January | 2015 | Reflections on the Teche

Archive for January, 2015

Winter Chalkabration

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Chalk-a-bration, Writing, tagged chalkabration, gifted writers, winter poems on January 31, 2015| 6 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Join the Chalk-a-bration at Betsy Hubbard’s site Teaching Young Writers.

My students love Chalkabration, the genius child of Betsy Hubbard of The Two Writing Teachers. She invites us to celebrate poetry at the end of the month by chalking poems. Because of Thanksgiving and Christmas break, we have not chalked poems for 3 months. The excitement got us in a little trouble.

I used a poetry lesson I had made a few years ago that I happened upon in my Dropbox folder. The poems were quite sophisticated for my little ones, but my instructions were to find words of light and words of dark. I don’t want Chalkabration to turn into fluffy writing. With this work reading high-level poems, their poems were more thoughtful. I especially like that Erin, a third grader, decided to use the haiku form. Our springlike weather allowed us to go outside and chalk up the sidewalk.

By Reed, 6th grade

A haiku by Erin, 3rd grade

By Margaret Simon

It doesn’t snow here, but even so, my students drew snowflakes to symbolize winter.

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Cat Talk

Posted in Gifted Education, Poetry, Poetry Friday, tagged Barry Moser, cats, Patricia Maclachlan, Wonderopolis on January 30, 2015| 6 Comments »

Join the roundup over at These 4 Corners with Paul.

Have you ever wondered why a cat lands on all fours or why its tongue is rough or if he really has nine lives? These are some Wonders you can explore on Wonderopolis.
I am a cat owner. I’ve had many cats in my life from my first cat Tommy to the meanest cat ever, Mimi. Years ago I picked up this beautiful poetry collection by Patricia MacLachlan and her daughter, Emily. The illustrations were done by one of my favorite artists, Barry Moser. I could spend time petting his cats. I love the poems because they do not rhyme. I am not a rhyming poet, and more and more, I embrace this fact of my poet-life. These poems captured the personalities of each cat from Tough Tom who climbs through the window to Peony who under all her fur is little.

I asked my students to notice the literary elements. We talked about many: personification, onomatopoeia, metaphor, simile, imagery, and alliteration. When writing our own poems, let’s try to use at least one of these elements.

Reed wrote while I read the poems. He was thinking about what Shakespeare said about the nine lives of a cat, “For three he plays, for three he strays and for the last three he stays.” – See more at: Wonderopolis

Bad Kitty

For three, he plays and plays with me.
Why, is it a sight to see.
The way he’ll twirl and whirl looking like a squirrel,
I start to wonder is he a boy or a girl.

Next three he stays in the allies on the streets.
Many people who look may think he’s sweet.
Trust me he’s not. I’m not sure he loves me.

The last he will stay and curl up with me
as I know I must let him free
onto heaven with a cat trinity.
–Reed

Tyler has experience with cats, too. His poem reflects found lines from Maclachlan’s poems.

A Cat’s Needs

The black shadows of the night,
Stalking their prey so silently,
Quietly licking your ankles,
and lying on your face
not wanting to move.
They have many things that
they like to do.
–Tyler

Emily illustrated her poem and took a picture of me and Jack (the lemur) holding it up.

Mimi has no interest in poetry or Henry.

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Turn Toward or Away

Posted in Spiritual Growth, tagged OLW, parenting adults, spiritual reflection, Turn on January 29, 2015| 9 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

This week the spiritual journey theme is Leigh Anne’s OLW Turn. And the song in my head has been “To every thing, turn, turn, turn. There is a season, turn, turn, turn. And a time for every purpose…under heaven…”

Turn is not always easy. It takes patience. Patience. Patience.

Parenting adult children is different from the school-age years. In many ways, it is easier. My girls are all successful in their chosen professions and happy with their lives. Four and a half years ago, my oldest daughter became a lawyer and got a job in a nearby town. For a while she lived at home part-time, but the last year, she has lived with us full time. We have been happy with this arrangement. She is a joy to have around. She is very independent. She helps around the house. She even chooses to spend time with us, but she does not keep us for doing what we want to do. I knew the day would come, though, when she would turn away. Or is she turning toward? She has decided to move to her own apartment.

I know this turn is good. I know our relationship will stay strong. I know this because when she graduated from high school, I walked a labyrinth in Grace Cathedral on our family vacation to San Francisco. During that walk, a voice (I believe God) said to me, “She is not leaving YOU.” She will always be my daughter. She will always be a part of me.

Turns are hard. Some come without warning. Some come after much planning and hoping. Some break your heart and let you know that turns happen.

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Ancora Imparo

Posted in Gifted Education, Slice of Life, Teaching, tagged Michelangelo, teaching writing on January 27, 2015| 14 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

This weekend I heard a presentation from an independent school principal. She told us that every first Friday the faculty and staff wear t-shirts that display the Italian words, “Ancora Imparo” which translates, “I am still learning.” They use this quote attributed to Michelangelo to show the students and parents that all are learners at their school. At first I felt a little envious. Wouldn’t I like to be a part of a school with this motto? But then I realized that I am a part of that motto.

Last week one of my students, a second grader, was reading about the chicken and the egg. You know, that age old question, which came first? But in the process, we read together that scientists believe that the chicken is a relative of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. “Mind Blown!” That’s what my kids say when we learn something unbelievable. When the older students arrived, Andrew made an announcement. There was a dramatic reaction. Fun! Learning! And I am right there with them.

When my students write, I write. I let them know my struggles, my worries. They all know I struggle with rhyming. They help me. We are all learners. “Ancora Imparo” “I am still learning.” I never pretend to know all the answers. We discover them together. We share in the learning.

Some days I worry that I don’t teach enough. I coach. I lead. I keep discipline…somewhat. But standing in front writing something on a white board that students copy or read and subsequently learn, that is not my style. I do not need to pine over another school’s philosophy. I just need to embrace my own. Maybe I’ll design my own t-shirt.

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Thesaurus Poetry

Posted in Digital Learning, Gifted Education, Poetry, Teaching, tagged Billy Collins, Canva, thesaurus poem on January 25, 2015| 5 Comments »

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

When my students were working on their One Little Words, I discovered how much fun thesaurus.com can be. I was curious if there was a form for thesaurus poetry. A Google search turned up a funny metaphorical poem by Billy Collins. You have to love a sarcastic poem that ends with a love story between two words.

I would rather see words out on their own, away
from their families and the warehouse of Roget,
wandering the world where they sometimes fall
in love with a completely different word.
Surely, you have seen pairs of them standing forever
next to each other on the same line inside a poem,
a small chapel where weddings like these,
between perfect strangers, can take place.
See complete poem here.

The assignment: Choose a word. Write it in capital letters. Find 4 synonyms. Write those in a second line. (Pick the easiest word to rhyme for your last word.) Then write a phrase that ends with a rhyming word. As a class, we wrote this poem.

MAGICAL
Imaginary, mythical, enchanting, spellbinding
Potions of my mind unwinding.
–Mrs. Simon’s Caneview class

I let the students go. When one or two were getting frustrated by line placement on Kidblogs, I suggested Canva. We have talked about design before. More than ever, I watched them wrestle over design. One student got frustrated that every background cost a dollar, so she said, “I just made my own background.” She used the plain color background and added free icons. She also changed the coloring on the icons. I marveled at her quick turn around.

Digital Literacy should be more about the literacy than it is about the digital. Technology enhanced my students’ poems with design and allowed them to share their work globally. However, the most value was in the play and problem-solving with words and language.

Erin created her own Extraordinary design for her OLW thesaurus poem.

Kielan’s mother is getting married in June. What a sweet gift.

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Celebrate Blooming

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Writing, tagged amaryllis, Berry Queens, New Iberia Chamber of Commerce on January 24, 2015| 9 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

The winter can be such a dreary time. I am celebrating today how blooming continues even when the days are gloomy. An amaryllis bulb, a Christmas gift from a friend, is blooming in my kitchen. I have documented it with images and put them into a quick video. Enjoy blooming!

This week the Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet honoring the Citizen of the Year. Our own boss queen of the Berry Queens, Jerre Borland, was selected. In typical Berry Queen fashion, many of us wore our ball gowns and enhanced hair along with tiaras and glitter to honor Jerre. Her speech touched us all. I wanted to celebrate and share a snippet with you today. I am sure you will be inspired by her words as well.

Several years ago, a little saying popped up that became popular—YOLO: You only live once—a kind of distant blacksheep cousin to Carpe Diem—not just Seize the day: Live like it is your last, but above all and everyone else—live for yourself. Somehow I can’t get behind this sentiment, though we in Berry Queens can Carpe the heck out of the Diem—no problem. Life may be short–but I do not believe it is meant to be spent selfishly doing whatever you want, whenever you want. The richest moments of our lives are spent with others, doing for others—moments of selflessness in which we exhibit the give and take of loving others. You see—Love does. If you love something, someone: your community, your mother, your son, your husband, your friend—you do for them. In this act comes the feeling and the intent of what it means to really love. Love is a verb. It is constant. Love shows up—Love acts—Love does for others before self. That is what it truly means to love.
–Jerre Borland, Her Royal Highness Head Boss Queen of the Berry.

The 2015 Chamber of Commerce Banquet with Cathy M and Farrah T

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Sometimes on the Bayou in January

Posted in Poetry, Poetry Friday, Teachers Write, Writing, tagged 59 Reasons to Write, Kate Messner, Teachers Write on January 23, 2015| 28 Comments »

My favorite writing teacher, Tara is rounding up today at A Teaching Life.

Last Saturday I celebrated that my Teachers Write reflection was published in Kate Messner’s new book for writers, 59 Reasons to Write. On Tuesday, I showed the book with my name in the index to my students. Matthew exclaimed, “Mrs. Simon, you are in the index of a book that is written about your passion! I can only dream about being in the index of a book about magic.”

After I glowed in their attention and admiration, we thumbed through to find an activity to do. We tried Kate’s Three-Column Brainstorming activity. I was amazed that all of us, myself included, got good ideas for new fiction stories.

So here it is the eve of Poetry Friday, and I need an idea to write about. Kate to the rescue once again. She suggests using a poem she wrote, Sometimes on a Mountain in April, as a mentor text. So here is my attempt.

Sometimes on the bayou in January,
rain falls all day
soaking the dry leaves,
softening the hard earth
while softly whispering promises
of resurrection.

Sometimes on the bayou in January,
temperatures drop twenty degrees
reminding the cats’ coat to thicken,
the cardinals to find nests,
and mothers to pull on fleece.

Sometimes on the bayou in January,
bare cypress trees scarcely sway
reminding me to slow down,
take shelter,
drink warm tea.

Sometimes on the bayou in January
light hides behind grey,
the owl hoots before sunset,
shadows disappear
and I watch
for a poem hiding there.

–Margaret Simon

Through the screen door

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Fly

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged Canva, fly, OLW, Reach, spiritual journey, thesaurus on January 22, 2015| 4 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

Holly invites us to reflect on our spiritual journey. For the next several weeks, we will be writing about different little words. Today is Michelle’s word, FLY. I made a Tagxedo image with my thesaurus. com search. My own little word, Reach, came up a number of times. I hadn’t made the connection before. When I selected Reach, I was thinking more about goals I want to strive for. But isn’t that like learning to fly, trying to pick up the tail winds and soar?

Discovering synonyms is a good way to ruminate on a word. I watch the birds when they fly. The hawk that glides across the highway in search of hidden prey. I am not like the hawk, a hungry hunter.

The hummingbird comes to the feeder, fluttering wildly to sip sweet nectar. I am not as desperate as a hummingbird who is so quick and finicky.

The seagull came up in my search a few times. Am I a seagull, like Jonathan Livingston, tired of materialism and conformity, looking for meaning in perfecting his flight?

With a wing for understanding and a wing for influence, my flight will be balanced. I will rise to awareness. I will strive toward space, a place to be me. A place to know I am loved.

With God as my compass.

Created on Canva.com

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Here we go, Paleo

Posted in Slice of Life, tagged #nwpianthology, #outside, Atlanta, Kim Douillard, paleo diet, Travel on January 20, 2015| 19 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

Skylight at High Museum, Atlanta

My 2015 One Little Word is Reach. Here are some images of my weekend in Atlanta where I reached for my phone a few times to take these shots. I follow Kim Douillard. She posts lots of pictures. Her blog title is Thinking through my Lens which is exactly what she does, photos and reflections. She posts a weekly challenge. This week’s challenge was Outside. We were in Atlanta for a wedding, and the weather was gorgeous, sunny and cool. On Saturday morning, we took a walk outside. We followed the mother-of-the-groom’s niece, her husband, and their young children, and together we found a park.

Look at the high cirrus clouds.

The iPhone captured a rainbow around the sun.

The joy of being four on a big tall slide!

Another Reach for me is a paleo diet. I have been vegetarian (actually, pescetarian) for about four years. My daughter started a paleo diet and wanted to take me along with her. What a stretch! I had to add some meat back in to get enough protein, but I am particular about it. For example, New Year’s cabbage rolls contained grass-fed beef.

Stacey Shubitz of the Two Writing Teachers has made a paleo Pinterest board here.

Maggie and I went on a paleo shopping event on Monday to Whole Foods. This is a 25-mile trek. We came home with loads of vegis, almond yogurt, fruits, salmon, and coconut cream. My cat was curious about all the plastic bags and new smells.

The biggest reach for paleo me is my morning cereal and crackers and hummus afternoon snack. I am having eggs, turkey bacon, and avocado for breakfast and nut mix for a snack. Fruit is always a good choice. There are problems, too, with eating out. I have to ask a ton of questions: Is your soup cream based? How is the fish cooked? So far, most servers are willing to answer and explain. I think more and more people are becoming conscious of what they eat.

I’m not sure how long this diet will last. I haven’t lost any weight that I can tell. But challenges are good for us, and being more knowledgable and more concerned about what we eat is important to leading a healthy life.

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Blue Birds Interview with Caroline Starr Rose

Posted in Blogging, Books, Digital Learning, Writing, tagged author interview, Blue Birds, Caroline Star Rose, verse novel on January 18, 2015| 12 Comments »

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

Boudreaux is Caroline’s furry friend.

One of the greatest gifts of Social Media is the connection my students and I can make to authors. Caroline Starr Rose blogs regularly about writing. Last year, I won a 30 minute Skype interview. My students asked her for a galley proof of her next novel. We received it in August. Vannisa, already a fan having read May B, read it immediately. I read it over the holiday break. What a wonderful story! Both Vannisa and I loved the characters of Alis and Kimi. We are amazed by Caroline’s way of making history come to life in her characters. After Colby Sharp of Nerdy Book Club and SharpRead, Vannisa wrote a 5,4,3,2,1 interview.

Can you tell me a little bit about the story of Blue Birds?

Alis and her family have left London to help establish a colony on the island of Roanoke. She is the only girl and lonely for a friend. Kimi watches the newcomers warily. The English killed her father and sister, but she’s curious about the girl. Alis and Kimi form a forbidden friendship that threatens to change both their worlds.

How did you manage to find all the information for the book?

I read a whole lot. I also asked experts to look over my work to see if I’d gotten things right.

What is your advice to authors writing a historical fiction book as accurate as yours?

Read, read, read. Be true to the times. But beyond the facts, think about emotions and feelings. Through the ages, these are the things that unite us.

Are you currently thinking about writing a new book?

I’m working on one now about the Klondike gold rush.

What is your advice to student writers like myself?

You have something unique to say. Your work can only improve if you keep at it! Don’t be in a hurry to be finished or move on to something new.

http://www.carolinestarrrose.com

This post is part of a week-long celebration in honor of the book Blue Birds.

Get this free quote with pre-order of Blue Birds

Author Caroline Starr Rose is giving away a downloadable PDF of this beautiful Blue Birds quote (created by Annie Barnett of Be Small Studios) for anyone who pre-orders the book from January 12-19. Simply click through to order from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, IndieBound, or Powell’s, then email a copy of your receipt to caroline@carolinestarrrose.com by Monday, January 19. PDFs will be sent out January 20.

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