Literacy in all the Write Spaces

Brave New World

This is certainly a new venture for me as I try to focus on new horizons for the upcoming year. The best part of this whole idea is that I can work with a true soul mate to seize the day! I will capitalize on your prior trail-blazing, realizing the value of the goods received!!! You're the greatest.

Love, Adleyn

Are You Out There, Juniors?

The American Dream

The American Dream

The American Dream
‘Tis like the gold
That sneaky leprechaun has hid
White picket fences
A cat and dog
A yard to play
Perfectly sodded grounds
With flowers and shrubs
No weeds to find here
A moderate size home
Two car garage
The swing set sways
The balls bounce on the court
Laughter echoes

The American Dream
How perfect She is
To the immigrant who wakes
On free soils
To the child who now has health care
The perfection of speaking at will
Saying what you please
Yelling or crying
Laughing or pouting
Living or dying
How ever you please

The American Dream
The chance to have
Likely that you won’t
People in sedans
Drive through the streets
Children needing shoes
Parents doing without
Roofs leaking
Parents praying
Babies crying
Care givers scratch off the ticket
How quickly life could change

The American Dream
Is it for sale at a store near you?
Does that plastic in your wallet get you closer?
Have you seen who you are?
Do you know where you’ve been?
How can I show you?
Why can’t you see?
The American Dream
It is you
It is me
It does not belong to us
But to the children for whom we give great fuss
It is not things
Nor is it stuff
You can’t get someone else’s
You must eat the pie you were served
Be it apple or rhubarb
Sweet or sour

The American Dream
It is in you
It is in me
It is in those who seek new
It is for those who right the wrongs of the past
It is a place
A pleasure
A gift
A sanctuary
The American Dream

The American Dream
You will never find the gold
Until you are happy with you
You see –
You are The American Dream
You are why this nation is here
You Are The American Dream!!

Melissa Daniels
6/2008

Take 'n Issue

Take ‘n Issue

You want me to take issue?
Oh! Pa-lee’s gimme a tissue.
Why should I vote in 2008?
I ain’t got no can-i-date!
Don’t matter what I say,
They do what they want anyway!
If you want me to speak up,
Then why don’t you listen up!
All you wanna do is win
And sign bills with a fancy pen
Got $1000 shoes on your feet
But don’t care if I eat
On everything you put a tax
You ain’t hearin’ the facts
If it’s up to me
You ain’t gonna see
That big ol’ house on the hill
You gonna get down here and feel
And see what it’s like to be real
You need to be where they kill
And where they plow the field
Where the sick can’t buy their pills
I ain’t gonna argue with you
Cause now you’re through
You better take note
I’m gonna vote

Melissa Daniels
6/19/08

Melissa's Links for Lesson - June 19

The Machine is Us/ing Us

Rock The Vote

Modonna Rock The Vote Commercial - 1992

Against Me! Rocks the Vote

Rock the Web

Slaughter Commercial - 1990's

How the Eye Works

Stacy's Links for Lesson - June 19

Obama video from Fox News

McCain video from CNN

CNN Blogs

Fox News Blogs

Bill Oreilly's email address

CNN E-mails

Fact Checker

Using newspapers in the classroom

Listed below are addresses for newspapers published online.

Websites: www.csmonitor.com

www.iht.com

www.washingtonpost.com

www.ledger-enquirer.com

www.americustimesrecorder.com

www.internationalnewslinks.com

www.NewsDirectory.com

The following websites contain ideas for using newspapers in the classroom.

http://kidbibs.com/learningtips/It40.htm

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr163.shtml

Train Noir

Train Noir (inspired by our train ride and written the next morning)

Black powerful Locomotive

clicks over steel reinforced slats,

Dames ride along with their killer kisses,

Flirtatious smiles under wide brim hats

Dicks and Shamus’s scrape for a dime,

They don’t mind running down a broad,

Maybe the dame deserved it,

Or maybe the husband is a fraud.

There’s a boxcar bum who has to roll

As soon as Albuquerque,

He’ll have to beat it soon

Or the foreman will cap his knee

A boxer with a flat crooked nose,

From his manager he tries to hide,

But he knows all to well,

He’ll soon be asked to take another dive.

The Great Bambino heads for New York,

The Yankees are going to play four

Boston is in the House that Ruth Built

And the curse still stands at the door

The train is stopping short,

Flatfeet are flooding the berth,

Seems one of the Don’s shylocks,

Might be ready to sing with mirth

Lenny over there,

He’s coming back from the war

He used to have two arms,

But he don’t no more

He lights a cigarette

And reads the Dear John from his honey,

He knew it wouldn’t last,

But did she have to take all the money?

A thousand million stories,

The Locomotive slashes through the day

Heading for Metropolis,

Where just about everyone will ultimatly pay

Literacy in all the Write Spaces: Ride on, Sam!

Teachers, and Others, on "Taming Texting"

The article, Zero Thumb Game: How to Tame Texting, published via Edutopia provides some great points on ways to address this type of writing in our classrooms as well as very real reasons for doing so. Fast and engaging read. Check it out, and share your thoughts right back here on our blog. BJ

Ride on, Sam!

Ride on, Sam!

Oh, what a day we had
On that train
Aren’t we glad?
For Dramamine

We saw Cordele
Veteran’s state Park
Such a thrill
As we embark

Over the lake
Down the aisle
Pictures to take
And compile

Look Cobb
miss it in a blink
don’t sob
see the creek

Quick by Desoto
Listen a whistle
Was that a doe
fast as a missile

Leslie is next
Telephone museum
Think they txt
Museum or mausoleum

As the breaks are applied
In Americus friends arrived
another got a ride
I am gonna DRIVE!

In Plains we pause
For lunch and writing
All with cause
And some planning

Listen a whistle
Here we go
Like a missile
Time to go we know

Chug chug chug
The wheels grind
To tracks snug
But we don’t mind

An awesome time
We had with Sam
His bell will chime
Home we scram

Thank you David
Joe, Ann, Hew,
For pictures vivid
And everyone else too

Words don’t justify
My enjoyment today
Hard as I try
And pray!

What hustle
From all the crew,
Conductor Fussell,
And all of you