Good Celebrating

Celebrating A Few Good Things

            Thanks to Ruth Ayres at DiscoverPlayBuild,  for beginning this Saturday tradition, to reflect upon the week previous, and to celebrate something, or some things special to you personally.  It's a good time reading what others share.  Tweet at #celebratelu.

       I receive e-mails from a potter I met years ago and sometimes attend his shows if they are close. Last Saturday, after I published my post about my writing group, I went to a small showing where this potter was selling his art.

Enjoying Cybil's Nominees

     Find out what Diane Mayr at Random Noodling writes that she's finally learned when you visit her as our Poetry Friday host.  Thanks for hosting, Diane, and for telling about the 'aha' moment!  

     Special Note:  My friend and colleague at school, Suparna Kudesia, is Amy L-V's guest today on The Poem Farm.  Please welcome her and her class to Poetry Friday!  They are crazy about poetry!

       I have the honor of being a round two Cybil’s judge in poetry again this year, and have been reviewing the poetry books I already own, and ordering others that I haven’t read yet.  I don’t really have to participate yet, but am enjoying reading the nominees.  What an array of wonderful ones on the list, including those written by some of you who share on Poetry Friday!  Congratulations!

            I recently found Cat Talk at my library.  It is co-authored by Patricia MacLachlan and her daughter, Emily MacLachlan Charest, and illustrated by Barry Moser. Each page shows a lovely image of a particular cat and poetic text that describes its special personality. For those who love cats, this would make a wonderful gift, and for those who teach, I can imagine having students use this example to spark their own poems about a particular favorite pet, not necessarily a cat.  

            

Opening Doors

   Travel over to Two Writing Teachers for the Tuesday Slice of Life!
                       Tweet at SLICE2013!  And check out the new heading!  It's a great image for writing!  Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Dana, Betsy, Anna, and Elisabeth for all the work!

       This is what I would wish for all students to know, from Carl Sandburg, Poetry Considered:  "Poetry is the journal of the sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air.  Poetry is a search for syllables to shoot at the barriers of the unknown and the unknowable.  Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away. 

   

Monday Recap

It's Monday...

  ... November, DST has departed - So has That Extra Hour - and it's dark when we arrive home from work.  The only thing to do is to READ!  Not such a bad time of year, after all!

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is hosted by Jen at TEACH.MENTOR.TEXTS, and shared with Ricki and Kellee at UNLEASHING READERS.   

         And, also visit Sheila at BOOK JOURNEYS for more reviews. 

 Tweet! at #IMWAYR

Thanks to Jen, Kellee, Ricki and Sheila for keeping us reading!

        I didn't read very many books this week, but those I did were good.  I hope you all had a terrific Halloween, and are having (or have had) good, satisfying conferences.  It's always a busy time, isn't it? 

Many Moons – written by James Thurber and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin

               I was looking for a book for a teacher to use who is helping a young student study rhetoric, and re-discovered this older picture book by Thurber. A young princess is ill and it is thought she will recover if she can only have the moon. Her father asks his closest servants to help, whereupon they offer lists of all the things they have found for him through the years, but say, with various arguments, they cannot get the moon. The quest is repeated until the problem finally is solved, through wise reasoning and logic. It's a wonderful tale in itself that might start some really interesting arguments about those who give outlandish answers when it suits their own beliefs. See if you can find a copy!

Celebrating With Friends and Words

            Thanks to Ruth Ayres at DiscoverPlayBuild,  for beginning a new tradition, to reflect upon the week previous, and to celebrate something, or some things special to you personally.  It's a happy day reading what others have highlighted from their week.  Tweet at #celebratelu.

    

an old poem-seems to fit this piece

    It was a good week, busy and exciting.  I spent Tuesday evening with my grand-girls, Wednesday evening with my writing group, and like I imagine most of you, Thursday "doing" Halloween, in all its spooky, sugary goodness. Yesterday at school was certainly quieter, everyone low-key, seemed to be resting their ears from the noisiness of the holiday before.  I hosted Poetry Friday yesterday, what I called the 'after party', time to slow down and savor the words.  Like I said, a good week!