Halloween Writing Challenge: What’s Your Wand?

by Alison Ashley Formento

Wizards carry wands, Jedi knights use light sabers, and superheroes sometimes wear capes. The chances are very good that you’ll see a few wands, light sabers, and capes this Halloween. Popular wizards, Jedi knights, and superheroes were first created by authors or writers of comics or screenplays. Clothing items and props, that characters carry or wear, not only become useful in key or climatic moments in a story but these elements are part of what make characters memorable for readers.

Writing challenge: What’s your wand?

Harry Potter needs his wand to battle evil wizards and help his friends at Hogwarts.

Look around your school.

Pick one item you see or use every day and imagine it has special super powers.

Write a one-page (or longer) story using this item to help save your class from danger.

Example:

The clouds covered the playground at recess, but it wasn’t rain.

I was still in the cafeteria, finishing my lunch when my special tray began to glow and rattle around on the table. “Uh, oh!” The peas spilled out and rolled around in front of my eyes. Trouble!

A giant roar shook our entire school building. I flipped my food tray over and gripped the edge and raced out to the playground. The tray molded into a fierce Frisbee in my hand. I was ready to face the dark dragon roaring at my friends.

To be continued…

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WRITING ABOUT SUMMER JOY

by Alison Ashley Formento

It’s summer and when you’re not outside enjoying the beach or eating ice cream, you might be heading inside to cool off at a movie. Inside Out is the new animated feature from Disney Pixar and it’s worth your time to see this delightful film. This is no movie review, but when a story engages your emotions, whether in a book or a film, it’s something you want to share with others.

What’s your joy this summer? Is it a special vacation with your family? Biking with friends? Camping under the stars? Some people may prefer body-surfing at the beach, while others enjoy a lazy afternoon under a tree reading a new book.

Joy comes to each of us differently, and if you see Inside Out, a part of the film’s theme is how the feeling of joy or extreme happiness is deeply appreciated, especially after a sad or disappointing experience.

Joy-Sadness-Joy

Write about something that brings you joy in the summer. What makes you smile on a nice summer day?

Example: A perfect summer afternoon at a baseball game with your favorite cousin. Expand by describing the sights, sounds, smells, and experiences at this baseball game that help make you feel joyful.

Write about the opposite of your joyful experience.

Example: It begins to rain at the baseball game, stopping all play, and your favorite cousin’s train is delayed and he won’t make it after all. Expand details to show the elements of this experience, which bring sadness.

Write how joy returns after feeling sad.

Example: Perhaps the rain stops, a rainbow appears, and the baseball game continues. Best of all, your cousin arrives to surprise you at the game. Write details to show how this joy is fuller now, because it’s more appreciated after the sadness you experienced.

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WRITE YOUR ABC'S

by Alison Ashley Formento

Alphabet books fill the children’s shelves at libraries and bookstores. They are easily found in book bargain bins at local retail and grocery stores. Teachers and parents pull out popular ABC picture books to use in teaching letter recognition to young readers. Authors who write for children love ABC books, too. Every picture book author I know has attempted to write an ABC story, or many, even though these are hard to sell to editors since there is always glut of these titles in the marketplace. Still, new ABC books appear every year, and if the illustrations are fun like Miss Spider’s ABC by David Kirk, or sweet like Margaret Wise Brown’s Sleepy ABC, with pictures by Karen Katz, we’ll eagerly add more of these books to our collection.

Write your ABCs

Challenge your students to write their own ABC into a fun story poem.

Alliteration is a great way to inspire ideas and it certainly can add to the ABC fun. Long or short sentences are fine. It’s your choice.

Short sentence example: Apes ate ants.

Longer sentence example: Alice’s alligator ate apricots and asparagus at an Albany assembly.

Use your favorite activities (sports, hobbies) to help inspire ABC ideas, too.

Example:

Alex aced archery.

Beth bounced basketballs.

Carlos caught catfish.

Dean dove deep.

Once you’ve completed your letter list, if you’re inspired, add drawings to create your own ABC picture book.

 www.alisonashleyformento.com

SPRING, SPRING, SING A SONG!

by Alison Ashley Formento

Spring is springing everywhere and it's easy to imagine dancing through a field of flowers and spinning around, full of song on top of a mountain like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music.

One of my favorite interviews I did for a magazine was with country singer and multiple-award-winnning songwriter Dierks Bentley. We spoke about the best picture books having a musicality flowing through the rhythm of the words, echoing the same craft used in writing great songs.

National Poetry Month has just ended, but poetry is a part of our daily lives. We're attuned and attracted to patterns and rhythms in words we hear in songs and those we read, too. You can keep a "poem in your pocket" or "sing, sing a song" every day, at any time. I think of this as mind music and it's what gives songs that hook that makes you want to sing along and what gives great picture books that readability that makes you want to read them again and again.

I used rhythm and a song-style phrasing in sections of my nature picture books. In This Tree Counts!, the character Eli says, "Tree house, tree house in the sky, grow some wings and I can fly!" That line rhymes, but you can use sounds to create a rhythm without rhyming, too. In These Rocks Count!, a characters says, "Hot or cold, wind, snow, and rain—rocks get old, cycle of change."

Mind Music Writing Prompts

These phrases from some golden oldies can prompt students to write their own short chorus and create a refrain that can be shared aloud. Choose prompts from poems or songs which have a natural rhythm like these to help students spring, spring, sing on their own. 

I did it my way.

Don't step on my blue suede shoes.

The Camptown ladies sing this song.

Take me out to the ballgame.

What a day for a daydream. 

www.alisonashleyformento.com

INSPIRATION FROM NATURE

by Alison Ashley Formento

It’s been five years since my first picture book, This Tree Counts!, was published and I still hike past the old tree that inspired my story several times a week at my local nature center. I first wrote a short poem imagining what that tree would say if it could speak. As I share in my school visits, we know that bees communicate in their hives, and it’s possible that trees communicate, too, in ways that we, as humans, don’t yet understand.

Hiking through a forest, under a leafy canopy hearing birds overhead, is my quiet place, where I can breathe in fresh air and enjoy the incredible beauty of being alive in this world.

Write about your special place…

What place in nature makes you feel special? Is it next to a tree or on a beach at the ocean?

Take a class hike around your schoolyard. Take notes about what you see.

Write what seems special about the playground, the parking area, and the school building.

Now focus on all that is natural surrounding your school.

Is there a tree that is shorter or taller than the others?

Is there a quiet spot to sit outside your school?

Are there any rocks, streams, or ponds on your school property?

Do you see any animals or birds around your school?

What do you like the least and the most about the grounds surrounding your school?

Choose what means the most to you from your notes and write a short poem.

I imagined a tree speaking to me for This Tree Counts! What do you hear in your imagination about your school grounds? What counts most to you about what you see each day at school? Photographs and drawings are a nice addition to your words.

www.alisonashleyformento.com

MACHINE DREAMS

by Alison Ashley Formento

Machines are an important part of our lives and they are usually built using rocks and minerals, as I learned in researching my book These Rocks Count! We use computers, phones, and televisions on a daily basis. Doctors and dentists use machines to help keep us healthy. Cars, buses, planes, and trains are machines to help us get where we need to go each day. In winter, we rely on snowplows to help keep our roads and highways clean of snow and ice. Early snowplows were wooden and attached to horse drawn wagons to help push snow aside. In the early 1900’s, engineers wanted a way to help New Yorkers in the winter and designed a shovel type blade, strong and wide enough to clear city streets.

Most great inventions, like the snowplow began with an idea. Some ideas start as drawings scribbled on paper. Many inventions are the result of careful planning and experimentation, like the light bulb. A machine is usually useful, but it is often fun, too, like a giant roller coaster.

Machine Dreams: Writing Prompt

What machine do you wish existed? What if there was a machine to brush your teeth or make your bed? Or one to bring you ice cream just by thinking of your favorite flavor? Use your imagination to write about the machine of your dreams.

• What machine would help you in your daily life?

• Draw a sketch of the machine you imagine building.

• Name your machine.

• What exactly does your machine do?

• Write a description of your machine. Is it made of metal or plastic? Or some other material? Is it a particular color? Does it have many pieces to make it run?

• How does your machine operate? Does it have buttons, levers, or a keypad?

• Is your machine useful for everyone or only something you will use?

• How will your machine help you and others who use it?

www.alisonashleyformento.com

Holiday Writing Ideas

by Alison Ashley Formento

Have you put up any holiday decorations? There are people like Martha Stewart who knows how to trim a Christmas tree. Of course she does. When writers are writing, we work to trim our stories to make them shine. After our first “sloppy copy” we must revise. We revise and revise...and revise. Revising a story into shape can be as prickly as decorating a cactus. Warning: Don’t try this unless you’re a cartoon character!

Story Trimming

1)     Write one page about a gift you hope to receive this year.

2)     Include six to ten reasons you want this item and add details why this gift is so special.

Example: I want a new bicycle because I’ve grown taller and my old bike is too small for me.

I want a bright yellow bicycle so it shines when I ride on a sunny day.

3)   Trim your page down to half a page (about two paragraphs). Choose which reasons and details you most want to share about this special gift.

4)   Finally, trim your shiny story to only one sentence. This sentence is the “star” of your story and should show the main idea or theme of what you most want to share about this gift. It may be the very first detail you thought of, or it may be something newly discovered as you’ve trimmed and revised your page about this special gift.

Whatever gifts you receive this year, Pencil Tips Writing Workshop wishes you all the happiest of holidays!

http://www.alisonashleyformento.com

                  

SUMMER OR AUTUMN

by Alison Ashley Formento

School may have started where you live, or it will start soon, but you can keep summer memories strong and celebrate the season to come, too. This easy and fun writing exercise encourages students to use personal experiences to compare and contrast the seasons of summer and autumn.

Write your favorite summer activity.

Example: Swimming at the local pool

Write five personal facts about that activity.           

Example:

Swimming helps me keep cool on a hot day.

It’s fun splashing with my friends.

I like to dive off the side of the pool.

I came in third in the backstroke race in my age group.

My arms are strong from swimming. 

Write your favorite summer food.

Example: Watermelon

Write five personal facts about that food.

It tastes sweet.

It’s cool in my mouth on a hot day.

I like to collect watermelon seeds.

I planted a whole cup of seeds in my yard.

It’s fun to eat watermelon with my hands.

Write your favorite autumn activity.

Making a leaf pile in my back yard.

Write five facts about that activity.

I help my family rake leaves in our yard.

I like to pile the leaves next to an old tree stump in our backyard.

Jumping into a giant pile of leaves is fun.

One leaf pile I made was taller than my dad.

My dog likes to hide in a leaf pile.

Write your favorite autumn food.

Apple pie

Write five facts about that food.

My family goes to a farm to pick apples for pies.

Fresh apples off a tree are fun to pick and crunchy to eat.

I help my mom make crusts for pies.

Apple pie makes our house smell like cinnamon when it’s baking in the oven.

Warm apple pie makes vanilla ice cream melt, but it tastes great together.

Use the personal experience facts you’ve listed to write a convincing explanation for readers why you believe one of these seasons is more enjoyable than the other.

www.alisonashleyformento.com

VARIATIONS ON A VACATION

by Alison Ashley Formento

It’s summer and many of us are going on vacation or taking time to visit friends or relatives. You may be traveling by train, plane, boat, car, motorcycle, skateboard, or perhaps by foot. You might explore wonders of nature, ride wild roller coasters, or visit your favorite cousins. Vacation experiences vary for each of us depending on how you travel, where you go, what you do, and, of course, who you see or meet on your trip.

Variations on a Vacation

List four basic facts about your vacation:

1.     How you traveled

2.     Where you visited

3.     Where you stayed

4.     What you did (Name at least one activity or vacation experience.)

Example:

1.     Pittsburgh to see relatives

2.     In a plane and a car

3.     Visited grandparents

4.     Saw a wild bird habitat

Condense your vacation facts into a short travel poem:

A plane,

car ride, too.

Curvy roads to

Pittsburgh. 

Grand

Parents

hug so sweet.

Tweet! Tweet!

Look! An aviary

full of beautiful,         

singing birds.

Feathers fluttering…

Family fun.

Write a paragraph in first person with more personal details:

           

I traveled on a plane to Pittsburgh. At the airport, my family rented a car to visit my grandparents. Grandma is sweet and she made sweet donuts for us, too. Yum! We went to a bird habitat called an aviary to see cool birds. I saw a penguin and even an eagle. It was awesome! We took lots of bird pictures and then our family got dressed up and went out for fancy dinner for my grandparent’s anniversary. I ate chocolate cake. Yum! It’s my favorite!

Write another variation in third person to add in more narrative details:

           

One summer evening, a young girl and her family flew far from her home on a jet plane to Pittsburgh, a large city in western Pennsylvania. After gathering their luggage, they rented a minivan and drove along a highway and many hills and curving streets to a lovely red brick house with a big tree in the front yard. The girl’s grandparents welcomed them with hugs. They had homemade donuts and milk for a good night snack. Early the next morning they went to visit an amazing aviary, where the girl saw birds from all over the world including a bald eagle. “It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed. The family took photos of many birds they saw that day, including penguins, pelicans, and even an ostrich. They went to a special dinner at an elegant restaurant, to celebrate their grandparent’s 35th anniversary, where the girl ate chocolate cake for dessert.

           

Try using dialogue only to share your vacation memory or imagine your vacation in the style of a comic book and add drawings with the words. What other fun variations can you write to describe your vacation?

Have a wonderful summer vacation!

www.alisonashleyformento.com

DIGGING INTO RESEARCH

by Alison Ashley Formento

Do you like to dig in the sand? Or dig in the dirt in your backyard garden?

When I visit schools, I share research tools that I use as a writer and how I enjoy digging for facts before sitting down to write. I ask students I meet how to research a topic, and the first answer is usually something like this: “Go on the computer,” or “Google it.”

We all rely on our computers for information today, but research is more informative and much more enjoyable, if you step away from the computer and dig deeper to learn about your topic before ever writing a word.

Summer is almost here, so let’s keep this writing exercise as fun as a day on the beach.

Digging Deep: Read, Research, Write

1. Choose your favorite summer activity to do outside. It might be swimming, playing soccer, or going to the beach. My activity example for this writing exercise is hiking.
2. Look up five facts about hiking on the computer. Example of one hiking fact: In Australia hiking is called "bush walking" and known as "tramping" in New Zealand. 
3. Go to your school or town library and find at least three books about your topic. Find at least one new fact you didn’t find in your computer search.
4. Visit a locale where you can do this activity. I hiked at Bear Mountain when writing my new book These Rocks Count! I also spoke to numerous geologists about rocks.
5. Talk to an “expert” who knows about your activity. If you love swimming, talk to a swim coach or a swimming instructor at a local pool. For hiking, experts might be trail guides at my local camping store or a forest ranger at a hiking spot in a national or state forest.
6. Ask this expert if they agree with the facts that you have researched.
7. Ask them to share something that you might not know from your previous research and helpful advice about your topic. Example from a trail guide about hiking: Always hike with a First Aid kit, packed with extra band-aids for blisters.
8. Gather your computer, book, and expert fact research. You know much more about your topic now and you are ready to write (a little or a lot) about your favorite summer activity.

Now it’s time for me to swim, hike, dig in the sand, and read lots of books. Whatever you enjoy doing; I hope you have a wonderful summer!

www.alisonashleyformento.com

FINDING WORDS TO WRITE ABOUT LOSS...

by Alison Ashley Formento

The first pet I owned as an adult, a small cockatiel named Felicity, flew away when I was cleaning her cage. One minute she was there, and the next—my pet bird was gone. I searched the neighborhood for days, but she never returned. Though I’ll never know for certain, I hope that Felicity found a home with someone who fed her grapes that she loved to eat, or that she flew south and is now chirping amongst the palms on a tropical island. I still miss her, as anyone who has lost a beloved pet can understand.

The loss of a pet can inspire novelists and Cynthia Chapman Willis an author inspiration of mine, shares the struggle of loss and longing in her powerful middle grade novels, Buck Fever, and in particular, Dog Gone where a young girl named Dill, with family problems, searches for her missing dog named Dead End.

In my young adult novel, Twigs, the title character loses her phone and people are lost or missing in her life, too. She’s not sure where her dad has gone and there’s a mystery about her brother in the Army, too. Twigs experiences feelings of frustration, anger, and sadness in dealing with these various losses.

Finding words to write about loss: Writing Prompt:
Have you ever lost something important to you? A favorite piece of clothing, a special toy, or a beloved stuffed animal? Or something important you need for school like a signed permission slip for a field trip? Write about your experience when you’ve lost something important.
• Where did you look?
• How long did you search?
• Did you ask others for help?
• Did you feel a particular way because of losing this item?
• Did you find what was lost?

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STORY ROCKS

by Alison Ashley Formento

Authors often immerse themselves in research to learn all they can about the topics they write about in their stories. I actually have rocks in my head. Metamorphic, Igneous, and Sedimentary rocks have been filling my thoughts since my new picture book These Rocks Count! will begin rolling out to libraries and bookstores this month, just in time to celebrate spring.

In researching rocks for this new picture book, I spoke to many wonderful scientists including geologists, seismologists, and volcanologists. They helped me learn how much rocks count in our world. I wouldn’t be able to type this blog entry without rocks, which are used to make parts for computers like the one I'm using right now. Rocks are used to make many items we use every day, such as telephones, televisions, and even toothpaste! 

Examples of Story Rocks

Rocks can be used to inspire writing ideas.

STORY ROCKS is a fun way to spark creativity and to celebrate springtime.

1. Go on a classroom hike around school and find small rocks to paint. If that’s not possible, inexpensive bags of decorative small, smooth pebbles can be found at most craft stores.

2. Wash rocks and let them dry.

3. Give students one to five rocks each.

3. Use markers or paint to create a different image on rocks: a person, place, or thing such as the examples in the "Story Rocks" photo.

4. What story can students tell with their painted rocks? Encourage students to expand and elaborate to build a strong foundation for a mountain of a story.

5. Students can trade rocks to help more story ideas. 

5. Write stories.

Have fun! All story ideas ROCK! 

Educators guides for These Rocks Count! and all of my books are available on my website at www.alisonashleyformento.com.

MLK DAY WRITING: I HAVE A DREAM TODAY

by Alison Ashley Formento

Martin Luther King, Jr. would have celebrated his 85th birthday this month. Each January, when reading or listening to a recording of Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech, we’re reminded of the power of his words and how they helped inspire change in America.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.' 
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. 
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
 I have a dream today. 
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

           

We encourage students that, with persistence and hard work, all dreams are possible. To honor Dr. King’s memory educators may discuss Dr. King’s famous speech aloud with students to express how his ideas relate to our world today.

            Ask students to write their own “I have a dream today” speech. Using the following questions may help focus writing ideas:

• What is something special you hope to happen soon in your life?
• What do you hope or dream about happening for your family?
• Do you have any hopes or dreams for your friends?
• Do you have any hopes or dreams for the world?

      After writing a personal speech just as Dr. King did, give students a chance to share their hopeful “I have a dream” speeches aloud to help show the power of the spoken word.

There are several good books about Martin Luther King’s life and legacy. One popular picture book is My Brother Martin written by his sister Christine King Farris with detailed illustrations by Chris Soenpiet.

This book shares how Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up in Atlanta in the 1930’s. He liked to joke and had to practice the piano like a lot of children still do, but young Martin was told by his white neighbors that they couldn’t play with him because of the color of his skin. That’s when he first began to dream about the need for change in our world. This book shows readers the thoughtful boy who became Dr. King, a man with a courageous dream that continues to inspire people each and everyday.

www.alisonashleyformento.com

            

SNOWFLAKE TO SNOWMAN: WRITING ACTIVITY

by Alison Ashley Formento

It’s the time of year for snowmen and you might be singing about Frosty, laughing at Olaf in FROZEN, the fun new Disney movie, or building a snowman on your front lawn. Frosty and Olaf are memorable characters, who happen to be made out of snow. They also both face the possibility and challenge of melting.

One popular snowman writing craft encourages kids to make a melted snowman out of a paper bowl and construction paper and write about their own snowman to explain why it melted.

 Here’s another great way to use a snowman (or snowwoman) to develop explanatory writing skills, useful for science research and report skills.

Snowflake to Snowman: Step-by-step writing

       

1.      Photograph images of snow at home and at school. If there is no snow in your town, use winter pictures from magazines and newspapers.

2.      Find books on weather and arctic geography and read about the different kinds of snow. 

3.      Write down at least ten facts about snow.

4.      Write step-by-step instructions on how to build a snowman, including the snow facts. Number each step. Imagine these instructions are for someone from a desert region who is seeing snow for the very first time. Include every detail to build a snowman; from how to roll a snowball to placing a carrot for a nose, and how to make a snowman smile out of rocks. The more details shared for each step, the easier it will be for others to follow your instructions.

5.     Read the instructions aloud to see if you included all information needed to build a snowman.

6.      If there is snow on the ground at your school, bundle up, go outside, and have fun following one another’s step-by-step snowman building instructions.

7.   Finish this step-by-step writing task by building your own snowman with a big smile.

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STORY LEAVES: Writing Conclusions

by Alison Ashley Formento

Leaves swoop around us this time of year and a swirling rainbow of autumn colors fill the air. Leaves leave the trees, fluttering to the ground to end their seasonal journey. Much thought is given to hooking the reader with story beginnings, but endings are a key component in story and essay structure. How best do you leave a story or end an article you’re writing?

Writing the ending of any story or essay is often the most difficult task for a writer. You may want to leave your readers with a solid, firm opinion, or an open-ending, that can be interpreted in many ways, and perhaps, lead to another book in a series or inspire a new article or essay.

Leave the page

1.Read the last line of a favorite picture book or chapter book aloud in class.

Ask students to write two new endings for this story.

First, they should write a firm ending such as:

“and it was still hot.” Where the Wild Things Are

And one ending that might lead to something new:

“Uh-oh,” I thought. “it’s not just the lunch box.” Third Grade Angels, Jerry Spinelli

2. Ask students to read Kids Discovery, National Geographic Magazine, or use the daily paper from your town. Choose an article or Op-Ed piece to rewrite the final paragraph still using the facts made clear in the article.

Try to “leave” the reader with a whole new question, which to inspire a new discussion.

Example: “Scientists understand key reasons why dinosaurs became extinct, but if there hadn’t been an ice age, do you think we’d still have these massive creatures on Earth? Perhaps as house pets?”

Now write a new article ending leaving the reader with clear knowledge of the represented facts. Example: “Scientific testing on discovered dinosaurs bones are solid proof they could not survive due to severe weather conditions.”

The best authors and journalists play with story and article endings to make sure readers feel like they’ve had a memorable reading experience. Writing a great ending is as satisfying as jumping into a giant pile of autumn leaves. Enjoy!

www.alisonashleyformento.com

JUMP ROPE WRITING FUN

by Alison Ashley Formento

School is back in session and one of my favorite memories is jumping rope at recess. Long ropes and short, lines would form to run in and jump and sing. Here’s an old favorite jumping rhyme:

"School, School the golden rule, spell your name and go to school."

Many schools include jump rope as part of gym class and I still enjoy jumping rope to rev up my body and mind when I’m writing. With a new book debuting soon in a new genre, it’s as if my writer self is jumping rope between novels, picture books, and blogging. Many authors are excited by the challenge of publishing in different genres and how it can spur on new creative writing skills.

Jump Rope Writing Fun

Quick Time: Choose one topic from the current classroom curriculum or a topic that might affect the entire school, such as “How can we promote recycling in our school this year?” Write a list of opening “hook” sentences as fast as possible. Example quick time sentence starters: Collect plastic bottles for an art project. Tie up extra paper in bundles to help the school janitor.

Double Dutch: Write an opening paragraph on the selected topic. Trade papers with another student in class. Write their next paragraph. Trade again. Repeat until a full page is written.

Cross Over: Write a statement you can support with facts from a local newspaper article. Example: Dogs must be kept on leashes in city parks. Write a paragraph about why you agree with this statement. Next “Cross Over” and write a new statement and supporting paragraph to challenge this statement and show the opposite side of thinking on the chosen topic. Example: Well-trained dogs should be allowed to run off-leash at all times.

Sing Song: Write a jump rope song. “School, School, the golden rule..” is one example of a rhyming sing song that’s great for jumping rope. Try writing an individual rhyming song or the entire class can write together to create a group song like the following example, with alphabetical names, places, and activities. When it’s time for gym or recess, you can use the jump rope song you created in class.

A my name is Alice

And my friend’s name is Arthur,

We come from Alabama,

Where we sell artichokes.

B my name is Barney

And my friend’s name is Bridget,

We come from Brooklyn,

Where we ride bicycles.

C my name is _________ (and so on).

Jumping rope is always fun and it can be an enjoyable and productive writing challenge to jump from one style or genre to a new one.

Alison Ashley Formento’s debut young adult novel TWIGS is available September 2013.

WHATEVER THE WEATHER WRITING FUN

by Ashley Alison Formento

You may visit exciting new places or spend time seeing family on summer vacation. Wherever you travel, you're bound to hear: "It's hot!" or "It's rainy." You might even hear, "It's August! Why is it so cool outside?" Something everyone in this world has in common is the weather. "A dark and stormy night" is a famous story beginning from a novel (Paul Clifford) written in the 1800's, and setting a scene using weather is no less important in fiction and non-fiction books today. Try these writing challenges anytime of the year for some weather writing fun.

Sizzling Summer

It's the hottest day on record. Write one page about the hottest day of the year without using the word "hot." It's harder than you think.

Brrrrr!

Icy, snowy, cold. Think about the coldest you've ever felt in your life. Write one paragraph to make readers shiver.

Falling Leaves

Whoosh, it's windy! Why do some leaves fall and others don't? Choose a tree in your yard or near your school. Can you find out what kind of tree it is? Do the leaves change and fall in the autumn? Write an autumn poem about this tree. 

Flower Shower

Spring, green, rain. What puts the bounce in spring for you? Do you splash in the puddles or avoid them? Do flowers make you smile or make you sneeze? It's the first day of spring and you're going to plant a garden. Write a description about this new spring day and details about what you're planting and why.

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SUMMER SUNSHINE: BIBLIOTHERAPY

by Alison Ashley Formento

Summer vacation is on everyone’s mind and students and teachers are looking forward to fun with family and friends. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for everyone. Victims of recent tornadoes in Oklahoma face a different summer reality. Storms and other traumatic losses are a more regular occurrence, or perhaps it’s how our news cycles are 24/7. Authors receive steady requests to donate books to charity raffles and to help rebuild library and school collections. We readily give our books, knowing that those rebuilding new homes or schools will need books to help with their healing process.

Bibliotherapy involves finding books that will help someone heal from a trauma or gain an understanding of an aspect of their personality or issue that is occurring in their life. According to the ODLIS, Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science, bibliotherapy is traditionally defined as a planned reading program designed to facilitate the recovery of patients suffering from mental illness or emotional disturbance.

SEND A BOOK AND A SMILE: Bibliotheraphy at the classroom level
Every year, teachers and students clean out their classrooms before summer vacation. This year, take that classroom clean-up one step further.

1.     Together, as a classroom, choose an organization you’d like to help, such as the Oklahoma Red Cross, Books for Africa, a local family with a parent serving in the military, or a family shelter in your area.

2.     Choose a classroom book (or books*) that you read aloud and discuss together. *Books might also come from student donations.

3.     Every student writes a short letter about what they enjoyed in this book. Encourage them to write something about their own school experience, too.

4.     Include a happy classroom photo for the children or organization they are writing to in this special care package.

5.     Wrap the book and letters.

6.     Students can draw a small picture on the packing envelope before it is mailed.

7.     Student could bring in a quarter (if possible) to help with mailing costs.

8.     Send some summer sunshine with this book and letter package to help a community in need.

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MAPPING SUMMER PLANS

by Alison Ashley Formento

There’s a change in the air this May, with warmer days and lovely flowering plants and trees. It’s that time of year when we all feel the tug of summer. I’ve been sharing my new picture book THESE SEAS COUNT! at schools and just mentioning the ocean and research I did for this book, makes me yearn for a nice day at the beach.

          What kind of plans are you making for the summer? Camping? Visiting relatives? Planting a garden? People plan summer vacations and authors make story plans, too. Some outline and some map out their ideas using visuals such as paper snowflakes or color-coded index cards. There’s no wrong way, but a story map can be a great guide to help a writer find and create a compelling plot to draw in readers.

          Happy Trails: Creating a fun vacation story map

·        Print out a map of America or use a world map http://www.colormegood.com/socialstudiesandgovernment/mapsandglobes.html

·        Ask students to choose places they’d love to travel this summer and mark them on the map.

·        Research those places and write a few sentences about what they want to see or expect to see in a particular place. Example: Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty

·        Write up an itinerary. What is the mode of transportation? How long will this trip last? Include supplies for trip. Example: Take parka for dog sledding in Alaska

·        Estimate travel costs. What will it cost for each meal? Five dollars? Or more? How about extra money for sightseeing? Use math skills to plan.

·        Write a story about the trip you’re planning and what you hope to see in your travels. Encourage students to use their imaginations to share something exciting that might happen on their trip, but to include real facts about the places they hope to visit.

·        Finish story by sharing how it feels to be home after this amazing trip.

Happy travels and happy writing!

         

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