TMT Summer Writing Group - Week Seven

I have so thoroughly enjoyed finding new friends through all of this Teachers Write fun! Andy has been visiting my blog on Sundays as well as Kate and Gae's blog during the week. I asked him to share how he is thinking about applying all of the summer Teachers Write! fun to his teaching when school starts again this fall. Really quickly, I just want to say thank you and hooray for everyone who is joining in this summer! It really is important that we are writing to help our students be writers, too!

Organization

As we navigate our way through Teachers Write, there is definitely an important theme throughout about being organized.  From as far back as June 4^th and Kate’s post about “Making Time,” we have learned about the importance of staying organized with our writing and “making time” in our day to write.  Since that post about organizing time, we have read about organizing our writing (June 11^th – Outlining/Calendar) and critique groups (June 14^th).   We have all learned so much this summer.  And if you are like me, an avid reader, a newbie writer, and a teacher who is passionate about teaching children (I realize that I just described nearly everyone following along), you want to organize all of this information to use during the school year.

The school year is just a few short weeks away (for me it’s still many weeks away – I hate to rub it in, but I taught for almost the entire month of June in a hot, humid, and teenage smelly middle school – temps were in the 90’s on the last week), so it is time to start planning how you will utilize what you have learned this summer.  You know that if you don’t plan to use this wonderful Teachers Write knowledge in August, November will arrive and you will be doing the same thing as last year.  I think I can help save you from this.

I created a “Teachers Write!” binder (it contains over 100 pages) to help plan for the first four months of the upcoming school year. The binder has tabs for each section and each day’s post has blank space either at the top of the page or the bottom for taking notes.  Here is how I organized my binder:

Section 1 – Week 1, includes Friday Feedback and Sunday TMT Writing Group

Section 2 – Week 2 (Same as Week 1 

with critique group information and extra articles)

Section 3 – Week 3 (Same as Week 1 with print copies of all 
the writing I accomplished and posted – this could be a spot to put your own work)

Section 4 – Week 4 (Same as Week 1)

Section 5 – Week 5 (Same as Week 1)

Section 6 – Week 6 (IN PROGRESS)

Section 7 – Jo’s Monday Warm-ups

Section 8 – Website and blog information 

(helpful to my writing and lesson planning)

*Obviously these sections may not work for you, but I believe taking 

the time to organize the information now will help when the school year begins.

I know what you’re thinking – the question is, “What do I do with this information?”   
And that leads us to the next topic – Utilization.

Utilization

The entire reason you organize information it to use the information (Research 101).  We all teach in different grade levels, different socio-economic and cultural settings, with different material, and to different students, so some of these suggested activities may not work for you, but feel free to tweak and adjust the activity to fit into your classroom (if it fits perfectly – steal it!).

My school uses a basal reader, so I need to be very careful when planning my time.  Some things, like writing and read aloud every other day will always be part of my daily schedule, but other things, like grammar, spelling, and test prep I can squeeze into my weekly schedule.  Of course, the basal reader has a story that needs to be read, but I can also practice the reading skills with a novel (this is the path that I usually take).  Here are some activities that I will be trying this year in Room 103 (thanks to Teachers Write!):

1.     Noun regenerator, adjective regenerator, verb regenerator after specific grammar lessons and for writing warm-up; also fake work regenerator for identification of context clues - http://www.wordgenerator.net/noun-generator.php

2.     Writing Hall of Frame – each student will frame one piece of writing this year and each 9” x 12” frame will be placed on the back wall (publication is so important – isn’t that what WE are all striving for?)

3.     Comic Strip brainstorm – students will draw six frames story of their story before writing a first draft

4.     Taking favorite lines from a novel to spark ideas – this came from the July 5^th post about taking lines of poetry from D. Dina Friedman – Thank you! (Example – from Wonder – the universe takes care of all of its birds. – the kids will write about the line)

5.     Story Stew – descriptive writing when we write about our Thanksgiving feast

6.     Wordle to Character’s perspective (creative writing) – the students will post their stories on Wordle and then write about the most used word from a supporting character’s perspective

These are just some of my ways that I will utilize Teachers Write this year in the classroom.  I hope that you will answer my question (below) and share some of the ways you will be utilizing this information.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and a SPECIAL thank you to Jen for letting me share (this is the first time I have ever shared on anyone’s blog – my shirt is covered in sweat and I am feeling a bit dizzy).

I’ve been dying to do this!  Remember this line from Wonder: I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.

Today is the day that we give Kate, Gae, Jen, and all of the authors that have shared (or will share) a standing ovation.  Join me.  I am standing and clapping like crazy.  Thanks again!

Thank you, Andy! Don't you just love how organized Andy is with his binder? Teachers Write is really an experience to grow as writers but also as teachers. I love how Andy is already thinking ahead to how to use the activities that have worked for him with his students! 

My rules for the TMT Summer Writing Group:

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

2. We only criticize each other constructively.

3. We are positive and encourage each other at all times.

4. We recognize and maintain this as a safe environment.

**I reserve every right to put the smackdown

on anyone who messes with our positive energy.**

Today, in the comments section:
How will you use the Teachers Write writing lessons in your classroom?

How did you do this week? Did you meet your weekly goal(s)?

What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the not-fun part?)

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

What are you looking forward to and planning for the week ahead?

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week of writing!

 

Dead End in Norvelt

Title: Dead End in Norvelt

Author: Jack Gantos

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Publication Date: September, 2011

Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal for the year's best contribution to children's literature and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction!
Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.

What I Think: Jack Gantos knows how to weave humor into a great story, even the weirdest situations, and Dead End is no exception. Meet Jack. He is 11 years old, has chronic nose bleeds and just got grounded for the summer. Thank goodness Miss Volker, his neighbor and native Norveltener, needs his help writing obituaries for the newspaper since her hands are too arthritic to write. This new pairing of odd friends causes for Jack to have a very unpredictable summer indeed! 
     One of the things I loved the most about this book were the characters. I don't know how based in fact they were, but they were what made this book great. Jack is a unique boy (though to me, he seems like a pretty typical gifted boy) who is aiming to please and is curious about everything. Mr. Spizz is a crazy old man who is the town gossip. Miss Volker is a feisty lady who just calls it like she sees it. And his parents are always feuding and putting Jack in the middle (causing many of the conflicts of the story). They were what moved the story along- you had to know how the lives of these characters would resolve. 
     I also love how the book is a mixture of humor, history and obituaries. It takes place in the 60s and the feel of the book brings you to this era. Also through Jack's constant reading of history, Gantos gives "mini-lessons" in Cleopatra & Antony, the Incas, the Aztecs, the atomic bomb and many other times in history. Lastly, I loved the obituaries that were included. They were written so well and would be a great activity to do in class. 
     Overall, this book was well-written, funny and had great characterization. A great read.

Read Together: Grades 4 to 8

Read Alone: Grades 5 to 8

Read With: Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt, Hound Dog True by Linda Urban, Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

Snatch of Text: "The writer of the book called Cortes a great man. As Miss Volker had once said, 'Be suspicious of history that is written by conquerors.' I bet the writer didn't ask any Aztecs what they thought of Cortes." (p. 89-90)

      "Hey, Dad," I called behind him as he walked toward the tractor. "Which do you think is more deadly? Past history or future history?"
     He didn't even slow down to think about it. "Future history," he yelled back without hesitation. "Each war gets worse because we get better at killing each other."
     That sounded so true. At first cavemen bashed each other's heads in with rocks and sticks. By the time of the Crusaders it was long swords and arrows, and at Gettysburg they were blasting each other to bits from cannons filled with lead balls, iron chains, railroad spikes, and door knobs. And atomic bombs made future wars look even more hopeless. No humans will survive. All the animals will die. Fish will rot in acidic water. All vegetation will wilt in polluted air. There will be nothing left but enormous insects the size of dinosaurs." (p. 115-116)

Mentor Text for: Character Development, Metaphors, Humor, Tone

Writing Prompts: Miss Volker's obituaries always start with information about the life of the person that passed away followed by history that happened on the day they passed away. Pick a person who has passed away and complete an obituary like Miss Volker's. 

Topics Covered: Cold War, Vietnam War, Hells Angels, Death, Obituaries, Parents

I *heart* It:

 

Monster Ninjas

Last October, I interviewed Ryan Jacobson about his book Jack London's Call of the Wild: A Choose Your Path Book. Now Ryan, is working on a new project! It's called Monster Ninjas and is a kid-friendly webcomic. I am slowly dipping my toes into this world of comics. As a kid, I read Garfield and Archie comics but had never been into a comic book store. I took my son to Free Comic Book Day in May and then we were in Michigan this past weekend for Kids Read Comics. I get along much better with the graphic novels that I have read but I am starting to figure out little by little where to find good content for kids.


A webcomic is also known as an online comic or an Internet comic. Most webcomics are published exclusively on a website and readers read the comic as it is posted to the site. I love this when I think about kids who want to draw comics! What a great way for kids to draw and share their work with others. Lots of potential here! I have used Make Beliefs Comix for students to create their own comics to talk about what it might be like to be deaf or hard of hearing. It's a great tool for kids who aren't excited about drawing. 

You can visit the Monster Ninjas' site to read this awesome kid-friendly comic for free! Kellee and I are also excited that Ryan has asked us to host a contest for one of our readers to be chosen to be drawn into the Monster Ninjas story as a zombie! How awesome is this? 

Here's an example of how the author and illustrator have been zombified!

Pretty cool, right? I know you all want to be made into zombies! We're trying out a new giveaway form. 

Enter your name and e-mail below and then you can do other things to earn extra entries! 

The contest will start on Friday, July 13th, 2012 at 5:00 AM CST and will run thru Friday, July 20th, 2012 at 12:00 PM EST. One winner will be chosen and will be announced on Monday, July 23rd, 2012. The winner's e-mail will be sent to Ryan Jacobson, the author, who will work with him or her from there. The winner: (a.) will need to provide a photo and (b.) will need to sign a release that grants permission to use his or her likeness.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Summer of May

Title: The Summer of May

Author: Cecelia Galante

Publisher: Aladdin

Publication Date: April, 2011

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: Thirteen-year-old May is living in a desolate situation with her grandmother, who is mourning the loss of May’s mother, and her father, who is completely absent. May resents her new dangerous, run-down, low-income housing neighborhood and often picks fights and gets into trouble. But when May is caught graffiti-ing her least favorite teacher’s classroom, she is faced with a choice: expulsion, or one-on-one summer school with the teacher she most detests. Begrudgingly, May chooses summer school, and she ultimately learns that her teacher has a secret past—and might just hold the key to answers no one else will give May about her mother.

What I Think: This is one that I will not forget. I think this novel will connect easily with a wide variety of people. First, May feels an anger that many pre-teens and teens probably feel and the way she describes it is the best I've ever read in a book. The feeling of being a tea pot that is boiling is a perfect analogy to rage that is hard to control and unwarranted. Something so small can make you feel so angry and then it gets out of control. In the novel, May works on controlling it and matures so much throughout the novel. It is such a powerful thing to read about.

May's family situation is also unique. Her mother left her and she lives with a father who works too much and often ignores her and with a grandmother who locks herself away ever since her mother left. Many readers will connect with the (lack of) family situation that May has. May also struggles with keeping friends (mostly because of her temper) and that is a tough thing for all preteens and teens. Specifically trying to be and keep a good friend.

It will also connect to all of my teacher friends because of the importance of May's English teacher in the novel. I love that not only does May evolve in the book, but that Miss Movado does too. She has realizations that many of us probably have had during our teaching and is striving to make a difference in a young student's life as we all aim to. You may not like her too much at first, but just as May realizes things about herself, Miss Movado does too. It is another powerful thing to read about. AND it is a great resource for the language arts or English classroom just as a mentor text for talking about poetry or writing. The book touches on many English class topics such as: Imagery, Personification, "The Raven", "Harlem", Writing, and Poetry.

I will say, like Miss Movado preaches in the book, don't judge a book by its cover. The cover (and description) of this book do not do the book justice. First, May is a 13 year old girl, not 12 as the description says and not 9 like the cover portrays. Also, she doesn't go on a fire escape to dream and she doesn't have a cat. I think the cover is going to drive away readers who need this book.

Read Together: Grades 6 to 8

Read Alone: Grades 6 to 10

Read With: Bluefish by Pat Schmatz, Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen-Fernlund, No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman, Just Juice by Karen Hesse

Snatch of Text: "...They're not meant to be rocket science," Movado the Avocado said. "And there is never any right answer, May. They're your words. Your thoughts. The point is just to get you writing." 
     "But why? Why are English teachers always so gung ho about getting us to write?"
     "Because it's important," Movado the avocado said. "You need to know how to compose a good sentence, whether in a letter, a story, or a poem. And sometimes, when you write well, you get a chance to see things in a whole different way."
     "My favorite time of day is lunch. I am usually starving by the time lunch comes around, so it's a good time." I repeated my words in a dull tome of voice. "That's seeing things in a whole different way?"
     "Maybe not yet," Movado the Avocado said. "But it's writing. And like anything else, the more you do it, the better you'll get at it."
     "I hate writing."
     "Why?"
     "It's boring. And hard." I tapped the side of my head. "I can never get what's in my head down on paper."
     (p. 82-83)

Mentor Text for: Writing, Poetry, Imagery (Ch. 20 & 29), Personification (Ch. 32 & 33) 

Writing Prompts: Sit outside and close your eyes like May and Ms. Movado did and just listen. What did you hear? What did it sound like? What are some things outside you could bring to life?

Topics Covered: Loss, Family, School, Anger

I *heart* It:

Gabby and Gator

Title: Gabby and Gator 
Author: James Burks 
Illustrator: James Burks
Publisher: Yen Press 
Publication Date: September 2010 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Graphic Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Gator has just never seemed to fit in with the other neighborhood pets...probably because he has a nasty habit of eating the other neighborhood pets. Flushed down the toilet as just a little snapper, Gator spends his days alone in the sewers...

On the streets above, little Gabby has never seemed to fit in with the other kids in town. She'd rather collect bottles and practice her tuba than gossip with the girls down at the pool, but it does get lonely being the only vegetarian on the block...
When Gabby and Gator meet, their fun and adventures prove that the best friends are those who accept you as you are, teeth and all! 
What I Think: After spending the weekend with Nerdy Book Club friends at Kids Read Comics in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I have been thinking a lot about comics and graphic novels. I definitely feel overwhelmed when I walk into a comics store with my five-year-old. Talking with Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier over the weekend helped me realize that, while it might not be appropriate to take my five-year-old into a comic book store just yet, I am already offering him lots of graphic novels that are totally appropriate for his age and are also introducing him to the world of comics. I thought today I would share one of my all-time favorite graphic novels and author/illustrator/cartoonist, James Burks.
I consider Gabby and Gator to be a graphic novel but it is oversized - it's more the size of a picture picture book than anything else. The story is very much like a novel. It starts out with back story from Gator and then readers meet Gabby and see how Gabby and Gator's stories intermix. Neither one of them feel happy, they don't really feel like they fit in...until they meet each other and becomes instant friends. I love the colors and the artwork but I also love these great characters and their friendship.
James Burks has written Beep and Bah which is another well-loved book in our house and has a new graphic novel coming in the fall, Bird and Squirrel On the Run.
Read Together: Grades K - 3 
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 6 
Read With: Beep and Bah by James Burks, Binky the Space Cat (series) and Larf by Ashley Spires, Sidekicks by Dan Santat 
Snatch of Text: There isn't a book trailer for Gabby and Gator but it will hopefully be a cartoon sooner than later. Here's a sample of the animation that gives you an idea of the artwork and the characters! 

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Making Inferences, Making Predictions 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative  
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you felt different from other kids your age. Did you change to be more like them or did you stay true to your beliefs and who you are? 
Topics Covered: Friendship, Independence, Values, Morals, Bullies, Identity, Adversity 

I *heart* It:

 

Guys Read: The Sports Pages

Title: Guys Read: The Sports Pages     
Edited By: Jon Scieszka
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Walden Pond Press  
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012   
Genre/Format: Sports Fiction/Short Stories 
GoodReads Summary:  Ten stories guaranteed to put you in the ring, under the basket, and right behind home plate, from the following perennial all-stars: Dustin Brown, James Brown, Joseph Bruchac, Chris Crutcher, Tim Green, Dan Gutman, Gordon Korman, Chris Rylander, Anne Ursu, Jacqueline Woodson
What Jen Thinks: I live with a PE teacher (my husband) so I was excited to get the opportunity to read and review Guys Read: The Sports Pages! In our house, we love football and basketball but my husband stays up to date on everything sports. I was excited to see the stories covered a range of sports and included different genres. I also liked that there are stories from current athletes as well as those who played before, who students may not recognize. 
It really doesn't matter what sport the stories are about, if you love sports, I think you will enjoy this book. Really, at the heart of sports stories is the main character. Whether the character is real or fictional, a player or a spectator, he or she has something unique to share about the commitment, the determination, and motivation, and the sheer love of the game. 
As I read, I found myself thinking about one of my students who loves to play hockey. Even though hockey is his passion, I think he would enjoy all of these stories. Last school year, this student wrote about what it feels like to get hit into the boards in a hockey game. We used Gary Schmidt's book Okay For Now as a mentor text and looked at how Schmidt stops a moment in time and explodes it with description. I can see how these stories would have been perfect mentor texts for this particular student who loves sports.
What Kellee Thinks:  I love baseball, so when The Sports Pages' first story was one by Don Gutman about baseball that cracked me up so much that I ran to the other room to tell my husband about it - the book had won me over. Realistically, like most short story collections, I found stories I really enjoyed and others I enjoyed less. Personally, I liked the baseball stories the most because I am a fan where others will like the football stories. Either way, this book has a bit of something for almost all sports lovers: tennis, hockey, basketball, baseball, football, and MMA.

As a teacher, I love short story collections because they can easily be used for read alouds or mentor texts. This particular collection has such a wide mix of texts.  Though I specifically feel that the pieces nonfiction are the best pieces in the collection to use as exemplar texts and each memoir piece is formatted differently- one more of an interview (with Dustin Brown), one more of a humorous narrative (by Don Gutman) and one a personal narrative (by James Brown). I will definitely be purchasing this book because it will be loved (and because the ARC is missing Chris Crutcher's story and I HAVE to read it!). 
Read Together:  Grades 3 to 8
Read Alone:  Grades 4 to 9
Read With:  Guys Read series edited by Jon Sciezska, Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher, Football Genius (series) by Tim Green, sports fiction novels by Mike Lupica, Tim Green, John H. Ritter, Carl Deuker, or John Feinstein
Snatch of Text:  "So what can we learn from all this? 
Nothing! What, you thought there was going to be some kind of moral or lessons in this book? Forget about it. It's just sports. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And sometimes you lose for eighty-six years in a row." (Dan Gutman, pg. 16) 

"My parents were right: focusing on getting the best possible education truly has provided me with the foundation to have enjoyed much more in life that I could have ever dreamed. 
Thanks, Mom and Dad." (James Brown, p. 160)
Mentor Text For: Memoirs, Personal Narrative
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you wanted something so badly - whether it's about being great at a sport or something else - and how determination felt to you.
Topics Covered: Sports - Baseball, Tennis, Football, Hockey, Mixed Martial Arts, Basketball; Identity, Rivalry, Competition, Humor, Bullying, Reflection, Revenge, Motivation, Friendship

Jen and Kellee *heart* It:

**Thank you so much to Walden Pond Press for giving us a copy of Guys Read: The Sports Pages to review and for providing copies of each of the Guys Read books for the giveaway!**

The giveaway is now closed! The winner will be announced on Monday, July 16th!

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 07/09/12

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

After doing the meme for a couple of weeks, we realized this would be a fun meme to start up with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in! We have loved being a part of this meme and we hope you do too!  We encourage everyone participating to go and visit the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and to comment on as many posts as you can. We love talking books and believe in sharing and discussing what we're reading. We hope you join us!

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Jen Says: I finished Stephen King's On Writing. It was completely brilliant. You can read about some of my favorite quotes from yesterday's Teachers Write post. I read Goddess Girls Artemis the Loyal by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams and Guys Read: The Sports Pages. Both were really fun! I started Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead, too. I'm still listening to Fallen In Love by Lauren Kate...just because I barely find time for audiobooks, but it's good! I did read a few books with my sons from We Give Books, too!

Kellee Says: I had a pretty good week. First, I finished the Captain Underpants series as well as the first book in the Super Diaper Baby series and Ook & Gluk series. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the series so much more than I thought I was going to. I was surprised at how much I found that I could use in the classroom and I will be sharing it next week. Additionally, I read a fantastic fiction graphic novel Cow Boy by Nate Cosby and illustrated by Chris Eliopoulos. 


I also read two nonfiction graphic novels put together by the Discovery Channel- Ten Deadliest Sharks and Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Predators by Joe Brusha. They will definitely be a hit in my classroom. They are extremely very well done. In addition to the nonfiction graphic novels, I read a nonfiction book called Attack on Pearl Harbor for summer school that starts today. 


Finally, I finished 3 novels and 2 picture books. The 2 picture books I read were One Cool Friend by Tony Buzzeo (which I had to read after reading Jen's review) and Ladybug Girl by David Soman.  The 3 novels were for review and I cannot wait to share them with you: Aphrodite the Diva by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams, Guys Read: The Sports Pages compiled by Jon Sciezska, and Chasing Yesterday by Mike Hays. 

Reviewed Last Week:

  

 

Just click on any picture above to go read the review

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

Jen Says: I'm planning on finishing Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead and then settling in for some professional reading. I have Pathways to the Common Core and Ten Things Every Writer Needs to Know to read and a few books on mentoring/coaching. I also borrowed Drama by Raina Telgemeier from Colby so I'm anxious to read that, too! **Correction! I finished Drama and it's perfect. I was impressed again by Rain Telgemeier.**

Kellee Says: I start teaching summer school today so I have a couple of books I have to read. I already read the Pearl Harbor book for this week. I also started Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading today which is the read aloud my teacher partner already started (and I should finish it soon) and I need to read True Teen Stories for the following week. I also am going to read Chase Against Time by Steve Reifman for review. I also hope to get to From What I Remember like I'd planned last week.  OH! And I should finish my audio book, Silverwing, since I'll be driving too and from school. Next to that, I am not sure what I am going to read. 

This Week's Reviews:

   

   Check back throughout the week to hear about these books. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

Please link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

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TMT Summer Writing Group - Week Six

Any time I get excited about something, I search for books to learn more about it. When I knew I was going to be focusing on writing this summer, I bought Real Revision by my Teachers Write! amazing author friend, Kate Messner, and 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know by Jeff Anderson. Before I let myself dig into either of those though, I wanted to read On Writing by Stephen King.

I have only read a few of Stephen King's fiction books - The Shawshank Redemption being my favorite (both the book and the movie are fantastic). I tend to not like creepy-horror-suspense books or watch those movies but I recognize Stephen King as an amazing storyteller regardless. 

Reading On Writing is exactly what I needed to read! It's a perfect book. He starts by talking about his childhood and it's mainly autobiographical but he also weaves in how his experiences led him to his career as an author. Later in the book, he focuses seriously on writing and talks about his process and what makes sense to him. Let me show you how much I loved this book:

I marked a page any time I read something I thought I would want to go back to. The picture says enough - I absolutely loved this book! I recommend that all Teachers Write participants read this! 

Last week, I talked about having a writer's notebook, this week, I'll share some of my favorite parts of Stephen King's on writing that focus on actually just getting started with writing. The first quote actually ties in with the topic of having a writer's notebook from last week. Get your ideas in those notebooks!

"There is no Idea Dump, no Story Central, no Island of the Buried Bestsellers, good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky: two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn't to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up." p. 37

Here are a few quotes about how important it is to read read read in order to be able to write. This is so important and something we need to recognize when we teach. We need to get kids reading but also get them paying attention to what's around them so they can get writing as well.

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” p. 145

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

“Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life.” p. 147

He also explains that when we do get down to reading and writing consistently, we can learn about ourselves and what helps us read and write. That's what Teachers Write has been about - about doing the work so we can better help students do the work. 

“You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself. These lessons almost always occur with the study door closed.” p. 236

These next two quotes changed my approach to writing. I have been dedicated to writing this summer and I read Kate's blog about making time to write and to write everyday. I didn't think a lot about where to write and how to make the most of the time I do set aside for writing. This week I have really eliminated distractions and it has made a huge difference! 

“For any writer, but for the beginning writer in particular, it’s wise to eliminate every possible distraction.” p. 156

“When you write, you want to get rid of the world, do you not? Of course you do. When you’re writing, you’re creating your own worlds.” p. 156

How did I eliminate distractions? Stephen King helped me with this, too. We live in a townhouse so all space is shared space. None of us have a spot all our own. When I read that King wrote in a laundry room, I realized that could be my writing space! A space to close the door and shut out distractions.

“I wrote my first two published novels, Carrie and ‘Salem’s Lot, in the laundry room of a doublewide trailer, pounding away on my wife’s portable Olivetti typewriter and balancing a child’s desk on my thighs; John Cheever reputedly wrote in the basement of his Park Avenue apartment building, near the furnace. The space can be humble (probably should be, as I think I have already suggested), and it really needs only one things: a door which you are willing to shut. The closed door is your way of telling the world and yourself that you mean business; you have made a serious commitment to write and intend to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.” p. 155

It's already week six of Teachers Write...if you haven't joined in yet, now is the time! And if you have, remember to just keep going. Define a goal or a purpose, make the time, and get to it. Here's what Stephen King says to that:

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.

After that, things can only get better.” p. 269

I was inspired by this book but now that I've spent my time reading about writing, it's time to write!

“…the hours we spend talking about writing 

is time we don’t spend actually doing it.” p. 144

My rules for the TMT Summer Writing Group:

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

2. We only criticize each other constructively.

3. We are positive and encourage each other at all times.

4. We recognize and maintain this as a safe environment.

**I reserve every right to put the smackdown

on anyone who messes with our positive energy.**

Today, in the comments section:
Where do you write? How do you eliminate distractions?

How did you do this week? Did you meet your weekly goal(s)?

What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the not-fun part?)

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

What are you looking forward to and planning for the week ahead?

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week of writing!