Friday, February 20, 2009
Welcome, Writing Groups!
This is the space for you--a designated "responder" each week--to let us know what's going on in your writing group. PLEASE feel free to experiment with genre and style (for example, you might write a bad poem or a birth announcement about your writing group meeting). Your audience is the class, but it is also the whole world. Post with all of that in mind. Your purpose? To share with us the substance of your writing group meeting--the essence of it, what it was all about (stay away from "reporting" to us what actually happened, blow by blow). How is what you are doing related to being a writer and seeing yourself as a writer? How is it related to the teaching of writing to adolescents? So what?
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Our Group discussed "Necessary Words" from Breathing In, Breathing Out.
ReplyDeleteI love the attachment of "necessary" to words. It's like breathing, having those necessary words.
I always keep all of my necessary words, phrases, and sayings in my writer's notebook. I am embarassingly greedy about it, pulling pages out of magazines, cutting bits out of un-read newspapers...just because I have to have them, to keep them close to me.
I think that to be a writer is to first be an observer, to look at something and see beyond the veil of its appearance. To write is to appreciate the very primitive essences of whatever it is you are writing about, which is why as writers, we can't help but be inspired by the writing or works of others. Meeting with my group and talking about songs or phrases that inspire us really made me remember the joy of writing, even if what I was writing wasn't very good... it still felt good, regardless of the result. There is something so satisfying about putting your pen to paper and making an empty page your own.
I think that at the very heart of teaching writing, you have to convey that to your students...that writing is a safe haven, a place to discover yourself and to make peace with your thoughts. Writing is essential to thinking. I think that if students learn about writing from a self-identification perspective, it becomes less threatening. I wouod like all of my students to come in with a piece of writing that means something to them: a phrase, a poem,a song, and have them write about why it means what it does to them and if they think that the piece of writing is significant. I think every beginning writer needs their necessary words.
Brynn,
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post to get us started! Thank you! Naming something (or someone) as "necessary" is powerful, vital. It has a if-i-were-stranded-on-a-desert-island quality about it. As I sit here typing this response, I am looking up at a bulletin board (so necessary!) above my desk at home. I see words from all my necessary muses: June Jordan, Wendell Berry, Eric Carle, Tao Te Ching, Sonia Nieto, Marlo (my 6-year old niece), Ray Bradbury, Edith Wharton, a Sanskrit Salutation to the Dawn, poems by my Mother, and the dictionary definition of "exigence" written out on an index card and taped to the wall. The passage that stands out to me right this minute? "Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench." (Tao Te Ching) See you tomorrow night! I hope more of you post about your Writing Group activities!
Brynn, Jen, Shawn, and I looked at chapter 15 in Breathing In Breathing Out, “Writing about Writing.” It gave us the opportunity to reflect on our own thoughts about our writing and hear what others had to say. It feels productive to have a group of peers who can help to encourage and motivate me. We were able to hear one another’s joys and insecurities about writing, and get useful feedback. For me, creative writing has always eluded me. I never know where to begin. I wrote in my notebook that “I can come up with one incredible sentence, but nobody publishes sentences.” It’s not that I have a deep desire to be a published creative writer, but I feel as a future teacher of writing, I should feel more comfortable in this genre than I generally do. Some of the other writers in my group are creative writers and I was able to come away with some resource ideas that may really help me. For example, someone suggested Janet Burroway’s Writing Fiction. The book suggests exercises and techniques that may be helpful to someone like.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about the activity of “writing about writing,” I find it to be a great cure for writer’s block (which is something that I get quite often). I remember once when we were children, my little sister (who is 7 years younger than me) came home with a writing assignment. She was suppose to “write about [her] favorite activity” (Please read the previous quote in Dr. Cook’s monotone-middle-schooler voice). Anyway, she had writer’s block and couldn’t think of a topic to write about. I was trying to help her out with her homework (as I often did) and being a somewhat rebellious teenager at the time, I suggested that she say that “writing about her favorite activity” WAS her favorite activity. She loved it!! We had so much fun playing with that idea, and she wrote a really funny and creative piece. Her teacher even had her read her piece in front of the class. It was probably refreshing for the teacher to read something interesting in a sea of “middle-school-monotone.” Callie and I still remember that assignment and having so much fun together with it.
The most recent time my writing group met, Sarah was the facilitator and brought in a really interesting exercise that combined parts of both Fletcher’s and Lane’s books. It was basically a free-writing session about where we would go/what we would do if we could take a balloon ride anywhere in the world we wanted to. As we shared our pieces, I realized that one of the most exciting parts of being a writing teacher has to be getting to read student writing. If the assignments given are fun and creative, the possibilities are endless in terms of the quality and originality students create. Each of us wrote such different pieces and I really enjoyed listening to what Sarah and David came up with in the 15 minutes we were given to write. Also, after meeting a couple times, I realized the importance of creating a comfortable environment for writing and reading. Ensuring that students are comfortable enough to share their personal writing will create such a wonderful place for inspiration and motivation to take place. Every meeting, after we each read what we have written, the other two group members tell specifically what they liked about the piece and that kind of praise really encourages me to write more creatively or come up with awesome ideas for what to do at our next meetings. Hopefully this tiny, warm and kind group can translate to a larger classroom – and I think it can – because writing in that kind of environment is essential to the process.
ReplyDeleteSo the most recet group meeting we had I was the teacher. I was looking through Fletcher's book and for some reason this week nothing spokme out to me. Then I saw Chapter 5 with Triggers: lines, bits, lists, questions. Then I looked through the questions section for examples. A lot of the questions seemed to really have you think. I went to the internet to look for some more questions. Then I thought of having freedom as a writer. I finally came across an activity I guess where you were to take a sheet of paper and answer 15 questions. I took about 5 or 6 questions and wrote them down in my notebook. Some of the questions were: What makes you smile? What are your favorite things to do in the past and present? Who inspires you? What would you regret not fully doing, being, or having in your life? I decided I would give my group a few options on some interesting questions. Thankfully it was a good idea. I feel like sometimes when you do a writing activity or anything to do with writing that kids need a few options. Once they center their brain on one idea it can become a little messy. They forget where they wanted to go with their writing or they have no motivation to start. I know that's how I felt sometimes and still do today. The more you expand with your students the more you could and probably will get out of them.
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ReplyDeleteI taught my group (Ashlee, Ashley, and Leah) chapter 14 "The Set Piece: Something Small and Beautiful." We all agreed on what the chapter focused on---"unguarded" writing. Our sessions usually are very upbeat and fun... if I might add! There is always some funny story for each to tell. I figure I can use this to my advantage. I chose a silly prompt that correlates with Chapter 14. The prompt:You awaken with amnesia in what looks to be an igloo. You have $4 and a rock in one pocket, and a toothbrush in the other pocket. Someone is staring at you. Write this scene. Hey, I guess it could happen?
ReplyDeleteMy writing prompt was important since it gave my group the chance to put their creativity hats on. Fletcher believes that a writer needs room for bouncing and movement. My group was laughing, and actually found it a little challenging to make up the rest. We agreed that we are all so used to structure, and this prompt allowed us to use our creativity (which has been hiding for sometime now!).
In a recent group meeting, Kathryn was the teacher. Following an idea both outlined in Fletcher and Lane's books, Kathryn brought in a black and white picture of a family probably dated at the end of the 19'th century/early 20'th century. Each one of us chose a person and made a list of questions we would like to ask that person. Then, we took on the persona of that person and wrote what we thought might be how this person would answer. It was fun creating a character based on a picture. I remember thinking, "Wow, this would be a great way to help visual learners understand the concepts of point of view and characterization." One thing that we all noticed when we shared our entries was that no one in the picture seemed happy and we all came up with some kind of explanation for it. This meeting reminded me that everyone has a story and a voice to tell it. One of the reasons why I enjoy writing is because it provides me a means to express my own voice. In my future classroom, I want all of my students to understand that they too have a voice and everyone deserves to be heard.
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ReplyDeleteIn a recent group meeting, David was the teacher. David brought in the poem Miracles by Walt Whitman. We read the poem out loud, focusing on the use of imagery by Whitman. After reading the poem David asked us to draw, with color pencils, the images in the poem which really stuck out to us. I drew a giant tree on a hill, overlooking the ocean, with the giant red, orange, yellow sun slightly setting over the horizon. This was a great lesson because it enabled us to be creative artistically by using Whitman's imagery words to create our drawings. This lesson enabled us to connect to the poem on a greater level rather than just reading it, because we chose the most significant images to us and created our own places of miracles. We all agreed that this lesson would be beneficial to use in a classroom, because it allows students to be artistic and creative. This lesson also incorporates literature and allows it to be the drawing board for many possible interpretations of significance in the poem. We all drew different pictures of our own miracles, which was great to see because it reinforces that fact the everyone is unique. This lesson is great for students because it would allow them to be creative, through the imagery of a poem, and express themselves through the images which were most significant to them. We all agreed that this lesson was a great way to have students relate to a poem, focusing on the images you are able to imagine through the poet's words.
ReplyDeleteWow, folks. And to think that a couple weeks ago I was sad that no one was posting! Thank you all for heeding my request, for fighting your techno fears, and for jumping on the blog to get started. I LOVE reading about your good ideas and writing group activities. I am especially impressed by folks who are taking ideas from several sources and blending them to create new activity ideas for new purposes. Amazing! I also like how you are all finding outlets for creativity in your groups--sparking the imagination, finding voices in pictures that have long gone silent, representing a poem in pictures, and Sophia's fantastic prompt!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I had been worrying about the writing groups. Are they working? Should I butt in? Should I leave it alone?
Thank you for shelving my fears and for showing me that you are (1) having some fun writing together and (2) learning from each other about assignments and leading writing activities.
I'll post a new thread on this blog, so we can start anew with the next round of writing group meetings and postings, okay? Thank you for your thoughtful entries
And, if you can handle "going metacognitive" for a minute, think about how writing for a broad public audience changes (or doesn't) your purpose and voice in your writing, or how it affects our interaction as writers and readers. This is a question that will follow you into your classrooms, where writing for public audiences and electronic forms of writing are becoming more and more common for teachers and students.
In a recent group meeting, Leah asked us (Ashlee, Sophia and Ashley) to write about either an event in our life that we would like to remember forever or an event in our life that we wish to forget. After being given the question, we each made two different lists and then went over the information on these lists with the group. Events that appeared on most of our lists of happy memories were vacations with family or friends. Items that were on the list that we wish to forget were mainly embarrassing moments or difficult times. Sophia had an especially funny embarrassing moment and we all still laugh about it! Some items were more personal and provided the group insight into one another's lives. This writing session encouraged reflection and allowed us to laugh with each other, as well as understand one another.
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