At 2:30 on this terribly rainy, dreary day 8 of our 15 student editors made the treacherous walk from the building to Portable 10 in order to begin their training! Their trek was not without rewards, however. Waiting for them were homemade chocolate chip cookies, delicious garlic ranch pretzels, and brand new writer’s notebooks. For those who were unable to attend today’s session, here’s a look at what you missed:
We started our journey together by reading Give it All, Give it Now by Annie Dillard. The long book (in length, not words) amused, and hopefully inspired, those present. Next, Ms. Ruark read aloud from Breathing In, Breathing Out to give us all an idea of what a writer’s notebook is all about; her timing was perfect since Ms. Davis gave each tutor a notebook of his or her own. Our notebooks were to put to use right away with a quick write about our Names.
We are named for great-grandparents.
We are exceptions to the i before e rule (which was a drunken mistake anyway).
We are named for musicians from the 60s.
We are shy.
Finally, Mr. Pittis led us in a discussion about the writing process. Before giving everyone a handout with some specific terminology, we all spent some time writing about how we write. Then, we shared. When we write, we …
Break down the question, rewrite it
Create a topic sentence
Start with body paragraphs
Create a thought web
Write the introduction/conclusion first
Complete research
Write from beginning to end
Type the first draft
Print the draft, and edit w/ pen
Let someone else proof read
Read the paper backwards
Read the paper out loud
Before stocking up on cookies (though not enough because Ms. Davis was forced to take about a dozen home), we decided that our meetings would me every Monday from 2:30-3:30 in P10. There will be snacks – it was a group consensus.
Thanks to all who came, and we can’t wait to get going next week. This is a very exciting time for the directors, and we were really pleased with all of the work everyone was willing to do!!