Hello everyone. Brilliant session yesterday. 13 children came along including one newbie and, thankfully, I was there before 9.30, so no black mark for me this weekend! Because we are only have two further sessions before the summer break, I went back to an old faithful for yesterday's session - acrostic poems. This is a familiar concept to most of the members because if they haven't done it with us before, it is almost certain they will have done it at school. The idea of taking the letters from a word and placing them vertically then adding a poetry line to each letter is one of the easiest forms of poetry and before long even the absolute novices were having a great time producing their acrostic poems, so a massive well done to everyone.
I also ran through the itinerary of our 5th anniversary session. All being well, the Deputy Mayor will be in attendance and the idea is that he say a few encouraging words to the members and acknowledges the support given by the library staff. He will also be presented with copies of Word Magic and Word Magic 2 by longest serving member Amber. If he has time, he may mill about among the children for a few minutes but he is only expected to be there for half an hour or so because of his tight schedule. Also in attendance will be Jenny Crooks, who is involved with the Croydon Literacy Scheme. Some members may recall the joint effort of a year or so ago where children from both groups produced their own book The Magical Quest. Councillor Andrew Rendle will be coming along too. He is the wonderful person that gave us the grant for the production of Word Magic 2. Local writer Ciaran Murtagh is also a guest. He gave a really inspiring talk to the Young Writers in 2014 so it will be wonderful for the newer members to also meet him.
I have advised the children to bring their own snacks and drinks and I will bring a cake. If they want to wear something special that is fine but it will also be okay for them to just turn up in their comfy clothes, so there are no hard and fast rules here. I would also be grateful if the grown ups would stay with us on this day and share the celebration.
And on 15th July we have our final session of this school year. I will be announcing the summer project then but prior to that, I'll bring along some notes about it on the 8th in case they are unable to make it on the 15th for whatever reason.
Look forward to seeing you all on the 8th then.
Sunday, 25 June 2017
Monday, 12 June 2017
Oops! Late Mark for Jilly ...
I gave myself detention after I arrived half an hour late for last Saturday's session! I am so sorry! First the train was cancelled, then half of Croydon was cordoned off so no buses could get through; it was a complete nightmare! So you can imagine how touched I was when I walked into the library to see the Young Writers all seated, waiting patiently and the welcoming smiles that lit their faces! I was originally tempted to cancel the session when I realised I was not going to get there on time. But I am glad I didn't because, even though we had a much shorter session in the end, the Young Writers - champions that they are - still got stuck in to the latest exercise in what little time they had so huge, huge thanks to you all for your loyalty and your faith in me; you have made me feel very humbled.
So what we were doing was looking at a new way to create a story. I presented the Young Writers with three beakers, one for TITLES, one for PEOPLE and one for PLACES. They were invited to pick a paper from each and then use their three picks to plan a story. What I had hoped was that they could each write their story and then swap their pieces of paper with someone else and try again. Unfortunately due to the time constraints we did not get to that stage but the assignment set was to take their paper pieces and their ideas home and create their stories there.
The point of this exercise is to challenge their imaginations and challenge is the right word because several Young Writers seemed a bit baffled by their picks. How do you tie together an unlikely mix such as The Haunted School (title), the shop in the park (place) and Young Ali (character)? But after giving a couple of brief examples to show that a new story can come out of anything I could literally see the penny drop with many of them, and once it had, off they went with their pens, heads clearly brimming with ideas.
In the end it turned out to be an excellent, if somewhat reduced, session and twelve children turned up so it was more of a success than a disaster!
Next session is on 24th June so see you there and, once again, thank you to everyone.
So what we were doing was looking at a new way to create a story. I presented the Young Writers with three beakers, one for TITLES, one for PEOPLE and one for PLACES. They were invited to pick a paper from each and then use their three picks to plan a story. What I had hoped was that they could each write their story and then swap their pieces of paper with someone else and try again. Unfortunately due to the time constraints we did not get to that stage but the assignment set was to take their paper pieces and their ideas home and create their stories there.
The point of this exercise is to challenge their imaginations and challenge is the right word because several Young Writers seemed a bit baffled by their picks. How do you tie together an unlikely mix such as The Haunted School (title), the shop in the park (place) and Young Ali (character)? But after giving a couple of brief examples to show that a new story can come out of anything I could literally see the penny drop with many of them, and once it had, off they went with their pens, heads clearly brimming with ideas.
In the end it turned out to be an excellent, if somewhat reduced, session and twelve children turned up so it was more of a success than a disaster!
Next session is on 24th June so see you there and, once again, thank you to everyone.
Tuesday, 6 June 2017
See You This Saturday
Here I am back from my wonderful holiday in Devon! The weather was amazing and we really enjoyed the sights and sounds of this beautiful part of the country.
I hope the Young Writers have been busy with their letter writing and look forward to reading their completed assignments. Don't forget our next session is this Saturday, 10th June, same time, same place. I look forward to seeing you there.
I hope the Young Writers have been busy with their letter writing and look forward to reading their completed assignments. Don't forget our next session is this Saturday, 10th June, same time, same place. I look forward to seeing you there.
Monday, 22 May 2017
All Hail The Forgotten Art Of Letter Writing ...
Great great session on Saturday! Ten Young Writers came along including one new young lady who started off quite scared and shy and ended the session by starting a story. I have to tell you that is exactly why I run this group. It isn't so much what I get out of it as what they get out of it. If that young lady felt confident enough, within half an hour, to start a story then I know I am doing something right somewhere along the way - and why I am so very very proud of these children.
We were looking at letter writing this weekend. I set the scenario for them - a new boy or girl at school feeling lonely and a bit lost is cheered up by a friendly letter slipped secretly into their school bag. I asked the children how they would cheer the new kid up, what would cheer them up and what they would like someone to say to them if they felt a bit sad. They gave this their best shot and most had finished the letter in time to switch places and write a reply so very well done to all of them. The assignment set was to write a story in at least four letters, introducing at least two characters who communicate to resolve a problem. Who the characters are, what situation they resolve and how is entirely up to them. We haven't tackled letters for a while and, with the Post Card season coming up as the summer holidays roll tantalisingly close, it seemed an appropriate topic.
Long serving member Amber was celebrating her 10th birthday on Saturday. Amber joined the group in January 2014 and it has been a real pleasure watching her grow and develop her writing style in that three years so a very happy birthday to Amber.
The next session will be on Saturday 10th June as I am off to Devon for a few days so look forward to seeing you all then.
We were looking at letter writing this weekend. I set the scenario for them - a new boy or girl at school feeling lonely and a bit lost is cheered up by a friendly letter slipped secretly into their school bag. I asked the children how they would cheer the new kid up, what would cheer them up and what they would like someone to say to them if they felt a bit sad. They gave this their best shot and most had finished the letter in time to switch places and write a reply so very well done to all of them. The assignment set was to write a story in at least four letters, introducing at least two characters who communicate to resolve a problem. Who the characters are, what situation they resolve and how is entirely up to them. We haven't tackled letters for a while and, with the Post Card season coming up as the summer holidays roll tantalisingly close, it seemed an appropriate topic.
Long serving member Amber was celebrating her 10th birthday on Saturday. Amber joined the group in January 2014 and it has been a real pleasure watching her grow and develop her writing style in that three years so a very happy birthday to Amber.
The next session will be on Saturday 10th June as I am off to Devon for a few days so look forward to seeing you all then.
Wednesday, 17 May 2017
Quick Reminder - Saturday's Session...
Hi guys. Quick reminder that we have a Young Writer session at the library this Saturday 20th May. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.
Monday, 8 May 2017
Unbeaten by Cold Weather - Picnic in the Park 2017
The session at Ashburton Park last Saturday went very well as always, despite the overcast skies and chill winds. Eight Young Writers and six grown-ups braved the elements, bringing about another successful Picnic in the Park, with the Young Writers writing down their observations in between active bouts of play on the various apparatus and enjoying their snacks and drinks.
Writing out in the open is a different experience to writing indoors, with more scents, colours and sounds to draw inspiration from. One member was so enamoured when he discovered a fox-size den in the base of a tree that he wrote a poem about it there and then, plus the antics of the squirrels caught their imaginations, especially when one ventured almost within touching distance of a fallen potato crisp! The assignment set was to write a poem, drawing on their park experience and I am sure they will deliver as always. Well done to everyone for braving it and in particular to the mums who came along to support it; it was very much appreciated by me and most beneficial to the Young Writers.
The next session is on 20th May so look forward to seeing you back at the library as usual then.
Writing out in the open is a different experience to writing indoors, with more scents, colours and sounds to draw inspiration from. One member was so enamoured when he discovered a fox-size den in the base of a tree that he wrote a poem about it there and then, plus the antics of the squirrels caught their imaginations, especially when one ventured almost within touching distance of a fallen potato crisp! The assignment set was to write a poem, drawing on their park experience and I am sure they will deliver as always. Well done to everyone for braving it and in particular to the mums who came along to support it; it was very much appreciated by me and most beneficial to the Young Writers.
The next session is on 20th May so look forward to seeing you back at the library as usual then.
Wednesday, 26 April 2017
A NEW WORD - Tetractys
Had a brilliant session last Saturday with eleven Young Writers turning up including a couple of newbies so big welcomes to them. We were looking at a new poetry form which, rather like Haiku and Tanka, are syllable-themed non-rhyming poems. The Tetractys is made up of five lines with the following syllable pattern - 1, 2, 3, 4, 10. There were examples on the worksheet of how such a poem would read, one of which was:
The
flowers
that bloom in
spring, make me feel
so very happy. I love the colours.
I only discovered this poetry form myself very recently and I think it was completely new to the Young Writers, but they all had a good go at it. Some of the younger ones really struggled (and let's face it, at least two have not even learned about syllables yet) so I suggested they just write something in rhyme, reminding them of the nursery rhymes they themselves were very familiar with just a short while ago. As usual, I was astonished at their application to the exercises and I applaud them all for having a try. Well done to everyone.
The next session is on 6th May and that is our Picnic in the Park session (weather permitting) so would appreciate as many mums, dads or grannies as possible to come along with us. Don't forget your snacks and drinks as well. No need to bring folders (unless they want to) as I will supply the worksheets and writing implements. If the weather is against us, we will stay at the library but we have had three successful Picnic in the Park sessions so far, so fingers crossed for this one.
I have ordered some Addiscombe Young Writers business cards and I will be giving these out to everyone when they arrive. They feature all the contact details so probably a good idea to keep it safe somewhere just in case you need to contact me for any reason.
The assignment set last weekend was to continue working on the Tetractys and bring in at least one complete one with the correct form and number of syllables and - don't forget - all assignments returned count towards the next certificate in our Certificate Trail.
Take care and see you on the 6th!
The
flowers
that bloom in
spring, make me feel
so very happy. I love the colours.
I only discovered this poetry form myself very recently and I think it was completely new to the Young Writers, but they all had a good go at it. Some of the younger ones really struggled (and let's face it, at least two have not even learned about syllables yet) so I suggested they just write something in rhyme, reminding them of the nursery rhymes they themselves were very familiar with just a short while ago. As usual, I was astonished at their application to the exercises and I applaud them all for having a try. Well done to everyone.
The next session is on 6th May and that is our Picnic in the Park session (weather permitting) so would appreciate as many mums, dads or grannies as possible to come along with us. Don't forget your snacks and drinks as well. No need to bring folders (unless they want to) as I will supply the worksheets and writing implements. If the weather is against us, we will stay at the library but we have had three successful Picnic in the Park sessions so far, so fingers crossed for this one.
I have ordered some Addiscombe Young Writers business cards and I will be giving these out to everyone when they arrive. They feature all the contact details so probably a good idea to keep it safe somewhere just in case you need to contact me for any reason.
The assignment set last weekend was to continue working on the Tetractys and bring in at least one complete one with the correct form and number of syllables and - don't forget - all assignments returned count towards the next certificate in our Certificate Trail.
Take care and see you on the 6th!
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