We Have a Winner!

It wasn't easy, but we were finally able to select the winner of our Great American Reflections Photo Contest. A student in Timnah Steinman's class at the Park Day School Oakland, California, thirteen-year-old Sarah Marlin walked off with the honors for her poem, "Reflections on the Water's Surface."

     Consisting of just twenty lines, the poem describes the image created when a pebble disturbs the surface of the water. "You wave," she writes, "and your reflection waves back./ The person you see in the water is/Distorted/Changed."

     We've amended the working title of our manuscript to reflect the title of Sarah's poem, and we've placed the poem on the first page of the work, which will be published by PRUFROCK PRESS.

     We won't be publishing Sarah's poem here until the book sees the light of day, but we have included the photo that accompanies it. Perhaps the photo will inspire your students to create their own works of poetry or prose.

Don't Be a Bully!

I don't think you'll ever find a sign identical to the one shown here. That's because after I photographed the "Do Not Enter" sign, I used  Arc Soft Photo Studio to add the words BULLYING ZONE to the image.

      I think that the possibilities for using this image to inspire writing in your classroom are almost limitless. That's because it's almost a sure thing that one or more of your students either is or has been harassed by a bully.

     Here's a suggestion. Download the photo and use it as a trigger to inspire your students to express their feelings about bullying in writing, either as  poetry or prose. Point out that their writings will be voluntary and anonymous, and that they may not use names in their compositions. You'll probably be surprised at some of the responses your receive. Obviously, you won't assign a grade for this activity.

PRUFROCK PRESS AND WRITE WHAT YOU SEE 

      Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students.

     Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Copyright © 2012 Hank Kellner  

 The Great All-American Reflections Poetry Contest

       Thanks to everyone who submitted poems to our Reflections Poetry Contest. We received quite a few entries. It hasn't been easy to select a winner, but we think it's going to be a poem submitted by one of Tinmah Steinman's students at the Park Day School in Oakland, California. We'll announce the final decision during the first or second week of January.
        In the meantime, here's another photo that's sure to inspire students to use their imaginations to create either prose or poetry. The photo at the left, above, shows a small incandescent light bulb reflected in a pane of glass at night. Feel free to download it and use it in your classrooms. By the way, you'll find many more photos that can inspire your students at MY STOCK PHOTOS.

Find Out How Harrison Corbett Uses Photos with His Students 
Here's an Excerpt from His Website

        You know, on our digital cameras or in drawers at home, most of us have pictures that may not ever make it into our scrapbooks or photo albums. To me, these types of photos potentially might make excellent writing prompts. Here at my website, I feature a page of some favorite photos that are neither in a photo album or a scrapbook; I think they're all really great photos that would serve nicely to inspire my own writing...or they would inspire stories from my students. (My students really like to make-up fictional stories based on my photos or photos they obtain from friends, do yours?)

        After I show my kiddos my online photos that I think would make interesting writing prompts for me (and/or I show them WritingFix's Photo Prompt Page), I challenge them to look for two or three photos at home and to bring them in (or scans of them) as possible writing prompts for their own notebooks. Usually, I ask them to show a friend the two or three photos they've brought in, and I ask them to share a little bit about the story behind the photograph. I then ask them to ask their friend, "Which one do you think I should write about first?"

        Students tape the photo they've chosen onto a blank notebook page (I have double-sided tape available for them). Then, they spend 15 minutes free-writing about the image. I don't want them to necessarily simply tell me what's in their photo; I'd much rather have them show a memory or idea they associate with the image. To show them that kind of thinking, I share with them two photos and free writes from my own writer's notebook. 
            Corbett Harrison is a teacher and educational consultant based in Nevada.

Now You Can Find Out More about Virtual Poetry Clubs

Here's Some Interesting Information from Lindsey Wright

       Poetry is not often a common interest among children. Furthermore, modern students increasingly prefer online classes and educational platforms that allow for optimum agency and individual creativity. Basically, students today prefer to entertain themselves with electronic devices. Thus, in order to engage students of today, it is helpful to channel knowledge through technological venues such as a virtual poetry club.
        Writing a poem on a piece of paper and perhaps sharing it later with a friend does not provide the instant reward that children now expect from daily life. With a virtual poetry club, students can talk about their creations in real time. In this medium students can communicate instantly and give feedback to others while using their analytical skills to discuss style, themes, meters and more.
           Another upside to virtual poetry clubs is that children can interact in them between other online activities, such as gaming and watching television shows. It may motivate them to be more active in the club because they do not have to abandon their electronics for a pencil and a piece of paper. 

        Children need to learn to experience poetry before picking apart the technical details. This makes them more attuned to the creative aspect of poetry. Teaching students to appreciate poetry can give them an advantage in school for reading and writing, and is one creative way to introduce students of today to the beauty of poetry in a way that is more palatable to them.

        Based in Seattle, Washington,  Lindsey Wright is fascinated with the potential of emerging educational technologies, particularly the online school, to transform the landscape of learning. She writes about web-based learning, electronic and mobile learning, and the possible future of education.

PRUFROCK PRESS AND WRITE WHAT YOU SEE 

      Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students.

     Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Grandmother and a Bowl of Cherries

                     

What Can You See in a Bowl of Cherries?                                                                                             

          Soon to be published by Prufrock Press, Reflections is a collection of poems and photos intended primarily for use in classrooms . Contributors to this work include students, teachers, and others from all over the country. Foremost among these contributors are students and teachers at Lake Forest High School, Lake Forest, Illinois. The work will include an introduction by Joe Miller, Ph.D, Director of English Education at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
         One fine example of a poem included in this unique work is LFHS teacher Dr. Mara Dukats' "Grandmother." In addition to this poem and others by the same author, Reflections will include poems by LFHS teachers Amy Lyons and Karen Topham, as well as contributions by seven LFHS students.
         

Grandmother

Your furrowed hands, spotted with the years,

your fingernails, so subtly earthen

your slender, crooked fingers busy,

as we sit at the edge of the grove,

pitting harvested cherries with bobby pins.

Anchored on the stump, you’re poised,

cradling between your knees the metal pot

into which drop, our sour cherries.

The pot fills unexpectedly (for me)

though you have always known

how simply one can fill the years

with marmelade.

                                           -Mara Dukats

We're Still on the Lookout for More Poems

             If you and/or your students  would like to submit poems for possible publication in Reflections, please contact me through this blog with your e-mail address and the word REFLECTIONS in your message.

Where Can You Find Photos?

           If you need photos for inspiration and would like to receive up to three from my files for free, please click on "My Stock Photos" (above, right). Then just let me know the titles of the  photos you want to receive. I'll send you .jpgs you can use for yourself or in the classroom. 

PRUFROCK PRESS AND WRITE WHAT YOU SEE 

      Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students.

     Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Photos Copyright © Hank Kellner, 2011

"Grandmother" Copyright © Mara Dukats, 2011

Poetry and Photographs

An Elementary School Student's Poem about Grandmother

      Erick Moore is a student at the South Elementary School, Muhlenberg, Kentucky. We matched his poem, " A Grandmother's Heart," with Cindy Nadal's photo to create an image that is both pleasing and inspirational. This combination will be included in our upcoming anthology, Reflections: A Collection of Photos, Poetry, and More, which will be published by Prufrock Press. If you or your students would like to contribute poetry to this work, please contact me. At this writing, the manuscript is complete, but we can always find room for more poems by students and/or teachers at all levels.

     Together, the poem and accompanying photo are sure to stimulate class discussion that can produce  ideas that will stimulate students' imaginations and trigger many different kinds of writing. Of course, it's also possible to use either the poem or the photo alone to inspire writing. You'll discover more information in earlier entries to this blog.

       A Grandmother's Heart

A grandmother's heart is a special place
You can read what it holds
By the smile on her face.
Within her heart memories are dear:
Memories of grandchildren,
Laughter and cheer.
Within her heart her grandchild will live,
And her heart will not burst
For it holds people dear.
Forever my Grandma,
Forever my friend.
                 -Eric Moore

       Feel free to download this and any other photo you discover in the archives of this blog for use in your classroom. To see even more photos, click on MY PORTFOLIO,  top right. And to read my series of ten articles on using photographs to inspire writing, go to www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/kellner.

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Don't  Miss Tim San Pedro's Poem and Photo!

You Can See Them at Frank Holes' STAR TEACHING Website.

  Frank Holes, Jr. has published Timothy San Pedro's poem "A Full Purple Crown" in STAR TEACHING. To read the poem and see San Pedro's accompanying photo, go to  www.starteaching.com/Features_for_Teachers_7oct2.htm. and  click on "New! Hank Kellner's Using Photography To Inspire Writing."

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PRUFROCK PRESS AND WRITE WHAT YOU SEE 

      Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students.

     Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Copyright © Hank Kellner, 2011

CREATIVE CONCEPTS FOR WRITING

Photos and Keywords Can Stimulate Your Students' Imaginations

     When you and your students create keywords related to photographs, the possibilities for writing interesting poetry and/or prose are greatly enhanced.

     For example, if you show the photo of an arrow painted on a macadam surface  to students at almost any level and ask them to cite words that come to mind, they are sure to respond eagerly.  Here are just a few keywords related to the photo shown above : (a) forward, (b) direction, (c) traffic (d) pointing, (e) street, (f) flat, (g) angular, (h), arrow,  (i), sign, (j), smudged), (k) road.

     Using the keywords they've cited, most students should be able to develop interesting written works. But for those who need even more prompting, a possible opening line is sure to work, as in "When Cody saw the sign in his headlights, he knew..." or "Because Angelica wasn't sure what direction to take..."

     As always, you are free to download this photo for use in your classroom. And if it succeeds in helping you or your students write a poem, I would love to hear from you. Please read the preceding entry in this blog for information on how to submit poetry for REFLECTIONS, an anthology to be published by Prufrock Press.

PRUFROCK PRESS AND WRITE WHAT YOU SEE 

      Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students.

     Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Copyright © Hank Kellner, 2011

PHOTOS AND POETRY

Two Photos for Inspiration

Here are two images that can easily inspire either poetry or prose. Feel free to download them and use them in your classroom or with your writing group. If you like, you can easily dream up a few keywords or possible opening lines to fire up you students' imaginations. 

       By the way, when you scroll through  the archives of this blog, you'll discover many more photos you can use to inspire writing.

      But that's not all. You'll also discover information about Reflections, a collection of poems and photos that Prufrock Press will publish during the Spring, 2014. Please visit Prufrock at  www.prufrock.com to discover more about this outstanding publisher of educational materials.

       Reflections will present a collection of poems and photos created by students and their teachers nationwide. Designed to inspire writing in the classroom at several levels, this work will also present a few of my own poems, along with those written by Elizabeth Guy.

        At this writing, the manuscript is complete. But I'm always on the lookout for more poems to add to the work.  If you or any of your students would like to submit poems using any of the photos in this blog as inspiration, please contact me ASAP at hankpix@gmail.com.

        If your poetry is already included in the manuscript and you'd like to submit new work inspired by the photos in this blog,  I'd be delighted to hear from you. 

PRUFROCK PRESS AND WRITE WHAT YOU SEE 

      Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students.

     Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Copyright © Hank Kellner, 2011

More Information about Writing and Photos

 When No Words Are Needed

       To inspire writing in their classrooms, many teachers like to accompany photos with written prompts. Foremost among these are  keywords and/or possible first lines.  Others prefer to use photos as the basis for class discussions designed to stimulate their students. Still others simply show selected photos to their students before turning them loose to develop creative pieces. 

       Here are two examples of photos that are sure to trigger ideas that will help students get past the "I don't know what to write about" stage of their development as writers. Feel free to download these photos for use in your classrooms.

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A Few Interesting Resources

       For more valuable information about using photographs to inspire writing, please visit the following websites.

http://www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/kellner/ 

http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3125

http://www.writingfix.com/classroom_tools/picture_prompts.htm

      At these websites you'll discover a great deal of information that will help your students use their imaginations to develop better compositions.

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 PRUFROCK PRESS AND WRITE WHAT YOU SEE 

      Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students.

     Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Copyright © Hank Kellner, 2011