Every time my mom comes home,
she gives us a big hug.
When she cooks the tacos, she makes
them just right.
She loves us so much, as much as
100 peanuts or 2,000 fish.
When she smiles, she looks like
an angel.
When she colors, she stays in the
lines and makes the picture so neat.
When she’s finished, she hangs it in
our room so we remember her.
By Amanda, 3rd grade
[photo by sillyishrose via flickr]
My mama combs my hair every day
My mama cooks fried chicken for me
My mama gives me a hug when I’m sad
My mama gives me oranges, apples, and grapes
My mama washes my dresses for me
My mama reads books to me at the hospital
My mama colors pictures with me
My mama takes me to the beach
My mama named me China because she thought it was beautiful
By China, 2nd grade
[photo by javanutmom via flickr]
This poem is featured as part of the 2009 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by WITS that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click on the logo to the left to learn more.
Karen Shepard worked with WITS as a writer and a staff member between 1989 and 1993. She is now living in Massachusetts with her husband, three children, a beagle, and a parakeet. She teaches creative writing at Williams College half of the year and writes the other half.
Karen recalls numerous instances in which the magic of WITS came alive to inspire her and the students she taught. “I remember so many things. In particular: the boy who came to the Menil to write. His teacher was shocked at how much he was writing, how into it he was. When she asked why he didn’t write like that at school, he said, ‘At school, you don’t let us lie on the floor.’ I remember the Young Writers Reading Series as a few of the best nights out of my whole time in Houston. I still have photos from the readings on my shelves at home.”
Karen believes that teaching with WITS changed and continues to change her writing, teaching, and parenting. “I think about the possibilities and pitfalls of all of those endeavors. I think, and try to practice, the mix of rigor and optimism that is at the heart of WITS. We demanded better of our students and ourselves because we believed we were capable of better.”
Karen has published three novels: Don’t I Know You, The Bad Boy’s Wife, and An Empire of Women.
Question: I’m a parent of a 9th grade student who doesn’t like to read. There are thousands of books, but he claims that he can’t find a topic or subject that really interests and motivates him to read in his spare time. Are there any tools (questionnaire, reading assessments, book lists, etc) that could identify suitable books that my teenage son might enjoy and would encourage him to read?
Answer: Although I am an avid reader and writer and have been most of my life, I can remember feeling exactly the same way when I was in 9th grade. I couldn’t find anything that I wanted to read.
I think the first step for you as a parent–and I sense that you have done this already–is to give your child free reign. By taking a step back and allowing young readers to choose for themselves, you can convert an obligatory activity into a wide-open opportunity. Ideally, perusing the library or bookstore should produce an appetite for reading. If it doesn’t, here are a few other ideas.
1) The British web 2.0 tool What Should I Read Next? is fun to play with. It isn’t designed specifically for kids, but most 9th graders read on an adult level. It works like this: enter the name of the last book you enjoyed. The program produces a list of books you might want to read based on the preferences of other readers who enjoyed that book.
2) Some teens prefer social over solitary activities. Although a 9th grader may not interested in a book club, there might be other ways in which reading could become more social. By 9th grade, students are often interested in books that expand what they know of the world, and they can discuss these books in a sophisticated way if you encourage them to share their opinions and listen to what they have to say.
3) This may sound like a cop-out–I don’t mean it as such–but you might have to expand your idea of reading by including magazines, websites, blogs, and graphic novels.
The goal is to help your child develop the love of reading and have faith that the ability to discriminate between trash and treasure will follow.
posted by Robin Reagler, Writers in the Schools
originally published on the Houston Chronicle website
Love is the mother penguin.
It is when she leans to her chicks,
The baby penguins cuddle to her,
That makes her happy.
Love is the father penguin.
It is as he dives faithfully for food,
The chicks wait expectantly.
Love is the chicks.
It is when they go to their parents for warmth.
It is a loving family.
By Lauren, 6th grade
[pencil drawing by Poyee Lam via flickr]
Writing is probably the cheapest and easiest art form around. The required tools are quite ordinary. Really all you need to get started is paper, pen or pencil, and a few good ideas. “Just Write It” is a series written for kids. It’s to help you start writing and keep at it–in other words, how to make writing a habit.
You might want to make or find a special notebook to serve as your journal. Some kids have a favorite pencil that they tuck inside the pages to mark where they will begin writing next time. You might want to find a good place to keep your journal, just for safe-keeping.
h/w = Find or make your own journal. Add drawings, words, or pictures to make it feel truly YOURS.
Engaging a child’s creativity–and your own–can happen almost any time or anywhere. Years ago, I studied improvisational acting, which encourages actors to listen closely to one another and “find the game” in a conversation. Bringing these ideas into parenthood has produced wonderful interactions with my son, who is three years old. As he’s been learning and exploring language, we’ve invented a few of our own call-and-response games.
One game began suddenly as we were driving. From his car seat, he mischievously called out, “Mama, you are a tree.” Seeing an opening for a game, I responded “If I am a tree, then you are a small green leaf.” Delighted, he offered several more “You are” statements to see how I’d respond. This “You are” game, in which he calls me an object and I call him something connected to that object, has become a way of understanding relationships and creating metaphor. Occasionally, he’ll disagree with my metaphor and offer his own, as in a recent exchange:
“Mama, you are sweet chocolate milk.”
“If I am sweet chocolate milk, then you are the cup that holds me.”
“No! If you are sweet chocolate milk, then I am the one who drinks you!”
Also, learning that some comparisons can be perceived as insults has let him to be more descriptive and specific, moving from “You are a baby” to “You are a sweet baby” to “You are a sweet little baby that I like to keep in my pocket.”
Simple games like these are fun, easy ways to transform mundane events, such as waiting in line, into moments of silliness, learning, and poetry. Why not try the “you are” game with someone you care about?
posted by Tria Wood, Writers in the Schools
[photo by hleo via Flickr]
StoryNory provides hundreds of stories as audio files-free! The collection includes mostly classic stories, such as St. George and the Dragon, the Ugly Duckling, and stories by Rudyard Kipling and the Brothers Grimm . If you’re new to the world of ipods and podcasts, the Help Page is truly helpful. You can also listen directly from the website. You can even subscribe to StoryNory on iTunes. StoryNory is a great resource. Bookmark it, Danno!
posted by Robin Reagler, Writers in the Schools
Bohemeo’s–with sponsored assistance from the Greater East End District, Frost Bank, Talento Bilingue de Houston, and others–will host the first annual festival showcasing the cultural arts of the East End.In addition to two visual art spaces, there will be two stages (one indoors and one outdoors) that will continuously feature music, dance, theater, poetry and film created by artists of the East End. Poets from La Nuestra Palabra will perform both Saturday at 6 pm and Sunday at 3 pm. Admission and parking (at Bohemeo’s and Austin High School) are free to the public.
What: East End Cultural Arts Fest
Where: Bohemeo’s, 708 Telephone Road, Ste.E, Houston, Texas 77023
When: from 1 – 11 pm, June 7 & 6, 2008
Cost: Free
posted by Robin Reagler, Writers in the Schools
Dacamera of Houston presents Jazz and Poetry featuring the Sam Dinkins III Quartet Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 5:30 PM at the Houston Public Central Library.
Jazz drummer, bandleader and music educator Sam Dinkins III is a local legend. He has worked with major artists such as Aretha Franklin, the queen of soul. He has received several awards and prestigious grants for his successful educational programs for inner-city youth. He is the founder and director of the Dinky Drum Company, where children and adults learn about percussion through private and group instruction as well as performances and clinics.
Who: Jazz drummer Sam Dinkins III with his quartet
What: Jazz and Poetry
When: Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 5:30 PM
Where: Houston Public Central Library, 500 McKinney, 77002
Why: To celebrate the grand re-opening of the Houston Public Library summer reading program.
“Cool Brains! Inprint Readings for Young People” presents an afternoon with award-winning picture book authors Rosemary Wells and David Wiesner in which both authors will read from their works, followed by a book sale and signing, during which time audience members can meet the authors. Here is more information about the authors from the Inprint website:
Rosemary Wells‘s career as an author and illustrator spans more than 30 years and 60 books. She has won numerous awards, and has given readers such unforgettable chara
cters as Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora, and Yoko. She has also given Mother Goose new life in two enormous, definitive editions. Her latest book, Voyage to the Bunny Planet, is a collection of the Bunny Planet stories.
David Wiesner is one of the best-loved and most highly acclaimed picture book creators in the world. To date, David Wiesner has illustrated more than
twenty award-winning books for young readers. Two of the picture books he both wrote and illustrated became instant classics when they won the prestigious Caldecott Medal: Tuesday in 1992 and The Three Pigs in 2002. Two others, Sector 7 and Free Fall, were named Caldecott Honor Books. Flotsam, his most recent work, was recently named winner of the 2007 Caldecott Medal, making Wiesner only the second person in the award’s long history to have won three times.
These readings, presented in association with the Houston Public Central Library Grand Re-opening take place on June 1st at the Houston Public Central Library, 500 McKinney Street. Rosemary Wells will read at 1:30pm; David Wiesner will read at 3:30pm. Admission is free and open to the public.
What: Readings by Rosemary Wells and David Wiesner
Where: Houston Public Central Library, 500 McKinney Street
When: June 1, 2008
Why: Celebrating the Grand Re-Opening of the Houston Public Central Library
Cost: free
For more information, for more information visit the Inprint website.
posted by Robin Reagler
One of the cool things about being a kid these days is that your can find your favorite writers on the web. If you’ve read his books you already know: Shel Silverstein is a writer who really has fun with words. And now with ShelSilverstein.com, it’s easy. The animated site is filled with music and vocals and information on all of Silverstein’s poems and books, including The Giving Tree and Falling Up. There’s also lots of fun stuff such as E-cards with the artist’s trademark ink drawings, poetry puzzles, arts and crafts, and a drawing book. Silverstein’s unforgettable characters, unique voice and fiercely funny talent inspires young readers to turn the light on in their attics.
posted by Rachel Ayala, Writers in the Schools
WITS is currently teaching at Discovery Green every Saturday from 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM. It is a FREE drop-in program that takes place at Discovery Green in the Houston Public Library Express, located in the Lake House Building.
These workshops will be offered April – July 2008. There’s no sign up process. Parents who are interested, can simply drop off their kids at the HPL building by 10:30 AM and pick them up by 11:30 AM. Each Saturday workshop is team-taught by 2 WITS writers. WITS will provide all necessary writing materials. Here’s a link to the Discovery Green website with a list of all their free programs.
Happy Spring Break! For pre-K-12th grade students in the Houston area, you can now register for the summer creative writing camp. Writers in the Schools (WITS) has offered this program in partnership with Rice University for the past 18 years. Click here to find out more.
One of the cool things about being a kid these days is that your can find your favorite writers on the web. To celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday, expose kids to anything by Dr. Seuss – his books, drawings, tongue twisters, games – and you’re showing them a writer who really knew how to have fun with words and images. And now you and your kids can go online to explore his wonderful world first hand. Take a trip to Seussville right now.
Dr. Seuss’ unforgettable characters, unique voice and fiercely funny talent inspires the young and old to oh, think the thinks they can think!
Posted by Rachel Ayala, Writers in the Schools
