Language Arts

Today was our first class period with Dr. Peterson. She was our (Brittany and I) field experience supervisor. I'm so excited for the things we are going to learn in her class. I am especially excited to learn strategies for teaching writing that let students create with out being encumbered by mechanics. Not that I've decided the mechanics of writing are unimportant. Just that sometimes the strategies for teaching them inhibit young writers. So I'm looking forward to "Words Their Way."
I've already read "A Writers Note Book" and found myself itching to start a list, ponder a funny thing my kids said when they were small, or record a memory. The thing I'm going to love about being a teacher is participating in the same activities we encourage students to engage in.
We wrote a poem. First we examined items that Dr. Peterson had brought for us. Then we used a formula to get us started. We could write about any or all of the items.

Looks like
Sounds like
Feels like
Smells like
Seems like
Is (or doing)
? (ask a question of the item)

It one of the first things to add to my writers notebook, a rough poem. That's like a rough draft-it's not "finished."

Plain and unadorned
soft, comfortable, familiar
...of home and work.
You seem less than we know you are.
Have you wondered this yourself?