Living Life Twice

Looking For Freedom I read an article in the weekend magazine supplement suggesting Australian parents have become some of the world’s most protective. This is according to a survey conducted by Melbourne’s La Trobe University. Aussie kids have the lowest independent mobility and the highest restrictions. Less than 15 % now ride a bike to school and less than 30 % walk. This set me to thinking… Is it fear, or more accurately perceived fear driving this trend towards over protection? Is the world a more dangerous place or is the perception of danger; the fear factor, more the issue? Fear of traffic, fear of strangers as well as a lack of faith in children’s ability to negotiate their immediate world seems to be ratcheting up the anxiety. Kid’s free time is more likely to be scheduled with constant adult supervision. Kids are frequently told what they can’t do. They are given the message, ‘you’re not capable, you’re too naive, and you’re not trustworthy enough’ to be a...

Today's poem is quite a personal piece. It's origins spring from my earliest school experience and involves my left hand. Being left handed didn't seem to matter until I started school and then my teacher felt it was imperative that I change. She informed me my writing would never be neat. I have heard stories of fellow left handed writers being hit with rulers or having their left hand forcibly restrained to restrict them from doing what was natural for them. Thankfully educators have a more enlightened view of we left handed writers.  Leave My Left Hand Alone, Right ! When I started school A prep still unbranded They looked at me strangely And observed He's left handed ! Well I was just five And my left hand felt right I didn't consider its use was a blight You'll have to change hands Learn to write like the rest The news didn't please me I found it a pest They handed me crayons Scissors and chalk All in my righ...

So, clearly  teaching students to write persuasively , to influence a reader is about more than WRITING to a formula or recipe! What is the First Step? We need to introduce young writers to the language of Persuasion • The language of introduction I believe, I feel, I think, • The language of connectives however, therefore, because, although, yet, in addition to. • The language of conclusion In summary, I recommend, In conclusion In the classroom we  begin by fostering quality conversations … A sea of talk should pervade classroom discussion and conversation around pertinent issues. Talking to learn should be a guiding principle in planning lessons. Successful discussion requires students to reflect on what they are doing as learners.  If students   don ’ t know the process of discussion they remain dependent on the teacher to tell them what to do, how to solve problems and how to ‘ think. ’ Developing Opinions: Ample...

T eachers who are embracing the Writer’s Notebook for the first time often request examples of the types of entries one might gather when starting out. Entries,   that will serve as examples to share with your students. I am not a great fan of prompts, but if you are having trouble gaining the inspiration to launch your writing, maybe these ideas might prompt your thinking. They may prompt you to think of a connection to a topic/idea you feel more strongly about. Most importantly, I urge you to dive straight in and start filling the page with your words. Your own writing is such a powerful model for your students. I urge you to take the risk... Write about the first book you remember reading     Create a Life Map to show events in your life so far Write an entry about one of the items on your Life Map. Write an entry over any topic of your choosing. Write about your personal opinion Write a response to a book you are currently reading  Write about the ...

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...

Saturday morning and the pace slows. I gather the morning newspaper, lying in the driveway in front of our house. I then spend the next couple of minutes extricating it from the plastic wrap that is protecting it from the elements. For someone who is keen to get in touch with the news of the moment, this problem solving activity creates some level of frustration. Once the paper is freed from its cling wrap covering, it is down to some serious reading. The smell of the newsprint and the sheer pleasure I gain from reading the world is all that is needed to activate my Saturday. Last evening Melbourne suffered an earth tremor that measured 4.6 on the Richter Scale. It was described as an earthquake, but it hardly qualified as such. I was sitting on the couch at the time watching yet another police drama when the room began shaking. It was all over in a matter of a few seconds. I expected this event to make it to the front page of this morning's news, but no, it received three paragr...

Every day for the month of March I am participating in the Slice of Life Story Challenge and posting an event for each day. The idea comes from Stacey and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers They kindly provided the logo you see. As the name implies, I will attempt to capture and document daily slices of life as they present over the coming month. Here is the first entry: Sunday morning found me indulging in a bit of hedge trimming with our new electric whiz bang trimmer. I could have been forgiven for imagining I was wielding a light sabre but that’s just a momentary regression into boy land. As I trimmed and sliced, I realized that it is now officially autumn in Australia and our summer from hell is over. Devastating bushfires have demonstrated the awesome brutality that fire can deliver. This was indeed a summer never to be forgotten. Two hundred and ten lives, in excess of two thousand homes and two towns have been lost to the monster flames that tore across my home state of Victoria i...

I spent some time during the recent September term holiday scanning newspapers, magazines and the Internet for articles related to current issues in the news. The issues covered everything from local, to state, to national and including, global issues. I had to choose articles that had some significance to sixth graders as they were the target audience. Issues ranged from articles on adolescent health, use of mobile phones among children, world poverty, environmental degradation of the coral reef, to endangered animals, to supermarket levies on plastic bags, to the effects of global warming. I needed a minimum of ninety articles as I was working across three Grade 6 classes at Karoo Primary School in Rowville, Victoria. As you can imagine, I spent quite some time hunting and gathering these pieces. Students were asked to read an article that attracted their interest. Following this, they were asked to identify the issue, and then identify what their personal stand was with regard to th...

This week I was planning with teachers as they made preparation for the next term’s work. Their major writing focus will be persuasive texts and the question arose as to how to make a strong connection with the writer’s notebook and the persuasive texts. This set me to thinking. I have harboured a concern that many teachers are not sure how to use the writer’s notebook across the genres. It seems okay when the focus is narratives or poetry, but they appear uncertain as to how to best use the notebook as a resource for developing ideas. It is important to see the notebook as launching pad for writing. So, how do we make the notebook our starting point? I started to think about the ways I could support the teachers with whom I was planning. What could I be doing as a writer to model for them and their students? It was then that an idea came calling! For the next three weeks I intend to link my reading of local, national and global issues such as global warming, drought, poverty, educatio...