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Archive for the ‘Slice of Life’ Category

Lift a Line

Posted in Slice of Life, Teaching, tagged lift a line, Nikki Grimes, poetry, reader response on February 25, 2014| 13 Comments »

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My students write reader responses each week to whatever book they are reading. At the beginning of the year, I placed some questions in their binders to prompt these responses. I find that week after week, they select the same questions to answer.

A few weeks ago, I read Dana Murphy’s post on Two Writing Teachers about reader responses. She wrote about three different strategies she teaches her students, lifting a line, character maps, and visual note-taking. I posted these ideas on our class blog and have discussed each strategy with my students.

I love the connections I can make with authors online. I follow Nikki Grimes on Facebook, so I saw a post about her talk on Booktalk Nation (which, sadly, I had to miss) along with the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of Words with Wings. The book arrived last week. Vannisa is a fan of verse novels and picked it up immediately. She decided to lift a line to write her own poem about the main character. When I talked to Vannisa about her poem, she told me she was interested in how the character herself was also just words on the page.

I know a girl
who waits and listens.

For her daydreams,
she awaits.

Who comes from
a family
that doesn’t
daydream.

Waiting
for words
to take her
high into the sky
or her mind.

Tell her to stop,
she won’t

Who comes from
words

Locked
in her mind.

No one even knocks
on the door
for a visit.

Who comes from
a book.

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Slice of Life Challenge in the Classroom

Posted in Blogging, Digital Learning, Slice of Life, tagged classroom blogging, parent support, Slice of Life Challenge, Two Writing Teachers on February 18, 2014| 5 Comments »

A new button for the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge!

Believe it or not, March is almost here. Today, I announced in my classroom, “Guess what? It’s almost March. Slice of Life time!” Over the next two weeks we will talk about it a little each day. What is a Slice of Life story? What are some things you could write about? We have been blogging all year long, but the SOLC steps it up a notch. Rather than expecting at least one post per week, I will challenge my students to write every day and post at least 3 times a week.

Linda Baie and I are sharing the responsibility for supporting the classroom challenge. I will be available to answer questions for teachers whose last name begins with N-Z. If you have questions now, just write a comment. At other times, you can email me at margaretsmn at gmail dot com.

There are two documents that I want to share with you. First, I created a parent letter. I will copy and paste the body of the letter here. Of course, you will want to personalize it for your own use.

February 18, 2014
Dear Parents,
In March, my gifted students will be participating in the Slice of Life Challenge. This challenge is lead by the Two Writing Teachers at http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com.
My students will be asked to write every day in March. This writing should be a “slice” of life. We will discuss ideas and have time for writing every day in class. The students will be graded by a rubric requiring at least 3 posts each week and comments on at least two classmates’ writing. If they write for the full month, I will provide prizes. If a student writes 16 or more slices, he or she will get a prize.

The students have been using kidblog.org all year long. This is a familiar format to them. I have set up a kidblog specifically for the Slice of Life Challenge, http://kidblog.org/SliceofLifeChallenge.

This is a public blog; however, I will get an email for every comment and post and will have to approve it before it is posted. I will only allow the students to use their first names, and we will not post any pictures of them. You and family members will be able to access the blog and write comments. Also, I will be posting to the Two Writing Teachers blog so that other teachers and their students can read and comment. This can be a wonderful experience for the students. They will develop good writing skills as they work to make their slices interesting to other readers.
I am asking parents to support this project in the following ways:
• Read your child’s posts and make positive, encouraging comments.
• Allow your child to use the internet to post if they have not been able to at school or on weekends.
• Give permission for your child to post on a public blog.
Please sign the permission form below and return to school.
Thanks,
Margaret Simon

My child, _____________________________, has permission to write posts to the public kidblog, Slice of Life Challenge. I understand that only his/her first name will be used and his/her picture will not be posted.

The second document is a chart the students use to track their slices. Because we will have a Mardi Gras break in the month, I will reduce the number of days required for a prize. You can decide for yourself how many entries are needed to get a prize.

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Centering Prayer

Posted in Slice of Life, Spiritual Growth, tagged Centering Prayer, Contemplative Outreach, journaling, meditation on February 11, 2014| 16 Comments »

A new button for the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge!

My journal “visual note-taking” at the workshop.

You will know that I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”
–John 14:20

As I continue to try to practice Openness (my OLW) in 2014, I signed up to attend a Centering Prayer workshop on Saturday at my church, The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany. I have heard of meditation and the benefits of such a practice, and Centering Prayer is much like this, with a Christian emphasis. The above image shows my journal page as I listened to the presenter, Alan Prater, from Contemplative Outreach.

Alan spoke about friendship and the levels of relationship from acquaintance to intimacy. He said that our relationship with God is like those stages of relationship with others. I realized that my relationship with God has been at the friendliness level. I am comfortable in reflective prayer. I’ve tried to move to the friend level where responsiveness happens- opening my heart, feelings, and emotions fully. At this level, prayer is real and spontaneous, not rote. I asked myself if I was ready for(or even capable of) contemplative prayer, a level of intimacy. Could I open myself up to a pure gift of God’s presence, rest with God, and be totally comfortable in the beloved’s presence?

I was reminded that God does not want a wave on the street from me. God wants more. So I am committing myself to try 30 days of Centering Prayer, sitting in total silence for 20 minutes. I’ve chosen my place, a chair in the loft upstairs away from the household traffic flow. I downloaded the app “Insight Timer.” I’ve chosen a sacred word, “Abba.” One of the best gifts of the app is a journal button that comes up after the bell rings. This way I write immediately after my meditation. The words flow.

Here is my first journal entry:

Open
Abba
Sometimes
Flying
Angel lights
twinkle
sparkle
waves of purple
water
Abba
Father
Here
I
am…

Gian Lorenzo Bernini – Dove of the Holy Spirit (ca. 1660, alabaster, Throne of St. Peter, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican) Wikimedia Commons

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Wordle Magic

Posted in Slice of Life, Teaching, tagged autism, dual exceptionality, gifted education, twice exceptional, Wordle on January 28, 2014| 16 Comments »

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A few weeks into October I got the word that I would be getting a new student. This happens during the year as students complete the evaluation for gifted. But this new student was unique. She is labeled in the Special Ed. world as “twice exceptional” or as having “dual exceptionalities.” Sara’s (not her real name) first classification is autism. I have been teaching for nearly 30 years, and yet, I had never had an autistic student. I was totally unprepared.

I will not share the trials here, but there were a few. Adjusting to a new schedule and a mixed-grade class was a struggle for Sara. It was an adjustment for me and for my other students. We walked on thin ice for the first few months. Then after Christmas, I took a workshop offered by our Special Ed department on autism. My eyes were opened. I understood.

In short, the autistic brain is up to 10% larger than the average brain. While as children our brains weed out unnecessary parts, the autistic brain just adds more in. The most enlightening thing the instructor said was this: “At any given time, the autistic child is giving you the best he can.” I believe in this statement. So I must give Sara my best.

I got some great ideas from the workshop for using visual cues to calm Sara when she has a meltdown. The visuals should include the student’s interests. Autistic children tend to have intense interest areas. I wanted to prepare by implementing a visual while she was calm. I talked to her about making a Wordle. A Wordle is a word cloud. On the website, wordle.net, you can create a word cloud like the one I made above. I told Sara she was going to make a Wordle of words she liked to help her calm down. She immediately responded, “I don’t want to do it.” She did not want to do something that would make her different, make her stand out. But when T. walked into class, I said, “Tell Sara about the Wordle you made last year.” I showed her the site and did a sample one.

Sara enjoyed making her Wordle and as other students joined the class that day, she became the expert for teaching others how to make one. She printed out her Wordle. I asked her if she wanted to print out a picture to go with one of her words. She chose Hershey’s chocolate. We placed the illustrated Wordle in the front of her binder in the clear sleeve. The binder stays under her desk.

A few days later, Sara became upset about something. She was just beginning to show signs of losing control. Her eyes teared up. Her voice changed tone. So I reached under her desk and pulled out her binder. She pointed to the Wordle and said, “Look! Hershey’s!” That was it. I said nothing. Her temper was dissipated. Just like that.

I believe in my students. I believe that miracles can happen. I believe that when we are open to differences and willing to work with them, our students’ and our own lives are enriched.

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Meditation on Empty

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, tagged meditation, poetry, words, writing groups on January 21, 2014| 10 Comments »

Meditation on Empty

In that gentle space above his left eyebrow,
I focus on the emptiness,
how emptiness is not empty.

I fill my empty cup with ginger-mint tea.
Cut yellow roses for the empty vase.
Invite friends to fill the empty table.

My hand opens, then closes slightly
holding your pinky finger, tiny and delicate.
I’ll rock you until this pain subsides.

We sit together like lotus, open hands
to the Abba Father, breathe the warm
body scents that fill the empty room.
–Margaret Simon, all rights reserved

I brought yellow roses to the writing retreat because I looked up colors of roses and their meanings, and yellow roses are for friendship and new beginnings. Then among writing friends, I polished this poem and read it for our sharing time. I’m not sure if you need to know what the poem means. It will mean what you need at the moment. For me, it’s about friends and opening myself up to being filled every day.

Join the Tuesday Slice of Life!

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Open Air Dancing Words

Posted in Slice of Life, tagged Acadiana Wordlab, Bonny McDonald, free association poetry, One Little Word on January 14, 2014| 6 Comments »

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My One Little Word for 2014 is Open. (See my poem about it here.) On Saturday, I was required to be Open to a new idea. I attended Acadiana Wordlab. This week the presenter was Bonny McDonald. Bonny is a PhD. candidate in LSU’s performance studies program. I got the feeling we were guinea pigs. She led us in many weird movement exercises, all new to me. At first we did something she called flocking where we walked the expanse of the room “filling up the empty spaces.” We walked in a variety of unusual ways, such as with your right elbow leading.

All the while I was making strange and new movements with my body, I was thinking about my students and how we rarely get up and move. I wanted to transfer this energizing experience to my classroom. On Monday morning, I told my students we were going to do “Bonny’s weird word association dance.” For this activity, you must think of a word (one you love or one you hate). Say the word and pay attention to what movement your mouth makes. Mimic this movement in a whole body movement. Then flock around the room saying your word and making your movement. OK, yes, we all got a little silly. Then we sat down to write free associations of our chosen word. Following a quick share, I asked my students to spend a little more time with their words and compose a poem. They will be posting this exercise (if they choose) on our kidblog site. If I get permission, I may post some of them for Poetry Friday.

Back to the word Open. When I made the movement I associated with my word, I was surprised by the closed-ness of the ending. O is very open, and my arms wrapped an O shape in the air, but then the ending closed in a clasping of my hands together. I begin with being open, but I must come back to myself and hold it in. Here is my free association with the word Open:

Open
Air
Ginger blossom
Fly in space
Up on my roof
Space stars
Mint leaves in my tea.
Fill my cup to the top.
Open parachute — jump
down! Catch me
little star gently
on soft petals of iris.
Fields open to me as
I walk in space to the place
where I am meant to be.
Let’s sit here a while, you and me.
–Margaret Simon

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Sunshine on my Shoulder

Posted in Slice of Life, tagged Betsy Hubbard, Catherine Flynn, Sunshine Award on January 7, 2014| 15 Comments »

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Sunshine is spreading all over the cyberspace. I was nominated for a Sunshine award by Catherine Flynn of Reading to the Core and Betsy Hubbard of Teaching Young Writers. This is how it works.

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger(s).

2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.

3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger created for you.

4. List 11 bloggers who inspire you.

5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know they’ve been nominated. Don’t nominate a blogger who has nominated you.

So to start, here are eleven random facts about me:

1. I was inspired to become a teacher when I was 15 and volunteered for a program called OLE’ (Operation Life Enrichment). I learned that I loved the sparkle in kids’ eyes when you read with them.

2. I finished college in three years. I met my husband-to-be my freshman year. He was in his 2nd year of law school, so I zoomed through taking 21 hours a semester. No problem because all we did together was study.

3. I painted pet portraits for about ten years.

4. My favorite fruit is a satsuma. I had never eaten one until I moved to Louisiana. The same goes for crawfish.

5. I can hula hoop for ten minutes.

6. I have a new addiction to dark chocolate mint M&Ms.

7. I was named for my mother’s mother (Margaret) and my father’s mother (Gene). My grandmother Margaret died three months before I was born, so I’ve always thought of her as my guardian angel. I named my oldest daughter after me (and my maternal grandmother), but we call her Maggie.

8. I am a Berry Queen. What does that mean? Read here.

2012-13 Head Diva, Susan and me, 2013-14 Head Diva.

9. I was the first female acolyte in my Episcopal church.

10. My husband and I met at the same place my parents met: The Episcopal student center at LSU.

11. It was all my husband’s idea that we start taking Zydeco/Cajun dancing lessons. We’ve been dancing for 3 years, our empty nest activity.

I selected eleven questions from the ones posted by both Catherine and Betsy.

1. Is there a “classic” book that you are embarrassed to admit you haven’t read? Yes, (hides face) Harry Potter. My husband doesn’t understand how I can teach young readers and not read the Harry Potter series. I’m running out of excuses.

2. What are your reading now? I am reading two books, Neil Gaiman’s “The Ocean at the End of the Lane,” and “One for the Murphys” by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

3. Who is your favorite children’s book author? Kate DiCamillo! Love, love, love “Tale of Despereaux” and “Edward Tulane.”

4. What’s the funniest thing a student ever said to you? “That birthmark (age spot) on your face looks like a comma. People must look at you and pause.”

5. Tell something about the grandparent who meant a lot to you. I’ll never forget that my grandmother Ne Ne made me clothes for my Barbies and a whole house and furniture out of cardboard covered in fabric. She was amazing!

6. Where do you write? in my kitchen, in my classroom, in my car, in board rooms, in coffee shops, etc.

7. Do you have a quote that inspires you? Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese poem: “You do not have to be good…you only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”

From Betsy:

8. Where would you love to vacation? Greece; I’ve been there once, and the Aegean Sea is the most beautiful water in the world!

9. Do you collect anything? What? Yes, crosses (I have four clusters of crosses in my home.)

10. Did you ever learn to play an instrument? The piano. My mother has her masters in piano. She taught lessons to other people’s children. I took from Mrs. Jo. I loved her, but I hated to practice.

11. Who would you like to meet and what is one thing you would ask them? I would love to meet Mary Oliver. I wouldn’t ask her anything. I’d just want to take a walk with her.

My Sunshine Awards go to…

Laura Purdie Salas Writing the World for Kids
Pamela Hodges at i paint. i write.
Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts
Keri Collins Lewis at Keri Recommends
Caroline Starr Rose at Caroline by Line
Michelle H Barnes at Today’s Little Ditty
Diane Mayr at Random Noodling
Gigi McAllister at The Late Bloomer’s Blog

Clare Martin at Orphans of Dark and Rain

And your questions are:

1. What is your favorite movie of all time?
2. When did you first begin to believe you were a writer?
3. Who was your favorite author when your were growing up?
4. What is your most embarrassing moment as a teacher/presenter?
5. How many pets have you had? Can you name them all?
6. What do you love to do in your free time?
7. What is your secret fantasy?
8. What is your smell/taste memory of your grandmother’s house?
9. Do you collect anything? What?
10. What book have you read lately that influenced you and how?
11. Sweet or salty?

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One Little Word

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged Digital Bonnie, New Year, One Little Word on December 31, 2013| 14 Comments »

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As 2013 ends and 2014 begins, I am thinking about a One Little Word for the new year. Last year I was suffering with ankle pain (tendonitis) and walking in a boot. I chose the word acceptance for a few reasons. I wanted to give myself the patience I needed to recover, and I was looking for self-acceptance of my writing voice. My ankle recovered. It took six months, so I definitely made use of my OLW. I published a poetry book. Somehow I feel less intimidated by this because my poems were surrounded by my father’s loving art. Acceptance presided, along with bravery and perseverance.

On one of our drives during the holidays, I decided on the word OPEN for 2014. I am now loving this choice as I worked on this poem.

Open by Margaret Simon, all rights reserved

For today’s special year end Slice of Life, fellow blogger Bonnie has made a video compiling photos from the world of bloggers, including me! It’s an awesome celebration of life! Thanks, Bonnie!

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The Calm Before…

Posted in Slice of Life, tagged Christmas, haiga, haiku on December 24, 2013| 8 Comments »

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As many of you know, I write a Slice of Life every Tuesday. Usually I write it on Sunday because my weeks are full of lesson plans, school, meetings, errands… But this weekend I finished up the Christmas preparations. Yesterday, I ran errands. So this morning I am sitting in my warm kitchen with my dog Charlie on my lap, knowing that soon we will all be in here, my husband, my daughters, and me, cooking up a storm. I will attempt to make my mother’s dressing for tomorrow’s dinner. Jeff will be making a gumbo for tonight’s Christmas Eve celebration, and Martha will make lemon squares. But at this moment, I am having a quiet cup of coffee and listening to the calm.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it can also be stressful. Even when I try to keep it low stress, stress creeps its ugly head in at some point or another. Yesterday, it came to me while I drove through CVS. I drove into the wrong lane, the drop off lane. I yelled at the poor clerk, “Was there a sign to tell me I couldn’t pick up here!”

Later I returned. No, I didn’t circle around and try again. I left. But the errand had to be done, so I tried again when I was calmer. The sign could not have been bigger on the overhang. On the left, Pick Up, and on the right, Drop Off Only. What an idiot! I smiled at the clerk and wished her a Merry Christmas. And I learned a lesson.

I hope your day today is free of stress, mixed with calm and chaos, and full of love.

Christmas Haiga. Photo by Michelle Zimmerman

Christmas Haiga by Margaret Simon. Photo by Michelle Zimmerman

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You never know when you’ll need a Santa suit!

Posted in Slice of Life, Solomon House, tagged Christmas party, community service, Santa on December 17, 2013| 10 Comments »

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On Saturday, I attended the Solomon House Christmas party. We started giving this party a few years ago for the families we serve. The party is fun for the kids. We have treats and pizza, candy canes, games, and always…Santa. Well, except maybe this year. Our usual Santa (St. Nick) just plain forgot, or was not given a sufficient urging; nevertheless, he was not there, and here we were with a parish hall full of families and no Santa.

No worries. The president of the board to the rescue. Susan is the queen of Goodwill shopping. I think she goes at least once a week. And back in July she couldn’t pass up a Santa suit for $9.99. I mean, who would pass that up? So she sent her husband out to pick up the suit while we stalled with cookies and Christmas carols. When he returned, she grabbed her 18-year-old son and suited him up. Put a man in a Santa suit, and you have transformed him into every child’s hero. Amazing power of red and white synthetic fur.

Our party was a success, and some needy families went home with bags of gifts. Many volunteers make this possible, but I think there must be some divine intervention that makes someone buy a Santa suit in July.