Ms. Steiner’s Class | Volume 3
Don’t Stay Away! Don’t Watch From Afar! Community Stories by the Fourth-grade Students at Carpenter Elementary | Spring 2022
We Are Together Ms. Steiner’s Class | Volume 3
Don’t Stay Away! Don’t Watch From Afar!
Community Stories by the Fourth-grade Students at Carpenter Elementary | Spring 2022
826 National’s Commitment to Inclusion As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps of learning occur, we commit to inclusion: We will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, immigration status, military service, or disability.
826michigan Staff Judy Tipton, Development Director Catherine Calabro Cavin, Education Director Frances Martin, Operations Director Megan Gilson, Program Manager Michael Spaeth, Development & Communications Coordinator Caitlin Koska, Volunteer Coordinator Maya Jain, After-school Program Coordinator Kinyel Friday, Field Trip Program Coordinator
Copyright © 2022 by 826michigan and Blotch Books. All rights reserved by 826michigan, the many whims of Drs. T & G Blotch, the illustrators, and the authors. The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826michigan. We believe in the power of youth voice and are thrilled that you picked up this book. No part of this book may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher, except for small excerpts for the purposes of review or scholarly study. Illustrations by Kim Ly, design and layout by Robyn Charles. By purchasing this book, you are helping 826michigan continue to offer free student programs. For more information, please visit: 826michigan.org
Also published by 826michigan Young Authors Book Project The Book of Many Wisdoms Because No One Else Could Do It In Our Defense In the Clouds Over Ypsilanti A Moment to Remember Rare Air / Aire raro A Lantern of Fireflies Tell Me How It Was Where Is It Coming From? Enjoy! Recipes for Building Community All I Could Do Was Look Up: Anatomy of a Middle School What to Call the Place I Call Home: Voices of 26 Ypsilanti Middle School Students The Moons Were Jealous 2020: Visions of the [Near] Future Don’t Stay Up So Late How to Rise Or, I Put My Heart into the Close Tall Tales & True Stories Suddenly My Heart Stopped for Just a Small Portion of Time: Defining Moments
OMNIBUS 826michigan OMNIBUS I 826michigan OMNIBUS II 826michigan OMNIBUS III 826michigan OMNIBUS IV 826michigan OMNIBUS V 826michigan OMNIBUS VI 826michigan OMNIBUS VII
826michigan OMNIBUS VIII 826michigan OMNIBUS IX 826michigan OMNIBUS X 826michigan OMNIBUS 11 826michigan OMNIBUS 12 826michigan OMNIBUS 13
An Incomplete List of Chapbooks 140-Character Fairy Tale Characters And I Did My Best The Big Mess-Up and Other Stories Bon Temps Roulez! Cats Came to the Dog Party Carrying Ourselves Across: The Art of Self-Translation The Clouds Spell Detroit Colors Came Out Crazy Soup Cuando los robots atacan
An Incomplete List of Chapbooks (cont'd) The Distance Between Two Sides of a Color Don't Get Freaked Out, But I am a Fifteen-Year-Old Vampire Deluxe: Tales from Two Tutoring Labs Even the Stars are Robotic Everything You Fight For And Gain The Fog Was Geemy He Gets in a Pickle Almost Every Hour Hello Sandwich I Am Thankful for the Moon So I Can See in the Dark I Hope You Consider What I’ve Said: Kids’ Letters to President Trump I Rode My Yak to School Hello Sandwich I Use This Pencil To Write I Suddenly Became Noodles It Tasted Like the Sun Joy Got Up and Laughed Let’s Make a Bridge Maybe I Was Born to be One of the Big Creatures My Fish is a Good Fish My Heart Felt Sad for the Bird Playing Chess with Owls in the Dark Really, Really Melted Up The Sandwich Never Wanted to be Eaten Spinach Doughnut Talking Back, Giving Thanks, and Why You Should Never Drink the Haterade That Moment Broke My Heart But Also Made Me Strong They Have Pet Stars Thunder-, Lightning-, and Waterproof ! Training a Shark The Ultimate Tacocat We Went up with the Pearls and Were All Millionaires When the Whales Celebrate Where Everything is Written The Wind Shushes and Hushes Zomb, the Formalist
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Contents Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... vi Evan Brish.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 1 Sera Bergman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 2 Ash Astrop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 3 Rebekah Baird. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 4 Aiden Schoeff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 5 Oszkar Fazakas.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 6 Abbas Almohammad.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 7 Ismael Gilling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 8 Sebastian Mencia-Lawrence.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 9 Christopher Herrera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 9 Cierra Lawler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 10 Ameena Hayward.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 11 Zamarion Moore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 11 Lena Kuzma.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 12 Eric Lara Santos and Jaylyn Lee-Benon.. ........................ 12 Makaiyla McGee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 14 Tairys Srirathasuk.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 14 Group Sketches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 15 Acknowledgments.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 16 Curriculum Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 18 About 826michigan.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 28 Writing Core Values.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 29 The 826 Stand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 30
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Introduction In 826michigan & Carpenter Elementary’s “Write Your Way” program, we wanted to create an opportunity to reflect on the many communities that surround us, whether we know we are a part of these communities or not. We also wanted to use writing to express the things we see in those communities—the things we do, that we appreciate, and the many “ways” one can be in a community. And, it turns out, writing is one way to be in a community, and to create connections with new people. Thus, just by writing our community stories, just by noticing and documenting, we are also reflecting, connecting, creating, and making a difference all at once. The writers at Carpenter Elementary have worked hard, mostly over Zoom where connection is often even harder, to do writing which required them to use their imagination, make connections with and for their readers, and to use the power of writing to transform their own and others’ ways of seeing and thinking, which all makes a huge difference. We called these community stories “manifestos” because of all the things this kind of writing has the power of making visible to others, of making manifest (when writers record what they notice in their connections to others). Manifestos do not just, however, make communities visible; they also make visible their writers’ desires and beliefs and feelings about the things they see. And it is ultimately desires, beliefs, and feelings, put in writing, that actively create a community of understanding between writer and reader. So thank you, dear reader, for being a part of this community. We hope that when you connect with this writing, you are inspired to notice, with intention, the many paths you share with others, and all the communities sustained, created, and changed when you commit to caring for those paths, and maybe even to making new ones.
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Evan Brish
Age 10
Ghost-skeleton-dragon: Imagined Community I am Evan. I am a ghost-skeleton-dragon creature. You can usually find me building with legos, and at the beach!
What kind of story would tell us about you? In a ghost forest is where you would find me. In this forest, it’s foggy with cobwebs on lower branches. The whole place is
spooky! You can look around this forest and get frightened!
Nearby in the forest are several villages, a castle, and treasure hidden where the oak tree is.
Writing is a powerful magic . . . What kinds of magical things do you want your own writing to do? What do you think others should know about writing before they consider doing it themselves? I want my writing to make people happy and also spook some
others, too. When writing, you should think first about what to write and believe in yourself and be willing to help others!
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Sera Bergman
Age 9
War Hurts Life is beautiful and I shine like a star, it is so unbelievable that it would get this far. So many have died and gotten so very hurt, use your soul and use your heart. Heal all the gunshots, hide all the scars. Don’t stay away! Don’t watch from afar! Donate ten dollars or donate some food, even just tell a joke to lighten the mood! I want all the people to laugh and have fun, I want this war to be over before it even has begun. I don’t want people firing gunshots, that isn’t the thing one wants. Sometimes I want to sit and have a good long cry, but that’s not what I’m trying to imply. Communities can be made of all shape and size. Mine is late to sleep and early to rise, but that is unimportant, in my eyes. In conclusion, in the space that I have, I want to say, help all the souls in need, I do the things that people are adv* This is making me very happy indeed. *([Latin Adversus] against)
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Spidragon: Imagined Community I am Sera, also known as Spidragon. I am a weird, slightly creepy creature. You can usually find me in the webcave, or in the corner of someone’s house.
What kind of story would tell us about you? Spidragon was a pet of Artemis. You know, the Greek goddess?
And one day, he did something bad. He accidentally poisoned
Artemis! But luckily his friend, the anti-poison kissing bug, saved her, and now he is one of her pets, too.
Writing is a powerful magic . . . What kinds of magical things do you want your own writing to do? What do you think others should know about writing before they consider doing it themselves? I want people to feel empowered, especially women/girls. I also want people to understand that weird is good. Also, I really like
Greek myths and animals that people think are bad and creepy but turn out to be good.
Ash Astrop Age 10
School Community My name is Ash, I am in a few communities like school. School
is pretty big, I have a lot of friends, and specials are fun. I feel
happy when I think about school.
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Rebekah Baird
Age 10
What I Like Hello my name is Rebekah, and I love frogs! But not just frogs,
I am really into anime! So . . . school, I kind of like it but at the
same time I don’t, I just think that now I’m learning harder stuff,
I got to go on my dumb side. But in fourth grade I have a great teacher and she is really nice. And I get to see all my friends too! Ah, my community, my community is my neighborhood,
everyone is nice and they like me because I’m nice to them,
and I like them too, they are great neighbors. OK I know this is weird, but like, on Halloween or Christmas not a lot of people
put up decorations and it makes me feel like they’re not really in the spirit, but everyone likes to go trick or treating. I do live in a small town but two new neighborhoods have been added to my neighborhood so now it is kind of big or something, so
it’s cool. So my family, I’m glad that I have a good family. My dad is a nurse and it is so cool! My mom, I still don’t know what her
job is yet but I will. Now my brother, he is four years older than
me but he did not go to young fives, but I did, so that’s why he
is in high school when I am still in fourth grade! And last but not
least my dog Sasha! She is so, so, SO cute she is a mix of a lot of
dogs, but to me she looks like a cinnamon stick! So back to what
I like OK so I like . . . Frogs, Anime, Roblox, Minecraft, Food, My
bed, My family, My friends, T.V. and the colors Mint and Cotton
Candy Pink.
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Aiden Schoeff Age 10
Community, My Friends They are nice to me. They are good friends. My friends play outside with me sometimes, like I might want to
go to the zoo with some of my friends. I want my friends to be
happy and glad to be my friends. I don’t want tests when I am in school. I don’t want my friends to be mean to me. Outside
my friend Cece likes to play basketball with me, Eric likes to
play soccer with me, and all of my friends like to play with me outside and inside.
Snoutshell: Imagined Community I am Aiden, also known as Snoutshell. I am a snoutshell. You can usually find me in the grass in Africa.
What kind of story would tell us about you? So, one day the snoutshell was eating grass. There was a hole
under the grass, then he went into the hole and there were one
hundred thousand pieces of grass because it was Easter.
Writing is a powerful magic . . . What kinds of magical things do you want your own writing to do? What do you think others should know about writing before they consider doing it themselves? I want people to enjoy it and it is mean and nice but it is cute and it is mostly nice.
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Oszkar Fazakas
Age 9
Architecture I’m a boy and I love architecture. Don’t worry, this will not be an informal lecture. Architecture is the beauty in buildings, it makes them look alive. The architect community always gives an opportunity to make buildings thrive. Some buildings can last through time and war, but some can’t. (Did you know that the word “building” is a polysemant*) “Now you’re asking”, “why”, well it depends on the materials, the construction, and the time. I’m also hoping that mistakes rarely come, and everyone has safety, lately. I’m sure that I’m correct, future architect. *a word with two meanings
Dralcor: Imagined Community I am Oszkar, also known as Dralcor. I am a Drumion centaur
creature. You can usually find me in the secret village in the
mountains.
What kind of story would tell us about you? Hars was chosen to journey to the palace of Myskor to learn the gift of the universe. On the journey he had many adventures
but when he got there, Dralcor stepped out and asked for
ninety-nine Lards, which was the currency in the kingdom. Hars
didn’t have that so he sliced up Dralcor, but the wind blew and
Dralcor’s essence blew up and formed the stars.
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Abbas Almohammad Age 10
How I Feel About the Community Hi, I’m Abbas, and I’m going to tell you all about me. So, what I
love most is cars and planes. I like helping my dad fix cars. I feel good around the community because most people are really
nice and helpful. Things I want, I want COVID to stop, I want to
make my own car community. Things I don’t want, I don’t want
people to sell their really nice cars but sometimes you have to for more money to get nicer cars.
Dragan: Imagined Community I am Abbas, also known as Dragan. I am a nice one. You can usually find me in a WWI bunker.
What kind of story would tell us about you? So, I’m Dragan and I like eating humans, and I am living in a WWI bunker because it is WWI. One time, I was sleeping on the table and they attacked us and then I fell off and hit my head on the shelf. And then a bowling ball hit my head and I fainted.
Writing is a powerful magic . . . What kinds of magical things do you want your own writing to do? What do you think others should know about writing before they consider doing it themselves? I’m making this story because I want people to read this and laugh!
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Ismael Gilling
Age 10
Ismáel Drawing makes me happy. It makes me feel creative and It’s fun, but sometimes I hate when people Criticize. That’s sometimes when I Get frustrated and rip it all Up and recycle it. Then I see people Saying people’s drawings look ugly. When I see in the drawing community I see some kindness and criticism.
Dragon: Imagined Community I am Ismael, also known as Dragon. I am a dragon that draws.
You can usually find me in the cave of drawing. We live in cold habitats and caves.
What kind of story would tell us about you? My name is Dragon and I go to the Dragon Drawing Academy. I
love drawing things that breathe fire, although I can’t breathe
fire in real life.
Writing is a powerful magic . . . What kinds of magical things do you want your own writing to do? What do you think others should know about writing before they consider doing it themselves? I would want people to use their imagination when they read my writing.
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Sebastian Mencia-Lawrence
Age 10
Soccer Community I am Sebastian and I am on a soccer team. I’m not so good at
soccer but I just started it so I’m still getting better and I am in
the middle of a state cup tournament. I want to win so bad, but
my team probably won’t win though. My dreams in soccer are to get better and become a pro. What I do not want is to become
pro and then stop my career because I get injured!!! And if my
team ever wins the World Cup I will feel magical and my parents would be so proud! And if I ever become pro I want all my fans
to read this.
Christopher Herrera
Age 10
Water Dragon: Imagined Community I am Chris, also known as Water Dragon. I am an angry creature.
You can usually find me in a lake with magical creatures. What kind of story would tell us about you?
My water dragon will be going to other places to find food like
fish. If there are other water dragons, he will go to another place and my water dragon can make water balls and throw water from his mouth and he can go super fast in the water.
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Cierra Lawler
Age 10
Music rap singing country opera jazz well, I like rap songs I listen to rap make rhyme.
Cheetah Creature: Imagined Community I am Cierra but you can call me Cici. Also known as Doggo. I am a cheetah creature. You can usually find me at the rap club.
What kind of story would tell us about you? My name is Doggo and I am cool but people say I am a fool but
people say that they’re just not cool and they drool and I’m a star and I go far.
Writing is a powerful magic . . . What kinds of magical things do you want your own writing to do? What do you think others should know about writing before they consider doing it themselves? My name is Cici. You know me but, people, I’m only three, and
my cuz’ name is Dre.
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Ameena Hayward Age 10
Cute Cat: Imagined Community I am Ameena, also known as Cute Cat. I am an evil creature. You can usually find me in Florida, in schools, and at the park.
Usually, we learn about mythical creatures from stories. What story would tell us about you? My favorite memory: I was with my Mom at the park and my Dad.
We play with my friends.
Zamarion Moore Age 10
Basketball Community Hi my name is Zamarion Moore and I am a part of a basketball
team. I used to play for the LA Lizards. All of my friends were in that group, especially Henry because I’ve known him my whole
life. He’s the one who made me join the team. What I want from that community is THE BALL. What I don’t want is not the ball,
because I feel left out when no one passes to me. When I get the ball, I feel like I can do anything. I feel the adrenaline pumping. If you want to play basketball—just try it. If you don’t like it, try something else.
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Lena Kuzma age 10
Home! A Manifesto I am Lena and my home is my happy place. It makes me feel
alive and all wondrous inside. My family is amazing. They make
me feel joyous too! I want everyone to have a home and no one to be left alone. I do not want anyone to be homeless. And the
people who have less to be blessed. I want everyone to be loved by parents. I do not want children to be abandoned on the road with no one to love them and no one to care.
Eric Lara Santos and Jaylyn Lee-Benon
Ages 9 and 10
Our Friends Community We are Eric and Jaylyn and we have a bunch of friends and we
are kind and nice and we respect them.
I am Eric, I like to play Roblox with my brother. I like to play soccer with my family, too.
I am Jaylyn and I am tall. I like football and basketball. Our friends are Chris, Eaven, Tairys, Abbas, and Evan. Eric: I mostly play all the time with them. Jaylyn: Eaven plays Fortnite with me and Tyler.
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What we feel when we think of our community is happy, calm,
and a little sad. We feel happy when we’re hanging out. Jaylyn: When I’m happy, my eyes go up.
Eric: When I’m happy, I feel surprised, my eyebrows are raised. We both feel sad about the environment, littering, and
destroying nature.
Eric: I feel sad if your friends aren’t your friends anymore. What things we enjoy with our community are playing tag and
hanging out.
Jaylyn: I like playing Fortnite and playing with my friends Eaven
and Chris, playing football and baseball and basketball, and
playing gaga ball with Abbas and Eaven. I like to get on Zoom with one of my friends and Eaven.
Eric: I like walking with my family, who are my friends. We don’t want students to be in danger and we do not want
people to die by the sun.
To make friends, if you have friends in your class from a long
time ago you can see if they want to be friends, and remember your friends from school.
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Makaiyla McGee
Age 9
Flying Pig: Imagined Community I am Makaiyla, also known as Flying Pig. I am a nice/mean/purple creature. You can usually find me at home or taking a nap.
What kind of story would tell us about you? It all started at night in the middle of the mall. A flying pig
was rollerskating. She was looking for something . . . her friend.
While flying around, she hears a pretty scary noise: a little girl’s scream. She starts going toward the scream, but then—there’s
her friend! She is an elf, she lives next to the ocean. Flying Pig
says, “Let’s go!” Flying Pig and her elf friend go to Starbucks and
they order a cappuccino.
Tairys Srirathasuk Age 9
4th Grade I am a part of the 4th grade at Carpenter Elementary. I help my class Do my job Participate.
Something I like about my community is Lunch and recess.
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Group Sketches
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Acknowledgments A community of extraordinary people came together to create this publication. As Kaden reminds us, it’s so important to “have someone motivate you so you push forward.” Our families, our teachers, our volunteers, our designers, illustrators, copyeditors, and community partners—everyone plays a role in helping us stay motivated and inspired to write. Aarionah writes, “Some community people do work and some do writing too . . . I like communities because it makes me be grateful when I do things, too.” We are endlessly grateful to the special communities at Ann Arbor Public Schools that welcomed us and the writerly communities that were formed in the process of building these collections! Students and teachers at Carpenter Elementary Volunteers Kim Ly, Illustrator Robyn Charles, Designer
Program Volunteers Kaitlyn Stymiest Bill Walker Charlotte Moore Sridevi Srikanth Claudia Mancy Sarah Allen Danielle Cubitt Katherine See Muhammad Chaudhry
Ben Lee Rebekah Kindy Jenna Kobeissi Pat Gold Grant Molloy Blake Williams Danny Creech Tyler Pemberton
Copyeditors Lauren Rudewicz
MaKenzee Van Buren
Typists Susan Morrel-Samuels Noelle Sciarini
Danielle Colburn Rachel Bullen
Program Lead & Teaching Artist Lauren Rudewicz
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Our partners at Ann Arbor District Library Elizabeth Pearce Walline & Amanda Schott Our friends at 826 Digital for inspiring our Write Your Way lesson and theme
Teachers Christine Blandino Pete Larson Stephanie Steiner & Ms. Maren
AAPS & Carpenter Leadership Team Michael Johnson, Principal LaShawna Brandon, School Secretary Nancy Shore, Ann Arbor Public Schools Strategic Partnership and Volunteer Coordinator Robin Birdsong, Title 1 Teacher Veronica Shah, Reading tutor
Community Supporters Ann Arbor Area Community Fund Rotary Club of Ann Arbor Leinweber Foundation The Hawkins Project Domino’s Pizza EOTech Warby Parker Altarum Institute Galens Medical Society Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor PTP Management
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Curriculum Guide I love to write. But I think that I will learn more. I think the way I want to become a better writer is if I focus. On how to edit writings. Not to make it perfect but better. I want to spell correct words, so maybe that can help me, and I want to be an editor. If I would make a book, if I started my own business, I would have a lot of paperwork to do, so that is why it is so important to learn how to write. —Jayla Canada, Age 10 This book project began with three fourth-grade teachers at Carpenter Elementary in Ann Arbor, who believed in their students’ ideas, and wanted to support and encourage their students to develop their ideas in writing. Writing, like all art, often brings us joy as much as it challenges us—and especially so when we are still learning to write and to catch our thoughts in mid-air as they whiz by. With this in mind, we at 826michigan collaborated with these teachers to adapt a pre-existing program available on 826 Digital called “Write Your Way.” The original “Write Your Way” program curriculum was compiled by 826 National to “engage students in the joy and power of writing” when they write with authentic purpose. Our version adapted the principles of 826 Digital’s twenty-session “Write Your Way” curriculum, with its focus on reflection, connection, creation, and making a difference. Over the course of four sessions per class, we leaned into another meaning of “Write Your Way”: using writing to create a path, and find your way, through all the things happening around you, in your head, and in the world you are a part of. You can try out some of our adapted writing activities here, or visit 826digital.com to download the original materials!
Write Your Way . . . On Earth & Beyond Write your own community story for a real or imagined community. As you saw in the student writing in this book, community stories can come in all shapes and sizes, and can be about many different kinds of communities— in the present, past, and future, real and imaginary, nearby and far away, big and small.
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But . . . community can be hard to explain! Everyone thinks about and experiences community in a different way, even if being part of a community does mean you share something in common. In these exercises, we will try to explain what a community is by writing about the experiences, stories, feelings, and desires that have connected us to other people. We will have to be really detailed, because we’ll be trying to explain to readers who might have totally different experiences than we do. So, are you up for the challenge? All you need is a pen or pencil to write with, and an extra sheet of paper if you want to write on more pages than the ones we give you here! We'll take you through the steps we used to write community manifestos about the communities that mattered to us.
Manifestos Part 1: Brainstorming As writers, we need to take time to understand our own ideas before we share them with other readers! Brainstorming is a warm-up for us: we can write our observations, feelings, and thoughts about a community . . . and we can write it messy! We can use bullet points, short phrases, stories, examples, feelings, and/or even drawings. This will help us map our ideas before trying to organize our ideas into sentences and paragraphs and stories. You can use a chart below to get going, or a blank piece of paper. Think of this part of the writing like a journal or diary entry: it helps us know what’s on our minds! First, make a list of any community you feel you know well, or that you would like to know well. Look back at the writing in this book for examples of some communities. Next, pick one community from your list that you’d like to spend more time thinking about. Use the brainstorming prompts to list out, draw, remember, or jot with that community in mind. You can use the blank pages in the back of this book or your own paper. Once you have your ideas down on the page, you can use those ideas to inspire your community story!
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A Community You Are Part Of: ___________________________________ Example: The fourth grade at Carpenter Elementary Read the prompts below Jot, draw, or write a list in response to any of the bullet points that interest you! What is your experience like in your community? » » » »
Things you do as a member of this community, by yourself or with others Roles or jobs you have Interests you share with others How you feel when you spend time with others in this community Example: helping collect homework = I feel important and helpful, playing at recess = feel fun and creative
What do you know about the experiences of others in your community? » People you know in this community » Things these people do in your community (with you, by themselves, or with others) » Any roles they have (you might have to guess or be creative!) Example: My teacher answers my questions, our principal makes jokes when he visits our class What experiences do you share with others in your community? » » » »
What you share in common with your community Things you wish you could share in common with your community Activities that really make you feel like you’re a part of your community Activities you wish you could do more often or start doing with your community Example: We’re all students, I wish I knew more artists and that we went to more museums
Part 2: Writing with a Community Audience in Mind If there’s anything that you want for yourself, it’s very likely that there is someone else who wants that, too. It’s even more likely that that person already shares a community with you! You can share appreciation for your
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community, and give and receive support for creating a world that you all would want to live in. We wrote manifestos with Carpenter Elementary: a manifesto is a way of writing about the things you value most. Manifesto is related to the word “manifest,” which can have two meanings. “A manifest” is kind of like a list, and “to manifest” something means to make it appear (often in a magical way—like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat). When we look at a “manifesto” we can think of both of these meanings: You list your values and beliefs in a manifesto in order to make your dreams about the kind of world you want to live in appear in reality. Here’s our recipe for manifesto must-haves: ; Who am I? Tell the reader about yourself ! ; How do I feel about my community? Share your emotions to help readers understand why you care! ; I want . . . What do you want to see happen in your community? Include specific details, examples, or feelings ; I do not want . . . What is not desirable for your community? Include specific details, examples, or feelings ; Who is my audience? Who do you want to read your manifesto?
A Manifesto Map Write down your answers to these questions one by one, in full sentences. Before you know it, a paragraph will manifest on the page before you! First, tell your reader about yourself. Who are you? Then, describe one community you are a part of. ✏ How big is it? ✏ What are some things you like about being in this community? ✏ How do you feel when you think about your community? You can use I Do/They Do/We Do as a format for this if you would like!
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Then, list what you want in detail. ✏ What things do you enjoy? ✏ What things do you think others in your community would enjoy? ✏ How do you want others in your community to feel? Then, list what you do not want in detail. Lastly, answer: Who do you hope reads your manifesto?
Sentence Starters We’ve included some sentence starters for exactly that: they can help you get started writing sentences! But, this is not the only way a community story can look. As the writer, you might decide you want to start your sentences differently . . . or that you don’t want to use full sentences at all and write a poem or make a collage instead. Think about your audience and decide what makes the most sense! I am ________________________________________________________. I care about_________________________________________ community. In my community, I like _________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________. I want_______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________. I do not want _________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________.
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Use the following pages to brainstorm, write out your manifesto, or even draw yourself in your community!
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Draw your community here!
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inspires school-aged students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers in their communities. Our writing and tutoring programs uphold a culture of creativity and imagination and support students in establishing strong habits of mind. Through publication and community engagement, we provide students with an authentic and enthusiastic audience for their writing. Our programs provide an energizing creative outlet for students and meaningful volunteer opportunities for community members.
ONLINE LEARNING LAB For the 2021–22 school year, our programs remain virtual. When is it safe to return to our in-person programs, we plan to continue to offer virtual program opportunities as well!
SCHOOLWORK SUPPORT The program formerly-known as tutoring has been given an updated name, but the same great foundations remain. We organize trained volunteer tutors to work with students one-on-one with their homework after school. Schoolwork Support is available for all subjects, for students ages 8–18.
WORKSHOPS We offer a number of free workshops taught by professional artists, writers, and our talented volunteers. From comic books to screenplays, bookmaking to radio, our wide variety of workshops are perfect for writers of all ages and interests. One of the most popular workshops we offer is our weekly Wee-bots program for elementary-aged writers.
IN-SCHOOL PROJECTS Our trained volunteers go into local public schools every day to support teachers with their classroom writing assignments. Based on the teacher’s curriculum, assignments range from writing tales to crafting college essays to exploring poetry.
FIELD TRIPS Students come as a class to our writing lab to join a group of volunteers, interns, and staff in order to help solve a problem through writing—whether that is our editor Dr. Blotch’s insomnia, our looming story deadline, a mystery in need of solving, or one of the many others we encounter. Our field trips always end in a finished publication of original writing that students take home.
OUR STORES Our Robot Supply Co. stores are one-stop shops for robots, robot owners, and enthusiasts alike. They are designed to inspire creativity and bring awareness of our programs to the community. Visit the Ann Arbor Robot Supply Co. at 115 East Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor for in-store shopping. For store hours and online shopping, visit us online at onwardrobots.com. All proceeds from our stores directly fund our free student programming. Onward robots!
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WRITING IS
A way to figure things out by ourselves
We create a safe place to be ourselves and try new things We support the ways that writers work (like thinking, sketching, talking)
A way to help us connect to our world
We study the writing we want to do so we can try it We learn how to change our writing for genre, audience, and purpose
A way to help us learn who we are and who we will become
We work with a group of writers who help and support each other
A way for us to use our power to make changes and build a better world
www.826michigan.org
826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities. We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards. Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization. We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It's our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands. As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability. The 826 National network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start. And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.
by Gerald Richards, CEO
