BeTWEEN the Lines Class Summary 2/10/14

with Michelle Cameron

Seven Questions

This was a great first class and I’m really delighted to be working with your young writers.

As a warm-up, and to get to know the kids a little better, I asked them all a series of questions. Answers ranged from practical to highly imaginative, goofy to thoughtful:

1. What color is your toothbrush?
2. What food do you hate or love the most? (A lot of sushi on the love lists; Brussels sprouts on the hate lists). 
3. If you were an animal, what would you be? (Quite a few dogs, one cat, cougars, lions, and an American bald eagle, among others.)
4. If you could throw out one piece of clothing from your closet, what would it be? For the kids who (to your credit) didn’t want to get rid of any of their clothing, I asked: What’s the first item of clothing you reach for? 
5. Change the color of your hair to _______. Mostly it was a shade lighter or darker – no blues, pinks or fluorescent greens.
6. If you were a monster, what would you be? Among the various monsters (including some great names), we got introduced to Larry the Monster, who seems like he may stick around this session.
7. Write down a question you want everyone else to answer. 
   

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Add-a-Line

Then we wrote a collaborative Add-a-Line story. I started them off with this line: 

“One morning, Jack woke up and discovered he’d turned into a fly.” 

Here’s what they ended up with: 

One morning, Jack woke up and discovered he’d turned into a fly. Then his dad came in and tried to swat him. Jack tried to tell his father it was him, but all he could do was buzz. John decided his father couldn’t understand him and flew out the window. 

He flew into a forest and…suddenly found himself being chased by a frog. The frog got a hold of him but John still had the strength of a boy and escaped his slimy, disgusting mouth. 

He wasn’t used to being a fly so he couldn’t fly so well. He knew it wasn’t safe for him so he headed over the water. He was swallowed by a fish. Then a fisherman caught the fish and ate it. The man was strutting nearby and was eaten by a bear. 

Luckily, John the fly escaped the fish and flew away. He flew through the branches of the trees and got stuck. Just then, a hungry bird was looking for food for her babies that had just hatched. John was eaten by the baby birds and was crushed by their stomach acid. 

The bear had just woken up and was very hungry. He knocked over the tree and ate the baby birds. 

John heard his mother and father calling him for breakfast. They were marching through the forest looking for him and came up to the bear. A tree fell on the bear and the bear fell on the parents under the tree. The parents died. 

Then Larry the Monster set off a nuclear bomb and the whole city blew up. THE END

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Once we finished our collaborative story, each kid took a line from the story as the starting point for a new one. Many of them didn’t finish their stories in class, but we heard what they all wrote. I also explained my rules for reading their work, listening to others, and offering supportive, constructive critique that starts off with a positive first statement, then can offer suggestions. I discourage the writer from speaking up during critique – you’re not listening if you’re defending the work – but also let them know that , as the writer, they make the final decisions whether to make the suggested changes or not.

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For Homework...

For homework this week, students should do ONE of the following: 

1. Finish the story they began in class.
   
2. Start a new story based on a different line from our joint story.
   
3. Write a completely original story.

I’m very much looking forward to what they’ll bring in. They can bring copies for the rest of the class if they wish, but it’s not a requirement yet.

Have a great week!

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