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Walking Into Words

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  W riters  N eed  T o  W alk I walked this morning in the autumn sunshine. I walked when the morning air was at its freshest. The world was calm in every direction I looked. I walked keenly. I walked further and faster than I have been walking in recent times.  My capacity for walking is gradually returning after a year of less than optimal health. I am returning to where I want to be. My spirit has been heightened by my actions.    We know when we walk, our hearts pump faster and our brains and other organs get more blood and oxygen. Scientific evidence exists indicating this helps both memory and attention. Researchers have also discovered walking has a positive impact on creativity.  This makes walking pretty important for those of us who need to write. Some people are content to merely walk. I am not one of them. I monitor my walking. Time, distance, speed, frequency are important considerations. I also consciously choose a different route on each walking occasion. Variety is good

Help Poetry Thrive In The Classroom

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As the schools year gets into swing, it is timely to talk about the place of poetry in the classroom.  If we want young learners to view poetry books with a sense of enthusiastic anticipation we need to alert them to its potential. If we want young learners to have an answer to the question “ And tell me, who is your favorite poet?” then we must expose them to the world of poetry and its various forms. In exposing students to poetry we need to let them hear poetry, see poetry and feel the impact that poetry can have on the reader and listener. When we take this approach, students will begin to develop personal tastes in poetry. They will speak with authority about their preferred poets; their preferred styles. They will begin to truly know poetry. Poetry should sit comfortably along side other writing genres in a young writer's mind. It deserves to have a visible presence in every writer's notebook.  In The Beginning… When beginning this journey I frequently conduct a workshop

FREE On line Poetry Workshop: Poetry- Graffiti For The Heart

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Pleased and proud to be working with ALEA Top End to present this free Poetry Workshop on February 29th, 3.00 pm. Darwin Time. If your poet's heart needs some nourishment, please join me. Details below... ALEA Top End - Australian Literacy Educators' Association Join us for our first PL of the year with Alan J Wright (what a fabulous way to kick off 2024 am I right!) ALEA Top End are proud to offer this session FREE for all members and non-members across Australia! Simply follow the link and register to reserve your spot! https://www.alea.edu.au/.../poetry-graffiti-for-the-heart...

Encouraging Reflection Among Young Writers

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  Reflecting upon our writing lives, is a form of metacognition. We look back in order to discover. We may uncover truths. We may discover we are unconsciously skilled. We may also discover the need to redirect our energies, unpacking important details or revelations to guide our writing lives forward. Reflecting reveals signposts essential to writing development. As teachers of writing, it is vital that we encourage the growth of these same understandings with student writers. We must assist them to develop an  awareness of their own learning. Through mindful teaching, the inexperienced writer can be encouraged to to think and operate independently. In our day to day teaching we strive to assist the developing writer to be more aware of their thought processes. Attaining such a level of awareness will help them immeasurably as learners and in that process they become better writers. If we, as teachers encourage student writers to use reflection as a thinking tool, as well as a writing

Assisting Young Writers Find Writing Treasure -Ideas!

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Another school year is launching in Australian schools and for the young, inexperienced writer, learning to find suitable writing ideas; ideas that allow them to explore matters more deeply, comes into sharp focus. For teachers, it remains important to teach student writers how to firstly, identify potential writing ideas. We must show them where ideas can be found, -which is basically all around them. They are hiding in plain sight! We must let them in on this little secret. They frequently overlook possibilities purely because they are not practiced observers. Sharing how a more experienced writer determines what they will write about and how they will present their writing ideas, is an essential part of growing writers. It is an important step in the quest to develop self directed, confident and independent writers. So, where might we begin? A writer’s life experiences  are an important starting point. Encourage each and every writer to  TELL  their own unique stories of their life.

The Teacher And The Writer's Notebook

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As another school year commences here in Australia, an increasing number of t eachers are taking up the challenge of becoming teachers who write. As proof of this notion, they have committed to maintaining their own Writer’s Notebook.  If your writing life is just beginning to develop you may appreciate being alerted to possible types of entries. Notebook entries one might gather when starting out. Entries,  that will serve as examples to share with their students. Entries that will show students how you as their teacher interacts with the world. Once the writing habit forms, you will no doubt develop a greater sense of independence and self direction when it comes to collecting notebook entries. By then you'll hopefully be carrying multiple pens and seeing writing ideas everywhere you look.  If, for some reason you are experiencing trouble on the writing launch pad, maybe these ideas might prompt your thinking. They may spark a connection to a topic/idea you feel strongly about; -

The Role of Storytelling Within The Writing Classroom

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Every writer has special sources for the ideas that spark their writing. In reality, ideas are waiting all around us. Those inspirational sparks are many and varied. They are hiding in plain sight, awaiting discovery. They saturate the world in which we operate daily. The writer must develop the skill of recognizing an idea’s potential and then shaping it to their particular vision. The challenge in the classroom is how to assist those beginning to discover writing, how best to harness ideas and express them in a multitude of ways. The inexperienced writer needs support in becoming a keen observer, an enthusiastic collector and an active listener in order to better capture these writing ideas. Stories begin to loom large in the lives of young writers. It is therefore important to nurture this growing sense of story while simultaneously creating opportunities for them to create their very own -real, imagined or blended. Storytelling Before the invention of the printing press, books were

Random Notebook Thoughts About Writing

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Sharing some recent, random notebook entries concerned with writing. Hope they stir some thoughts... Open My Notebook   Uncover the pen Above the expectant page Lower it confidently To make contact with the unmarked surface And before that first line is barely dry The next is nudging it's way out. Alan j Wright Curriculum As A Guide You can choose to teach according to curriculum (or school based mandates), adopting a tick the box mentality, or you can    teach according to what you know about the particular needs of learners. Without doubt, the difference is significant, the impact lingering! Blindly adhering to curriculum mandates does not make your pedagogy authentic. Let curriculum inform your work, but never let it ‘be’ your work. It must be shaped to fit the learning needs of learners. Writer's Notebook Freedom Stories still reach my ears of schools where Writer's Notebooks are being presented to students in ways that unintentionally limit their potential to influence