January 10, 2016 – To Read To Write To Be

This morning I played around with my One Little Word, digitally. Margaret Simon’s DigiLit Sunday link up inspired an exploration of color and poetry.

I created a Canva design last week and included it here. The dark blue sky drew me in. It felt mysterious and calm. I chose the picture without explaining why I liked it. It just fit.

Today, I looked at that image again, to find words that might explain my choice. The dark blue reminded me of space, of the ocean. Both appear cold and lifeless, yet contain miracles of life and complexity.

Admiring the dark places, expecting that something wonderful, hidden is waiting to be found. Revisiting this picture with the intent to connect it to words, pulled me towards understanding.

Admire

Tomorrow, my students will play with words. Consider others’ choices. Wonder what makes sense, and do some digital discovery with brainy quotes, the visual thesaurus, and online dictionaries. Explore, play a bit, and then explore some more. Starting with words, working with colors and images, and then, digging deeper with words to find how it all ties together, what it means to them, and perhaps how they might take action towards using that word in their lives.

I come to celebrate a little late.

I thought I’d skip it, but after reading a few posts, I had to show up.

This week, I want to sit back and admire (my OLW) a few things.

ONE: A message left by a student before the break. TWO: My post it plans for the next few weeks. Planning makes me feel organized. At least for the moment. It’s a moveable feast; acknowledging the reality of probable changes. I accept the slippery nature of best-made plans. THREE: My new book bins. Aren’t they perfect? A Christmas gift to my classroom. FOUR: Books. In each of those colorful bins are baggies (text sets) filled with non-fiction books, magazines, and poetry. All are waiting to be devoured and discussed by book clubs. One of the benefits of staying at one grade level is the collection of books amassed over time.
FIVE: A sneak peak at coming attractions –more books I love. I can’t wait! Here’s me looking forward to Monday.