Spring, Bluebonnets, and Poetry

Spring Has Sprung!  FINALLY!

At least in Texas it has.  Don't get me wrong - that doesn't mean our temperatures are set at a beautiful 75 degrees.  Any Texan can tell you we cannot count on the same weather two days in a row these days, but we are seeing the signs.  Birds are tweeting, trees are budding, grass is growing, and so are the weeds...  But the best thing about Texas this time of year for many of us is driving along the roads and highways and seeing blankets of bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas.

Our beautiful daughter years ago in a field of bluebonnets.

There are many potential projects, so I thought I would share a few ideas with you.  Maybe these will inspire you to create a few of your own.

One project involved one of my not so pretty, yet authentic anchor charts our class created, which listed reasons we like living in Texas.  The class generated the ideas during a brainstorming session, I recorded them on the chart, then they used these and other ideas to write their own paragraphs about why they like living in Texas.

This week I read aloud The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie dePaola..  We discussed the genre of "legend," and talked about the bluebonnet being our state flower.  There is so much rich vocabulary in this book and the illustrations are beautiful.

It is important to stress that this activity integrated the subjects of Reading, Writing, Social Studies, Science, and Art! We are learning about plants and plant parts in Science, and we have been discussing Texas and its symbols in Social Studies.  I love integrated teaching!

After reading and discussing this book - the students loved it, by the way - it was time for a little art.  I didn't find exactly what I was looking for on Pinterest, though I got some ideas and of course I loved looking. :)

So, I decided to be brave, which is not exactly like me when it comes to art...  I have found it is more authentic to ask my students to take risks and try things, if I show them I will do the same.

 Now if you know me at all, you know I am a tiny bit of a control freak in some ways.  Just the tiniest bit ;)  Those who are like me have a little bit  lot of trouble with things like GLITTER and PAINT... YIKES!  That is what makes this next part pretty AWESOME!!  Well that, and the adorable projects my students made - I was giddy with excitement!  They had so much fun!

The class took a look at some images of bluebonnets, along with a silk one from the craft store.
We started with plain old white and green construction paper.  I cut some strips of green for stems and they were responsible for cutting out a few leaves on their own.  This was more difficult for some than others.  I just praised whatever they came up with for leaves. Then we each got a bit of paint and painted our bluebonnet with - Q-tips!  So simple, almost mess free, and so much fun.  I modeled first (scarey...) and let them create.  Every one of the bluebonnets turned out different (you can imagine some did not exactly look like a bluebonnet) and I loved them! (more pictures coming soon)

Since April is Poetry Month - YEA - I have created two different Acrostic Poem frames to be used in conjunction with this project.  Both are listed in my TPT store found HERE:      

The first one is a TEXAS Acrostic Poem and can be found HERE::

And for those non-Texans or those just wanting to celebrate the new season, a SPRING Acrostic Poem can be found HERE:

I hope something here inspires you...to celebrate the new life of Spring, whether it's Texas Spring or a snow-capped Spring in your "neck of the woods."

Keep writing,

Finding New Inspiration and a Challenge for YOU

Tomorrow will be August 1st -- the month school starts... and this "inspired writing teacher" finds herself without a classroom for the first time in five years.  My family made yet another move from our beloved "Aggieland" to "Bear Country," due to my husband's job at Baylor University.  I am now longingly walking through the Back to School supplies, knowing there is no reason to even purchase a box of markers - but they are on SALE and such a good DEAL right now!! 

For anyone who was following me in the early days of this blog, you will remember that my passion was teaching writing to 4th graders. (It actually still is.)  It was difficult, but so rewarding!  I taught 4th grade for 7 years in both self-contained and departmentalized classrooms.  The job was becoming more and more difficult, life was handing our family many challenges, I had a few health issues, and my dear, dear Daddy passed away...  So, I made a change and moved to 2nd grade - a whole different ballgame - also fun and rewarding.  Blogging took the FAR back seat, like outside the car.  Oh, I was still following and "pinning" away, but was not able to write.  Some "Inspired Writing Teacher" I have been.

My Daddy was seriously incredible, and I miss him dearly.

Then came this move, and the obvious need to resign from my job.  I mean, it was time, but it didn't make leaving that empty classroom and turning out the light any easier.  Don't get me wrong.  I know God has other plans, but guess what... He hasn't let me in on them yet.  "So what is to become of this lovely blog?" I have been wondering.

Well, I am enjoying a new "season" of life I realize.  We have a new home which we are loving.  Our daughter just graduated from college, and our son just graduated from high school.  (Expect a sad post coming as he (our baby) leaves for college in August.) Yep, we are about to be "empty nesters."  I have no idea how that happened so quickly. 

Aren't they ADORABLE!!!  Kelsi - Texas A&M 2013, Kyle - Bryan High School 2013

I am applying for jobs, have had a few interviews, but no new job yet.  I wait faithfully, knowing God has a plan and knows what is best. (Did I mention, He hasn't let me in on it yet?)  I am trying to use this time to rejuvenate and refocus.  I am trying to lose the weight I have packed on and heal my body that I have not treated well.  I am spending more quiet time, more time with God.  I'm spending more time writing... Wait, What?  Writing???   Hmmm...

It occurred to me this morning that I have not only taught writing to children these last ten years.  I have also tried to share my passion with the adults in my profession.  One of the things I found so often was teachers who just didn't feel confident teaching Writing.  We all know we teach less of what we don't personally enjoy.  We also know students get excited when we are excited about what we are teaching.  It is the modeling that is missing in many cases. 

"But I can't write."  "But I never liked to write."  "But I don't have anything good to write about."

Do any of these sound familiar?  We've all heard our students say them, and I've heard teachers say them too.  Do we let them get away with not writing?  I HOPE NOT! 

Here comes the FUN part =)
How about I try to "Inspire" YOU, my TEACHER friends for a while?  I don't know if I can do it, but it's worth a try. 

Like I said, tomorrow is August 1st, and we all know school is starting soon.  We will soon be (likely already are) putting so much time into school that we will once again be trying to find "time for ourselves."  I'm going to remind you that you are not very good for anyone if you do not take time for yourself.  I want you to take some time each day, or if that is too much to fathom, every other day.  In addition to other activities you may enjoy, I want you to do some writing.  BREATHE, please :)

Now, we are in this together.  I would never just thrust a challenge at you and call it "inspiration."
We'll take it step by step, one day at a time.

Step 1:  Gather your materials

You'll need something to write on and something to write with. 
So grab one of these:

Used from home or OH SO CHEAP right now!!!

 Or one of these (filled with paper of course):

You can even customize the cover or pick a pretty color.

Or for those of us who want to make this special, (We all know who we are.)
one like these:

Now we're talking ;)  All sizes, styles, and colors - YIPPEE!

Then gather a few of these (or more depending on your level of school supply hoarding collecting):

A small sampling of my collection...

You will probably want to grab one of these:
(If you'd rather have an "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" drink and are over 21, I certainly won't tell. lol )

Find a comfy spot, and WRITE!  About anything.  Really.  Anything.  Do not limit yourself.  Write, Doodle, Draw, Make Lists, just WRITE!

But for those of you that get completely freaked out by open-ended writing, I'll give you some ideas:

*Make a Title page for your new Writer's Notebook - yeah, I talked you into getting one so that's what we're calling it.
*Make a list of reasons it is important to write, or a lists of things to write about in the future
 Brainstorm - that means all answers are written, even if they are never used.
*Write about what excites you about going back to school.
*Make a list of places you visited this summer, or a list of places you would like to visit someday
  (or both)
*Make a list of as many things as you can think of that you are grateful for today. (This is a great starting spot anytime you don't know what to write about.)

If you need more ideas, drop a comment below, and I will help you out.

I hope no one is saying, "Well, she's not talking to me.  I don't TEACH Writing." 
We all know that every student should be writing across the curriculum.  In my opinion, we, the teachers are responsible for modeling this behavior.  You're not getting out of this. :)

No matter if you love to write or you have hated to write.  I want you to take a deep breath and take this one day at a time.  By the time you go to school, you will be able to share your own Writer's Notebook you started this summer.  Your kiddos will be IMPRESSED! 

Who knows?  Maybe you will teach INSPIRE one of your students to be as excited about writing as this dear former student of mine was:

Happy Writing!!

America Acrostic Poem

Hello Blog World and Happy Summer Break to one and all!

In the spirit of "planning ahead," I have posted a new, fun activity in my TPT store.

Our 2nd grade students enjoyed writing an A M E R I C A acrostic poem this year.
It was a perfect integrated activity during our Social Studies unit on American symbols and our Writing unit on Poetry.  I think it would be an excellent 4th of July activity for students at home and at school.  It can should also be "pinned" for later use, as it is perfect for Veteran's Day, President's Day, or Memorial Day. 

If you are using this in your classroom, remember to always allow time for pre-writing and MODEL based on age and ability level.  Since this was one of our students' first acrostic poems, I made sure to model on chart paper.

We started our lesson by talking with our table groups about words and phrases we think of when we think about America.  We shared whole group, and I recorded their ideas on the whiteboard.  Finally, we did a Shared Writing - I recorded our poem on chart paper for students to refer to while they write.  The bubble-type letters and adorable clip art (found at www.djinkers.com) were perfect for students to color and "make it their own."

 You are a click away from patriotic FUN!  Print a few out, grab a slice of watermelon or a popsicle, and your kids won't even know they are practicing WRITING! :)

Click here:  
America Acrostic Poem

Writing Prompts Don't Have to be Boring ;)

I "pinned" this cute little image onto my "Writing" board about a year ago:
(original pin from:  Home Spun Threads)

The caption was:  "I'm actually thinking this is a cute Writing Prompt: 'Imagine the world of...'"

So, of course I set out to eat my weight in Altoids, but um, that was clearly going to take too long -- There are a LOT of mints in those little boxes - lol. 

Lucky me ~ I found these cute little containers in the CLEARANCE isle at Michael's:

Only $0.97 !!!

Then I found some cute tiny characters at "Tuesday Morning" and had my husband dig out the PlayMobile toys from the attic.  Right about now is when I'd like you to forget the part where I said I bought all of this a year ago, because TODAY I finally made the CUTEST new Fiction Writing Prompt Cans!!! =)  Can you tell I'm excited?  I can't even wait until Monday Made It for 15 more minutes =D

Look:

Told you they were cute :)

The one on the far right is PlayMobile and here is another one with PlayMobile characters:

Here is a close-up of the prompt label I made for the inside of the can:

I basically hot glued the little characters down, made a label for the lid, and voila!  Now I am certain some of you are thinking, "These look pretty plain..."  The truth is, I originally wanted to add "scenery."  I thought that would be fun (for ME).  I realized today that by adding any scenery I was locking my students into a certain setting and may even be leading their characters and plot.  I want them to use THEIR imaginations, not mine!  Hence the label.  

I am quite sure these little Writing Prompt Cans can inspire all types of fancy shmancy, super cute writing containers out there.  I am excited to open one up and have students help me write a story, as I "think aloud" and "model" a fiction story.  I will talk through the prompt in the can.  We will talk about the elements of a story.  We will come up with characters, a setting, and a fun plot for the characters.  That is the KEY to teaching writing ~ MODEL, MODEL, MODEL ~ use mentor texts, and let those kiddos hear your thinking, how you plan your writing, how you sometimes make mistakes.  They will trust you and become more confident in writing if you begin with something fun and you're all in it together.  In my experience, if you create that SAFE writing environment, they will write.

Happy Monday, Happy Creating, HAPPY WRITING!