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Beginnings
One of my favorite blogs is Write At Your Own Risk written by the faculty at Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Today's blog The 1,000 Beginnings Project written by Laura Kvasnosky discusses topics students choose to write about, and gives a sampling of two dozen fabulous beginnings written by young authors. Check out the picture of the Beginnings Board. Don't you want to try this with your class? At the very least, I want to share the favorite beginnings with students and discuss why they are so effective.
Book Spine Poetry
It's National Poetry Month. Check out these book spine poems from the Children's Literature News and Reviews. And these book spine poems from Candlewick Press gallery. Send me pictures of your students' book spine poems and I'll publish them on my website.
Sports Writing (or Writing Truthfully)
This time of year, we tend to get a good deal of sports writing from our students. Often we hear about the moments (real or imagined) when the author hits a home run, wins the race, or gets the final goal. However, every now and then a student takes a different tack, writing about the experience of playing a sport. This week, I want to share one of the most powerful pieces of sports writing I've read. It's a first draft by Jacob. What makes it so powerful? The truthfulness. When I write, I constantly ask myself, "Is it true yet?" Perhaps you will be inspired to share this very truthful writing as a mentor text.
No One's Good At Everything
By Jacob Estey
I thought I was the strongest, but now I realize I'm not the strongest. I'm more like the weakest.
When I was a young boy, my dad told me, "When a fast ball hits you, always get back up and be ready to hit the ball. " Yes my dad told me that I was the best, the strongest one in the world. But I knew in my really, really, really big heart, I'm not good. I'm not even strong.
I have been weak. People tell me I'm good, but should I believe them? Every time the ball comes toward me, I'm terrified that I will let my dad down . . . that my dad will never love me the same way after that.
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