Write Out Week 2: Sharing Stories

October 20–27, 2019

Happy National Day on Writing

Happy National Day on Writing everyone! We hope you have enjoyed participating in #writeout activities so far, including our first video hangout and our first Twitter chat. We have been inspired and energized by the many shared stories and live events that have emerged from Week One of Write Out. Here are just a few highlights of the #WriteOut explorations so far:

We also notice a range of live events in New Jersey at Pine Barrens Forest Education Resource Center; in Connecticut at Weir Farm National Historic Site; and in Kentucky at Daniel Boone National Forest. These were among the places that provided opportunities for teachers and others to gather to explore and write together, as the first days of Write Out unfolded. More live events are planned for this weekend, as part of the National Day on Writing. And nearly 100 people have contributed to the crowd-sourced Write Out/Where We’re From poetry project—check it out!

Week 2: Sharing Stories

As we launch our second week on this National Day on Writing, we invite you to delve into our theme: Sharing Stories. This means continuing to get out and about, while beginning to explore connections to the work of your fellow Write Out adventurers. We also hope this second week will provide  an opportunity for you to reflect, through your writing, on the stories places tell.

Scheduled Events

While there are many self-directed activities suggested below, there are also a few activities scheduled during the week that provide an opportunity to connect live and “in person. Tuesday, October 22 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm ET—Video Hangout This week, we will focus on sharing stories of place and take a look at some of the exciting work that emerged in Week One. We will be joined by guest-writer Amy Price Azano (a Connecticut Writing Project educator), and Rich Novack for an insider perspective on the group annotation of Amy’s English Journal article, “A Place for Local in Critical Global Literacies.” On October 22, use this link to join the hangout (and email writeout@nwp.org if you run into issues). Thursday, October 24 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm ET—Twitter Chat Join the conversation by simply going to Twitter and using the hashtag #WriteOut. Questions will guide us to dig deeper into place-based learning and its role in education, as well as explore the successes and challenges of sharing this type of work. Attend a Write Out Meet-Up, or consider hosting your own! Join the National Park Service and the National Writing Project in person for Write Out events in your area. Check this list to see what’s happening across the country from October 13–27.

Suggested Self-Guided Activities

Whether you have a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days to participate in Write Out, we hope you are inspired to create, have fun, and connect with new colleagues through a variety of experiences. Here are some suggested possibilities for participating this week, grouped around the ideas of Explore, Create, and Connect. Choose your own adventure and have fun!

Explore

• Write Out with your colleagues and students on National Day on Writing utilizing your inspiration from Week One. Use the #whyiwrite and #writeout hashtags together.
• More than 100 people have contributed to the crowd-sourced Write Out/Where We’re From poetry project; in what ways does this inspire you?
• Explore curriculum about Japanese Internment in World War II created at the Tule Lake National Monument with educators at the Bay Area Writing Project.
• Check out National Park Service Trading Cards: From Civil War to Civil Rights and maybe start collecting a few.
• Sign up for a #HarrietHike in early November in honor of the film premier of Harriet. Explore the resources of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Maryland and the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in New York.
• Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history and cultures.
• Christie Wyman, an early childhood educator in Massachusetts, used the Slice of Life writing prompt to take a walk. Take her lead and follow outside.

Create

• Join us in creating a Collaborative Haiku Book of Place—add an image and some short poetry by choosing a slide in this presentation and become a published poet with us!
• Get inspired by the writing of others—remix work so that it connects multiple viewpoints. See an example of a nature poem being remixed in a new direction.
• Choose a piece of your own writing that inspires you and share it using the common hashtags. Consider adding a reflection about your writing process.
• Make a Social Badge with NCTE for #whyiwrite (how can you work #writeout into it too?).
• Add a video to the Write Out Flipgrid and share a story you’ve learned or thought differently about during Write Out.
• Third grade teacher Kim Douillard of San Diego used mentor poetry to first write her own poem, and then had her class write poems and make art. You might riff off her work. Read what she wrote here, here, and here.
• The teacher team of @MyNDStory has been posting a prompt a day! Respond to these whether you are in North Dakota or not.
• National Park Service Folks: Create and share a social media post of what your site offers for educators and use #writeout. Consider sharing your educators’ page, primary source documents, place-based lesson plans, or what your site has planned for National Day on Writing or Write Out!
• Send your students outside, in their own neighborhoods, with cameras to capture their communities, uncovering spaces and overlooked places, and compose the collective experience in some form of media.
• Create an acrostic poem about a place that inspires you.
• Reflect on the diversity of perspectives within our country and beyond. Dive into the diverse stories of America’s National Parks and find ways to incorporate these themes into your programs or lesson plans:
  • Telling All Americans’ Stories
  • Publications on Diverse and Inclusive Histories
  • Social Injustice in the Landscape
  • Cultural Landscapes

Connect

• Check out the Write Out Tumblr and add your own.
• Use the Write Out Flipgrid to leave a video reflection.
• Post some media and/or writing to the Write Out Padlet digital wall.
• Join the Write Out Facebook Group.
• Connect your writing out to National Day on Writing and #whyiwrite.
• Check out this spectrum of sharing.

Good luck with your journeys and discoveries, and enjoy celebrating the National Day on Writing!  — The Write Out Team