A Big Thanks to the Teachers, Students and Mrs. Duncan at West Bay Elementary!

Since January, I have been the Writer in Residence for the Kindergarten to Grade Three students at West Bay Elementary in West Vancouver. All of our creative writing projects incorporated elements of the IB curriculum. The Kindergartens created books based on their units of inquiry around storytelling and that everyone has a story to tell. They learned about building characters, settings, problems and resolutions and wrote and illustrated colourful pieces. The Grade One classes made tunnel books from the point of view of worms, writing poetry and creating visuals to reflect the interconnectedness of soil and the environment. The Grade Twos wrote, produced and performed their very own original play based on twisted fairy tales. Bravo!!! Finally the Grade Threes also produced books, or Journey Journals inspired by their unit on Canada. They imagined they were brother and sister characters who traveled across the nation and reflected on their favourite cultural, historical and geographical places. I was amazed at the high levels of literacy in all classes, the commitment and passion of the teachers and proud of the journey we all went on together. Congratulations everyone!

What do Rot-TEN Dragons sing about?

If you were a Rot-TEN Dragon what would you sing about?

Poem From Senior Kindergarten

Audiences often ask at when did I begin writing…the first poem I recall penning was at St Paschal Baylon Elementary School in Senior Kindergarten.  It was, perhaps, an indication of where I would make my home…by water.  It was perhaps, an indication of how a reflective child grew into a reflective adult.  It was conceived before I could even print.  The teacher wrote it out for me and posted it in the classroom.  Here’s what I remember of it.

The river is deep.

The river is wide.

Ships go sailing, I wonder why.

Big ships, little ships, sailing by.

Some on the ocean.

I wonder why….