Literacy Speaks Volumes

 Make a new commitment to writing. What can you do to become a better writer? What is wrong with telling people what their New Year's resolutions should be? Write a description of your reaction to someone telling you what your resolution should be. Use imagery to write a story about winter. Write paragraphs comparing and contrasting a computer and a pen. Include at least four examples of how they are alike and four examples of how they are different. Use vivid and strong words to describe what the world will be like in one thousand years. Use colorful adjectives to make this world easy to imagine. You are a modern-day explorer. Where will you go? How will you travel? What will you take with you? Write about your first day of exploration. Your class decided to have a pet show. Every one of the students brought a pet. Write about what happened during the pet show. Write about three things that you would change about yourself. Write a short play about a person who i...

Me My heart beats inside of me Every second of the day and night Space Cadet Say, kid, Please come down to Earth all of us are waiting Could you please try Enough of all your weird behavior Can you settle down And act human and not like a  Ding dong Even your best friend is annoyed Take off that space helmet Music My head is full of rhythm Until I can barely sit still See me move to the beat It does the same for others Can you feel the magic of music Hamburger Heavenly food all America loves you Most especially me bring your tired and your hungry Up to your favorite fast food place Rush to place an order with the  Gang behind the counter Eat with mustard, ketchup, and pickle Revive your strength once again.

Aprons of Silence ~Carl Sandburg Many things I might have said today, And I kept my mouth shut. So many times I was asked To come and say the same things Everyone else was saying. The Aprons of Silence covered me. A wire and a hatch held my tongue. I spit nails into an abyss and listened. I shut off the gable of all those who Are listed in the City Directory. I fixed up a padded cell and lugged it around. I locked myself in it, and no one knew. No one knew it on the streets, in the Post Office, In the cars, into the railroad station. Here, I took myself along And did business with my own thoughts. Do you see it? It must be the Aprons of Silence. What are the Aprons of Silence ? They are the inability to speak one's mind. Carl Sandburg was an American poet who won three Pulitzer Prizes. Carl Sandburg was raw and open and confident. He spoke for America. He was America. Sandburg began his writing career as a journalist for the Chicago Daily News . Later...

I don't teach poetry to students ; I lead students to poetry and encourage them to dip first a toe and finally to wash completely within the beautiful waters. Like art and music, poetry enriches our lives. It shows a different way of thinking and looking at life. Sometimes, the teaching of poetry is questioned. Here are a few of the reasons that I use to explain why I include poetry in my writing curriculum. expresses the music and lyricism in language teaches us about the richness of language and its capabilities defines and frames deep feelings is personal and can be about anything and everything should give pleasure and speak to the reader and the listener is intended to be read aloud is a way of seeing, translating and hearing is intense and captures distilled perception communicates on all level of intellect and emotion explores the meaning and mysteries of life must be age and interest appropriate to be appreciated The following poem by Billy Collins e...

Historians learn about the past from public documents, such as newspapers and treaties, as well as from private documents, such as letters and journals. In the following journal entry, a trader described a meeting with a group of American Indians in Texas in 1808. As you read the entry, look for details about the events, people, and places that were part of the trader's experience. Remember that the year is 1808. Some of the spelling and capitalization will seem strange to you. August 11th The Messenger we sent to the Village returned early this Morning accompanied by six Indians, and we were met by fifty men on Horseback, who Escorted us into the Village when in the sight of the town we hoisted our flag, and they immediately raised a similar one that they had received of Dr. Sibly of Mackintosh. A man met us with an Invitation to the Chief's house, but we preferred encamping near the great spring and were conducted thither where I pitched my tent and hoisted my flag in...

Look around you! Poetry inspiration is everywhere. Find your creative rhythm and flow. Write your own special words that express how you feel right now, right at this very moment. Of course, you could write a poem about war and peace. But if you do, it must be an original way of looking at an old subject. Are you looking for some more inspiration? Check out these ideas: Getting mad Eating pizza It's not fair Hanging out The bully What makes me afraid Popularity My sister or brother is a pain And the winner is Skateboard blues Nightmares Grandparents or Aunts and Uncles Boy! Was I embarrassed! Being a great dancer Music that drives me wild Laugh, Laugh, and Laugh! Sniffles and Sobs School band The debate team If I had a million _____ Social Media Mean Girls Space Aliens My best moves My worst moves Los Angeles/Boys by Rachel Sherwood Two of them With chests like blond silk Cornstalk hair Stalled in traffic In the awful heat T...

Tonight, I was messing around with some old photos and one of my editing software programs. I don't think that any blog is complete without photo enhancement. One of favorite writing prompts is a photo prompt. Over the years, I have collected an assortment of photos that I will hand out to the students and encourage them to write about whatever comes to mind. It is a fantastic free writing activity. After my students write, I always give them a chance to share. Sometimes I provide a prompt and sometimes I don't.  Daily writing is important because it is thinking. Writing is reflection. There is also a tactile element to writing. Writing is art. I have always been a reader and a writer. All of my memories include the written word. Writing daily is important as it is an opportunity to relax and get my thoughts in order. I can make sense of so much if I can just sit down and write about it. Thoughts tumble forth looking for just the right words to make them re...