Wikis & Writing Across the Curriculum

What could be a more engaging way to reinforce science and social studies facts (and to simultaneously stretch under-used imaginations) then to teach students how to write short stories that incorporate either scientific, historic, or cultural data into fiction? Yesterday at NWRESA, I taught a group of North Carolina teachers how to create and use wikis as a tool to accomplish this goal.

These are the wikis which they collaborated on. As you look through them, realize that these are "works in progress" and that they were each created and assembled in under two hours. As we reviewed them at the end of the day, I was impressed with the way each group of teachers came up with unique historical characters and science-inspired settings. If a random assortment of teachers can generate these story starters, what could your students produce?

As you navigate through these wikis, click on the blue hyperlinks. These are links which the teachers embedded to websites or other pages within their wiki.

http://ashleytrivette.pbworks.com/

http://frazierscience.pbworks.com/

www.wikhump.pbworks.com

http://rountreeclass.pbworks.com/A-Trip-through-the-body

http://mv6eagles.pbworks.com/Social-Studies-Character

http://evasreadingclass.pbworks.com/A-Soldier's-Dream

http://birdlady11.pbworks.com/George-Cousins

http://mrsklutzmusic.pbworks.com/Rockin'-Rollin'-and-Readin'

Part of my pleasure in training teachers is to watch them get excited about new concepts to use in the classroom. These teachers used a feedback form in which they answered, "I came expecting...." and "I got....."

One teacher wrote, "I came expecting something that would not help me in the classroom;" and "I got a thoroughly developed higher order thinking activity that I will use extensively."

Another shared, "I came expecting nothing;" and "I got a useful way to encourage students to write."

A third said, "I came expecting to read stories and write about them in some way;" and I got a great tool that I can use in my self-contained EC room."

I was pleased that several teachers valued the hands-on experience of learning a new technology tool which they could use to develop writing skills across subject areas.

As you look through these wikis I hope you will find ideas for how to start a wiki of your own. Feel free to contact me at cbaldwin6@carolina.rr.com for information on a writing workshop using wikis in your school or district. Technorati Tags:
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Out of Austria - Part I

Last week I returned home from Europe where I traveled with my husband, Creighton; daughter, Lisa; and her college friend, Courtney. With an extremely limited German vocabulary, I was hoping to either find people who spoke English or rely on others ways of communicating. The girls had just completed four months of language study in Granada, Spain and I was interested in their thoughts about using nonverbal communication to communicate across cultures. While hiking in Austria, walking in Salzburg, and riding the metro in Vienna, we talked off and on about nonverbal communication. I argued that smiles were fairly universal but Lisa told me a story which her Spanish professor shared with their class. When he visited New York City he was surprised how many women smiled at him. In Spain, smiles often communicate a sexual invitation.

With that information, and without the language skills necessary for conversation, I sat back and observed the Austrians around me. When a young toddler in a stroller smiled at me, I waved to him. His chubby hand opened and closed in imitation and his parents smiled at me.
A Viennese mother shooed her children away from a seat on a tram, wrinkling her nose in disgust and pantomimed putting her finger down her throat. Anyone watching could tell that without a word, she was telling her brood that there was vomit on the floor. I smiled and nodded at her--having already made the same discovery. Another mother squared her children's shoulders and ushered them to the place where she wanted them to stand to wait for the train. Without a word, she told them exactly what she expected.

In a small, crowded restaurant in Nuremberg, Germany, an elderly gentleman asked if he could join our table. He didn't say a word--his gesture and quizzical look communicated his question. Only later on in our meal when he saw my husband pouring over the city map did he ask, "Could I be of some help?" and we realized that he spoke English!

In Tabor, a small town in the Czech Republic, our family took a tour through underground tunnels that alternately served as storage for home-brewed beer and prisons. Our tour included a group of middle schools students who laughed and pointed at each other as we all donned white plastic helmets to protect our heads against the low ceilings. Although we couldn't understand a word they were saying, their message to one another was clear.

Spankings, kisses, hugs, raised eyebrows, a shrug that says "I don't know" --these are all part of universal non-verbal language.

Other languages also spoke to me. One night in Vienna we heard opera in the Hall of Mirrors where, at the age of 6 in 1762, Mozart performed for Empress Maria Theresia (Marie Antionette's mother.) Although none of the performance was in English, the body language of the singers helped convey the stories they were singing. The music itself, composed by Strauss and Mozart, was its on language without words-- bringing me to tears as I remembered my father's love for classical music.

In a similar vein, the paintings and sculptures that bedeck roofs, churches, and doorways throughout Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic each tell a story. This picture shows a medieval painting that had been stuccoed over in a cathedral in Salzburg.

This sculpture crowned the Gloriette, Maria Theresia's "summer home."

I never tired of the beautiful frescoes on the buildings' exteriors. These were both in the Czech Republic.

In Prague, before they begun to number the houses, they used pictures over the doorways like this, to identify the homes.

Sculptures were common in large cities or small towns.

Lisa loved this unicorn, near the steps where Maria and the Van Trapp children sang the "Do, Re, Mi" song in the Sound of Music.

Although my lack of German or Czech language skills did keep me in an "American bubble," I respectfully disagree with Lisa and Courtney--there are languages that speak across cultures. But, when I visit Spain next year when my other daughter Lori is studying there, I will take Lisa and Courtney's advice to heart. I'll be careful who I choose to smile at.
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The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place

What do two semi-retired Hungarian watchmakers, an unemployed billboard painter, a bald-headed art curator who wears a diamond stud in one ear, a high power attorney from a large New York communications firm, and a precocious 12-year-old girl all have in common?

Their passion to preserve three gigantic towers that are threatened to be torn down by city officials who consider them blights in the neighborhood.

These are not any ordinary towers, of course. But instead, they are outsider art built from pipes, scrap metal, pieces of porcelain, and a variety of glass shards (including such things as pieces of blue Noxema bottles) that took the two Hungarians 45 years to build.

In EL Konigsburg's 17^th novel, a reader can hardly find a character that is more spunky, determined, and resourceful as Margaret Rose Kane. Full of humor, pathos, and suspense, readers from 5^th grade and up will cheer along as Margaret Rose figures out a way to protect her uncles' beloved works of art from being destroyed.

I listened to this on CD and found Molly Ringwald's characterization of the Hungarian uncles particularly delightful. She captured their accents and my enjoyment of listening to their warm approval of their niece as well as their frequently funny arguments was enhanced by her performance. The uncles' astute observations of life add a rich depth to the story. "What you take away is as important as what you leave," Uncle Alex tells Margaret Rose as he "edits" (prunes) his roses. Through her characters, Konigusburg gives her readers—both young and old—a lot to think about.

This is a David vs. Goliath story that can be used in the classroom or home school setting to foster discussions about art, creativity, and the role of individual expression. (Atheneum, 2005)

 

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The Day After

It is May 1 but my mind, as I biked through Fairfield Glade in Crossville, Tennessee was still on yesterday, National Poetry Day. Besides being able to compose it on a bike, boat, beach, or battlefield, poets of any age can write a haiku. What better way to teach the importance of every word or syllable than by adhering to the simple 5-7-5 structure?

Here is my contribution to the joy of writing poetry--and to celebrating this beautiful Tennessee plateau.




Dogwoods

Bridal white petals
Wind strewn, dot green carpet lawns
Birds trill wedding songs.

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Photosynthesis and National Poetry Day

Kay McSpadden, in a recent column in The Charlotte Observer, invited her readers to celebrate National Poetry Day on April 30th, by posting a blog, tweeting on Twitter, or by simply sharing a verse or two with a friend.

I immediately thought of my good friend, Linda Phillips, who has been writing poetry for years and frequently uses it in her classroom. She graciously agreed to share the following poem with all of you. The poem received the Caldwell W. Nixon, Jr. Award (Honorable Mention) in the N. C. Poetry Society's 2001 contest.

Whoever said that poetry only belonged in language arts classrooms?


Photosynthesis

Mother Nature is in the kitchen
cooking up a storm.
She turns the sun onto medium high
and waits 'til it's nice and warm.

She mixes six molecules of carbon dioxide
with six molecules of plain old water.
She folds in a few of her favorite minerals
as Father Time has taught her.

The secret ingredient is chlorophyll.
It soaks up the energy from the sun.
This recipe yields sugar and oxygen.
Isn't cooking fun?

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The Gatekeepers

Normally I wouldn't recommend ending a story with the words, "To be continued." But when the story weaver is Anthony Horowiz then I throw my hands up in the air. I can only hope that my library has the 4th book of the series on CD, or I'm in trouble.



I am generally not a fan of epic fantasies, but I am inexorably hooked on The Gatekeepers that should capture the attention of any middle schooler -- boys particularly. Horowitz masterfully interweaves the lives of five 14-year-olds (four boys and one girl--thus the draw for male readers) who have been chosen to save the world from the "Old Ones." These are powerful evil forces that "feed on human misery" as Scar, the female character relates.

Each of "The Five", as the young adults are referred to in the books, have paranormal powers. An intrinsic part of each book is how the characters come to grips with his or her powers and learns how to use them in this colossal struggle of good vs. evil. There is a great deal of leaving one part of the world and ending up on the other side of the globe, but for the most part, Horowitz has prepared the reader to successfully suspend disbelief and the ways in which the characters end up connecting with one another is convincing.




Horowitz is a masterful storyteller and suspense is hardly a big enough word to describe the predicaments which the characters face. Each main character is always facing imminent danger but the author "somehow" (a word he uses a lot) safely brings him through. These are great books for the writer-to-be to study and see how the author is constantly "upping the ante" through physical danger, time running out, or impossibly close calls. And talk about cliff hangers! The ending of each book entices the reader to go to the next.



Although I have obviously enjoyed these three books, I felt as if the detour in the third book into a time 10,000 years ago and the introduction of characters who mirrored "The Five" was a bit of a stretch. If I could discuss the books with Horowitz, more then once I would have said to him, "Is this really necessary?" But although it seemed long and drawn out, afterwards I understood how Horowitz used this detour to add another dimension to the saga.

Christians who read the books can have some interesting dicussions on the religous themes that run throughout all of them. There is a strong message of "this is what was meant to be" which Calvinists call "predestination." In the same way, there is also a theme of sacrifice as the characters consider that they might have to give up their lives to save the world. On the other hand, some Christian parents might be uncomfortable with the characters' paranormal abilities.



Overall, I highly recommend the books for adventure, descriptive writing, and a story that hooks the reader's imagination. But I'm in trouble. Book 4, Necropolis, isn't even at my library yet and there are 18 people ahead of me waiting to read it! To be continued....
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Celebrating a Miracle

As I say to teachers at teacher's conferences, I usually blog about literacy...unless I'm blogging about one of my grandchildren. Here is one of those exceptions to my blogging rule: this blog is dedicated to Ebby Clark.

Here is a picture of Leslie holding her about six weeks after her birth on October 20, 2006. She was born 3 months early and weighed just under 2 lbs.
She stayed in the New Hanover Regional Medical Center NICU for 3 months.

Fast forward two-and-a-half-years later. Ebby is now a fun, inquisitive, loving toddler.











Today, Leslie and Neill, were the Ambassador Family for the Wimington March of Dimes walkathon. Neill gave the family's story, including the fact that Ebby was helped by the research that the March of Dimes has contributed in the area of an infant's lung development.
I am thankful to the Lord for Ebby's life. In her growth and development she demonstrates that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139: 14.

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Reading, Writing, & Gingerbread Houses

When my daughter Lori graduated from Covenant Day School three years ago, she challenged me by saying, "Mom, you've got a lot of time now. I think you should volunteer somewhere." I don't know about the "lots of time" -- but I did agree that I could be more involved on a volunteer basis in the community. Since my love is literacy, I approached Covenant Day High School and volunteered to coordinate a tutoring program. Together with volunteers from Christ Covenant Church, we are now in our third year. Last year we added a monthly trip to the school library as well as playing educational games when the students are done their work. Here is a video showing one of the library trips, tutoring, and our recent holiday party.




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Celebrate National Poetry & Jazz Appreciation Month

April is National Poetry Month and Jazz Appreciation Month. What better time to read Becoming Billie Holiday, a fictional verse memoir by Carole Boston Weatherford with sepia-toned illustrations by Floyd Cooper. The book, Carole's 32nd, recently won a Coretta Scott King Author Honor from the American Library Association.

Legendary Billie Holiday was born in 1915 as Eleanora Fagan. She endured pain, poverty and run-ins with the law. Fortunately, Eleanora had a voice and commenced her singing career as a teen. By age 25, she had fronted the era's hottest bands and recorded her signature song "Strange Fruit." In this collection of 97 poems, Becoming Billie Holiday, New York Times best-selling author Carole Boston Weatherford traces Eleanora's metamorphosis into Billie Holiday, from her Baltimore beginnings to her Harlem heyday.

Like Billie, Weatherford grew up in Baltimore. And thanks to her father's musical tastes, she, like Billie, was introduced to jazz as a young child

Here is one of the poems from Weatherford's award winning book (Boyds Mills Press/Wordsong, October 2008):

I Hear Music: The Blues Are Brewin'

I was no stranger to hard work

And Miss Alice had plenty of it

In her good-time house.

I kept busy with errands and chores—

washing basins and toilets,

changing towels, putting out

Lifebuoy soap and peeking through

a keyhole now and then.

I got paid in tips,

but would have worked for free

to wind up her Victrola

and hear music fill the room.

As Bessie Smith belted out

bar after bar, bending notes

to moods, I mouthed the words

till I knew her blues by heart.

The jazz bug bit me good

when Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five

swaggered through "West End Blues,"

and turned music on its ear.

I had never heard

singing without a single word.

Scat! Dig that!

Those blues were surely brewin'.

You can hear podcasts of the book at:
WBGO-FM (Newark, NJ): www.wbgo.org/realfiles/jrnl2008/081219/article2.ram
WICN-FM (Worcester, MA): www.wicn.org/audio/inquiry-carole-boston-weatherford-becoming-billie-holiday

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Hot News from the Association of Educational Publishers

Today I received word from my publisher, Maupin House, that Teaching the Story: Fiction Writing in Grades 4-8
was named as a finalist in this year's Distinguished Achievement Awards given by the Association of Educational Publishers. What was the first thing I did after hearing this exciting news? I went digging to find out who the folks are who granted me this award. Here is what I found:

According to their website, they are a "national, nonprofit professional organization for educational publishers and content developers." The organization started in 1895 as a university-supported institution, most recently on the campus of Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. In the "it's a small world department," as a teenager I attended a fine arts camp (I focused on creative writing--what else?) at Rowan University—which at that time was named Glassboro State Teachers College.

AEP is a group of approximately 400 publishers who submit their books to judges who are "selected from a pool of educational publishing professionals (writers, editors, designers, educators, product developers, and marketing directors)." I looked at the judge's evaluation form and was pretty impressed with the rigorous assessment used to evaluate the educational books. Each year the Distinguished Achievement Award identifies superior educational products in four categories: Curriculum, Periodicals, Professional Development, and Technology Innovations. Teaching the Story is under "Professional Development" and one of four finalists in the subcategory of Differentiated Instruction.

For those of you who aren't in the educational field, you may wonder what the term "Differentiated Instruction" means. Here is AEP's definition from their website: "Products that are designed to take into account students' varying background knowledge, readiness, language, preferences in learning, and interests. They provide a model or process to aid in teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class."

I can't honestly say that when I conceived the ideas behind Teaching the Story, I thought it would be a book used by students at many different levels. All I thought about was that writing a story is something that many students are naturally drawn to and that the task stretches students' imaginations. As I tell teachers who attend my writing workshops, when students write a story they practice all of the skills necessary for expository writing—it's just a lot more fun. But, since narrative writing is taught in upper elementary through middle school, my editors and I decided that the book needed to be flexible. It had to be designed in such a way that a teacher in any of these grades could pick it up and use it in her particular classroom and address the needs of students with divergent interests and abilities. Many hair-pulling hours went into figuring out how we might successfully pull this off—apparently the judges at AEP thought we did.

I am pleased and honored at this recognition, but am also fully aware that it would not have been possible without diligent coaching and editing by my editors at Maupin House. Kudos goes to them for having two other titles honored in this year's AEP line-up: Writing Intervention Kit for High School by Nancy Dean, and Learning Through Writing Series: Authentic Writing Activities for the Content Areas: Grades 3, 4, and 5 by Kathleen Kopp.

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Red Pencil Advice from Chekhov

"To write a story you need five or six days, during which time you must be thinking about it every moment, otherwise you'll never be able to frame good sentences. Before it reaches the page, every sentence must spend two days in the brain, lying perfectly still and putting on weight. It goes without saying, of course, that I'm too lazy to mind my own rule, but I do recommend it to you young writers, all the more so because I have experienced its beneficent results firsthand and know that the rough drafts of all true artists are a mess of deletions and corrections, marked up from top to bottom in a patch-work of cuts and insertions that are themselves recrossed out and mangled." –Anton Chekhov in How to Write Like Chekhov, edited by Pero Brunello and Lena Lanček, quoted in Writer's Digest, February, 2009.

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