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On the Lake: Poems about Places/Poetry Friday

8/26/2016

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Poetry Friday is finally here! If you would like to celebrate poetry, then join the round up at Heidi's My Juicy Little Universe. Thanks for hosting Heidi!

Today, I am sharing a poem about one of my favorite places. I love spending time on the lake just below the ridge. It is so soothing and peaceful. I love to write about all the life that is happening on the lake. Sometimes, I just close my eyes and let my mind wander wherever it will! Spending time in your favorite place can really clear your head of all the busy thoughts of the week so that your mind is open to take on those new ideas that matter to you. I hope you are able to spend some time in your special place this weekend, too!
  
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Listen to my poem-On the Lake

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Claude Monet The Seine at Givemy 1897 Painting Courtesy of National Gallery of Art, Washigton

Invitation to Write:

Writers like to write about their favorite places. It can be comforting to think of the places we love. Try closing your eyes right now and picturing the places that you feel most at home. Think about what makes each place soothing to your mind and spirit. Now open your eyes and write!
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Summer's End: Summer Poems/Poetry Friday

8/18/2016

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Hooray for Poetry Friday! Celebrate with more of my friends from the round-up today atDori Reads. Thanks for hosting today, Dori!

​Today is the Friday before school starts! I am very excited to begin a new school year. I look forward to all the new faces and new beginnings. Every year I can't get over how quickly the summer flies by. It seems just as we end, we begin again. I think about this beginning and ending throughout the days and across years of my life. It always gives me hope when I think about all the things in my life that have ended or may end so that new things may begin. The seasons and our natural world give us proof of this all the time. 

So while I am sad to see the summer season go, I know that it leaves behind the promise of something new. A new opportunity to grow and change will emerge from every season. I look forward to my new beginnings, but I will always remember this summer's end. 

​Have a wonderful beginning to your new school year! 

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Listen to my poem: Summer's End

Invitation to Write:

I often think about the beginnings and endings throughout my life. It can be great thinking and writing work. Try making a list in your notebook of beginnings and endings throughout your life. It might be the first time or the last time you felt a certain way or it might be an event that you began or ended. This list can help you generate even more ideas for writing in your notebook!  
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I would walk: Calm Before the Storm

8/11/2016

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It's Poetry Friday once again! A special thanks to Julieanne for hosting the round-up today. Be sure to visit her site below for more poetry!
To Read To Write To Be
It seems a new year school year is approaching fast. I know teachers and students are busy getting ready. These are exciting times indeed! However, it is often easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of our daily preparations before heading back to school. As much as I look forward to the new school year, I do not want to lose my calm before the storm. I know that every person has a different way of keeping that calm when things get hectic in their lives.

I can find my calm by walking through the field or around my yard. This helps feed my soul and steady my mind from one day to the next. Even during a busy time of the year like now, I make sure to carve out that time to just walk. Today's poem is about how I find the calm before the storm during these whirl-wind moments of my life. I am also sharing a piece out of my notebook that reflects the thoughts I have been having lately. It is my wish for you.

My Notebook Entry:

Before the rush of schedules, meetings, and early morning routines-take a deep breath. Then let it go. Spend some time today doing what you love. Greet the day with happiness in your heart. Take a moment to just BE. Let the day unfold around you. Meanwhile, life will go on. Tomorrow will come. Time will change. Yet, may the feelings of your heart remain as each day turns the page.
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Invitation to Write:

There are so many benefits to walking. Besides being healthy for your heart, it can help you relax and calm your brain after a busy day. Sometimes walking around your backyard or through your neighborhood can help you tune in to the world around you. So many ideas for writing may come to you throughout your walk.

I find great joy in walks. I wish for you the same kind of joy that a simple walk with nature can bring!
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In the Meadow: Poems about Places

8/7/2016

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Today, I was remembering how green and lovely the meadow was at the beginning of summer. Though it is dry and brittle now, it is still one of my favorite places on the ridge. I write about it often in my notebook. I also love taking pictures of the flowers and bugs that I see in the meadow. It's fun to search for their scientific name. I have even more fun coming up with my own names for them, too!
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Invitation to Write:

You can write about places you love to spend time at, too! Try visiting your favorite places during different times of the year. Write down these observations in your notebook. You can even sketch or take pictures of the animals, bugs, and vegetation that you see. Take some time researching the scientific names for the things that dwell in this space. You can even make up your own names for them. Writing about our favorite places can often lead us to all kinds of thinking and wondering in our notebooks!
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Goodbye Firefly: Concrete Poem/Poetry Friday

8/5/2016

6 Comments

 
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Hooray for Poetry Friday! Tara is hosting today's Poetry Friday round-up. Be sure to check out her site below for more writing inspiration and poetry celebrations! 
A Teaching Life
Now that summer heat has kicked in, I have been thinking about how much I miss the fireflies that lit up my backyard at the beginning of the summer. I have always heard that fireflies really thrive in wet environments. We had a good amount of rain in May, and I saw more fireflies than I have ever seen here. When I was little, I remember catching lightning bugs (That's what I like to call them!) in my hand. I would peek in my hand and watch them flicker on and off. Then, I would let them go into the darkness. Seeing them in my own backyard this year, brought back so many childhood memories. Only now, they are gone. I started writing in my notebook about the sadness I felt since their disappearance. I began to wonder why there were no longer lightning bugs blinking around in the darkness. I decided to research them, and I'm so glad that I did. Not only did I find the answer to my question, but I also found out so many other interesting things about these glow bugs that I never knew before. It turns out that lightning bugs may be declining due to things like light pollution, pesticides, and habitat destruction. This made me very sad. So, I immediately began working on a poem in honor of this glittering little bug. Though I'm saying goodbye in the poem, if we all do our part, these flashy fliers will be around for awhile.

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Lightning bug? Firefly? What do you call them?
Fireflies are pretty amazing little bugs! You can learn more about fireflies by clicking the button below.
Fireflies!

Invitation to Write:

Today's poem originated from an observation entry in my notebook. I was sitting outside at my writing table one night waiting to see all the fireflies glowing in the dark. I remember how sad I was when I did not see any at all. I wrote about this feeling in my notebook. It made me wonder, "Where had all the lightning bugs gone?" I immediately started researching more about these tiny night-lights. I was surprised by all the interesting things I never knew about these light-up bugs. After reading so much about them and looking at so many pictures of them, I decided to write a poem in the shape of a firefly.

Many of the things you are observing in your world can lead you to wonder more and more about them as well. Try researching your topic or subject to see what information you can find. These facts can lead you to all kinds of writing inspiration about your topic.
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    Author

    Welcome! I'm Kiesha Shepard, and I have a love for writing and the teaching of writing. Whispers From the Ridge is a place where I can share my words and ideas for teaching writing. It's also a place for you to find inspiration for writing the words inside of you. I invite you into my world of writing as I capture the whispers from the ridge.

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    Click to learn about Poetry Friday!

    Schedule of Round Up:

    July
    2    Laura at Laura Shovan
    9    Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
    16  Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone
    23  Kat at Kathryn Apel
    30  Becky at Sloth Reads
    August
    6   Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading
    13 Christie at Wondering and Wandering
    20 Carol at The Apples in My Orchard
    27 Elisabeth at Unexpected Intersections
    September
    3   Heidi at my juicy little universe
    10 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
    17 Denise at Dare to Care
    24 Laura at Laura Purdie Salas
    October
    1   Catherine at Reading to the Core
    8   Irene at Live Your Poem
    15 Bridget at wee words for wee ones
    22 Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup
    29 Linda at TeacherDance
    November
    5   Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
    12 Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme
    19 Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink
    26 Ruth at there is no such thing as a God-forsaken town
    December
    3   Michelle at Michelle Kogan
    10 Cathy at Merely Day by Day
    17 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch
    24 Buffy at Buffy Silverman
    31 Carol at Carol's Corner

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