Writing Portfolio

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Content Chants

I have been trying to show my students how they can take the content they are learning and turn it into a chant to help them understand important concepts and use the academic vocabulary in meaningful ways.  In order to model this, I created three chants, based on Project GLAD chants, that go with a natural disasters unit I am teaching.  Students were then tasked with creating their own chant to a familiar tune using the vocabulary words they had learned in the unit.






I'm a Geologist 
I'm a geologist and I'm here to say
I study the changing earth every day,
Sometimes I write a paper,
Sometimes I read a book,
But, I'm usually outside to take a look.
Digging up rocks, analyzing too,
Doing the geologist, Bugaloo!

Studying the forces that shape the earth,
Analyzing rocks for clues of its birth,
From caves beneath the surface to mountainsides,
Mapping  where different rocks are found, worldwide.
Digging up rocks, analyzing too,
Doing the geologist, Bugaloo!




Disasters
Disasters here, Disasters there.  Disasters, disasters, everywhere!
Catastrophic disasters changing dramatically
Destructive disasters shaking violently
Frequent disasters developing progressively
And dreadful disasters colliding constantly
Disasters in an archipelago
Disasters through its strike-slip fault
Disasters along the Ring of Fire
And disasters into the mountain ranges
Disasters here, Disasters there,
Disasters, Disasters, Everywhere.
Disasters! Disasters! Disasters!




"Myth vs Science" Yes, Ma'am
Is this a natural disaster?                                  Yes, ma'am
Is this a natural disaster?                                  Yes, ma'am
How do you know?                                           Damage or loss of life
What does it look like?                                     Floods earthquakes or hurricanes to name a few
What does it sound like?                                   CRACK!
                                                                           SWOOSH!
                                                                           BOOM!

Is this a myth?                                                   Yes, ma'am
Is this a myth?                                                   Yes, ma'am
How do you know?                                           It explains natural phenomenon
What does it look like?                                     Gods and mythical creatures
What does it sound like?                                   Oral traditions handed down


Is this a scientific explanation?                         Yes ma'am
Is this a scientific explanation?                         Yes ma'am
How do you know?                                           Observation and measurement
What does it look like?                                      Hypothesis, test and evidence
What does it sound like?                                    Explains the natural world

The Story of the US ARMY: Grape Edition

     "Welcome to your new world, Goober!"  my general said as he handed me my pillow and directed me to my cot. I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I was entirely sure that I had made the right decision to join the US Army.  Up to this point in my little grape life, the repeating false prophecy of my dad yelling "Little old Goober, you are never going anywhere!" continued to ring loudly in my ears, stirring up self-doubt and worry as I trudged through my new barracks, taking in my surroundings.  I must rise above the ol' prune, and make my own way! 

     My mind was racing and my heart was pounding excitedly.  ??? Oh! look there's my bunk-mate! OK Goober, its just another grape. You've got 2000 other grapes as your brothers back at the farm.  Just relax, I thought to myself. ???

     "Hi!" I said, way too eagerly. 

      He turned around, revealing a scar over his right eye. "PFC, what's your name?" he said to me. 

     "Uh, Goober," I said tenderly. 

     "Well, I'm Gruff," he said, sticking out his hand to me.

     "Well," I said hesitantly, "where are you from?" 

     "Somewhere far, and hidden," Gruff grumbled. 

     "Well ya see, I'm from a small little farm in Utah, known as Knox Fruit Farm, and ya see my dad always told me how I wasn't goin' anywhere, and my momma was part of a 'No More Grape Juice Revolution' and you can probably guess that didn't end well, so she passed away when I was a youngin' so she never got to defend me.  I'm gonna prove them all wrong about me. Y'ALL WERE WRONG ABOUT LIL' OL' GOOB!" I shouted, getting a little too intense.

     "Wow little guy! Didn't know you had that good of a reason to be here. Gained some respect for ya from your ol' pal Gruff," he said, with a soft smile that curved generously around the wrinkled corners of his tough grape mouth. 

     This was it.  Finally, my chance to stomp out my place in this world! **

    

*******This story was written as a guide in a minilesson on using dialogue to enhance characterization in a story through words and dialect.  My students have been struggling to use dialogue to characterize, so I was trying to show them how to do this.  Not sure if my attempt is very good, but I tried.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!  My students helped come up with the idea of a grape in the Army, so I wanted to honor their request to prove that it could be done. 

The Beggar

The Beggar


I pad through the kitchen like a hungry bear
in search of the nearest source of food.
Nose to the ground.
Sniffing.
Searching.
Circling.

I hope with all my heart.
I beg with all my determination.
I plead with all my might.


I gaze up at her.
Mom's hands are busily chop, chop, chopping.
What is that I see?
Juicy, delectable steak.


Why is she ignoring me?
She clearly doesn't know I'm here.
Paw the leg. 
Use the magic eyes.
Say pleeeeeaaaassse with a BARK!


PLOP!
Works every time.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Finally...savory steak!
 

Polaris and the Rock 

The palpable grayness of the world hung in the air, heavy, cold, damp, and dreary.  No birds chirped, no sun shone its rays of light.  Rain poured down, drowning the world in its wake like that of a thousand seas washing up on on a distant shore.

The light of the world was gone.  With the vanishing of the sun came the vanishing of all the earth's joy.  Stolen and imprisoned from the dark master of the underworld in an attempt to allow dreariness to rule the world, Solera, the goddess of the sun, was enslaved in the depths of darkness for all eternity.  When Solera died, so would the earth's sun, and all the beauty that comes from it.

100 years later....

Seek and you will find the light.  The light of the world, the source of all that is good.  This phrase continued to repeat over and over in my head, drowning out all other thoughts and making it impossible to think of anything else.  The first time I heard this was one year ago this morning.  You see, my people have been persecuted by the evil ones.  Darkness fills the world and refuses to let go of its chains on so many souls that cry out for help in the night.

One year ago, while working for the leader of the underworld unearthing blacks coal in the underground mine, I came across something I had never seen before.  Through the pitch-dark of the mine, I saw a glimmer of light shining in the abyss.  It seemed to call me toward it with an unexplainable power, and before I knew it, I found myself pulled through the dark tunnel to see what the mysterious glow could possibly be.  The closer I got to the glow of light, the more it drew me in, as if it was destined to be mine.  Soon, I found myself standing over the source of light that had caught my attention and I couldn't take my eyes off of it.  It resembled the shape of a lump of coal, but was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen.  The light that exuded from the object was almost blinding, and yet, comforted my every fear instantly.  As if in a dream, I heard an angelic voice call out from somewhere within the golden light.  

"At last, you have found the only source of light left on the earth.  I planted part of my soul here more than 100 years ago so that the Earth will always have light, even if I no longer remain.  You must save our people!  Seek and you will find the light. The light of the world, the source of all that is good.  When you find it, you will know, and our people will be freed.  Joy will return to the Earth and the light will save everyone from the everlasting darkness."  

And with a flicker, the beautiful glow was gone, and I was left holding a black rock that looked like all the other rocks for miles and miles.  Since then, I have been wandering the wilderness with the rock in my pocket, in search of the source of life that will free my people from destruction.  It's up to me, I think to myself as I continue to trudge on through the vast wilderness, searching for any sign of life.  As I took in a long-lasting, deep breath and began to push forward, I felt an unusual breeze brush through my hair, caressing my skin with a renewed sense of energy and peace.  I continued on, all through the day and night, trudging through the pitch black desert landscape, hoping to find whatever it was that could save my people.  

Soon, I came across what looked like a giant boulder.  This is a great place to stop for the night, I thought to myself.  Exhausted, leg weary, and running out of hope, I sat on the cold, cracked ground, leaned against the boulder, and sighed.  Sleep overtook me, and dreams set in.

You are close, my tenacious one!  You are almost there!  It is you who will free our people from the darkness.  Don't give up.  Persist. Take the rock that you carry and find the monstrous one.  Go to her.  She will save you.  

I suddenly awoke,  startled by the voice  I had just heard.  Could it be the same voice?  The voice that so clearly came from the rock I carry in my pocket?  Wasn't that the voice that spoke to me in the tunnel of the mine? Or was it only in my imagination?  I looked around, got up, and began walking.  To this day, I am not sure why I walked in the direction of the lake, but I let my instincts take over and just walked.  For days and days, without stopping except to fill my canteen with water from the mud puddles I passed, or to scrounge for foliage to fill my starving stomach, I walked until I thought I would collapse of pure exhaustion.

Then is was there.  Right in front of me.  It was as if it was a dream.  The water.  Its grey tone menacing against the backdrop of the rocky cliffs that surrounded it.  I hastily ran to the lakeshore, putting my feet in the water and rejoicing that I had found fresh water.  When my eyes shifted to the calm water ahead of me, I was completely mortified by the creature that rose slowly from the depths of the lake.  This creature, a giant monster with skin the color of silver, glowing and shining as bright as a fire in the night sky, was creeping out of the water and coming toward me.  I turned to run, but I felt compelled somehow to stay.  As it came closer to me, I could see its razor sharp teeth gnashing the cold air and jutting out of its putrid mouth in full fury.  The enormousness of its eyes captured my attention with a pleading, begging look.  The look that says, "Come near."  Captivated and mesmerized by the golden eyes, I was being led into the water.  Inch by inch, the space between me and the terrifying beast and was closing in until we were standing face to face.

You have come!  You are here to rescue me, and rescue our people!  My precious servant!  Tell me you have the rock.  The only source of light left on the earth!  I slowly reached into my pocket and pulled out the rock I had been carrying all this time.  As I held it in my hand, the monstrous creature reached out, tears falling from golden eyes, and grabbed the cold gray rock from my hand.

What I saw next was indescribably beautiful.  This monster, this hideous, drooling, teeth-gnashing monster with the golden eyes collapsed under water.  Seconds later, out came the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, with sun-kissed skin and hair of the brightest blond.  She looked at me and smiled. As we looked around, the landscape changed before our eyes.  What was gray, dark, and dreary, turned to a luscious green.  Flowers bloomed right before our eyes!  Butterflies fluttered and danced about, as if singing a song of joy with their beautifully colored wings.  And the sun.  The sun came out.  Blindingly bright, its rays shined on all the earth, and their was life once again.

My lovely servant.  You did not give up!  You have freed us from the darkness!  So many years ago, I was captured by the god of darkness, held captive and turned to a monster of the sea to live for eternity in solitude and sadness.  I remembered that prior to my kidnapping, I had left a piece of magic light deep in the earth in case my ancestors were in need.  I had no idea I would be sent to sea.  But you!  You found it!  You brought it here, back to me!  It is for your faithful service I grant you the light of darkness.  From now on, your tenacious spirit will guide all who travel at night, and your light will shine in the darkness, mine in the day.  Together, we form the bond of light.

And thus, Polaris, the saint of stars and protector of travelers, and Solera, goddess of the sun, were united to shine light on the world, to grant peace, and to show that we must follow our instincts and let the signs we receive in this life lead us to our destiny.

7 Degrees

Lying against cold steel for what has seemed like hours, I am covered in a thin but compact windblown layer of snow.  Surprised by the force, I am suddenly ripped from my wintery grave.  Two gloved hands grip me by my bindings and jerk me from my purgatory.  I pass, unceremoniously, past Subaru’s and 4 wheel drive pickups, swinging carelessly.  It's cold, very cold.  The steel embedded in my curved edges are frosted and iced over, I am cracking, desperate for protection.  I am slammed into the packed white powder and thrust upright against hollow aluminum stocks, where I am chained and abandoned yet again.

I wrote this with the intent of sharing a descriptive writing piece for my students.  It is written through my snowboard's perspective.