Muhammad_Ali_Photo.jpe)
writing is fighting
a barrage of words banging
paper ears your heart
struggling
to conect beyond the noise
beyond what makes us
wondering
if anyone can hear
our inside voice, really
or if
it even matters
at all.
~~~~~~~
i'm in a rush, posting between periods. but i'm struggling to teach my students how to write...clearly. they are so stuck in a world of txt messages and IMs, that it seems as though basic, standard English is like Chinese to them.
as someone who writes well, i'm having a hard time conveying the nuances of the language to my kids. so much of what i write and how i write is caught up in my ears, i'm wondering how i can help them tune into that melody.
any advice? bell rang. peace.
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what about starting with music and lyrics? the point where you're at there's a rhythm to the thoughts you've already possessed and processed. you don't need words anymore. the ideas don't have to be your own in most cases. nothing is our own. they don't know that yet. they need to feel the rhythm in themselves. start with music and lyrics. mos def. talib. i know you probably already have introduced your hip hop faves. if not, why not? soulja boy isn' writing. his music is txt, IM, a shortcut not fully realized or expressing anything complete. help them realize... let me send you my vids --edited, of course--on dvds to talk about the words used. yes? no?
I'm also a huge advocate of teaching kids the power of words and how to play with words in expressing themselves, i.e. Jill Scott's use of words and the way she uses her delivery of words to illustrate their meaning. You can get that type of brilliance in a text message.
byg: i've tried the music thing. it's tricky. my students are still VERY young (actin!) and immature. before we even get THERE (creative writing), i want to make sure they can write a good sentence...a good paragraph...and a good essay. in the spring i'm going to do a poetry unit with my intervention classes (which, is mostly what i teach). last year they really enjoyed it, but it was a struggle getting them to focus. what i need is more resources (donations anyone? lol). but thanks for offering the dvds...email me & we'll hook it up.
mango: i agree. kids these days are so used to instant gratification. i'm constantly taking away sidekicks cuz they're trying to txt their friends instead of listening in class. then i get their work and it says "I h8 skool bcuz we dont do nuttin!" i feel like pulling my hair out sometime LOL. thanks for stopping by!
Give them just a word and/or a pic and have them write what it means to them, or their interpretation of it, maybe something they are into, like their sidekick, texting.
i love that photo...jus another great MLK
I'm not even going to pretend to know how to get a teaching point across. You should see me with my 4 year old. Man, I lack some patience. Stinks. So good luck to you on that front.
I see you mentioned donations, most of my friends who teach use DonarsChoose to get help in the classroom. When I was riding high, I was like a fairy godmother to teachers. Now I'm seriously broke, but I can do a mean hyperlink.
miz: thanks. i did something similar before, but it's still a struggle.
torrance: great post.
faboo: girl, i didn't have much patience either. but somehow...it has grown tremendously! thanks for the link. i've heard of DonorsChoose. i will have to figure out what is most needed. right now i'm thinking a classroom set of Monster by Walter Dean Myers.
BTW....I got tagged with a meme, so I'm tagging you.
Madam, I'm sure you have an interesting site, but how can you say you write well when you don't use correct punctuation? (I am, of course, referring to the lack of capitalization.) *shrug* It makes you seem uneducated and lazy, and from what I've read of you, these are two things you are most certainly NOT. Good luck to you, and feel free to delete this, because it's just my two cents.
faboo: thanks
anon: i choose to write in lower case, it's a conscious choice. if that makes me seem "uneducated," so be it. this is not a formal space. i am not writing an essay or an article, so therefore i am relaxed. thanks for stopping by though & offering your 2 cents!
On more thing...I just found this site via What About Our Daughters? and wondered if it may be helpful for you.