Margin Notes

NY Times Article of the Day

Oct
29

Finding current and engaging articles can be a challenge, which is why the NY Times Article of the Day column is such a fantastic resource.

Here is their description of the site: “Every weekday we choose an important or interesting news or feature story to become our Article of the Day, then write a quick series of questions and activities designed to help students both understand the piece and connect it to their own lives. Each edition has suggestions for engaging students before they read, comprehension and critical thinking questions to support them as they go, and ideas for taking the topic further when they’re done.”

Topics range from science to sports to current events to video games and the activities offered are designed to spark critical thinking and discussion.

Craft Studio: For Those About to Rock: A Road Map to Being in a Band by Dave Bidini

Oct
25

What I Was Reading

You may know Dave Bidini from his career in music with Rheostatics and now Bidiniband, or you may know him as the author of Tropic of Hockey or Writing Gordon Lightfoot: The Man, the Music, and the World in 1972 (among other titles). For Those About to Rock combines Bidini’s passion for music with his skill as a writer. It is a combination of memoir, music history, and advice to aspiring musicians.

In the chapter, “The Myth of Making It,” Bidini explains, “There’s no rock-and-roll blueprint. It’s not like studying a manual and learning how to build a Battlebot. You can’t diagram it and watch it come to life.” Instead of a how-to manual, For Those About to Rock is a roadmap. When I opened the book to check out the Table of Contents, I appreciated how it was organized:

Introduction

Let There Be Rock

The Mythology of Making It

And the Fickle Fruit of Fame

A Very Slow Hand

Your First Instrument

Playing in a Travelin’ Band (more…)

Taste Test

Oct
23

The Takeout is a goldmine for food lovers. The feature, Taste Test, is an excellent source of mentor texts. Each article analyses and rates a food that ranges from everyday fare to the exotic and/or outrageously priced. These short articles can be used by students as mentors to write their own versions about foods they love (or don’t). Also, they are brief enough to use in mini-lessons and contain excellent examples of description, word choice, and sentence variety.

Craft Studio: I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You by David Chariandy

Oct
18

What I Was Reading

I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You is a letter written by David Chariandy to his daughter a decade after they were faced with a racist comment on an outing together. The author had taken his then 3-year-old on an outing and was confronted by a woman who told them “I was born here. I belong here.” After a decade of reflection, he writes to his daughter about it, opening with:

“Once, when you were three, we made a trip out for lunch. We bussed west in our city, to one of those grocery-store buffets serving the type of food my own parents would scorn. Those over-priced organics laid out thinly in brushed-steel trays, the glass sneeze guard just high enough for you, dearest daughter, to dip your head beneath it in assessing, suspiciously, the ‘browned rice’ and ‘free-range carrots.’ And in that moment, I could imagine myself a father long beyond the grasp of history, and now caring for his loved one through kale, and quinoa, and a soda boasting ‘real cane sugar.’”

What Moves I Notice the Writer Making

These opening lines immediately set the tone as a letter written by a father to his daughter. The first words, “Once, when you were three…” introduce the memory of a shared experience from a decade prior and the author recreates the event through details that his daughter might not remember because of her age. This serves a second purpose, which is to bring the reader into the event and establish the context for why the letter has been written. He refers to her directly, as “you” and “dearest daughter” creating a tone of intimacy. I felt the authenticity in the message. The writing is heartfelt and honest.

Possibilities for Writers

* Describe a vivid memory of an event you shared with someone by writing directly to that person about the experience.

* Consider options for the kinds of writing that might have an increased impact if they are addressed directly to the audience.

* Revise a draft in your notebook by rewriting it to address your intended audience.

* Find examples of other places where the writer directs their message to the audience and reflect on the impact of this craft choice.

Object Lessons

Oct
16

Object Lessons is a series of essays “about the hidden lives of ordinary things, from combinations to incarnations, sincerities to solutions” published online by The Atlantic. These essays are fascinating combinations of history, analysis, commentary, and personal narrative. They would be terrific mentor texts for writers delving into explanatory writing that focuses on why or how something came to be or how something works.

Book Relay 2018-19

Oct
12

This year, 40 educators are participating in our Book Relay.  In teams of 5, readers will read and circulate a collection of titles.  We took pictures of their stacks before mailing them out.

Grades 6-8:

BR 1

(more…)

Craft Studio: After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay

Oct
11

What I Was Reading

After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay introduces us, through alternating perspectives, to Bunny Thompson, a basketball star who has accepted a scholarship to a prestigious prep school, and Nasir Blake, the best friend and teammate Bunny left behind when he switched schools. As Bunny navigates feelings of guilt over the opportunity he has received and questions whether he has made the right decision, Nas is harbouring feelings of resentment about Bunny leaving without giving him any advance warning and of worry for his cousin Wallace who is being evicted from the apartment where he lives with his grandmother.

Early on, Bunny returns to the neighbourhood court where he has played ball his whole life:

“It’s not as nice as St. Sebastian’s gym, but this is my home court. This is where I started really playing ball with Nasir once we graduated from the low-hanging crate nailed to a telephone pole on our block. I know every crack and dip like the back of my hand. I know if the shot’s going to drop by the sound of the clang when it hits the steel rim. I know the lights click off at ten but you can still see enough to keep shooting if the moon is bright. (more…)

The Art of the Sentence

Oct
09

The website hosted by Tin House is a terrific spot for finding samples of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry as well as interviews with writers and reflections on their craft. I especially like the regular feature, The Art of the Sentence.  Each post focuses on a beautifully crafted sentence or passage. The writer analyses the sentence, shares information about the author and their style, and reflects on the impact the writing has had on them.

Not only are these excellent mentor texts for students to write their own versions of The Art of the Sentence, I really appreciate the way each post models reading through the lens of a writer and not only noticing but naming aspects of the writer’s craft. The posts also weave in elements of personal narrative as the writer explores their experiences as a reader. They read like personal essays and might also be used to explore organization structures that combine analysis and narrative. Sharing The Art of the Sentence with students is a way to invite them to notice, share, and celebrate the sentences and passages that impact them in their independent reading.

Using Infographics In Your Classroom

Oct
05

If you are interested in incorporating infographics, What Is an Infographic: The History and Evolution of Data Visualization, is an excellent starting point. This primer on data visualization defines infographics, identifies different types with a list of key features and examples, and provides a timeline of the history of infographics.

This information would be a terrific way to launch an infographic genre unit study that involves students both reading and creating infographics. This site, Daily Infographic, is one of my go-to sources, making it easy to gather lots of examples to share with students. Infographics are everywhere and students can also collect examples to share and discuss.

Winner! Winner! #ASDWReads…

Oct
03

Congratulations to Melissa Canam for being the winner of our draw for participating in #ASDWReads on Twitter for the month of September!  We will have your prize of a book in your hands ASAP.

To be in the draw for the month of October, snap a picture of a book you just finished and tag it with #ASDWReads on Twitter.  The more you read, the more entries you get-happy reading:)