), as adults, looking through their old writing exercises from "the good old days in Mrs. Lipson's writing class," recalling vividly the poems we discussed and marveling at their old writings prompted by those deeply studied poems. The depth of most lessons depends upon a balance of theoretical analysis and practical application; and the more modalities of learning that we engage, the more memorable each lesson will be. I apply those educational strategies as I teach writing and poetry, hand-in-hand, to develop critical thinking, an appreciation of the power of words, academic writing skills, and creative writing abilities in a variety of genres. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><font face="trebuchet"><br /></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><font face="trebuchet">My teenage writing students recently studied a thought-provoking, metaphorical poem, <a href="https://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/147.html" target="_blank">“Tuesday 9 AM,” by Denver Butson,</a> which I found in an anthology of contemporary poems titled <i><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/poetry-180-billy-collins/1100557082" target="_blank">Poetry 180</a>. </i>(I highly recommend that book, full of excellent poems that I regularly use as prompts--just click on the title to go buy it at Barnes & Noble online). The poem takes place at a bus stop, where three people stand together, yet poignantly alone due to their self-isolating emotional states, depicted by rich metaphorical imagery.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; font-family: georgia, serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> <img src="https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.Jkwze90lzqryya6l1t925gHaFd&pid=Api&P=0&w=245&h=182" /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><font face="trebuchet"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">My students</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> wrote academic-style analyses of Butson's poem, based on my guidelines to: a) establish a theme, b) illustrate that theme with quotations, c) explain how the quotations support the theme, d) interpret the implications “between the lines,” and e) offer an overall “take-away” message from this poem. The quotations had to be set up in context, for a reader—like </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">you</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">—who might never have read Butson’s poem, and each line had to build upon the one preceding it. Below is an exemplary analysis by an insightful eighth-grader named Christopher.</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; font-family: cambria, serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">In the poem “Tuesday 9:00 AM,” by Denver Butson, the author describes three different people at a bus station, engulfed in their own worries and emotions. He begins by describing a man who is on fire, “Flames are peeking out from beneath his collar and cuffs.” </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The flames represent an intense feeling of anger or annoyance, rather than literal flames which could kill someone. The author continues by describing a woman who “wants to mention...that he is burning,” but does not because “she is drowning.” The second woman’s “drowning” is not in water, but rather in sorrow. By not commenting on the man’s flames, it shows that she is too worried about her own emotions, despite having the “water” to put out his “fire.” Moreover, whereas the first man’s anger was just “peeking out,” the woman’s sorrow is uncontrollable, “in her mouth and ears, in her eyes.” The last person waiting at the bus stop is another woman who is “freezing to death.” This person is frozen by self-consciousness and unsure of what to do. While she tries to melt her ice from the fiery man, her shy nature causes her to not seek help for herself. Furthermore, even though she wants to talk to the woman who is drowning, she is scared of potential judgment or retaliation, dissuading her from helping others. Overall, the author conveys the message that sometimes the help we need is right next to us, and it simply requires leaving one’s comfort zone.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><font face="trebuchet">The next part of my lesson required a creative response, in the form of either their own metaphorical poem about social interactions, or a fictional story that turned Butson’s poem into a short story, bringing each character to life and showing the reluctant or thwarted interactions between them. The students could change the outcome of Butson’s bus stop scene, if they chose to empower the self-limiting characters. Here is Christopher’s imaginative, moving story:<o:p></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><font face="trebuchet"> </font></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Before the Bus Arrives</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">by Christopher W.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"> As he was waiting at the bus stop, skimming the newspaper, he saw something that caught his eye. The headline read, “Man Arrested For Animal Abuse.” It began, “Florida man, age 27, was arrested for beating two stray dogs to death. On Monday, April 6th, Mr. Frank live streamed himself using a large stick to strike two stray dogs.” The man reading the newspaper was the owner of a dog, and upon reading these sentences, his blood began to boil. He would never dream of hurting his dog, but he still had nightmares of the time he left his favorite chocolate lying around. </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"> Now the woman waiting beside him wouldn’t stop crying. The occasional whimper and moan escaped from her mouth, but she hastily swallowed them down. In fact, she was just fine mere minutes ago when she first sat down. She didn’t start until she checked a text message on her phone. </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"> And to his further dismay, the girl sitting on the other side of him kept looking like she wanted to ask him something, only to look away when he turned toward her. Finally, tired of getting her sideways glances, he said, “Did you need something?”</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"> The girl, surprised at first, responded, “Well actually, I wanted a look at your newspaper. You see, I wrote a piece for that publisher and I wanted to see if they had published it yet.”</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"> Intrigued, he asked, “What did you write about?” </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"> Eagerly, she began to talk about her studies, and as she was talking, it was almost as if she “melted” her frozen shell, a shell keeping her from speaking up. In fact, she was talking so fast, he didn’t know if she was breathing. After he handed the newspaper to the girl, she whispered, “The woman over there looks awfully sorrowful. I wonder what happened.”</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"> Although he was still angry, he felt keen to help. He turned to the crying woman beside him and asked, “Excuse me miss, I couldn’t help but notice you were in distress. Is there anything I could do to help you?” </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"> “I’m so sorry to bother you. My gran was in critical condition and I was just sent the news that she has passed. Thanks for asking.” As she finished speaking, she reached into her backpack and pulled out a bar of chocolate and passed it to him. “Here, I’m sure I must have been a nuisance crying so loud. Take this as an apology.” </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"> Surprised, but grateful, he accepted the token of apology. And as the bus arrived, all three of them boarded, feeling significantly better. </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> <span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"> </span><font face="trebuchet">I have shared this prompt and this student's writings to show, not tell, how teachers and students can <b>explore literature not just by <i>reacting</i> to the words on the page, but also by using those words as a springboard for <i>creating</i>. Have you noticed that "reacting" and "creating" are almost the same words, slightly scrambled? </b>The profound poems that some of the students wrote for this assignment will certainly find their way into another of my blog posts. I believe that this lesson upheld my long-time motto: “Inspiring awe for words and awesome writing.”</font><font face="georgia, serif"><o:p></o:p></font></span></p>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-34683334878533745352020-05-11T17:08:00.000-07:002020-05-11T17:08:41.654-07:00Using Students' Works To Prompt Other Students' Writings<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">May 7, 2020</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The following poem, by my student William MacLeod, uses a metaphor to make a statement about people. Write an E-IEI-O analysis of his poem. Then write your own metaphorical poem to represent a personality.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "times new roman", serif;">THE WORM</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "times new roman", serif;">by William MacLeod</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "times new roman", serif;">“I won’t leave my garden,”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "times new roman", serif;">Says a worm.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "times new roman", serif;">“There is plenty of dirt here.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "times new roman", serif;">Out there are birds.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "times new roman", serif;">Out there are moles.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "times new roman", serif;">Everything is alright in my garden.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "times new roman", serif;">Why would I leave?”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">In response to the prompt above, two of my fifth-grade private writing students, Ethan and Lino, wrote these essay-style paragraphs, using my E-IEI-O format, to analyze William’s poem:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The poem “The Worm,” by William MacLeod, uses the worm to describe a person who loves to stay at home. The worm says, “Why should I leave?” because he is an insect who likes to stay out of danger, in a safe place, which in this case is his home, the garden. In today’s situation, the moles and the birds could be the coronavirus who comes to hunt us down, and the only place where we are safe is in our homes. In conclusion, the poem “The Worm” teaches us that we should stay home during this time of danger, so we can be safe and healthy.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 1.25in;">* * * * * *<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">The poem “THE WORM,” by William MacLeod uses the metaphorical image of a complacent worm to show the idea of someone who does not want to leave their comfort zone. The last line of this poem is “‘Why would I leave?’” These words show the reader that the worm is happy with what he has and does not want to explore the unknown. The reason William MacLeod used a worm to explain the behavior of staying in your comfort zone is because worms are known to stay underground, safe from all of the danger around them. The worm represents people who do not like to take risks and suggests that staying safe is more important than adventure.</span><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">Using students’ works to prompt writing by other students has served as a very effective motivational tool in my extracurricular writing program. My students see admirable and relatable writing by peers, as role models, and they immediately want to display their own understanding of those words. They also aim to be the next featured young author to inspire fellow students. Maybe once the fifth-grade literary analysts do the second part of the original prompt, which asks them to write their own poems as homework, I will have more excellent poems to motivate other young writers!</span></p>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-12525542110633275062020-03-09T15:25:00.000-07:002020-03-09T21:26:47.937-07:00Prompting Fictional Scenes in Response to a Novel by Jordan Sonnenblick <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Using <a href="https://www.jordansonnenblick.com/my-books/notes-from-the-midnight-driver/" target="_blank">NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER, by Jordan Sonnenblick,</a> for a writing lesson on how to convey a distinctive narrative voice, I challenged two middle school boys to write their own fictional scenes in response to the novel. We had read aloud and discussed the opening pages of Sonnenblick's novel, just past the point when the self-deprecating narrator, who is hospitalized after an embarrassing drunk-driving accident, discovers that he now bears a scar on his forehead as a reminder of his recklessness. I asked the students, Oliver and Ryan (8th and 7th graders, respectively), to write a future scene about the protagonist, Alex, having to explain his scar to someone he has a crush on, without revealing the mortifying truth about his uncharacteristically irrational behavior. The aim of the lesson was to maintain the humorous voice of the narrator while flexing their own creative muscles. Here are the outstanding results. I hope that Jordan Sonnenblick will read and enjoy these scenes! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1) By Oliver T.:</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I wipe my tears with my sleeve, realizing the severity of my scar. My finger rubs against the bumpy patchwork on my forehead. What will Alyssa think? I can’t get the thought out of my mind. I start thinking about cover-up stories: "My dad was driving when a drunk driver hit us head-on;” or “I was jogging and a car ran a red light and hit me." Probably not the last one, since I would likely be dead if that happened. I’m not sure what excuse to use; all I know is that I can’t tell her the truth. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Surprisingly, I kind of want to go back to the hospital. That way, no one will know what I did. Yet for some reason, one small part of me believes that the truth will reveal itself. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I almost forget that Dad is driving me home. He is lecturing me about responsibility for the third time this week. I drowsily listen, trying not to fall asleep, or, at least make it look like I’m not asleep. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> "You need to be more careful, always ask yourself before you do something if it is beneficial. Use that brain of yours. If you really are my child you should have at least some part of my intelligent brain," my dad lectures.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> He drops me off at Mom’s place, where my mother takes me up in a loving embrace. "I am so glad my boy is home," Mom says, squeezing me in a hug. "I hope you are alright."</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I know exactly what will happen next. Oh no, here it comes. I brace myself for my mother to change her tone and slap me on the cheek. She always does that when I mess up, but instead, Mother releases me from the hug and takes a good look at me. She looks at my tired, disappointed self and hugs me. "Go to sleep now. You still have school tomorrow," Mom says as she lets go of me.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> "Alright, Mom, Goodnight," I say, trying to have a cheery tone. I limp over to my room and collapse on my bed, exhausted from the hospital, but dreading tomorrow.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> In the morning, I walk to school, my head feeling much better than yesterday, and my confidence is better as well. After all, I spent the majority of yesterday thinking about what to say. Today, I finally decide to listen to the angel inside of me … sort of. Bending the truth ain’t so bad right? My plan is to tell Alyssa … </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Thud! My shoulder rams straight into a pillar. I fall on my butt, wincing in pain.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “You alright?” says a familiar voice. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I look up to see none other than Alyssa Stone. My palms start to sweat and my legs are trembling. I awkwardly get up and wipe my hands on my shirt.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Where’ve you been? You were missing for the past week.”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “I was in the hospital,” I reply. “I was in an accident.”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “What kind of accident?”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “I was in a car crash,” I answer. Concern fills Alyssa’s expression. “But definitely not like too severe, but … well, like really bad but … I didn’t get injured too much cuz I was lucky but, like … Yeah.”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I wince, cringing at my weirdness. My heart starts thumping.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Alyssa raises her light eyebrows. “Uhh … well, alright, see you later. I gotta get to class.” Alyssa walks away, biting her lip.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Umm, see ya later … Alligator.”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Oh my gosh, what am I doing? I quickly walk away and take a detour to my first-period class. That was really bad; I don’t know what happened. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> A class period passes and the accident is still on my mind. I’m pretty sure Alyssa’s not looking for a guy that wrecks cars and murders garden gnomes. All I had to do was make a normal story and avoid the truth. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Three periods pass, and before I know it, it is my lunch period. Time flies when you can’t get something out of your mind. I make my way through the lunch courtyards. My friends motion me to sit with them, but I ignore their invitation. I look through the crowded courtyard and meet eyes with Alyssa. I briskly walk through the sea of students toward her lunch line.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Hey,” I start, “sorry about earlier.”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Hello,” Alyssa replies, adding lettuce to her sandwich. “What happened when you ‘got injured really bad, but not too severe, but definitely not, yeah,’” Alyssa teases.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I laugh nervously and start to blush. “It was a car accident.”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Oh my gosh, what did you do? Drive drunk or something?” Allysa jokes.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Yeah,” I respond.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “What?!” Allysa jumps.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Only joking,” I quickly correct myself, with an awkward chuckle. “I was driving … erm, my dad was driving me home when a drunk driver ran a red light and went 50 miles per hour into our car.”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “So that’s what happened to your forehead.” Alyssa points to my forehead. “It’s a miracle that you are alright. Is your dad alright?” I quickly smooth my hair down.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Yeah, I just had a concussion and some alcohol pois—I mean food poisoning … and an upset stomach. My dad is fine.” </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “What does food poisoning have to do with this?” Alyssa implores.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “We were at a party, and … umm, their microwaved taquitos weren’t very good for my stomach.” I gulp.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “So, you were coming home from a party and your dad was not drunk?” Alyssa replies with shock.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Umm, yeah, he doesn’t drink at all.”</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Oh, sorry to assume. But I am just used to my old man getting really drunk at parties, and still wanting to drive home.” </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I look to the side. My mind is overflowing with questions and shock. That was pretty personal. She trusts me enough to say that? Does she like me, too? Should I say something personal back? What do I say back? If I just respectfully leave, it won’t be awkward anymore, right? I slowly back away.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Well, my friends are waiting for me right now. I’ll see you in English,” I awkwardly break the silence. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Me, too,” Alyssa blushes. </span><br /><br /><br />2) By Ryan H.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><br />A Truth Too Hard To Reveal<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I pick up some hot, crusty bread, placing it in a little bag that has the words ‘‘Bake ‘n’ Flake’’ across the center. I smile at a customer as I quickly pull out the receipt, handing both items to him. <br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Pit-a-Pat, Pit-a-Pat, footsteps of employees and customers echo into the pleasant morning air as the aroma of sweet bread drifts under my nose.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Finger-combing the long strands of hair that cover my forehead, I glance around. My eyes stop like an eagle spotting something interesting. Amelia, I look at her, feeling a mixture of enthusiasm and eagerness as I steadily walk towards the table where she’s sitting at.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Ahem, hi… Ummm... everything’s alright here?” I ask.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>She always arrives in the campus bakery in the morning for coffee and mini-croissants, and I’m satisfied I have the morning shift. I really can’t keep my eyes off her.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Yeah, everything’s fine.”<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I gesture towards her shirt that says “Class of “2020,” saying, “Hey, I think you’re in one of my classes.”<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I stupidly grin and push my hair back. Suddenly, her eyes change, they looked a little wide, maybe even concerned. I swallow, pulling down a few strands of hair.<br /> “Where did you…” She paused. “...get that huge scar over your forehead?”<br /> I gaze down, feeling her eyes dig into my forehead. “Ummmm… when I was young… I actually fell off a tree… and got a couple of scratches here and there.”<br /> “Oh, I’m sorry….my brother loved to climb trees as well. He always fell off, too, but didn’t get too many gashes.”<br /> I quickly look away, realizing I have been staring at her light blue eyes so intently. “Yeah, cool!” I blurt. “I mean...” Amelia looks at me, confused. “You know… I mean…uhhhh…It was nice talking to you, Amelia…”<br /> “You too—” she glances at my nametag—“Alex.” She quickly sits up and walks out as if in a hurry. <br /> Soon, my shift ends, and I see the bright yellow sun glistening in the warm afternoon through the windows of the bakery. I scratch my head, as I head toward my sedan, looking back toward the table where Amelia had sat. Where l had lied to her. I rub my hand along the long, jagged, scar. I let out a sigh as I step into my little car, taking my apron off and placing it on my bulging backpack.<br /> Screeeeeech!! I slam the brake as my car jolts to a sudden stop. The student who was crossing the street backs away, shouting, “Man, are you drunk!? You could have killed me!” He raises his hand, sticking up a nasty finger, baring his teeth, and cursing all the profanity I’ve ever heard in my life.<br /> I mumble under my breath, “No, I only kill garden gnomes.” I realize I’m not breathing. I take a deep breath, feeling a throb on my forehead.<br /> The memory ripples over me like a vast wave, the time I had driven drunk and crashed, leaving behind a pile of crumbled gnomes and the zig-zag on my forehead. I look down at my white knuckles, as I grip onto the leather wheel. How in the world would I have gotten a scar from falling off a tree? And if I did, it wouldn’t be on my forehead, since that would mean I would fall on my head, and I’d probably be dead....</span></h4>
Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-61484103949801513742020-02-03T16:00:00.000-08:002020-02-03T16:00:07.703-08:00Prompted by Chris Baron's ALL OF ME, a novel-in-verse...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">After finishing <a href="https://www.chris-baron.com/books" target="_blank">Chris Baron's middle-grade novel-in-verse, <i>All of Me,</i></a><i> </i>I wholeheartedly recommended the book to my small group class of seventh- and eighth-grade creative writing students. I read them a couple of Baron's poems that illustrated how the conciseness and preciseness of poetic words can engage readers <i>and</i> reveal characters in ways that simple prose does not: poetic novels compel readers to interpret the subtle implications within each carefully chosen poetic word, as well as within the spaces around those words. What is <i>not</i> said outright in a poem, only suggested, often conveys meaning and tone as much as what <i>is</i> said. The ensuing discussion, prompted by my questions, such as "So what can we guess from this poem about Ari's relationship with...," led to a talk about how real friends should respond to shared pain, and how awkward it can be to share or hear deep secrets; how the best role models practice what they preach, while the worst ones act like hypocrites; and how strange it is that we never see ourselves the way others do, and how we might be less hard on ourselves if we could. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I then read to them, as a writing prompt, a section from one of Baron's poems (on pages 96-97 of <i>All of Me</i>), in which the protagonist's best friend describes "how you're supposed to look at art" in a way that leaves her "face beaming with joy." I asked them to write a poem about how to look at poetry. Below, in their own handwriting, unedited, are photos of the drafts that five of my middle-school writers produced in class. I was so pleased by the thoughtful words that I asked permission to photograph their poems and post them here. Now, please read their poems about how to read poems--how "meta," right?--and then <i>reread</i> them once you have learned how to do so! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Please leave your comments about what you have learned from these poets about poetry. They would love to know they've moved you in some way!</span></div>
Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-71784846933806006272020-01-22T13:32:00.001-08:002020-01-22T13:32:21.656-08:00Poetry Prompting Poetry: Inspiring Introspection by Sharing Deep Thoughts<br />
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<span style="font-family: applesystemuifont;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Evoking introspection by sharing thought-provoking poems enables me to catalyze growth for young writers, in terms of both their writing skills and their self-understanding. Evidence of such growth often arrives in the form of poetic responses to my own poetry prompts, as illustrated below:</span></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "applesystemuifont"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "applesystemuifont"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><span style="font-size: large;">THE PROMPT: Write a similar poem about unfair assumptions you've made.</span></u></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About Assumptions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Susan L. Lipson </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I read your scowl as a snide comment</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">about me,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and prepared to throw the book at you,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">but then you revealed the grief between your lines,</span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and I reread that scowl as a grimace of pain,</span></span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">about you.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Guiltily, I snapped shut the book of judgment,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">which wasn't mine to read. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "montserrat" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "montserrat" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u>THE RESPONSE:</u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "montserrat" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Assumptions</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Caleb T., age 11</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-6bad615c-7fff-8307-0dfb-2210d2b87efc" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve had some trouble putting it out of my mind.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quiet, thin-eyed = older.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Loud, wide-eyed = younger.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In between = middle.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope that no one hears</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And thinks that I judge too much</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The perceptions of people’s ages.</span></div>
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qGcVltPJoinkupvC28n-VcwrPfHEeJ2FqA3ipzt3szMvzHQBxBwxTtP4SCwQXRQNp9y1rxFUWeP8ZE71Ncz0bM2l11Vv6S1zAKdzi478hHM6eZ8YU0Dpw3co-ODceDz5dJXTdqAl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qGcVltPJoinkupvC28n-VcwrPfHEeJ2FqA3ipzt3szMvzHQBxBwxTtP4SCwQXRQNp9y1rxFUWeP8ZE71Ncz0bM2l11Vv6S1zAKdzi478hHM6eZ8YU0Dpw3co-ODceDz5dJXTdqAl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Assumptions </span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">≠</span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">facts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><u>ANOTHER PROMPT: Use the bold-lettered words as a framework for </u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><u>your own </u></b></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u>poem on the same theme, or reverse the objects and subjects, </u></b><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u>changing </u></b><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u>"you" to "I/me" to show the opposite view.</u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Old Blanket</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Susan L. Lipson</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>To you, I was </b>an old blanket,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Covered in teddy bears and hearts,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Warmth from younger days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>But now you see me as </b>threadbare,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unappealing, too babyish,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Something for the storage chest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>To me, you were </b>my best childhood friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>But now I know you as </b>the one who</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discarded me for a new comforter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>THE RESPONSE (THE REVERSED OPTION):</u></b></span></div>
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<b style="text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Former Commander </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">by Ethan C., age 10</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">To me, you were my commander,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">Helping me with everything I do, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">Memories of the younger days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">But now I see you as a comrade,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">Less cool, more average, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">Somebody just to be friends with. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">To you, I was like a soldier,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">But now you know me as a fighter </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">W</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">ho rose the ranks and went beyond you.</span></div>
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<h3>
<br /> Both of these student poets wrote their poems after a deep discussion of the various implied meanings of the prompt poem. Their sweet expressions of insightful nostalgia warmed my heart as they read me their final drafts with pride. Thanks for reading. Please leave encouraging comments for Caleb and Ethan below!</h3>
Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-55517693878822292802020-01-06T14:37:00.000-08:002020-01-06T14:37:07.592-08:00Apology to Readers Who Have Left Comments and Received No Reply from Me<br />
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Dear Readers,<br />
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It's 2020--the year of clarity (my vision-related joke for the New Year). I only today discovered, because a treasured former student wrote me a letter, that I have received numerous comments over the past months (and years) and never knew of them! I'd figured that no one bothered to leave comments. The truth, I now see, is that I ineptly set up this blog site and didn't enable the settings to notify me about comments awaiting moderation. I have just remedied this issue, and want to thank all of you whose comments elicited no replies from me. Please know that I have indeed read them today and appreciate your taking the time to praise and encourage my students, and to express your admiration for my lessons and your desire to share them with others.<br />
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Please keep reading and commenting. I will reply now, and pass on your praise to my dear students!<br />
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As always, inspiring awe for words and awesome writing,<br />
<br />
Susan L. Lipson<br />
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P.S. Check out my other blog, too, if you haven't: see the link to the right of this post...<br />
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<br />Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-88079471844027871902019-12-17T16:59:00.000-08:002019-12-17T16:59:39.615-08:00Emulation Exercise To Prove to a Student that He IS a Poet<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before he started private lessons with me, Ethan, a fourth-grade student, hadn't written or studied poetry. So I introduced him to Sharon Creech's brilliant, middle-grade novel-in-verse <a href="https://www.sharoncreech.com/book/9780064409599/love-that-dog/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Love That Dog. </a> In that book, the narrator, like my student, is a boy who initially looks at poetry as merely a language arts class unit that is somehow related to his literary education. Through emulating the poems presented by his teacher, the fictional boy, Jack, soon finds his own style and voice, and discovers some important personal truths that he can now express poetically. Ethan enjoyed Creech's book a lot, and when I assigned him a prompt from my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Success-Through-Poetry-Classroom/dp/1593631839" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Writing Success Through Poetry, </a>he emulated Jack by emulating me. Adapting my poem's structure and style to express his own feelings about the intangible value of a personal treasure, he created "My Soccer Ball." His poem appears just below the prompt, my poem "Nana's Ring."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">The very fact that Ethan willingly typed this poem and proudly offered it to me to post here--not to mention that he clearly understands the difference between tangible and intangible value--is proof enough of the benefit of encouraging emulation by young writers. Please feel free to leave comments for Ethan below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-4752005907316008712019-11-04T14:49:00.000-08:002019-11-04T14:49:10.905-08:00Still Life Pictures that Paint Moving Character Portraits<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"> To portray a person to readers, whether that person is a fictional character or an actual human, a narrator or a protagonist presented by an omniscient narrator, avoid telling readers about him/her/them in opinion-based adjectives and judgment-laden revelations. For example, readers won't enjoy fully engaging with a character described to them as an "untrustworthy gossip" as much as they will enjoy figuring out that character trait for themselves within an implied description, such as: </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: large;">"Under the table, out of Amy's view, Nancy typed on her phone: 'AMY GOT DUMPED BY JOHN LIKE WE ALL KNEW SHE WOULD!' Then she typed a string of crying-laughing face emojis." The latter description of Amy's phone screen will make readers see Nancy's betrayal and decide for themselves that she is an untrustworthy gossip. The emotional impact of an illustrated tangible object--the phone and text message--has far more power than a merely "telling" phrase. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: large;"> Using tangible objects to imply characteristics about a person is a fine way to "show, not tell" in a poetic prose </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: large;">portrait. Try it yourself with the following writing prompt:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Arrange a “still life” picture of a person’s private space that evokes a mental character sketch through the implications of the assembled objects. Describe in detail such possessions as clues to reveal details, subtly, about the collector/character/narrator. Here is a still life picture of a corner of my own private workspace. What can you infer about ME from this still life portrayal? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: large;">I have shown you implications about myself as a poet with a new book, and as a visiting author who conducts poetry workshops. I have shown you that I seem to value plants and views of nature, that I might collect rocks, that I need an overhead fan in my office, and that I probably read and highlight memorable passages, given the number of highlighters in the mug. The mug also reveals that my highlighting might be for students' papers, since it says, "Teaching is a work of heart." So, you can infer that I am a teacher. Furthermore, you can infer from the placard on the windowsill, which says, "To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world," that someone values my presence enough to give me that gift, and that I value that expression of appreciation enough to want to see it as a daily reminder. (You can also infer, from the fact that I added commas above to my transcription of plaque's message, that I am an editor!) Do you see how that list of items gives us the basic bullet points to build a more layered character?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"> But now, look what can happen when I show a character interacting with this collection of objects, to suggest some more psychologically intriguing characteristics that readers can infer--characteristics that will engage the reader and advance the plot. Let's imagine that a different woman inhabits my office, and each day, before she sits down to work at her desk, she picks up the placard and runs her fingers over the words 'but to one person you may be the world,' as she sighs wistfully. Then she dusts off the placard, sets it down like a holy relic, inhales deeply, and settles down onto her chair to start her day. Spin a tale from that daily ritual! What if I add other objects to the scene, like</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: large;"> a pile of wadded-up tissues beside a torn-up, hand-lettered envelope showing the character's name, "Nancy," inside a shakily drawn, red heart? Plots can build upon such subtle details. Allow your readers to play investigators or psychologists as they explore the worlds you lay before them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: large;"> Try setting up your own still life pictures to evoke a character and a plot. Experiment with adding and removing carefully chosen objects to focus on providing images that deepen your characterization and propel your plot. As in poetry, details should have a purpose; this exercise will strengthen your focus on meaningful word choices and keep you from bloating your prose (or poems) with unnecessary details. Now go write!</span></div>
Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-37317170515893669782019-10-17T07:00:00.000-07:002019-10-17T07:00:03.874-07:00What a Fourth Grader Learned About Superfluous Words<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/20147809/?claim=btt2k9dk98c">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a><br />
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Today's featured student writing sample illustrates the benefit of teaching editorial skills simultaneously with writing skills: to enhance and encourage concise, vivid writing and a heightened awareness of word power. The writing sample also shows that students can learn even more from a writing or editing exercise when asked to recount it in a short essay, thus solidifying the understanding of what they have learned and why they needed to learn it. Such a self-directed, reflective component in a lesson enriches learning more than any teacher-led review.</div>
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After teaching my fourth-grade student, Ethan, about the power of concise, vivid word choices, and about how to identify superfluous words to delete, I gave him some editing exercises. His eyes lit up when he realized how many unnecessary words he could scratch out of a bloated sentence without changing the meaning. Kids often love to cut out words, I've found, even more than they enjoy writing them; editing gives us power over words, even as it gives more power to the words themselves. Ethan's reflective essay paragraph (see the picture below), which he wrote after the editorial lesson, showed me that he truly understood the concept of "less is more" in writing. It also showed me that this young writer is rapidly learning to write memorable, moving words!<br />
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<br />Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-73693082974750785432019-09-05T17:48:00.003-07:002019-09-05T17:48:54.965-07:00More Creative, Allegorical, Student Authors' Sequels to "The Animal School" <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
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The parable <a href="http://www.bocparenting.ie/uploads/8/2/6/3/8263309/animalschool.pdf" target="_blank">"The Animal School," by George M. Reavis,</a> consistently evokes creative responses from my writing students. Their enthusiasm for Reavis's story, which covertly criticizes the conformist, yet competitive curricula comprising many educational programs, does not surprise me; after all, my students epitomize the often underestimated, astute learners who aim to find passion and personal fulfillment in their studies. Grace and Joshua, two insightful middle-school students, responded to the parable with very different sequels, published below. Grace's sequel introduces a college scout who visits the school to assess scholarship candidates. The Eagle, who in the original story, performed the climbing curriculum his own way, defying the school rules, catches the eye of the scout not as a rebel, but as an innovative nonconformist. Joshua's sequel takes a darker approach to the topic: how schools foment unhealthy competition and dishonest, politically motivated schemes to fund their own system, at the expense of students' success and mental health. Please read these excellent stories and leave a comment for the promising authors below! </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b style="text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">CREATIVE AS WELL AS TALENTED</b><b style="text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</b></i></span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> A Sequel to "The Animal School," by George M. Reavis</span></b></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Grace L., age 12</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One day, a college scout showed up at the Animal School, looking to recruit one student to receive a full scholarship. All the students lined up, eager to prove themselves worthy. Nervous glances were exchanged when the administration announced the first event. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Climbing!” the administration broadcasted, as the elimination process began. Hours and hours of multiple subject tests went by before the scout declared he had enough. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Silence filled the auditorium and the squeaks of the floorboard mapped out the steps to their fate. The microphone feedback whined, and the students shifted to the front of their seats. The scout, unbothered, flipped through his papers to declare his final decision.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“After extensively observing this school, I have reached a decision,” he states. “This year I will be giving the full scholarship to Eagle.” Confused looks filled the audience as they wondered if this was a mistake. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGLNU24PQ-Q8q8WhRO18BlzJnqhGLOn1AeDLy7Ua95TKZr4kIJXQ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for eagle" border="0" class="rg_ic rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGLNU24PQ-Q8q8WhRO18BlzJnqhGLOn1AeDLy7Ua95TKZr4kIJXQ" jsaction="load:str.tbn" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGLNU24PQ-Q8q8WhRO18BlzJnqhGLOn1AeDLy7Ua95TKZr4kIJXQ" style="cursor: move; height: 183px; margin-top: 4px; width: 275px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still unbothered, the scout continued to state, “Eagle has shown a significant amount of talent throughout the climbing test. He was able to be impressively faster than all the other students in completing the task at hand. Meanwhile, he was able to be creative and unique in the way that he climbed the tree. To me, this shows a lot of integrity, and excellence. Eagle was able to take his gifts and use them to improve. I found his character to be unlike others, for he is unmoved by the fact that he is different. Everyone else had worked hard to be so-called ‘average’ at every subject. The college I have come here to represent would love to have Eagle, an individual, who has the ability to be creative as well as talented. To all the other students, keep working hard and soon you will achieve the level of greatness that Eagle has shown here today.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To this comment, mouths and beaks hung open as teachers’ eyes bulged. The student that everyone had been guilty of treating like an outcast had outshined them all. Slow claps began as Eagle made his way up to the stage, his face plastered with an expression that said, “I knew it all along.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Soon after this event, teachers questioned their purpose, and students questioned their goals. When the administration finally recovered from their shock, they began to organize students into classes based on their talents and passions. Furthermore, the track and swim teams were created. In the end, Duck’s feet healed. </span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Dark Days at The Animal School</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(A Sequel to "The Animal School," by George M. Reavis) </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">by Joshua T., age 12</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">One day one at the Animal school, the head counselors decided to expand their acceptance. They had started accepting a variety of different organisms. The first to join was Clostridium perfringens, a form of bacteria. Even with these new organisms, the school decided to keep its current curriculum. The Clostridium perfringens was accepted early into this school due to their amazing performance in the SOT (Skilled Organism Test) and their stunning resumes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Clostridium perfringens, like other bacteria, were also able to travel through the air. Since the bacteria were enrolled in the wind-assisted flying program, this made them incredibly good at flying. They were also able to keep up with the fastest climbers by clinging onto the fastest climbers, ensuring their top scores. This was the strategy for most of the other events as well. The instructors were oblivious to this as they were always at the finish, awaiting the competitors. The competition was also oblivious as the bacteria were small and light. The Clostridium perfringens would jump off the animal they used, right before they crossed the finish line.</span></span></div>
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<img alt="Image result for clostridium perfringens" class="rg_ic rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSSwdAEU1W0Z65_q9IjLSUAVR8pSl3H5HeQzCukNH6fAa8xnvB_" height="124" jsaction="load:str.tbn" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSSwdAEU1W0Z65_q9IjLSUAVR8pSl3H5HeQzCukNH6fAa8xnvB_" style="height: 177px; margin-left: -1px; margin-right: -2px; margin-top: 1px; text-indent: 0px; width: 285px;" width="200" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Since the Clostridium perfringens always tied against the top animal in each competition, this pushed the top animal to train even harder to try to beat their time, staying after school or at lunch to practice. This was no use as the Clostridium perfringens always tied with them no matter what. Due to the animals training harder and harder, they pushed the limits of each subject. This forced the head counselors to push the standard even higher. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Eventually, even the top animals had a limit and just decided to give up on trying harder. This was the same for all the other animals. If they couldn’t even beat the top animal, they would never be able to beat the Clostridium perfringens. This led to an increase in depression, drug use, and alcohol use. The school desperately tried to hide this, and they were successful. The Animal School was nominated the top school for 5 years straight after Clostridium perfringens joined. This led to more funding to make the school nicer and more recruiting of organisms even better than Clostridium perfringens. All this to hide all of the student depression and drug and alcohol use. The more the Animal School hid, the more funding and money they got. The school eventually opted out of government funding and became a private institution. Although the school had so much money, they never supplied mental health treatment for the students, fearing that their rating would drop.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Two years after the school had become a private institution, the school had 20 suicides, 75 incidents due to drug overdose, 121 incidents of fights breaking out due to alcohol use, and a 60% dropout rate.</span></span></div>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-49631230329271094782019-08-09T09:00:00.000-07:002019-08-09T09:00:05.956-07:00Student Response to "The Animal School," by George Reavis<h1 style="break-after: avoid-page; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> <a href="https://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/36201/the-animal-school" target="_blank">"The Animal School," a fable by George Reavis</a> is one of my favorite prompts for middle-school students (click on the story title to read the short text, which I first read in a <i>Chicken Soup for the Soul </i>book). The story teaches a lesson about teaching lessons--to animals. The animal students find themselves in a school that forces them to learn athletic skills that contradict their natural abilities--like the duck who is forced to keep practicing his running on the track, and discouraged from focusing on swimming, in which he excels. Torn webbed feet and low self-esteem certainly won't motivate such a student. This fable is about teaching to students' strengths, rather than highlighting their weaknesses and setting them up for failure; it's about designing lessons to suit individual learners' needs; and it's about self-directed learning and the importance of nonconformity to inspire students to reach their full potentials. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> After discussing the story, I assign two possible writing prompts: 1) students can write their own story about an animal NOT mentioned in "The Animal School" who rebels against a teacher who ignores abilities and needs in favor of a "one size fits all" approach to education; and 2) students can write a persuasive letter to the head of the Animal School to demand changes in unjust curriculum requirements. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Oliver, a 12 year old<span style="font-weight: normal;">, found a unique way to complete both prompts and link them together. I was so impressed by the voice, humor, and description in his story, and by the clever letter that he wrote from the principal to the complaining parents, that I asked him to send me his final draft for this blog. Below is Oliver's tale of a fish who attends the Animal School, and </span></span><i style="font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">makes waves, </i><span style="font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">so to speak, first by beating his swan teacher's record in swimming, and then by questioning an oblivious teacher who tries to force him into risking his life by running on land. I hope you enjoy and admire his work as much as I do. Please consider leaving a comment for Oliver, below this story.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> As a fish, I love swimming; I mean, it’s one of the only things I can do. Then came September 2, which was the first day of Animal School. I was so excited to meet new friends and learn new things. When the day finally came, my Mom woke me up early in the morning and brought me outside. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Sorry, son,” Mom apologizes, “I can’t swim you to school today, so I signed you up to swim with the duck family.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That’s fine,” I respond. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Okay. Have fun at school.” Mom hugged me goodbye.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I swam up to the surface to meet the duck family. The little duck was Kevin, who was going to be my classmate. We spent the entire swim to school talking. It was nice to have someone to talk to other than my parents. There weren’t really any other fish or animals around where I live. When we arrived at the school we were greeted by the principal. An old bulldog with tiny spectacles, he had a large head with a soothing smile. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Good Morning everyone, I am Principal Hank,” the bulldog announced. “I just want to say that today everyone's first class will be Swimming with Mr. Swanson.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mr.Swanson wanted to start the year off by assessing us. I thought it would go fine. Except there was one problem: we were being graded. This made me nervous, I didn’t know how he was going to grade us without a standard. What made me more nervous was that I was first. What if I was a slow swimmer, compared to the other water animals? Well, at least I knew how to swim. Jones the squirrel was scared out of his mind. He paced back and forth and winced at the sight of water. For the assessment, we had to swim along the shore from point A to point B. Mr. Swanson demonstrated his swan dive and finished with a time of 24 seconds. What if that was the standard? Do we have to beat that impossible time to pass?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I was at the starting line. The instant I heard the word “go”, I swam as fast as I could. There was still a chance of beating the record. I shattered Mr. Swanson’s time with 16 seconds! I could hear the entire class cheering; Kevin was screaming his head off. A wave of relief came over me. I knew that no matter what, I would get a good grade. Kevin was next, finishing with a time of 21 seconds. Mr. Swanson was so shocked at this that he came over and high-fived Kevin and patted me on the head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What a relief! I think it's guaranteed we get an A. We </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">did beat</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the Instructor,” Kevin laughed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Swimming makes one less thing to worry about--or so I thought. The rest of the class was made up of land animals, except for an eel. Jones the Squirrel sank like a rock. When Jones finished, it was Fluffy the Cat’s turn. Fluffy screeched after putting a toe in the water. All of us saw the disappointment in Swanson’s face. Mr. Swanson assumed everyone was a water and land creature like himself. When he saw that only 4 out of 32 could swim, he gave the rest of the class a 1/20 while giving us a 20/20. The water animals felt awful for our classmates, so we all agreed that tomorrow we wouldn’t try, so the animals could get a good grade. It was unfair to grade like that, but before we could talk with Mr. Swanson, the next class was announced: Running! My heart sank to the back of my chest. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone is nervous on the first day of school, but this feeling was different. This feeling was dread.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You can just talk with the teacher and you’ll be fine,” Kevin comforted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Al--Alright,” I respond.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kevin walked with me to the teacher, Coach Jack.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Sir?” I asked nervously. “Do I--Do I sit out for running class?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Do you have a doctor’s note?” Coach replied. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I started to tremor and swim back and forth. “Umm, Sir—Sir… ”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“But he’s a fish!” Kevin talked for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That means he is a water animal. Are you discriminating against his kind? Just because some fish can’t walk doesn’t mean all fish can't walk,” Coach Jack said sternly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Are you crazy! All fish can’t run!” Kevin yelled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“See what I mean? That is stereotypical. And watch your tone there, young man!” Coach yelled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I can’t run knowing my friend is going to fail because of a clearly oblivious teacher!” Kevin exclaimed. Coach Jack was swelling up with anger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before Coach Jack could say anything, the eel from swimming class joined in: “I can't either.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“This is outrageous!” Coach Jack stomped. “You three just earned yourself detention after school!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coach Jack was in the opposite of a fantastic mood, especially when I stayed in the water. He constantly tried to drag me on shore to run. When the other students saw this, they knew something was wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What are you doing?” Jones the Squirrel questioned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“He won't--won’t participate in running,” Coach struggled, trying to catch me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Stop, I can’t—I can’t breathe on land,” I protested.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Stop with the excuses! I’m not in a good mood, just cooperate,” Coach responded.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“But fish can’t swim. Stop it!” Jones exclaimed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What is wrong with you children!” Coach Jack gave up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rest of the students were crowding around Coach, trying to protect me. Tim the Turtle hid me under his shell, while George the Eaglet snuck behind Coach.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">George was always a bit of a trouble maker, and now was no exception. This time he was doing it to help me. George picked up Coach Jack with his talons and dragged him away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“How does it feel?” George taunted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This unruly event became the start of many complaints and, some might even say, a rebellion. Weeks later, Coach Jack was fired and everyone tried to forget the events that happened. Complaints were still being sent and the school seemed as if it were about to come to an end, until Principal Hank sent out a letter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-weight: normal; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dear Parents, and Guardians of Animal School Students,</span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-weight: normal; text-align: start;"><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have heard your complaints about our educational system. The system comes with many pros and cons, so try to see the situation from our perspective. We believe our children should be well-rounded, instead of being like a one-trick human. This opens a plethora of skills and opportunities for the kids (not just goats). The most important would be for safety. Who knows when the children might have to climb a tree to escape? Maybe they fell into a lake where they could drown, or even fish could wash ashore. The skills taught at Animal School would prepare them for those situations. Safety should be a priority for a parent, right before happiness. Our children need to discover what they love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I was a young pup, my favorite activity was running. I would always race to the top of a hill with my friends or play games like Tag. One day my friends and I raced around a lake. I was so scared of falling in the lake that I didn’t pay attention to anything in front of me. Ironically, I tripped on a tree root and fell into the lake. I started to kick my legs frantically and swung my arms, and I found myself swimming. I loved it. Even today I swim every weekend at that same lake. This is the reason I created Animal School, to help children learn their true potential. Perhaps I shouldn't have to push the kids to do the impossible. Next school year, I will implement new classes personalized for the students. Fish no longer have to take running or climbing, but will learn jumping out of the water. Ducks will be able to take modified running, and no longer need climbing. I hope this satisfies your complaints, but just remember to encourage your children to learn new things. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sincerely, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Principal Hank</span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> Clearly, Oliver thoroughly understands the messages of the original story, and I applaud his sequel, which is more memorable even than the original story! </span></span></div>
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Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-32520190831353979082019-08-07T23:14:00.000-07:002019-08-07T23:26:16.109-07:00Essay Writing with "E IEI O" Structure!<h3>
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I have focused many of this summer's private lessons with middle-schoolers on strengthening their essay-writing skills. No amount of outlining or filling in graphic organizers has as much influence on my students as deconstructing sample body paragraphs based on my E-IEI-O mnemonic device for the five essential elements of every body paragraph:</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6KsDFzJuCTFSVJwjvegmHjp3e0qHoC9JIlSRaRyjO835_dQtmyDkO8OCatTvsTl9ZORE6SUcgZ_F17bnqaQ0zX-gFl4AcQ8j3l4d5C6mj_Fg0b2NnG8u6Hs48FVgRs5tHFF94GK2otI/s1600/IMG_7157+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1600" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6KsDFzJuCTFSVJwjvegmHjp3e0qHoC9JIlSRaRyjO835_dQtmyDkO8OCatTvsTl9ZORE6SUcgZ_F17bnqaQ0zX-gFl4AcQ8j3l4d5C6mj_Fg0b2NnG8u6Hs48FVgRs5tHFF94GK2otI/s400/IMG_7157+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I provide examples of both weak and strong paragraphs, and read them aloud with my students. I then give them a checklist that calls their attention to each of the five structural elements above, to consider in terms of: vagueness versus specificity in word choices and examples; whether each sentence builds upon the preceding one; unnecessary repetition of words or ideas; clarity of assertions and examples; smoothness of transitions; inclusion of contextual set-up for quotations; and the overall power of the writer's insights. After this editorial exercise, which empowers them to fill the margins with notes guided by the checklist, I assign a single paragraph response to a short story or a poem. The students may write about the theme of the literary work, or focus on the style and power of the writing. Full of the desire to emulate the strong essay paragraphs that made them exclaim, "Ah, I didn't see that!," and the even greater desire to avoid emulating the weak essay paragraphs whose margins they filled with questions and critical words, they write. </h3>
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<br /> Today I have created this example paragraph below, for students to emulate, based on a poem from my book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Success-Through-Poetry-Classroom/dp/1593631839" target="_blank">Writing Success Through Poetry</a>, </i>which you will find on page 52:<i>"</i>Thirsty Plant and Cloudy Sky." This would be helpful for a middle-school student to read and study, along with the poem (so get yourself a copy of my book with a quick click on the link embedded in the title above). </h3>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“E-IEI-O” Example Essay Paragraph About the Theme of a Poem: “Thirsty Plant and Cloudy Sky,” by Susan L. Lipson</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Structure of a theme-based paragraph about literature</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">E-</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Establish</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> theme</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I-</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Illustrate</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> theme with quotations from text, set up in context</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">E-</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Explain </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">what illustration/quotation shows the reader</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I-</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interpret </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">implications of the quotation that expand on established theme</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">O-</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“take-away” lesson for broader understanding of theme</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Thirsty Plant and Cloudy Sky,” a poem by Susan L. Lipson, presents a metaphorical conversation between two personified friends--Plant and Sky--in which Plant offers comfort to his “blue” friend, but not solely out of love for Sky. Plant initially exhibits compassion: “Now sob, my friend; release a thunderous yell! Shared tears help friendships grow….” But then Plant adds quietly, “And ME as well--truth to tell!” The murmured confession of the ulterior motive alerts the reader that Plant may be encouraging the Sky’s sobbing--that is, rain--to quench his own thirst and boost his growth. Although the reader may doubt the Plant’s love for his friend, viewing Plant as a user more than a giver, no harm has actually occurred, only a mutually beneficial rain. Thus, the poem teaches a lesson about the codependence between friends and the importance of looking at the outcome of our interactions as well as the intentions behind them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Notice especially that the essay </i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>paragraph</i></span><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> provides enough information about the poem it discusses that you don't have to read the poem in order to understand the paragraph. Also note how the "Overall sentence" broadens the topic established in the first sentence, and how the "Interpret line" offers an opinion based on "reading between the lines" (not based on the text itself, but on an opinion of what seems to be implied). </i></span></span></div>
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Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-381496738719606452018-07-16T17:49:00.001-07:002018-07-16T17:49:26.290-07:00Use It or Lose It: Keeping Writing Skills Sharp Outside of Classes<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As in physical exercise, if you don't use your writing skills and creative energy for a while, you'll lose them (well, not exactly <i>lose, </i>but you'll definitely make it harder to regain your "literary fitness level" after a long hiatus). Here are three suggestions for exercises to keep your writing and critical reading skills active on your own:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Regularly practice critical reading by writing responses on sticky notes AS YOU READ, and sticking them throughout your books. Practicing active reading this way, even with your summer "pleasure reading," will sharpen your skills and keep you actively engaged in the reading experience for maximum mental fitness! This technique will keep you attuned to admirable writing techniques that you wish to enhance for your own works, too. Use sticky notes to enable you to flip back through the book later to review what specific passages compelled, concerned, intrigued, or inspired you. (This advanced "flagging" of important lines in literature will surely benefit you when you return to school to write literary response essays or research papers: you can collect in advance, so to speak, quotations that might illuminate themes or exemplify character- or plot-building, which you can easily find later, when writing an essay.) Note the exemplary writing techniques (figurative language, imagery, rhetorical beauty of the prose, etc.) that you wish to emulate, </span><i><span style="font-size: large;">and note why you appreciate them</span></i><span style="font-size: large;">; note hints of plot events to come and make predictions to sharpen your observational skills; note subtle secondary or symbolic meanings that underscore the theme, and note why these implications are important to you; note expressions or events that remind you of other works--in any art form--as well as related experiences from your own life. Active reading will exercise your powers of observation and analogous thinking, while simultaneously entering your subconscious to improve your own writing. Here is a link to an article to read and use for practice in developing your active reading skills: </span><a href="http://www.aplithelp.com/annotation-for-smarties-5-tips-for-teaching-students-active-reading-and-critical-thinking/">http://www.aplithelp.com/annotation-for-smarties-5-tips-for-teaching-students-active-reading-and-critical-thinking/</a><span style="font-size: large;">. </span></li>
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" 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</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Use and make lists to generate ideas. For example, make a daily list of emotional observations, with any title you want. You might list: </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Things I Did/Noticed Today that Made Me Feel Relaxed</i>; or <i>People I Miss and Why I Miss Them</i>; or <i>What I Planned To Do Today and What I Actually Did</i>; or <i>What Made Me Angry/Disappointed/Sad/Lonely/Joyful Today</i>, etc. Lists of your own devising can illuminate a lot about YOU to study and turn into stories, too. Also make lists of objects and/or people you notice, randomly, and turn them into parts of a story. The great Ray Bradbury advocated list-making to generate creativity; check this out: </span><a href="https://www.brainpickings.org/2013/10/18/ray-bradbury-on-lists/">https://www.brainpickings.org/2013/10/18/ray-bradbury-on-lists/</a> . <span style="font-size: large;">Find lists of writing prompts and see what triggers you to write for 15 or more minutes. Here's a list for you: </span><a href="https://thinkwritten.com/365-creative-writing-prompts/">365-creative-writing-prompts</a>. <span style="font-size: large;">And here's another great source for conjuring stories from lists (one sample page from the link is pictured below): </span><a href="https://www.ourboox.com/books/coming-up-with-ideas-for-childrens-books-with-dr-alon-amit/">https://www.ourboox.com/books/coming-up-with-ideas-for-childrens-books-with-dr-alon-amit/</a></li>
</ul>
<ul><div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Related image" class="irc_mi" height="375" src="https://www.ourboox.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Slide6-4-500x375.jpg" style="margin-top: 64px;" width="500" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Take a novel, short story, or poem that you haven't read (yet) and jot down the first line on a blank paper, or type it onto a blank computer document. Continue from that line to write a story or poem that uses the same tone and diction set by the line you borrowed. When you feel that you have finished a scene with a beginning, middle, and end, set it aside and read the work from which you borrowed the opening line. Notice how yours picked up on the language used to create your own ideas; notice any similarities and differences between the path of your work versus the work from which you borrowed. Now go back and change your opening line to make the story/poem entirely your own.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Those are just a few ideas for exercising your literary muscles this summer. Feel free to share your thoughts for creative sparks or your results from trying these prompts, below.... </span></div>
Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-30017857920111744262018-05-23T09:58:00.003-07:002018-05-23T09:58:50.158-07:00Promising Middle-School Age Poets Explore Perspective with Humor and Innovation <br />
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Here are the results of prompting my 11- and 12-year-old students to write poems with verse openers borrowed from another poem, by <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/geography-of-girlhood-kirsten-smith/1100294263" target="_blank">Kirsten Smith, from her poetry novel <i>The Geography of Girlhood.</i> </a>The goal of this lesson was to explore perspective: how someone else sees <i>us</i>, and how they may underestimate or misunderstand our ways. I challenged my students to emulate the tone and format of Smith's poem by modifying her opening phrases to begin each of their own verses. This collection of four poems shows extraordinary introspection, innovation, intelligence, humor, and skills. And I must credit each poet for diligence in both writing and revising, and then sending the typed final versions to me for inclusion on my blog. These are some serious future authors here!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">CLOUDS</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">By W. D. MacLeod, age 12</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">[The prompt was to write a poem about how other people see me, starting my lines with the words <b>To them I am</b>, <b>Because of me</b>, <b>They hope I will</b>, and <b>I will eventually...</b>. It was a lot of fun to write, so enjoy!]</span></i><i><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To them, I am the reminders and the redirections, and of course the exasperated “<i>Williams!</i>”s. I am the kind of kid who not matter how bright he is</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Always</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Forgets</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">His</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Lunch Box.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Because of me, they always must keep watch for me. They shake their heads and chuckle </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">because</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Will</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Never</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Change.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">They hope that I will eventually get better, get my head out of the clouds. “<i>Get a wife!</i>”<i></i>says my Dad. “<i>Write a list!</i>” says my Mom. But I won’t get a wife anytime soon, and lists…</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’d</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Lose</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Those </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Too.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I will eventually get better. Maybe I will need a list or a wife, but one thing is for certain:</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">I Like It Up Here In The Clouds!</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRps7rLP6eAO0ekYQTmdexnD9zZOvWZpXdA6SkjvIXzoACK16IA9vivqaAlHu9Ki079swfqIm6sYTpy46VCGi6MNiXKYLa9UWz-c_sk2BUmCxAeG-4lNol4Fu1-niMyJaCWZlisByOFU0/s1600/head-clouds-22416106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRps7rLP6eAO0ekYQTmdexnD9zZOvWZpXdA6SkjvIXzoACK16IA9vivqaAlHu9Ki079swfqIm6sYTpy46VCGi6MNiXKYLa9UWz-c_sk2BUmCxAeG-4lNol4Fu1-niMyJaCWZlisByOFU0/s200/head-clouds-22416106.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Zucchini Jeans</span></b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">By Lucy M., age 12</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">To her, I am a nuisance.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">I am an ant that steals from her,</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">A fly that buzzes around her head.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZIC48vKItCIcd9kvUhC2Ap0cBd6HucAYK0NpSKmk7ItRnwx3KkT79u41ByY9OnzzJBL1TmDgc4MsBA1JtPGcl21wVjbVA89_DBTFfI0Qu6he2TNvijdBbUqaYSnvCSl1Z_IJ6DJInak/s1600/images-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="294" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZIC48vKItCIcd9kvUhC2Ap0cBd6HucAYK0NpSKmk7ItRnwx3KkT79u41ByY9OnzzJBL1TmDgc4MsBA1JtPGcl21wVjbVA89_DBTFfI0Qu6he2TNvijdBbUqaYSnvCSl1Z_IJ6DJInak/s200/images-6.jpeg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Because of me, she is always covering her ears</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">To save herself from the squeaky violin sounds</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">That come out of my room.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">She tells me she hopes I would stop following her around </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">everywhere she goes,</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">And she wishes I would stop calling her “Zucchini Jeans.”</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">And I will stop bothering and following her,</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">And I will also get better at the violin,</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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But what she doesn’t know is that I’m<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">secretly making weird noises to drive her crazy,</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Because once she goes to college,</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">I won’t be able to do that.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>The following poets chose to write not about themselves, but about some other narrator who is misunderstood. I have found that some writers avoid direct introspection in their work, preferring to delve into personally compelling topics through fictional representations. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dirt Bomb</span></b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">By Allison, age 11</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">To her I am a dirt bomb.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My paws are earthquakes on the wood floor.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My tongue is a leaky faucet, leaving drool everywhere.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My toys are land mines all over the house.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKqtnFiqOZTIrcDWC6p6fKAafW9V7Prxl9hdojvsvcoth0K596WwgAgu4O-m3ekWtP5Gk4C-2C29G21p1j0uQRT7obD7_jncjnAOIbiNecH4zC2pXj0Yjis38pzx2vxQnBZJklwaz-88/s1600/images-8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKqtnFiqOZTIrcDWC6p6fKAafW9V7Prxl9hdojvsvcoth0K596WwgAgu4O-m3ekWtP5Gk4C-2C29G21p1j0uQRT7obD7_jncjnAOIbiNecH4zC2pXj0Yjis38pzx2vxQnBZJklwaz-88/s200/images-8.jpeg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Because of me, she’s constantly cleaning mud off the floor.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">She’s always scrubbing a trail of grass stains that never seem to go away.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">She hopes that I will be a winner.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">One who leaves the dog show with an actual ribbon,</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">not a “good job for trying” certificate.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">But for now, I’ll just eat the certificates. </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I will eventually be the top dog in the show.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I will have gleaming fur,</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">and I’ll leave no messes, other than...</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">you know. </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">When she wants to find me,</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I’ll be at the end of a $100 leash,</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">marching up to the dog show’s door</span>.</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>COEXIST</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<img alt="Image result for coexistence with animals" class="rg_ic rg_i" id="n1Ce9RbFIKI2wM:" jsaction="load:str.tbn" 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" style="height: 83px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 324px;" /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By Joshua, age 12</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To us, they are small,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inferior to our knowledge<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And our thirst for innovation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To us, they do not know<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That we take their land<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the good of mankind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To us, they are selfish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We live here, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We deserve a part<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of this great useful<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To them, we are invasive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They were here first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The land, trees, rivers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And beautiful nature<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Belong to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are selfish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We only care for ourselves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And our filthy, yucky civilizations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That take up<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Their beautiful,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pristine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Natural world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To each other, we are selfish,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But we truly aren’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We just use this land<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How it was intended to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although you are selfish,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although you are dumb,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ll be the better man/animal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And coexist with you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Robin Hood</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By Christopher W., age 12</span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-v6FT1rdQwtvz3YraWm0u9jL_vhdrVrhHFr90FOYeOtvjR7fqvin6_lKZUCzvHOtm-i0Vw1WrMyNHIyDTZuVfN6vcsPiU83ZoorFk0NherTHYuKW3I1nCQIWobeA1BL0Rq_dAWH7TxA/s1600/images-7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-v6FT1rdQwtvz3YraWm0u9jL_vhdrVrhHFr90FOYeOtvjR7fqvin6_lKZUCzvHOtm-i0Vw1WrMyNHIyDTZuVfN6vcsPiU83ZoorFk0NherTHYuKW3I1nCQIWobeA1BL0Rq_dAWH7TxA/s1600/images-7.jpeg" /></a><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To them, I am a criminal to be rid of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I go around stealing from men who bathe in riches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They won’t miss a penny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because of me, the poor are alive and well,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Going out to the bustling market with coins in their pocket,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Which without they might as well be dead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The wealthy are always complaining about me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They hope I will eventually be caught.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wanted signs here and there, the reward going up and up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Commoners are my best friends,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They will not hand me over. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They will eventually give up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The poor need me and the rich know they have no choice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This prosperous era will not come to an end until I lie in my grave, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For I am Robin Hood. </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-62684693433298537472018-03-13T19:58:00.001-07:002018-03-13T19:58:38.255-07:00Choosing Specific Words To Establish Tone and Set a Mood<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
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After my 10-year-old student Lisa learned about how she could affect a reader's experience by choosing words to connote a particular tone, she took it upon herself to send me these contrasting depictions of "The Waking World"--showing both a positive and a negative connotation. As you will see, Lisa clearly understands the power of words upon the mood of the reader, as well as the mood of the fictional characters. Lessons on "connotation" and "tone" are usually reserved for high school English classes, but I have seen, again and again, with students like Lisa, that avid readers of any age can comprehend word power in a metacognitive way. </div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c429804e-2256-7241-49d4-ca98e4b2e412"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Waking World (Negative)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cold dawn light filtered through the gray, cloudy sky. People slumped their way into coffee shops. The gaunt peoples’ spirits were as transparent as a ghost. Rusty cars sat on the dark road, and their headlights, almost like eyes, looked menacingly at the passing pedestrians dragging their bodies across the sidewalk. Empty cans thunked against the ground and echoed the hollow feelings of the town. Children walked their bikes across the dead grass and didn’t stop to say a word to fellow classmates. Dogs barked at approaching cats as they hissed scornfully. Fungi grew on almost every tree and the trees seemed to say, “I am not a happy tree, I am an ugly, sad tree.” Flowers drooped and mosquitos bit into the unappetizing, but only food--the grumpy humans. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyz226ZvsTX5bUm2R0nl5-xkvPOaoS76owaIujUJ92Sv4-HoToLDT0C2wIUGPM5XwOimpJxdrAK-KJ87HjYQ2CTGFq5D_xE9D0Q3XDtVifE-RP-flrBM48CfByfOThwiwylvOpVeLAuhc/s1600/williamarthurward1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="600" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyz226ZvsTX5bUm2R0nl5-xkvPOaoS76owaIujUJ92Sv4-HoToLDT0C2wIUGPM5XwOimpJxdrAK-KJ87HjYQ2CTGFq5D_xE9D0Q3XDtVifE-RP-flrBM48CfByfOThwiwylvOpVeLAuhc/s320/williamarthurward1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The Waking World (Positive)</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Warm dawn light seeped into the air of the town. People emerged from their houses and breathed in the air as if God were standing right there and they were trying to breathe in the sweet scent. Coffee sellers came out to greet people with their coffee and maybe a pleasant “Hello!” Children skipped in the front yards, getting their bikes and pedaling off to school, and women pushed strollers across the streets, with babies echoing the cheers of laughter and happiness. The flowers stood proudly, fanning out their vivid colors and leaves. The trees stood tall as if they ruled the world. Cats purred and dogs wagged their tails. As the sun rose over the green mountain peaks, everyone set off happily to enjoy the rest of the day.</span></div>
<div>
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Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-29630214813632488492018-01-30T13:45:00.000-08:002018-02-12T00:58:30.401-08:00LEARNING TO WRITE FROM EMOTIONAL, EVEN IF NOT PERSONAL, EXPERIENCE<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Personal
ads, written by lonely people seeking connections or reconnections with others,
offer an emotional treasure chest of possible stories—both fictional and
factual—to a creative, introspective mind. We need not have experienced the
same kinds of losses, joys, fears, or regrets that the ad writers express to be
able to awaken similar emotions and weave them into original fiction, memoirs,
or poems. For
example, a couple of wistful lines from the "Missed Connections" section of
Craigslist prompted me to spin a story of romantic obsession between fictional
characters who have nothing in common with me except these emotions: artistic
passion, self-doubt, and a yearning for meaningful connections with colorful
people. Emotional authenticity turns stick figure characters into fully fleshed
out human beings. These are the lines that evoked my story:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="border: solid 1.0pt; font-family: "calibri"; padding: 0in;">“I shouldn’t remember you. Maybe you will fade now.”</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>From those
pained words, I wrote “Awaiting Fading,” a short story about a young artist who
can’t erase the memory of a shopping experience at an art supply store, where
she found herself enchanted by an employee with whom she shared
glimpses of their respective artworks on Instagram before insecurity
transformed admiration into intimidation, making the customer feel so unworthy
of the new friend that she ran away from the store, as well as from her
own feelings of inadequacy. The story begins with the lines from Craigslist, as
the narrator stares wistfully at the now empty store, permanently closed, and
realizes that she has no way to reconnect with the artist employee.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I presented those same story-evoking lines to some of my teenage students. I assured them that by borrowing a pair of lines, and then taking off with it, like a torch passed from runner
to runner in a cross-country marathon, they would not be plagiarizing, but rather,
connecting and reconnecting with readers in the same way that the author of
that borrowed line wishes to have connected with the one whose memory won’t
fade. I gave them about 30 minutes to whip up a first draft of a short fiction worked based on emotional, but not actual reality. The teenagers were pleased and surprised by their own creations. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The on-demand short fictional works included: one story about a border security agent who can’t
get a tiny Mexican boy out of his mind after the agent intentionally broke the
law and allowed the boy and his family safe, but illegal passage into the US;
another story about a person who once witnessed a woman jumping from a
high-rise to her death, and now yearns for that death to stop haunting her; one
poem about a witnessed act of charity in India, between a rich woman in a car
and a child begging at her window; and another story about a soldier at war,
forced to kill a fellow soldier who defied regulations. Each story's personal emotional reality gave texture to the
purely imaginary characters and settings. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvRFstBw7ilCwq9dwrXaMeCe7hR5SAfSRlMBCgZEd7eTp5UwAxmmn-_oAVAVlw1IBm4j1MWBHcqxoSWKwHqTURqdpwemrlYLLLkiMNi_oxtGf6Zt41FpLf7MJLL15v_wd-M5gpYjYj50/s1600/IMG_4220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvRFstBw7ilCwq9dwrXaMeCe7hR5SAfSRlMBCgZEd7eTp5UwAxmmn-_oAVAVlw1IBm4j1MWBHcqxoSWKwHqTURqdpwemrlYLLLkiMNi_oxtGf6Zt41FpLf7MJLL15v_wd-M5gpYjYj50/s320/IMG_4220.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(painting by my son, Ian Lipson, just because I find it inspiring...)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Two sample short stories follow, one by Daniel and another by Liam, ages 15 and 16, respectively.<br />
<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">BITTERSWEET CANDY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">By Daniel <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "serif","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I don't know why I remember you.
You, of all the people who passed through these gates. What made you so
different from that mass of huddled souls? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I can see you
still. Your unbuttoned collar. Your untied shoes. Your toy bear, hugged
tight against your chest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sometimes
wonder what made you come here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
remember stamping your passport for tourism. Your family said that you’d
stay for just a few weeks. To see your relatives, then leave. I’ve gone and
checked your records. You never did leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I sometimes
wonder where you are now. I know that I should have reported you as soon
as your visa was up, but I didn’t. I wonder why. What made you, of all people,
so different from all the other I flagged and sent back?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Perhaps you’re
not here anymore. Perhaps you were only passing through on your journey to
who knows where fleeing from who knows what. You certainly don’t know,
or didn’t at the time. Your father didn’t look at me. Your
mother left so fast that she left a pair of pants behind. They’d
fallen out of her luggage. I called her back, but only you turned to look
at me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still
remember what was in those pants. They were blue jeans. Made in Malaysia. In
the pockets were a crumpled up receipt and a candy wrapper. <i>Caramelo
agridulce. </i>I asked my coworker what it meant. Why anyone would enjoy
bittersweet candy is beyond me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes I
think that I remember you for a reason. After all, God does not play dice.
Why should your memory persist? I’ve seen countless deportations, telling
myself that it was for the good of our community. I somehow always find
myself looking out for your face. You must be grown up by now. It’s been
ten years since you passed through our checkpoint. I wonder what your
life is like. Do you go to school? Do manual labor like your father
did? (The callouses never lie.) Perhaps I should have stopped you. Pulled
you and your family over. I knew what was happening. I don’t know why
I didn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-weight: 700;">* * * </span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I Shou</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">ldn’t Remember You</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">by Liam </span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"> I shouldn’t remember you. Maybe you will fade now…as so many of
the others have done. </span><span style="font-family: , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"> You never
really did fit in with us, having nothing to boast, no stories to share, never
understanding the jokes we told. I remember the nights you sat alone at the
fires, staring off into the distance, as if grasping for a lost memory, while
the rest of us huddled close in the winter nights, discussing battle plans
and sharing tales of our women and children, thousands of miles
across the Atlantic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Every so often, one of us
would call out to you, “Come join us, laddie, tell us of your deeds. We’ve got
a lot more wine to spill.” Yet, you never did join us. Instead, your sole
response would always be some clever excuse to get away from our reeking
breaths. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">“Damn rebs,” you would say,
in your best impression of a grown man’s voice, “Someone had better keep
watch.” And so the nights would go on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">We kept our steady march,
until the day we finally reached Bunker Hill. Then came battle day, our valiant
countrymen, charging up the slopes, straight into the Americans’ grapeshot and
musket balls. Our comrades, who endured so much alongside us were ripped apart,
blown to shreds by the merciless rebels above the hill. Then came our turn, our
regiment’s attempt to secure the fort. As we charged out into the open field,
only you stayed behind, clutching the seams of your bloodstained jacket, crying
for mother, crying to be taken back home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">I had to do it. It was my
job. One that I had done countless times before. Yet, when I called your name,
and stated your crimes for cowardice, I could barely force myself to raise my
gun. My hands trembled as I poised the barrel of my flintlock against your
temple. “I had to do it,” is what I now tell myself. “It was necessary for the
discipline of the men.” But every time I close my eyes, I think to myself, “I
am the man who murdered a boy crying for his mother.” </span><span style="font-family: , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
<!--EndFragment-->
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
</div>
Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-42559326054359241782017-11-22T14:47:00.001-08:002017-11-22T14:49:52.976-08:00Stone Soup Story Starters: How a Stone Led to a Story<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A box of thought-provoking, "found objects" prompts fiction and poetry writing when accompanied by the following kinds of questions:</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who treasures this object, and why?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When did s/he receive or find it?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">What were the circumstances of the receiving of this object?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did someone give it to him/her, and if so, why?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Does the object evoke happiness, sadness, anger, nostalgia...?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Does the object represent a memory, or will you show the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">character pondering it for the first time?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Will you allow your character to narrate the story of this object, or </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">will you choose third-person omniscient point-of-view?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">What if the character has found the object after losing it; or what</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> if the character has just lost this object and that is the event in </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.33333396911621px; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">your story? </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I advise my students to answer the above kinds of questions in their object-prompted short stories or poems. The only requirements of this exercise are the use of multi sensory imagery and my "D.A.D. Technique for Painting Word Pictures" (the use of Description, Action, and Dialogue). Below is a sample, written by a talented new student of mine, named Allison, about the object in the picture.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfgVhnv8zEWtrEfKO3Ol1EUwFtTmeNm4leclpO4wwfaP8tv0FJDAmOrEPSW3Kbhg77EuaB03Bk5BL73k4_Pvl1AAgZezd1t414_G7mzT-34I1hrgsdWhzaQlOdNzc8KBWoIL17b-RjFQ/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1308" data-original-width="1600" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfgVhnv8zEWtrEfKO3Ol1EUwFtTmeNm4leclpO4wwfaP8tv0FJDAmOrEPSW3Kbhg77EuaB03Bk5BL73k4_Pvl1AAgZezd1t414_G7mzT-34I1hrgsdWhzaQlOdNzc8KBWoIL17b-RjFQ/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stone Life</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Allison, age 11</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I opened up the pencil case, hoping for another eraser to use, but instead, I found something else. I fingered the smooth object. A silent tear escaped from my eye.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Why’d you leave?” I whispered. Without my wanting to, the memory, from three years ago, flashed in my head.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Amy dear...” Grandma Jen stopped me at the door. “Before you begin third grade, I want you to have this.” She stroked my wavy brown hair, pulling it into a ponytail, and handed me a rock. But no ordinary rock. A butterfly shaped rock.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I gazed into her blue eyes. How I’d always wanted pretty blue eyes like hers, instead of my drab brown ones!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What’s it for?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Oh, just a good luck charm for when baby Ty comes from the hospital.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Ty’s born?!” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Almost, sweetie! Now run along, you’ll be late for school.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A day later, terrible news reached me at school.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Amy,” Mrs. Sunn had beckoned me to her desk.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What,” I stayed firmly in my seat.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“This is serious, don’t be stubborn.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I sighed loudly, walking up to her desk. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Was I in trouble?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Your grandma was in an accident today while walking home from the store," Mrs. Sunn informed me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suddenly, everything was blurry. The news of my grandma's death was heartbreaking, because we’d always been very close. Then I broke down and started really bawling. I hoped the kids in my class wouldn’t laugh, for they had never been really nice to me. But, they didn’t. Maybe the good luck charm really was a good luck charm.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Grandma!” I managed to cough out.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t remember much more about her death, but I know that, for the past three years I’ve never felt the same. I put the rock back into the box, not wanting the memory to come upon me again.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suddenly Ty barged into my room.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Amy! Mama’s mad ‘cuz I didn’t eat my lunch!” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Ty…” I began, “Mom made that lunch specially for you, and she even used Grandma’s recipes; those are very complicated. In fact, Grandma would even say, ‘Don’t waste food that’s been made with care.’"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“But-but the aspawagas is gwoss!” Ty protested. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Mom has a reason to be mad,” I sighed. “You should always remember, Grandma was very important to Mom and me, so we want you to, at least, cherish Grandma’s ways, you know." I touched Ty’s fine, brown hair.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How I’d always wanted pretty blue eyes like Ty’s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> The circularity of Allison's story--with the repeated line "How I'd always wanted pretty blue eyes like..."--touched my heart, showing a nostalgic tone and an acknowledgment that people we love live on in us, even after they have passed away. This story not only uses multisensory description and subtle character development via D.A.D., but also illustrates a depth in both the character and the author herself. Congratulations, Allison!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, and this story feels very appropriate to post today, as a tale of thankfulness for fond memories.</span></span></div>
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Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-75176489011023126092017-11-07T14:48:00.001-08:002017-11-07T15:18:27.241-08:00Metaphorical Expressions About Feeling Left Out: A Prompt that Inspired Nods and Thoughtful Poems<br />
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Some writing prompts spark clever, analytical responses or thematically related verbal art; other prompts spark emulations based on emotional/personal connections that shine through the student's original words. My poetry prompt, "Squishable," uses my own poem about the feeling of being left out by "more popular" people to elicit an emotional and metaphorical response from students. Here is the prompt:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1W9sLx1dnQ6xmtQBAZXL7SUMK3YBlJUvHU967pOEAijC_Y3v2NhBAXEFpoDg1LswFJCzpX02bY2XhXlhp4-H_Bt7yCl5ffaOiHN5p648C0TYafYp5-6dXpxAnuRM9iJBfOIY__cW7VgI/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1208" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1W9sLx1dnQ6xmtQBAZXL7SUMK3YBlJUvHU967pOEAijC_Y3v2NhBAXEFpoDg1LswFJCzpX02bY2XhXlhp4-H_Bt7yCl5ffaOiHN5p648C0TYafYp5-6dXpxAnuRM9iJBfOIY__cW7VgI/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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One student, a 10-year-old girl called Lisa, wrote a vehement analysis of the feelings conveyed by the poem (Prompt 1), then chose Prompt 2 and composed her own poem, in emulation of mine. Clearly, she understood the metaphor both intellectually and emotionally, as this poem (below) illustrates. I considered her poetic response worthy of sharing here on my blog, and I hope you will share it, too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdsESnC8tc7vZhvvQq3moCGkuWlGeAvC8oOIfRw6Yjcnm98I1cf8BppsiSFJO6FjhotwH4ySjr0doD25u2HbCNQnye6yDEsW86R2rqc9FleUSvSY2QVZ8uFepdfqGOsBxrqAqUH_06y8/s1600/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1308" data-original-width="1600" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdsESnC8tc7vZhvvQq3moCGkuWlGeAvC8oOIfRw6Yjcnm98I1cf8BppsiSFJO6FjhotwH4ySjr0doD25u2HbCNQnye6yDEsW86R2rqc9FleUSvSY2QVZ8uFepdfqGOsBxrqAqUH_06y8/s640/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-14889946651361288512017-10-21T14:03:00.001-07:002017-10-21T14:03:20.377-07:00Poem Inspired by Reading About the Power of Resilience<div class="MsoNormal">
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Consolation Surprise<o:p></o:p></div>
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By S. L. Lipson<o:p></o:p></div>
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You’re coping surprisingly well!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The epitome of resilience!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I so admire you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I mean, losing someone you love,<o:p></o:p></div>
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After so many years together,<o:p></o:p></div>
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That has to be devastating.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And yet here you are, <o:p></o:p></div>
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Powering through grief,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Holding it all together,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Moving forward with so much strength—<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">😕</span></div>
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What do you mean, you don’t know what I’m talking about?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: x-large;">😑</span></o:p></div>
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Wait, whaaat?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">there.</i> I saw
what happened.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even I was on the verge of tears.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I mean, you put up a tough façade,<o:p></o:p></div>
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But everyone knows—<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: x-large;">😨</span></o:p></div>
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Yes, everyone. Why are you denying that?<o:p></o:p></div>
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We all felt so bad for you….<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: x-large;">😲</span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: x-large;">😶</span></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Note
to self: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Wow.
Never mistake denial for resilience.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-81052373219365772202017-06-08T18:02:00.001-07:002017-06-08T18:02:34.145-07:00Short Essays Responses To Elicit Critical Thinking and Concise Writing<div align="center" class="normal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"> Brief essay responses to poetry and short fiction (or sections of longer works) make up the bulk of my academic writing lessons for ages 10-17. I do not believe that students always have to write the standard five-paragraph essay to convey their understanding of a piece of literature, or other art form. Quick "thematic paragraph responses" (as I call them) exercise students' writing skills by enriching the powers of conciseness and clarity of expression, and students who write these short analyses on a regular basis end up better prepared to take on full essays about longer forms of literature. While I never advocate "cookie-cutter" essay writing, I do provide my students with a mnemonic device--a silly musical allusion to "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"--to ensure a thorough, yet concise analysis of a theme (a format that is also applicable to each body paragraph of an essay): "E I-E-I O" or "E I-E-I, I-E-I O</span><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">" (the longer version is for more experienced students and deeper analyses, with its repetition of the middle I-E-I section). Here is an explanation of that musical memory-jogger:</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"><b> E</b>=<b>E</b>stablish topic/theme</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"> I</b><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">=</span><b style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">I</b><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">llustrate with a</span><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"> quotation or </span><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">specific </span><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">example (introduced in its context)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"> E</b><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">=</span><b style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">E</b><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">xplain what the illustration (above) shows the reader</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"><b> I</b>=<b>I</b>nterpret the Implications of that illustration (<i>why</i> it shows what it shows)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"> O</b><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">=</span><b style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">O</b><span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;">verall statement related to theme in a broader way </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"> To illustrate this kind of lesson prompt, I am sharing, below, a fifteen-year-old young man's paragraph response to a poem that I wrote. I will share the actual poem that he analyzed AFTER the paragraph, to further illustrate something I emphasize with my high school students: write essays about literature as if the reader is unfamiliar with the subject work. That ensures the clearest analysis. Here is the student's written response:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Essay Paragraph Response to “Behind the Armor” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">by Enan, age 15<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the poem, “Behind the Armor,” author Susan L. Lipson
describes two different kinds of people through the use of knights and
wrestlers. The author writes, “Knights... they battle insecurity loneliness,
and weakness.” Knights often wear armor in battle, and when knights face a
problem, they deflect them with their armor. Previously in this poem, the
author talks about how arrogance is like a faceguard and how meanness is their
shield. Through this metaphor, she is trying to convey the message that some
people are too cocky to ruin their image. So instead of confronting their
problems, they deflect them, and therefore put others down so that they can
forget about their own problems. Later in the poem, the author transitions to
talking about wrestlers: “Wrestlers engaged in hand-to-hand combat with
emotions, building thicker skin through baring it.” When wrestlers fight, they
have no protection; they use their bare skin. Although it may be more painful,
in the end, the wrestler will grow to deal with the pain better than a knight
would. The author is telling us that confronting your problems will make you a
tougher person. Rather than be knights who deflect emotions out of their
lives, we should be wrestlers who deal with emotions and therefore become
stronger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> And here is the poem he was writing about:</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Behind the Armor</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> by Susan L. Lipson</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">Such clouded knights,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> with their vision obstructed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> by the arrogance they wear as faceguards, </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> the aloofness they don as protective suits,</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> and the meanness they carry as shields;</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> they battle insecurity, fear,</span><br />
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> loneliness,</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">and weakness— </span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> unlike wrestlers engaged in </span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> hand-to-hand combat </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">with emotions,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> building thicker skin through baring it,</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> from struggle to truce</span><br />
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'bookman old style'; font-size: 14pt;"> from pain to healing,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> from sweat to sigh to </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> enlightened daze.</span></span><br />
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imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: 18.66666603088379px;"> Were you able to understand Enan's analysis before even reading the poem? And now that you have read the poem, does his analysis seem credible? (It does to me, and since I am the poet, that should have some weight!)</span></div>
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Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-46185667058836720942017-04-27T00:07:00.000-07:002017-04-27T00:10:24.147-07:005th Graders Write About Stylistic Techniques in Nonfiction<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's important to point out to students that writing style is as important in nonfiction as it is in fiction. Simply providing facts is not enough to compel readers; the nonfiction author must provide memorable "word pictures" with sentences that</span><span style="font-size: large;"> show, rather than tell.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Young writers who learn to notice and analyze specific word choices in everything they read will not only have a greater appreciation of the art of writing, but will also have a heightened awareness of the intentions behind words. Such an awareness enriches reading comprehension as well as writing skills.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The following two short essay-style paragraphs by 10-year-old students used my "E I-E-I O" format* to examine the stylistic choices in a passage from the <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hidden-figures-margot-lee-shetterly/1123655109">nonfiction book <i>Hidden Figures, </i>by Margot Lee Shetterly. </a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>*<b>E</b>stablish, <b>I</b>llustrate, <b>E</b>xplain, <b>I</b>nterpret, <b>O</b>verall lesson/theme<br />
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<br />Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-71405440534376629182017-04-03T18:14:00.000-07:002017-04-03T18:14:57.759-07:00Celebrating Spring with a Student's Poem<b>If We Lived Like a Bee</b><br />
By Emma <br />
Age: 10<br />
(Written in response to the lyrics of my song, "If Everyone Lived Like the Tree")<br />
Oh how sweet our lives would be,<br />
If everyone lived like the bee.<br />
Their whole life’s work they give away,<br />
just to brighten up your day!<br />
Bees spread pollen, make flowers grow,<br />
buzz around, and create honeycomb.<br />
We under-appreciate them every day,<br />
so greet them with, “Namaste!”<br />
If you take the time to reflect,<br />
you will see the bees deserve respect.<br />
After reading you’ll conclude,<br />
We should thank the bees for food.<br />
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Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666983105650663743.post-23325449323829106352016-11-17T01:42:00.001-08:002016-11-17T01:42:22.621-08:00Faultless Personification: A Poetry Prompt
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"> After sharing a poem from <i>Creative Kids </i>magazine, "It's Not the Iron's Fault," by 15-year-old Joe Block, I asked 10-year-old Nathan to write his own personification poem featuring an object blamed for a person's errors. Nathan immediately thought of a basketball getting blamed for a player's mistakes. I asked him to emulate the structure of Block's poem, which began with an iron pointing out its many attributes ("took the wrinkles out of your clothes"; "gave your clothes that special warmth"; and "made the clothes look as if they belonged to royalty") before the object poses questions to the human user of the iron about why she/he yells at the iron for ruining clothes, burning fingers, etc., when those problems arose from the user's misuse of, or neglect while using, the iron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"> Here is Nathan's poem, featuring a talking basketball:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfC14tcGbXVME8nVU5hcixH1UjoyZ-RyBjTVUC_6jMyfwfjck1cdpdWKGDPayKULn8QwKwh2V_2Nqxzd0UKpDoAVqTklEIz9hzGpThNsAe-zuiwkY2-72Ac1uiBu-_PIXh3jtOAGLCCs/s1600/BasketballStockImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfC14tcGbXVME8nVU5hcixH1UjoyZ-RyBjTVUC_6jMyfwfjck1cdpdWKGDPayKULn8QwKwh2V_2Nqxzd0UKpDoAVqTklEIz9hzGpThNsAe-zuiwkY2-72Ac1uiBu-_PIXh3jtOAGLCCs/s200/BasketballStockImage.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold';"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s Not the
Ball’s Fault</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold'; font-size: 14pt;">by Nathan, age 10</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So the next time
you scream at me,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">think about all
that I did for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When there was a
fifty-fifty chance to go in<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">in a tight game, I
decided to go in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I was also the one
who gave you enough backspin to make<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">that basket you
thought you would make.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So why do you
scream at me when I don’t go through the net?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Remember, you were
the one who passed the ball<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">too hard to your
teammate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And remember when
you lost control of the ball<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">and someone stole
it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That was you who
dribbled too hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You’re also the
one that controls me,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">who gives me
backspin,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">so when you make a
bad shot, don’t expect it to go in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So why do you
scream at me every time you lose the ball,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Or you don’t make
a shot? All of that’s your fault.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So remember, it’s
not the basketball’s fault,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If anything, it’s
your fault.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Susan L. Lipson, Author & Writing Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13795589003464693533noreply@blogger.com0