Slice of Life Challenge #23: Day 25/31 The Spring Snowstorm

 For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life Challenge #23: Day 25/31

The Spring Snowstorm

so much depends

upon

a strong spring

snowstorm

our city street 

blanket

concealed any new

growth

My mentor text was William Carlos William's, "The Red Wheelbarrow"

Slice of Life #23: Day 22/31: Alone

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #23: Day 22/31: 

Alone

Yesterday's post really got me thinking about lists. In my writer's notebook, I frequently write lists. I realized that I process so many things in list format. 

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's, Poems Are Teachers, provides an abundance of mentor texts and suggestions for how to craft different poems. It's a wonderful resource. When writing a list poem, VanDerwater reminds readers that lists do not need to be ordered by time. She suggested to first list a group of related words, topics, people, questions. She also reminds writers that often list poems end with some sort of change. 

A mentor poem by Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander's poem is a list poem mentor text in Poems Are Teachers. The repetition of the word alone stuck with me all day. It made me think about when I was a young mother with two small children. Although I cherished spending time with my children, I was often exhausted and barely got a break. Periodically, I fantasized of time on my own. When I first separated from my then husband and had to get used to seeing my kids only 50% of the time, I had to quickly adjust to spending time on my own - something that I had once yearned for. Those first few months were so challenging. After three and a half years, I still have many moments of feeling sad when I am without my kids, but I manage it much better now. 

Here's a list poem to describe my time when I am alone:  

When I'm Alone

I read,

crochet,

linger on walks,

dance while doing dishes,

make dinners with black olives and mushrooms,

watch edgy shows and dramas,

spend time with my boyfriend,

blast my music,

go thrifting,

and miss my 

children

deeply.

  

Slice of Life #22: Day 26: Metaphor Dice

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #22: Day 26/31:

Metaphor Dice

Lately I've been playing around with Metaphor Dice, a game designed by Taylor Mali. Metaphor Dice comes with a set of twelve dice with words on it. The red dice are concepts. The white dice are adjectives or short descriptive phrases. The blue dice are objects. The order is usually a red dice, white, and a blue dice. However, the order can be reversed or rearranged. 

The game instructions describe the object of Metaphor Dice as, "roll the dice until you formulate a metaphor that speaks to you, one you think that you could explore for a few minutes in writing." 

See below for what I rolled. I played around with combinations until I came up with four different metaphors. 

Out of all of the metaphors, this phrase spoke to me the most.

I set a timer and did a quick write about the metaphor:

Some people say poetry is a bright mirror.

In that, poetry invites noticing

insights about yourself...

revealing beauty

you didn't know existed. 

I used Metaphor Dice with one of my ninth grade classes last week. We played with the dice as a whole group using the document camera. Based on a metaphor we came up with, I wrote with my students in a quick write based on one of the metaphors. Later in the class I split up the dice so that students could play with a smaller set in small groups. They seemed to enjoy it, but it was a little clunky to play with as a whole class. I need to do some more brainstorming of how to make Metaphor Dice as a more effective writing tool with writers. 

How would you use Metaphor Dice with students? 

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 30/31: Sidewalk Poetry

Slice of Life #20 Challenge Day 30/31: 

Sidewalk Poetry

On Wednesday the month of March ends and April begins, ushering in National Poetry Month. 

This April, in the midst of the social distancing Covid-19 Epidemic, I need to celebrate poetry and do better in sharing how it has impacted me.

On a walk yesterday afternoon, my friend/neighbor, Dave, and I walked past this piece of sidewalk poetry: 

"I call myself poet...
comfortably, happily.
My life is filled with writing...
articles, essays, fiction, history.
But poetry is what delights me,
sustains me, is my strongest need.
As long as I write,
the rest of my life falls into place."

I was stunned. Dave and I were walking in my old neighborhood. I must have walked over that sidewalk poem so many times, but Sunday was the first time that I actually took the time to read it.

Indeed, "my life is filled with writing...but poetry is what delights me, sustains me, is my strongest need..." 

I adore this sidewalk poem. 

After reading this piece and reflecting on it, I cannot help but wonder what I can do to better help celebrate poetry this April, both at home and in my distance-learning classroom.

Fellow readers, I would love your ideas. What will you do to celebrate National Poetry Month this April? 

Looking to connect with a positive, supportive online community? 

Consider sharing a slice of your life with Two Writing Teachers. 

All writers are welcome!

Tuesday Slice of Life: Blackout Poetry Respite

Looking to connect with a positive, supportive online community?  Consider sharing a slice of your life with Two Writing Teachers. All writers are welcome! 

Tuesday Slice of Life: 
Blackout Poetry Respite

Today began the first of three days of standardized testing for ninth and tenth grade students across our district. Our students test for the first two hours of each day and then follow a shortened class schedule for the remainder of the school day. It is an exhausting day for the students who take the exam and equally exhausting for teachers to proctor it.

By mid-day, I realized that most of my students were absolutely spent. So instead of our normal targeted literacy instruction, I decided to provide students with a break. Following our daily independent reading/conferring we headed to our school's maker space and created blackout poetry. You can see an example of a former blackout poem I created last month here. 

I emphasized to my students that the purpose for this activity was to play with words and create some sort of coherent message. It could be something serious, silly, or playful. Using old New York Times newspapers, I modeled how I create blackout poems, showed some student models (and our amazing librarian's model), and made a few blackout poems with them. 

Above is one of the blackout poems I created:

"The World's Juggernaut"
Home.
Today under construction,
reeling from disaster.
Spurred by power.
It will grow again. 

We needed something playful and fun after testing today. Creating Blackout poems was a perfect respite. I am thankful that each student successfully created a blackout poem, even my students who are typically the most reluctant to read and write. 

March Slice of Life Challenge Day 8: Spine Poetry

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

March Slice of Life Challenge Day 8: Spine Poetry 

Have you ever tried Book Spine Poetry? For me, writing a Spine Poem is simple and fun, yet so visually appealing. As I was straightening up my bookshelves at school on Thursday afternoon I wrote two new Spine Poems. 

My first Spine Poem is based on professional education resources (and some of my favorite books). The second Spine Poem uses mostly Young Adult titles. 

For the Good of the Earth and Sun

Poetry Matters.

Minds Made for Stories.

The Journey is Everything.

Write Beside Them.

Read Write Teach.

Imagine It Better. 

If you're reading this

hold still

for one more day.

Just listen

my brilliant friend. 

So Much Depends Upon an April Snowstorm

Today I celebrate familiar poems that whisper in my mind as I write. 

In a nod to "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams, National Poetry Month, and the current snowstorm that has kept our family burrowed deep inside our home this weekend, I penned this poem: 

April Snowstorm

so much depends

upon

an April snowstorm

ushered in with hail,

billowing winds, 

slick snow-covered streets. 

Slice of Life 2018 Day 26: You Are My Sunshine

Poetry Everywhere is a great resource for poets. Before Common Core was adopted in our district, I used to pull out this book on Fridays with my eighth graders, and we spent all class hour simply playing with poetry. Students were always invited, never required, to share their poems. I never graded these poems. It was just play. I loved it. Many of my students loved it as well.

I need to get back to incorporating poetry better in my classes.

Saturday morning I pulled Poetry Everywhere out in search of some inspiration. I came across a section called "acrostics-from-phrases." It is a variation of an acrostic poem. However, instead of using a letter of a word as the beginning of each line you use a word at the beginning of each line. The words make up a phrase or a title.

Here's an example from the book (page 27):

Example of acrostic-from-phrase poem

When my children were babies, I sang them the song “You Are My Sunshine” as I tucked them in at night. It was also a song I sang when one of them was hurt or needed extra snuggles. I adore that my daughter, now nearly ten years old, sings this song to me when she realizes that I need extra comfort. I thought that it would be fun use “You Are My Sunshine” as my acrostic-from-phrase poem.

This ended up being a lot more challenging to write than what I anticipated. I couldn't get it to work like an acrostic poem without adding extra lines. So I bent the rules a bit, and here’s what I came up with.

For my son:

YOU may rip holes in pants and jackets,

“forget” soap to clean, and

my constant inquiry seems to be,

“when ARE you going to clean your room?”

MY budget is exhausted at the large quantity of food

your adolescent body consumes,

yet you still bring

SUNSHINE into every room you enter.

For my daughter:

YOU scatter treasures throughout our home,

create baby blanket basket nests for stuffed animals,

wallpaper your closet doors with sketches when you
ARE in the mood to create beauty, and

MY heart swells when I watch you swing

and drink the SUNSHINE.

Slice of Life 2018 Day 12: If I'm going to be an effective teacher

One of the things that I have appreciated the most about the Slice of Life Blogging Challenge is gaining new ideas from other writers based on their posts. For example, a few days ago I saw this post by Ona Feinberg's On A Thought. I was struck in how she effectively shared what she strives to do as a writer through a poem. In thinking that it might be interesting to emulate Ona's poem.

Although I have written about my teaching beliefs before, I believe that it is worthy and important work for all educators to do. Each time I think and write about my teaching beliefs, I discover new insights about myself as an educator, gently reminding me what I need to continue work on in order to be a more effective teacher.  

If I’m going to be an effective teacher…

I need to build positive relationships with all of my students

By discovering who each child is as a person first

If I’m going to be an effective teacher.

I need to do more listening than talking

And let students’ voices and work guide my instruction

If I’m going to be an effective teacher.

I need to write about things that matter to me

By publishing for real purposes

If I’m going to be an effective teacher.

I need to be clear in purpose and what success looks like
By reading and writing and creating worthy "makes" with students
If I'm going to be an effective teacher.

I need to promote an atmosphere of collaboration

By planning and problem-solving with colleagues in my building and beyond

If I’m going to be an effective teacher.

I need to read professional books and articles

And apply new knowledge to provide students with what they need

If I’m going to be an effective teacher.

I need to reflect daily and following units of study

Through conversation and writing

If I’m going to be an effective teacher.

I need to show that I’m still learning

By publicly questioning and revising my thinking

If I’m going to be an effective teacher.

Slice of Life 2018 Day 11: Rummikub and Tanka Poetry

Lately, and to my delight, my children and I have been spending more time playing games together at our kitchen table. This winter one of our favorite games to play has been Rummikub.

The version of Rummikub I played with my grandparents

Each time I play Rummikub, I cannot help but think of my grandparents, who taught me this game when I was young. Today’s post celebrates playing Rummikub. I’ve been playing around with writing Micropoetry lately, so I decided to create a Tanka poem, a thirty-one-syllable Japanese poem. You’ll notice that I actually created a double tanka poem for this slice.

Childhood memories

Visiting Minnesota

grandparents - often

We gathered, played Rummikub

As they spun tales of their youth.

Chills this winter brought

Out familiar Rummikub -

Teaching strategy,

Conversation conjured fond

Visions from time long ago.

My daughter playing Rummikub

Sunset Shadorma

After a long, nothingseemedtogoquiteright kind of an afternoon at school today, I was graced by this stunning sunset on my drive home. Tonight I feel grateful that I was able to witness this breathtaking sky today and to have the opportunity to spend a few moments writing about it. As I wrote in my last post, I used the form of a Shadorma poem.  

Stunning Sunset 

“Sunset Shadorma”

Majestic hues

Soften evening’s

Journey home.

Yellow, pink

Orb illuminates skyline -

Nature’s finest hour.

Finding Beauty In Unexpected Places

Last August, I challenged myself to write and publish a post at least once a week. For the most part (except for one or two weeks in October), I accomplished this. Honestly, I often struggle with what to write about. In addition, I worry if my writing is good enough for others to read. I still carry some of the same worries as I wrote about in my first blog post. However, each time I post something I gently need to remind myself that the act of writing and publishing a blog post is usually enough for me, as it helps me slow down and pay attention to what is happening around me and best of all, it helps me to reflect on how I show up as a teacher, writer, and person. For me, that is a precious gift. Each time I work on a blog post, I am reminded of how hard writing is and how vulnerable you must be in order to share your writing (including your ideas within your writing) with others. I think this experience of blogging has helped me appreciate the writing of other bloggers (or anyone who publishes writing) and it gives me a lot more empathy and insight for my students when I ask them to share their writing with each other or with me.

One thing that has surprised me about blogging is the joy of connecting with other bloggers and discovering something new about writing or teaching. For example, a few days ago I read this post from blogger Margaret Simon. She wrote a post based on what another blog post challenged readers/writers to do - write a poem about finding beauty in something not considered beautiful. Margaret Simon shared her gorgeous poem called Graffiti Girl. She also introduced me to a form of poetry that I had never heard of before: Shadorma, a Spanish form of Haiku using a pattern of syllables of 3/5/3/3/7/5 in a non rhyming poem of six lines. I’ve been writing daily Haiku for a while, but I thought that it would be fun to play with Shadorma.  

I live in a relatively small, older home built in the 1940s. We have a small kitchen, sans automatic dishwasher. Due to the loss of cabinet space and a limited budget, our family never installed one. Doing the dishes by hand is often a task I loathe, and it usually makes me cranky when I realize that a stack of dirty dishes awaits me. Yet when I filled up the dirty crock pot ceramic insert with warm water and dish soap this morning, I realized beauty was in my kitchen sink. I had simply not found the time to notice or think about it.

Here is my first attempt at a Shadorma poem, noticing something I don’t usually find to be very beautiful:

“Sud Bubbles”

Suds sparkle

Shimmer against jet

Porcelain.

Light bends as

Bubbles pop and shrink into

Abundant water.

And so, Margaret from Reflections from the Teche, thank you for helping me to recognize beauty in something so mundane I see each day AND for introducing me to a new form of poetry. Shadorma is a form I will definitely play with again in my writing.

#DWHabit: Grin

This morning I felt stuck in my writing. Typically, when I find myself in a writing funk, I read poems or compelling fiction in search of a line I can lift. Yet today I couldn't find anything that struck my fancy, and I found myself on Twitter instead, mindlessly scrolling through Tweets.

Twitter (or any other social media platform) is usually a guarantee that I will not spend my time writing (or doing whatever task worthy of my time). For me, social media typically makes me incredibly unproductive. But today, I lingered on this Tweet from teachwrite.org. I love the premise of growing your writing habit by writing about a word. (And it was a great solution to get out of this morning’s writing funk.) So today I decided to write about the word grin in the form of a double haiku:

A mound of yellow,

Orange, red, brown leaves invites small

Feet plunging with glee.

Mama rakes again:

Swish. Swish. Crunch. Swish. Swish. Crunch. "I

need another plunge!"

My daughter's glee in plunging into leaf piles this afternoon.