Posted by Robynn Schamel
on 10/5/2002, 8:12 am
Hi Folks!
I will be conducting a Young Writers Guild monthly workshop (based on
the book Image Grammar) at the Porter library and would like to invite
you all to participate. Ages 10 and up (flexibly) are welcome as long
as the child is able to concentrate on the subject at hand for the duration of the
workshop, and has a basic, working understanding of English Grammar.
Due to availability restraints at the library, space is limited to different sized groups on different days. The workshops will be divided into nine different themes, each covering a variety of concepts taught through numerous strategies. So that you can choose which you are interested in having your child attend, I have included here a description each, along with the (tentative) dates.
Each child will need a thesaurus, composition notebook, and writing
instrument (with sharpener if necessary). It would certainly be helpful for each participating family to purchase the book, Image Grammar ($23.95 from Barnes and Noble), but is not essential to the child's getting something out of the workshops.
If you have questions please e-mail or call (657-0940). I must ask that
you reply by Monday so that I can lock down the library rooms. Thank you! Robynn
Friday, October 18, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Room C, 18 spaces available
Theme: The Writer As Artist: Basic Brush Strokes
Concepts: Writing as Seeing/ Painting with Five Basic Brush Strokes/
Painting with Participles/ Painting with Absolutes/ Painting with
Appositives/ Painting with Adjectives Shifted Out of Order/ Painting
with Action Verbs/ Combining Strokes
Strategies: Create an Artist's Image Palette/ Stimulate Images with
Derived Poetry/ Bring Life to Dead Passages (with brush strokes)
Friday, November 15, 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Rooms A&B, 18 spaces available in
one room and 40 spaces for moms and younger siblings in the other room
Theme: The Artist's Eye: Seeing Specific Details
Concepts: Getting Specific with Nouns and Verbs/ Adding Details with
Specific Verbs/ Adding Details with Adjectives and Prepositional
Phrases/ Specific Images for Humor/ Adding Details with Metaphors and
Similes/ Constructing Specific Images in Dialogue/ Constructing Specific
Images in Poetry/ Expanding the Artist's Eye/ Using Image/Word
Relationships with Students
Strategies: Paint the Personality Behind the Clothes/ Focus on Word
Image Senses/ Examine the Contents of the Mystery Purse/ Character
Descriptionary (a game like Pictionary)/ Paint a Setting with a List
(Where am I?)
Friday, December 13, 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Room C/ 18 spaces available
Theme: From Initiation to Creation: Learning from the Masters
Concepts: Imitating Without Plagiarizing/ Providing Guidelines for
Imitation/ Experimenting with Variations of Imitation/ Moving from
Imitation to Creation/ Creating with an Artist's Structural Palette/
Moving Toward Creation with Method Writing/ Creating with Scripted
Fantasy
Strategies: Keep a Writer's Sketchbook/ Paint from a Family Photo/
Hamill's Imitation Approach/ Imitate Poetic Sentences/ Do Your Own Edgar
Allan Humpty/ Search for a Personal Voice/ Read a Scripted Fantasy/ Use
a Second Structural Palette for Opinions
Friday, January 17, 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Rooms A&B, 18 spaces available in one
room and 40 spaces for moms and younger siblings in the other room
Theme: The Artist's Special Effects: The Grammar-Meaning Connection
Concepts: Creating Special Effects with Punctuation/ Creating Special
Effects with Sentence Structure/ Creating Special Effects with a Greek
Influence/ Creating Special Effects with Mood Filtering/ Creating
Special Effects with Tantalizing Titles
Strategies: Play with Fragments and Run-ons/ Return to Erasmus/ Listen
to the Beat of Punctuation/ Search for Titles in the Amazon
Friday, February 21 (tentative), 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Rooms A&B, 18 spaces
available in one room and 40 spaces for moms and younger siblings in the
other room
Theme: Toward a Grammar of Passages: Linking Images Beyond the
Sentence
Concepts: Exploring a Grammar of Passages (paragraphs)/ Tracking a
Grammar of Passages in Exposition/ Painting Passages Using Christensen's
Approach/ Introducing Logical Shapes with Periodic Passages/ Using
Stadia to Explain Nontopic Sentence Sequences/ Using John Franklin's
Image Cluster Approach/ Connecting Images with Transitions
Strategies: Paint Passages from Experiences of Touch/ Construct Titles
as Thesis Statements/ Draw Conclusions from an Ad Campaign/ Evaluate
Henry's Paper on the Seasons/ Perform a Magic Trick
Friday, March 16 (tentative), 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Rooms A&B, 18 spaces
available in one room and 40 spaces for moms and younger siblings in the
other room
Theme: Story Grammar and Scenes: Shapes for Fiction
Concepts: Understanding How Reading Teachers Define Story Grammar/
Understanding How English Teachers Define Story Grammar/ Painting Plot
Patterns/ Teaching the Art of Scene Writing/ Providing Guidelines for
Scene WRiting/ Painting Characters in Scenes/ Moving from Scenes to
Stories/ Opening Stories with a Scene
Strategies: paint a Character from Eight Perspectives/ Build Visualized
Scenes with Urban Myths/ Discuss Comic Book Plot Painting/ Use Music to
Paint Scenes/ Build a Bulletin Board Photo Collection/ Write a Setting
from an Exotic Scene
Friday, April 18 (tentative), 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Rooms A&B, 18 spaces
available in one room and 40 spaces for moms and younger siblings in the
other room
Theme: Nonfiction form #5: A Close Examination of a Feature Article
Form
Concepts: Writing Introductory Leads/ Writing the Body of an Article/
Writing Conclusions/ Putting it all Together/ Avoiding the Rigidity Trap
Strategies: Stuff a Sack of Shapely Ideas/ Run a Magazine Search
Competition/ Experiment with Forms/ Mix Forms with a Multigenre Research
Paper/ Experiment with Images for Intros
Friday, May 16 (tentative), 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Rooms A&B, 18 spaces
available in one room and 40 spaces for moms and younger siblings in the
other room
Theme: Systematic Revision: Form, Style, Content, and Conventions
Concepts: Recognizing Revision Roadblocks. Using Short Checklists for
Systematic Revision/ Creating a Short Revision Checklist for Style/
Creating a Revision Checklist for Conventions/ Creating a Short Revision
Checklist for Form/ Creating a Short Revision Checklist for Content/
Combining Checklists
Strategies: Administer the Grammar Income Test/ Punctuate That That Is
Is That (not a typo)/ Editing the County Line Newsletter/ Decoding
Abstract Statements/ Evaluate "Lost" by Ben Dover
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