http://artofwriting.edublogs.org Turning writing into a work of art. Mon, 25 May 2009 08:53:55 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I recently received a chain email titled "Enough!" My initial reaction was that my friend was frustrated with something. Then I read the email below: ENOUGH:  Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged, and ... http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/2009/05/25/enough/ In class, we have been writing poetry, studying common poetry forms and analyzing the language used when writing poetry, but the best way to learn about poetry is to learn from the poets we love most. For 5 extra credit points, please share some of the poems you like most. ... http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/2008/04/12/national-poetry-month-challenge/ In a recent series of mini-lessons, we've learned about Word Choice -- the ability to pick the perfect words to fit your message. We've talked about dead verbs, sensory details, figurative language, using a thesaurus, and avoiding overused words like good, fun, said, and got. The thing is... writers who ... http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/2008/02/20/black-history-month-a-time-to-honor-writers-with-soul/ Click on the link below the picture  to see a special Christmas message from the Farnums. http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9593381644 http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/2007/11/25/happy-holidays-from-the-farnums/   As most of you know, our daughter, Kylie Grace, has changed our lives in so many ways. This weekend my husband and I found ourselves searching youtube.com for "kiddie-friendly" videos. We were especially interested in videos with Elmo as Kylie Grace loves anything Elmo. We were thrilled when we came across ... http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/2007/11/25/even-elmo-inspires-us-to-write-creatively/ In the novel Sahara Special by Esme Raji Codell, Miss Pointy tells Sahara,“Secret people are hard to keep inside. Especially if they are wonderful. You, for instance, are leaking.” In my opinion, we all have secrets and things about us others don't know. It may be that we have a hidden talent ... http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/2007/11/13/secret-people-within-us-all/  In Education World's "Pass the Buck" Internet/email project, students track the journey of one-dollar bills as they are passed from person to person, community to community, and state to state. Fifty classrooms will act as "Buck Passers"; each Buck Passer classroom will place into circulation a specially marked one-dollar bill. ... http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/2007/03/07/pass-the-buck-online-project-and-lead-writing-contest/   Mrs. L'Amour sent me the following adorable video --actually a Sprite commericial. Take a look... http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/files/2007/02/sprite-love_cute_commercial_1.mpg Now, I had two different thoughts when I viewed this video. As a mom-to-be and wife of a "tough-guy" Marine, I can easily see my husband throwing image and caution to the wind and being swept ... http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/2007/02/24/what-love-looks-likeand-being-proud-of-who-we-are/     As we celebrate Black History Month, we also learn about the life and legacy of one of the United States’ greatest peace keepers - Martin Luther, King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a famous speech titled, “I Have a Dream” in which he detailed his hopes for the future of America and the ... http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/2007/02/12/black-history-month-extra-credit-for-writing-workshop/   Mrs. Scalleat just emailed me the cutest email titled "What Love Means to 4-8 Year Olds." As I read over the list of descriptions written by young children, I couldn't help but think about their word choice, voice and ability to cut through complicated thoughts and get straight to the ... http://artofwriting.edublogs.org/2007/02/03/what-love-means-to-4-8-year-olds/