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go write outside

how can we live (and write) deliberately?

How does nature help us live deliberately? In this week's Connect module, we'll use nature as a springboard for creative writing. We'll delve into Thoreau's Walden a bit, discuss whether we are losing that touch with nature, and write narrative essays after spending time outdoors.

Module summary:
  • read and discuss two texts: excerpts from Walden and an op ed about kids and nature
  • engage with the outdoors through activities and writing prompts:
    • nature walk
    • sit 'n study
    • change in perspectives
  • write a narrative essay based on one (or all) of your prompts
Picture
" I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Henry Thoreau

essential questions

  • How do we read a complex text for comprehension?
  • How do we synthesize ideas with reflective writing?

goals

  • Students will understand that using predicting skills, annotating the text, and re-reading help us stay engaged when reading complex texts.
  • Students will understand that we synthesize by comparing and finding connections between ideas, often from our own lives.

activities

INTRODUCE 
  • Listen to Morgan read the op ed article, "Are we raising a generation of nature-phobic kids?"
  • Review syllabus and expectations
    • Note: we'll miss class Thursday because of the Silvercliff field trip

EXPOSE
  • Read "Excerpts from Walden"
    • ​Annotate with questions, connections, memorable quotes
    • Discuss: what is Thoreau saying? what does it mean to live deliberately?
  • Compare Walden with op ed article
    • How do these pieces relate to each other? to you? what should we take away from this discussion?
    • How can we live deliberately with nature?

PRACTICE
  • Participate in outdoor activities and writing prompts:
    • Sit in one location for 30 minutes and get distracted by nature
      • Prompt: What are you seeing that you wouldn't have noticed if you weren't deliberately observing your surroundings?
    • Go for a walk and observe with the senses 
      • Prompt: Stop every ten minutes and write for four minutes. What did you see? hear? smell? touch? taste? (You'll do this three times)
    • Spend 30 minutes watching the world from another perspective (based on a slip of paper you choose randomly).
      • Prompt: Freewrite for about 10 minutes from your assigned perspective, based on what you observed. What is life like for you? What are your goals, your joys, your fears?
CREATE
  • Write a 300-500 word narrative essay based on one of (or a combination of) your prompts
    • ​Incorporate a reflection on the question, "what does it mean to live deliberately with nature?"
    • Narrative can be typed or legibly handwritten
    • Integrate elements of nature (artifacts, photos) if desired

REFLECT​​
  • Conference with Morgan about narrative essay and module
    • How might this module affect your thought process on living deliberately in the future?

c-tachs

Writing
  • Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Reading
  • Read and comprehend complex literature and informational text independently, accurately and for deep understanding

resources

Go Write Outside syllabus
Op ed: Are we raising a nature-phobic generation?
Excerpts from Walden

Picture

The Mission of Chaffee County High School

“We engage and empower our society through innovative education to make a more positive and peaceful world." 

Contact Us

  • Home
    • About
  • Research
  • Reading & Writing
  • Recent Modules
    • Connect >
      • Board Game Reviews (mini)
      • CCHS Powtoon
      • Coco!
      • Creative Writing Seminar >
        • Calvin and Hobbes
        • Pieces of art
        • Tell Tale Cards
      • Dragon Post
      • Editorializing
      • E-mail Etiquette (Dead Poet's Society)
      • E-mail Etiquette (Star Wars)
      • English Skills
      • Go Write Outside
      • HONY and Narrative Essays
      • Nature Poetry
      • Passion Project
      • Persons, Places, Things
      • Photo Essays
      • Rebel Girls >
        • Jane Goodall
      • Stereotypes
      • Teach Me Something
      • Virtual Reality-ing
      • What Music Means
    • Construct >
      • 2018 in Review
      • Book Censorship
      • Live Anywhere
      • Picture Book Inquiry
      • Propaganda Bombs
      • PSA Powtoon
      • Self-Improvement
      • State of the Union
      • Rant to Reason
      • TED Topics
      • Who Cares?
    • Be Curious >
      • Art Time is Fun Time!
      • Caper with the Classics
      • CCHS Librarians
      • Emma: Friend or Foe?
      • Fahrenheit 451
      • Found Poetry
      • Google Expeditions
      • Hero's Journey
      • Irreverence
      • Macbeth
      • Poetry
      • The Lottery
      • "Worthy" Art