Slice of Life Story- Spiders Spin A Web for The Writer Within

A conversation with some young writers prompted memories of spiders. They were sharing spider stories and deciding how they might choose to write about these fascinating creatures. I told them, ‘You have got me thinking now. You know, that’s why writers need to have conversations such as this.’  It was true. My mind was  alive with possibilities. I could not wait to explore the topic of spiders in my notebook and I shared this simple truth.


Today I began to think about the common Australian Huntsman Spiders and their particular characteristics. I listed what I already knew about them in my notebook. My list included:
  • They move very quickly
  • The female lays up to 200 eggs
  • They don’t build webs
  • They have eight large, long hairy legs and flattened bodies ideal for living in narrow spaces
  • They are crab like and grow up to 15 cms. from leg to leg
  • People often refer to them as ‘tarantulas’
  • They have no qualms about entering houses and cars. They often announce their presence by scurrying across the windscreen or dashboard or just suddenly dropping from the sun visor.
  • They look scarier than they really are.
I was curious to know more before I wrote. So I began reading/researching about them. I discovered they often take over burrows discarded by cicadas. They also shed their skin. Huntsman Spiders are not aggressive and a bite usually causes inconvenience that can be treated with an ice pack, -so their physical appearance is misleading. I moved onto other spiders I knew something about and began investigating such species as the Garden Orb Weaver and the deadly Red Back Spider, both common to Australia.
By now my mind was galloping with possibilities…
The result of all this mind activity is a draft narrative about a spider called Harriet the Huntsman. We’ll see where this leads. I am indebted to the conversation I had with those young writers last week. A spark has been ignited and I am drawn to it.


Comments

  1. Wanda Brown2 March 2011 at 21:00

    Thank you, thank you! My students are just embarking on a non-fiction study. They are plowing through non=fiction animal books looking for something that interests them. When they find it, they will do a bit of research and produce their own non-fiction book. Your example of spider fact listing is a wonderful example for me to share with them. Your enthusiasm will be great to share as well. Sometimes I think they get tired of my enthusiasm.

    ReplyDelete
  2. elsie3 March 2011 at 00:51

    Thanks for the validation that conversation is critical to developing a writing piece. My experience with many teachers shows me that they think writing starts in the head of the writer, then pen to paper. I may use a portion of your post to demonstrate the power of talk.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tam3 March 2011 at 04:08

    What a powerful lesson for teachers and students! This is what blogging is all about, too--writers coming together. I get many of my ideas from other bloggers!! Thanks for reminding me of informational possibilities.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Magical Ms. M3 March 2011 at 04:39

    Dear Alan,
    I am struck by the quality of your language. Phrases such as "[they] have no qualms about entering houses," and "they announce their presence" reveal not only a passion for the Huntsman Spiders, but also a kind of relationship. Your words humanize the Huntsman. It doesn't surprise me that your thinking led to a narrative.

    I look forward to hearing more about Harriet.
    Erin

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tara3 March 2011 at 10:24

    Sowing the writing seeds - conversation is so vital!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Letterpress3 March 2011 at 12:54

    How are you? I've missed you since last year--so good to make you (re)acquaintance. I follow several quilt blogs from Australia, so have kept touch with all the flood news (I trust you were not impacted).

    And spiders--I try to stay away from them, but the way you chose to engage with your students was delightful reading. And personification--another approach to humanize another world.

    Elizabeth
    http://peninkpaper.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. evln3 March 2011 at 14:49

    I was intrigued by both the writing and the drawing. Why do we leave the illustrative part of writing when we get past grade school? Your web of words are a perfect parallel to the ideas you are building around that spider.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not eve...
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers...
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intentio...
Read more

Slice Of Life Story-The Trials Of A Left Handed Writer

Image
Amazingly I learnt to write using my left hand. An achievement against the prevailing beliefs of the day. My very first teacher saw it as her mission in life to ‘fix’ the poor, wretched little boy suffering from what she clearly diagnosed as left handed disease. She must have thought, 'This child must be re formatted! If he remains left handed he will be forever condemned to writing in a scrawl that no one will be able to read. Ugly hand, ugly hand.' ...They tried to say it couldn't be done, it mustn't be done. They took the pencil out of my left hand and placed it in my right hand. It felt unnatural. It felt weird. It was not right. More to the point it was not left. I was not about to conform. At least they didn't try tying my hand behind my back. Watch me I said. I may be an oddball, left handed scribbler but I am a determined oddball. I mean how boring would the world be if everyone wrote with their right hand? So I dug my toes in –and my hands to...
Read more

Answering Questions Posed by Young POETS

Image
UPDATED, May 2020 As a frequent visitor to schools I have the great pleasure of working with groups of young, enthusiastic poets and their teachers. When I arrive in a classroom, young poets are often pre-loaded with questions, and most keen to have them answered.  I try to answer as many as I can, but we frequently run out of time, and the poetry caravan moves on to the next classroom. So I am here to answer some of those questions -right here, right now. So here goes: When you were little did you love writing? The short answer is yes. I have always enjoyed words and language. I can't recall a time when I wasn't doing some kind of writing. When did you write your first poetry book? I have had poems published over the years, but it wasn't until 2014 that I had an entire book of poems (an anthology) published. When I looked back through all my notebooks I realized I had hundreds of poems from which to choose. So, 'Searching For Hen's Teeth-Poetry From The ...
Read more