Teaching tricks

Chapter 2 in my Survey of Children's Lit. textbook, The Wonder of it All, is probably the most interesting chapter I've read in any textbook all year (and that includes last winter semester, too). I thoroughly enjoyed reading the entire chapter, titled "The Presence of Literature to Build Community." In fact, I enjoyed it so much that, by the end of my reading, I was nearly ready to change my major once again and become an elementary teacher. Never fear though, I said nearly, not definitely. I figure I might as well graduate with Mass Communication before venturing off into another major. Anyway, one section in the chapter talked about how students could introduce themselves to their teacher and classmates through writing. One idea, from Margaret Wise Brown's The Important Book, uses a poetic pattern. I've tried a few verses using objects in my apartment that I can see from my desk and then using myself:

______________________________

The important thing about a refrigerator is that it keeps food cold.
You can store things on top of it,
and you can stick lists and papers
to the front of it with magnets.
But the important thing about a refrigerator is that it keeps food cold.

The important thing about a dresser is that you put clothes in it.
It can hold a mirror,
and it's a good place to put picture frames and books,
and it's very useful to stand on if you have to reach high places.
But the important thing about a dresser is that you put clothes in it.

The important thing about Alison is that she is a writer.
She likes to climb trees and read books,
and collect coins and watch lightning storms.
She loves traveling in cars, planes, ships and trains.
But the important thing about Alison is that she is a writer.

______________________________

And now that you're completely captivated, I shall bait you with the promise of riddles to come in tomorrow's blog post. See, didn't I tell you this textbook was great?

Cookies

*In honour of our recently-completed poetry section

On Friday evening we had three friends over to make cookies. While they were in the oven baking (the cookies, not the friends) we were inspired to write cookie poetry. Each of us in turn wrote a line of the poem. Our original plan was to have an AABB rhyme scheme, but the ever-mischievous Tim kind of wrecked that when he wrote the word orange at the end of line three. So the rhyme scheme became AABA. We called the poem complete after writing two stanzas. It's kind of strange (although not as weird as the ones from that poem generator). Here it is:


Cookies by AQ, BQ, CS, JG & TG
Flour, sugar, eggs and salt,
But it won't work without some malt.
Shall we add some peel of orange?
Its bad taste is not your fault.

Make sure the cookies don't get burned
Or else a lesson you'll have learned.
So watch those cookies with a care,
And you will a mighty cook have turned.


It was a fun evening and the cookies tasted great. Oh, and we also defined the newly invented word rickle as a very long, curvy licorice (with each of us contributing one word to the definition). I felt very creative by the end of the night!