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Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category

#DigiLitSunday: Gratitude

Posted in Digital Learning, Gratitude, Writing, tagged #DigiLitSunday on November 27, 2016| 7 Comments »

This image was the Twitter image I made for this week’s DigiLit link-up but never posted. As many of you, I’ve been enjoying time with my family this holiday weekend. I will extend this topic to next week, so think about joining the round up next week on Sunday, Dec. 4th.

I would like you to think about what DigiLit Sunday means to you. I was asked to explain it last weekend at NCTE, and I realized the description has changed from my original intent. I wanted a space to showcase my students’ digital work as well as a place to have conversations around digital literacy. The purpose has turned to one that more deeply defines my teaching practice.

My posts and those of others who link up seem to gravitate to the theory around the topic and how that plays out in the classroom. Is it time for a new name? Any ideas?

I want to keep #DigiLitSunday going. I am grateful for everyone who links up week after week. How can we build a stronger future? What need does this platform serve?

I am full of questions this week as the kitchen has quieted down, and I prepare for the ending of 2016. Let me know in the comments or by email if you have any ideas you would like to share. Thanks for being here.

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Celebrating a New Generation

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Gratitude, Writing, tagged Thanksgiving 2016 on November 26, 2016| 5 Comments »

Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.

Gorgeous fall flowers for the table.

Time changes things. For practically every Thanksgiving in my adult life, I’ve traveled home to Mississippi for Thanksgiving. This year, with our growing family, I felt it was time to stay home. I missed being with my family of origin but loved being with my daughters and their significant others (one husband, one fiancé, and one boyfriend).

This Thanksgiving became cooking by committee. At one point I looked around my kitchen, and there were only guys cooking. Each couple contributed something to the meal. But also, these grown children worked together in every way. Such a fun thing to watch and be a part of. As the meal was almost ready to be served, I cried out, “Salad!” There is always something we’ve forgotten. Usually it’s cranberry sauce or bread, but this year it was the salad. As I scrambled to get the salad ready, others stopped and chopped. Our small community came together to make everything just right.

Friday, the committee started up again with the traditional turkey and sausage gumbo. I know nothin’ ’bout cookin’ a gumbo, being a Mississippi girl and all. But there is something so comforting about the scent of a dark roux.

As this holiday comes to a close, I celebrate change. I celebrate a growing family. I celebrate the new generation.

My married daughter, Katherine, has two dogs, so we took daily walks in the neighborhood.

A satsuma candle made by Paul using a satsuma peel and a touch of olive oil.

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Mowing in November

Posted in Poetry, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged New Orleans, Poets & Writers on November 25, 2016| 20 Comments »

Poetry Friday is with Carol at Carol’s Corner.

In my Inbox, I found this prompt from Poets and Writers:

In his 1821 essay “A Defence of Poetry,” Percy Bysshe Shelley writes, “Poetry is…the perfect and consummate surface and bloom of all things; it is as the odor and the color of the rose to the texture of the elements which compose it….” Make a list of words and phrases that describe the surface textures, odors, and colors that surround you as this year draws to an end, choosing the details that are most evocative of the season. You may find yourself drawing inspiration from the contrasting primary colors of holiday cheer, bright puffy parkas or dark wool coats, the shiny prints and textures of patterned gift wrap, the stark tones of snow, or the scents of fragrant conifers and baked desserts. Write a trio of poems, each focusing on one type of sensory input. Select an element–setting, narrator’s voice, repeated words, or a specific object–that stays constant through all three, tying them together.

I was relaxing at my daughter’s house in New Orleans after a long, amazing, yet tiring weekend at NCTE. The mowers came to mow the median. And this poem emerged.

I.

Even in November
mowers hum,
chopping remains of green,
throwing dust to the wind.

My soul prepares
for the cold,
curled up in a blanket,
wearing wool socks.

This cooling of air
this crisping of leaves, grass, my toes
gives space for new growth
prepares for seeds to flower.

II

When I hear
mower sounds,
wind playing its violin,

I turn my ear–
Listen.

III

I see black faces
of the mowers earnestly
getting the job done.
Do they take pride
in their mowing?

Do they take their families
for a ride later,
drive by the median
on Carrollton Avenue,
point to the grass,
and say, “I did that!” ?

Do any of us
see the lawn of our lives
as beauty
we have created?

–Margaret Simon

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Words Matter!

Posted in Slice of Life, Teaching, Writing, tagged Katherine Bomer, NCTE16, Penny Kittle, Tom Newkirk on November 22, 2016| 13 Comments »

A breakfast conversation in the lobby of the Hilton in Atlanta for the NCTE 2016 conference, Collette turns to me and points her finger saying, “Words matter!”

We talked about this a lot. Words and their importance was in the theme of every presentation I attended. What we say, what we write, how we express ourselves and how we lead our students to express themselves matters.

The first gathering I attended on Thursday afternoon featured the work of Thomas Newkirk. Friends and colleagues gathered to share how Tom’s words had influenced the ongoing work of writers like Penny Kittle, Jeff Wilhelm, and Ellin Keene. Jeff Wilhelm shared this Marge Percy poem, “To Be of Use.” I wondered, “Am I of use?”

Our theories are disguised autobiographies often rooted in childhood. –Tom Newkirk

Penny Kittle repeated this quote like a mantra, 3 times. Long enough for me to write it down. Long enough for me to contemplate what that means for me and for my students. This idea leads us to empathy. How can we not be empathetic if we consider everyone’s theories come from their roots? We must respect the roots to offer ourselves and our students wings.

This theme of empathy and the value of words continued on Friday morning at the Heinemann breakfast honoring the work of Don Graves. Katherine Bomer reminded us that kids want to write.

Writing is the way children’s voices come into power, reminding us that we are all human.–Katherine Bomer

Following all of the amazing, articulate speakers, we were asked to create our own credo. Here’s mine:

Student voices are precious, like a tiny fragile egg. I must crack it open without destroying the life inside. –Margaret Simon

NCTE is a powerful, inspirational gathering of gentle, generous, kind and brave teachers and authors. We know that words matter, but hearing the message in this atmosphere ingrains it into our hearts, and we are empowered to move forward.

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Learning to Play with Words with Jane Yolen

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, Teaching, Writing, tagged Jane Yolen, poetry on November 15, 2016| 10 Comments »

Note: Header image art by my sister, Beth Gibson Saxena.

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for the Slice of Life Challenge.

Jane Yolen

Poets love words. Poets play with words. Poets want you to love language as much as they do.

In my classroom, we read poems together, searching for sounds, images, and meaning. Jane Yolen is a master. I’ve admired her poetry for years. But only a year ago, maybe less, I signed up for her daily poem email. She believes in writing a poem a day. She practices what she preaches and sends out her daily drafts trusting that we receivers will honor and respect her words.

I shared one of these gems with my students, “Seven Ways of Kneeling on the Ground.” My first intent in sharing this poem was to show students how to use a pattern of 7 stanzas with 3 lines each, but in further examination, the poem offered so much more. We found imagery bouncing off the page. Her poem exemplified the magical sounds of words without using end rhyme: “Kneeling in the high bracken/ the brown crackle of it.”

There is JOY in reading a poem together, marking it up in colorful markers, and discovering how language (the sounds of words, double meanings, metaphor) leads us to a deeper understanding of our world.

jane-yolen-quote

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Celebration Saturday

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Teaching, Writing, tagged celebration, roses, student podcasting, Twitter on November 12, 2016| 9 Comments »

Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.

Celebrate #1: He bought me roses. The beauty of a single rose is enough to take my breath away. Something so small and simple is really a sign of the hope. I need that hope this week.

Celebrate #2: NCTE is coming! I leave on Thursday and will be meeting up with many friends. I celebrate that I am co-moderating two panels. I will also be involved with 2 roundtable discussions. But most of all, I will be surrounded by like-minded people who want the best for their students.

My NCTE schedule:

Sat., 8 AM: F.21 We See Their Faces: How Historical Fiction Advocates for Empathy, Diversity, and Social Change B311

Sat., 9:30 G.12 Writing for a Better World: Poetry Response to World Events B210

Sat., 1:15 I.27 Authentic Voice in a Digital World: Using Technology in Our Literate Lives B215

Sunday, 1:30 N.20 Teachers as Writers: Practices and Possibilities (an NCTE Roundtable Session) b206

Celebrate #3: Class Twitter account: @MrsSimonsSea. My students are excited to have their very own Twitter account. I look forward to exploring ways we can connect with authors and other classrooms. If you have a class account, please follow us. Our first Tweet was a 4th grade student’s podcast about the importance of pets.

#studentpodcasts @MargaretGSimon Gifted student created a podcast about the importance of pets. https://t.co/qgA3gc4cJI @hayhurst3

— Mrs. Simon's Sea (@MrsSimonsSea) November 11, 2016

Jenn Hayhurst tweeted back.

pic.twitter.com/9MO5Gh2Dg7

— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 11, 2016

I can’t wait to share this with Andrew on Monday. I celebrate online connections and building student confidence with social media.

Please come back tomorrow for DigiLitSunday! Our topic this week is “Purpose.”

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Slice of a Swing

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged cypress swing, family on November 8, 2016| 8 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for the Slice of Life Challenge.

My three daughters lined up on the swing with Isabel, our weenie dog, and Sammy, the three-legged cat, on the first day of school. My husband built the swing of heavy cypress, and it hung in the breezeway between the house and the carport. The picture was taken in 1997 and took some time for me to find. (I got lost in the trip down memory lane through albums of photos.) I remembered that we took the first day of school picture every year on this cypress swing outside our back door. Digging through the photos, I only found two. The second one was taken in 1998, and Maggie had outgrown first-day-of-school photos, so it was only the younger two. (And Izzy and Sammy, of course)

Fast forward almost 20 years. The swing has been sitting in our carport ever since we moved to this house 12 years ago. We’ve just never found the right spot for it. Our cats have enjoyed finding a dry spot to hang out, and we’ve used it to hold various things that tend to land in a carport. It gathered dirt and leaves while the paint peeled.

A few weeks ago, our oldest daughter bought a house with her boyfriend. They are engaged to be married this spring. Their new house has a nice front porch just begging for a cypress swing. So Jeff spent a few weekends cleaning, sanding, and painting the infamous swing.

On Sunday, we loaded it into his truck to deliver to its new home.

To me, this is a right of passage, of sorts. The next generation is making their way into this world. The swing has many more years left in it. Solid, strong, and safe… like our family.

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DigiLitSunday: Focus

Posted in Digital Learning, Teaching, Writing, tagged focus, Irene Latham, mission statement, student podcasting on November 6, 2016| 13 Comments »

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A friend once told me that I have an artist’s mind, random and all over the place. While it was a nice way to put it, what she was really telling me was I lack focus. I’ve always hopped from project to project, idea to idea. It’s difficult for me to stay tuned in to one thing for any length of time.

Last weekend I had a chat with Irene Latham on the steps of the State Museum at the Louisiana Book Festival. We were talking about conferences. She said she realized she could be a conference junkie but questioned whether that would serve her mission. Her mission? Yes, Irene has a mission statement. Don’t we all? She wrote about how to find your own mission statement in her post on Smack Dab in the Middle.

The first question, “Who do you admire?” reminded me of a process my friend Kimberley talked about; Find the person who is doing what you want to do and find out how they got there. In other words, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

When creating a mission statement, I had to consider my personality type. I really care what people think of me. It’s a fault, except that it keeps me behaving in ways that are kind and thoughtful. I want others to respect me, so I respect them. Not a bad way to be. It’s tough when I chew on an incident for a long time. I’m not good at letting things go.

What does this all have to do with digital literacy and teaching? In creating a mission statement, a focus for my life, I see clearly that I want to empower others to be the best they can be. I want to bring creativity into the world. Through my teaching and writing, I can be both wind and wings.

My students worked all week on their podcasts. They created scripts from their research and collaborated on making something creative and new. Yet, the learning curve was high. I wasn’t sure we could meet it. I am still waiting on tech help from our district department; however, the glitches didn’t really bother the kids. They understand that’s all part of making something new in this digital world.

When I reflect on the projects we do in my class, I realize the ones that encourage the strongest focus are ones that are highly creative, honor choice, and are student-driven. My classroom mission statement is not that different from my personal mission statement. Margaret and Mrs. Simon walk hand in hand to find their focus and meaning in this world.

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Celebrating Organic October

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Writing, tagged fall, nature, student podcasting on November 5, 2016| 10 Comments »

Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.

October came to an end this week. Why does this make me sentimental? Maybe it’s the smell of sugarcane fields burning, or the taste of satsumas, or kids in costumes, but this time of year makes me think about the past, about time, about celebrations.

The sun rises as I drive to school each day. I took this picture out of my car window. Next week the time will change and I won’t see the sun rise this way for a while. Stopping to capture beauty…

My students worked all week on their podcasts. What fun! We were challenged by technology and with cooperation. I celebrate that they came together to support each other. When I figure out how to make the podcasts public, I will post them. They wrote about everything from Halloween to mythological creatures and homework. I celebrate the strength of their writing. They were motivated to write for an authentic audience.

On my morning walk, I came to this overgrown shrub (or is it a tree?). I don’t know what it is, but the bright yellow flowers attracted my focus.

A weird organic fall phenomenon is webs in the grass. They were dotting a field and sparkling with dew. Who made this? How tiny a creature?

All of these photos were taken this week on my iPhone. I never tire of photographing grandmother oak. Here the fog is rising from the bayou silhouetting her expansive girth. Nature nurtures the fall air, and I celebrate her gifts.

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Poetry Friday: Contests

Posted in Poetry Friday, Teaching, Writing, tagged Irene Latham, LA Writes, Louisiana Book Festival, NCTE on November 4, 2016| 11 Comments »

Poetry Friday is with Laura at Writing the World for Kids

Do you enter contests? I don’t. But I pretty much insist that my kids do. I even will go so far as to write it as a goal on their IEP. At the end of the school year last year, most of my students entered a piece of writing into our state writing contest, LA Writes. I was pleased to hear in September that three of them had placed. The awards ceremony was last Saturday at the Louisiana Book Festival at the State Museum in Baton Rouge. When Madison came to the microphone to read her poem, she introduced herself as “the author.” What a thrill for this writing teacher to hear her describe herself as an author.

Madison shows off her first place medal.

Madison wrote her first place poem after Irene Latham’s “Tree for All.” In May, we had a Skype visit with Irene. She wrote about my students’ poems here.

I secretly wished that Irene was there to hear Madison read. Sometime wishes do come true. Irene was at the Book Festival. We met up later in the day. She presented in the Children’s Storytelling Tent and guess who walked by?

Madison meets her author hero, Irene Latham.

Reef for All

after Irene Latham’s “Tree for All”

Sharks feast on my citizens;
my restaurant never closes.

Eels hide in my caves;
my shelters provide homes.

Sea worms play peek-a-boo in my tubes;
my tubes allow all ages.

Fish hide in my caves;
my cradle caves are cozy for new fins.

No sea animal can resist my charm:
I am a coral reef.

Madison

Tree for All (in Dear Wandering Wildebeests)

Giraffes feast on my leafy crown;

my buffet never closes.

Rhinos doze beneath my broad branches;

my umbrella selters and shades.

Baboons scramble up and down my trunk;

my playground delights all ages.

Owls nest in my hidden knothole;

my cradle cozies brand-new wings.

Skinks sleep in my thick, spotted bark;

my camouflage keeps them safe.

Safari ants trail along my roots;

my roadways help build a city.

No grassland beast can resist my charms;

I am a wild bush willow tree.

– Irene Latham

Contests make us feel famous. They give students an opportunity to shine. Thanks to Irene for being such a beautiful role model to budding author, Madison.

I will be presenting with Irene and some other awesome poets at NCTE 2016 in Atlanta:Sat., 9:30 G.12 Writing for a Better World: Poetry Response to World Events B210