Posts Tagged ‘literature’
Friday, January 10th, 2014
Guest post co-written by W.O.R.D. Ink team members, Gannon Daniels & Vanessa Ziff Lasdon
Welcome back and Happy New Year!
In the first two installments of this WRITE-themed blog post series on literary response essay techniques (Part 1; Part 2), we addressed 5 of the elements of fiction that our acronym, PSSST, CoMe IN! represents: Narration, Plot, Setting, Style and Mood.
In this final post we’ll survey the most important element of fiction, CHARACTER, followed by 3 final elements that are a bit trickier to grasp at first, yet no less commonly addressed in essays: Symbolism, Irony, and Theme.
PSSST! CoMe IN and explore with us!
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Tags: educators, essays, inspiration, literature, parents, reading, self-expression, students, technique, WRITE, writer’s toolbox, writing process
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Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013
Guest post co-written by W.O.R.D. Ink team members, Jaya Mukherjee & Vanessa Ziff Lasdon
I love the revision process because in writing and life, to revise our process can signify more about us than the art we create. The challenge we must pose to ourselves is to revisit something familiar with completely new eyes. Whether it’s an essay, a facet of our own identity, or our perspective on the world, if we approach revision with an open mind, the process can be an opportunity of discovery and exploration. I find this notion of revision to be particularly pertinent during the holiday season.
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Tags: advice, advocacy, celebrate, challenges, DISCOVER, holiday, inspiration, life, literature, motivation, parents, practice, process, purpose, responsibility, REVISE, self-expression, storytelling, strategy, students
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Sunday, November 10th, 2013
Guest post written by W.O.R.D. Ink team member, Gannon Daniels
My brief introduction of the first installment back in September considers how students don’t always know how to approach analysis of literature and often are not as familiar with the terms used by instructors when asked to write an essay about literature. The lesson I propose minimizes terms, empowers students, and creates a clear path to student-based discovery and learning.
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Tags: advice, educators, essays, literature, parents, reading, storytelling, students, teachers, technique, WRITE, writer’s toolbox, writing process
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Friday, October 25th, 2013
Guest post written by W.O.R.D. Ink team member, Jaya Mukherjee
As an educator, I watched my students struggle with nonfiction texts, namely newspaper literacy. Though my ambition was to make my students secular-minded world scholars, the interpretation of current event articles traditionally proved to be an overwhelming assignment for them. The language was over their heads or the content of the story was framed in an inaccessible way to children. Parents would often call to tell me how frustrated the assignment made their children. If they weren’t already tired of scouring the Internet looking for a particular news story, then they were spending hours deconstructing the story.
Newspaper literacy is an essential skill. Without it, we are not setting our kids up to truly understand what is happening in the world or how they fit into it. Nevertheless, my experience with my students is undeniable proof that our kids need more support in this endeavor; they need one place to turn to, a way to compensate for journalistic language that they may not grasp yet, and a set of specific questions to anchor their understanding in the content of the story. Recently, the W.O.R.D Ink team found such a place and it’s appropriately called Newsela.
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Tags: DISCOVER, educators, literacy, literature, nonfiction, parents, reading, resource, teachers
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Wednesday, September 11th, 2013
Guest post written by W.O.R.D. Ink team member, Gannon Daniels
Writing about literature can be daunting, no matter what grade or skill level. Before writing begins, students need to have a general understanding of literary elements in order to feel confident when they encounter the language of fiction often found in literature essay prompts. Early in my teaching career, I shared a lengthy literary devices handout with my students. It covers everything from alliteration to leitmotif, and the author kindly uses color-coding to clarify which terms are “elements” of fiction and which are authorial “techniques.” I thought at the time I was doing my students a great favor by providing this comprehensive resource, but I was only causing more confusion. A case of “more is too much.”
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Tags: advice, essays, literature, parents, storytelling, students, teachers, technique, WRITE, writer’s toolbox
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Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
Keep Calm and Read On. That’s the theme for this year’s California Association of Teachers of English (CATE) Convention, taking place February 8 – 10 in Santa Clara. W.O.R.D. Ink is devoting our week’s blog post to considering this theme, with a slight variation extended to all learning:
Why is it important for a teacher to keep calm and teach on?
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Tags: advice, DISCOVER, educators, inspiration, literature, motivation, OBSERVE, parents, practice, reading, reflection, responsibility, REVISE, success, teachers, technique, W.O.R.D. of the Week, word lovers, WRITE, writers, writing process
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Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
Hello, 2013! Year of the Snake! Let’s make this year a time of steady progress and attention to detail, of focus and discipline in achieving what we set out to create.
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Tags: artwork, community, conversation, creativity, educators, inspiration, kids, life, literature, motivation, parents, practice, publish, safe, self-expression, storytelling, students, success, teachers, teens, tweens, voice, word lovers, WRITE, writing process
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Tuesday, December 25th, 2012
Merry Christmas, word lovers! I feel so honored to share this special holiday with you! Today’s post is on DISCOVERIES, so please enjoy the following three Seeds and Sparks. May they inspire you and ignite your imagination! Share with family and be sure to curl up on your own to savor them, too. Remember: the holidays are also a time to be loving and joyful with yourself! You deserve it!
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Tags: creativity, DISCOVER, educators, free time, inspiration, literature, parents, reading, reflection, self-expression, storytelling, students, teachers, technique, word lovers, writing, writing process
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Tuesday, November 20th, 2012
What is Voice?
In this 3-part revision series, we’ll debunk several mysteries behind the magical element within every great work of writing: Voice. It’s my hope that you’ll see Voice not as an elusive and unattainable ingredient, but rather, as a series of deliberate, layered choices made throughout the revision process, and as accessible to all who practice the craft–within every genre and for any purpose. May you walk away each week inspired to “Re-Vision” your writing with techniques that work!
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Tags: advice, communication, details, dialogue, editing, educators, grammar, inspiration, language, literature, pacing, poetry, practice, prose, punctuation, purpose, reading, REVISE, sensory details, sentences, sound, storytelling, students, style, subtext, syntax, technique, tension, tone, voice, W.O.R.D. of the Week, word lovers, WRITE, writer’s toolbox, writing process
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Monday, October 29th, 2012
A Team Ink guest blog special: Jenny on personal truths, Becky on self advocacy, a revision gallery by author Kate Messner, & Simona on CA Prop 30 versus 38.
Thank you to my three guest bloggers from the W.O.R.D. Ink tutoring & editorial team, who participated in this special, multi-topic W.O.R.D. of the Week post!
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Tags: adolescence, advice, advocacy, books, characters, communication, conflict, DISCOVER, early childhood education, education policy, educators, emotions, family, friendship, identity, imagery, inspiration, journal entries, language, learning difference, learning styles, literature, middle grade fiction, National Writing Day, OBSERVE, parents, plot, practice, reflection, REVISE, revision, schools, self-expression, students, teachers, technique, WRITE
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Monday, September 24th, 2012
WRITE: Forget Magic Formulas. Find Your Unique Way.
Let’s pretend that writing derives from a mythic Magic Formula. I can’t imagine it being simple, for one thing (W = Butt-In-Chair x Heck-of-a-Great-Idea / 2 cups of coffee?) There are too many variables involved. This is more like it:
Now, on the surface of things, a formula is the process by which we’re able to spew out a solution on the other end. Formulas create order out of chaos, and that is why we gravitate toward them in every facet of our lives, even if you were to adamantly deny your affinity for math. Plug in the numbers, follow x, y, z, and Sha-zam! Success.
But with a formula as complicated as this (which, by the way, represents the calculation behind lacing an average shoe with six pairs of eyelets), you are bound to wind up with two trillion ways to success. (I’m not kidding. There are two trillion ways to lace a shoe.)
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Tags: advice, audiobooks, communication, DISCOVER, editing, Grammar Girl, Kindle Fire, learning styles, literature, multi-tasking, OBSERVE, parental controls, reading, REVISE, revision, self-expression, technique, tone, useful tech devices, voice, W.O.R.D. of the Week, WRITE, writing
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Welcome back and Happy New Year!
