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Category Archives: Writer’s resource
Unknown, unnerving
While watching a military movie, that was unexpectedly full of death in gory detail (i.e. multiple flying body parts) my mind decided I had seen enough gruesomeness I started laughing. Unable to squelch the giggles, I told my husband that I … Continue reading
Creating pungent memories
The sense of smell is such a powerful memory enhancer that at one time people in the training business tried to capture its potential. However, the difficulty with using smell to help people retain what they had learned is that … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching writing skills, Writer's resource
Tagged Manure, Olfaction, smell and emotion, smell and memory, Vanilla
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The forgotten sense
For an recent practice in sensory description, emerging writers chose a photo from their childhood–playing on a snow drenched hill, seeking warmth in the flicker of a fireplace, or splashing in a plastic pool to escape the summer heat. For … Continue reading
Visualizing conversation
Imagine you are creating an everyday conversation of a fairly happy couple lunching at an outdoor café. The idea is to make it sound ordinary but still drop in some clues about the problems looming just beyond the horizon. However, … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching writing skills, Writer's resource
Tagged dialog, Emotion, Facial expression, Paul Ekman
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Transformations
For a recent assignment, students were to examine an advertisement. Questions led them to look at the visuals: subject of emphasis, originality of image, the placement of objects, type of people pictured. Then, they examined techniques such as use of … Continue reading
The complexity conundrum
While working with the development of a secondary language arts and literature curriculum, I had a co-worker say “If you don’t live by the 6 + 1 trait writing model, we are not going to get along.” At the time … Continue reading
Posted in Education trends, The information age, Writer's resource
Tagged educational fads, Language arts, Rote learning, Writing
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The lesson of the limes
“I’m so degraded, I owe at least a dozen limes.” Amy confesses. She is basically in a pickle, or perhaps more correctly out of pickles, pickled limes that is. She is deep into the fad of bringing limes to school … Continue reading
Posted in Literature, Writer's resource
Tagged Education, fads, fads in art, Little Women, trends
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Allusions and airs
Imagine you are discussing a current government situation with a friend. You mention an insight you learned about behind-the-scenes working of government while in our capitol. Perhaps you briefly mention that when George Bush explained this the first time, you … Continue reading
Figures of seeing
Reading ancient literature is difficult not just because of archaic words, but also ambiguous figures of speech that attempted to help the reader see the image and not just hear the words. Translate an early English text, such as Beowulf … Continue reading
Posted in Literary devices, Literature, Writer's resource
Tagged Beowulf, Figure of speech, kenning, World Literature
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Word of media
Recently we had to evacuate the school due to a gas leak. Students were jammed up against the back fence of a subdivision across from the school. Fire trucks roared past, lights flashing and phones were raised in the air … Continue reading
Posted in Style and voice, Writer's resource
Tagged Facebook, Standard written English, Twitter, Writers Resources
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