Keen Observation
This year I am committed to incorporating the Brave Writer life style into our homeschooling journey. It takes perseverance on my part since it wasn't part of my educational experience and I sometimes find it easier to resort back to the worksheet mentality--proof that we did something with our day. This morning armed with the insight of all that I have gleaned from a recent Brave Writer class -- The One Thing Copywork/Dictation month long workshop via Internet--I forged ahead determined to try something new.
So... what does new look like? Well, today I took my three guys to our local coffee house for a "field trip" I ordered three hot chocolates (and one latte) and set them in front of their eager faces. We then proceeded to do a writing exercise called Keen Observation.
The Keen Observation exercise is outlined in Julie's (founder of Brave Writer) book the Writer's Jungle.
In a nut shell, I asked Logan and Jonah questions about the hot chocolate that would involve their five senses. Today I wrote for them because I wanted to do it as a group exercise.
Here is what they came up with:
Sight:
the whip cream is white like a cloud or an island
the cocoa powder on top of the whip cream is a lighter brown than the hot chocolate
tiny bits of sugar on top
there are bubbles--some small and some big
when the cocoa powder gets wet it turns a dark brown
the whip cream is slowly dissolving
when I first looked at it, my taste buds started to water
Taste:
whip cream is light and fluffy compared to the liquid
the hot chocolate is creamy
is not the sweetest I've tasted, but is very rich
I feel grains of cocoa on my tongue
light and frothy
smooth and creamy like a liquid cloud
rushes down your throat in an appetising way
Smell:
steamy
chocolate
caused a memory of drinking hot chocolate after a cold soccer game
think of warm feelings
Sound:
gurgle when you pour it back into the mug
when you dip your spoon in it makes a tsk sound
clink against the mug when spoon is put in
They enjoyed the exerience and I think will be much more willing to do it again with an object of their choice. Infact when we got home, Jonah took to describing a Bannana he was about to eat in great detail :)
So... what does new look like? Well, today I took my three guys to our local coffee house for a "field trip" I ordered three hot chocolates (and one latte) and set them in front of their eager faces. We then proceeded to do a writing exercise called Keen Observation.
The Keen Observation exercise is outlined in Julie's (founder of Brave Writer) book the Writer's Jungle.
In a nut shell, I asked Logan and Jonah questions about the hot chocolate that would involve their five senses. Today I wrote for them because I wanted to do it as a group exercise.
Here is what they came up with:
Sight:
the whip cream is white like a cloud or an island
the cocoa powder on top of the whip cream is a lighter brown than the hot chocolate
tiny bits of sugar on top
there are bubbles--some small and some big
when the cocoa powder gets wet it turns a dark brown
the whip cream is slowly dissolving
when I first looked at it, my taste buds started to water
Taste:
whip cream is light and fluffy compared to the liquid
the hot chocolate is creamy
is not the sweetest I've tasted, but is very rich
I feel grains of cocoa on my tongue
light and frothy
smooth and creamy like a liquid cloud
rushes down your throat in an appetising way
Smell:
steamy
chocolate
caused a memory of drinking hot chocolate after a cold soccer game
think of warm feelings
Sound:
gurgle when you pour it back into the mug
when you dip your spoon in it makes a tsk sound
clink against the mug when spoon is put in
They enjoyed the exerience and I think will be much more willing to do it again with an object of their choice. Infact when we got home, Jonah took to describing a Bannana he was about to eat in great detail :)
posted by Paula | 9:47 AM
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