Rainy Days and Thursdays Always Get Me . . . Writing
I got wind of free coffee and muffins in the fifth grade classrooms and decided that I'd indulge on a rainy morning.
When I walked into Mrs. Eller's class, the students were all over the place. Some were at desks writing intently. Some were sprawled on the floor on their bellies, with pencil and notebook. A small group were sitting in a corner sipping hot chocolate and writing. A few were playing a game of cards. Soft acoustic guitar music wafted through the room, from the fingers and soul of Mrs. Eller's husband.
And across the hall and down the hall, the same thing.
This was the fifth grade's NaNoWRiMo (National Novel Writing Month). Each student was writing his or her own original novel, and the teachers had created a coffeehouse to enhance the experience.
I didn't want to interrupt the serious flow that I observed, but I did ask a few students what they were working on. ONe student was writing about four children lost in the woods. Another about a boy who got lost from his family. I think they got it when their teacher taught about conflict and tension in a work of fiction.
When I walked into Mrs. Eller's class, the students were all over the place. Some were at desks writing intently. Some were sprawled on the floor on their bellies, with pencil and notebook. A small group were sitting in a corner sipping hot chocolate and writing. A few were playing a game of cards. Soft acoustic guitar music wafted through the room, from the fingers and soul of Mrs. Eller's husband.
And across the hall and down the hall, the same thing.
This was the fifth grade's NaNoWRiMo (National Novel Writing Month). Each student was writing his or her own original novel, and the teachers had created a coffeehouse to enhance the experience.
I didn't want to interrupt the serious flow that I observed, but I did ask a few students what they were working on. ONe student was writing about four children lost in the woods. Another about a boy who got lost from his family. I think they got it when their teacher taught about conflict and tension in a work of fiction.
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| Nick showing me his writing and his hot chocolate mustache |
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| Concentration |
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| Mrs. Steis taking orders and Mrs. Lemke getting creative with the students |
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| Nooks and Crannies for writing |
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| Mr. Steis playing for the students |
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| Different postures for different writers |
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| Flow |
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| Brain food |
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