Poetry Break: Pastoral

Horizon (M.A. Reilly. California. 2010)

Pastoral
 
    - Santee Frazier

stark is the wood stove in the night
its bulbous hull a womb
                                          of popping embers

slow boiling corn filling the house
with a thick nutty perfume


what sounds but guzzle
of a pumped well
the gushing water against the metal


stark is slowness
                              scything of grass
chucking grain toward
chickens
                        low bark of hounds

gnats backlit by the sun
                                        their flight pattern
scattered in gold


song of exoskeleton
zoom of the june bug's wings
                                               lifting itself

from the screen door
and off to the damp night


far away roar of tire
bucking junk in the truck bed


slow sputter and buzz
of a mower echoed in the gully


the radio whispering
a piano that vibrated
                                gospel
when it uttered

Digital Composing Resources for Primary Grade Teachers

2nd Graders' Blogs on KidBlog (Newark, NJ)

I. Oral Language [Audio/Single Image for Storytelling, Recounting]

AudioBoo (free)

• Kinderarten example: Child recounts a favorite book.

Draw & Tell

Narrable (free) Narrated Slideshow.

A storytelling platform that is free and easy to use.
Allows you to connect a series of single images and narrate a story, recount information, be persuasive, express an opinion.

• First Grade Zoo
• World Language example (blog post)

Tell About This (2.99 Great for very young children)

Provides prompts for children to tell about.  You can also create your own prompts. I like this for center use after children have learned how to use the app.

 (See Write About This too)




II. Drawing & Design


Sago Mini Doodlecast (2.99)

This screencasting app allows children to draw and narrate while drawing and then share their screencast with others. Simple to use.

A Homage to Jaws from Small But Kinda Mighty ( here. )

Felt Board App (2.99)
Felt Board - Mother Goose on the Loose (Free)

Patterned after the original felt board, this digital version allows children to tell and retell stories by selecting and arranging felt objects and placing them into different environments.




III. Writing

Kidblog

2nd Grader's Response to Read  Aloud Book on Kidblog (Newark, NJ)

A blogging platform designed for teachers and students.