Buzzing. Juicing. Pulped.

Our home has been abuzz with school this month. I know the hive has seemed quiet, but let me assure you that all the bees here are hard at work learning latitude and longitude, writing research papers comparing the different breeds of horses, finding lowest common denominators, and determining when to drop the -y and add -ies.

Our weekly jaunt to the library turned up a great little poetry book by Carol Diggory Shields, called, Brain Juice: English, Fresh Squeezed! Here are a few nuggets we've enjoyed.

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Rools
Spelling rools, spelling rools
I think that they were made by fules,
I study them until I druel.
(And drueling is not very kewl.)
I study them at home and skool.
I think these ruels are very crool.


(My mid-kid would SO agree! Oh, the trippy English language.)
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Poetry Assignment #3: Blank Verse
I love blank verse
Because
It does not
Have to
Rhyme.
At long, long last
I can write
A poem
About
An
Orange.


(Blank verse= Declaration of Poetic Independence!)
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This one is for all the writers who meander down pathways that at first seemed so well-lit with logic and clarity, only to find that someone turned out the lights while we stopped to check our map.

The Outline
I. Outlines can really help you out,

A. When your thoughts
1. Are muddled and
2. Scattered about.
B. When it's time to write,
1. But you don't have a clue and,
2. Your research makes no sense to you,

II. Start writing those numerals,
A. Roman- style.
B. You'll discover
1. That in a while,
2. Those mixed-up notes
3. (That you've been dreading)
4. Each will have its own subheading.

III. At the final entry, called conclusion,
A. You will feel much less confusion.
B. And you will find, to your surprise,
C. Your paper just got organized!

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Thank you, Ms. Shields. We've enjoyed the fresh squeezed brain juice (even though some of it is our own poor noggin pulp) and are ready to buzz back to the work table.