Continuing Stacy's Unicorn Story
I don't usually continue writing prompts with students. They're just ideas we generate at the time, we play with them, and then we play with a different idea next time. But Stacy was adamant that she wanted to continue the unicorn story. So we have.
This is the first session that we did. We alternated back and forth who was writing.
You can see that it is going in the absurdist literature direction, a bit like Lewis Carroll.
In our second session we had a lot to talk about. They have a crazy teacher at school and a bunch of parents have gone in and complained about her. But apparently it's not a resolvable situation. And a number of other things. So in the second session only Stacy wrote and this is what happened.
In our third session of this unicorn story Stacy mentioned that she is way ahead of her class in her English language skills, and that makes her class very boring for her. She showed the unicorn story to her teacher in school and she said the teacher was quite impressed.
In this session she wanted to use a little bit of Spanish punctuation too, which was an idea I rejected. It's quite amazing that she is working with Russian, English, and Spanish all at the same time, and doing well. But I'm going to stick with English.
We worked on some technical aspects of punctuation. Little errors that she was making. In working with specifics versus the fun storytelling aspects it's a matter of balance. My mother has often told me that life is about balance and flexibility, and that's true in teaching. I've tried to get her to use "golden mean" and "variability tolerance" to spice up the vocabulary, but she's continued to stick with balance and flexibility, which may be best.
You can see why this story has reminded me of Lewis Carroll. Here is part of Carroll's poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter".
An interesting note is that Lewis Carroll's real name was Charles Dodgson and he wrote textbooks on symbolic logic and was an Anglican deacon, in addition to writing "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".
From here I'm not sure if we will continue the story. If we will start writing something different. If we will jump over to reading. Or something else. It will largely be Stacy's decision. Whichever way it goes, the exploration of this story has been odd, interesting, and educational.
This is the first session that we did. We alternated back and forth who was writing.
- - - - - - -
"I don't think this is the right way." Susan said again. "We've been walking and walking, and nothing is even changing."
Ron the Unicorn didn't respond, he just shook his head and kept walking across the wide open grassy field.
They saw the magic rainbow, and it was a catbow taxi. So they thought it was a great idea to take the taxi.
Ron took up the entire backseat, so Susan sat in the front. They had to role down the window because Ron's horn stuck out of one end, and his tail stuck out of the other window. The taxi driver said, "Where to?"
Ron and Susan looked at each other, and Susan said, "Forward!"
Susan and Ron got to Forward town as quick as a flash, because the taxi was the magic rainbow car. "Forward town is the greatest place in the whole galaxy! Isn't it? asked the unicorn.
"Yes, it's really great, everything is unicornful here!" Susan said.
"Come to my house, it's great there!" Ron screamed, and they jumped to the unicorn's home.
The barn gleamed red in the fading light of the setting sun. They walked through the wide open doors and Susan asked, "Where exactly is this?"
To which Ron the Unicorn replied, "It's the back of Backward. Which is where we want to be."
"Do you mean to say," started Susan with an inquisitive look, "that Forward is just the back of Backward?"
"Precisely!" said Ron.
They ate rainbow cake and lived a long happy life!
HAPPY END
- - - - - - -
"I don't think this is the right way." Susan said again. "We've been walking and walking, and nothing is even changing."
Ron the Unicorn didn't respond, he just shook his head and kept walking across the wide open grassy field.
They saw the magic rainbow, and it was a catbow taxi. So they thought it was a great idea to take the taxi.
Ron took up the entire backseat, so Susan sat in the front. They had to role down the window because Ron's horn stuck out of one end, and his tail stuck out of the other window. The taxi driver said, "Where to?"
Ron and Susan looked at each other, and Susan said, "Forward!"
Susan and Ron got to Forward town as quick as a flash, because the taxi was the magic rainbow car. "Forward town is the greatest place in the whole galaxy! Isn't it? asked the unicorn.
"Yes, it's really great, everything is unicornful here!" Susan said.
"Come to my house, it's great there!" Ron screamed, and they jumped to the unicorn's home.
The barn gleamed red in the fading light of the setting sun. They walked through the wide open doors and Susan asked, "Where exactly is this?"
To which Ron the Unicorn replied, "It's the back of Backward. Which is where we want to be."
"Do you mean to say," started Susan with an inquisitive look, "that Forward is just the back of Backward?"
"Precisely!" said Ron.
They ate rainbow cake and lived a long happy life!
HAPPY END
- - - - - - -
You can see that it is going in the absurdist literature direction, a bit like Lewis Carroll.
In our second session we had a lot to talk about. They have a crazy teacher at school and a bunch of parents have gone in and complained about her. But apparently it's not a resolvable situation. And a number of other things. So in the second session only Stacy wrote and this is what happened.
- - - - - - -
Susan woke up, it was Ron the Unicorn nearby.
"Uuuh what happened?" asked Susan.
"It's because of the rainbow cake." Ron replied.
"Was it bad?"
"No it wasn't, I think that's because of your wings."
"What?! I haven't got any wings!" Susan said.
Then she looked in the mirror and...
She had magical wings!
- - - - - - -
Susan woke up, it was Ron the Unicorn nearby.
"Uuuh what happened?" asked Susan.
"It's because of the rainbow cake." Ron replied.
"Was it bad?"
"No it wasn't, I think that's because of your wings."
"What?! I haven't got any wings!" Susan said.
Then she looked in the mirror and...
She had magical wings!
- - - - - - -
In our third session of this unicorn story Stacy mentioned that she is way ahead of her class in her English language skills, and that makes her class very boring for her. She showed the unicorn story to her teacher in school and she said the teacher was quite impressed.
In this session she wanted to use a little bit of Spanish punctuation too, which was an idea I rejected. It's quite amazing that she is working with Russian, English, and Spanish all at the same time, and doing well. But I'm going to stick with English.
We worked on some technical aspects of punctuation. Little errors that she was making. In working with specifics versus the fun storytelling aspects it's a matter of balance. My mother has often told me that life is about balance and flexibility, and that's true in teaching. I've tried to get her to use "golden mean" and "variability tolerance" to spice up the vocabulary, but she's continued to stick with balance and flexibility, which may be best.
- - - - - - -
Susan took a deep breath. "How can this be?"
"I don't know," said Ron, "but it's good cake."
"I need a drink." said Susan as she walked out of the door.
Ron pumped the handle of the water pump and filled a mug the size of a bucket.
"Oh," said Susan looking into the mug-bucket with a look of knowing upon her face, "unicorn water."
¨What will happen if I drink it?¨ thought Susan.
Ron had a strange face with a strange smile. "Looks like it is a fake smile," thought Susan.
Later she noticed that the unicorn had sharp teeth. She understood it wasn't Ron.
"Ron," said Susan with a plan in mind. "Will you whip the water?"
"Of course," said Fake Ron with his false smile.
Ron took up a nice stick in his mouth and began to furiously stir the unicorn water. Up and up it began to bubble, spilling out of the mug-bucket.
Susan grabbed the mug-bucket overflowing with unicorn water and took flight. "I shall find Real Ron," she yelled to no one, and tossed the whipped water into the air, creating a rainbow bridge.
She looked down and saw a different Forward town, it didn't have any rainbow buildings. "What happened?" Susan asked herself. She was feeling like someone kidnapped her. She knew that nobody kidnapped her, it was Forward, but it was all grey with monster-unicorns in it.
"I must find Real Ron," she said under her breath, and then dove down into the town. She landed on a small building and looked directly into one eye of the nearest monster-unicorn. "You there," she stated with an air of authority becoming to one with wings, "tell me where Real Ron is." The monster-unicorn blinked, and walked away.
- - - - - - -
Susan took a deep breath. "How can this be?"
"I don't know," said Ron, "but it's good cake."
"I need a drink." said Susan as she walked out of the door.
Ron pumped the handle of the water pump and filled a mug the size of a bucket.
"Oh," said Susan looking into the mug-bucket with a look of knowing upon her face, "unicorn water."
¨What will happen if I drink it?¨ thought Susan.
Ron had a strange face with a strange smile. "Looks like it is a fake smile," thought Susan.
Later she noticed that the unicorn had sharp teeth. She understood it wasn't Ron.
"Ron," said Susan with a plan in mind. "Will you whip the water?"
"Of course," said Fake Ron with his false smile.
Ron took up a nice stick in his mouth and began to furiously stir the unicorn water. Up and up it began to bubble, spilling out of the mug-bucket.
Susan grabbed the mug-bucket overflowing with unicorn water and took flight. "I shall find Real Ron," she yelled to no one, and tossed the whipped water into the air, creating a rainbow bridge.
She looked down and saw a different Forward town, it didn't have any rainbow buildings. "What happened?" Susan asked herself. She was feeling like someone kidnapped her. She knew that nobody kidnapped her, it was Forward, but it was all grey with monster-unicorns in it.
"I must find Real Ron," she said under her breath, and then dove down into the town. She landed on a small building and looked directly into one eye of the nearest monster-unicorn. "You there," she stated with an air of authority becoming to one with wings, "tell me where Real Ron is." The monster-unicorn blinked, and walked away.
- - - - - - -
You can see why this story has reminded me of Lewis Carroll. Here is part of Carroll's poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter".
- - - - - - -
The time has come,' the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings.'
- - - - - - -
The time has come,' the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings.'
- - - - - - -
An interesting note is that Lewis Carroll's real name was Charles Dodgson and he wrote textbooks on symbolic logic and was an Anglican deacon, in addition to writing "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".
From here I'm not sure if we will continue the story. If we will start writing something different. If we will jump over to reading. Or something else. It will largely be Stacy's decision. Whichever way it goes, the exploration of this story has been odd, interesting, and educational.
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To read more from Jeff go to JeffThinks.com or JeffreyAlexanderMartin.com
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