Slice of Life 1 of 31
Today is a combined post of Celebrating the Slice of Life Challenge.
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for hosting the Slice of Life Challenge. For the month of March, writers will be posting their Slice of Life stories every day. Please visit their site to read stories and leave a comment. Also, check out the Classroom Challenge. I will be posting my students' writing there every day too.
It's the beginning of the Slice of Life Challenge 2014. As is often the case when I embark on a challenge such as this, I am filled with hope, excitement, and anticipation. I was wide awake at 5:30 this cold Saturday morning with topics running through my mind. I tried to quiet them as I snuggled deeper under the covers, hoping for a few more hours of sleep. My mind had a different agenda. Slice of Life was beckoning me.
And so it was with my students yesterday afternoon.
Earlier in the afternoon, they posted their first slices on their individual blogs so they could learn how to link up to our classroom blog. (They will be doing a combination of writing in their journals and blogging). The room buzzed as the kids wrote. They peeked over at each other's stories, sharing giggles and whispers. They helped out when their friends were having difficulty linking up. Our community of writers, which is already strong, became even closer. We have a mission ahead of us...write every day for 31 days straight. They left school yesterday with their Slice of Life journals in their hands. When I told them that they were ahead of the game and they didn't need to write on Saturday, they groaned in unison, "Can we still write if we want to?" My heart was smiling. My heart smiled even bigger when I received a few emails from parents telling me that the whole family was joining in. Joy!
All in all, 5 classes from our school, along with the principal, will be joining the Slice of Life Challenge.
On this early morning, as we brace ourselves for another winter storm, my mind is bubbling with possibilities for this month...topics are tumbling over themselves...
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for hosting the Slice of Life Challenge. For the month of March, writers will be posting their Slice of Life stories every day. Please visit their site to read stories and leave a comment. Also, check out the Classroom Challenge. I will be posting my students' writing there every day too.
It's the beginning of the Slice of Life Challenge 2014. As is often the case when I embark on a challenge such as this, I am filled with hope, excitement, and anticipation. I was wide awake at 5:30 this cold Saturday morning with topics running through my mind. I tried to quiet them as I snuggled deeper under the covers, hoping for a few more hours of sleep. My mind had a different agenda. Slice of Life was beckoning me.
And so it was with my students yesterday afternoon.
Earlier in the afternoon, they posted their first slices on their individual blogs so they could learn how to link up to our classroom blog. (They will be doing a combination of writing in their journals and blogging). The room buzzed as the kids wrote. They peeked over at each other's stories, sharing giggles and whispers. They helped out when their friends were having difficulty linking up. Our community of writers, which is already strong, became even closer. We have a mission ahead of us...write every day for 31 days straight. They left school yesterday with their Slice of Life journals in their hands. When I told them that they were ahead of the game and they didn't need to write on Saturday, they groaned in unison, "Can we still write if we want to?" My heart was smiling. My heart smiled even bigger when I received a few emails from parents telling me that the whole family was joining in. Joy!
All in all, 5 classes from our school, along with the principal, will be joining the Slice of Life Challenge.
On this early morning, as we brace ourselves for another winter storm, my mind is bubbling with possibilities for this month...topics are tumbling over themselves...
- Our Poetry Box launch
- Waking up this morning to a science project on the coffee table (There is a dead crawfish floating in formaldehyde waiting to be dissected.)
- Hearing my son end his voice mail with, "Love you"
- Snow days in March (Ughhh)
- New directions in my life
- Playing Bay City Rollers for my fourth graders
- Sharing the struggle of finding something to write about with my class (because I know it's going to happen)
- Celebrations
Writing every day, connecting with other writers, meeting new people, and discovering more about myself all make this challenge so worthwhile to me. I'm looking forward to what the month of March brings...the joys and struggles and surprises that await my young writers and me. For that's what this is all about. We write, we share, we connect, we grow.
Thanks to Ruth Ayres for providing the space to share our celebrations.
I'd love to hear about your hopes for the Slice of Life Challenge. Please leave your blog URL in your comment so that I can easily find you and comment on your post.
Julie,
ReplyDeleteHi! I am so excited to read about the joy oozing from your post! It's wonderful to hear about your students joining in the challenge. I am happy to read that even some of their families are joining as well. I look forward to reading more of your slices as the month goes along.
Happy SOLSC 2014!
You are an amazing ambassador for Slice of Life challenge! SO many from your school are joining in! The idea that caught my eye is "playing Bay City Rollers" for your students! Maybe that will become a post for me as well!
ReplyDeleteI love your students' journals - so inviting - they make me want to write. I LOVE the idea of the principal joining in and embracing the power of words to celebrate the small moments of our lives.
ReplyDeleteOk Julie! Time to jump in with both feet! Please teach me how to do the slice of life challenge!
ReplyDeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteI posted a link to your class blog on my class blog. I hope our students will connect. I teach gifted students and only have 8 participating from grades 4-6. A colleague of mine has 3 involved. Our numbers may be small but we are enthusiastic. Our Mardi Gras break happened at the beginning of March, so my students started posting last week. Not sure if any will post over the break. Few of them have access at home.
I love the special journals. Are you doing any incentives?
My goal is to work on revision. I want my students to understand that writing for a public audience requires careful attention to editing. We'll see how this goes. I don't want to squash their enthusiasm. A fine line to walk.
What a wonderful start to the slicing challenge in your classroom, Julie - love those booklets, too. And I'm still chuckling over the Bay City Rollers..."Saturday Night" is still a song I can bop to! :)
ReplyDelete"Can we still write if we want to?" - what a wonderful question from young writers. I know you will show be and example to your students as a writer, i hope they will give you inspiration to write.
ReplyDeleteI have to ask - why were you playing Bay City Rollers for your 4th graders? I was 12 at the time S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night came out, which is the perfect age for teen-idol crushes! This made me smile! Jaana was right - you are a great ambassador with all of your recruitments! That is fantastic. Do you mind sharing the link of your principal so I can find it? I will certainly go to your classroom blog and read theirs.
ReplyDeleteJulie, what a great way to begin your own slicing, to include the class & all their exciting comments. I 'think' I have several colleagues who are taking this on, plus one class-so exciting! I hope you write about the Story Box-I'll share again-hopefully someone will 'bite'! Happy to see you here!
ReplyDeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteLooks like you have writing ideas for the next few weeks. You'll be off and rolling in no time. Thank you so much for chatting about your class challenge. Your words calmed my fears and I decided to just dive in with my first graders. 17 of 20 had joined the challenge on Friday. We'll see what Monday brings. It's a bit hard to have the kick-off fall on a weekend. The energy in the room Friday could be felt everywhere. Hopefully, Monday will find us feeling the same way. I've had several posts added to our blog. I know there are several other kids writing on paper and in notebooks over the next few days. Like you, I've received some great notes from families.
Cathy
Sounds like you and your students are ready! Enjoy this challenge writing, sharing, connecting and growing!
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh, I LOVED this post. Your students (and their families, and the entire school it sounds like!) are so lucky to have you! Your kids are joyfully writing, and what a gift that is!
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