Day to cajole and wangle myself into compartmentalizing? organizing? but not trivializing or, by inaccurately analyzing, minimizing my experience in Chiloquin. Yesterday's Seattle Times carried an article, dateline Chiloquin, on the future of Train Mountain. The founder's widow, now owner, hopes to offer youth programs. Ride the miniature railroad! Sheesh, why didn't I think of this?

At Blaine yesterday, two classes of 8th graders played Acronymble and then I showed them how to write pantoums, using a past class pantoum as mentor text. Here are pantoums the classes wrote yesterday:

8A Pantoum

I opened the window and
saw Joe the ice cream man
ringing a bell
cling! cling! cling!

saw Joe the ice cream man
open the 7-11 door
cling! cling! cling!
He disappeared behind the Cheetos.

You opened the 7-11 door,
caught a glimpse of Joe before
he disappeared behind the Cheetos.
You heard the bathroom door slam,

caught a glimpse of Joe before
ringing a bell.
You heard the bathroom door slam.
I opened the window.


8B Sensory Extravaganza Pantoum

Shoes have a definat smell
opera music sounds melodic
ice cream cones tingle your tongue
my skin feels rough.

Opera music sounds melodic
the rainbow shimmers beside the pot of gold
my skin feels rough
dogs smell icky when wet

the rainbow shimmers beside the pot of gold
fire sizzles when you pour water on it
dogs smell icky when wet
bloated marshmallows ooze deliciously

fire sizzles when you pour water on it
ice cream cones tingle your tongue
bloated marshmallows ooze deliciously
shoes have a defiant smell.

In 8A, kids wrote pantoums fast enough, the class time is 80 minutes, that I handed out the Villanelle handout, read them "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night," and gave them as homework having a general theme for the villanelle when we meet again Wednesday. 8B had a tougher time finishing the pantoum, so their homework is to finish the pantoum. I'll introduce the villanelle Wednesday.

In the afternoon, the two 7th grade classes played Acronymble and then I introduced the idea of transliteration. They study roots in these classes, and 7A remembered learning trans-, while the kids of 7B looked at us blankly when Kylie and I suggested they might have a clue to what "trans-" means. (across. Adults get the cheat sheet.)

EWRLOA Poem from Acronymble

Everybody wants radical literature on air
Elephants wandering really loudly over Asia,
Enterprising walruses riding Landrovers, (outsize animals.)
Ear wax ruling London, Ontario - ahhhh!

NELAMHF Poem from Acronymble

Nematodes elect large ant mayor
(how funny!)

FQMIRDTT Poem from Acronymble

Friends quiet me.
Reminder: don't tolerate taunts.

Follicles question meaning.
In radical departure,
twins talk.

QFAGON Poem from Acronymble

Quest for a gracious ovation now!

Quebec flyers arrived greatly overtired (nude.)

Quiet farts are going on now. - Harrison

ULMOFEZ

Usually, Laura manages on fried ectoplasmic zucchini.

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Off to work.