March 2015 - Page 3 of 5 - A Brave Writer's Life in Brief A Brave Writer's Life in Brief
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A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

Thoughts from my home to yours

Archive for March, 2015

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Poetry Teatime: A Snowy Time!

Poetry Teatime

Hi Julie (and staff!),

First, I want to say thanks for being such an inspiration to everyone. You are helping me find my way in homeschooling and parenting. We thoroughly enjoy our teatimes, especially during the winter months. But, I will admit, they don’t often include poetry.

This particular tea time did. We finally got a “warm” day during this snowy month of February and decided to take teatime outside to get some fresh air. We spent the time sipping tea and letting our surroundings inspire us to come up with our own poetry.

Here is the one from my 7 year old daughter:

I Forgot

I forgot when I went out one winter day
I brought my bathing suit and shorts
Then I said, brr it’s cold for a summer day

Then I looked around and said “what’s that?’
Then I remembered it was a winter day.

I forgot you can’t really run in deep, deep snow
Or you’ll trip and fall you know.
I forgot that too.
Then I remembered when I fell flat on my face

And my 5 year old son came up with:

Snow falls down and around into a blanket of white.
It may be a little bit slippery, but that’s all right.
Everything sleeps in the blanket of white.

~Andrea

Image (cc)

Poetry Teatime

Posted in Poetry Teatime | Comments Off on Poetry Teatime: A Snowy Time!

Focus on Content then Meaning

How to Correct Errors in Your Child's Writing

Writing Tip:
The Trick is to Focus on Content First

How do you correct errors without provoking tears?

The trick is to focus on content first. As we say in the biz, “Content is King!” Someone asked me what was “Queen” and I said, “Meaning.” So do it like this:

1. Start with content.

Focus on the topic, the insight, the great ideas or explanations or details that deliver the idea to the reader. You want to say words like:

“You know so much about roller coasters! It was surprising to read that the Raptor was so tall! I had no idea that the speeds got up to ___ mph. I could feel like I was on the coaster when you talked about the ‘wind whipping’ your hair. Great use of the ‘w’ sound.”

Notice that every comment is on the content – finding what is good in it, noticing it, remarking on it.

2. Now focus on meaning.

Notice if the writing makes sense, if it is conveying what it hopes to convey. So, make comments more like these in the “meaning” portion:

“I’m reading along here, and I notice that I got a little lost when I moved from this idea to the next one. Did you want it to read like this (read the run-on sentence all together with no stopping or pausing) or more like this (pause where a period should go to make it make sense)?”

When your writer chooses the second, you comment like this:

“To help the reader really get what you’re saying, a period here will make all the difference. Let’s put one in.”

How to Correct Errors in Your Child's Writing

This is how you work through the whole text. Punctuation is not just marks on a page, but a way to ensure that the reader gets the right, accurate understanding of ideas that the writer wants conveyed.

For weak language, you can say,

“I can tell that you think the ride was ‘awesome.’ The reader might want to feel what that is like. Can you think of more to say to unpack that word?”

And so on.

If a step in a process is missing, you want to note it conversationally:

“Oops! I got a little lost. Is there a step missing here? I don’t want to miss what you really want me to know.”

So start with content – be prolific in praise.

Then move to meaning – be conversational, friendly, and helpful.


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Top photo: woodleywonderworks (cc cropped, text added)

Posted in Writing about Writing | Comments Off on Focus on Content then Meaning

Friday Freewrite: Different Path

Friday Freewrite

Remember a time when you chose one thing (path) instead of another. What might your life be like now if you’d decided differently?

New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.

Image by Billie Ward (cc cropped, tinted)

Posted in Friday Freewrite | Comments Off on Friday Freewrite: Different Path

Cinderella Lap Book

Brave Writer mom, Laura, writes:

My 8 year old and I worked on this mini lap book project from Partnership Writing. She enjoyed creating the artistic touches.

Cinderella lap book

The top left flap is Cinderella in her rags and then in her ball gown. Under that is a set of the characters. On the top right is the glass slipper. Under that are all the magical items. In the middle is a retelling of the story. Each text box is decorated: Cinderella’s house, the ball invitation, the garden, the coach, the castle, and “fancy” scrolls.

Laura


Want to learn more about Partnership Writing?
Listen to Julie’s free podcast!

Posted in Students | 1 Comment »

Why Journaling Helps People

Journaling Helps

When I lived in France as an exchange student, I wrote over 1000 pages in my journal. When I lived in Morocco, I wrote dozens of journals. I’ve kept some semblance of a journal since 4th grade—writing more some years than others. I always know when I’m “going through something.” Journaling pops back to the forefront of my life.

This study is fascinating to me. It clarifies why journaling helps people. Writing helps us tell our story back to ourselves. It helps us put the emotions and experiences into a meaningful context.

You might try this with your own children. I remember how Noah struggled with big emotions after particularly meaningful experiences in his life (sleep away camp, performing in a play, a great vacation). He’d get swamped by the feelings and didn’t know what to do with them.

I suggested he keep a “special occasions” journal. He could write his memories while they were fresh and then reread them any time he wanted to revisit those precious experiences. It worked…and he still has that journal to this day.

Image by Emma Larkins (cc cropped, smudged, text added)

Posted in Homeschool Advice, Julie's Life, Writing about Writing | Comments Off on Why Journaling Helps People

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