Read and hear the work of our young writers!
Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self! Ever have a feeling that you just couldn’t describe? Or maybe you’ve seen something but there isn’t a word for it yet. Make up your own word, and write a dictionary definition for it.
Share with us! Post your descriptions in the comments section of our blog.
Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self! Imagine you have found a message in a bottle that has floated up to where you are sitting on the beach. What does the message say? Who do you think sent it?
Share with us! Post your descriptions in the comments section of our blog.
Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self! Today's prompt challenges you to get creative visually! Try being an editor for the day! Read an article, a story, or a chapter of a book, making comments as you go. Then, write a letter to the author telling them what you liked and didn’t like, and what they could do to improve their piece.
Share with us! Post your descriptions in the comments section of our blog.
As those of you who read our newsletter have seen, our January focus was on the Common Core. We appreciate the responses we've received and are happy that one of our parents has allowed us to repost her response to continue this dialogue on making our educational structure stronger for our children (original wording of the newsletter is below the response).
As an educator expert on Common Core, I couldn't help but respond.The standards do emphasize higher order thinking skills and rich content learning through non-fiction. That said, the narrative is an essential form that is still strongly represented in the standards and actually the sentiment that you relay below is a bit of a "myth" about the Core.As a secondary teacher for over 15 years I saw so many student(s) come to me as teenagers with a deep knowledge of narrative structures and storytelling and able to write persuasively from the "I" point of view. However, they woefully lacked the ability to learn from informational text and did not have robust background knowledge in science, history, art, etc. They could read the words on the page but were not able to apply a critical lens to what they read or comprehend. The data also is clear that we have big gaps in college and career readiness - so the goal of the Core is to focus teachers on college and career readiness so we can reduce our large rates of college remediation. Moreover, many elementary schools use basal readers and almost exclusively teach narrative structures k-5. This has been a big issue for middle and high school teachers as the demands (turn) from learning to read to reading to learn.I do agree that we need a balance but I also think that the negative conversation about the reduction of narrative outlined by the Core is misguided and narrow - my opinion. Nowhere in the standards does it say that nonfiction is more rigorous than fiction. If you can find it, let me know. In fact the appendices of the Core are RICH with narrative examples - we are being asked to push students in new ways with what they do with them!Here is a link to my blog post on the subject:Respectfully,Sasha Kirkman
One of the debates is over the new emphasis on analytic and critical thinking. The Common Core focuses less on self-expression, and much more on persuasive, argumentative and analytical writing.
We must admit, we're biased. We don't think that writing about non-fiction texts is somehow more rigorous than reading and writing poetry, short stories or novels, and that writing explanatory or argumentative essays is more worthwhile than creative writing. Isn't there room for both? The Common Core stresses analytic, critical thinking-based writing, but what about the thinking-outside-the-box, imaginative approach to writing? What about the beauty of being able to write something that is not considered “right” or “wrong?”
At “Take My Word For It!” we will continue to celebrate creative writing - inviting our students to take literary adventures, while at the same time, teaching them about the craft. While we respect the aim and importance of the Common Core Standards, we will continue to offer kids the chance to grab a pencil and let their imaginations run wild.
-Sondra Hall Founder and Director
Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self! Have you ever wondered if your pets dream? Write about something you think your pet might dream about.
Share with us! Post your descriptions in the comments section of our blog.
Ever heard of a word portrait? Did you know that portraits aren't just painted with paintbrushes or taken with a camera? In this session, the 4th & 5th grade students at Thornhill Elementary have been writing portraits of their lives, the lives of others, the places they love and more.
From My Name Is Exercise: (Using this prompt please use personification to write about your name.)
My Name Is... My name is made from the sweet smell of eucalyptus in the morning, the deep, low rumble and roar of the tiger, the squeaks, purrs, and kindness of how my pets greet me when I come home. The gentle breeze when I sit outside reading, writing, stoking my pets, and listening to the birds chirp in the afternoon. My name is made from the joyfulness of going to Peru and hiking, biking, learning, going to new places and going rafting in a tough river. I found my name can fly to the depths of the sky and run as fast as a cheetah.
- Michela
My Name Is...
My name is made from the flowers that bloom in the spring and the snowflakes that fall in the winter. I found my name in a redwood tree high above the ground. My name can fly high above the ground, and never come down. If I lost my name I would look in the trees and in the sky and find it right where I left it.
- Gwen
My Name Is... My name is made from little baby pandas screeching at the zoo. It is from my pen scribbling across my page. I found my name in a deep dark hole in the ground. My name dashes through the colors of life. If I lost my name I would cry until I found my mischievous name.
- Sophie
From Portrait of a Place Exercise:
One day I was in Japan. I was walking on the street and I saw agate that led to a garden. There were cats and dogs cuddling, pretty red, orange, green, and pink plants and trees all over the soft grass. Birds singing. Benches for people to sit on. I smelled the pine trees. The flowers smelled better than ever too. I thought I tasted fruits and veggies. There was a door. It led to a lake as blue as the sky. Beavers building dams and owls sleeping. It was amazing. No not amazing. Outstanding.
- Robert
From My Emotion Is Exercise: (Using this prompt please use personification to write about your emotion.)
My Emotion Is ...
My happiness is courageous and strong.
My happiness comes from the sleek, black piano downstairs.
I found my happiness in the ripe, juicy blackberries that grow outside in the summer.
My happiness can soar high in the sky with the birds and the clouds.
If I ever lost my happiness, I would search high and low and probably find it right where I left it.
- Emma
From the Paint a Word Portrait Exercise: (Describe a person using as many metaphors and similes as you can.)
Untitled Black and White the Horse: She is a white as a new blanket of snow with black spots as black as the sky when it is dark at night. As gentle as a flower, as pretty as a rose, as caring as a mother, she is as playful as a baby.
-Aisling
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She has freckles that sprinkle across her nose and under her eyes like chocolate sprinkles on a vanilla cupcake. She has eyes that are brown like my Papa’s skin. She has wavy blonde hair that looks like the wood of Ms. Young’s desk. She has a line of pearly whites that she flashes when she is happy.
- Lauren
His eyes were as gray as a cloudy day, his face tomato-red with laughter. His thin hair standing up. The highlights of blond from the long summer heat.
-Mitch
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Her fur is as black as the darkest night. Her eyes are as round as moons and as yellow as sunflower petals. Her nose is as rich and luxurious as chocolate. Her tongue is as pink as candy and as rough as sandpaper. Here ears are as soft as a warm fuzzy jacket. Her body is as warm as a fireplace.
- Anneke
Letter to your Future self: write a letter to your future self – the person you imagine you’ll be at 21.
Dear Maxwell 21 person,
Am I famous! How are my savings, a gazillion yet? Is my chump Mitch still alive or is he losing it wandering the halls? By the way did I get that computer for Hanakuh? No leaving the house at night! Do I have 12 kids? Is there a war? Who is president? Are there zombies in the street? Is Mitch richer than me? Please tell me you live in a house. Where do you live? Take this into consideration.
Peace Out!
Ten year old Maxwell
Dear Sidney from the future,
...Are you tall? I was just wondering because I am always in the top row for everything.
What college did you go to? What kind of job do you have? Where do you live?
Being a kid I pretty awesome! You fly on wings made out of Elmer’s glue and popsicle sticks all the way through elementary and middle school.
From Sidney, age 11
From the free write prompt: I Reached inside my pocket...
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One day I was walking to my house and I saw this tiny piece of a puzzle. It was black with white spots so I put the random piece in my pocket. As I was placing the puzzle in my pocket a fat grump troll came up to my foot and said, “Hey big footed person why are you messing up my puzzle? I was looking for that piece.” - Kalaya
A Day in the Life Of... Exercise: (Describe a day in the life of an object or animal.)
Mr. Egg Mr. Egg trotted out of his nest; he was tired of being sat on. “I want to make a difference in the world!” he said one early Sunday morning. Suddenly he was picked up by a giant hand, “Ahh!” Of course no one could hear him. The hand was moving and then he was in a bucket of water with all of his cousins and brothers and sisters. They were trying to drown him! “Outrageous!” he mumbled to himself still holding his breath.
-- Maddy
Painting a Portrait through Voice Exercise: (Try writing a paragraph using an emotion to to practice voice.) Nervous
My hands were shaking so hard I couldn’t eat the cupcake they gave me. There were butterflies in my stomach and my knees were knocking. When the president called my name I thought I was going to die. I took a deep breath and walked in the office.
-Gulzar
Embarrasment
My palms were so sweaty they kept on slipping on the piano and my knees were knocking. The curtains started to open and I tried to prepare myself. The curtains suddenly opened and the spotlight fell on me. I started to play, at first slowly but getting faster. My nervousness disappeared, replaced by excitement and (I now regret it) even a little arrogance. O played faster and faster when suddenly I hit a wrong chord! Horrified I turned bright red and faltered for a second before continuing.
-Elijah
Nervous
My whole heart was pounding and bouncing up and down in my body. I was 100% shivering. Butterflies were having a disco party in my stomach and they were bouncing to the bottom of my feet. Everyone was just staring at me to start. My stomach was now tied in knot. Big knots. HUGE knots. ANGRY knots! I couldn’t even take a breath.
-Parsa
If You Want to Find... Exercise: (Using a unifying color, the kids create a scene using descriptive words to “paint” it.)
Green If you want to find green go look in a baseball stadium, look at the ground, you will see turf. Look at the A’s players pitching, bating and running. Look at the fans cheering and wearing A’s uniforms. Look at the shiny green shoes of the players. Take your green ice cream that you bought from the person that goes around the stadium selling stuff. Buy a hamburger, look at the lettuce inside it. When the game is done get in your shiny light green car, put you’re A’s hat on and drive home, if you want to find green.
- Adrian
Black If you want to find black look in the place with the black shadows glazed on the sidewalk. You pet the black kitten that patiently waits at your feet. I saw the black hair curled down her back. Look at the oil coming out of your car if you want to find black.
- Jamie
Green If you want to find green go out in your yard and play in the long blades of grass. Go out to the park and fins the moss at the base of a tree. Then get a look at the dirty pond with a frog jumping from one lily pad to the next. After lunch go out to the ice cream shop and buy some mint ice cream. Later after a long day go home and have dinner which will be vegetables and soup.
-Sophia
Blue
If you want to find blue look up and see the bright sky shining down on you, Or you could jump into the waves and snorkel down and find a blue fish. You could surface and see all the blue beach umbrellas scattered along the sand. You can see a beach ball bouncing in between dozens of children trying to get their hands on it.
-Olivia
