First place in the Sugarcane Festival Photography Contest
Ralph Fletcher’s new book, Focus Lessons, is coming out, so I took advantage of Heinemann’s offer to read a sample.
There are strong links between photography and writing. This is true in substance and process, as well as language. The world of photography provides a visual, concrete language (angle, focus, point of view, close-up, panorama) that is enormously helpful in teaching writing.
Ralph Fletcher, Focus Lessons
When I saw Mickey Delcambre’s photo on my Facebook page, I was compelled to write a haiku.
Equinox harvest–
Margaret Simon, draft, 2019
Slow down days, long resting nights
Autumn changes time.
On Monday, I talked with my students about the Fall Equinox. I was surprised how well they know the solstices, but they were less familiar with the meaning of equinox.
In New Iberia this weekend, there is the annual Sugarcane Festival, celebrated on the last weekend of September as harvesting begins. We only have to look out of the window to see the tall cane waving in the fields.
One of the Craft Lessons included in the book sample focuses on Mood. Ralph explains how mood can be expressed in a photograph as well as in writing. I look forward to finding more crossovers between photography and writing Ralph says, “Photography is writing with light.”
I put Mickey’s photograph up and ask my students to do a quick write about it. Our quickwrites are typically 5 minutes. Then we share. Sometimes (it’s always a choice), a quickwrite will become a poem.
Seeing the Days Change
I see the days
changing around me,
going from
day to night
and
night to day
the marks of tires
only
from the day before
seeing the sun go down
getting ready
for the night,
goodnight sun.
Breighlynn, 4th grade
Sugar
Sugar in the fields,
still as a cane.
Growing, oh so tall,
ready for the harvest.
Burning leaves
make the sweet smelling
smoke.
Can you smell
the sugar?
Smelling, oh so
sweet.
Have you ever
eaten the cane?
As pure as sugar
comes.
A.J., 6th grade
This morning on my morning walk I smelled the sweet air that A. J. wrote about. One of the gifts of fall.
Reflections on the Teche 
What a great post! I’m super excited to get my hands on Ralph Fletcher’s new book. I find such a huge overlap between photography and writing in my own life and can’t wait to investigate it even more.
I think it will be right up your alley.
Wow, Margaret. Your post is just packed full of learning….Fletcher’s book sounds great. I already have it on my big-bookseller wishlist. I have never eaten sugar cane…it’s so cool that kids in your neck of the woods can write about it as they have. Autumn changes time….such a lovely end to your haiku.
Using photos to generate poems is the best. I am most comfortable when I can write to a photo.
Breighlynn’s about the changing days is so insightful.
I wish I could visit to smell that sweet smoke! I talk about something kind of similar in my post for this Friday (the smell of marshmallows roasting).
Margaret, I started my comment to you last night and fell asleep before completing it (LOL). I think that photo you shared is fabulous and I can see why the children were intrigued. Their work is wonderful. Since I have never smelled or eaten sugar cane, I can imagine it is a delightful experience that is so far removed from what I have experienced in fall. I can’t wait to see Ralph’s book. He is the keynote speaker for our literacy conference on Long Island in March and I am eager to see hear him speak once again. His photography work is stellar. Thanks for the link to the sample chapter.
I love the idea of time changing in your and the students’ poems, too, Margaret. It is dark by 7 now, a hurry up to get things done, & the nights are cooler for us, still summery days.I just saw about Fletcher’s book. All of his writing is so inspiring. Have a nice weekend loving that sugary smell!
So lovely. I have Ralph Fletcher’s book on my wish list. Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Thanks for sharing those lovely works from your students. They paint a beautiful Fall picture.
That is a gorgeous photograph–it reminds me of the fields of corn ready to be harvested here in IN. There is a lovely smell of it, too, but not as sweet as I imagine cane to be. What you share from Fletcher’s book reminds me of a book I loved to use when I was teaching–Image Grammar by Harry Noden. He made many connections between writing and art.
I think I need more 5 minute quick writes. These are terrific!