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Monday, February 17, 2014

Using Inkblots to Spark Ideas

In writing these days, our lessons often come back to how we can generate ideas of what to write about. So often, I hear "but I don't know what to write". We often brainstorm ways we can fix that writer's block and one of the ideas that always comes up is: just using our imagination.

So putting that to the test, we did an activity where they put little dots toward the middle of a piece of paper (you want to make sure they avoid the edges or it will squeeze out) of all different colors. I wanted it to be random, not that they were planning to make a butterfly or something. We folded the paper smushing the paint and voila! we had an inkblot design. The assignment was to use that image in a short poem. Many turned them round and round for some time, some saw their idea right away. Here's what they came up with:

My favorite one:



A lady angry, all day angry, angry
 So mean, like a witch
Witch green, green


nani-nani-boo-boo
When I play hide-and-seek, I say nani-nani-boo-boo
and run away.


A flying fish



A bighorn sheep

                                                        My dog is purple but also green, how can that be?






Brain





Go up up up, come down down down
Go up again and believe your life.

 





2 comments :

  1. Love this idea. I'm totally stealing it. That last one is quite philosophical!

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