Writing into the Day

Making time for yourself as a writer

DD:Katelin G!

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Day 13 Logger, Kathy Berstell

8:32 Welcome to the First Annual HVWP Summer Olympics! The writing athletes are awakening, and fueling up with breakfast snacks (Coach Gina provided protein in the form of a French Toast Scramble). They are stretching their minds, and flexing their digital muscles, in preparation for the day’s Olympic events!

Opening Ceremony-Mary “opened” the day with a timeline diagram depicting the positives and negatives of her writing life. She asked athletes to consider where they currently are, and what their long term writing goals (beyond SI ‘08) might include. Athletes were asked to spend time mentally preparing (writing), for the day.

8:55 Athletics-World Class Runner, Lilah, jogged through her journaling life, describing her early writing as “streams of consciousness”. Her recent events have “everything to do with having an audience”, and “the eyes of others” upon her. Way to go, Lilah-Keep up that fantastic pace!

8:57 Rhythmic Gymnastics- Internationally ranked gymnast, Marisol, competed flawlessly in the Digital Documenter exercise routine! Her “photo choreography” included an orderly scaffolding of writing exercises, followed by ceremonial photographs.

9:00 Newscaster Cathy recapped the previous day’s activities, highlighting important events and sharing some athlete profiles.

9:05 Archery- Athlete Jose nailed a “bulls-eye” as he reflected upon his TIW of the prevoius day. He commented that “You shouldn’t hate math, it’s good for you!” Imagine the angles and geometry involved in hitting the target dead-center!

9:10 A pause in the Olympic action, as Softball coach, Steve, outlined the strategy for Anthology pieces, and trainer Sue called for “title suggestions and golden lines” for the Anthology. Olympic chairperson, Tom, called for writing participation in the content areas, as well as offering opportunities for other writing venues, beyond this Olympic event.

9:20 Olympic attire (aka-Tee shirts) have been decided, but not yet unveiled, as designer Katelin prepares for Thursday’s events. A rowdy fan (Paulette), challenged “I do know about investigative interrogation”, but Katelin’s design remains a mystery for now!

9:33 Triathlon- Sarah scored huge points in this event, as she “cycled” into a Multigenre TIW Roadmap. Color-coded teams brain-stormed genre possibilities, then the all-star athlete shared the definition of a multigenre piece. Sarah next “swam” into student work, noting that the trick in a multigenre piece is to take disparate pieces and tie them together with a common thread. She modeled a “Two Voice Poem”, and the spectators could easily see how rich and powerful this technique could be. Spectators then became participants as genre were chosen, and writing ensued. Sarah’s final “run” involved reflecting upon the Multigenre Piece, and comments included “Great for collaborating with other teachers/disciplines”, “Planning phase was Great”, and “Definitely going to try it this year”! Sarah recognized her mentor, Tom Romano, as she quoted, The multigenre piece “brings out the poetry in people”. Sarah won a gold medal for her performance! Congratulations, Sarah!

11:00- Teams dispersed to write and revise. Carbohydrate-loading is encouraged at lunch, for optimal afternoon performance!

1:43- Sailing- Athletes reconvened as Captain Mike sailed into the afternnon TIW, Expressing Emotion Through A Reflective Writing Piece. He modeled passages from Important Things by M. Springer, then the writing crew sailed into writing about an important object in their own lives. Waves of memories rushed across our writing decks as we recalled treasures we’d acquired, and pondered why they were so important to us. Billowing sails were filled with pair/share adventures! Bouys marked the sailing path as student work was shared/analyzed. Fair skies and balmy weather prevailed as Captain Mike cruised into the reflection section of his sail. The crew contemplated motivation, assessment, and personal usage of expressive reflective writing. Another gold medal in the Sailing event!

3:10- A short water break!

3:25- Aquatics- Mary “dove” into the question, “What is the purpose of sharing student work?” Swimmers shared comments such as …

-Look at what exists, to look for ways to make it better

-Student work should guide, define, and refine our practice

- It keeps it real (Authentic)

-To gain credibility with others (Thinking and learning)

and my personal favorite, “We might hear some “promising paths’ that we can travel”.

3:50-Closing ceremonies- As an exciting day at the HVWP Summer “08 Olympics draws to a close, athletes hone their writing skills for the big Anthology Event tomorrow afternoon. Athletes, sharpen those pencils, flex your fingers, and let the “Writing Games” begin!

Big Day: TIW’s: Cathy W. and LIlah

Last reading conversation…

End of the day…

Writing into the Day

Considering our writing lives.  Where are we now?  What plans can we make beyond the SI? Suggestions???

Bonnie

DD: Marisol

Logger: Cathy B.

Daily Log – Thursday July 24, 2008
Day 12

8:30 We began our day with a lovely breakfast provided by Lilah and wonderful writing prompt courtesy of Bonnie. We each got to pick a black and white postcard and write about the image. “What is it saying?”, “Write from their voice!”

8:40 Katelin, Mike, Jose, Lilah and Paulette entertained us with their depictions of what was happening with their characters.

9:00 Mike shared his log from Visitor’s Day yesterday. We all had such a great time meeting other members from various Writing Projects and listening to a fantastic TIW from Nancy McCracken, Making it Better by Making it Worse. We all got a kick out of screwing up our work. Have to try this with the kids!

9:05 Kathy B. provided us with feedback from her TIW Reflection comments. Her ideas about using music to inspire and develop creative writing was a great exercise and we all had fun with drawing, writing and sharing our work. Gina would be in later in the day and provide us with her feedback them.

9:12 Katelin hands out the ballots for our Summer Institute T-Shirts……so many great ideas….I think I like Write On! best, but truly hard to choose. I regret to admit that I need an XL….maybe in blue?

9:15- 9:30 Break time

9:30 Jose’s TIW -Writing to do Math and Doing Math Through Writing. Jose began by showing us photos from his field trip, Storm King Art Center Art/ Math Project (SKACAMP). His students were very engaged in observing, measuring, calculating dimensions and analyzing the awesome large art scattered though out the grounds of this outdoor gallery. We reviewed the NYS Standards for Math and then Jose challenged us with some equations. OUCH! Can’t quite remember my algebra! Jose then engaged us in recreating a sculpture his students had studied, using either string or copper wire. He gave us a photo of the sculpture to guide our work…..only problem is that our materials were bigger that the photo and we had to use all of the material…no cutting! A fierce competition arose between various groups, Respect! , PEMDAS, The Mathemagicians and The Quadrilaterals. Serious posturing on the part of The Quadrilaterals, and return attitude by PEMDAS, resulted in a fun time for all. My group gave ourselves a 4+ …for effort…..we actually fell a little short on the end result. Jose ends his terrific TIW with reflections from the group. We had fun….I want to go to Storm King and see these groovy sculptures…Jose, can I climb on them?

1100-11:10 Break

11:10 Judith Rance-Roney joins us to discuss her article from English Journal entitled, Creating Intentional Communities to Support English Language Learners in the Classroom.
Judith discussed creating intentional communities within classrooms that foster positive and enriching relationships between students with diverse backgrounds. We were inspired by her struggles to bring two Vietnamese brothers, Tu and Phan, from the margins of her classroom community to fully accepted and cherished members of the group. We shared our frustrations with NCLB and the long road ahead with limited funds and administrative ignorance. We ended our wonderful discussion with some questions and comments to ponder, “How do we define and label students?” “We are all English Language Learners at all times.” “Be intentional in creating cultures of acceptance.”

12:30- 2:30 Break for Lunch

2:30-3:30 TIW Brainstorm Groups

3:30- 4:00 Some last minute housekeeping ….”Where to have our last day potluck?” Maybe at Jose’s? What is that about a swimming pool? Gina gave us feedback on her TIW Reflections….I loved the stations and I learned some Spanish…..And we ended the day with some really fantastic Writer’s Chair sharing.

I can’t believe we are at the end of week 3 …..

Hope you enjoyed Visitors’ Day and you are starting to think about life with us, beyond this SI…

Writing into the Day

For now, let’s enjoy our moments together and I’m wondering, any prompts to share?

If not, I always carry backup for everything.

On the table you will find lots of photographs of people. Come up and select one that calls out to you.

And you are going to write a monologue from that person’s point of view, either in the present, past or maybe even his/her future…

Enjoy

Digital Documenter: Lilah

Logger: Mike

A Visitor’s Story

I’ve heard so much about this project so I decided to pay it a visit to see what all the fuss was about. Mike tried to explain it to me, but he still can’t find his way there, so I’ll have to find out for myself.

The day started off with Tom providing an introduction and my neighbor commenting that the Terrace Restaurant was packed with HVWP legends including Ann Hovey, Eric Salverson, Kathy Yeager, and Denise Maltese.

After Tom’s introduction, some lady was explaining that she was ready for her techno- tools to malfunction, but was happy they didn’t. At the end of her brief story she remembered something important; “and, also my name is Bonnie Kaplan.”

The group was given a writing prompt to write a letter to a colleague, friend, or politician to explain something they cared deeply about. Why are they passing me a pen and paper? A lady named Paulette shared something about being placed in a garden and another named Katelin was convincing Jenn that her mask project was proof that she should sacrifice half of her summer next year. These people are starting to confuse me. The one who made the most sense was Mary when she said;  “I realized I had to get a job, so I joined.”

Terri then presented her digital document showing Kathy and Gina thanking them for taking us back to kindergarten and first grade…I still don’t get it. Next, Sara and Steve acted out Sara’s skit about test hating, granola eating subversives. Someone should send them for a mental adjustment.

Next came the headline act they promised: Nancy McCracken. Now she was making sense; first telling us we should take a retreat to Santa Fe, then saying we’re smarter than we know and know more than we say. Then she made even more sense when she said ”You can’t teach students something until you know what their question is.”

Then it got crazy again. Nancy told everyone to make his or her writing piece worse. What the…?  “C’mon” she said, “the stakes are low.” We listed what makes our writing better while Tom wrote some of it down on newsprint. “I’m slow” he said when questioned about his pace. So am I, because these people confuse me.

After opening the blinds to avoid seasonal adjustment syndrome, the whole presentation made sense. You get the students to improve their work, decide what they think they did best, and then you can figure out how to help them…Excellent.
On to lunch, where we could talk about different programs the HVWP offers, then they were going to meet with their writing groups before some of them got up the nerve to share their work during their “Author’s Chair” activity. What a Day! Thanks for inviting me.

9:30 Off we go in my Hamstermobile, aptly named by my kids for its determined but lame ability to accelerate 0-60 in 8 minutes. The winding road to Mohonk is pretty. The morning air is in the mid 80s but feels cooler, with a gentle breeze and clear blue sky.

10:00 Into the grounds of Mohonk. The lodges are spectacular, an assortment of majestic additions each more detailed and interesting than the other. And the lake! Blue/ green reflecting the sky and the mountains. We go out to the large porch and watch the guests lounging in rocking chairs and see children anticipating the day ahead. There are mountains all around us, and tumbled off the sides of these mountains are boulders. Big angular chunks of rock, some perfect squares and as large as a house, a bus, others more like a car or a refrigerator or a shoebox. It looks like the playground of some incredibly huge giant child who got angry and knocked his block tower down.

10:15 We discuss the pattern of the day and decide on an early “hike”, since it will get hot fast, then a leisurely lunch and then some writing on the porch. Steve points out a rock structure across the lake. It looks like the cliff split perfectly in a 200 foot vertical break. He says that we will go up between that split, but don’t worry, there are stairs. It seems pretty far away, but I can do stairs. Sounds great! Off we go.

10:20 NOTE TO SELF: I am the only one of us without a backpack. I have a silly little fanny pack. Well, we are only going to “hike”. I can hike. I can do 3 full mall loops without even getting winded. Don’t I walk at least a mile a day, stretch, use free weights (5 lbs. thank you), and make my co-workers run to keep up with me in the halls at school. Yes I do. O.K. The fanny pack is both appropriate and sensible.

10:30 The path incline is comfortable. We stop at various little sightseeing gazebos to admire the view. It is truly beautiful up here. We sit for a few minutes to jot down some thoughts. A turkey buzzard glides and floats without ever flapping his long wings. It is almost silent except for the breeze.

10:40 The incline gets steeper and I am a tiny bit winded.
NOTE TO SELF: Next time, eat a good breakfast before going on a “hike”. The Yoplait Light I had at about 6AM is long gone.

10:45 Abrupt change in the terrain. We are headed into a heavily wooded area and there are rocks for our footpath about the size of a text book, to the size of a desktop printer, to a college refrigerator. We go down low to the forest floor on these rocks and then progress up quickly. If this is as intense as it gets I will be O.K.

10:55 Bigger rocks, boulders to be exact. Stacked on top of each other at odd angles, with smaller rocks lodged between them. We climb. Steve in front, Sara next, then me, and then Lilah. Steve and Sarah run over these boulders with ease, they don’t even use their hands to steady themselves. I am starting to feel muscles that have not been activated since the 3rd grade. Everyone senses my hesitation, and gives lots of words of encouragement. Lilah tells me she can boost me when I struggle to pull myself up. NOTE TO SELF: If I fall back on Lilah, I will squish her.

10:58 Now on top of a big rock platform. We pause and I look back on where we just came from! HOLY SHIT! How did we get so high up so quickly? I suddenly realize that even if I want to, which I really, really, really want to, I can’t turn around now and go back the way we came. It was one thing fighting gravity going up, but gravity would fully accommodate me on the way down and I would hurl myself on these giant boulders and break every bone in my body. CRAP, CRAP, CRAP…….I am secretly feeling very scared. This is probably not the time to tell my group that I am deathly afraid of heights, or that those jerks at AARP sent me a membership card, or that I need to be alive to pay for my two mortgages and my kids’ astronomical college tuitions.

11:00 Steve reports to me, probably sensing my vibe, that we only have about 20 more minutes of this type of climbing. At which point we will be at the top.
NOTE TO SELF: Kick Steve’s ass
The group assures me that they will help me and I try to laugh off my obvious apprehension. I realize I have to do this. Short of a helicopter evacuation (how much would that cost?), I am in this until the end, what ever that looks like.

11:02 Climbing. The boulders are getting bigger and bigger. I strain to lift my leg to a ledge and then realize I have nothing to hold on to to hoist myself up. Lilah is behind me giving words of much needed encouragement. At one point I feel her give me a boost, and I make it on top of the rock with a groan. There are these crevasses, deep, narrow spaces between boulders that if one slipped or lost balance she would fall and be wedged there, broken, sweating and possibly dead until some mountain crew came to pry her out. They might even have to cut her arms and legs off to get her torso out.
NOTE TO SELF :This is not a f*#@* “hike”.

11:17 I am sweating and panting. Steve, Sarah and Lilah are in great shape,. They don’t even look sweaty. How can that be? Giving birth was easier than this. The group continues to encourage me and praise me for forging ahead when I obviously look spent. Keep going………….. we continue.

11:25 THE SPLIT is ahead, at the end of a canyon-like structure. I can see it there when the” Path” narrows into a dead end. But there is no nice wide stairwell with a secure handrail ascending up between the massive rock, STEVE. It is a ladder that looks like something I made for a treehouse in 1965, that when I started to climb it it gave way and I fell hard on the soft, cool green grass. This ladder is approximately 15 inches wide, 1×4s, that goes absolutely vertical for about 30 feet. NOTE TO SELF: You’ve got to be F*#*#@# kidding me. That is the scariest thing I have ever seen in my whole entire life. There is no way, no way I can climb that. My blood really, honest to God, runs cold in my sweaty, panting body. I AM SO TOTALLY, COMPLETELY SCREWED. I can’t go back, I can’t go forward, I can’t climb that ladder. I am going to die. If the group knew what I was feeling they would be alarmed, they would be upset, they would feel, really, really bad. Sarah volunteers to go first, then Steve, then me, and then Lilah.

NOTE TO SELF: This is a life altering moment. You don’t have a choice, you have to climb.

11:28 I start to climb. I am on automatic pilot. I can’t think about this, don’t look back. Lilah talks to me, she is cheerful, telling me I am doing great. Steve confidently says that when I get to the top he will help me out on to the ledge. If I lose my grip or misstep, Lilah dies. No soft green grass down there, just damp, slimy rocks, big and bigger rocks. I can feel the sides of the split through which I am climbing, because the clearance is negligible. It is wet and cold and smells like an attic in March. I am near the top, Steve is already on the landing, I see his hand reach out to me through the narrow gap at the top. I go for it and with a great heave I am out of the split. Sarah is there praising my effort, Steve gives me a high five, I am panting, I am sweating, for a brief moment I feel a great sense of relief. Strange, primal memory of birth. Silly me.

11:32 Look around. We are now in a narrow space, a deep narrow canyon between two massive rock structures. A mountain has split in two and we are in that space. It is cool and quiet. At the end of this long passageway is another ladder. This one is as tall, but instead of 15 inches wide, it is 5 inches wide, made for one hand, one foot, only. The gap between the rock is maybe 25 inches. I stand there looking at this. My disbelief gives way to total terror. Apparently the first ladder was only part of the ascent between the cracked mountain. So this is what I saw across the lake. I am sweating like I have never sweated before in my life. I feel like someone just threw a bucket of water on my head. Sweat is dripping down in waves. I don’t care. I am breathing like I just finished a marathon, sucking in air like a race horse, and I have that cold blood feeling again, except this time it is worse, much worse. Diagnosis: low blood sugar + panic attack. I feel really, really icky. I inform the group. Suddenly everyone looks worried and I am encouraged to sit down, drink water and eat. Lilah shares her banana and gives me a power bar. Sarah speaks calmly and reassuringly, Steve keeps a nice conversation going. I sit and rest. The group encourages me. I feel better.
That moment of truth comes again. I have to climb the ladder. I have to climb the ladder. I have to climb the ladder. There is no other way out. After 20 minutes and a good rest, I am well enough to start the climb.

I climb.

The view from the top of the mountain is beautiful. There is a leisurely, civilized path down the mountain to the lodge, which we take. Most people take this route up the mountain. We are not most people.

NOTE TO SELF: We make a great group!

12:00 Steve treats us to a fabulous lunch! We talk about our families and find lots of common themes.

1:30 We break to write.

4:00 P.M. I am home. I survived.
How do I reflect on this adventure? There are so many thoughts. I am so grateful for getting out of the experience in one piece, that all of us made the journey safely. It could have turned out very differently, if it had not been for my group’s support. They never made me think that I could not do it. Even if they were skeptical, they never let me know it, they never let me lose sight of my own strength. They gave me unquestionable, unrelenting support. The frequent “high fives” the “you rock!” will forever stay in my memory.

What did the teacher learn? Do I set my students out on a “hike”, challenge them when they would rather take the wide, level path? And if I do set them on this course, will I be there to catch them, boost them when they think they will fall? Do I encourage them with cheerful words and give them my hand when they can’t find their way? And when they feel despair and fear, do I remind them of their own strength and show them how to succeed? Yes.

So here’s another way to write into the day

The Backpack
From: Everyday Creative Writing: Panning for Gold in the Kitchen Sink
By Smith and Greenberg (NTC 2000)

Whether we carry a knapsack, pocketbook, briefcase, diaper bag, or some combination of the four, many of us have trouble getting out of the house without taking some of our possessions with us. While someone totes work she hopes to do when traveling back and forth to her office, another person slips a novel into her purse in case the bus is late again. Like turtles, we tend to carry part of our world on our backs (or shoulders).
Although much of what we take with us out into the world every day is practical and necessary, hidden among the sensible calculators, notebooks, and diapers are less functional possessions, curiosities that represent the more complex realities of our daily lives.

Panning Instructions: Empty everything from your pocketbook, briefcase, or knapsack onto a clean surface. Everything. Even that mouldy-looking saltine holds valuable clues. Or you can empty your wallet of everything, even that ATM receipt that you forgot to record in your check- book.
Forget for a moment that these things belong to you. Imagine they belong to someone else. What do these items tell you about this person?

Select a few of them to use as a starting point for a story, poem, or essay about a person whose life you have laid out in front of you.

Nugget:
From a short story in progress

Megan hadn’t meant to mislead Alan when the plastic dinosaur had fallen out of her purse. It was just that she had seen his office, with its clutter of political cartoons, his hanging rubber stork, pink slinky and other miscellaneous anti-establishment toys, and wanted him to know that she wasn’t buying into the system either. So, when Alan picked it up and said “Cool,” and handed the Brachiosaurus back to her with a new glimmer of recognition in his eye, she hadn’t found it necessary to tell him that the toy belonged to her son, and that she had only this morning rescued it from under his car seat.
Mostly she was relieved that her purse hadn’t been dumped in front of him the year before when there would have been baby wipes and a spare pacifier mixed in with the usual wallet, checkbook and keys. She decided now, today, was definitely a better time.
Angelin Donohue
Sharing

Logger: Paulette

Three to Four-Ring Circus
Imagine, if you will, being at the circus – the excitement and the anticipation of the thrills to come. Let me take you to our time at the circus on July 15th.
It started off with refreshments – bagels, donut holes, yogurt, fruit as well as a beverage of choice. Some of us were starving and had looked forward to this delightful array of morning goodies. You know who you were!!
I’m late! You’re late! We really can’t be late! A few housekeeping asides about time and it being of the essence. So much to do, so little time! Our circus master of ceremony, Bonnie, encouraged us to take our seats and settle in for the ride or should I say, the attraction in Ring #1 – the Image Explosion. This allowed us to take the poem, The Names written by Bill Collins to create a community poem. Everyone took a line, a phrase or a word that spoke to them and created an additional poem or prose from it. Talk about an add-on! Though this was the first ring of the circus (and you know how circus’ are anyway), one could hear a pin drop. This activity truly displayed the power of our words. WOW!!
Still having chills? Well, we would take a commercial break or small intermission soon enough. First, we heard from Jose as he gave his digital documenter photo interpretation and Katelin solicited slogans for this summer’s writing institute t-shirts. Pictures and selling of t-shirts – that usually happens at the circus, right?
We had a surprise guest, Ann Hovey from the Advanced Writing Institute. Ann also happened to have worked with Terri and was coming in to support her during her TIW workshop. Mary stated that there may be others popping in to show/give support of our work and TIWs. Hey, wait a minute? Was there some fine print in our program that we missed?
Anyway, Katelin read her log from the previous day’s work and Barbara shared her thoughts from the TIW reflections she received. Barbara took a lot from what was suggested, even the one from Katelin about sending such writing products overseas. That sounded familiar. Didn’t Tom say something like that in May? Was the spirit of Tom lurking around us? Lastly, Barbara mentioned reflections about student work. I think that was/is an area most of us are grappling with. How long to look at and examine student work? The most important question of all – where the heck to put it?! Does anyone have an answer?
We then took a break. During this time, we had a High School Musical moment of We’re All In This Together! We’re becoming more of a community not only of writers but of concerned individuals, looking out for one another. Hang In!!
Back to the break. Not too long! We’re late! We’re late! This really can’t wait! Ring #2 – T’s TIW. By T, we mean the ring master Terri Colon. Terri’s TIW was on Developing Writing Through Peer Feedback. Let’s get ready to rumble! Terri talked about how we had to let our students see us going through the writing process, and of the writing process being a continual process where we visit each step at least once. Terri spoke of us putting ourselves out there to students and guiding them in getting their thoughts and getting critical and nasty/messy later. We peer edited writing that we had been working on and gave feedback which hopefully would be used to enhance the writing. We examined student work and reflected on this way of providing peer feedback.
A mistake or blessing in disguise? We had what Bonnie called free and far between time to write (free airtime – gotta’ love those airtime minutes/hours!!) as well as meet in writing groups. It was only a little after 11. We did not have to return until 3. Ring #3 –The Write Time, though not as structured was a great ring in this circus. Each of us could actually be the ring master and make of the time what we will. Did you get a lot done?
Finally, we come to Ring #4 – The Writing Process. Do you know where you’re going to? Mary had us reflect on our teaching and instruction of writing. What ways do we teach writing? Is there anything that we don’t particularly do well? What do we do well? After some sharing, there was an open Author’s Chair. Almost all of the returning fellows as well as Bonnie shared. Mary was inching to share but restrained herself. Maybe it was just that time already. You know, when a child lays angelical on their parent’s shoulder, sleeping with a slight smile on their face, still holding the cotton candy stick for dear life, being/feeling spent but not quite ready to give up the moment. I hope you enjoyed your time at our circus!

Digital Documenter: Sarah

TIW Reflections: Terri

Community Reading with Denise Maltese and her article: “OUt of the Narrow Tunnel and into the Universe of Discourse”

TIW:

Writing into the Day:

Let’s try something a little different today: Image Explosion

Here’s the poem we will work with:

Billy Collins

Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.
A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze,
And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,
I started with A, with Ackerman, as it happened,
Then Baxter and Calabro,
Davis and Eberling, names falling into place
As droplets fell through the dark.
Names printed on the ceiling of the night.
Names slipping around a watery bend.
Twenty-six willows on the banks of a stream.
In the morning, I walked out barefoot
Among thousands of flowers
Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
And each had a name –
Fiori inscribed on a yellow petal
Then Gonzalez and Han, Ishikawa and Jenkins.
Names written in the air
And stitched into the cloth of the day.
A name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
Monogram on a torn shirt,
I see you spelled out on storefront windows
And on the bright unfurled awnings of this city.
I say the syllables as I turn a corner –
Kelly and Lee,
Medina, Nardella, and O’Connor.
When I peer into the woods,
I see a thick tangle where letters are hidden
As in a puzzle concocted for children.
Parker and Quigley in the twigs of an ash,
Rizzo, Schubert, Torres, and Upton,
Secrets in the boughs of an ancient maple.
Names written in the pale sky.
Names rising in the updraft amid buildings.
Names silent in stone
Or cried out behind a door.
Names blown over the earth and out to sea.
In the evening — weakening light, the last swallows.
A boy on a lake lifts his oars.
A woman by a window puts a match to a candle,
And the names are outlined on the rose clouds –
Vanacore and Wallace,
(let X stand, if it can, for the ones unfound)
Then Young and Ziminsky, the final jolt of Z.
Names etched on the head of a pin.
One name spanning a bridge, another undergoing a tunnel.
A blue name needled into the skin.
Names of citizens, workers, mothers and fathers,
The bright-eyed daughter, the quick son.
Alphabet of names in a green field.
Names in the small tracks of birds.
Names lifted from a hat
Or balanced on the tip of the tongue.
Names wheeled into the dim warehouse of memory.
So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the heart.

1. Leader reads through the poem slowly

2. Another voice reads poem a second time and each person selects a phrase/line to write from

3, That phrase can begin your writing poem or prose piece you will create for the next 15 minutes.

4. The leader will read the poem again, slowly. When she gets to your line jump in and add your writing.

5. We have created a community poem.

DOWN THE TECHNOLOGY LANE…

DD: Jose Gonzales

Log:

7.14.08

I. Introduction

The context for this inquiry: What I have observed of various HVWP days.

II. HVWP structures (to provide us with an overall understanding of what happens)

1. Breakfast and slideshow
   1. Egg bake care of Terri.  A delicious savory complement to Gina’s contribution.
   2. Some crazy concoction that is already sweet but comes with syrup. I don’t ask—I taste.  Thanks, Gina.
2. Morning Write (“Make a map of the earliest neighborhood you can remember…Now tell us a story from your map.”)
   1. “Busting my behind learning to roller skate…God forbid you got into a fight with one—you would have to fight them all.” Paulette
   2. “We said hello to our bouncers… We were never quite sure what he was screaming as it was always a different language than ours.” Gina
3.  DD, Logs and Reflections
4. TIW (Barbara asks us to consider how we teach the reading and writing of expository (=informational = nonfiction) texts in our classrooms. 
   1. Brainstorm text structures and view models
   2. Engage in constructing/writing a collective biography
   3. View thematic biographies created by students
   4. Consider how knowledge of text structures may impact student writing and how this enhances/supports/changes how we teach expository text
5. Books Groups (DISPERSE!)
6. Lunch
   1. I went on a nice walk through New Paltz.  I talked to my mom for a while.  My grandma is home from the hospital and her sister is visiting (yay!).  Matt and I decided to have grilled fish and fresh salad for dinner tonight, so it looks like I am stopping at Adams on the way home.
   2. The Bakery is busy.  I order a quick salad and leave.  I see Denise Maltese on the street and we have a stop and chat (but not one of those, “Oh God, now I have to talk to someone I don’t like about his or her life, which I really don’t care about”).  She is excited to close up the Building a Writing Practice course and looks forward to visiting us to discuss the article we will read for Wednesday.
7. Tech time (Despite varying levels of experience and confidence, this SI has incredibly competent people!  Don’t let them fool you…They are blogging posting away.  At this moment-3:02-14 people have posted on the e-Anthology.  Congratulations and welcome to the 21^st century version of the writer’s workshop!)

III. Construct a tech history and post it on the blog.

1.  
   1. “My TechLife? I typed in college on a typewriter.”
   2. “I remember DOS and continual crashes and total confusion all the time — but boy, was it better than a typewriter.”
   3. “I would like to know more about using the Smartboard, and digital stories with the kids.”
   4. “1986    Oregon Trail.”
   5. “I’m a bit of a tech dork.”
   6. “Yes… I remember those first experiences formally learning about computers and cringe.”
   7. “I couldn’t tell you what I found so confusing at the time, but I think I’ve come pretty far since then.”
   8. “For thirty years I worked as a designer of computers, using the computer to make computers.”
   9. “The guy who ran the course assumed that we knew how to turn the computer on. I didn’t.”
   10. “My most fun on the computer is finding reviews about my son’s band, the Felice Brothers when he is on road trips. He says, “Mom, read a book or get a hobby” if I tell him what I’ve learned.”
   11. “While it is a web full of information–I also find it to be a “web” that is hard to get out of.”
   12. “From here, I would like to do more graphic and digital works as well as to become familiar with blogs, websites and webinar post sites.”
   13. “I am completely psyched for all this. Now all I need is the time, and keeping my techno fears at bay.”

IV. Breakdown- Mary invites us to talk about the tech interactions of the day.  She tells us about the accidental air scheduled for tomorrow (happy accident, ala Bob Ross) and Staci’s visit on Wednesday, asking us to brainstorm:

1.      What critical issue in your school or classroom (or education in general) isn’t receiving the attention it needs? What problem or issue seems unresolved?

2.      What problem or predicament seems to stop or silence you as a teacher?

V. Release- We leave reflecting upon how we support student reading and writing of informational texts, our advances in using technology, and the real world issues we face in our schools.

Writing into the Day with Mary…Focus Our Writing Lives

Write about a bad writing memory?

Start freewriting using “I remember…” as your prompt.

Digital Documenter Mary:

Log: Barbara

The Summer 08 Tour – The Amazing Race to the Writing Pieces
Itinerary for July 8, 2008

8:30 am Bonnie began as tour director, leading us to a revisit of Tom’s workshop. That is,
we recalled a previous site visited on May 3rd, the professional piece. For some, a
fond memory, for others a visit not yet ready to be recalled. We journaled our
thoughts, freely writing our observations and experiences with this site, and then
continued on our journey by sharing our thoughts and excerpts from our log.

9:15 am Once again as tour director, Bonnie led us through her reflections from her TIW,
reminding us that we are still pioneers in bringing the digitized text to the
classroom.
We viewed the playbill from yesterday’s exciting play, recalling scenes we acted as we embarked on our summer journey.

9:25 am Water break. Time to pause to stretch our weary legs.

9:30 am Switching tour directors, Kaitlen then lead us on the TIW road, Symbols: A three
pronged inquiry. On this road we first passed symbols as a visual, working in
groups to view important scenes. We viewed the “graffiti on the walls,”
exemplifying that we are a “visually driven society.”
The next stop on this road informed us about symbols in novels, for which we
had the opportunity to be informed of (or refresh our memory of) a symbol
found on an island thanks to William Golding, Derek and Molly.
For the third and final stop on this road, we were asked to incorporate the use of
symbols in our own writing, allowing time for a few of us to share before we
pressed onward.

10:50 am As her time as tour director ended, Kaitlen gave a verbal recap of the road we had
just traveled and the sites we saw, asking us to provide our feedback on the
experience in writing.

11:15 am Our tour for the day continued with a new exploration: the writing group. Here we
learned about the writing group, stops we should make along the way as we
traveled through this territory, and sites we just can’t miss along the way. We
traveled in small groups, knowing we’d cover more ground this way.
Informative information was provided for our visits to this unfamiliar territory. For example, we learned a few phrases to help us speak the native language of
writing group members, such as “where do you want to go next?” and “what did
you experience- feel, think, see, hear?”

12:15 pm A stop for lunch.

1:30 pm A half hour self-guided journey into our writing commenced after lunch.
Suggestions of sites included: the professional piece, literacy autobiography, and
recalling past visits of free writes to consider one for a personal piece to share.

2:00 pm Our guided tour began again, as our amazing race continued. In our quads, our
tour guides lead us through a complicated maze of our own writing samples.
Where do we head now? What’s the next stop on this journey? Do I know enough
of the native language to continue my trip? Should I jump ship? Do I have enough
supplies?

3:10 pm Planning refreshments for Thursday: always an important aspect on any journey. Without food and drink, how can one continue the race?

3:25 pm Feedback time. The survey says…
In contrast to the once popular (and now resurfacing) game show, no feuds have arisen, although a family of writers has certainly gathered together.

4:00 pm Time to retire for the evening. Evening meal is on your own.
Please be sure to have your necessary supplies, including camera and journal in hand, and be gathered with the tour at 8:30 am tomorrow as we depart once again to continue our amazing race.