I thought I’d begin to write some lessons for beginning the school year in writing workshop, and then write for the lesson, too.
This lesson concerns students creating a visual of something that inspires them, something that helps the words come together in a satisfying way because they care about the topic. They can take their own photos, sketch something that invites a memory, or look at sites like Flickr for photos that motivate.
I recently spent time at our cabin in the Rockies, and took pictures that pleased me as I took a familiar walk near the cabin. We’ve owned the cabin since our children were small, and I have so many memories of this place through the years. Here are the photos, for which I wrote some haiku, a traditional form of poetry that is usually about nature; and 15 words or less poetry, an idea found on Laura Salas’ blog.
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| The bridge carries us o’er the stream to the meadow’s blooms and butterflies. |
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| We anticipate Woodsy walks, and greenest sights Upon arriving. |
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| Adventurous paths lead us on unplanned journeys to find new magic. |
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Imagine in this leafy green
the sweetest fairy, flute in hand
to accompany the wind.
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| My reading rock memory shows Sarah with pillow and book reading at her favorite place. |
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| Softball laughter here- memory of thwacking balls Daisies were first base. |
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| The brook flows down to splash on rocks and branches pushed in by winter’s thaw. |
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| Visits here hold somber thoughts, wondering what happiness is held still buried in the foundation. |
What wonderful pictures to accompany powerful words. Love the daisies as first base, but my favorite is the last. The power of the unknown happiness lingers in my mind.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty poetry and pics. This would make a nice "sampler" for students to assemble pictures and take a poetry picture walk for themselves. Tucking this away for future use!
ReplyDeleteYour cabin is set in a beautiful environment. What is most striking to me is the way a place can evoke memories, like your reading rock. I think your students will benefit greatly from using their images as inspiration for writing.
ReplyDeleteLots of great writing examples for your kiddos! I'm starting to get ready to work on lessons, too. (Dontcha like that - starting to get ready to work?!)
ReplyDeleteLove it! What a great plan and great examples for your lesson!
ReplyDeleteUsing poetry to reflect on special places is inspiring! What a great idea for the classroom too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place, Linda. A great source of inspiration too. The accompanying haikus are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThese haikus work beautifully as captions. Thank you, Linda, for sharing your poetry and place with us. My favorite haiku is
ReplyDelete"Imagine in this leafy green
the sweetest fairy, flute in hand
to accompany the wind." My other favorite line is "daisies were the bases." I'll use this idea in the classroom! ~Heather
I love this idea. I can see my class having fun snapping pictures over the weekend and using them to inspire "juicy" writing. You always have creative ideas. I love the pictures that were painted and the photos that accompanied them.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspired idea! LOVE these lines:
ReplyDeleteThe brook flows down to splash
on rocks and branches
pushed in by winter’s thaw.
This is exactly the stuff I love to look at and read. I haven't tried putting haikus to my pictures yet, thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYour haikus are wonderful! This is so creative. I love My Reading Rock Memory.
ReplyDeleteI like the reading rock too!
ReplyDelete