Category Archives: student

03

Apr. ’12

The Silent World

Painting by Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980)

(inspired by a poem by Jeffrey McDaniel)

The government has decided

to only allow us 167 words per day.

Nobody hears me.

The only one who hears me is my Grandma

because it’s silent, and she’s the one who sits with me.

And at school there is touching but not talking,

just making hand signals.

I feel like I’m not on the planet.

And when I get home nobody is talking.

I want to save my words for my Grandma

because she is so sweet.

I would like to tell her, “I love you.

You are my soul. You are my sky.”

By Natalia, 3rd grade

Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Marin Hart, a 4th grader from Parker Elementary.

apad

This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.

Posted by . Categories: creativity, imagination, national poetry month, poem a day, poetry, student, writer, writers in the schools, writing. Tags: , , , , . Leave a comment

30

Mar. ’12

Public Poetry Readings

Writers in the Schools (WITS) loves Public Poetry, and we know you do too!  Please read the latest from our friends at Public Poetry. Go to the readings and hear WITS students read their work alongside accomplished poets.  Read the invitation below and mark your calendars:

We’re celebrating our 1st anniversary and National Poetry month in a big way with two events in the month of April. Look for poets downtown at the newly restored Julia Ideson Building, across from Central Branch Library, onSaturday, April 7, at 2 PM, and more poets again at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Brown Auditorium two weeks later, on Saturday, April 21, at 3 PM.

We’re delighted to confirm that Houston Mayor, Annise Parker, will be joining us as the special guest of honor for the Public Poetry library reading series. Last year, our Poet Mayor read one of her own compositions and also selected My Parents Watch the July Fourth Parade by Richard Beban. We’re eagerly anticipating her additions to the April 7 program, where featured poets –Mike Alexander, Janet Lowery, Jeremyah Payne/The Fluent One and Claire Kageyama-Ramakrishnan – will be reading. Noted architectural historian, Stephen Fox, will also be speaking briefly about this special library building.

Since Fall 2011, we’ve been telling you about the ARTlines ekphrastic poetry competition in collaboration with The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  On April 21, we reveal the winning poems at a special museum event.  There will also be contributions from the jurors – three Texas Poets Laureate among them –docent led tours and a museum reception.  And, poetry will continue to have a presence at the MFAH on their web site, on wall labels and as a cell phone audio stop.   See ARTlines tab (next to Community Links) for additional details.

The public is welcome at both events.  The library event is free, and the museum program is free with general museum admission.

See you there!

Posted by . Categories: event, Houston, national poetry month, poetry, Reading, spoken word, student, writers in the schools. Tags: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

29

Mar. ’12

I Am

This image was selected as a picture of the we...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am red, a powerful color

lots of pressure, like burning lava

the spicy color of red-hot chilies

an angry color

the color of blood to keep you alive

running to make you fit and active

the color of war

and fire cannons

By Aaryan, 2nd grade

Posted by . Categories: poetry, student, writers in the schools, writing. 3 Comments

28

Mar. ’12

5 Amazing Odes by Kids

I put the PRO in procrastination

Odes are poems that celebrate a particular person, place, or thing. Writing an ode is an easy way to ease kids into the art of writing poetry. Click here if you’re a teacher or home-school parent wanting to know more about how to teach this writing lesson.

Posted by . Categories: homeschooling, ode, poetry, student, teaching, writers in the schools, writing, writing prompts. Tags: , . Leave a comment

25

Mar. ’12

Secret Paradise

Forest Collage

Forest Collage (Photo credit: zebble)

I touched the magic pool of water and closed my eyes. The wind blew past my hair, whoosh. When I opened my eyes, I was in the forest!

I walk through a tangle of vines and branches. Aware of every detail around me, I listen to the wind whispering the secrets of the jungle, shhhh. I bend down, sniffing the delicate scent of the flowers.

As I rest in pleasure, a gentle rain starts to fall, plink, plink, plink. The combination of the fresh drizzle and the sweet honey tastes wonderful. When the drizzle stops, I can smell the warm, moist air and feel the wet leaves and soft ground. Feeling calm and pleasant, I lie down to rest as the little birds lullaby me to sleep, tweet, tweet, tweet.

By Elena, 2nd grade

Posted by . Categories: creativity, nature, place, story, student, writing. 1 Comment

22

Mar. ’12

The Rooster Chase

Rooster Polski: Kogut

Rooster Polski: Kogut (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One morning my sister was going to feed the chickens.  She got dried corn and poured it on the floor of the porch.  Accidently, she put too much down, so she had to pick some up.  The fat rooster saw her, and he got mad.  His red hair stuck up on his head, and he charged at her.  My sister screamed!  After 3 or 4 laps around the house, she jumped onto the trampoline.  She thought the rooster would not be able to get her there, but he saw the corn in her hand, and he hopped up there.  He stared really mean at my sister.  My sister dropped the corn in a flash, and the rooster gobbled it up.   Now, my sister and I are really careful when we feed the chickens.

By Carmen, 4th grade

Posted by . Categories: animal, family, Houston, story, student, writers in the schools. 1 Comment

21

Mar. ’12

The Good Forest

Bears On The Beach

Bears On The Beach (Photo credit: RickC)

One day in the forest there was a mama bear and her two bear cubs, one girl and one boy.  They were trying to catch fish, and a crocodile came, but the littlest bear and the crocodile didn’t fight.  They became friends and shared the fish.  They went to the bears’ cave and the crocodile met the bears’ family.  The family didn’t like the crocodile.  The mom bear told her daughter, “Don’t be friends with that crocodile because it might be dangerous.”  The mom was right.  The crocodile was mean and hungry.  The little cub did not listen to her mom.  She thought the crocodile was nice, so she played with it.  Then, the crocodile tricked them. The little cubs were eating fish, and he came up behind them to attack.  But, the mama bear saw him.  She saved her cubs, but the crocodile bit her.  The bite was big and the mama bear couldn’t resist anymore, so the baby bears weren’t safe again.  Then, a little deer appeared and tried to help the bears.  But, the son of the crocodile came to help his dad.  The deer used her antlers to poke the crocodile.  She won.  The bears were all happy.  But, the deer was still a little mad because once at a party, the mama bear had tried to bite her, and her dad had attacked the bear.  The moral of this story is to always be nice to others because you never know when you might be in danger, even in a good forest.

By Cendi, 2nd grade

Posted by . Categories: animal, nature, story, student, writers in the schools. 2 Comments

20

Mar. ’12

5 Ways Parents Can Encourage a Reluctant Reader

Once a child has the motivation to learn to read, you as a parent are in the clear. Sometimes a reluctant reader might need a little nudge to discover the brave new world offered by reading. Here are some suggestions.

1. Let your child choose his or her own books at the library. If your child chooses Captain Underpants, swallow your pride and check out that book. A child who falls in love with reading will most likely continue to enjoy it for many years to come.

2. At the library, you should choose a few books for your child as well. Do a little research ahead of time or ask your librarian for suggestions that respect your child’s ability and interests.

learning-to-read-by-saundrag-via-flickr.jpg3. Model nuanced reading for your child. Release your inner actor and read with gusto! New readers are so consumed with sounded words out and learning new vocabulary that they often lose track of the story.

4. Read aloud together. Reading together is a wonderful social activity at any age. You and your child share the experience and can discuss or refer back to it later.

5. Encourage your reluctant reader with positive feedback. Given the right reasons, every child can be excited about reading–and writing too. Let your child’s interests lead the way.

[photo by saundraG via flickr]

Posted by . Categories: books, education, homeschooling, parenting, student. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments

06

Mar. ’12

Monkey Bars

Jungle Gym Cherry Park 5-20-09 1

Jungle Gym Cherry Park 5-20-09 1 (Photo credit: stevendepolo)

You’ve taught me a lot of good lessons

You’ve taught me to be braver than I am

To swing out as far as I can

To keep pushing forward

To move one step at a time

To fall into a heap in the dirt

And then get up and try again

Monkey Bars, you’ve shown me the stars

By Diego, 4th grade

Posted by . Categories: imagination, poetry, sports, student, writers in the schools. Tags: , , . 1 Comment

02

Mar. ’12

Call for Submissions: Slinging Ink

From our friends at DiverseWorks:

Slinging Ink is a war of words in which you are invited to submit your own writing about a given theme.

Deadline for submissions: March 15, 2012.

The selected winner receives $100!

Stories and more – both true and imagined – from all the points of view of the babysitting experience: the parent, the babysitter, or the babysat.
Jockeying for an in-demand sitter on date-night, or coming home to a house in turmoil.  Making mad stacks as a pre-teen, raiding the fridge, or finding out what it takes to put the brats to bed. As a child: testing limits, exploring mischief while free of ordinary restraint, or falling in love.
As we know, babysitters may be adept or inept; they may be kind or cruel.
We’re looking not only for creative writing, but other short forms and documents, like letters, reports, memories, wish-lists, notes, manuals, proposals, complaints or recommendations.

Dig these out of your shoebox, or write them down for us.

To submit your brief submissions (between 1500 and 1800 words), first download the doc form or download this Google Doc form.

Please send COVER SHEET and RESPONSE TO THEME (in .DOC format) to slingingink@diverseworks.org by March 15.

A “blind” panel will select four writers in April and will invite them to read their work for an audience on May 8, 2012.

The audience will select a winner for the evening who will take away a $100 prize.

The review panel:  Hank Hancock, Kate Schmitt and Kyle Henricks.  More info about the panel here.

Send questions to Hank Hancock at hank@diverseworks.org.

Posted by . Categories: contest, essay, event, story, student, student writing contest, writer, writers in the schools, writing, writing prompts. Tags: , , . Leave a comment