Tag: West Education Campus
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Postcards from Mars
March 2021 Imagine you are an alien from another planet and you travel to earth. You see kids playing basketball. How would you describe it? You taste a cheese sandwich. How would you describe that? I gave West fifth graders the following challenge: choose an object and then describe it as if you are an…
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Raising the Stakes
You win a pizza! Unfortunately after you pick it up, you trip and the pizza splats onto the sidewalk. Life is full of ups and downs and so are stories. Ups and downs are what makes a story interesting. You read to find out what is going to happen next. In my February workshop with…
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Getting Into Character
Writing is a lot like acting. Writers get into character and see and feel the scene as if it is really happening. We explore this idea in my second workshop with West 5th graders. On the spot we use my WOW formula to create a basic outline for a story. WOW means Want, Obstacle, Win.…
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Overcoming the Dragon of Fear
West Education Campus Residency December 11, 2020 When I join the first online session for my writing residency with West Education Campus, a handful of fifth graders are already on, talking to their teachers Ms. Wolf and Ms. Snell about the new video game they’re enjoying. The moment I pop into an online class always…