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Archive for the ‘Chalk-a-bration’ Category

Chalkabration Haiku

Posted in Chalk-a-bration, Gifted Education, Poetry, Teaching, Writing, tagged , , , on April 30, 2014| 3 Comments »

Join the Chalk-a-bration over at Teaching Young Writers.

Join the Chalk-a-bration over at Teaching Young Writers.

Kendall chalking

Believe it or not, it’s the last day of April and the last day I will be posting Chalk-a-bration with this year’s bunch. I hope they will participate from home over the summer, though. My principal enjoys our chalking-up-the-sidewalks-with-poetry so much that she has asked us to decorate the walkways for the mother’s breakfast, “Muffins with Mom,” next week.

As we continue to work our way through the ABC’s of poetry, we have landed on H, and what better form to use for chalketry than haiku. We should coin the term, “Chalku.” Lots of different thoughts going on today. I was thinking about the humidity that has moved in thick and warm; the cold weather has definitely moved on. Vannisa is thinking about the end of school and summer coming. Kendall responded to music I played. I love the variety of ideas as much as the consistency of form.

This humidity makes my hair curl like wild weeds, all helter-skelter. by Margaret Simon

This humidity
makes my hair curl like wild weeds,
all helter-skelter.
by Margaret Simon

Playing soft and smooth having a fast-paced tempo. Music comes from you. by Kendall

Playing soft and smooth
having a fast-paced tempo.
Music comes from you.
by Kendall

School is almost out. Summer means no more homework. Summer's almost here. by Vannisa

School is almost out.
Summer means no more homework.
Summer’s almost here.
by Vannisa

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This I Believe

Posted in Chalk-a-bration, Slice of Life, Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged , , , , on March 31, 2014| 6 Comments »

Slice of Life Day 31. Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

Slice of Life Day 31. Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.
Audrey Hepburn

On Sunday, Patricia Pollacco posted this quote from Audrey Hepburn on Facebook. I took it on as a writing prompt for my last Slice of Life. I wrote 31 posts in 31 days, writing everyday and joining an amazing community of teacher-writers. The month has flown by. My students have loved this month of writing, too. Recently I overheard one student saying to another, “I can write about anything!” What a wonderful feeling! Please visit my class blog, Slice of Life Challenge, as they write their final slices and reflect on what this month has meant to them.

dogwood

I believe flowers make the world more beautiful.
I believe every one can be creative.
I believe God is inside each one of us.
I believe the only way we can solve the world’s problems is through kindness.
I believe I may be one person, but to someone I may be the only one.
I believe we must pay attention. Listen. Be aware.
I believe when one door closes, another opens, and that we must be diligent in finding the open door.
I believe there are miracles every day.

Join the Chalk-a-bration over at Teaching Young Writers.

Join the Chalk-a-bration over at Teaching Young Writers.


And now for Chalkabration! The end of the month Betsy Hubbard gathers teacher-writers who celebrate writing with chalk. Friday was a rainy day, so we stayed inside and wrote on our portable chalk paper. Partners worked together on nonfiction rhyming poems as inspired by Laura Purdie Salas’s Wednesday Workout.

They are cute like a bamboo shoot Can they play a flute? They come in many shapes, even grapes. Can you guess our _____ They are fruit. Tyler and Kendall

They are cute
like a bamboo shoot
Can they play a flute?
They come in many shapes,
even grapes.
Can you guess our _____
They are fruit. Tyler and Kendall

Look upon this lovely sunset The moon has not risen yet. Earth and sun in perfect duet. Look upon this lovely sunset. Brooke and Vannisa

Look upon this lovely sunset
The moon has not risen yet.
Earth and sun in perfect duet.
Look upon this lovely sunset. Brooke and Vannisa

Mesmerizing clouds of iridescence Inky black plumage of brilliance Dark plump birds in coexistence Nature’s way of perfect balance. Kaylie and Matthew

Mesmerizing clouds of iridescence
Inky black plumage of brilliance
Dark plump birds in coexistence
Nature’s way of perfect balance. Kaylie and Matthew

The above poem was written about a YouTube video we viewed about starling murmurations.

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Colors Chalkabration

Posted in Chalk-a-bration, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged , , , , , on February 28, 2014| 12 Comments »

Find more poetry at the Poetry Friday Roundup hosted by Anastasia.

Find more poetry at the Poetry Friday Roundup hosted by Anastasia.

Join the Chalk-a-bration over at Teaching Young Writers

Join the Chalk-a-bration over at Teaching Young Writers

For February, my students and I braved the cold temperatures to chalk some poetry on the sidewalks. The prompt came from Laura Shovan’s month long birthday project with Pantone colors. I have been participating along with my poet friends Linda Baie and Diane Mayr. Head over to Laura’s site, Author Amok, to read some great poetry.

I bought a new box of chalk and the pieces were labeled with interesting color names. Brooklyn picked out Sky Blue:

Brooklyn sky poem

The sky shines sky blue
The way the summer pool invites me
The way blueberries taste
The way hydrangeas take your breath away
The sky shines sky blue

–Brooklyn.

Vannisa wants you to imagine the colors and how one becomes another in her list.

vannisa colors

Vannisa's colors

I selected the colors sunflower and golden glow to add a little sunshine to the day.

spring chalk poem

We will be on break for the Mardi Gras holiday next week, so my students got a jumpstart on the Slice of Life Challenge. Consider stopping in and leaving a comment on our public blog site: http://kidblog.org/SliceofLifeChallenge/

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Wintery Chalkabration

Posted in Chalk-a-bration, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged , , on January 31, 2014| 10 Comments »

poetry-friday-1 (1)

Today is Chalkabration day and Poetry Friday! See more Poetry Friday posts at the round-up at Miss Rumphius Effect.

Join the Chalk-a-bration over at Teaching Young Writers

Join the Chalk-a-bration over at Teaching Young Writers

We returned to school after two days off for an ice storm, unheard of in South Louisiana. We collected words about ice and snow and cold. Then wrote our poems, chalking them on the sidewalk and playing in the ice still left in the shade. My students were so happy when they realized today was Chalkabration Day. Thanks to Betsy Hubbard for keeping this going all year long.

Icy steps crackle crispy under my feet tingles my fingers white winter frost. --Margaret Simon

Icy steps
crackle crispy
under my feet
tingles my fingers
white winter frost.
–Margaret Simon

Snow falling outside Ice storm Leon gave me time for fun and lots of Gumbo! --Brooklyn

Snow falling outside
Ice storm Leon gave me time
for fun and lots of
Gumbo!
–Brooklyn

White ice falling in the winter exciting fluffy balls delicious to eat slippery to walk freezing fun. --Tyler

White ice falling
in the winter
exciting fluffy balls
delicious to eat
slippery to walk
freezing fun.
–Tyler

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Chalking Out the Old Year

Posted in Blogging, Chalk-a-bration, Writing, tagged , , on December 31, 2013| 3 Comments »

Join the Chalk-a-bration over at Teaching Young Writers

Join the Chalk-a-bration over at Teaching Young Writers

My students did not want to miss the Dec. 31st year end Chalk-a-bration, so on the last day of classes on Friday, Dec. 20th, we wrote year end poems. Some of them became too long for chalking, so they posted on our kidblog. I tried out a chalkboard app. Not sure if it is the best chalkboard app, but it was free.

Tyler borrowed a line from Naomi Shihab Nye to start his poem and drew it on our chalkboard contact paper.

"Goodbye 2013" by Tyler with a line from "Burning the Old Year," by Naomi Shihab Nye

“Goodbye 2013” by Tyler with a line from “Burning the Old Year,” by Naomi Shihab Nye

Year End Haiku by Margaret Simon

Year End Haiku by Margaret Simon

Where we have grown has disappeared
nothing is impossible
anything can happen
12 days till New Years
12 days of Christmas
12 months of Chalkabration
going by too fast
but slowly
every second counts
its all happening
nothing stops
running on a non stop trail of a timeline
crossing the border by the second of the clock

by Vannisa

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