Kids,Teachers -Take Your Writer's Notebook With You!

'Writing needs to be seen as a reward, not a duty. I look forward to creating words on the page. This desire to write creates the discipline.'
Igniting Writing- When A Teacher Writes,’ Alan j Wright



When recalling these words, I find myself considering them in the context of the winter term break for Australian schools. It presents as a chance for students and teachers alike to step away from the learning that characterizes classroom time and restore themselves a little. It is time to focus on things that may have been on hold, to take a break, to visit a place or catch up with a friend. It may represent a chance to resume an on-hold project, or you may be planning to relax and indulge in some activity that feels just right. Something that literally slow the pace of your life down for a short period of time. You may go exploring or have an adventure or special trip planned to fit neatly into the break. It also represents a chance to do some reading and writing.

 It present a chance to do some reading of books that have already waited too long to be read. For the vast majority there will be cold days, rainy days and days where it is quiet and decidedly slow. For kids there will be times when they are waiting for parents to conclude business, shopping and many other everyday tasks. They have told me many times how boring it is doing all that waiting around. I always encourage them to do what I do. Don’t leave home without a book to read or your writer’s notebook. They need a plan to rescue themselves from boredom that doesn’t involve putting a screen to their face. 
While physical activity is to be encouraged, it is not possible to be active the entire holiday period. The quieter times are perfect for diving into a book, or spending a little time capturing thoughts and ideas in your writer’s notebook. We must encourage children to value the lives they are living as worthy of detailed attention. Encourage them to capture those moments, thoughts and ideas they never want to forget.

Children want to write, to express themselves. They want others to know what they hold to be important. When we as educators read and write beyond the classroom and encourage young writers to do the same, we elevate these life skills to a more exulted level. Not every child will make time to do these important things. However, some will and that’s a long way better than none at all. 

 So, before they scuttle out the classroom door on the last day of term, let them know you will be doing some reading and writing during the break. Let them know there will be fresh new jottings in your notebook when you return and your reading life will be further enriched. And by all means encourage them to follow your lead. Challenge them to capture moments and deeds while away. Encourage them to bring back treasure in their notebooks. Encourage them to be curious while out in the world. A little treasure is far better to hold in your hands than empty handed good intentions.

 Me, I’m off travelling to Vietnam for a while in the company of my wife Vicki. I have books to read. They will bridge the lengthy travel times between destinations. They will broaden my appreciation of the host nation. I have a brand new writer’s notebook (that I purchased on my last visit to Vietnam) ready to capture my observations while travelling within this intriguing country. I have a plethora of pens as insurance.  I have my camera and I have plans for new adventures and exciting discoveries. I remain a curious learner. I continue to be a reader and a writer wherever I am in the world.

Comments

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 every thing has a
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 to gain i
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 intention of drawing t
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

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