Food for Thought

THIS ASSIGNMENT IS ONLY FOR THOSE OF YOU NOT ILLUSTRATING YOUR OWN CHILDREN'S BOOK.  IF YOU ARE DOING YOUR OWN DRAWINGS YOU DON'T NEED TO DO THIS ONE...

We’re in the middle of a season of celebrations and family gatherings, many of which are centered around food.  I’d like us to take some time to think and write about our connections to food—memories, opinions, preferences, experiences.  I can think of all sorts of directions this contemplation might take you…

Please write a piece of your choice inspired by food.  The piece might be 300-500 words, any genre.  I thought of a few ideas, but there isn’t really a wrong answer here, so feel free to shape this assignment however you see fit.  This might take a really personal slant for you, or you can take a more observational, factual approach if you’re more comfortable.  Include an image.  Please post your work by the end of class on Tuesday.

Just a few possible approaches:

a short essay re:  the story behind a family food or tradition

                     re:  what Thanksgiving really means

                     re:  a person who has shaped you through food

                     re:  a childhood food memory

a longer poem   re:  a memorable meal

                       re:  a delicious food

                       re:  a disgusting food

                       re:  a cook at work

                       re:  the scene in a kitchen

                       re:  the scene around a dinner table

                       re:  gratefulness (or lack thereof)

                       re:  a childhood food memory

a recipe for an abstract concept
    (love, disaster, family, the perfect meal, a breakup, etc.)

a letter to someone you’re thankful for

a letter to a cook you know and love praising his/her food 

a letter to thank the host for all the work put into the family feast

a short story re:  a meal gone wrong

a short story re:  an epiphany about thankfulness or appreciation

Children's Book: Next Steps

Revise your story using the feedback you got yesterday. Think about:

• is the message/vocabulary/tone/character/conflict appropriate and interesting for 2nd graders?
• have you eliminated any extra words/rambling?
• have you eliminated all typos, misspelled words, punctuation problems, etc.?
• Click here for some helpful editing tips.

Layout your story in a Google Doc.

• Go to File then Page Setup and choose PORTRAIT or LANDSCAPE orientation to fit the book you chose.
• Put each sentence on a different page (or however you plan to break up the text).
• Choose an appealing FONT and text size.  You could use different styles and sizes for impact.
• Remember to include and format your front cover, inside covers, back cover, etc. and include your About the Author somewhere.

If you are using a graphic designer to illustrate your book, add a page at the beginning of your Google Doc explaining what you're envisioning for your character, setting, color palette, etc.  Be detailed and specific.  Also be friendly and grateful.  You could copy and paste images you find online to offer ideas.  Share your Google Doc to Brian Declue (badeclue@sps.org) and he will assign your project to one of his designers.  

If you are illustrating your own book, decide if you'd like to do your illustrations directly on the book pages then cut and paste your text or if you'd like to glue in the pages with text and draw on those. When you're ready, you could print in the library.

If you would like MRS. FRASER to proofread/edit your text, share your Google Doc to hfraser@sps.org.  This is optional (but I'm happy to do it for you!).

Please have these steps completed by the end of class on Thursday, 13 April.

Also:  Remember to turn in your journal at the end of class tomorrow with your storyboard completed inside and a total of 20 new, full pages.

Children's Story Feedback for Friends

1.  Copy and paste the text of your classmate's story into a Comment on his/her post (find your name in the groups below to see who you're working with).

2.  Add at least three notes directly into the text suggesting places more detail or description could be added--your suggestion could be in the form of a question or a direct instruction (put your suggestion in parentheses and highlight it with a different color).

3.  Use the strike-through button ( ABC on the tool bar next to the B I U) to indicate any extra narration or wordiness you think the story could do without--remember kids' books rarely ramble. 

4.  Correct or mark any typos, misspellings, punctuation mistakes, and other errors to the best of your ability.

5.  Write a note to the author at the end naming 2 specific things you think are working well or that you enjoyed in the story.  You could also offer ideas for an ending or places to expand if the draft is incomplete.  End your note with some words of ENCOURAGEMENT.  

6.  Copy your comment and paste it onto a New Post on your own blog titled "Children's Story Feedback for Friends."

7.  Repeat these steps for the other writer in your group.

8.  Take a look at the feedback on your own story and see if you have any other questions for your group.

P.S.  Check out my edited version of your About the Author I'm leaving as a comment on your post today...


Here are the groups:

Lilli
Ashley T.
Hope


Corey
Ana
Bailey L.


Winter
Amber
Sarah


Audrey
Ashley J.
Ian


Madison J.
Kennis
Kamryn


Chad 
Gabi
Maddi A.


Alyssa
Georgia
Yahaira


Bailey D.
Tyler
Morgan


Ralph
Jennifer
Cody

Children's Story Draft: Today is the day!

Please share a draft of your story for your children's book in a New Post on your blog by the end of class today.  You can make changes later, but push yourself to get something posted today so we can do peer reviews tomorrow and begin construction of the books by the end of the week.  At the end of your post, add a sentence or two detailing your plan for illustrating the book--are you going to draw on the pages yourself?  Find images online? Create images on the computer?  Have fun with it.  If you're planning to have a graphic design student illustrate your book, please have a storyboard with a plan for each pages' text and image ready by the end of class Thursday.

Try this mapping technique for ideas.  Or this one.

Your journal is due with YOUR COMPLETED STORYBOARD and a total of 20 new pages on THURSDAY (no school Friday!).

Have a great week!

Tell us a story!

Everything childhood-related we've done so far (except this post) must be finished by the end of the day today to count for points.  

Please draft a children's story of 300-500 words in the next few days, maybe first in your journal and then in a New Post on your blog.  You'll need your story to be finished and proofread before the end of next week so we can put together our children's books. 

Give your story a great title and think about how your book will be illustrated (kids' stories are often all about the pictures!)--I'm hoping to collaborate with Mr. Declue's graphic design class to work as your illustrators...we are still figuring out how this will work...

Please leave a quick comment on this post telling me if you'd rather a) craft and illustrate your own book OR b) have someone else do the graphics/illustrations for your story.

Children's stories aren't usually all that long, but because of their brevity, each line and word needs to count.  Try to make strong and effective word choices and eliminate any unnecessary rambling.  Also, decide on an age group to target with your story and keep that in mind as you craft your piece. What would a kid that age know, want to know, think about, be scared of, find funny, etc.?  (I'm planning to send your books to a 2nd grade class at Wanda Gray for the kids to review) You may want your story to rhyme--seems like many kids' books do--but it's not required. Your story could be funny or serious, silly or sentimental...

You are welcome to write about whatever you want, but there are a number of ideas for stories at this website if you're looking for inspiration, or maybe you could try the brainstorming process explained on this website.

Or maybe consider these ideas from the site Children's Book Writer:

Select one character, one character trait, one setting, one problem, and one magical element from the lists below and write a 200-250 word scene or story. To complete the exercise, eliminate the magical element and rewrite the scene/story. What had to change? Does the magical element make your main character, and the story he tells, any stronger?

Main Character (select one from list or create your own)
Cassandra
Joey
Lizard
Ardvark
Gollup

Character Trait (select one)
Shy
Curious
Loud
Slippery
Sad


Setting (select one)
Cruise ship
Hot air balloon
Zoo
School playground
Beach


Problem (select one)
Forgot lunch
Lost
Make a new friend
Bullied
Cold
Save the planet


Magical element (select one)
Skateboard
Bubble
Jumprope
Elephant
Dollar bill

...........................................................................................................

Select a beginning, a main character, and a moral to convey. Imagine yourself telling your tale to a rapt group of children... Keep interest high by using active verbs and phrases, use conflict to create tension, and try lots of dialogue. To complete the exercise, read it aloud!

Beginning:

My friends! Gather around, close to me. We are about to embark on a strange journey...

Once upon a time, in a land nearly forgotten...

I'm as old as the trees, as old as the stars in the night sky. Only I am old enough to remember what happened a long time ago...

Long ago and far away...


Character:

The Bovine King
Quiet Leopard
The Boy in the Moon
Two Sisters 
The Dancing Rabbit in the Moon
The Lonely Princess
Warty Frog

Moral or Lesson to be Learned:

Always practice kindness
A good deed can make a difference
Only you can control your attitude.
Sometimes things are not as they appear to be.
Don't be afraid to challenge authority

Author Bio

Please post a brief but interesting bio of yourself as a children's author to your blog today.  These bios are written in 3rd person and at minimum generally include where the author lives (city and state) and who he or she lives with (family and pets).  You might also include some lines referencing your own childhood passions and preoccupations, or your inspiration for writing the story, or what else occupies your time besides writing great books.  These also usually include a picture of the author, so  post either a picture of yourself or an avatar or some other image to represent you.

Here are some tips for writing an effective bio.

Here are some notable authors of kids books today.

Please make sure you're caught up on all the posts connected to childhood we've worked on these last few days so that we can move on to writing the actual stories/books...Grades are due for KHS progress reports Friday morning.

Books for Kids!

Please type up the information from the folded blue sheet regarding a children's book in the library as a New Post on your blog.  Include a couple of images.  Glue the half sheet in your journal to count as an entry.