In class, we worked on writing and performing Poems for Two Voices, in which two people read the same poem. The poems are designed for voices to weave in and out on a topic, and our young poets did a fantastic job.
Take a listen:
- Group One
- Group Two
- Group Three
- Mr. H and Mr. M read a poem (written by Mr. H)
We hope you enjoy our voices!
Writing from some of our students is being featured on a new online journal of young people’s writing (which is being spearheaded by a friend of Mr. H) which seeks to create a place for young writers to get published.
The site is called SPACE and the second edition features:
As the journal continues to develop, we hope to have more of our writers getting published. If you have something you would like to have published, please let Mr. H know and he can work with you.
Head to SPACE to see some neat pieces of writing.
– Mr. H
PS — We also had some of our students featured in the first edition of Space. They published stories inspired by Harris Burdick.
(a comic in haiku)
As we move deeper into poetry, we worked on writing Haikus on Friday. A Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that is a 5-7-5 format (based on syllables) and traditional Haikus focus on nature. We wrote two haikus: one traditional and one non-traditional.
Some students then podcasted one of their poems.
Listen to a collection of Haikus from across all four classes.
Have a nice vacation!
– Mr. H
Students worked on illustration some sentences that represented the use of personification in writing.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
As we explore Figurative Language techniques, we are learning more ways that the writer can engage the reader in exciting ways. One interesting technique is known as Alliteration and the classic tongue twister is a great example of alliteration (the repeating starting sound for a series of words).
In class, we worked on our own tongue twisters and some students shared their words through a podcast.
Here are four tongue twisters that Mr. Hodgson created for all four teachers.
Mr. Hodgson hopes he has happy students here and in the hallways. However, he’s helping hippos to hop, too, so he’s holding up helium balloons in his hands for help.
Mr. Chamberlin is chomping on chewy chestnuts, although the children and chimps choose chocolate cheese-puffs instead.
Mrs. Rice is really a rock star, riding in her race car on roads that rarely run ragged, so remember to record her rags-to-riches story in reruns.
Mr. Meunier merely mentions the moment when his motorcycle went meandering for miles and miles when marbles start to fall from his mouth, making him mumble.
The way to become a legend is through a Tall Tale, right?
Our work in Figurative Language techniques begins with the use of hyperbole, also known as the art of extreme exaggeration. Your task was to write a short tall tale story about some real life event and then use hyperbole to add some creativity to the story.
CLICK HERE to use the comment link to post your story (remember: no last names and remove anything in your tall tale that might identify who you are). I may collect them all and republish as a website.
– Mr. Hodgson, the 100,000-foot-tall teacher of millions of eager students.
Mr. Mayo, who led the Many Voices for Darfur Project, is starting an Internet Magazine for student writing which is called Space and some of our Norris students are in the first issue. I sent in some of the earlier Harris Burdick stories and Mr. Mayo liked them very much.
Take a look at Space by clicking here
If you want to get something published in Space, just let me know.
– Mr. H
Here are two more pieces of student writing on the Darfur situation:
The genocide in Darfur is awful, and something needs to be done. So far the genocide has killed 400,000 people! It has left another 2.5 million people homeless! I think a way to stop the killing is to allow the United Nation’s Peace Keeping Force in. With their help I think Darfur would become a safer, less violent place. It would also help the fighting become less violent. In conclusion, I think Darfur needs help, and we can help in these ways.
I am writing to tell you what I think we should do to stop the genocide in Darfur. What is going on there is wrong and should be stopped. Innocent people are getting killed or losing their homes. We can help them by trying to re-build villages and building more shelters. Another thing we can do is have fundraisers. If we raise a lot of money we can definitely either send them food or help re- build their huts. Those are just some of the ways we can make a difference.
As part of our involvement in a global project to bring the spotlight on the genocide taking place in the Darfur region of the Sudan, some students recorded their persuasive paragraphs as a podcast.
You can listen in:
