Tag Archives: writing

Day 50: Rising Action

adventure, Family, Reading, teaching, travel, Writing, , ,
Warren, David, and the author at the Tower of London, July 1975

I shared the introduction paragraph with my classes yesterday and most seemed interested in my story. We broke down the elements of the paragraph and they could see the flaws in their writing and made notes on their papers before I collected their work. I will make copies and pass them back today. I introduced the rising action paragraph and got them to work while I checked in with students around the room to coach, motivate, and to discuss the stories they’re writing. Continue reading Day 50: Rising Action →

Day 49: Leads and Seeds and the Introductory paragraph

adventure, Family, Life in General, Reading, teaching, travel, Writing, , , , ,

As I wrote last week in Day 45: The Writing Process, I am teaching students to write a personal narrative and their assigned topic is a time in their lives when they had a personal conflict and the conflict led them to learn a lesson or an important life-changing lesson. As adults, it is easy to look back and see some of these moments, but it is not easy for a seventh grader to look so introspectively at their lives. Continue reading Day 49: Leads and Seeds and the Introductory paragraph →

Saturday: Halloween eve

Family, jobs, Life in General, Scouting, Writing, , , , ,
The front maple taken on Saturday, October 30th

It is the Saturday before Halloween and after a stormy week which included our first hard freeze of the season. The forecast promises 60° temperatures for perhaps the last time for a while, but you just never know. The leaves are falling and the front yard is almost complete. It is dry which makes raking and leaf pick up that much easier. Continue reading Saturday: Halloween eve →

Day 45: The Writing Process

Family, Reading, Scouting, teaching, Writing, , , , ,
Me in front of the list the class created this afternoon.

Teaching Language Arts is fun and I am learning more each day. Though, not as much fun as teaching geography, but I am learning and growing to like it. The students this year are enthusiastic and excited about learning. I know much of it has to do with my attitude and comfort level in the classroom. I have always been open with my students about what I think, how I learn, and the kind of student I was in seventh grade. Continue reading Day 45: The Writing Process →

Day 38: Counting….

Family, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, , , , ,

“We ought to hear at least one little song every day, read a good poem, see a first-rate painting, and if possible speak a few sensible words.”  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I was leafing through a book of quotes and quips and came across the quote above, it made sense and resonated with me.  We all try in some way to make our days count, to make a difference, to be a leader, and to be the change in the world we want to see. Speaking a few sensible words falls into that category, so today I just have a short post. Continue reading Day 38: Counting…. →

Fall, leaves, and walking Ivy

Family, Life in General, pets, Reading, Writing, , , ,
Fog hugs the ground as the sunrises on a cool morning in early October.
Fog hugs the ground as the sunrises on a cool morning in early October.

It has been fall for over three weeks now. The autumnal equinox has come and gone. September 22nd marked the official start of autumn in the northern hemisphere and relatively equal day and night across the globe. That day, three weeks ago, we had twelve hours and eight minutes of daylight counting the daylight between sunrise and sunset. Today, we had eleven hours and six minutes and each evening and when the sunsets, we will have even less. Fall is here and we are on our way into winter. Continue reading Fall, leaves, and walking Ivy →

1492 – Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue, the rest of the story

country, Family, history, Life in General, teaching, , , , , , ,
Painting of Christopher Columbus taking possession of the new world. In the painting, Columbus kneels on a rocky coast, with a flag in his left hand and a sword in his right. He is surrounded by European men, some of them bearing flags. In the background, three ships are in the water.

 This was supposed to be the weekend I caught up but, time is fickle and just as Johann Goethe, the noted German philosopher, wrote, “Every man has only enough strength to complete those assignments that he is fully convinced are important.” So therefore, I accomplished what I felt was truly important. Some of my to do’s will just have to wait for another day, or week. 

Columbus Day is one of those holidays that was intended to celebrate diversity when it first began to be celebrated in the late nineteenth century. The holiday has since been mandated as an official federal holiday, but it is now outdated. Continue reading 1492 – Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue, the rest of the story →

Reading and Football – Week 6

Family, Life in General, Reading, teaching, , , , ,

I set the coffee to brew automatically hoping that the aroma would be enough of an incentive to get me up and out of bed before the rest of the house awoke, but I only beat Olivia by an hour. We were up late as we are most Friday nights in the fall. It is high school football night and our Tigers won, again. They have a solid team and so far they are 6-0 and ranked number one in the area. The Tigers have a lightning fast offense and a swarming defense which has allowed no more two touchdowns in any of their games, while at the same time they have averaged over 40 points on offense. Continue reading Reading and Football – Week 6 →

Free Write Friday

Family, Life in General, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Writing, , , ,
My cutout and character for the class wall, the kids will appear next week

Every Friday in Language Arts is Free Write Friday or rather was…. I write in Free Write Friday, at least try to write most Friday’s, to model the practice. Yesterday, I used the computer and typed instead of using my notebook. Below is what I wrote for Free Write Friday…. 

I walked in this morning, late. I really need to work on this. I have not been sleeping well and it is affecting me in so many ways. I am tired and not as effective as I could be in any of the areas of my life – father, husband, son, or teacher. Continue reading Free Write Friday →

Week 4: Being Amazing and Brilliant – Part 2

country, Family, Life in General, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Writing, , , , , , ,
The American flag flies on 9/11 in front of our home.

It is hard to believe, but I am seventeen days into the school year with 155 remaining. Mind you, I am not counting them, but rather working to make them count. In my last post, I referenced Mawi’s Unstoppable Blog: A blog for unstoppable educators & anyone who wants to be inspired. I had stumbled across his post and shared it with my students last Friday – over a week ago. Over the course of the week, I have reflected back to that moment in class when I challenged my seventh graders to be amazing and brilliant. At the same time, I challenged myself to do the same. Continue reading Week 4: Being Amazing and Brilliant – Part 2 →