Spark and Prompt

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Sensory Detail Walkabout

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-Spark-

La Primavera

Pablo Neruda


El pájaro ha venido a dar la luz: de cada trino suyo nace el agua.

Y entre agua y luz que el aire desarrollan ya está la primavera inaugurada, ya sabe la semilla que ha crecido, la raíz se retrata en la corola, se abren por fin los párpados del polen.

Todo lo hizo un pájaro sencillo desde una rama verde.

The Spring

The bird has come to give us light: from each of its trills water is born.

Between water and light, air unfolds. Now the spring’s inaugurated. The seed knows that it has grown the root pictures the flower and the pollen’s eyelids finally open.

All this done by a simple bird on a green branch.

-Prompt-

Take 5-10 minutes to walk around outside. Take notes on everything you see, smell, touch, and hear. Do you smell fresh grass, or wet dirt, or maybe the rose bush nearby? Do you hear birds chirping, kids playing, or maybe even a car zooming by? What colors, textures, and shapes do you note?

Once you’ve gathered your notes, write a poem or story about your experience.

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The Sentence Thief

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-Spark-

I Opened a Book

Julia Donaldson

I opened a book and in I strode.
Now nobody can find me.
I’ve left my chair, my house, my road,
My town and my world behind me.
I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring,
I’ve swallowed the magic potion.
I’ve fought with a dragon, dined with a king
And dived in a bottomless ocean.
I opened a book and made some friends.
I shared their tears and laughter
And followed their road with its bumps and bends
To the happily ever after.
I finished my book and out I came.
The cloak can no longer hide me.
My chair and my house are just the same,
But I have a book inside me.”

-Prompt-

Give students 1-2 minutes to select a book at random in the room (there must be text in this book). Once they have chosen their book, have students either

A) Open the book up at random, somewhere in the middle               

OR

B) Open it to the first sentence in the book (which is often amongst the strongest sentences in the book).

Allow students to use this sentence as their prompt. Allow writers to incorporate the sentence into their work; utilize only a phrase, word, or theme from the sentence; or maybe they write what happens next.

Where I Come From

- SPARK -

I Am From…

Cali Amador

I am from Morelos, Jalisco, México--a place where Wi-Fi is not needed, where street dogs run wild snapping at some of my carne asada. A place where scorpions run on the walls trying to sting you. A place where fireworks light up the night with all different kinds of colors, where little kids roam the streets biting on some pan dulce, where my life began as a tiny child trying to get a coconut to fall from the trees.

The place where my grandma makes the best pozole verde for my birthday. Where I grew up tasting frijoles de la hoya, growing up catching chickens only to find out they would become my dinner. The place where my father told me the ocean water was sweet as candy, where I figured out it was as salty as a bowl of salt. And, where a stray dog once stole my taco.

Mexico, the place I thought I would never leave because my father said that we had it all as we left for the so-called “America,” where my family would earn a lot of money. Where I met my best friend who is obsessed with pandas, where Wi-Fi is everywhere, where pesos are nothing here.

I am from two places: Mexico, where my life started, and America, where my life continues. The Mexican ways will never leave my heart, no matter where I am. Even though I have brown skin, it doesn’t mean that I don’t belong here either, no matter where I am and no matter where I live. I am proud to say that I am Mexican-American.

- PROMPT -

Where I come from:

Think about your home and your neighborhood. Write about what it’s like living in your house or on your street. Go into detail about your day-to-day routines at home or how it might be different on special occasions.

My community:

Walk around the building to really explore the community around you. Use all five senses as they wander the grounds.

My family:

Family plays a big part of where we come from. Write about your family. Explore what role you play in the family: are you the oldest? Youngest? Middle child? Only child? Who are some of the other characters you have in your family?

Parallel World (Based on Coraline)

- SPARK -


- PROMPT -

While poking around your house or school, you discover a door that leads to an almost identical building—a parallel world where everyone and everything matches the place you came from. As you explore the new world, however, you realize that things are different somehow.

Maybe this world represents a different timeline of your life, like if you hadn’t missed the bust two days ago. Maybe everything is the exact same in this world—except everyone has hands instead of feet. Maybe, in this world, there’s no sun...or maybe there are five.

Describe what world you discover through this door. What is different from the place you came from, and what’s stayed the same? Is it better or worse? Do you want to stay in this world? If you return to your original place, will your view of the world change?

Doors

- SPARK -

rgIMG_9720_SF.jpg

- PROMPT -

You’ve been walking for quite some time when suddenly you come upon this door. It took you by surprise. Something tells you not to go through it; on the other hand, you feel yourself drawn towards it.

Take a good look at the door. Do you recognize the door or is it completely foreign to you? What color is it? What texture or details can you identify? Do you go through the door or do you resist the urge? What is the aftermath of this decision?

My "Most Me" Place

- SPARK -

My Most Me Place

Halley Miglietta

My most me place is not a place I can visit, or walk to, or picnic at. It’s a place I can feel only when my breathing becomes my focal point and I become conscious of its rhythm, astute to its pattern, sensation, and duration. From there I can access something so tremendous, that I AM ALIVE RIGHT NOW, in this very moment, and what a miracle it is to remember the gift of simply be alive. My most me place is hard to access sometimes. It’s difficult to get to when I’m worrying about how things might turn out or when I’m feeling down on myself for choices I’ve made or certain things I’ve said and done. I can’t feel my most me place when I’m harboring judgement or criticism of another or when I’m trying to solve problems that are mostly imaginary. My most me place has everything to do with a gesture of acceptance. An acceptance of life exactly as it is, an acceptance of myself exactly as I am, an acceptance of others exactly as they are. When I can’t call upon a warm sheath of acceptance to settle the angsty spasms in my chest cavity, I know there’s somewhere for me to journey to, in order to get myself back to right here. Which becomes my cue to get quiet enough to feel the wax and wane of my breathing and the pulsation of my heartbeat, and a remembrance of what a gift it is to simply be alive.

- PROMPT -

Write about a Place where you felt you could just be you. The place can be real or imaginary. Either way, describe it in as much detail as you can. Were you there with other people or were you alone? What is it about this place that made you feel at ease?


 

Color Poem

 

- Spark -

Colors

Alina Moroz


Pink as bubblegum,

light as a rose,

beautiful as a sunset,

setting down at the end of the day

Light blue as the summer sky,

the blue of a boy’s favorite color,

as blue as the ocean’s wave crashing against the rocks,

blue like the eyes of a Siamese cat

Red of the autumn’s leaves

falling from the tree,

the red roses from my mother’s garden

the beautiful bright red of Christmas

Yellow of the sun like a sunflower

the multiple color rainbows after an afternoon rain,

the bright colors of spring and summer

Every day we see the beautiful colors

that nature has given us,

the beautiful mixes of oranges, pinks, yellows, and purples

of a sunset

We see different kinds of beautiful colors each day,

thanking nature for its gift

We are all just trying to find some color in this black and white world

- Prompt -

Color Poem

Find a color/paint sample card, or just pick a color in the room, and think of how you would define that color – this will probably result in head-scratching and questions, so try to think of what day of the week your color is, what food would your color be? Season? Emotion? Is it a hot or cold color? What activity is your color? Also, think of how you would describe your color in the same way you would describe a person.

Need help picking a color? Click here for a random color!

Two Truths and a Lie

- Spark -

Two Truths and a Lie

Conley Gibson

  

Today is the Fourth of July. We are going to the State Fair. The first thing we do there is go to the petting zoo. They have a turkey there. I get to pet it. 

After we get back from the State Fair, we go to our friend’s house. Since my birthday is on July 7th, we get to celebrate my birthday early. I get to eat cake, but our friend’s dog eats it from my lap. 

Next we go see fireworks. A firework shoots onto their roof and catches the house on fire. 

Pretty cool, right? Try to guess my two truths and a lie.

 

 

- Prompt -

Two Truths and a Lie

  

Make a list consisting of three things about yourself, but there’s a catch: two of the items on the list need to be the truth while the third item is a lie. Be creative with a lie. Don’t say “I broke my arm last week,” when there’s no sign of a cast or a sling. Think of something that is true and change just the slightest portion of it to make it a lie. When you’re done, share! Ask the rest of the group to guess what the lie was.

  

  

I Remember...

 

- Spark -

Photograph, American River, 1986

Marie Reynolds

We are farther upstream

than I had remembered,

the water calmer, the vessel

stronger,

big enough to hold

the two of us--

a boat I can imagine

settling into again, rowing

upriver with him,

but slower this time,

and longer,

before pulling in the oars

and drifting. 

- Prompt -

How many stories begin with “I remember…?” The story then recounts a person or an experience that stuck in the speaker’s mind. Over time, the story often begins to change as the speaker forgets certain aspects of the story or person and begins to fill-in new or altered details. Think of an event or person in your life you’d like to remember. Which details are important? Which details are you absolutely positive you remember accurately? Which details are you unsure of? Write down what you remember.

Burst Poem

- Spark -

Burst Poem

Y.L.

I think I don’t deserve to be away from my loved ones

I hate that I wake up to these white walls

I wish I was home and free to do anything I want

I learned that getting fast money doesn’t last forever, 100

I love the fact that she’s still with me even though I’m putting her through pain

I regret leaving that day

I should have stayed instead of going somewhere I had no business going

 

- Prompt -

 

One of the best ways to connect with how we’re feeling or what we want to say is to write down what we’re feeling without thinking too much. Before we write this poem, respond quickly--in short bursts of short ideas--to these sentence starters:

a) I think...

b) I hate...

c) I wish...

d) I learned...

e) I love...

f) I regret…

When you finish the brainstorm, choose one of your responses and write a poem. For an extra challenge, try to write the poem without using the descriptive verb or emotion. 

 

The Hero’s Great Battle

- Spark -

- PROMPT -

At some point in a hero’s journey they must come face to face with their greatest challenge; the knight must face the dragon, Luke must fight Darth Vader, etc. Imagine your character’s ultimate battle. Who is their enemy? Is it a physical fight? Or is it a decision they have to make which could change the course of their life forever? You could also use this time to talk about any battles you have witnessed or have had to go through since you are the hero of your story.

Best Friend

- SPARK -

The Story of Spot

Erica Neel, age 12


Today is unlike any other day. Today I’m going to get a forever home! I could just tell it was like everything was brighter but...probably not, since that’s what I say every day. I don’t know why they don’t like me? I’m adorable. They gotta love me! I’m a black and white husky pup, and I even have beautiful blue eyes. I also have a bonus feature that no other dog has: I can see color, which my parents used to say is a very special gift. Others say I’m weird and “different.” I don’t know what I call it, but other than that I have other problems, like I wish someone would just take me home already!

I hate being here! One of the reasons is I sleep in a scratchy, ugly, blue bed. Another thing is I don’t know what time it is because I don’t know how to do all that number stuff, but I can’t say I’m stupid at least—I can count to three now.

I told you about how much I hate this place, so now I want to tell you about my everyday life. I wake up very itchy, and I bark as loud as I can so the people who work here can know I’m ready to eat. I don’t really like those people a lot cause they give me way too many shots! Sorry, I keep getting off topic. I have the brain of a goldfish. So, back to the story: I bark and get my breakfast. After I eat, they let me and all my friends go outside to pay for a long time ’til it gets dark. Before it gets dark, we do a bunch of other stuff, but it is kind of boring, mostly chilling with my friends, talking about that new movie with Luke Skybarker. Sometimes during the day I sit and wish I could fly, so when those squirrels run up the tree I can see what they do up there and maybe even fly over the gates to get out of here.


I want to see if I can find the perfect kid, a kid who will love me for life from the time he sees me ’til the time I die. I want a kid who will take care of me no matter what, no matter if I pee on the carpet or something else that was my fault. I will be sorry forever. I will do whatever it takes as long as the kid loves me, even if I stink and I’m not clean. I just want a forever home so I can stay there, unlike the home I had. I thought it was true love, but I guess not. I was a stray for a while as I hoped someone would love me again, maybe later but not now. I’m basically in jail for a crime I didn’t do. People come in here looking for a new pet, but it’s never me. I don’t know why. That was the past.


Let’s go to the present now. I have a forever home. I live with a girl who was all alone, but now she has me and we’re both very happy. I sleep with her, eat with her, we go on walks together, and I even go to work with her. I help her out because she can’t hear very well, so I’m just her extra pair of ears. I help her, and she helped me when she adopted me. I love her. I don’t know what I would do without her. She is the best and that’s my story. I hope you liked it. I hope you didn’t cry too much in the beginning, ’cause it all turned out good. I love my girl and she loves me!

- PROMPT -


Let’s update the saying that a dog is a “man’s” best friend. How can a dog be a person’s best friend? What do you do with your best friend? Play video games, play during recess, share lunch together, have sleepovers. Write about a day with your other best friend—your pet. What would a friendship between an animal and human look like? How might it be the same or different than with your human best friend?

 

One Story, Four Perspectives

-Spark-

A recreation of the "Bee Sting" essay from Demitri Martin's book "This Is A Book".

-Prompt-

Write about an event from at least four points of view. You can write about any event, real or fictional. You can also write from the point of view of animals and objects. For example, if you write about a car crash, you can describe the event from the points of view of the driver, witnesses, the car, the street, a nearby lamppost, etc. Describe the event in as much detail as possible. Also, try to imagine what the event would look like from each person/animal/object’s point of view and how they would react to such an event.

Name Definitions

-Spark-

My Name

(Excerpt from The House on Mango Street)

Sandra Cisneros

 

In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing.

It was my great-grandmother's name and now it is mine. She was a horse woman too, born like me in the Chinese year of the horse--which is supposed to be bad luck if you're born female-but I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don't like their women strong.

My great-grandmother. I would've liked to have known her, a wild, horse of a woman, so wild she wouldn't marry. Until my great-grandfather threw a sack over her head and carried her off. Just like that, as if she were a fancy chandelier. That's the way he did it.

And the story goes she never forgave him. She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window.

At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth. But in Spanish my name is made out of a softer something, like silver, not quite as thick as sister's name Magdalena--which is uglier than mine. Magdalena who at least- -can come home and become Nenny. But I am always Esperanza. 

I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees. Esperanza as Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes. Something like Zeze the X will do.

-Prompt-

Our names say a lot about us. After all, they’re often words with their own meaning, but that’s not enough to truly describe a person. Consider the definition of your name. Do you know it? Does it truly describe who you are? If not, think about who you are and what kind of meaning your name should have. Write a definition of your name that is unique and pertains only to you.

Examples:

April—opening, blossoming (Latin)

Karin—pure (Greek and Swedish)

Linda—pretty (German, Latin, and Spanish)

Love Letter to a Prized Possession

-Spark-

Dear Xbox One

V.S.

Through all the times we shared together—the bad, the good, even the confusing—you have been there for me. I know I get mad and threaten to throw you out my window. Even when I do, you still keep playing my games and videos for me. Yeah, you may crash from time to time, but it’s not your fault that the game is too powerful for you to handle. Every night and every day, you are there when I’m bored, lonely, mad, or have trouble sleeping. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to stand being inside for so long. And for that I thank you.

-Prompt-

Write a love letter to your favorite person/thing/animal in the whole wide world. You can write it for your teddy bear, your dog, your favorite sneakers, or even your mom’s homemade cookies. Be as silly and creative as you want!

How To Poem

-Spark-

How to Catch a Poem

Irene Latham

 

Step into the tress

On a summer night-

 

Follow starshine

And cricketsong.

 

Be still, keep quiet;

Watch for the flicker.

 

(No chasing,

Let it come to you.)

 

Reach. Hold it in the safe

Cave of your fingers

 

Until the wings tickle.

Marvel at the glow

 

Then

Let it go

-Prompt-

Today we are going to write a “How To” poem. Make a list of things you know how to do or that you are especially good at. This could be how to play basketball, how to make your favorite meal, how to greet a dog, and so on. What are the steps necessary to complete this task? Take the steps and form them into a poem. Try making each line rhyme, but it’s okay if they don’t.