Creativity Abounds!
The Creative Writing (mixed grade levels) and ELA I (freshmen) classes have been exploring their creative sides. The Creative Writing students used a manual typewriter (see pictures) to produce a variety of short manuscripts, including original quotations and short poetry. They discovered that the “l” key doubles as a “one” and that the “ping” sound at the end of a line is important to listen to. They also learned to appreciate the “backspace” key we have on contemporary keyboards because revision work with “White-Out” or starting over is more time-consuming.
The ELA I students are reading and analyzing poetry, then using these poems as “models” to write their own poems. So far, they have read a locale poem (“Filling Station” by Elizabeth Bishop); ordinary, every day poems (“Working Hands” by Austin Barker and “Shirt” by Robert Pinsky); tribute poem (“My Mother Enters the Work Force” by Rita Dove); regret poem (“Lizards and Snakes” by Anthony Hecht); and legacy poems (“They Will Say” by Carl Sandburg, “Cardboard City” by Graham Jones, and “Kansas City Beautiful” by Alberta McMahon Sherwin). See pictures to read some of their poetry.