Thursday, July 15, 2010

Poem #106 - Just an Expression




Thank you again to Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect for her weekly poetry stretch.  This week's challenge encourages us to write about sayings.  You can read the poems as they're posted here at her blog.

While we're on the topic of idioms, sayings, and expressions, I am excited to share a new book with you which includes a whole chapter on this very topic.  Ralph Fletcher, writer of picture books, novels, poetry, and writing books for students and teachers, has done it again.  His latest book, PYROTECHNICS ON THE PAGE: PLAYFUL CRAFT THAT SPARKS WRITING, celebrates and encourages joyful romping through and exploration of language.  

Ralph's book (from Stenhouse) includes chapters on word play, craft lessons highlighting specifics of language, and a resource section chock-full * of definitions, book recommendations, useful lists, and texts for teaching.  I recommend it as a great summer read - not only to expand our own understandings of language but also to help us imagine communities of fascination and joy around letters, words, sentences, and the way they mix into meaning.


Tomorrow is Poetry Friday and the final day of "Free Verse Week" here at The Poem Farm.

* "Originally a person or thing stuffed to the point of choking was choke-full. In modern speech this expression has become chock-full, or in less formal American English, chuck-full."  (from Paul Brians' book, COMMON ERRORS IN ENGLISH USAGE)

(Please click COMMENTS below to share a thought.)

2 comments:

  1. Of course, I thought of Wilbur, the pig! Did you actually have pigs or were you being so imaginative?
    Finished Fletcher's book over the weekend at the beach.I just love the playing with language he encourages. Some students just love playing with words the way Rachel Ray plays with ingredients! For others, we need to nudge them along.Congratulations for some fabulous nudging.

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  2. Thank you! We never did have a pig, I have no idea where this came from.
    This is embarrassing, but would you please send me your address again? I have your book! A. (amy at amylv dot com). So sorry it has taken me forever!
    A.

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