Reflections on the Teche

The Poem in the Tree

February 20, 2015 by margaretsmn

Join the roundup with Linda at Teacher Dance.

I like to keep my poetry in practice, so I often enlist my students in my pet projects. I love Laura Purdie Salas and her blog site. Every Thursday she posts a picture and asks writers to post a poem comment using 15 words or less. Not every Thursday, but many of them, I show her image to my first bunch in the morning. We talk about the image, someone rings the sacred writing bell, and we write.

Yesterday, Laura posted an old tree. I listened to my first grader, the youngest of the bunch, explain to a fifth grader what he needed to do. “Look at the picture. Then use your imagination.” We read Laura’s poem and Jacob said, “I’m stealing the word squirrels.” I swear this kid could lead a writing workshop already!

Old Tree by Laura Purdie Salas

I posted this poem early in the morning. The tree image reminded me of the old live oak in our backyard.

Grandmother Oak

With footholds to climb
Eyes that see time
Stories in my rings
Come swing.

–Margaret Simon

Grandmother oak in the sunset

Then I wrote again with my students.

Stories told
from a wisdom of scars
wrinkled into skin
like crevices on this old tree.

–Margaret Simon

If you would like to play, go to Laura’s site on Thursday mornings. It’s a fun place to be.

Old People

Two old men
bickering every day
scaring nature away.
These old hags
should calm down.
–Tyler, 6th grade

Another poetry practice project I am doing is on another Laura’s site, Laura Shovan of Author Amok. I am joining some fabulous poets writing to sound prompts. Check it out!

Posted in Gifted Education, Poetry, Poetry Friday, Teaching, Writing | Tagged 15 Words or Less, Laura Purdie Salas, Nature poems, oak tree | 11 Comments »

Spiritual Thursday Dive

February 19, 2015 by margaretsmn

Holly Mueller is the hostess of this beautiful blog journey. Be sure to visit her site to read more inspirational posts.

We have been exploring different words chosen by our blogging community. Greg’s one little word is Dive.

I am a wimp. I don’t take risks easily. Diving off the high diving board when I was a swimmer was the ultimate test of bravery, and I didn’t pass. I think I have gotten braver, but I am still one who tests the waters with her big toe and slips in gradually. Diving is very scary to me.

Blogging is entering into the publishing waters gradually. I feel safe here in this space with only a few people reading my musings. I guess you could say I dove in with Blessen, my first middle grade novel. But it took me three years to write. The diving came about when I decided to go the route of self-publishing. Now I am about to finish the sequel (another 3 years in the making), and I want to dive in to the traditional publishing world. This is so scary.

First I renewed my membership in SCBWI. That was easy enough. Then I registered for the Houston conference in April. While registering, I signed up for a manuscript critique with an editor. Hold on, what did you say? I looked at the requirements for the submission. I froze at the cover letter. That’s when I opened up my safe Reflections on the Teche tab and started writing about the word Dive. Am I ready to dive in? What’s the worst that can happen, really? I need to hold my nose and jump in. I’m not sure what will be waiting in the water. Was it Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “Do one thing that scares you every day?”

That is why I need God. I know that I am always loved, no matter what. There is no failure in God’s eyes. There is only courage and hope wrapped up in love.

I enter the church on Ash Wednesday, and I walk to the alter for ashes. I hear the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The smudge of dust is placed on my forehead. I return to my work with a renewed heart, ready to dive, ready to pursue a dream, ready to be made new.

A Valentine’s Day gift from a student.

Posted in Spiritual Growth | Tagged Ash Wednesday, dive, publishing, spiritual journey | 7 Comments »

Blogging with Links

February 15, 2015 by margaretsmn

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

When writing a blog post, links can be used to enrich the text. When I taught my students some time ago about linking, I was considering how they could use links in nonfiction to show further research. But bloggers find many ways to use links in a blog post. Here are a few:

To send a reader to a similar post: Yesterday when I was reading Julianne’s blog, I noticed that she linked three different blogs she had read and enjoyed. This made it easy for me to bounce on over to these sites, too.
To connect your reader to an image or text that you do not have permission to post: For a poetry writing exercise, I led my students to write about a National Geographic image. On Poetry Friday, I didn’t post the image with the poems. I posted a link to it.
To connect your reader to similar posts: My student, Vannisa, has two young sisters. She writes about her sisters often. So on her Slice of Life post this week, she wrote this clever sentence complete with links to her other posts. “My sister is a little monster now. She is a Youtube Genius. Obviously different from my other sisters. And her day all begins with her morning with her baby sister.”
To refer your reader to another website: On Saturday, I wrote about a magician who visited my class. I linked to his website.
To direct your readers to a shopping site: When I do book reviews, I link the thumbnail of the book to a bookseller.

On my WordPress site, I am able to create the link to open in a new window, so my reader does not lose our connection. I am also able to easily link to my previous blog posts.

What are some ways you use links in your blog posts? Which ones are most important for student bloggers? Don’t forget to link back to this round up. You can use the image above as a link button.

Posted in Digital Learning, Writing | Tagged blog links, student blogging | 3 Comments »

Magical Celebrations

February 14, 2015 by margaretsmn

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

This was a week for magic and illusions in my classroom. On Monday, Michael Dardant, otherwise known as Magic Mike (the original), visited my class. Visit his amazing website here.

One of my students has been dedicated to magic for almost 3 years. He did his first magic show for his class in third grade. He is now in 5th grade, and he performed his first public magic show last weekend. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a passionate interest in any of my students.

I got in touch with Michael more than a year ago trying to get him to visit. Finally his schedule allowed for it, and I feel the timing was just right. As I expected, the two magicians shared tricks and chatter, also known as patter in magic shows. Michael has been doing magic since he was thirteen. He performed at children’s birthday parties when my daughters were growing up. He complimented Matthew and his advanced trickery at such a young age. It was a joy to watch these two together. Here is a quick video clip of Michael showing the sponge ball trick to Matthew. Permission has been granted from both Matthew’s mother and from Michael to post this video clip.

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Gifted Education, Writing | Tagged magic, magician, mentors, Michael Dardant | 5 Comments »

Magic, Optical Illusions lead to Poetry

February 13, 2015 by margaretsmn

Join the roundup with Cathy at Merely Day by Day

This was a week all about magic. We started the week with a visit from Magic Mike, not the one you are thinking of, but a magician from New Orleans. I knew him when he was a teenager performing at birthday parties, and now he is on his way to an international magician competition this summer. One of my students is ~~obsessed~~ passionate about magic. It was amazing to watch the two of them go back and forth showing tricks and slights of hand.

Then on Wonder Wednesday, we looked at optical illusions on Wonderopolis. So today when we used an image writing prompt, the National Geographic image of two penguins in Antarctica, our minds were on illusion.

Jacob is a first grade gifted student fairly new to my class. He often needs more prodding and questioning during writing time so that I have to give up my own writing to help him. Not so today. At the end of our quick write, he announced that he had a poem to share. Five minutes or so earlier he didn’t even have a word written for the word list pre-writing activity. I gave permission for him to “steal” any of the words other writers had shared. I was moved to tears when I heard his poem because I knew it signified a turning point. Jacob is now a writer!

Two Penguins

Two penguins walking in fields of popcorn.
Their love is black and white.
Sliding their bellies on the icy snow.
–Jacob, 1st grade

See image here.

My poem reflects the mood of the class, magic, illusions, and a little bit of Valentine’s Day love. Matthew created a card trick to go with my poem. He turned an ace of spades into an ace of hearts.

Spade to Hearts: A Magic Trick or Illusion?

I see a black spade
on Antarctic ice.
Mountains majestic, jagged, and tall
protect this frigid land
where two penguins
frozen in time
become a symbol
of love.
–Margaret Simon

Posted in Poetry Friday, Teaching | Tagged National Geographic photo of the day, Wonderopolis | 10 Comments »

Looking for Reflections

February 12, 2015 by margaretsmn

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

Reflection of the rose window at St. Marks Cathedral in Seattle, WA.

There is no doubt that I love reflections hence the name of this blog. I look out on the bayou each day to see the reflection of the trees, standing tall like floating towers on the water. Once a Catholic friend (I am an Episcopalian) told me that she saw the reflection of Christ in the communion cup during a Eucharist we were attending together at the National Cathedral. She was surprised to find Jesus in our cup as she was always told Jesus only blesses the Catholic Eucharist. I know this sounds ludicrous, but that is what she thought before her vision. The actual very confusing rule is explained here.

Ever since my friend’s vision in the chalice, I look when I take the wine. I used to close my eyes. And when the swine flu was going around, and our priest advised us to dip rather than drink, I drank anyway. I look. I always see a reflection. The reflection is not always ethereal, but it is always beautiful.

On Monday, I attended a memorial service for a friend’s husband. The service was in an Episcopal church, and a full communion was served.

I kept my eyes open.

I was delighted by the many lights I saw in the wine reflection, red, green, yellow, sparkling lights. A sign to me that resurrection is real.

When we open our eyes in the presence of the Holy Spirit, we will see miracles.
We will see love.
We will see.
And believe.

I plan to keep my eyes open.

Posted in Spiritual Growth | Tagged Holy Eucharist, spiritual journey | 5 Comments »

Reaching

February 10, 2015 by margaretsmn

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.

Posted in Slice of Life | Tagged amaryllis, OLW, parenting adults, Prayer Shawl Ministry, Reach | 15 Comments »

Try Out New Apps

February 8, 2015 by margaretsmn

Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

Have you used Read, Write, Think Interactives with your students? ReadWriteThink.org is a division of The International Reading Association and the National Council for the Teachers of English. The site houses a wealth of ideas, lessons, and activities designed to enhance any K-!2 literacy curriculum.

This week I was teaching plot diagraming. There’s an app for that! Go to this link to find the student interactive. Once students fill in the graphic organizer, they can print it out or save it as a pdf. My students will be adding plot diagrams to their next book talk presentation.

The other interactive I used was the Word Mover. Students can create found poems from the words of famous speeches such as “I Have a Dream” and “The Gettysburg Address.”

Here is a poem from Vannisa using Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words.

One day this nation
will dream that,
all men had meaning
and are true.

The great activity
of the creative soul
must not allow violence.

We shall always pledge
peace to our world,
and justice
to our nation.

–Vannisa

Andrew Raupp contacted me about a conferring app he and his wife have developed. If you are using Evernote, you may be interested to see what Chronicle can offer you. Go to this link to see his presentation.

“Show, don’t tell.” If you teach writing, you’ve probably used this phrase before. But so often we as teachers don’t take our own advice when it comes to our conferring notes.

What if a teacher-centric app existed, which allowed multiple photos, audio recordings, and video recordings to be associated with each conferring note, be it with individuals or small groups? Good news – there is!

Chronicle, developed by husband and wife teachers, is a cutting-edge iPad app harnessing the multimedia technology of the iPad, raising conferring notes to a whole new level. Think of the possibilities: capture audio recordings of a student’s fluency and reading rate, use video recordings of book discussions to provide rich feedback, snap pictures of student “before and after” writing samples.

Please add your Digital Literacy links below:

Posted in Digital Learning | Tagged Chronicle, found poetry, Literacy Apps, Plot diagram, ReadWriteThink | 3 Comments »

From the Heart

February 6, 2015 by margaretsmn

Join the roundup with Liz and all her wisdom.

I can’t help it. I try to write poems, but my emotions get in the way. My self and all her flaws permeate every word. You may think I am missing self-confidence. Maybe I am fishing for compliments. That’s not it at all.

Laura Shovan has done this to me again. Like last year, I am taking her challenge to write a poem every day in the month of February. Unlike last year, the words are flowing. Does this come from practice? self-confidence? wisdom? Not really. It comes from the heart. I am pouring it out on my sleeve and sending it to her to publish on her blog. Bleeding on the page as some wise writer said. Was it Hemmingway?

I want to thank Laura for allowing, no, encouraging me to write like this. Please visit her site and listen to some of the sounds for this project. I guarantee they will open a vein for you.

My submissions for Thursday and Friday are below. Thursday we listened to the sound of a ballet dancer practicing. On Friday, the sound was a theremin. I had never heard of this instrument before, so I spent some time on YouTube listening. One of my favorites was this rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

Ballet Practice

Body of intense beauty
strength of muscles flexed
arabesque held still

Life ends.
We know it must.

Beauty dissolves
into a limp plie’
held en pointe
by loving hands.

–Margaret Simon, for Suzy

Revealing Energy

The director’s hands
stir the air like a scientist.
Vibrating fingers
tune an invisible voice;
sound becomes color—a rainbow
of intonations exploring
the foreign frontier
of our ears.

–Margaret Simon