Tag Archives: Arts

09

Nov. ’10

I Have a Voice

Harriet Riley, a free-lance writer focusing on nonfiction and grant writing, is teaching her third year at WITS

As WITS writers, we all use weekly rituals with our students – Author’s Chairs, Power Writing, Writers Toolboxes and more. This year I’ve started a new and powerful ritual to end each class. The credit for this tool goes completely to Michele Kotler and Community Word Project who participated our August orientation workshop.

At the close of each session with my students, after I foreshadow the next week’s activities, we chant together: “I have a voice. My voice is powerful. My voice can change the world.”

This has become an important ritual with my sixth graders at Briarmeadow Charter School. It started as a call and response. I said a line and the students repeated it. But last week, my sixth visit to the school, I noticed that the students chanted the words along with me, ending with a rousing “MY VOICE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.” They say it, and they believe it. I see it in their writing as they relate their belief in their own power. Their words are strong and fearless.

We recently completed a poem based on George Ella Lyons’ “Where I’m From.” Like most teachers, I learn the names of the “louder” students first. There was one particular student that I hadn’t really taken the time to get to know – she was quiet and well behaved and hadn’t done anything to stand out in class. Also she was one of four girls in my two classes with the same first name. She had wire-rimmed glasses that hid her face, always wore her hair straight back in a tight ponytail and didn’t smile too much. She had written a very rough draft of her “Where I’m From” poem the previous week that needed a lot of revision. As I was walking among the students during our re-write time, I stood shock still when I saw her work. I read it to myself.

This is Where I’m From

By Mariam, 7th grade

I am from an endless path that runs into sunset.

I am from the jasmines blooming.

I am from the buzz of a busy bee.

I am from the bustling, bizarre crowds of a city.

I am from the sweet taste of sugarcane.

I am from the sound of the wolf howling at the moon.

I am from the sound of the guitar’s gentle strum.

I am from the laughter of children playing outside in the blazing hot sun.

I am from the waves crashing against each other at the sandy beach.

I am from the silent scent of goodness in the cool air.

I am from the enchantment of love.

I am from the creak of a stable door being opened from above.

I am nothing less then a kick of dust.

I am nothing more than a big blizzard.

I am a child who races the dark night.

Who was the girl who wrote these strong and powerful words and what lay beneath her polite surface? She had some deep, world-changing things to say and I almost missed her. I will definitely be getting to know her in the year ahead and much more about my students because they WILL change the world. Sometimes taking the time to state the obvious – “I have a voice” – and turning it into a cheer can make a difference and actually empower students to use earth-shaking, world-changing words.

by Harriet Riley, Writers in the Schools

WITS Writer Harriet Riley is a free-lance writer focusing on nonfiction articles and grant writing. She has taught undergraduate writing classes at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, where she lived for 11 years before moving to Houston in 2007. She has also worked as a non-profit director, hospital marketing director, and newspaper reporter. She has her M.A. in print journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and her B.A. in English and journalism from the University of Mississippi. She enjoys reading, running, and traveling with her family. This is her third year with WITS.

Posted by . Categories: creativity, education, imagination, inspiration, story, wits alliance. Tags: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

28

Oct. ’10

The Big Event is a Week Away!

A Celebration of Story, benefiting Writers in the Schools (WITS) takes place next Thursday, November 4, 2010, 7 PM at the Junior League of Houston. Discounted tickets for $150 are still available for a limited time, so reserve your seats now. Jeannette Walls will tell why she wrote  her best-selling memoir The Glass Castle, an Amazon “Top 10 Book of the Decade” currently in movie production by Paramount. A book sale and signing will follow the program courtesy of Brazos Bookstore.

WITS will proudly present the  “Founder’s Award” to Mayor Annise Parker for her advocacy in education. Proceeds will help WITS serve more than 20,000 students in schools, community centers, hospitals and homeless shelters. Join us for an inspirational evening and help us further creative writing programming for the exceptional students empowered by WITS each year.

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22

Oct. ’10

Best-selling Author Jeannette Walls to Visit Bellaire High School November 4th

Writers in the Schools

For Immediate Release, October 20, 2010

Media Contact: Jennifer Watson

713-523-3877

jwatson@witshouston.org

www.witshouston.org

Best-selling Author Jeannette Walls to Visit Bellaire High School November 4th

What:    Jeannette Walls visits students at Bellaire High School

When: November 4, 2010 at 12:30 PM

Where: 5100 Maple St, Bellaire, TX 77401-4999

Why:     Walls will speak to students reading her best-selling memoir The Glass Castle, many of whom benefit from Writers in the Schools’ creative writing program.

Houston (October 20, 2010) Nearly 500 excited students from Bellaire High School will fill the auditorium November 4, 2010 at 12:30 PM to hear journalist Jeannette Walls share the story of overcoming her difficult childhood, the subject of her best-selling memoir The Glass Castle and a movie in production by Paramount. Walls makes a rare appearance to Houston that day as keynote speaker for A Celebration of Story, benefiting Writers in the Schools (WITS), 7 PM at the Junior League of Houston.

“It’s not often our students get to meet the authors they’ve been assigned to read,” said Brian Wolf, Head of the English Department at Bellaire High. “The Glass Castle is not only a story that’s brilliantly written, it teaches young people they don’t have to be ashamed about themselves or their pasts. Our students are thrilled to meet with an author whose work has so captivated them.”

In The Glass Castle, Walls talks about being raised by her alcoholic father, Rex Walls, and eccentric mother Rose Mary, who pushed their four children to excel in learning despite uprooting them from various schools and cities, evading bill collectors and obligations. Her father supported the family through odd jobs, but more often than not, Jeannette and her siblings survived off table scraps, pet food, and at times went to sleep cold and hungry.  Despite many struggles, Jeannette held on to the promise of the glass castle Rex would one day build for them until his unrelenting disease forced her to move out and find her own dreams in New York City.

“Jeannette’s story is honest and gripping. In her book, one sees how writing provided her access to a better life.” said Robin Reagler, executive director of WITS. “WITS students get a similar opportunity because they are encouraged to speak from the heart.”

Jeannette will headline the WITS Celebration of Story November 4, 2010 honoring Mayor Annise Parker for her advocacy in education. A book signing will follow the program courtesy of Brazos Bookstore. Proceeds from A Celebration of Story will fund more than 20,000 students in schools, community centers, hospitals, and homeless shelters. This year’s gathering, which begins at 7 PM, will include dinner, a silent auction, and music by the Texas Medical Center Orchestra.

For ticket and sponsorship information, call 713-523-3877 or visit www.witshouston.org.

About WITS

Writers in the Schools (WITS), a Houston-based non-profit organization founded in 1983, provides students with year-long creative writing programs in schools, community centers, hospitals, and homeless shelters with the mission to engage students in the pleasure and power of reading and writing. Ranked the number one literary organization in Texas by the Texas Commission on the Arts, WITS professional poets, fiction writers, and playwrights work with over 20,000 students in over 350 classrooms in order to help students develop their creative and analytical thinking skills.

About Jeannette Walls

Jeannette Walls came to know the power of storytelling while writing her memoirs. Critics have called, “The Glass Castle”, “spectacular,” “extraordinary,” “incredible,” and “riveting.” It has been a New York Times best-seller for more than three years, has sold more than two million copies, been translated into 16 languages, and is being made into a movie by Paramount. Walls’ story is at times harrowing and at times hilarious as she and her siblings go without food and indoor plumbing yet are encouraged to read Shakespeare and dream of the beautiful glass house they will all one day build. Despite all her hardships, Walls manages to leave West Virginia on her own at the age of sixteen, move to New York City, enroll in Barnard College and eventually become a well-known columnist for New York Magazine and a television personality.

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19

Oct. ’10

Discounted Tickets for Friends of WITS — 40% Off

Writers in the Schools (WITS) is offering a special discounted ticket to the annual A Celebration of Story gala on November 4th. For a limited time only, the $250 seats are available for $150.  Come meet Jeannette Walls, best-selling author of The Glass Castle, in a rare Houston visit.

Jeannette’s story about  how she survived a dysfunctional upbringing of poverty and abandonment to become an award-winning author has inspired millions of readers to share their own stories about overcoming adversity.

Jeannette’s memoirs, The Glass Castle and Half-Broke Horses, will be on sale courtesy of Brazos Bookstore. Proceeds from the event  will support creative writing programs for under-served children.  Purchase your ticket today by clicking here or call 713-523-3877.

Critics have called Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle, “spectacular,” “extraordinary,” “incredible,” and “riveting.” It has been a New York Times best-seller for more than three years, has sold more than two million copies, been translated into 16 languages, and is being made into a movie by Paramount. Read more…

WITS has been engaging students in the pleasure and power of reading and writing since 1983. Thank you for helping us to bring the joy of writing to the children who need it most.

Posted by . Categories: books, event, father, inspiration, memory, mother, parenting, story, writer, writers in the schools, writing. Tags: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

20

Sep. ’10

Nature Writing Contest for Kids

Cover of "River of Words: Young Poets and...

Cover via Amazon

2010 River of Words Watershed Art & Poetry Contest

Deadline: December 1, 2010

Each year, in affiliation with The Library of Congress Center for the Book, River of Words conducts a free international poetry and art contest for youth on the theme of WATERSHEDS. The contest is designed to help youth explore the natural and cultural history of the place they live, and to express, through poetry and art, what they discover.

The contest is open to any child in the world, from 5-19 years of age. Older students must have not yet completed high school. There is no charge to enter. (See entry form.)

Students may enter on their own, or as part of a group (classroom, Girl Scout troop, 4-H, etc.). All entrants are receive acknowledgment in the form of a “Watershed Explorer” certificate. (See complete rules.)

Poetry submissions are judged by River of Words co-founders Robert Hass, who served as US Poet Laureate from 1995-1997, and writer Pamela Michael. Art entries are judged by children’s book writer and illustrator, Thacher Hurd.

About 100 poems and artworks from both US and international entries are selected as finalists each year. All winners receive ribbons, books and/or art supplies, t-shirts and other prizes.

Eight Grand Prize winners—four in poetry and four in art, in four different age categories—are chosen from the US entries.

Category I — Kindergarten-Grade 2

Category II — Grades 3-6

Category III — Grades 7-9

Category IV — Grades 10-12

We also award an International Prize each year to a student from outside the United States. The International Prize may be awarded for either poetry or art.

In addition, RoW and The Library of Congress Center for the Book honor two students who live in our respective watersheds: River of Words´ Shasta Bioregion Prize and The Library of Congress´ Anacostia Watershed Prize. The winning works may be either poetry or art.

Winners are announced each April at a gala event at the San Francisco Library. The Grand Prize and International winners win an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC to attend the RoW Award Ceremony at The Library of Congress.

For more information click here.

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06

Sep. ’10

Fiddle-i-fee Story Basket Lesson

Cover of "Cat Goes Fiddle-i-fee"

Cover of Cat Goes Fiddle-i-fee

Grade level: Kindergarten – 1st

Genre: various

Objectives: To involve the students in listen to a story read aloud

Primary sources: Cat Goes Fiddle-i-fee by Paul Galdone

Materials: a basket with small stuffed animal characters from the book Cat Goes Fiddle-i-fee

Contributors: Brooke Brown, Linda Draper

This story basket activity ensures the active participation of all students in listening to a book read aloud. Originally used with Cat Goes Fiddle-i-fee, it can easily be adapted to any book by printing and laminating images of the story’s characters. Additionally, the students could make representations of the characters in the book as a pre-reading, art project.

Have the students sit in a circle on the floor with the “story basket” in the center which contains characters and farm animals from the book. The students should each take one animal from the story basket as the book is read aloud, listen for the appropriate time to place their character back in the basket.

Posted by . Categories: animal, art, creativity, imagination, Lesson plan, writers in the schools, writing prompts. Tags: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

01

Sep. ’10

Student Writing Contest: Poems for Peace

In honor of Conflict Resolution Day, the  Association of Conflict Resolution is sponsoring the following opportunity:

Peace Poem Contest Rules

1. Eligibility. The contest is open to all students in grades 3 – 12.
2. Submission Period. Entries will be accepted between September 1, 2010 and November 1, 2010,11:59 PM Eastern (10:59 PM Central; 9:59 PM Mountain; 8:59 PM Pacific; 5:59 PM Hawaii).
3. To Enter. Write a poem that describes “Peace in My Community”. Please write a title for your poem. Limit your poem to 20 lines. Poems must be in English. Limit: 1 poem per student, 20 per school. Please do not put your name or school on the poem (for fairness in judging).
ALL POEMS SUBMITTED MUST BE THE STUDENT’S OWN, ORIGINAL WORK, AND NOT PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED.
4. Prizes. Prizes will be awarded in three categories: Grades 3-5; 6-8; and 9-12. First Place: $100. Second Place: $75. (prizes are in U.S. dollars)
5. Announcement of Winners. Winners will be contacted by December 1, 2010.
6. Sponsor. The Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) is a professional organization dedicated to enhancing the practice and public understanding of conflict resolution. This contest is being sponsored as an activity for ACR’s Conflict Resolution Day. For information about ACR and Conflict Resolution Day, click here.
7. General Conditions.
Poems will not be returned. Entrants should keep a copy of their submissions.
Association for Conflict Resolution assumes no responsibility for entries that are lost, incomplete, misdirected, illegible, or late, or for failed computer transmissions or technical failures.
Association for Conflict Resolution reserves the right, in its discretion, to reject entries that it believes are unlawful, libelous, or would be detrimental to the reputation of Conflict Resolution Day or the Association for Conflict Resolution.
Poems with profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or anything else which overrides the general norms of civility will not be eligible for prizes.
Entry must comply with all contest rules to be eligible for a prize. The Association for Conflict Resolution reserves the right not to award any prizes.
Selected entries (including those that were not awarded prizes) may be displayed at the ACR National Conference and may be compiled in a poetry book or other form (including electronically) as may be determined by the Association for Conflict Resolution.
Winning students will have the opportunity to submit a digital tape recording of their poem, which the Association for Conflict Resolution may link to its website.
Winners will be selected by a panel of judges named by the Association for Conflict Resolution. The judges will evaluate the entries using the following criteria: exploration of theme, impact on reader, originality, literacy, message. Judges’ decisions are final.

Posted by . Categories: contest, student writing contest. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a comment