tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33423892011-04-22T07:58:54.294+10:00Student CafeteriaA student cafeteria that serves nourishing brain food.Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-1116564019944479012005-05-20T14:39:00.000+10:002005-05-20T14:41:12.386+10:00I have been working on a Werewolf Project with the students at school and they are loving the horror and gore.If you all check this Project you will find the artwork of the Girlie Werewolf Project. Now being a thinker I thought that the next bunch of mini stashes I could send out to artists would include a glove - when I can source some lovely old gloves - and we could have another challenge Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-1116563909472863572005-05-20T14:37:00.000+10:002005-05-20T14:38:29.473+10:00This semester I am presenting a unit of work on the 'Magic Beach' by Alison Lester to students ranging in age from Prep to Year Eight. We will be working to present a variety of art and multi media responses to the text. To learn more about 'Magic Beach' read this review by Dan Hurburgh. Hurburgh is Australian writer with a passion for maritime history.A rhyming story line in a child's picture Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-1086747265523133322004-06-09T12:12:00.000+10:002004-06-09T12:14:25.523+10:00You have heard of shoe-string budgeting? Well now there is shoe-string publishing! That is when you publish in an appealing way, for minimal costs.
Perhaps one of the most rewarding things for me this year (2004) has been seeing the altered books that the Grade 3, through to Year 12, students have made in each of the schools I have been working in.
I took along a bag of altered books and Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-910240952003-03-20T11:24:00.000+11:002003-03-20T11:28:19.000+11:00Students at the primary schools that I visit to promote writing activities have been very excited to participate in the new Colouring Story competition. They love the beautiful Chinese Dragon and have been told to start their story with the line "Once upon a time, long, long ago, in a faraway land, there was..." When they have finished colouring in the dragon that is hovering over the Chinese Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-898009312003-02-27T10:10:00.000+11:002003-02-27T10:10:04.153+11:00This month Willa Cline has been writing about memories in her online journal. In her entry Remembrance she writes that "There are a handful of world events that stick in my mind; not only do I remember them, but I remember the circumstances under which I heard about them. I was in the fifth grade when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The principal came over the public address system and made anHeather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-892810662003-02-18T14:41:00.000+11:002003-02-18T14:42:42.000+11:00More about Weblogging and blogging. These entries provide you with plenty of good reasons to make writing a daily practice.Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-882456402003-01-30T14:28:00.000+11:002003-01-30T14:29:05.000+11:00Today we began our visual journals in class with this lively exercise.
Take a newspaper or magazine page and randomly cut thirty words. Cut out big words or little words. Once you have the words use them like magnetic poetry and write the last thing you say to the world before dying. You can make any adjustments by cutting off letters and arranging them in any way you like.
Some examples from Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-861013322002-12-16T20:32:00.000+11:002002-12-16T20:32:53.000+11:00This semester I have been working with two primary schools, promoting simple techniques that increase the flow of words. Initially we completed a simple exercise which serves to demonstrate that often it is best not to think or actively search for words. Often it is best to free the mind and trust that the words will come. All you need to do is close your eyes and relax. Try to empty your mind byHeather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-850339152002-11-25T13:59:00.000+11:002002-11-25T14:00:00.000+11:00As an English teacher I never cease to be excited by the potentiality of web based tools that enable my students to write directly online. Brad Fitzpatrick had no idea his personal web-logging program would become one of the most popular tools used on the Internet. After LiveJournal.com was born thousands of Internet users wanted to get a LiveJournal.
Internet users were attracted for a few Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-808973092002-08-30T11:56:00.000+10:002002-08-30T12:00:06.000+10:00Meet Jessica Wilber, 15 years old author of Totally Private and Personal: Journaling Ideas for Girls and Young Women.As a young writer who has kept journals all of her life, Jessica reveals how journaling not only serves as a record of events but as a way to overcome tough times. She has also found that writing down your thoughts daily is great practice and provides a wealth of material for your Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-804982412002-08-21T10:12:00.000+10:002002-08-21T13:36:06.000+10:00English teachers love to find new ways to stimulate student writing. One of the most popular books here in the school library is a beautiful, visual collection of characters like Superman, Spiderman, Batman entitled Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes by Les Daniels. The other is Ultimate X-Men by Peter Sanderson. I used to get students to visually create some characters before Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-799208952002-08-07T13:49:00.000+10:002002-08-07T13:49:09.250+10:00English teachers are always trying to find ways to tap into new and exciting means from students to express themselves. Teachers who want to encourage self-publishing and self expression need go no further than Blogger. The new fad of 'blogs', or online journals provide a means for people to express their views in non traditional ways. Some blogs, like these at Soul Food, are used to pass on newsHeather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-778332572002-06-17T14:48:00.000+10:002002-06-17T14:49:20.000+10:00Spiderman Reads and Writes
Take Spiderman's challenge to read and write! SPIDER-MAN IN AMAZING ADVENTURES provides a range of activities for educators, parents, and learning partners to do with children from kindergarten through sixth grade. These activities engage children in fun with words, help sharpen their reading skills, and improve their oral and written communications skills.
If Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-778282062002-06-17T12:34:00.000+10:002002-06-17T12:39:01.000+10:00Albums of Memories
Confronted with a Year 8 class who couldn't get interested in school work I showed them how to transform old, long outdated, hard covered books into scrapbooks. I provide exercises which they do in their workbooks. Then they use Microsoft Word and transform what they have written into printed text. This text is placed on specially designed pages.
The transformation in the Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-769109972002-05-24T14:12:00.000+10:002002-05-24T22:08:08.000+10:00Exploring Metaphors
Deciding how to dress our mannequins in such a way that we express inner strength has been a slow process. Today in class some students thought that they were not working because I gave a couple of 'graffiti artists' the freedom to draw on our white board. Chris drew an 'Arnie style' man and entertained us with ghetto blaster like sounds as he provided all the details. 'ArnieHeather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-760625422002-05-02T12:02:00.000+10:002002-05-22T14:04:25.000+10:00Claiming Identity
The following is an extract from a student who is recording the process being undertaken for the Year 12 Creative Armoury Project
"Today we had English. Heather took the opportunity to take all of the Year 12's to the library. We sat in the class area, all wondering what we had done wrong. It turned out that she wanted to get our minds thinking, wanted to get us started with Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-758741682002-04-27T14:28:00.000+10:002002-05-02T12:24:09.000+10:00Taking Arms
'Take Arms' we said as the mannequins were distributed amongst the Year 12 student body. Naked without identiy the mannequins were claimed by students with the task of expressing that which will give them the strength and protection needed as they undergo the battle that is life.
The mannequins nudity was confronting enough. Many students felt compelled to 'dress' them for the Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-750689172002-04-05T22:02:00.000+10:002002-04-05T22:05:16.000+10:00Writing Competition
Bad Girl On The Block
Whenever I run writing classes with adults they are soothed by colouring in exercises. Hands up if you lusted for a set of 92 Derwents! When I was at school only a handful of students had these glorious pencils and we drooled when we saw a full set. Happily they are more within my reach these days and not so long ago I joyfully bought a complete set. It Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-108773332002-03-19T11:40:00.000+11:002002-03-19T11:40:48.060+11:00To begin some autobiographical writing we have been making hiss-tory snakes in our visual journals. Students have looked up some snakes in reptile books and have traced or hand drawn lovely big snakes in their visual journals. Then we mark out the scales and fill these scales with abbreviated details of our lives - with events that stand out in our memory. When they are completed the hiss-tory Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-102962232002-03-02T21:23:00.000+11:002002-03-02T21:27:36.000+11:00In our Year 12 English class the other day I produced a copy of the Velveteen Rabbit, an old picture book that addresses the issue of nursery magic and discusses how toys become real. One hulking lad, upon seeing the picture book, spontaneously sat on the floor, just as he had done when he was at primary school. Magic happened in our classroom.
Everyone sat down on the floor in a semi circle Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-98363502002-02-18T15:37:00.000+11:002002-02-18T15:39:02.000+11:00Stepping Out
Flick through a glossy magazine and randomly collect a selection of shoes. Collect stilettos, sneakers, sandals, Doc Martens, boots - exotic shoes, expensive shoes, shoes to fill a wardrobe - enough shoes to stock a shoe shop.
Close your eyes and pick a pair and begin writing. Let the shoes start your story, determine the place, the character and the direction.
Go to the story Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342389.post-98351472002-02-18T14:56:00.000+11:002002-02-18T14:56:45.540+11:00Welcome to the student cafeteria. Here we serve nourishing brain food to keep those brainwaves coming.Heather Blakeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569556563400820006noreply@blogger.com