A Visit to the Cemetery

You all should re-read the cemetery scene in Cion now that we have visited the ridges. I did, and I found that I have a much stronger appreciation for Toloki's work as a professional mourner! Many of you commented on the "feel" of the place, the melancholy that we sensed as we looked a so many numbered, unremembered, unmourned graves. As I re-read the scene again, I had a clearer sense of the power in bringing the family to that cemetery to mourn.
I hope I don't miss the next Cion discussion while I am away! I have enjoyed the way the discussions are so lively because of the different ways we have each experienced the characters in the novel. The dialogue with a character exercise was such a great way to explore the characterization, and I feel like I really was able to get inside Ruth's head!

Sharon Draper books

Dr. Rice mentioned Sharon Draper, and shared one of her poetry books. She is a teacher from Cincinnati and has written some great books for young adults as well. I have her series of "Ziggy" books and they are great. One is about Ziggy and his friends (all the boys are African American, but with different family structures and cultural backgrounds) getting lost in a underground railroad passage under their school. They are all historically based around Ohio. I would recommend them anywhere from grades 3 and up. They are great read alouds because Ziggy's family is from Jamaica, Mon!!! He is a hoot and his language is so funny. She also has a great High school level book, actually is a series, but the first book is called "Tears of a Tiger". Great content and writing style!! See me tomorrow if you want me to share more information on her books...I have several of them.

poetry

Dr. Rice was so inspiring. I was very impressed with her delivery of information, always making her points interesting. Delivery of material is certainly an art, and she has it. I got some great new ideas to expand my already full schedule of poetry information for my students. I hope the "district powers that be" don't want to quibble over my unit plan if I extend it to 4 weeks!!! I enjoyed the sharing of new books and ideas and can't wait until school starts.

Linda Rice and Jayne both made a comment today that sometimes it helps to know the background of the poet. That was so evident when looking at the different poetry books. I know I have done this with artists in order to understand the pieces of art better, and on the 4th grade level we do sporadic author studies. This just brought it home to me that I need to mention the author, poet, or artist more in my discussions, or require the students to learn more about them.

Character/Talk

I enjoyed the opportunity to explore Ruth's character via an imagined conversation with her. I think this exercise helped me pinpoint specific aspects of her character; as I shaped the conversation it made me consider/reject things I knew Ruth would or would not say, or do. It helped me form a clearer picture of Ruth - what motivated her, her fears, etc.

Jayne did a great demo regarding poetry. I was impressed by the fact that every student could be successful with the activity. I plan to adapt the color poem to the first grade level. The demos have been very productive. I can't believe the amount of activities that I am going to take back with me to actually use in the classroom.

Wow, then to go into the afternoon also learning about poetry. Bev and I said we both want to find a book store while attending the math/literacy conference so we can buy the books we were able to view today. I want to try the stop and read a poem idea next year. I bet the my class would really benefit not only from the language perspective but I could see the benefits of stopping when several appear frustrated during math (or whatever) and read a poem and then go back to what we were doing.

Cion & Other Stuff

When asked to choose a passage from Cion yesterday, I was completely baffled at what to choose. I guess I didn't read the book that indepthly. I just read it as a novel. I know now that was incorrect. I felt fairly useless in my group by not having a passage to discuss. I enjoyed discussing the passages of others though. I can see the depth in Cion now that we have talked about it. Lois, Chris, and Deb each had great passages and we discussed them. I still agree with Deb about not seeing how a sororiety girl, such as Beth, could get past the sexual assault aspect with Obed to actually consider "dating" him. I'm really learning a lot in this class. Much of which I plan to take back to my little guys this fall.

Yesterday Merrilee did a wonderful lesson with us on stress. It would have been interesting to do the adult version of the stress test...I'm sure I would have been off the charts. My main source of stress is, unfortunately, this class and it's self-induced stress. I think even my little guys would enjoy just relaxing at some points in our school day. First grade has several requirements and I'm sure they feel stress at different points in the year. Great Job!

Today Jayne did an excellent lesson on poems. I was a little apprehensive at first, but she assured me this morning that I would do okay. I did!! It was a lot of fun to write my own poem with her help. I think even the lowest student could write a color poem with some help. It was nice to accomplish a poem on my own and I didn't upset myself to the point of tears. Thanks!! :)

Poetry

Wow, two great sessions on poetry! Jayne did an outstanding job bringing poetry to life for kids. I feel really good about using parts of her demo with my students. I am going to go home and look in my pacing charts for the grading period we do poetry in 5th grade and plan that unit before school starts. Thanks Jayne! On the other hand I am ready to run out to the book store and buy quite a few poetry books. I must be nuts but I never knew a whole book of poetry could go together and tell a story! I really want to read Sold and Keesha's House. I am going to start with them and move on! A Kick in the Head also looked great to a poetry novice! I know it would be so helpful in explaining the types of poetry to me and my students. Very interesting and rewarding day!

Poetry day

Poetry today was really great. I enjoyed Jayne's lesson on the color poem. I liked the concept of the pre-write form listing words or phrases about the color. Although my poem was not as good as I would have liked, I did like the fact that she gives her students the option to change it, re-arrange it, or do it on a color they like better. Options are always nice. I also liked that she gave a template for the poem. I think that could be very beneficial to students having difficulty in thinking up an idea or how to structure their poem.

Then this afternoon having the speaker present on poetry was also great, because we were already in that mode. Dr. Rice gave lots of samples and the list of things she provided will be very beneficial as well. I liked that she gave samples of poets reading/performing their poetry, and the Dead Poets CD was really great too. I never really thought about using poetry as a break before, but I think it could be really good to do in my math classes. I thought of that this morning in the teaching demo as well. I could have students write poems about a math topic or do a math concept as a song to give them a break from the stress we all feel from "THE TEST".
Overall, I thought today was very refreshing.

Plentiful Poetry

I had a good time today, didn't you? I visited a place in my brain I hadn't used in years - those poetry muscles. Like a car that has been sitting in the garage too long, my creative brain muscles struggled to be revived. It felt kinda good, like a good stretch when it gets the kinks out. Thanks, Jayne, for the fun exercise in writing poetry. I really liked the structure provided through the writing about colors strategy; even I felt like I might be successful in my attempt. Every student wants to experience that feeling; this experience was a powerful reminder of that important point. It is interesting how coincidence can play out in our lives - imagine that we then had Dr. Rice to share the joy in READING poetry today as a follow up to Jaynes morning poetry lesson! Dr. Rice clearly is joyful about poetry and it is infectious. I haven't really read any poetry in years but I now plan to do some serious searching for some of the books on her list. I can actually see ways in which I could successfully implement poetry in several of the topics I teach, something I had never previously considered. I was pretty impressed by Dr. Rice - by her passion for poetry, her expertise and of course her youthful good looks! It is too late for me but if there is a secret for her young appearance she could make a lot of money selling it!

Dr. Rice

Dr. Rice's presentation today served to remind me how important it is to search for excellent children's literature for our students. The more we know the more we are able to match students (who say they can't find any books they like) with an appropriate book. If we can hook them into a couple of books, the deed is done and may serve to catapult them into the world of reading. This was a welcome break from the normal routine of the workshop.

Linda J. Rice's Visit

I totally enjoyed the presentation today. Guest speakers always add a special touch to the classroom. I'm a big believer in working across the curriculum, so even though I will be teaching Math and Science next year in sixth grade, I saw many opportunities to use poetry in my classroom. I'm glad she gave us a list of books, because the books were coming at me so fast that I couldn't possibly write them all down. I did however highlight the ones that touch me in some form or fashion, or that I could use in my classroom next year. I feel like I've just been baptized by the river of poetry, and given a new life to learning. This class has been so good for me this summer, I hate to think what mental state I would've been in if I had not had this class to keep me occupied and give me fresh, new ideas to take into my new sixth grade classroom. I also appreciate all the support and positive attributes that my fellow classmates and professors have given me. You are truly the best.

Linda's presentation

Why didn't I ever have an exciting teacher like Linda? We just read poetry and even though I loved it I remember it as being kind of dull and boring (the way it was presented) I love the music and the readings on tape! Lets face it, music makes anything better. I know students would agree. Her passion for poetry is inspiring. Now I really want to incorporate more poetry into my art room!

Socially Responsive Poetry

Wow--I must use poetry in Freshmen Comp
thanks to you folks.

Yet, because language and the way we learn language is so very important when we are young, I especially can't wait to order and read Jackie Glasgow & Linda Rice's _Exploring African Life and Literature: Novel Guides to Promoting Socially Responsive Learning_.

Writing to Learn: Methods and Applications

Prewriting
Freewriting
Dialectical Notebook (two columns: specific quotes & further comments)
Reading-response Journal
Dialogue Journal (two columns: two-person exchange)
Triple-Entry Journal
Peer Critique
=Center of Gravity
=Listening for Voice
=Criteria Feedback
=Sharing Out Loud
=Cutting up the draft
Believing and Doubting
Loop Writing (writing from multiple perspectives)
Microthemes
"Museum"
Rotational Feedback: "Giant Post-it-Note" (developing inquiry topics)
Process Writing
Blogging
Creative Writing
=Round-table/string stories
=Haiku/limerick/acrostic/diamante
=Free verse poetry
=Character development
=Character dialogue (having characters "talk to each other")
=Stream-of-conscious
="Magical Realism" encounters
"Decoding/Dissecting the Text" Sectioned Reading in Small Groups
"Close Reading"
Spring Board Writng & Prewriting
=in small group (pick a passage)
=in large group (pick a sentence)
Using Writing as a Template & "echoing"
Random Number Reading (lottery for full participation and checking reading)
Comment/Questioning
Writing to a "Future Self"
Articulating Concerns/Goals

Another Fab Day

Today was another magical day in which disparate elements seemed to fit together without any special planning. This morning's discussion ranged from social (gender, class, race) implications of mental illness to the political aspects of having army recruiters in our schools, and then after such a heavy discussion, Marrilee revived us by teaching us how to deal with stress. I am very grateful for this particular demo because it reminds us how much good we can do for our students other than simply filling their heads with data that can be bubbled in on a Scantron sheet.

This morning, we opened up with a triple entry journal that predicted what people thought they would see when we visited the Ridges. I'm eager to her about your responses to what you actually encountered and how vivid the differences may have been.
I'm also excited to read about your impressions of the place in general.

This afternoon's reading activity in small groups, in which we all found a short passage and did a "close reading" of the text was very productive in the small group I sat in on; I would love it if some of you would blog (at some depth) about your own discussions and add, perhaps, a bit of reflection on how you might use the concept of "close reading" in your own classes.

No extra reading tonight so I hope you get to make some progress with digesting your research. See ya.

Don

Cion

I'm enjoying the discussions on Cion. I really liked the prompt yesterday (Tuesday) as a lead in to magical realism. It was astonishing to hear all the stories how weird co-incidences and meeting others in odd places occurred. Maybe "odds" aren't really so random as mathematical principles show. It was a great prompt to lead into how we can accept strange things in our lives but not be so open in our reading.

The whole genre of magical realism is new to me. I had read this book looking at it from a historical novel approach. I just accepted the "magicalness" in the book as part of the charm. I may have been able to accept it because I've read and love the C.S. Lewis novels, which must fit this genre. I am interested to learn more about the genre, other books that might be of interest to me or my students.

I also really enjoyed the field trip to the ridges. I had never been there before and it really made an impression on me. The actual buildings with the bars on the windows. I could almost feel the presence of those inmates. Then, visiting the cemetery was a profound experience as well. Seeing the name "Mahlon" on an actual tombstone there was interesting, as was the graves that made a circle toward the west end. I could see Toloki mourning in the center of the circle. It also made me wonder if the few stones across the gully were separated because they were negroes. It was a sad experience, and gave me more insight into the story as well as history.

A cool day

This was a cool day for me despite my concerns to the contrary. I didn't sleep well last night and came to school in some kind of mental fog. I felt like the synapses of my brain were drudging through sludge. Despite this sluggish effect I really enjoyed every element of the Cion discussion. It is fun trying to delve into all the nuances of the story and discovering Mda's genius. I say that like I truly appreciate his brilliance, but that is far from true. I feel I am just now digesting the tip of the iceberg of all the Cion offers. Today in our group discussion Talinn helped me see the beauty of his language and how specifically he chooses his words to create a specific mood. She also helped me understand the true nature of the sciolist. It was difficult for me to confess I didn't really "get" this character but after her help I really see the unique quality of this character. Never before have I seen this approach taken in the composition of a book. This unearthing the meanings of Cion is proving to be an interesting ride; I can't wait until our next discussion!

Cion

I really have enjoyed the discussion of Cion. I wish we had more days for discussion due to the depth that is evident in the novel. Did anyone else notice all the "opposites" or contradictions throughout the novel? I could find an example of almost an opposite for everything. Just some things I noted in my journal: poor vs. rich; magic vs. realism; Obed and Beth's whole realtionship; the hypocrisy of mourning (mourning for strangers); Toloki's relationship with Orpah was so physical and the one with Noria was spiritual; Ruth' stubbornness vs. her willingness to take in a total stranger; the power associated with sex vs. the weakness associated with sex; the powerful vs. the powerless; purity of race vs. mixing of races; quilts with patterns vs. quilts without distinct patterns. Just a few of my musings, but I found a bunch. Once I got started I kept doing that with the whole novel. It is amazing.

picking a pasage

Though I enjoyed today's discussion regarding the selection of a passage from Cion, I didn't feel that the passage I selected was one of the most profound I could have chosen. Like I said, it seemed as if the passages we all chose (Matt, Kris, Marlene) did have political implications because they revolved around social constructs. I feel as if my depth of perception is askew; I feel like I'm not getting the real message in Cion.

Magic or Realism

I thought today was very interesting with all the different thinking going on. It is difficult to answer the question regarding magic or realism. I would have to take a neutral stance. What is considered Magic? Is all Magic bad? Are Miracles magic? I have seen miracles, but when most people refer to magic it tends to have a dark undertone. Black magic, is of course one example, unless people are referring to the magic of prayer.

One episode of True Stories of the E.R. was about a man who swore that a lady who practiced black magic had put a hexing on him. He truly was ill, to the point of near death. He went to the E.R. and was admitted to the hospital. Finally a doctor who knew a little about black magic reversed the hex and the man was better by morning. This kind of thing makes a person think.

It is interesting when people cross paths out of the blue. People come in and out of our life and often it seems they had a specific reason for being in our life at that time. Magic? I don't think so. God's hand? Maybe. Just luck? probably.

Queen

I still want to know more about the Abyssinian Queen. I still think Mda givers her power over her surroundings. Or should I say Toluki as he is the narrator. But where did he get his information? I assume it came from Ruth? or perhaps Obed-so how reliable is it? I know, maybe it doesn't have to be an issue if we just accept the magic. I would like to have time to read Ruth in the Bible again to find connections with Obed's mom and maybe there will be connections with The Queen as it was mentioned today that there may be simularities between her and Ruth.

Missy's Demo

Missy, Thanks for another fantastic website. I can see many ways to use your lesson in 3rd grade. It would have to be on a much easier level, but the students will enjoy the website. Third grade students love to research and type. I don't know if I am brave enough to try to do anything with a power point though I have thought about it before. Baby steps...

Missy's demo provided an open ended worksheet that would work great for a challenge me center idea. Students could use that to study something of interest which allow everyone to have something to do at all time. I'm done would no longer be an issue. Thanks!

Our grade level reading discussion today (Writing Through Childhood) stated the importance of not assuming anything. Students need to be shown and have modeled every little thing including how to get paper, put it away etc.... so many things that we just assume they should know how to do since they've been in the building before.

CION Discussion was very interesting. Although we all read the same book we all had our own unique questions regarding the characters and events. My take on Beth was how could she end up with someone such as Obed. Then after the discussion my "picture" of him changed and I could possibly see the reason so now I wonder do we allow enough discussions in our classrooms following the reading of a book to allow our class to grow as readers and writers.

Beth

I was glad today when Kathy picked Beth to talk about, she was on my list also. In my minds eye I pictured Beth as a small dark haired girl. I know she belonged to a sorority but there are different types of sororities! Maybe the one she belonged to was not THE sorority! You know what I mean? I wasn't surprised when she dropped the charges against Obed. I thought that was due to Toloki's influence. I am not sure painting the sorority house was a good punishment. This would force Beth to actually see or maybe even come into contact with Obed, the person who committed the crime in the first place. When Obed announced to the family he was seeing Beth and staying in Athens overnight at first I did not believe him. I was really surprised he was telling the truth. It had to be magic from my view! The only sense I could make out it was her instinct to care and nuture someone, mold them, must of met her needs. I see where Mda was going with Beth being the catalyst to help draw Obed away from Ruth. If the book had continued I am sure Ruth would have a lot to say about Beth! Good discussion today!

Tuesday Topics

We changed things up a little and we're giving people a little more choice of when and how to blog. Remember, in the seven classes we have left, I would like to see everyone post three more times . . . but at a little more depth, perhaps, than we have been posting.

Okay, here's a recap of today's events and general blog topics:

The Morning Writing: Tell a story of an amazing coincidence or meeting
Magic Realism: Does life swing more toward "reality" or "fantasy"?
Teaching Demo: Missy's Science writing (and what to take to the moon).
Questions regarding the Inquiry Paper
Cion: What do we think about "Beth"?
Cion: Power and Sexuality
Cion: Cultural Perspectives and the Power of Magic

Of course, you folks can write about anything you want in this blog . . . just make it juicy enough for us to want to join in the conversation.

Don

Thanks everyone

It was fun to present my art with the Language component. I just hope I can find the time to incorporate it into my classroom. I also know this will be more effective if I can collaborate with the classroom teachers.

I enjoyed Jackie's demo! Also discussions of Cion were intriguing. As to blogging daily, I could use the time to work on final projects. blogging is new to me, too, and I'm glad I've had the experience. I'm okay with whatever, though.

Toloki/Cion

I enjoyed reading Cion, but I had a hard time buying into the reality of the story. Toloki seemed like a somewhat educated man and I had a hard time embracing his attraction for Oprah, and woman suspended between childhood and adulthood . The entire book lacked credibility, especially the relationship between Obed and Beth Eddy. I can't imagine two people (Beth or Toloki) being attracted to people like Orpah and Obed. I can't see a total stranger bailing someone out of jail soon after you've met them. I guess because I see Toloki as a somewhat "reliable" narrator, I can't believe the decisions that he makes. I'm having a difficult time suspending my disbelief. Interestingly, though, I did enjoy the book. I liked Toloki's voice and his sarcastic wit.

Thanks Jackie for the wonderful lesson today. Let's plan on email as a way to touch base regarding what we are doing in the classroom. Mindy and I were talking about how the tree activity would fit into our science unit. Bev and I also were trying to come up with a way that we could connect art time with what they have written in class.

Cion

I really enjoyed the Cion discussion. The differences among us make for interesting dialogue. I liked the examination of the characters and can't wait to continue. I'm glad we are finally into it.

Art Activity

Jackie, nice job today. I truly enjoyed the chance to create art. I think this activity would lend itself to poetry writing or creating a descriptive paragraph. I could also see it being used with characterization and setting. I forget how much fun it is to paint.

Trees

I really enjoyed Jackie's lesson today. I thought a few different activities I could use the tree painting with. I wish all grade level teachers had time to plan together. My special ed students love to work with their hands. The crafty or artistic activities I have done in my class are always a hit! Thanks for a new idea Jackie and I will make a better effort to keep in touch with you and let you know what we are working on in my class! Thanks, Bev

Demos

I just wanted to thank Jackie and Bev for two very creative and fun demos. I can use both of them in my classroom and still cover a multitude of indicators. Thanks!

morning activity

The morning activity of adding a fictional or imaginary person into a group of people that already knew each other was kind of cool. At first, I thought it would be hard to do, but once I started, I liked the way my writing went. It also didn't fit the pre-write, draft, revise, publish format we talked about later. Mine kind of morphed together as I wrote it. It wasn't planned out or outlined. It just happened and I liked it.

Jackie's Demo

Today was so much fun. I don't consider myself very artistic so I have trouble doing many "art" projects with my students. I definitely could do this with them. I'd love to do a tree for each season of the year and then we could link it to a piece of writing. Maybe an I AM poem or some "free" writing about their trees.

I also really enjoyed the poetry aspect of Jackie's lesson. I'm always trying to find more ways to encorporate poetry into my classroom. We have a weekly poem and then some extras about the seasons, weather, holidays, etc. but about an art project would be great!

Thanks Jackie!!

Blogging

I had never blogged before this class, and I think it would be a great tool to use in my classroom. I do think if there was something more specific to blog about, I could be more articulate. Sometimes it feels like I'm just repeating myself.

Blog Back

If you don't mind too much, would you please respond with a comment to this post?
What I want to know is whether the blogging should be more focused or if it should be left alone (or whether it should be, gulp, phased out). All feedback is welcome. I like the blog for a variety of reasons, but it's really okay if you don't. I'm just looking to find out how you feel about this "end of the day" activity.

Thanks, Don.

Not Just Another Blogging Monday

Hey Folks,

I'm going to ask you to do something a little different today. In addition to posting a comment on any topic (choose from the list or make up your own), I would like you to comment on the post above entitled "Blog Back." "Blog Back" as you will read above is focused on the utility of the blog itself. . . Thanks, Don

Possible Topics for your own Posts:

The morning writing exercise: Create Your Own Fictional Character and Mix Her with Real People.
Jackie's Demo: The Art of Creating Trees with Straws and Ink
Your interview with a Cion Character.
The Discussion of Character in Cion.
What You Would Like to Talk About regarding Cion that we have not got to yet.
The Role of Creative Writing in Your Classroom.
The Gray Area between Fiction and NonFiction
Reflections on the Personal Essay (now that's its turned in).
Questions and Concerns regarding the Inquiry Paper.

Another Record Post

Because the blog serves the function of both bulletin board and historic record, I like to add text from time to to time that serves to remind us later of what we did on a day (even if because of other activities, we don't actually blog that day). On Thursday, we spent the afternoon working on our writing and sharing our progress with each other. On Thursday morning, we began by doing a dialectical journal entry on some piece of research each participant had already found regarding their inquiry project. After that, Bev gave us an awesome teaching demo based on solving a mystery in which the students get to act as CSI detectives. That demo was really impressive for how much writing, science, and fun can be combined into a single unit. Bravo, Bev.

On Friday, we didn't meet because of the Fourth of July. I hope everyone had a great holiday.