Some Useful Links for Writing Teachers

The following links come to you via my wonderful twitter contacts.


The first one comes from Choice Literacy and focuses on a six week framework in Word Study and how our work in this important area supports student writing. Check it out at:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/465.cfm

The second is a podcast by Ralph Fletcher and Franki Sibberson discussing how we reinvent language every time we write. You will find it at:
 http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1574.cfm

The final link is to Trevor Cairney's excellent blog and his entry on Why Kids Reread Books.
Find it at:
http://trevorcairney.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-kids-re-read-books.html

Slice of Life Story -Best Foot Forward in Bali

In Bali the days drift slowly across the page...
I am fortunate to have two weeks of vacation courtesy of school vacation time in Australia. The time difference between Australia and Bali is two hours, but the difference in the pace of living is considerably greater. 

It is the Hindu celebration of ‘Galungan’ when Dharma (virtue) triumphed over Adharma (evil) So the streets are quiet and trade is slow.

I have done a lot of walking while in Bali, so in search of a much needed foot reflexology massage. I enter the Magic Fingers Bali Spa in Seminyak. I am welcomed by a small lady in a uniform. As I enter, another woman is cleaning an enormous tank of tiny fish. Soothing music fills the room. The young woman who offers to massage my feet is small and slight, but her diminutive stature proves misleading for I am about to discover-  she possesses fingers of steel!

She begins by gently bathing my feet in a small foot bath. The water has a hint of rosewater. Assorted petals float on the surface. She gently lifts each foot and dries it carefully and deliberately. From this moment forward the scene changes dramatically for my tired feet.

She massages with fierce determination, pressing, prodding and poking into the soles of my feet. I feel her thumbs search for the pressure points in my toes and I try to disguise my discomfort. This is definitely not skin polishing!  I want to wriggle free of the occasional, yet acute pain that comes with her intense massaging.  Relax, smile I tell myself. She smiles and I sip on the ice water drink she has kindly provided.

This is a journey through agony and ecstasy. This is a not a tickle fest, but it works wonders. For the remainder of the day, I’m like Katrina and the Waves- I’m walking on sunshine! My legs feel reenergized. The small lady with fingers of steel has prepared me well. No pain, no gain…