Years ago when I was teaching reading and writing to elementary school children, I often incorporated songs into our lessons. It was fun and helped many of the children a lot. Most small children haven’t internalized ideas like “can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” so singing comes easily to them. Some children learn melodies more readily than sentences. I found that children … [Read more...] about What Teachers Study
Memory
One Thing, Now Another
Everything used to be something else. Hold that thought. Begin with a sentence that uses this form: Where there was once ...., now there is ..... You can write about something tangible that has changed right there in front of you. You can write about the invisible shifting ideas in your imagination. What used to be different? The weather, your food preferences, the … [Read more...] about One Thing, Now Another
Didn’t Want To
Write about something that you did even though you didn't want to. What was it? How did it go? What contributed to your reluctance? Inertia, fear, common sense, warnings, fatigue, information, experience, disinterest...? How did your attitude change throughout the task? Who was affected by what you did? Will you do it again? What do you suppose that will be … [Read more...] about Didn’t Want To
About That Groundhog…
It's a familiar story. The groundhog either causes or prevents the coming of spring, depending on whether or not it sees its shadow on a certain day. Is this a story of fear or perseverance? Is it a story about a rebel, an outcast, or a pioneer? Is it a story about how someone takes all the credit--or gets all the blame--for something they didn't do? How would other … [Read more...] about About That Groundhog…
Take A Seat
Where do you sit? When? How? Where would you sit if you could? Write about sitting. List a series of places you have sat, or a series of things you would do if you were sitting down. Tell a story of a favorite chair, a mystery chair, or an imagined chair. Tell any story at all, as long as it has something to do with sitting. Give you work a title when you have … [Read more...] about Take A Seat