Third Graders, Chromebooks, and New Blogs…Oh My!

What was I thinking?

Today I attempted to introduce blogging to third graders on Chromebooks that they are just really learning to use.  Students in grades 3 and up are required to have their own blogs in my school. As the writing teacher in my 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade team, it is my responsibility to meet this requirement.  This means that I get to undertake this monumental task with the youngest learners in my charge.

Today’s session looked something like this:

Me: Okay.  Log into your Chromebooks and open Google Chrome. (Hands immediately go up.)

S1: My screen is frozen.

S2: I don’t have a password.

Me: Give your screen a second. It’s the same password you always use to log on to the Chromebook.

S2: Okay. I got it.

A chorus of voices begins to rise: What do we do next? What do we do next?

S1: My screen is still frozen.

Me: Try another Chromebook.  Everyone else, put your cursor into your address bar and type in our class blog address.  (I demonstrate using the white board and projector.)  Be sure to spell it correctly.  Once you are there, find your blog link on the left side of the page. (I am still modeling this.) Log in to your blog using your Google log in information. (What seems like a million hands shoot up.  I spend the next 15 minutes going from student to student to make sure they are spelling everything correctly, etc.)

S1: I am logged in!  Now what do I do?

Me: Ask your neighbor.  (Neighbor gladly helps.)

S3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8: I can’t find my blog.  Where’s my blog?

Me: I put all of you in.  You must be there.  Let’s look again…Nope.  Hmmm…Class, those of you who are in, please bookmark your page and get your writing notebook.  You may free write for a moment…(or two or three…)

I spend the next 10 minutes frantically recreating blogs for the six whose blogs are missing.

Finally, we are all at the same point.  I reconvene the entire group and decide to slow the process even more to one excruciatingly slow step at a time.  Eventually, every student is on his/her blog and writing his/her first blog post.  I sink into a chair, slowly let out my breath, and look at the clock.

Me: Oh my goodness!  It’s time to go!  (Quickly demonstrate how to save a draft.) Quick, quick.  We’ll finish tomorrow.

Again, what WAS I thinking???

 

 

 

 

TeachWritetober 2019: My Goals

Taken from https://sweetwritinglife.blogspot.com

 

TeachWritetober…what a cool name, right?  I am excited to commit to something that I believe I can manage to complete despite the chaotic busyness of my teaching and personal lives.  For the next 31 days, I am going to work toward these goals:

  • Journal every day…This includes anytime pages and writing in a food journal that I am keeping.  I also keep a daily gratitude list in my Daylio app.  Lately, my gratitude writing has consisted of single sentences.  I would like to get back to writing more in depth entries.
  • I would like to write and post a slice of life blog post at least two Tuesdays this month.  This post will count as one.  Perhaps my goal for the next slice will be to post an update about my daily writing progress this month.
  • I would also like to get back to the novel writing work I was doing this summer.  This work, inspired by the book Story Genius and the Teach Write Focus on Fiction workshop I took this summer, was put on the back burner when school started.  I would like to at least work through the next chapter’s exercises in the Story Genius book.

So, those are my goals for TeachWritetober19.  Have you signed up?  What are your goals?

Writing Alongside My Classroom of Authors

As the mini-lesson about fleshing out characters ends, I send my young authors away from our meeting place to work on revising their personal narratives.  I remind them to consider how they can make their characters more human, more realistic, so that their readers will be able to connect with them.

While everyone is settling, I sit down with own writer’s notebook and begin to consider the revisions my students suggested for fleshing out the character in my own narrative.  We had decided that she was too perfect (or too Goody Two Shoes, as one student pointed out.  Another quickly said, “No one is THAT good!”).  Of course, they were right.  My plan was to work on giving this character some imperfect traits.  I planned to share my revisions right along with my students during the sharing time.

As I write, I notice that several of my kiddos get up to move closer to the table where I chose to work today.  I smile.  This happens every time.  They get right back to work but every now and then, I see them sneaking glances to watch me as I write, also.  Before long, I notice that they are moving their post it note revision suggestions around, spider-legging (adding items to the bottom of the page and drawing arrows to where it should go), and adding additional scenes on separate sheets of paper.  We continue writing until it is sharing time.  I answer a few questions here and there and occasionally walk around the room to see if anyone needs help.  Everyone is working and seems to understand what they are doing.

I am constantly amazed that writing alongside my writers holds so much power.  I could talk all day about these revision strategies, but watching as I apply these strategies to my own writing gives them a model to follow and practice.  As a bonus, I am getting lots of opportunity to sharpen my own narrative writing skills.  It’s a win-win situation.

A Reflection

Nietjuh / Pixabay

This year begins my 26th year of teaching.  My school has been in session now for nearly four weeks.  My goodness! We are almost to midterm already.  As I reflect on this school year and my other twenty-five school year beginnings, I realize that despite the frustrations and realities of the teaching world, I deep down passionately love what I do.  I can’t imagine my life without teaching.

So, what do I love about it?

  • I know and love the people of the community in which I teach.  I have reached the point of having taught parents and their children.  There is something special about that.  I cherish the relationships I have developed with families over the years.
  • My students teach me so much about learning and growing and resilience.
  • I love helping my learners realize and grow their potential.  I truly believe that they will change the world and make it better.
  • Teaching never gets stale.  It evolves from year to year as I learn new things.  I enjoy self-directed professional development.
  • I can share my passion for writing with my students and watch them with wonder as they discover their writing voices.

I do truly love what I do.  Admittedly, there are great days and not so great days, but overall, teaching is a positive and rewarding experience.  I know this is where I am meant to be.

Improving My Craft, Part One

Along with many teachers, I spend my summers soaking up learning like I soak up the sun.  There are many things from my reading and writing experiences this summer that I will implement in my classroom this year.  Modeling how I approach fiction writing is one of them.  Instead of considering the plot first, my learners and I will explore developing main characters, their backstories, and their problems first.  From this viewpoint, my learners will have a focus for developing the plots of their stories.

This idea comes from Story Genius by Lisa Cron.  I am reading this book for the Focus on Fiction workshop I am taking through Teach Write.  In her book, she applies research from brain science to writing fiction.  I have not yet finished the book, as I am taking my time to work through the exercises and truly grasp what the author is saying.  So far, the story I am writing is more purposeful and my characters are more realistic than in other fiction pieces I have written.  Also, there seems to be more ease in moving the story forward.  I am a long way from having a complete first draft, but the bits and pieces I have created so far thrill me and motivate me to continue.

I am excited to see what my learners come up with as they approach their stories from this perspective.  This fall will be an exciting time in my classroom!

My Imperfect Life

I am learning to enjoy my imperfect life.  Each imperfect facet of my life adds color, flavor, and inspiration. Learning to let go of the need for perfection has allowed me to see the richness and spontaneity that come from life’s unexpected moments.

For example, on the way to my house for the annual July 4th cookout, my mother ran over something in the street.  Later, my niece noticed that mom’s tire was completely flat.  My husband and son-in-law jumped to it and fixed it in a jiffy.  They were almost as fast as a pit crew in the Indy 500.  This unexpected event gave us all the opportunity to marvel at their speed and efficiency.

Also, my sister and brother in law unexpectedly brought over massive fireworks.  Awesome, right? Yes, but we live in town, and my overactive imagination could see the neighbors’ houses, or my own, igniting into giant, uncontrollable blazes.  Each time my husband and brother in law lit the fuse on one of the huge barrels or boxes, I oohed and aahed, but I cringed inside.  My guests were enthralled by the show, so I did my best to keep my fears to myself.  I found, though, that my excessive worry was not needed.  My husband carefully ensured the safety of everyone and everything, and he had the hose ready to attack any rogue sparks.  This experience gave me an opportunity to deepen my trust of my husband and his ability to keep everyone safe.

At one point in my life, these unplanned events would have, in my mind, ruined the holiday gathering.  However, I am learning to let go of the rigid and antiseptic world of perfectionism and go with the flow.  Those imperfect moments create memories and often new understandings.  I will always hold myself to high expectations, but I now understand the importance of freeing myself from the bondage of expecting perfection in everything and everyone. My life is all the richer for it.

“Hello! Is Anyone There?” Answering Inspiration’s Calls

My sun room beckons as a perfectly lovely place to read a newly released teaching book.  I finish the first section of the book and move on to part two.  Suddenly, a completely unrelated thought enters my mind.  A thought that is more of a story idea, really, and along with this idea I feel a sense of urgency to do something with it.  I recognize this.  It is inspiration’s signature calling card.  I need to answer the call.

I leave my book open and go to the notebook dedicated to capturing these ideas when they visit me.  I know if I ignore it and continue with what I am doing, the idea will completely leave me.  I grab a pen, open to a clean page, and begin writing.

Sometimes when this happens, I write a lot.  Other times, I only write a small amount.  Quantity does not matter as much as simply writing whatever it is that inspiration sees fit to bring to me.

At times, I walk away from these episodes puzzled, because what I have written makes absolutely no sense.  I have learned, though, that if I wait long enough, inspiration will add to it or the pieces I have written here and there will begin to fit together in some way.

Elizabeth Gilbert, in her book Big Magic, says inspiration’s ideas are like “disembodied, energetic life forms” which she says are “driven to be made manifest.”  All I know is that it does not happen all of the time.  I spend many writing sessions staring at blank pages.  However, when inspiration does call, I have learned it is best to answer it and give it my undivided attention.

My Happy Place

One of the joys of summer is spending time in my backyard.  My backyard space offers relaxation, peace, joy, and inspiration.  It is a gathering space for family and friends.  Its quiet beauty makes it a perfect spot to read, write, take naps, or as you can see below, snap lots of pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nature Therapy

“Into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul.”- John Muir

When the stress of life (or the end of the school year) becomes too much, I make my way to the woods. Nature, in all its beauty and vibrancy, always puts everything in perspective.
With all of the rain in the area this spring, everything is especially lush and full of new life.

 I love the colors and textures of spring and summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Strawberry

Evidence of animal life is everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pond and wetland areas are also teaming with life.

Tadpoles of various stages of development are everywhere in this small pond!

 

This lone turtle is enjoying the late morning on the log. Usually this log is covered with turtles.

 

Look closely.  Do you see what I see?

This little guy is well-hidden!

There is so much beauty in the woods.

Fern

 

Trillium

 

May Apple

 

Bald Cypress Tree with Knees

 

Beautiful reflection even with the breeze!

My spirit is light and happy.  I look forward to visiting again soon and seeing what changes have taken place since my last visit!

Revision: A Little Like Pulling off the Band-Aid

A recent teacher conference with a 4th grade author in my classroom:

Me: (after reading through her literary essay) C____, how do you feel about your essay?

C: It is confusing.  My thoughts seem to be all over the place.

Me: Okay.  What is your main message?

C: The little firefly had friends all along. He didn’t give up, and he finally found them.

Me: Okay.  Where would be the best place to introduce your opinion?

C: In the beginning?

Me: That sounds good.  Do you think we could move some things around?

C: (hesitantly) Okay…

The best part of her essay begins in the middle, so I highlight the top half and press “cut.”

C: (concerned gasp) What did you do?  Where did it go?

Me: Don’t panic.  Let’s paste this part at the bottom and move the rest up.   Remember, revision isn’t about checking capitals and punctuation.

C: That’s editing.

Me: Yes.  Revising means moving things, adding things, or deleting things until your message is focused and clear.

C: Yes, but it feels like pulling off a band-aid.

Me: (chuckling) Yes, I suppose it does.  Good simile, C.

She works through what to keep, where to put it, and what to completely remove.  C finishes and is visibly pleased with her work. 

C: This is so much better because everything was all over the place and wasn’t all relating to the first thing I said.  Thanks, Mrs. V., for pulling off the band-aid.  It is much better.  I like it!

Me: You are welcome, C.  I like it, too.