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Archive for the ‘Slice of Life’ Category

Left-handed Rhythm

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, tagged djembe, Jack, Laura Shovan, Sound poetry on March 4, 2015| 8 Comments »

SOL #4

I have met many wonderful and creative people through blogging. A few years ago I joined the Poetry Friday round up. Poetry is a passion of mine. I use poetry often in my classroom, and I enjoy writing it. And who doesn’t love a good challenge? So when Laura Shovan posted her February Birthday Challenge, I took part. She posted sounds as poetry prompts. Turns out 14 of us wrote 177 poems to 28 sounds. Pretty impressive.

One of the sounds we wrote about was an electric guitar which reminded me of playing Guitar Hero with my nephew and getting beaten badly. Apparently, Jack has impeccable rhythm. Last summer, he started taking drumming lessons. He got a djembe for Christmas. I didn’t really know about his djembe playing until my sister posted a video of him from their California vacation. (My talented trumpet playing niece was marching with her band in the Rose Bowl parade.)

Musical talent runs in my family. In the dining room of my parents’ home is a life-sized portrait of my grandmother with her violin. My mother has her masters in piano and taught lessons in our home for many years. My brother has the gene, too. (We say it’s in the left hand as they are all left-handed.) Hunter is a professional musician. He plays keyboard and sings solo or with a band most nights of the week. So it was inevitable that someone would inherit the talent.

My sister says Jack’s rhythm is innate. He danced to the beat of her tapping a cinnamon container at 18 months. She remembers Mom telling a similar story about our brother who danced to the rhythm of her stirring cake batter.

Laura’s challenge pushed me to add a poem to the video. Here is Jack playing the djembe wowing the crowds at Santa Monica pier. My poem runs in the ticker tape at the bottom.

When I played Guitar Hero,

beat on a fake guitar

sent light waves to a TV screen,

the cartoon me danced in time,

but I missed the beat.

Not Jack

He is the guitar hero.

A natural born rock star

The beat is in the palms of his hands

drumming the djembe–

a ten-year-old marvel.

–Margaret Simon

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Books that make you Cry

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged Donalyn Miller, Kwame Alexander, sad books, The Crossover, The Nerdy Book Club on March 3, 2015| 25 Comments »

SOL #3

Recently one of my mentors, Donalyn Miller, presented a two part post on The Nerdy Book Club about books that make us cry and why we love them. I lost my self-consciousness about this years ago while reading aloud Charlotte’s Web for the umpteenth time and crying once again. I decided it was OK for my students to see me tear up.

Some of you may know about my student Emily. She is a fourth grader whose mother died unexpectedly this fall. I wrote about her here and here. She has been reluctant ever since to read sad books. She gave up on Love that Dog when she read that the dog died. She gravitated to funny books like Flora and Ulysses and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

I have been reading The Crossover aloud in my classroom ever since it won the Newbery Award. My boys went crazy over it, hooting and cheering. No other read aloud has brought on so much enthusiasm. They begged for more. The book makes a wonderful read aloud with its rhythmic verse and creativity of language.

When I found out from a friend that there was a (spoiler alert!) death, I became worried about Emily. Should I stop reading? I didn’t think they would let me. I tried to skip a few days, but I knew I would have to keep reading. I tried to buy the book at Barnes and Noble thinking I could just let them pass it around, but it was not to be found. All out on Amazon, too. The only way to finish Crossover was to keep reading it from my iPhone Kindle app.

I decided to just confront Emily with the truth. I called her aside privately. (Actually, she visits me every recess, so that wasn’t hard.) I told her the truth about the book. I asked her permission to keep reading. I told her if she got upset, she could leave the room.

Today was the day. 88% left. Emily knew this would be the day. She was prepared. In the cabinet she had hidden a sign, “RIP Chuck ‘Da Man’ Bell.” She sat close to me, so when I choked and couldn’t get the words out, she read them. The boys were silent. It was a profound moment. As Kwame Alexander wrote in Basketball Rule #10,

A loss is inevitable,
like snow in winter.
True champions
learn
to dance
through
the storm.

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Reading like a Writer

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged Augusta Scattergood, It's Monday: What are you Reading? on March 2, 2015| 21 Comments »

SOL #2

Join the IMWAYR meme.

I am a writer. This takes courage to say, and dedication to make it true. I have been working on a middle grade novel for a while. I started it in Teachers Write in 2012. If you are a teacher who writes, put this on your list of summer activities. Led by Kate Messner and featuring many wonderful authors, it’s the best writing camp ever.

So now that I am writing, my reading is pretty much confined to middle grade novels. This week I read Augusta Scattergood’s newest novel, The Way to Stay in Destiny. I had the pleasure of meeting Augusta at NCTE in the fall. We were fast friends. We made an easy connection since we both grew up in Mississippi, and we have people in common. The south is all about who’s your momma, who’s your daddy. Nevertheless, her books are as friendly as she is.

I had a favorite great aunt who we all called Sister, so I was particularly drawn to the character of Miss Sister. Miss Sister runs the Rest Easy (and a dance studio) where Theo is staying with his uncle, a Vietnam veteran. Miss Sister finds talent in Theo and encourages his piano playing. Theo’s uncle is full of anger that Theo’s piano playing exacerbates. Eventually, the uncle works through his anger, thank goodness, and comes to love Theo.

You can find an interview with Augusta Scattergood at Caroline Starr Rose’s blog here.

As a writer, I noticed some things about Augusta’s writing. In each chapter she includes inner thinking by the main character. This inner thinking keeps the reader on track by giving you a semi-synopsis from Theo’s head.

After school the next day, I sit on the Rest Easy’s front porch glider waiting for Anabel. Pushing away what my uncle said about moving, about my name, and about my parents, I stare at the heat rippling off the street. It’s hard not to turn into a sweat ball in Florida. (Ch. 13, p. 82)

After noticing this again and again, I went to my work in progress (WIP) to find a place that I could put in inner thinking/summarizing. Revision can be tedious, but when you are working with a book you like and using a technique you feel confident in, it becomes more like playing. How could I review the previous chapter in a natural way? Here’s my teaser from Sunshine.

Before we leave for Mae Mae’s house, I call Momma to do my daily check in. I tell her all about Sunshine’s new adopted egg, how Ms. Fullilove brought over a fertilized one from Mr. Jim, even about how Harmony will help tend to Sunshine, but I leave out the details about Harmony’s homelessness. I’m not sure yet what she might say. I think it best to tell her face-to-face.

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
― Stephen King

I am taking time to read more carefully, to be aware of what authors do to draw me in. I am reading like a writer.

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Ready to Slice Away in March

Posted in Digital Learning, Slice of Life, tagged blogging, Kidblog, Slice of Life, Two Writing Teachers on March 1, 2015| 33 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

Here we go…first day of March. Time to begin a daily writing practice. The Slice of Life Challenge begins today!

This is my fourth year to join the challenge. When I first started, there were only two writing teachers at Two Writing Teachers, Stacey Shubitz and Ruth Ayres. Now there are six, Stacey, Beth, Betsy, Tara, Dana, and Anna. They make a pretty awesome team. At NCTE in November, I had the pleasure of meeting most of them. They are real people! That is the beauty of this blogging community. Everyone is real. We all support one another. We challenge each other. We engage each other.

If this is your first time, I understand totally how you feel. I still wake up at night wondering if what I wrote was junk, and nobody will like it. I still carry my phone with me all day checking my alerts for comments. That never gets old.

I volunteered to be a concierge for the classroom SOLC along with Linda Baie. (Linda is one of those blog commenters who keeps us all connected. I don’t know how she does it, but she’s been my top commenter for years. One day we will meet face to face.) Together we are here to help answer any questions you have about blogging with your class.

In my own classroom, I have set up a Kidblog site. I like this format, much like WordPress, and it allows my students to all post in a common area. I do not have to do any linking to an outside site. Anything that cuts out a step helps when posting daily. I have stored the SOL logo in my photo file, so I can attach it to every SOL slice.

With my students, I made two anchor charts: What is a Slice? and How to make a slice tasty. We will continue to add to these charts. They help my students verbalize their practice. I have set up incentives for different levels of accomplishment. For 15-20 slices, the student gets a pencil. For 21-26, a journal. And the grand prize is a book for 31 slices. I have only 12 students, so I am able to afford the prizes. Some teachers set up a celebration with food at the end of the month.

On Friday, March 13th, the Alliance for Excellence in Education sponsors a Digital Learning Day. On this day, consider joining me in a comment challenge. My students will be reading blogs like crazy and competing for a Crazy Commenter prize.

Here are a few things I have learned over the years about the Slice of Life Challenge:

Write a day or two ahead. Have some drafts ready just in case. I preach this better than I do it.
Add photos whenever possible. I try not to post anything without a visual. Something more than just the SOL logo. This appeals to the reader and gives you an anchor if you post to Facebook.
Don’t quit. Even if you miss a day or two, jump back in. The prizes are nice, but in the long run, the value is in the daily practice of writing.
Comment. This takes time, so you may want to set up a method. I usually click on the person above and below my name in the list. I also try to return comments to those who comment on my post.
Use your comments to connect to the writer. We make friends by making connections. I changed my tune this year with my students. I once told them to make a criticycle (a critique sandwiched with positive feedback.) Now I feel the connection is the most important thing.

I started this round-up for Digital Literacy. Here every Sunday, you can link their digital literacy posts. We learn from each other. Join in anytime. On Twitter, @MargaretGSimon, #k6digilit. Please leave your link in the comments and I will add to the post.

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

Cathy Mere writes about the growth of community through digital connections. http://reflectandrefine.blogspot.com/2015/03/digilit-sunday-growing-communities-in.html

Julianne slices about using podcasts to fuel writing. https://jarhartz.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/sol15-day-1-listening-love/

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Spreading the SOL Love

Posted in Blogging, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged #sol15, #TWTBlog, Bayou Warrior, Slice of Life Challenge on February 24, 2015| 9 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

I have been blogging since January, 2011. One discovery that has kept me going (teaching, writing, blogging) is the annual Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge in the month of March. This will be my 4th year taking the challenge along with my students. I am a believer in blogging. I have drunk the Kool-Aid.

I now have the best Professional Learning Community ever. These people are supportive of everything from surviving a bad day to winning awards. My cheering section is large. I want to spread the love.

Carolyn and I met about 5 years ago when we were both newbies in a school. Being a newbie can be uncomfortable, but Carolyn and I found each other and connected easily. Like minds, similar philosophies, everything to make for a lasting friendship.

Now Carolyn and I teach at different schools, but we try to have coffee every few weeks or so. Recently she was sitting in my kitchen looking at The New Yorker on the counter. She said, “You should submit a poem to this magazine.”

I said, “Yeah, right. In a million years.”

She said, “I challenge you!”

So I said, “I challenge you to start blogging and do the Slice of Life Challenge.”

She brought her laptop over on Monday, so I could show her a few pointers. “What should I write about?”

I said, “I don’t even know what I’m going to write about yet.”

Then we both cheered, because great minds think alike. We will write about each other!

Please welcome my friend Carolyn, the Bayou Warrior, to this amazing community. I know she will like it here.

I am truly humbled by her first post. Click here.

The blogging Bayou Warrior!

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Shades of Grey

Posted in Digital Learning, Slice of Life, tagged #gray, comments, Digital photography, Slice of Life Story Challenge on February 22, 2015| 11 Comments »

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

I hope my title was not misleading. You will only find G-rated media here. My cyber-colleague, Kim Douillard, puts out a photo challenge every week. This week her challenge was shades of grey. An appropriate color for February. I took a walk with my favorite grey pooch, Charlie.

The sky was grey with a little blue trying to peek through. The wind was blowing, but the temperature was mild.

The Japanese magnolia is in full bloom. The blossoms are fragrant and vibrant pink. The trunk and branches are all grey, no green leaves. The grey backdrop makes these flowers pop and please.

Grey moss hangs from the live oaks year round. Watching the moss sway in the strong wind, I came to the conclusion that grey is beautiful.

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

This format of themed images with descriptions could work well for a Slice of Life post. If you are not familiar with Slice of Life, it is a monthlong writing challenge created by Stacey Shubitz of the Two Wiring Teachers. I believe, like Stacey, that a teacher of writing must be a writer. We must practice what we preach. The SOL challenge gears up in March. Today is the day to make your commitment. Be sure to go over to the site and sign up. I testify that slicing has changed my life. The daily practice of meeting a blank page and knowing I have a kind, like-minded audience waiting has made me a better teacher and a better writer.

Along with SOL month, it’s time to make plans for Digital Learning Day on March 13, 2015. Join me in a super-duper comment challenge. My students will be in their second week of the Slice Of Life Story Challenge. (Go to Two Writing Teachers for more information.) They asked me if we would be doing a comment challenge this year. So I want to declare Digital Learning Day, March 13th as Crazy Comment Challenge Day. My students slice on Kidblogs. We can only access other Kidblog sites. So if you have your students blogging, send me the link. On March 13th, we will try to visit as many sites as possible within our class time frame. Let me know if you want to take the plunge.
Tara Smith wrote a great post about preparing your students for the Slice of Life Challenge. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other classrooms across the globe and to get your students writing daily in an authentic way. I am one of the classroom concierges for the challenge. Do not hesitate to contact me with questions.

Add your DigiLit Sunday post to the round-up below.

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Reaching

Posted in Slice of Life, tagged amaryllis, OLW, parenting adults, Prayer Shawl Ministry, Reach on February 10, 2015| 15 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

My One Little Word for 2015 is Reach. Kim Douillard puts out a photo challenge each week. Guess what the theme is this week? Reach!

So here are some of my own photos that Reach.

While most of the country is frigid, we are experiencing springlike weather here in Louisiana. The live oaks reach for the blue sky.

I continue to Reach out with my prayer shawls. I delivered this one to Lyndel on Sunday. She is now wrapped in peace while she nurses her ill husband.

The amaryllis gift just keeps on Reaching. This is the second blossom sprouting. I am not very green when it comes to keeping plants alive. This display of growth gives me strength. Thanks, Jen.

I am still reaching for my poetic soul and writing poems to Laura Shovan’s Sound Poetry Project. Click on over for some poetry love.

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Sound Poetry Project

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged Christine Balfa, Haiku Deck, Laura Shovan, Sound poetry on February 2, 2015| 5 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

Laura Shovan creates a writing challenge every year for her birthday month of February. Last year she posted different Pantone colors as prompts. This year she is posting sounds. On Feb. 1st, she featured my poem along with some of my favorite Poetry Friday friends’. Click here. I am enjoying the path of discovery this writing challenge is taking me on.

The sound for today is angel chimes. You can listen to them here.

I went to Haiku Deck to write a haiku about Spanish moss. The tinkling of the chimes made me think of the rhythm of the moss blowing. I recently took pictures of the moss, not knowing that it would lead to this poem.

When I wrote the line, “Spanish moss two-step,” I liked it so much that I wanted to re-write the other lines to make them fit. So I Googled Cajun triangle. What came up was a 2012 NPR story about Christine Balfa. In the feature, she is heard playing solo triangle which sounds a lot like the Swedish angel chimes. So Christine made it into the poem.

Christine has recently been nominated for a grammy with a group of women musicians called Bonsoir, Catin which means “Goodnight, Darling.” . I am excited that my quest for a line of poetry led me to her music and memories of two-stepping to Bonsoir, Catin.

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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.