Creative Journaling

by Joan Waites

School is out, summer is here, and if we are lucky, we have a little down time to devote to some creative projects we have been dreaming about doing all year. One way to jump start these ideas are to maintain a creative journal. Combining visual art with words can be a fun and satisfying project for any age.

An inexpensive journal can be purchased, but also easily made by folding blank sheets of paper in half and then covering the outside with construction paper or cardboard that can be stapled, glued or sewn together. Bring your journal with you wherever you go…the coffee shop, the park, the bus ride or on your vacation. Always be on  the lookout for something that inspires you to sketch, collage, or jot down future story ideas. Don’t be afraid to try something new, or if every page isn’t a work of art. Record what you see in your travels, document a feeling, or try out new art materials and techniques. A few words may turn into a future story; a doodle may evolve into a finished illustration or painting.

A few ideas for your journal pages:

-Make a collage using materials such as photographs, newspaper clippings, movie tickets, maps or bits of fabric. Combine them with paint, pastels, colored pencils etc., and use a black ink or felt pen to write around or on top of your collage.

-Young children (who are not yet able to write) can make prints with leaves, acorn tops, or other found objects by brushing on tempera paint and then stamping the painted object onto the journal page.

-Use some of the story prompts and creative ideas my fellow bloggers have outlined in their previous posts.

Remember it is more about the journey and experimentation rather than having a finished or polished product. Enjoy the places your journal can take you!

http://www.joanwaites.com/

ENCOURAGING CRITIQUES

by Pamela Ehrenberg

"I liked it."

"It's good."

Or, if you're lucky, "It's funny."

Such well-meaning but unspecific and ultimately unhelpful comments can leave writers feel like no one really read their work after all; perhaps their friends and critique partners were just trying to be nice?  And writing teachers can feel equally frustrated when "critique sessions" are really just sharing sessions.  Surely there are ways to point out the strengths in students' writing, and encourage them to do more of what's working.

In my first creative writing class in college, we began each critique session by having each person in our 15-or-so-person workshop identify something positive in the piece of writing.  This worked well on a number of levels:

1) It helped us to become closer readers.  If you were one of the final people to comment, all of the obvious strengths had already been identified.  It forced us to read line by line, word by word, to find gems that the writer might not have recognized.  (Depending on the age of the students, the length of the work, and the size of the critique groups, teachers might try having each critiquer identify two strengths--no repeats!--before moving on to suggestions.)

2) It helped us to become kinder human beings.  Some people in the class wrote in genres I didn't usually read.  Not every piece in freshman creative writing (certainly nothing I submitted) was worthy of major awards.  But knowing that I would be called upon to identify something positive in this piece of writing shaped my development as a critique partner and writing instructor--not to mention commenter on other people's Facebook statuses and blog posts.

3) Of course, it encouraged us to keep writing.  Each writer heard 14 specific, positive things about his or her work before hearing even one suggestion for improvement.  That helped to foster an "I can do it!" attitude that made us (me) eager to work on the next piece.

4) And it helped us to become better writers.  Some of this was the "keep writing" effect described above.  Some was a greater willingness to address the critiquers' concerns and suggestions, fostered by the environment of trust.  And some was that the ubiquitous, specific positive feedback helped us tune in to our individual strengths--"They seem to like my dialogue!" "Those sensory details really worked!"--and build upon our successes.

How do you help students to encourage and support one another?  What successes and challenges have you encountered?  Let us know in the comments below!

http://www.pamelaehrenberg.com/Site/Home.html

Costumes,Crafts, and Creative Writing Fun!

by Mary Quattlebaum

Nothing says fun to kids like a party.  Yeah, all we teacher-librarian-writer folks know that writing is good for students (like academic broccoli), but we also know that a playful touch can help create a truly memorable experience.  Occasional cupcakes, costumes, and crafts can perk up classroom writing and reading.  And your “book party” may well become the highlight of the school year.

Fellow blogger/author Pam Smallcomb gets the sparkly crown for her edu-taining ways.  At events for her most recent picture book, Earth to Clunk, about space buddies, Pam has the kids make their own aliens.  Her go-to spot for inexpensive craft items and doodads?  Oriental Trading Company http://www.orientaltrading.com/.

Dressing up and doing a dramatic reading can help bring a book to life for students—and provide insights on creating dialogue and story tension.  Okay, I admit it:  I love dressing up as a “book buccaneer” for my picture book Pirate vs. Pirate.  And at Maret School recently, librarian Lisa Triggs asked the children to dress as pirates—and did so herself.  She decorated the library with homemade Jolly Roger flags and enticingly displayed other pirate books.  Arrrr, we had a fine time, mateys, acting out the story, learning about the writing process (with a piratical plume pen), and writing a pirate poem.

And, oh, kids love a setting that mirrors a book!  Librarian Jess Stork transformed Palisades Library into a pirate hang-out with treasure map and chest, gaudy bling, and wanted posters of the author.  Refreshments added a celebratory note.  (Ginger) ale flowed freely, and the Jolly Roger cupcakes were a welcome change from hardtack.  “Captain Jess” sported pirate duds and helped the excited attendees to make their own spy glasses with the paper-towel rolls, markers, stickers, sequins, feathers, and glue arranged like jewels on the table.

Both Lisa and Jess bring a certain “magic” to their book interactions with kids.  The key to the good times—and the learning--lies with them.  Lisa and Jess get excited about writing—and communicate that by word and example to the youngsters.  A big pirate huzzah to them—and to like-spirited teacher-librarian-writers!

Jess shares piratical decorating tips, activities, and photos at

DC Library: http://www.dclibrary.org/node/13751

Ink Spot Plot: http://inkspotplot.blogspot.com/2011/05/everybody-loves-good-pirate.html

My website www.maryquattlebaum.com has pirate writing exercises.

www.maryquattlebaum.com

       

MAKE YOUR OWN MAD LIBS

by Laura Krauss Melmed

Leonard B. Stern, the creator of Mad Libs, passed away last Tuesday at the age of 88.  Mad Libs, a popular and enduring word game, has been going strong since Mr. Stern invented it in the late 1950’s. According to its publisher, Price, Stern, Sloan, an imprint of the Penguin Young Readers Group, the series, now comprising 120 volumes, has sold more than 150 million copies to date. And yes, there are Mad Lib apps, of which, according to the New York Times, more than two million have been downloaded since 2008 for the iPhone and iPad. 

The talented Mr. Stern was an Emmy Award winning T.V. writer for the "Sergeant Bilko” and “Get Smart” shows. He also wrote for “The Honeymooners” and “The Steve Allen Show.”  In fact, he invented the game of Mad Libs while reaching for an adjective to describe Ralph Cramden’s boss’s nose! Obviously, this was a man who enjoyed both playing with words and making people laugh. The brilliantly simple game of Mad Libs, for anyone who has been living in a bubble, asks that players blindly fill in blanks in strategic places in a story, using designated parts of speech. The goofy result is then read aloud, usually to peals of giggles. 

Mad Libs is all about knowing your parts of speech, a skill that is necessary for good writing, not to mention coherent speech. In a tribute to Mr. Stern, whom I never met but wish I had, here is a “make your own Mad Libs” writing exercise designed to put a little fun into the dry business of learning how to tell an adjective from an adverb:

Find online and copy a few simple, familiar nursery tales such a “The Gingerbread Boy,”  “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” or “The Three Pigs.” Reformat the tales in large font, double spacing between the lines. Give each child a copy of a tale, and some markers or highlighters.  First, briefly review the parts of speech and their meaning. Then give each student a copy of a story. Ask the students to go through the story with their markers and mark a line through four nouns, three plural nouns, four adjectives and four adverbs, using a different color marker for each part of speech (at this point, you should be circulating to help the students do this correctly.)  Now have each student list the parts of speech down the left side of a blank piece of paper, in the order they appear in the story. Each student should then pair off with another child and take turns filling in one another’s lists of blanks. Students should then write in the new words above the ones that have been lined out. Finally, have the partners read their silly stories to one another. A few volunteers can read their stories aloud to the class.  Point out the ways that changing the words can change the sense, or make nonsense, of the story.

More writing lessons can be devised based on many other popular word games such as Boggle, Scrabble, or Apples to Apples. As Mr. Stern helped generations of kids to realize, playing with words can be fun!

http://www.laurakraussmelmed.com/

ACCIDENTAL PLAGIARISM

by Jacqueline Jules

As part of a unit on following instructions, I read the picture book How To Lose All Your Friends by Nancy Carlson to a fourth grade class. Inspired by this amusing list of social mistakes, the students eagerly picked up pencils to begin their own how-to lists. The results we shared 25 minutes later were creative, funny, and highly original. Some of the students made a text-to-text connection to the middle grade novel, 101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher by Lee Wardlaw. Others wrote lists for annoying brothers or sisters. The two teachers in the room made up lists to annoy their students. Everyone had a great time.

Writing models also known as mentor texts are widely used in writing workshop. All writers benefit from studying and emulating the work of a favorite author. However, sometimes it muddies the waters between copying and doing your work. What do you say to a second grader who proudly shares a story entitled “Puppyzilla” with entire sentences lifted directly from Dav Pilkey’s Dogzilla?

It’s a delicate situation considering the young writer was encouraged to use Dogzilla as inspiration for her story. While students understand, even at a young age, that they shouldn’t copy answers on a test, the distinction between writing one’s own version of a story idea and plagiarism can be hard for young writers to grasp.

I tackle this problem by taking the student aside to compare the student’s work with the writing model. We identify sentences that were copied and acknowledge a mutual love of the story.

“You’re right! That is the best part of Dogzilla. But those words belong to Dav Pilkey, not you.”

Some of my own picture books were inspired by traditional folktales. I researched different versions of these tales in order to combine elements into an original synthesis. I also compared my own language to my sources to be sure I did not plagiarize by accident. Frequently, this pushed me to search for new ways of saying something. Writing models can provide both ideas for writing and a means for strengthening writing. Teach your students to carefully ask the following questions.

How is my story different from the mentor text? How is it the same? Have I used any of the same words? Could I choose words that sound more like me?

http://www.jacquelinejules.com/

PLOTTING A VIDEO GAME

by Pam Smallcomb

As the mom of three boys, I know that getting a boy to read a book can sometimes be a challenge. Getting some boys to write, well, it might be easier to just go outside and move a mountain. I have found one topic that has never failed to excite interest when I talk to boys: gaming. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that most boys over the age of six are well versed in the gaming culture. They not only know the games out there, but are playing a good deal of them in their spare time.

So how can you translate this excitement for gaming into a writing experience, while limiting explosions, weaponry and other assorted violence?

How about having them design a game setting? Defining the setting as a stand-alone task has its advantages. It takes the narrator/character out of the writing (and the weapon temporarily out of his hands). By focusing the writing on describing the world of their imaginary game, they will learn the valuable skill of creating a story ‘bible.’ There are many appealing aspects to video games. Their scenes are richly landscaped. There are distinct cultures and hierarchies. Different realms operate by different rules. Just ask anyone who plays WOW (World of Warcraft, for the uninitiated).

Some questions to ask your students about their gaming environment could include:

Will there be any environmental obstacles that your characters will have to overcome?

What kind of lives do the different characters live (different professions, etc.)?

Do the characters live in different realms? What are they?

Are there any traditions? Taboos?

If I were to walk into a market or meeting place within your game setting, what sounds would I hear? What would people be eating?

What does it look like (the actual landscape)?

Where are we in time?

Do they have any magic? How does it work?

What scientific gizmos do they have? For example, can they teleport?

Within every game, there are groups of characters, or ‘tribes’ that need defining. Some questions about the general characters that inhabit the different gaming realms could be:

What do the different groups of characters look like? What is their temperament?

Any monsters among them? What kind?

Are some characters  ‘more equal’ than others?

Are there grudges and prejudices among the different characters?

What skills are valued?

Are there rules that must be obeyed?

Are there boons to secure? Missions or quests to complete?

And the one they will like best: How do they protect and defend themselves?

Once the general game setting has been written, you can then ask your students to continue their gaming ‘bible’ and define the specific characters who will take the lead in their game, and of course, describe the point (or story) of their game.

As the student defines his gaming world, hopefully the story of the game will become clearer. If this sounds like the steps you would take to plot a fantasy or a science fiction novel, that’s because it’s very similar. But the good news is, your gamer doesn’t have to know that.

http://www.pamsmallcomb.com/index.html

FINDING INSPIRATION AT THE LIBRARY

by Joan Waites

I hate to admit it, but until recently I had not been to the library for a very long time. In the days when my three children were younger, like clockwork, we would pull up in the old blue van every three weeks with our canvas bags, ready to empty the shelves of about 40 books, videos, and audiobook tapes. Before the days of internet research, I went even more frequently, gathering reference for my latest project. As a children’s book illustrator, I loved pouring over the large selection of picture books, probably even more than my children did. On a recent rainy day during spring break, it seemed the perfect time to revisit this old friend.

A lifetime ago, in a one room “library” housed in my New York elementary school, I eagerly waited for Wednesdays, when I could check out the next Nancy Drew mystery. My love of reading started there, and in each town or city that I have lived in since, the library has been an important stop. The hushed voices, hum of the air conditioner, moldy smell of the books, and the endless possibilities to lose oneself in a new adventure, mystery or biography was a welcome retreat from the hectic pace of everyday life.  It is sad think that so many of our nation's libraries are facing closings, budget cuts, or cuts to their staff. Will the next generation of children get to experience all a library has to offer? Will they read only from electronic devices? Will a real live person guide them expertly to find just the perfect book? 

As I stood in line to check out, I remembered fondly the days of putting those stacks and stacks of books on the desk, the clerk eying me suspiciously. The two teenagers I had with me now were many years beyond those young children I juggled while trying to manage our large haul. As the considerably smaller pile was being scanned, I happened to glance over at the display of children’s spring books, featured on a shelf by the desk. Much to my surprise, I noticed a worn and dog-eared copy of a book I illustrated, at least ten years ago. It had obviously been checked out many times, and one of the children’s librarian’s had thought it worthy enough of displaying with the other featured titles. Knowing it was appreciated by the library patrons as well as the librarians themselves made my day.

If you, your children or students haven’t been to the library in a while, take the time to make a trip. It will be well worth it to visit this old friend.

http://www.joanwaites.com/