When you are done, think about what you have read.

Brainstorm a list of possible titles for today’s reading. If the author actually titled the chapter you just read, think of some alternatives. (Push your creativity-try to come up with at least 10 title ideas.)

Choose the title you think best suits what you read. Explain why you chose it.

Write down or discuss your responses.

To play poetry poker, you need to collect words. Words you love, words you love the sound of, words you love the meaning of. Ask your friends and family to contribute. Be inspired by the seasons, events, and settings of your life. Build yourself a deck of words (index cards work great for this). Then its time to play.

Shuffle your deck and draw 5 cards from it. Look at your cards. Think about them. Decide which of them you want to work with. You can trade in anywhere from one card for a new one, to all five. But you can only trade once.

Now use the words you drew to craft a poem. Try to use all of them. However if one or two just won’t work, I give you “poetic license” to not use it.

Set your poem aside for a day or two then pull it back out. Revise it. Anything goes, and anything can be sacrificed for the sake of a better poem.

Enjoy your creation.

Contest!  Wouldn’t it be fun to build a communal deck? Contribute the words from your lists as a comment. I’ll hold back posting your comments and contributing my list until 10:00 A.M. Wednesday morning (Pacific time)–so no one can steal from anyone else’s list.

The prize for the best list? A free 10 page edit and critique.

And remember, share your poems with each other. Be sure to praise the strengths you see one another’s work.

And share your work here. I’d love to see what you came up with!

So, what’s with the delay? As I look back on the past two days, two principles come to mind:

1. Everything takes longer to do than you think it will.
2. Nothing is as scary as you think it is if you’ll just use your rational, rather than your emotional, mind.

Principle 1: I thought before beginning the revisions I should update the Iseult binder. There was new information I needed to include this time around (some of which required research), name changes, character descriptions, style decisions, and a vocabulary/spelling sheet that needed updating. Piece of cake! I thought. I’ll just whip it all together Monday morning and I’m off writing. Not quite. I was still researching at 12:00 A.M Tuesday morning! However, as of 4:30 P.M. yesterday, the binder is complete (except three words I thought of this morning that I have to look up and write the precise definitions onto the vocabulary page). Today, I truly begin revising.

Principle 2 is a cheerier one. I admit, I have been intimidated by the thought of this revision ever since I committed to it. Oh my goodness! The WHOLE novel!

Tuesday, I at last looked at the manuscript to take the total page count and divide it up between the number of days I know I can work this month. What did that scary, burdensome, insurmountable challenge look like? 25 pages a day. Yes, that’s all. Doing only minor revising, I can do that in two hours. Even with scenes to add and others to flesh out, I can do that in a day!

So, yippee! I’m off and writing. This week’s goal? Pages 1-50, out of 200 total. I’m finally excited.

Gotta go!

This month’s assignment?

Set aside time daily for your students to write a paragraph of at least 5 to 10 sentences, (depending on the age of your students) about one person or thing for which each is grateful.

Requiring your students to write multiple sentences requirement will provide them with opportunities to practice elaborating on their subject and develop fluency in writing.

In addition to the minimum number of sentences required, students may only journal about each topic once during the month, thus encouraging them to think in an increasingly broad way about their lives and their world, and to find pleasure and gratitude in a wider range of subjects than they may have initially been aware of or considered.

Scoring: Each day’s entry shall be worth 1 point, with a total of 30 points possible for the month.

• Score 1 point if 90% of the length requirement is met.
• Score .9 if 80-89% of the length requirement is met.
• Score .8 if 70-79% of the length requirement is met.
• Score .7 if 60-69% of the length requirement is met.
• Score .6 if 50-59% of the length requirement is met.
• Score .3 if 25-49% of the length requirement is met.
• Score .1 if 1-24% of the length requirement is met.

If the student returns to the same subject multiple times, score just .5 points for each repetitive entry after the original.

I hope this assignment will help increase students’ awareness of how blessed we are to live in these times and in this place, and I hope you will feel as blessed reading their entries as I did reading those of my own students.

For this exercise, you need the book you are reading, a pen or pencil, and (if you don’t want to/or can’t write in your book) some small sticky notes. You may even want an index card or piece of paper on which to write down the code.

Code? you say.

Yes, this exercise involves the coded recording of margin notes as you read.

You can create your own code if you want, but here’s the code I like to use (If you create your own code, remember each symbol should be simple to make and easy to remember):

• * (a star): this indicates that what I am reading is important for me to remember.
• ! (an exclamation point): this means “Wow!” and is used for things that either are really interesting or exciting.
• ? (question mark): I use this to show where I don’t quite understand what the author is saying. I can go back to it later and figure it out if further reading didn’t clarify it for me.
• :) (a smiley face): This means I like what I read or I think it’s funny.
• :( (a sad face): I use this for things that are troubling or sad.
• // (two parallel lines): I use this symbol alongside passages that remind me of something I can relate to in my own life.
• (a triangle): I borrowed this symbol from math and science to use in passages where it seems some change is taking place.
• (an eyeball): My students enjoyed using this to point out things they have observed in the text.

As you read, either write in pencil in your book or write on sticky notes to attach these notes in the margin alongside the passages that inspire them.

For example:

• Diddle, diddle dumpling,        :) I love the way these words bounce
• My son John,
• Went to bed
• With his stockings on.              ? Why?
• One shoe off,
• One shoe on…                        
• Diddle, diddle dumpling,
• My son John.                             // reminds me of when my one-year-old daughter fell asleep with her face in her plate!

Using margin notes is a great strategy for nonfiction and assigned readings. It helps you to stay focussed, to relate to the text, and to highlight and remember what seems important in the text.

I use margin notes most often when reading my critique group friends’ manuscripts, and when reading informative articles relating to writing and other areas in which I’m interested. I have found the practice to improve my interaction with and comprehension of the text.

I hope it can prove both fun and useful for you!

For this week’s Play with Your Words exercise, you will need to look at a work of fiction you have recently read.

Find a passage in the story where there was lots of excitement and action. Select one half to one full-page from this section and do a sentence length analysis. Count up the number of words in each sentence and list them.

For example:

• Sentence 1: ___ words
• Sentence 2: ___ words
• Sentence 3: ___ words
• Sentence 4: ___ words
• Sentence 5: ___ words
• Sentence 6: ___ words
• Sentence 7; ___ words
• Sentence 8: ___ words

Add up the total number of words. Then divide the total number of words by the number of sentences you analyzed. In my example, that would be: total number of words divided by 8.

On average, how many words per sentence did the author use in this active, exciting part of the story?

Now select a peaceful, calm part of the story and count up the sentence lengths for about one half or one page. Total the number of words and divide by the number of sentences for the average number of words per sentence.

What kind of scene used the shorter length sentences?

What kind of scene used longer sentences?

Write two scenes, at least ten sentences in length, using what you now know to create one active and exciting scene and one peaceful scene.

Share your results with your writing friends or family. Remember to let each other know what you liked in their work.

I’d love to see some of your scenes as comments here! Happy Writing!

Now, it is time for me and you, my readers, to share your favorite, or your child’s favorite, read from this month.

The book I enjoyed most this October was Kevin Crossley-Holland’s Crossing to Paradise. Gatty, who has worked in the fields of Sir John’s manor all her life, is given the opportunity to serve as lady’s maid to Lady Gwyneth of Ewloe, and soon finds herself leaving all she has ever known to accompany her lady on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Gatty, Lady Gwyneth, and seven companions traverse Europe learning to navigate not only the difficult and unfamiliar cultures and terrain, but also the experiences and relationships that develop along the way. I really enjoyed this book and I think middle school, high school, and adult readers will as well.

What reading journey meant the most to you this month?

When you are done, think about what you have read.

Does the experience of a character remind you of any experience you have had? If so, what was it? How was your experience similar to the character’s? How was it different? Based on your own experience, do you think the character responded well or poorly to his or her situation?

If none of the character’s experiences remind you of anything you’ve experienced, why do you think that might be? What is it about the character’s experiences that make them so extreme?

Write down or discuss your responses.

So, today is “Play with Your Words” day, Play with Your Words Writing Prompt # 13.

During the first year or so after I began teaching, my son and I planned for his October birthday and he chose a pirate theme.

At the party store we bought pirate plates, cups, cake decorations, and pirate napkins. Being a teacher of language arts, I could not resist incorporating these napkins in a writing exercise I did with my students, and so today I share it with you.

Observe: The pirate napkin (Copyrighted by Converting, Inc, 2001, and based on the book “Everything I know About Pirates, by Tom Lichtenheld , published by Simon and Schuster 2000.)

Following the directions on the napkin, select one word from each column to create a pirate name.

Now, describe this pirate. What does he or she look like? What’s his or her personality like? What does he or she love or hate? What are some of his or her quirks or mannerisms? What is his or her favorite food? Color? Activity? thing to do?

If you’re really feeling inspired, write a scene for your pirate.

Then, of course share. Enjoy each others’ pirate names and descriptions. Praise the strengths you see in each other’s writing, and help each other see how to learn and grow their writing skills.

This is a poetry exercise I adapted from Gloria Heard’s excellent book, Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry

I used this exercise in a poetry workshop. The workshop had been one of a menu of options students could choose to attend. One of the students who came was our star varsity basketball star, who had been struggling in my American Literature class, and so I was surprised he’d choosen my workshop. But the depth and beauty of the poem he crafted with this exercise gave him a real boost of confidence in himself as a writer, which was a delight to my soul!

So, A Six Pack Poem—Here we go!

Get a piece of paper and fold it in half lengthwise, then fold it into thirds so that when you open it up it has six spaces resembling the slots in a six-pack of soda.

Number each section, 1-6.

For section 1, think of something you’ve seen outdoors that is amazing, beautiful, interesting, or that has just stuck in your mind. Close your eyes and “see” it as clearly as if you were standing in front of it once more. Notice all its details. In section 1 describe it as accurately as you can. Sections 1-5 are for pre-writing, so you can use words, phrases, or sentences, whatever helps you capture what you’ve seen.

For section 2, think about the quality of the light when you saw what you described in section 1. Consider the brightness or dimness and also its color. For example sunset light may be bright, with a rosy or gold tone. In section 2, describe the light.

For section 3, consider your image again and recall the sounds you heard when you saw it. Did it make any noise? What kinds of sound were being made around you? Describe them in section 3.

In section 4, list any questions you might have about the object or scene. Is there something about it or its presence where it was that might be puzzling? What might you wonder about it? What might you want to ask it? Write them all adown in section 4.

In section 5, consider the feelings this object or scene inspires within you. Don’t settle with just your surface response. Think deeper. Are the feelings similar, contradictory, surprising? Describe the feelings you encounter in section 5.

In section 6, use words and phrases from the other five boxes as the raw material to write the rough draft of a poem about your scene or object. Feel free to add words, as well as free to be selective in the words and phrases you choose to include.

Revise your poem considering clarity and to work in meaningful sound effects of poetry.

Share your poems with each other. Post them as comments to the blog. Enjoy the sensory experience of the poems and praise what you like in each others’ work.

You can do this as an exercise with everyone viewing and then writing about the same thing, or with each individual visualizing his or her own subject for the exercise. Enjoy playing with your words.

          Do not get me wrong. I do not believe oppression, discrimination, or anything that belittles an individual is just and should not be considered and corrected. I am a Christian. I believe I ought to love my neighbor as myself, and that the term “neighbor” applies to pretty much anyone who is not me. I was just dismayed to find the term “critical literacy” employed in such a limited way. I wanted my students to use “critical literacy” not just to identify social ills, but to observe choices and consequences of individuals in their reading, discern character values and the faithfulness of characters in living them out, to look at stories and come away with wisdom and new understandings they can apply to their own lives. Looking at the study of literature as nothing more than a means of bringing about social change, seems to shortchange so much of the wealth to be found in reading.

          As a writer, I find this even more disturbing. A scene from the novel A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver, by E.L. Konigsburg, remains forever fixed in my mind. It depicts William Shakespeare in heaven being pestered by English teachers who pepper him with questions about his work or point out all the mistakes he made in his plays. I can imagine being taken to task for some social message I never intended to weave in a novel, and how I would grieve if no one noticed the themes relating to living as a loving, responsible individual in a fallen world, the joy and beauty of God’s creation, and the wonder and blessing derived from our expression through and appreciation of the arts.

          Literature has so much more to offer than just a critique of the flaws in our social systems. Yes, ideas relating to justice and compassion belong in our literature and literature studies. But they are not the sole topic of literature, and a treasure trove of blessings would be missed were we to focus our critical minds only on this.

As I read her post, I wondered what her topic was and if anything I had taught her had helped her complete the assignment. Which prompts me to consider, what do I hope my students remember from my writing lessons?

One thing I hope made an impression on them is my deep love and passion for writing. I know not all students shared it, which is no criticism of them. Each individual is gifted in unique ways, and I understand my passion for writing is one of the things that makes me unique. Different students have different gifts. (Another of my former students is writing and recording his own music cd!)

But what did I teach that I hope would be a help to every one of them?

It’s hard to narrow the possibilities down to just one thing. However, today, I hope what I taught them about the writing process will remain with them and assist them for many years to come.

I studied to become a teacher after nearly twenty years as a parent and writer. I’d always intended to be a teacher, but I had also wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, so teaching had to wait.

When I returned to study education, language arts education in particular, I was delighted to find teachers were training students in the writing process.

No one had ever taught me a coherent writing process, not in my K-12 years or four years at UC Berkeley as an English major. Different teachers had talked about different parts of it, but no one had presented a full-fledged model that my fellow students and I could use. As a result, I had to develop a process of my own.

Therefore I was delighted to discover schools were now teaching young people the writing process, and that my writing process nearly mirrored what was being taught! 

Writing, in some form or another, can hardly be avoided in our culture. From analysis and reports at work to messages to loved ones, or posting on social networks, we all need to write some time. So what are the principles I taught my students?

First, think about what you want to say. During this pre-write stage, jot down ideas and gather information. Organize the ideas and information you plan to use it.

Second, write a rough draft. Do not worry about spelling, grammar, or punctuation, just get your ideas down on paper in sentence, and possibly, though not necessarily, paragraph form.

For any project of importance, set your rough draft aside for a day or so then move on to the revision stage. Read what you have written. Consider where you have done a good job conveying your thoughts and ideas. Consider, also, areas where your writing may seem less clear. You can rethink the order in which you presented your material. You can move things around, add, and delete.

When you are pretty comfortable with the presentation of your writing, do an edit. Go over it carefully to correct for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Finally, comes the “publishing” stage. Make a clean, final copy of your writing following whatever standards or guidelines may apply to the type of writing you are doing.

Ta-dah! You are done. Share your writing with others.

Depending on the project, you may spend more or less time in any of the various steps of the process. One thing you can count on, however, having a process will make whatever you attempt to write more manageable and guarantee you present your best effort with the final product.

My whole family (Dad has to work) will attend this activity on a weekly basis.  What do we want to achieve?

First, the Latin mass is extraordinary, out of the ordinary.   If these children won’t experience it now, they will have to wait for a long time to discover the beauty of the Extraordinary Form of Mass.

Second,  my homeschooled children won’t feel weird about the whole exercise.  There are many children in their age group who even learned how to serve at the Latin mass.

Third, exposure to the practical applications of the Latin language.

Fourth, exposure to contemplative prayers.

Fifth, interaction with our parish priest and learn a new language.  They will realize that priests can wear many hats.

Sixth,  the support group is there.  Homeschooling parents and children do not feel isolated but part of the “cream of the crop” in the Catholic Faith, those who are making effort towards Orthodoxy.

Seventh, the graces that go with mass.

Eighth, the graces that go with Adoration.

Ninth, the graces that go with the Sacrament of Confession

Tenth,  the opportunity to do what God wants from His children.

Eleventh, I can go on and on and on…

Come join us or look for one in your Diocese.  We travel an hour for this activity.  We do this as a family.  Children just grow so fast.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful that they will have this memory with you?

These feelings for me changed when I started the Robinson Curriculum.

First it became easier to monitor the courses my children are taking.  Imagine 7-8 subjectss a day became just 4 subjects.  Before it was Vocabulary, Grammar, English, Reading, Spelling, History, Science, Art, Music, etc.  Now, it is just Reading (the first R), wRiting(the second R), Math (the third R – Arithmetic) and then for my family Catholic Studies  (the fourth R) for Religion.

This is the first step in streamlining the subjects.  But does it mean that we omit spelling, vocabulary, grammar, science, art, music etc?  Well, not really.  It is incorporated in one of the 4 R’s.

Grammar becomes not “parts to whole” but “whole to parts” . It means you read the great literature and they become familiar with grammar.  They learn to recognize good grammar by reading the  classic literature. Thus, there is no formal lesson unless the child needs remedial courses.

I have to go back to reality and update this post later on.  See you soon.  To be continued.  Sorry.  Family first.

Meanwhile, go the right side of this blog and click the ROBINSON Curriculum FOLDER for my  other experiences on this curriculum.

Check our my family’s journey in the Robinson Curriculum, we call it the CatholicRobinson.Com

More interesting articles below, take your pic:

How to Get Started on the Robinson Curriculum

A Self-Teaching Method in Homeschooling: Robinson Curriculum

Public School Versus Homeschooling: Which is Better?

10 Reasons to Teach Cursive Writing First Before Print

Economist: One of the Top Paying Professions in the U.S.

College Preparation: Top Books and Resources on Economics

The Effects of a Label to a Child’s Psychological and Learning Disorders

Form New Traditions in Catholic Blended Families

Spiritual Glasses to Understand the Difficult Child

5 Benefits of Piano Lessons that Parents Should Know

Spooky Christmas for a Large Blended Family

The Questions to Ask the Presidential Candidates: Do You Know the Ten Commandments

13 Foolproof Tips for Parents to Avoid Teen Depression

Recognizing and Treating Teen Depression

Conflicts with Stepchildren: What You Don’t Know

Who Else Wants to See the Pope?

Raising Your Teen: What You Want to Avoid

The Mathematical Equation for More Catholic Vocations

Ten Tips for How to Handle a Difficult Child

5 Quick and Proven Ways to Calm a Child

10 Reasons to Teach Cursive Writing First Before Print

10 Things Stepmothers and Stepfathers Must Do for Their Stepchildren

Reading Response posts will continue to appear on Sundays, so that parents and teachers who wish to use them that week with their kids will have a new one available at the beginning of each week.

Monday will be a writing blog day, where I will touch on various aspects of writing ranging from writing for yourself, school, and publication.

Wednesdays will be reading days. These posts will focus on reading for both pleasure and information.

The first Monday or Wednesday of each month will still feature a Teacher’s File Drawer post—an assignment that can be adapted for school, home, or homeschool to further develop young peoples’ language arts skills.

The first Friday will be the new day for each month’s poetry prompt.

The third Friday will be the day for art-based writing prompts. (Didn’t you just love Christopher Bibby’s painting featured a week ago! He has so many cool paintings on his site. If I didn’t have so many other business cards for artists I met this summer, I could just feature him for a year!)

The last Monday or Wednesday of each month will continue to be “Favorite Book of the Month” day. I will probably continue to have trouble narrowing my reading down to one favorite book. And please, I so want you to contribute your favorites and those of your kids. My hope is to build up a resource to help people to find excellent books to read themselves or to share with children of any age. So…it’s coming up soon. I’m counting on your contributions.

How do I homeschool my preschooler?

I am a strong proponent of early studies.  I begin their education as early as when they are born.  But, for today I will focus on the preschool age.

Pio turned 4 years old last July.  I do not think he is gifted with high intelligence.  But, he is the product of a loving, stable home in a Catholic environment.  He is so much loved by his siblings.

On the reading side, I taught him the “sounds of the letters” and de-prioritize naming the letters.  Well, he learned it anyway and can distinguish the difference. But, currently, I am still focusing on “Letter sound names”.

Why?  Because teaching phonemic awareness is critical to acquiring  excellent spelling and reading skills.  You want your child to hear all the letter sounds in a word so he can eventually decode it.

Pio started reading letter sounds before he was 2 years old.  Then for the entire third year of his life, it is a practice of letter sounds.   This year, we are beginning to form words.

He got a book today and read everything in it.  I would guessed it is still  with picture guidance.  But now, he can decode the words through memory, through pictures, and through the first sound of the first letter of that word.

Pretty soon, I will remove his crutch but not until he has the confidence.  Children need that confidence.  When you break the confidence of the child, it breaks their spirit and learning becomes difficult.

Thus, when you are experiencing learning problems, focus on instilling confidence.  Once you achieve that, you can proceed to teach.

For my articles on educating your child, you may be interested to read the following:

5 Secrets to Handle a Temper Tantrum

How to Get Started on the Robinson Curriculum

A Self-Teaching Method in Homeschooling: Robinson Curriculum

Public School Versus Homeschooling: Which is Better?

10 Reasons to Teach Cursive Writing First Before Print

Economist: One of the Top Paying Professions in the U.S.

College Preparation: Top Books and Resources on Economics

The Effects of a Label to a Child’s Psychological and Learning Disorders

Form New Traditions in Catholic Blended Families

Spiritual Glasses to Understand the Difficult Child

5 Benefits of Piano Lessons that Parents Should Know

Spooky Christmas for a Large Blended Family

The Questions to Ask the Presidential Candidates: Do You Know the Ten Commandments

13 Foolproof Tips for Parents to Avoid Teen Depression

Recognizing and Treating Teen Depression

Conflicts with Stepchildren: What You Don’t Know

Who Else Wants to See the Pope?

Raising Your Teen: What You Want to Avoid

The Mathematical Equation for More Catholic Vocations

Ten Tips for How to Handle a Difficult Child

5 Quick and Proven Ways to Calm a Child

10 Reasons to Teach Cursive Writing First Before Print

10 Things Stepmothers and Stepfathers Must Do for Their Stepchildren

          Once a month, I will post a piece of art as an inspiration for writing. With the art, I will include a writing prompt, information about the artist, his or her work, the title of the piece–spelled backward and in small print for those of you who don’t want your writing swayed by it, and contact information so you browse the artist’s website and explore the full collection of fabulous pieces.

 This week features a painting by Christopher Bibby.

Spend a few minutes examining this painting. What kind of place do you see? What kind of person might find him or herself here? What kinds of stories might take place in a setting like this? Does anything in particular catch your eye? Now write. Create a story that launches from this landscape. And, please, share your work with each other and post it to share with the readers of this blog. Be sure to compliment family members strengths in writing and enjoy each other’s creations.

Artist Statement

Ever since I was very young I have had a strong emotional sense that we are all one. Though we appear separate and alone, we are in fact all from the same place; made of the same stuff. The presence of this vision in my life helps me understand the play between the real and abstract worlds within my paintings. Painting the same patterns in a building, in a city, on the street, and in a distant skyline is important for my need to express what I see and feel as a person in the world.

At times I find myself exploring, in an unconscious fashion, those same rhythms and patterns in an effort to make sense of their place in a more complicated world of chaos and change. These feelings of separation and unity are brought into a joyful place by my use of rich and stimulating colors. Colors awaken the experience, transforming what can be a deep and often overwhelming feeling of loss into a place of exaltation and contentment . My paintings, I hope, express in a knowing way what a wonderful role we play in this beautiful world.

About Chris’ work (entitled: swodinW gninruT)

By adding layers of oil paint and wax mediums to the canvas, I fashion an involved and intimately textured paint surface.

I etch off the layers of paint with various mark making tools revealing what is underneath. Then I repeat this process over and over until the painting has more of a sculpted surface. This method produces paintings that have a texture, depth and character of color that is unique to each piece.

Bio

Christopher Francis Bibby’s life as an artist began as a small child growing up in Cheshire located in Northwest England. Having been creatively drawn to the lines and angles of geometric shapes as far back as he can recall, Bibby began bringing squares and rectangles to life in the sketches and painting of his earliest years. However, it wouldn’t be until he moved to Glasgow, Scotland, at the age of twenty that Bibby would discover the inspiration to seriously pursue painting as a career.

A buzzing metropolitan of warmth and vibrancy sprinkled with lush parks and stunning architecture, Glasgow evoked a sense of passion and fascination in Bibby. Endlessly influenced by the dynamics of the city—the movement of its buildings, the weaving dance of its vehicles, the spirit of its citizens and the energy that merged them all—Bibby spent his early twenties developing and honing the distinctive patterns and patchwork designs that would become the signature element of his entire body of work.

After five years of artistic and commercial success, Bibby endured a severe injury to his right hand. Determined to continue his work, he turned what may have been a career-halting accident into an opportunity for ingenuity, training himself to paint with his left hand throughout the six-month healing period. In 1999, eager to resume his work and suddenly anxious to explore more of the world’s great cities, Bibby set off on 18-month tour of Europe and the United States, documenting his adventures on canvas each step of the way.

His travels eventually led him to Portland, Oregon. Here, motivated by the natural beauty and culture of the Pacific Northwest, Bibby established a studio and began introducing new mediums and scale into his art. Today, utilizing oil paints, wax, pencils, crayons and a number of mark-making tools in the production of his work, Bibby is able to communicate through the textures and dimensions unique to each piece of art.

Christopher Bibby’s work has been featured in galleries and showrooms throughout Oregon and the U.K. including the Portland Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery, Dragonfly Gallery, Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, Portico, Edinburgh Arts and Art Forum. Never one to stay put in one place for too long, Bibby happily splits his time between Portland and his native U.K.

• http://www.iambibby.com
• iambibby@comcast.net
• 3557 SE Division St
• Portland, Oregon, 97202
• 503 206 2438

          First, Humble discusses natural patterns:

•  “Chronological Order”: basically you use the timing of anecdotes, research etc. to organize your writing from least to most recent events/findings.
• “Cause and Effect”: A form of chronological organization, this method is good for explaining why something happens or the effect of particular events. In presenting your ideas, you pair up causes and effects to produce a chain of evidence to support your thesis.
• “Problem/Solution”: This too is a chronological form of organization. The essay is begun by discussing a problem (that already exists, bringing the reader up to speed with its manifestation in the present) then follows up with a presentation and analysis of potential solutions (which, naturally, project into the future).
•  “Place”: Here ideas and information are organized based on the places in which they occur. This can also be used as a form of chronological method if each place/event combo occurred in a distinct period of time.
•  “Visual”: These are patterns that can be place related, but are not necessarily chronological. With visual organization you think of your writing as a camera lens. The essay can begin with a tight shot of a very specific idea or detail and zoom out to show how it fits with the wider scheme of things, or begin with a panorama shot and zoom in on the specific idea or detail you are discussing.
• “Text”: This is best used for an essay dealing with a “text.” Your text could be a book, play, movie… Evidence in an essay organized around a text would present ideas and information in the same order that they occurred in the “text”.
• “Components”: This method divides your topic into parts and presents information and ideas in relationship to the part of the topic they address.

          Second, Humble introduces what he calls “Artificial Patterns”:

• “Least to Most/Most to Least”: This works particularly well when you want to focus on a characteristic that relates to your topic. In this case you present your ideas and information starting either with the pieces that demonstrate the least degree of that characteristic and work your way up presenting stronger and stronger pieces. Or you begin with the strongest and work your way down to the weakest. This is a useful framework for essays that explore potential solutions to problems.
• “Comparisons…Alternating”: Comparisons, in either alternating or block form, are often used when your topic consists of a number of things that have something in common. Alternating format compares items by characteristic, taking up one characteristic and discussing how it is displayed in each, then moving on to another characteristic, another, etc.
• “Comparisons…Block:” Block comparisons consider all of the characteristics of one item, then consider all the characteristics of the next item
•  “Listing”: This method is useful when you have a lot of little bits of information to present and you can’ figure out how to fit them in any natural or artificial pattern. Simply choose a place to start and list. You may number your lists if you wish. A bonus of a good list is that it creates the illusion that you could just keep on going, and going, and going with evidence to support your thesis.

          Don’t you just want to jump in and try one or all of these methods of organization? Hmmm. Now, what shall I write about?

          Auditory Learners do better in academic subjects and retain information better when it is presented in a lecture format and would actually rather listen to a lecture or a speech than read for information. Auditory learners find repeating the spellings of words out loud the most effective way to learn to spell. When presented with a diagram, graph, or map, an auditory learner would prefer that it be accompanied by verbal directions and follows oral directions better than written ones. Therefore, it probably is not surprising that auditory learners prefer listening to news on the radio to reading about it and are quite skilled at identifying matching sounds when presented with sets of sound.

          Tactile learners prefer to learn by doing. They like making posters, constructing models, practicing skills, and other active classroom activities. When stillness and quiet are called for, they often learn better if they can grip objects in their hands during the learning period. Likewise, tactile learners prefer to chew gum or snack when they study. They remember things when they can write them down repeatedly, and often learn spelling best by finger-spelling the words on the tabletop or in the air. Tactile learners enjoy working with their hands and making things, and often play with coins or keys or other small objects. Of all kinds of learners, tactile learners are the most comfortable touching others, hugging, shaking hands, etc.

          Visual learners prefer to see information written on the chalk or white board or otherwise supplemented by visual aids and reading. In fact, reading is the visual learner’s favorite way of obtaining information. This kind of learner likes to write things down, often takes notes for later review, and thinks the best way to remember something is to picture it in your head. Visual learners are skillful in using and enjoy making graphs and charts. They understand news and current events better by reading about them than listening to the radio. Visual learners easily understand and follow directions on maps, and are good at working and solving jigsaw puzzles and mazes.

          So, once you’ve identified what kind of learner your student is, how do you help him or her succeed in the classroom?

          Your auditory student will learn best by talking about their topics of study, interviewing others about it, debating, discussing, asking and answering questions, memorizing and making oral reports.

          Strategies to help your auditory learner read include teaching them phonics, taking part in choral reading (You can read together!), listening to stories and recordings of books, discussing what he or she has read, and reading out loud to him or herself.

          Your tactile student will learn best by doodling and sketching as he or she takes in information, playing educational games, building models, dioramas, relief maps, etc., setting up experiments, writing or tracing.

          Strategies to help your tactile learner read include writing and tracing methods, playing games involving reading, and reading instructions and using them to make something. This student will demonstrate his or her understanding of  what is read best by crafting related artifacts.

          Your visual student will learn best by reading, using computer graphics, performing visual puzzles, looking at or designing maps, charts, graphs, diagrams, cartoons, posters, and bulletin boards.

          Strategies to help your visual learner read include sight methods, comparing dissimilar words, silent reading, vocabulary acquisition that includes pictures or graphics, viewing or reading stories in a video or graphic format.

          Identify your children’s styles and help them learn and grow.

          Rather than get exasperated, or maybe it was because I was exasperated—it was many years ago—I turned the question back on the class. “When will you ever use reading and writing skills in your lives?” What followed was one of the best discussions of my teaching career. The students brainstormed ways they already use reading and writing, ways they see others using reading and writing, and went home with the assignment of asking their parents how they used reading and writing in their adult lives which fueled another great day of discussion.

          In our information saturated society, technology, reading, and writing march hand in hand, and our skills, with any one of them, affects our ability to fully use all three.

          Have a discussion around your dinner table; brainstorm lists of ways each family member uses or enjoys writing, reading, or technology. Compare the kinds of technological or literate activities you engage in. Maybe make a master list of the roles of technology, writing, and reading play in the life of your family.

          Make this new school year meaningful for your kids by helping them understand how developing their literacy skills will foster ongoing enjoyment of both reading, writing, and technology and lead to benefits throughout their lives.

          I view poetry as concentrated writing. The writer communicates an idea, belief, memory, story, etc, using fewer words and less space than he or she might use when writing prose. And because of this compression of writing, just like fruit punch concentrate, the final product is quite potent.

          Because of the concentrated nature of poetry, word choice matters even more here, perhaps, than in prose. And in poetry the sound effects of the words used contribute to the power and meaning of the writing.

          So, here are some sound effects you can use in writing poetry. Once you use them consistently, they will come naturally to you. As you are learning them, however, I would advise not paying particular attention to these until you are revising the rough drafts of your poems.

          1) Alliteration: (my favorite) Alliteration involves using consecutive words that start with the same letter. Allow me to use Mother Goose to illustrate: “Diddle, diddle dumpling, my son John…” The first three words of this nursery rhyme use alliteration.

          2) Assonance: Assonance involves using words in a line of verse that repeat a particular vowel sound. In “Mary, Mary, quite contrary…” the a sound is repeated in three of the four words. This line also illustrates another technique…

          3) Consonance: Consonance involves repeating a consonant sound within a line of poetry. For example, “The little dog laughed to see such sport…” The “l” sounds bind together the first half of this line, while the alliteration of the “s” sound concludes it.

          4) End Rhyme: End rhyme occurs when the ends of two lines of poetry rhyme with each other. “Hey diddle diddle/The cat and the fiddle…” Diddle and fiddle are rhyming words and their appearance at the end of each line gives the rhyme a musical quality.

          5) Internal Rhyme: This is rhyme that is used internally within a line of a poem. “Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater/Had a wife and couldn’t keep her.” This line uses internal rhyme in its first line and end rhyme for the first two lines, again providing a linking within and between the lines, and the rhythmic repetition of sound.

          6) Meter: Meter provides the percussion section of the poem. Metered poetry has a specific, repeating rhythm that carries the reader through it’s lines. Consider the bouncing footsteps of this famous rhyme, “Jack and Jill went up the hill/To fetch a pail of water…” Meter can set the mood for a poem, create a predictable, unifying rhythm, and propel the reader through the poem.

          7) Onomatopoeia: (Don’t you love the spelling of this word? Not!) Onomatopoeia are actual sound effect words–words that sound like the sound they’re describing. “POP! Goes the weasel” provides an example of onomatopoeia, as its first word is the word for the sound the weasel is making. “Crash,” “smash,” and “boom” are also examples of onomatopoeia.

          8) Repetition: Repetition is exactly what it sounds like. “Little cat, little cat/where have you been?” Repetition is often used for emphasis and to support rhythm.

          Sound effects can enhance meaning, underscore mood, create verisimilitude, or provide predictability or propulsion. But best of all, sound effects are fun. Play with your words. Play with your poetry. Take pleasure in the richness and flavor of language.

          The Let Me Introduce Myself: “Business” Card Project is an assignment designed to help you get to know your students, your students get to know each other, and your students to develop self-awareness and express it through a mix of modalities (written, visual, and verbal).

          For this project, your students will design a business card (my students used the blank side of an index card for this portion of the project, however, a business card software program could introduce an element of technology into your project, however it will be in exchange for the hands on nature of drawing, cutting, and pasting involved in the index card version). When the cards are complete, the students give a speech introducing themselves and their cards, and explaining what they put on their card and their reasons for including each item.

Business Card Sample

Business Card Criteria

1) Each student must create a business card that includes:

• Student’s name in student’s favorite font
• An address which is not where the student actually lives, but where he or she lives mentally
• A listing of activities the student enjoys (3 minimum)
• A one sentence slogan that fits your student’s philosophy of life.
• A picture that depicts a personal symbol that is particularly meaningful to the student
• A border that utilizes one of the student’s favorite colors.

2) Each student should prepare a speech introducing him or herself and explaining the reason each item appears as it does on his or her card.

Scoring the Business Card:

• Name + font (1 point)
• Mental address (2)
• Minimum of 3 activities enjoyed (3)
• Slogan (2)
• Favorite Color + border (1)
• Personal Symbol (1)
• Neatness/effort/creativity (2)
•           Total Possible: 12 Points

Scoring the Speech:

• Ideas and Content (3 points)
• Organization (3)
• Word Choice (3)
• Delivery (3)

          Total Possible: 12 Points

          These were one of my favorite student projects. I hope you have fun trying this out with your kids.

          As usual, I have more than one. My favorite work of fiction this month was Laurie King’s The God of the Hive. This is the ninth of King’s Mary Russell novels, which pick up with Sherlock Holmes after he and Conan Doyle retire. The book was gripping. (It’s the one I finished in a day.) Russell, Holmes, and Holmes’ brother Mycroft are being stalked by a political opponent in the British secret service. This novel is one of the most closely linked stories to its predecessor, The Language of Bees. If you are a lover of mysteries and Sherlock Holmes, you may want to start with The Language of Bees, or better yet, hold off on these two books and start with the very first book in the series, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

          My other favorite book is a nonfiction title, Ron Humble’s The Humble Essay: A Brief Introduction to College Composition for Actual Students. This was my son’s freshman introduction to college composition textbook, but he enjoyed it so much I had to read it for myself. It is written in a light, breezy voice that reflects a quirky sense of humor, but the information conveyed is serious stuff.

          Although I disagree with his dismissive attitude toward the “high school essay” or “five paragraph essay” (as a former high school English teacher, I can tell you, students have to start somewhere and believe it or not some find even the five paragraph form challenging), I agree with everything else he has to say.

          Humble examines the thesis, the thesis statement, the difference between the thesis and the topic. He also explains and advocates for a writing process, which as a professional writer I can guarantee I do not know a published writer who does not have one! He provides practical strategies for developing a main idea, sticking to it, and narrowing focus. And he shares strategies for explaining and defending your ideas with details.

          I would recommend this book to any teacher of writing, even to those of high school English, and to students who care about expressing their thoughts and ideas powerfully and effectively.

          What was your best book this month? Please respond as a comment.

          And, as someone whose passion is to encourage literacy in the home, this September represents, as ever, a new year. Therefore, I have taken a closer look at “Literate Lives” and the rhythm of posts and prompts and worked out a calendar for the upcoming school year.

          Each Sunday, I will post a reading response question that can be used with your student’s reading during the week. Reading response questions will address student understanding and evaluation of various elements of literature and if responses are written out, will provide exercise for them stating their ideas and opinions in writing.

          Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I will blog on a variety of topics centering on the development of literacy and reading and writing in the home.

          On the first Wednesday of each month, instead of blogging I will post an English/Language Arts assignment. I will include instructions and criteria for completion of the assignment and a scoring guide that can be adapted to evaluate student work.

          On the third Wednesday of each month, I will focus on preschool literacy.

          Thursdays will continue to be “Play with Your Words!” days. The first Thursday will focus on writing poetry, and the third Thursday will feature an Art writing prompt. Other Thursdays will rotate through imaginative, expository, narrative, descriptive, and persuasive prompts—all forms of writing students are expected to master.

          The last blog day of each month, as has been my practice, will be “Best Book of the Month” day. I will continue to recommend a title or two. And I hope you will too. Write about your favorite book you’ve read that month, and tell me about the favorite of any children too young to write. I’d love it if your kids who can write would recommend their own favorites. It’s a good chance for them to engage in writing that is both purposeful and persuasive, and to see their writing “published” in a public forum.

          I am so excited about this upcoming year of reading and writing together. Please tell your friends about “Literate Lives” and encourage them join our community!

I added the 4th R, which is Religion.  It takes us one hour to do Catholic studies.  And, the other 1 hour consists of prayers, chores,  meals and transitions.

We are still on our Summer Schedule.  We wake up between 8-9.  We start school between 9-10.  The children end at 4-6 pm.

It does take up most of our days.  However, the children are sleeping more (sleeping late).   At 6 pm, my husband arrives home.  We have dinner and clean up until 9 pm and then we say our night prayers from 9 pm to 10 pm and then we dispersed to our rooms.

My kids sleep roughly around 11 pm.  My husband and I sleep at 12 midnight.

+++ AMDG+++

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