Wild Words... (continued) Keep in mind that some groups are awkward about


giving feedback and will need a little bit of modeling from the facilitator at first. In addition, I ask people to refrain from giving


“constructive feedback” on all off-the-cuff freewriting. It hardly seems fair to ask people to write whatever spills out and then critique it. Only once a piece has been revised is it ready for suggestions for improvement, and even then positive feedback is just as important.


Closure It’s often most satisfying to end a writing session with a


final, short piece of writing. Three-to-five minutes will do, and it’s up to you if you share for this final round. In lieu of sharing the whole piece of writing, you could ask students to share their final line.


A few


suggestions for your final writing activity:


• Have students pick a favorite line from their own piece of writing and use it as the starting point for another one.


• Ask students to write down the last/first/favorite line


Becca Deysach teaches creative writing and environmental studies for Prescott College and Ibex Studios: Adventures in Creative Writing (www.ibexstudios.com). She is excited to work with teachers in all disciplines to integrate creative writing into their curricula and can be reached at becca@ibexstudios.com.


from their previous piece of writing on a slip of paper, put the slips of paper into a small pile, and ask each student to pick a random slip to use as their first line.


• Use one of the phrases from the warm-up activity as a starting point.


• Have them close their eyes and listen, then begin by writing what they hear.


• Start with “Today I learned…..” At the end of a workshop, I always like to thank people for


their bravery and thoughtful participation. It makes everyone feel good and eager to come back for more.


Congratulations! You’ve just facilitated a successful writing workshop!


Launch Pad Just as writing prompts are meant to be springboards for


stories to emerge, the basic writing workshop model I outlined above is intended to be simply a starting point for integrating creative writing into your educational repertoire. Let your own imagination, course objectives, and field of study be your guide as you give your students permission to become the creative writers that live inside of them. And, in the process, you might just meet the creative writer


inside of you.


,


A unique and historic resource


for your environmental education library! This collectors-item DVD series contains all of the great articles, teaching tips, resource reviews, and activity ideas from past issues of CLEARING.


Articles, stories, perspectives, teaching ideas, and activities from 25 years of CLEARING Magazine.


Includes many of the leading thinkers and writers in the field of environmental and place-based education.


Without a doubt, this will be one of the most valuable and inspiring resources in your library!


Get your copy today! Buy it online at www.clearingmagazine.org/online/bestofclearing


������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Page 20 www.clearingmagazine.org/online CLEARING 2010


T


h


e


2


B


8


E


9


S


T


1


o


-


f


I


C


L


e


E


A


R


l


I


o


N


G


V


u


m


V


9


-


0


0


6


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66