debquinnelly

Deb Quinnelly's page

Hi Great Bear Writing Project 2011 Members! I teach English 10, Journalism and coach the Dance Team at Heber Springs High. This is my 6th year in the public education arena and I am still learning...daily. I look forward to our three weeks in the Summer Institute and hope that this experience will give me fodder to create enthusiasm for writing in my classroom. I teach general English 10 which means my classroom is predominantly boys...many are athletes and writing is not an area they feel comfortable.

This is my most precious baby girl...Rachel...yes, she is an only and a late in life baby so she is pleasantly spoiled! She will be 17 in a month, drives and has her first summer job at Tropical Sno. This year she will be a senior, involved in Beta Club, Student Council and captain of the Dance Team. (No, I did not become the coach for her...she joined the team as a dance member two years after I took over the team.)



Campfire Stories

Wow! I never thought I would be at a loss for words concerning a subject we have participated in often, but I am. My family and I sincerely enjoy camping and use to participate in this ritual frequently when my daughter was little, but have slipped out of the habit in recent years. Funny, the people who live on the lake, in the area where people flock to camp...don't camp any more. As I find myself floundering about for a story one thankfully comes to mind.

When Rachel was little...three, four, five years old we camped every summer for her birthday. It was a really big deal and we all looked forward to the trip to Branson, MO to camp, fish, swim, play and visit Silver Dollar City. We would grill burgers, slap sunscreen on each other regularly, participate in the evening camper programs with the rangers and just chill. No t.v., computers and little use of the cell phone. Those days are gone now that my daughter is a teen and can't function for more than about 60 seconds without some technical device which "simplifies" her life. The highlight of one of those famous birthday trips was swimming with the swans. A flock of thirty or forty swans made their way into our swimming area and Rachel, being the 'old soul' that she is decided to swim with them. She gathered her floaty and proceeded to the middle of the group, squawking and calling to her new found friends.


 * Chain Poems**

Mirror

I gaze into the looking __glass__ and dream of __lemonade__ __summer__ is here and I am __ho__t, I __sweat__ when working in the __yard__ the promise of __flowers__ makes it all worthwhile I long for the reflection of the __iris__

__Running__

Getting __away__ from it all I quietly __burn__ his __photos__ the __lover__ who has __broken__ my heart painful __memories__ remain of my __youth__


 * MYSTERY ELEMENTS:**


 * Alibi:** A plea offered by an accused person of not having been at the scene of the crime.


 * Clue**: Something that appears to give information toward solving the crime.


 * Deduction**: Collecting the facts and drawing a possible conclusion.


 * Evidence**: Someone or something that proves who committed the crime.


 * Motive**: A reason for doing something.

//** Red herring **//: A false lead that throws the investigator off the track.


 * Sleuth**: An investigator or detective.


 * Suspects:** People who appear to have a motive to have committed the crime.


 * Witness**: Person who has personal knowledge about the crime.

**Mystery Skeleton Sheet**

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. ||
 * **Setting **– Where does the story take place? Write vividly so the readers feel like they are actually there with the characters. In this box, tell where and when you plan to have your story occur. ||
 * **Cast of characters ** – The main character is most important. How will your character’s personality affect the way the story is solved? Minor characters involved may help the main character or prevent the main character from solving the story. List your characters here. You will need to create a character web for each character. By each character’s name, write a phrase to explain who he or she is in the story. ||
 * **Confli** **ct **– The main character has a problem to be solved. In this box, explain what the main conflict of the story is. What is the problem to be solved? ||
 * **Rising Action **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> – Develop suspense with clues. One clue must be the key to solving the crime. Red herrings are clues that are designed to mislead the reader by making them suspect the wrong characters. Red herrings are fun because they make the mystery harder to solve. List the events you will use to develop your story. Stop right before you solve the mystery. Do NOT tell the final step when the mystery is solve. (Use the back if necessary.)
 * **<span style="font-family: Copperplate Gothic Bold,sans-serif;">Climax **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">– Moment when the mystery is solved – In this box, tell the solution to the mystery – how the conflict is solved. This is the big moment your readers have been waiting for. ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Copperplate Gothic Bold,sans-serif;">Resolution **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> – tying up the loose ends – Tell what details your reader has to know to understand how the mystery was solved. This will be the last paragraph or two of your story. ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Copperplate Gothic Bold,sans-serif;">Opening Sentence **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">– Grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read the rest of the story. Begin with something interesting happening. Try starting with dialogue or action. ||

@http://www.fictionteachers.com/fictionclass/mystery.html @http://www.mysterynet.com/learn/lessonplans/ @http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=660 || <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: ArialMT,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Mysteries can motivate reluctant students to become enthusiastic about reading, thinking and writing. While textbooks can be dry, mysteries, with their intrigue, characters, and gradually revealed storyline, hold the students' interest. Students become involved in what they are reading because they use deductive reasoning and research skills to solve the mystery. <span style="color: #114917; display: block; font-family: ArialMT,sans-serif; text-align: center;">**All Stages of Bloom's Taxonomy** <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: ArialMT,sans-serif; text-align: left;">As presented in Bloom's Taxonomy, mysteries can be used to achieve higher levels of thinking in these ways: <span style="color: #114917; display: block; font-family: ArialMT,sans-serif; text-align: center;">**Reading** <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: ArialMT,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Mysteries are exciting reading for students. Students become enthused about the plot development, character analysis, clues, and gathering of evidence and possible solutions. <span style="color: #114917; display: block; font-family: ArialMT,sans-serif; text-align: center;">**Writing** <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: ArialMT,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Once students are exposed to the mystery genre, they will want to write their own for others to enjoy and solve. When writing an original mystery, the student will brainstorm, research, and develop specific elements that demonstrate their knowledge and their own exciting vision. After these elements are completed, the next steps are outlining, drafting, conferencing, revising, and publishing.
 * ||  ||   || Helpful websites for mystery writing
 * Knowledge:** Students arrange characters and events in the mystery.
 * Comprehension:** Students classify events, describe characters, and explain precisely what has occurred.
 * Application:** Students apply existing knowledge to the mystery by illustrating, dramatizing, and writing their interpretations.
 * Analysis:** Students analyze, categorize, and differentiate characters and events.
 * Synthesis:** Students collect and organize facts to form hypotheses.
 * Evaluation:** Students appraise, argue, assess, and evaluate their opinions in the process of solving the mystery.

Sample Pictures for Writing Prompts





__**Book Talk**__ __Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices__ by Ralph Fletcher

This author believes most boys "write" in different ways than girls and explains how teachers and parents can recognize these differences and help boys to develop their writing skills in their own way. Fletcher says ““Boy writers” have unique strengths, quirks, and weaknesses both individually and as a group.” Each chapter begins with a thorough discussion of a topic and ends with a highly practical section titled: "What can I do in my classroom?"

The book explains why TEXTING is a valuable form of writing for boys! He also explains why boys are drawn to writing a story in cartoon or graphic novel form, and what information parents and teachers can gather from this lesson to encourage boy's writing.

Important Points:


 * Boy writers must be engaged, need to feel at home, and be able to write for a wide variety of audiences.


 * Boys measure everything by one ruler...does this make me look weak? and if it does...they are NOT going to do it.

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oM2-DMxHBHo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> media type="youtube" key="oM2-DMxHBHo" height="349" width="560"
 * Try not to judge boy writers by what they write...what if someone had judged Gary Paulsen?