#TeachersWrite Weekly Check-In #3 2021!

Welcome to our third Weekly Check-In! On Monday, Kate shared a video for us to try some play in our writing. I'm obsessed with play right now so this was perfect! I've been exploring ideas for play and just shared some of my exploration on Instagram. 

I decided I'd take Kate's three-column idea and try it with characters from the YA novel I'm drafting. I may have made it easy on myself and added a panadería for setting and jealousy for a mood because that's exactly the scene I needed to happen next. Actually, I didn't see the story headed this direction but it's perfect!

Here's what my notebook entry looked like for this exercise:

After I had the idea for the scene, I wrote it out in my notebook.

If you did the prompt from Monday, I'd love to hear how it went for you! What stories came up? Please share in the comments!

Teachers Write Weekly Check-In Agreements:

1. We respect each other and the type of writing we each do do.

2. We are positive and encourage each other.

3. We recognize and maintain this as a safe, inclusive environment for all.

4. We have fun!

Ideas for today in the comments section:

What character, setting, and mood/big idea did you play with this week?

What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the non-fun part?)

What was the peak of your week? (The best part, the most-fun part?)

My Weekly Check-In: This week I actually worked more on writing I'm doing about teaching and it was really cathartic. I looked over notes and anecdotes I collected throughout the year and saw a big theme emerge. I started to write about that and explored a couple of ways into what I'm writing about. It's neat to see how sometimes I need to write things a certain way to then see a different way to start.

I loved how the playful exercise from Kate helped me move forward in my YA novel. This is why it's so important! I'm very much practicing not taking myself so seriously. This might just mean I'm missing being around tons of kids all day. :)

I can't wait to hear how Teachers Write is going for you! If you have any questions or if I can help with anything, please let me know!

What Do You Do With a Chance?

Title: What Do You Do With a Chance? 
Author: Kobi Yamada  
Illustrator: Mae Besom 
Publisher: Compendium Inc 
Publication Date: January, 2018
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: This is a story of a child who isn't sure what to make of a chance encounter-then discovers that when you say yes to new experiences, amazing things can happen. 
What I Think: I'm a fan of having a growth mindset and discussing what it means to have a growth mindset...but that doesn't mean living a growth mindset is easy. Doing something new and taking a risk is actually really hard. In fact, I don't think we talk enough about how difficult it actually is. I love how What Do You Do With A Chance? gives readers the opportunity to think about how hard it is. 

I blogged recently about using my voice to speak up and how hard it was because it's important to see how hard it is. I hope people recognize when they have a chance and that they take advantage of any chances that come their way, but I completely understand how hard it is. 

As a mentor text, I would use this book as an opportunity to brainstorm ideas for personal narratives with kids. Sometimes we don't see how important our experiences are in writing. If students can see how their memories are valued, it helps them see themselves as writers. But also, we don't always want to write about a struggle or how it felt. And guess what? Most often, writing honestly about struggle makes the most interesting stories. 

Snatch of Text: "Then I thought, 'Maybe I don't have to be brave all the time. Maybe I just need to be brave for a little while at the right time.' 
Writing Prompt: Write about at time in your life when you took a chance. How did it go? How did it feel? What did you learn from the experience?