Teach Writing Right

Ah yes, the end of the school year; everything comes crashing together in the same two weeks, and things like "Teach Writing Right" blogs are neglected.  My apologies.

So that I have it on record for next year, I wanted to make sure I posted the final "Metaphor of the Week" from the two weeks of school.  Next year, I plan to create the first three metaphors of the week, then have a coffee can up front where students can write inspirational metaphors that--if chosen--will become my extra credit "Metaphor of the Week."  I am thinking I will also be "hiring" an artistic student (I've got two in mind) to come in at lunch every week on Friday to write out and illustrate the metaphor of the week instead of me doing it!

In short, the students really liked the "Metaphor of the Week" program, but I want it to be completely student-centered next year.

Anyway, here's is the final metaphor of the week for this past school year.  It came from one of my sweetest 7th graders--Jessica.  I really liked how it built two metaphors based on opposite abstract nouns: truth and lies.  I hope other students are inspired to build metaphors next year based on contradictory abstractions!

Looking forward to a bright new year of student metaphors starting in August!  If you wish to have access to any of my "metaphors of the week" from the 2011-12 school year, click here!

--Corbett

Crazy, busy, end-of-year activities abound at my school.   Yours too?  I have numerous posts to make-up for this weekend since last weekend was all about grading papers.

Last week, we celebrated Sydney's metaphor about springtime; she is one of my eighth graders, and I'm struck at how they are really applying both good "showing" skills and sentence fluency tricks (Which we've been practicing with!) to these metaphors they are writing for this weekly extra credit contest in my classroom. 

Guillermo, a seventh grader in the same class as Sydney, applied those same skills to his metaphor about life, which I was really impressed by.  Guillermo's metaphor will be seen by all my students starting Monday morning.

Enjoy the two metaphors below!

Sydney's metaphor

Gil's metaphor

--Corbett

My older brother Andy's birthday is this week, and I felt we needed an odd metaphor to celebrate the event. Not that he's odd, but not that he's normal either; none of us Harrisons are all that normal, which is a good quality, I feel.

I decided to take a metaphor of the week--in honor of all that--from one of my favorite non-normal students--Jordan, who is in seventh grade.  Jordan is an incredible young man who can amazingly build anything out of a piece of construction paper.  He tried to start an Origami Club this year, but no one else seemed interested.  I told him that--based on his amazing creations this year (his stereo-optic viewing box for one of his essays, his pet construction paper Phoenix that actually flaps its wings, etc.) that we will make sure his club "flies" next year.  I told him he could make a fortune selling fellow students replicas of his Phoenix; it's quite incredible.

Anyway, Jordan, you are this week's "Metaphor of the Week" winner, and I love the weirdness of your metaphor.  You explore things with such interesting perspectives, and I am proud your metaphor shows that.  Good work, my young writer and friend.

--Mr. Harrrison

I really appreciate my student helpers.  On Friday before Spring Break, I handed Matt--my 4th period student aide--the pen and said, "Give me an original spring metaphor to think about as soon as they walk in next Monday.  The metaphor of the week belongs to you."

Matt created his metaphor out of two abstract nouns (spring and joy), which I always think is harder to do; I always shoot for an abstract and a concrete noun myself.  Here is his metaphor:

I had a few vocal students complain that the metaphor was made up of two abstract nouns, which means I must have taught them pretty well, if you ask me.  In defense of this metaphor, however, I will cite the fact that my daffodils and my hyacinths barely lasted ten days this year before it snowed on them and froze them until next year.

Thanks, Matt.

--Mr. Harrison

I feel a little ripped off by Spring Break in Nevada once again, I'll admit...the weather rarely cooperates; we had a really beautiful day on Easter, but then the weather slowly fell apart after that.  Still, we risked having the two Westies shaved down in total anticipation that it has to become warmer ASAP.

I honor my sixth grader--Jacie's--metaphor of the week that inspired us to stay sane in the week that led up to Easter weekend.

I hope my students are excited about coming back!

Hello, teaching friends...sometimes we educators are simply swallowed by a tsunami of deadlines.  In March, it was the end of our grading period, I was enrolled in a two-credit night class,  and our students all presented their final projects (in the evening to panels of community judges), and those three things stole every free moment that I had to work on any of my websites.

So...I was and am behind; however, I have no grading to do this weekend, and I am catching up starting with this post!

Here are the last three weeks' worth of "winning" metaphors that my students submitted into my classroom's "Metaphor of the Week" contest.  My students write them and submit them, we choose a winner, and then my great student aide (Matt) illustrates them.  It's turned into a fine process and is a new way to offer legitimate extra credit points to students who are taking ideas we've discussed to an extra place.  I have a lot of students writing about the weekly metaphors in their writer's notebooks, I have also noticed.

So three weeks ago, the "Metaphor of the Week" prize went to seventh grader Ian.  I pointed out to the class that this really wasn't a a true metaphor, but I liked the statement's positive sentiment, and I like the implied metaphor about life having storms that we weather.  Thanks to Ian; I hope he inspires some of our kids to head out into the spring rains in April and dance their hearts out!

Two weeks ago, another seventh grade boy--Jared--submitted the following metaphor, which I felt was an appropriate one to end our unit on Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.


And finally, last week, Nate became my first sixth grader to submit a "winning" metaphor to this classroom process.  Although it's supposed to be "Mr. Stick's Metaphor of the Week," I allowed Matt (my aide) to go a little-less-stick and more-Seuss-ian with the accompanying drawing.  If that unique creature doesn't remind you of a Star-belly Sneetch, then you obviously don't know that book!


After this week, we have our Spring Break.  I have a challenge on my Edmodo classroom site right now to create a spring-themed metaphor for this upcoming week.  I am betting that the next metaphor I'll be posting will be somehow spring-inspired.

Expect more posts this weekend!  I have a lot of student samples "back-logged" and two new lessons to post.

--Corbett

We're finishing Flowers for Algernon this week, and my seventh graders will begin working on projects that explore this book's themes.  Two weeks ago, we had a metaphor about knowledge, then a metaphor about ignorance, then a metaphor about confusion.  I am hoping these three metaphors help my seventh graders arrive at some interesting discussion points that will lead to some discoveries of interesting themes about Charley Gordon.

Anyway....on her birthday...my seventh grader--Wonje--had her metaphor chosen as the "Mr. Stick Metaphor of the Week" last Friday.  I finally had a chance to post it today.  Enjoy!

Good work (as usual), Wonje!

Another Flowers for Algernon-inspired "Metaphor of the Week," I suspect.  We had a great book-club discussion last week on what group of people was happiest in life: below-average intellectuals, average intellectuals, or above-average intellectuals.

Anyway, here is 7th grader Gwen's metaphor for ignorance.  I suspect it will add to our discussion this week too!

Have a great week!

--Corbett

Thanks to 7th grader Mitchel (for writing it!) and 8th grader Matt (for illustrating it on my whiteboard!), I have a metaphor of the week in honor of Charley Gordon, main character in Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon, which my 7th graders are currently reading.

The version of the book begins with the following quote from Plato, which we've been using as our "jumping off spot" every time we have had a class discussion about the story's progress.  I chose Mitchel's metaphor this week because it will help us speak one more time about this quote: 

"Anyone who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eye are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter life, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other..." Plato, The Republic

Thanks again, Mitchel and Matt!  Have a great week, everyone.  "Meta-Force be with you, students and teachers!"


--Corbett

Our fourth week of LOVE metaphors to prime ourselves for Valentine's Day this Tuesday.  I've been trying to convince my students that writing a poem to your potential Valentine is the best technique for showing your love or interest in someone; certainly better than a Hallmark card or some fattening chocolate!  I believe I have a number of them planning to do this, and I believe these metaphors of the week have helped them understand poetic elements!

My Start & Stop Poems, which we started last week, have proved a good format for these Valentine's Day poems, especially for those of my kids who need more poetic structure.

Anyway, below is this week's "Mr. Stick Metaphor of the Week."  This is the third week that my students have been the contributors for these metaphors; thanks to Kendall (one of my sixth graders) for this metaphor. And this is the first week that I have turned the writing and illustration of these metaphors to my student aide, 8th grader Matt!

It's a good feeling to be able to turn over classroom responsibilities like these over to my students!


Have a great week!

--Corbett

My second student-contributed Metaphor of the week is now featured!  Thanks, to my seventh-grader, Emily!  Emily actually draws Mr. Stick better than I do (as evidenced here -- the ABC list is Emily's!), so I may have her change my drawing!

After next week, we will start moving to abstract nouns that are NOT love.  :-)

--Corbett

All right.  I am back.  Finals are over, which pretty much exhausted me this year, and we are back and running writer's workshop in class again.

I told my students that around Valentine's Day, they would be responsible for writing the "Metaphor of the Week" for the rest of the school year.  I explained that I wanted the first few ones to be about LOVE, in honor of the February Holiday!

To inspire them, I created the following metaphor about love.  Zach--one of my eighth graders--informed me that my scientific knowledge was flawed.  Instead of steel, according to Zach, I should have said "iron." 

I am pleased to say that our first student-contributed "Metaphor of the Week" was posted Monday, and this Monday a new one will go up!  My kids are totally jazzed that they are now in charge of this responsibility.  I will continue to do the art; they will provide the inspiration.

Elijah--an eighth grader--contributed this metaphor:


I'll be posting some new lessons I have finalized tomorrow.  Off to make dinner now!

--Corbett

Yikes!  Where did holiday break go?  Spending the weekend assessing writer's notebooks, portfolio pieces, and preparing final exam tasks.  I truly enjoyed NOT doing any of these things the past 14 days, but I have to get serious over the next two days.

I put my first Metaphor of the Week for 2012 before vacating the classroom December 23rd.  It's photographed, and I assume it's still on my whiteboard ready for Monday morning...will probably check Sunday morning when I drop off these baskets of Writer's Notebooks cluttering my living room.

More posts coming this weekend!  Back in the saddle again!

--Corbett

...but I suspect I will be sorely disappointed this year.  I forgot to post the "Mr. Stick Metaphor of the Week" over the weekend.   But here is Mr. Harrison's Christmas Wish (in the form of metaphor) that my students are looking at as we prepare for a two-week holiday that starts on December 24th this year.  Who planned this schedule, district folks?



Have a great holiday, everyone.

--Corbett

My seventh graders have just begun work on their first big cross-curricular project for 2012.  On the evening of January 18, they will be hosting a carnival for their parents, peers, and community judges.  After studying how probability can be applied to population statistics in social studies, they will design science-topic-inspired carnival games that explain to participants' their probability of winning or losing each game.  It will be an evening of science games with probability and prizes!

To accompany their games and set a further carnival mood, the students will also be designing cardboard cut-outs (like this one), where attendees can stick their head through a hole and be photographed as an interesting character from the Steinbeck novels we have been reading and discussing: The Pearl, The Red Pony, and Tortilla Flat.

Next week, we begin writing the character analysis essays that will inspire the cardboard character cut-outs!  The "Mr. Stick Metaphor of the Week" they'll see Monday is designed to be thematic for the project that is about to unfold.

--Corbett

In September, we had discussed the story of Theseus and the 12 other Athenian youths who were sent to the labyrinth in Crete as food for the Minotaur; made some great comparisons between this myth and The Hunger Games, which many of my students had read over the summer.  In the original myth, Princess Ariadne (who was actually the Minotaur's sister) sneaks Theseus a ball of twine, which helps him escape--not unlike the parachutes that fall into the arena to help Katniss.

Anyway, the metaphor of the week, which the students will see tomorrow, is an allusion back to that story.  I'm finding Mr. Stick's Metaphor of the Week a great way to remind students of stories and poems we had read much earlier in the year.

I have five separate literature circles going on among my students this month and going up to winter break.  All students will be writing a character analysis essay based on one dynamic and one static character from the novel they are reading in these literature circles.

This week's metaphor (which they'll see tomorrow morning) is a reminder of the terms dynamic and static characters.  Enjoy!

If you're interested in the five lit circles going on with my kids right now, here they are:  My sixth graders are reading Animal Farm, my eighth graders are reading Rocket Boys, and my seventh graders had the choice of a Steinbeck novel (Tortilla Flat) or two novellas (The Red Pony & The Pearl)

--Corbett

Again...still catching up on BLOG postings because of my wife's surgery earlier this month.  While I was out with her during recuperation, my students received their report cards.

As a kid, I used to hate not knowing what grade I had earned until the day we received that piece of paper.  I made sure I planned a few lessons that allowed me to call each kid up to my desk a week before grades were due from me so that my kiddos knew exactly why they received what they received as a mark.  No surprises in my classroom!

As each kid talked to me, I asked, "What does this grade tell you that you need to do for the remaining nine weeks of our semester?"  And when they answered, I asked, "So if that advice you just gave yourself was a 'road sign,' what would it read?"  I loved the answers they gave; some very literal; others very creative.

So...this has been my metaphor of the week for this past week.  I think we'll be doing some more road sign metaphors over the next few weeks to remind them to stay the course.

Check out all my "Mr. Stick Metaphors of the week" by clicking here.

With two major holidays, November and December strike me as more family-oriented months, which began my thinking as I decided on next week's "Mr. Stick Metaphor of the Week."  We also had our first freeze this last week (so long, cherry tomatoes and basil plants!), and--add to all that--my wife is undergoing some pretty serious back surgery on Tuesday, which is going to make us both really reliant on both our mothers' care and attention as we recover from this over the next three or four weeks.

As I weighed these three influences Friday afternoon, our classroom metaphor of the week just kind of fell into place without much help.  It was almost odd; I just kind of started writing it on the white board without thinking about what exactly I was writing.  As I started sketching the picture, one of my students in the last period of the day on Friday (which is when I usually change the metaphor) said, "Oh, that's a really good one, Mr. Harrison."

And it is...Hats off to metaphors that just fall into place without much effort.

Here's hoping your family serves as a "warm blanket" in your lives between now and the end of 2011.

--Corbett

We've successfully created our personal recipes in our writer's notebook and turned them in for an assessment today.  Next week, in honor of Common Core Standards' Writing Across the Curriculum strand, my students are bringing to my language arts class their ideas for science-inspired recipes.  Eventually, they'll all have a two-page recipe spread that resembles my teacher model.

To move those students brains towards their science recipes, I have dedicated next week's "Mr. Stick Metaphor" to the following metaphor:

I hope my metaphors of the week continue to inspire you--as well as my students!  Our set of nine Writer's Notebook Bingo Cards are still available at our website...

Have a great week, fellow teachers!

--Corbett