Living Life Twice

You ’ ve Got Form! Writing choice is so clearly in evidence when the writer is afforded opportunities to decide for themselves the form their writing piece shall take. It is in this headspace the writer is faced with many options. Every writing piece possesses the potential to assume a variety of forms, so it becomes important to choose the form that best suits that writer’s intention. When the writer in inexperienced, it becomes important to support them in making a good decision. More often than not, the writer knows immediately how they want the writing to be presented. When words and ideas bubble up in my mind, it frequently presents as a poem -but not always. Another idea may be perfect as a memoir piece, or a short story. When this happens, I can move into the writing effortlessly. Sometimes deciding which form best suits our ideas can prove a little more difficult. When this happens, as writers we must be prepared to experiment. Try it one way and if that doesn’...

In the world of books for children, educators are showing a growing desire to acquire non fiction texts that are both informative and engaging. They are seeking out books that possess a strong voice and arouse curiosity in the mind of the young reader. I too, seek out such books. It remains an ongoing quest. Experience tells me that most of the titles, I have acquired that meet this criteria have come from my work with fellow educators. Book shops rarely carry such texts. They generally push an over supply of fiction, ranging from good quality to highly questionable and a small sample of non fiction titles. The non fiction titles on offer tend to fit a more traditional style of presentation. Unfortunately, many of these titles tend to be, dare I say it, uninspiring. At other times the titles on offer present a broad focus on science and nature topics, possibly in the hope that some of the facts they throw at the reader will rub off. These are not the books I’m looking for ...

The Stenhouse Blog: Quick Tip Tuesday: Nudging kids to make a choice  'Nonfiction reading, research, and reporting is hard work. For students to maximize their inquiry experience, they should choose a topic they care about, know something about, and wonder about,' writes Stephanie Harvey in her book Nonfiction Matters: Reading, Writing, and Reseach in Grades 3-8. But some students find it difficult to pick a topic or they think that their hobbies and interests are not suitable for school. In this Quick Tip, we get a quick glimpse into a conversation between a student, Thomas, and his teacher, Mary, as they talk about Thomas’ interest in football and how that will make a great topic for his research paper. Some students struggle with topic selection. On the eve of the topic deadline, Thomas had not come up with a single idea for research. His mother rang Mary first thing in the morning and described a family in turmoil. Thomas had been up all night fraught with anxiety ov...