A. LaFaye's Blog: Word Wanderings Rest Stop - Posts Tagged "twitter"

Developing your writing style requires experimenting, so I'm writing my blog Twitter style. Revision advice 1 Tweet at a time.#RevBlog

1. Re-envision. See your manuscript in new ways. Write from another character’s POV. Write a poem in response to the 1st draft.

2. Go Draftless. Set the first draft aside and rewrite it to see what new discoveries you can make. Meld them later. Or not.

3. Go Poetic. Do a poetic weed. All active verbs. Cut conjunctions, articles, adverbs, abstract words. Focus on concrete imagery.

4. Pass On(e):Address one element each pass through—character, then plot, then imagery, then active voice, style, tension...

5. Expand: Look for expansion joints, places where your story or poem can grow-backstory? Steps in the story that are told vs. shown...

6. Contract: Where is your literary weight off? The space dedicated to an image, character, scene should be equal to its importance.

7. Voice: Have you employed as sense or orality & originality in your narrative voice. What does your work see say, others don’t?

8. Slant: Is your dialogue character specific? Does it slant to suggest things that aren’t on the page, but happened between the characters?

9. Once More With Conviction: Does your work unfold to reveal its theme vs. state it directly? Go for the reveal.

10. It’s Mine. All Mine. Make the work your own. Unique characters. Plot in unexpected directions. Use images that brings irony to new levels.

Want to know more about any of the topics in this #RevBlog? Stop by the blog on Goodreads and ask a question.

Poetry Tweets @PoetryTweets has been "[e]xploring the power of 140 characters or less" since 2009 and I'd like to spread their work to the younger generation by blogging about writing a poem in 140 characters or less and inviting teachers to join in the fun!

First, let's talk poetry.

Paul Janezcko's Firefly July A Year of Very Short Poems is a great book to share short, concrete poetry with kids to inspire them to write their own. Mentor texts rock!
Here's a great resource on mentor texts and writing poetry from Lee and Low:
Mentor Texts and Writing Poetry

Here are a few pointers for helping kids write great poetry.

1. Teach them to use concrete, specific words. Help them learn when a word is concrete vs. abstract, and to select just the right word to show what they mean.

Soft as cotton is concrete, but familiar.
How about "soft as a couch after school let's out?"
You can start with lists of words that are abstract and have them select concrete alternatives or create concrete comparisons that relate to their lives.

"Sad" becomes Picked last for the team.

2. Help them tell a "story" in as few words as possible. The poet Janet Wong uses this exercise:
My --insert family member or friend--is like--insert comparison--because--fill in the blank.

For more on Janet Wong, please visit her website:
Janet Wong

She usually stresses that the comparison is positive, the following example started off shaky, but ended well. It's from a third grader.

"My brother is like toilet paper. He's always got my back."

Right there you have the start of a tweet poem with characters to spare!

You can also encourage them to share a discovery, an emotion, an event.

Discovery:

Tigers outweigh my fridge, but purr like their making ice.

Emotion:
Cheaters make me want to send them to the end of the line for ice cream. Twice.

Event:
Costume Contest. Itchy make up. Poofy cotton-candy-esque hat. Sweaty cone suit. This tall lick of ice cream claimed first prize.

3. Teach them to edit. Let them draft what they want.

I hate my brother. He puts his buggers in my hair.

Then ask them to revise.

From this poem ask for a figurative comparison based where they started.

My brother is? Why is he that?

My brother's a snot. He treats my shirt like a tissue.

I hope this advice helps.

Now let's talk poetry exchange:

1. Use Twitter to find another classroom in another state.

2. Assign a poem that allows kids to introduce themselves, or their class, or their hometown.

3. Let them do peer workshops to choose their favorites. I'd choose one from each group, then send them to the other class which will send them to your class.
Peer Workshop Guide from NCTE

4. Let the kids respond to each others poetry. Share what they like about the poems and ask a question.

5. You can also do poetry challenges. Send a photo of something cool at your school to the other class and ask them to write a poem about it, then select their favorites and send it back. They will send you a photo and you'll do the same activity.

6. You can also use these poetry exchanges as a launching point for deeper connections across classes. Exchange school mailing or e-mail addresses to pair kids classroom to classroom to share their experiences through letters and journaling-whatever dovetails into your curriculum.

Invitation: Please share your tweeted poems on Poetry Pen Place Place at @PoetryPPPlace

If you try these exercises, share what works, what needs works, and what your students gain from the experience. Tweet away!

Tweeting Poetry Pen Pals

1. Establish a connection with another classroom. You can find a teacher/classroom willing to tweet poetry via Twitter. You can search for classrooms by grade.

2. Exchange contact information and plan out your shared unit via e-mail or in a phone conference. What are your goals? What schedule do you want to follow? Plan objectives, dates, assessments. Here is a website with lesson plan suggestions:
Poetry Lesson Plan


3. Prepare students for the first assignment: Suggested: Me Poems. Read examples of autobiographical poems. For example:
"Good Luck Gold" by Janet Wong


4. As them to write their own autobiographical poem using an exercise like this one:

Poetry Exercise:

1. Write an I-statement using a simile or a metaphor

I am like a tiger, my voice roars. simile

My voice is a tiger roar. metaphor

2. Write an I-have-statement (You can vary the verb)

I live in a jungle of books, dangling clothes, and animal filled drawings.

3. Write an I-want-statement

I’m hunting for a friend to join me on safari.

4. Put the statements together into a poem.

My voice roars like a tiger. I live in a jungle of books, dangling clothes, and animal filled drawings. I’m hunting for a friend to join me on safari.

5. Do character count, then revise for length.

Original 151
Revision:
My voice is a tiger roar. Welcome to my jungle of dangling clothes, and animal-filled drawings. Join me on safari, my friend. (126)

6. Workshop the poems in small groups of 4-5 kids. Have them offer feedback, revise, then resubmit. Kids will vote on their favorite poems in each group once they’re revised. Tweet the nominated poems to your Poetry Pen Pal classroom.

Here’s a helpful guide to using the Writer’s Workshop Model:
Writing Workshop Guide


7. Read the poems you receive from the other class. Assign one poem to each group. You can have them tweet questions, suggestions, comparisons to themselves.

8. Assess their learning. Here is a website on assessing the pen pal experience:
Pen Pal Assessment


You can also share videos of book reports, exchange poems about the place that you live, books that you love to read, the subjects are limitless.

If you use this unit in your classroom, please share your experience in the comments here or on my FB page
A. LaFaye Author Page
Or on my Twitter feed @artlafaye

Thank you!

I'm always open to improvements and suggestions and questions!


Fifth Grade Examples of Core Standards Addressed in This Unit
Text Types and Purposes:
CSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3.D
Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
Production and Distribution of Writing:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 5 here.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.6
With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.