of the pencil
Imagine…Power of the Pen for grade schoolers! Imagine no more.
Based on Power of the Pen’s success, the program’s State
Committee—a distinguished panel of educators and school administrators
representing all of Ohio—has charged Power of the Pen to extend
our reach to the 5th and 6th grade levels where students first explore
the use of language for self expression.
Today, with major funding from The Ohio Arts Council, The Martha Holden
Jennings Foundation, The GAR Foundation, and The Turner Foundation,
the vision for Power of the Pencil is becoming a reality.
In 2006-2007, Power of the Pencil will be seeded in communities around
the State, and each year grow—in the same way Power of the Pen
did 21 years ago—until the entire State benefits from the program.
Like POP, Power of the Pencil will make available three offerings—yet
tailor them specifically for 5th and 6th graders. Here’s an overview
of the curriculum:
Schools enrolling in Power of the Pencil will receive Creative Writing
Curriculum Guides and Training featuring a variety of instructional
supplemental units designed to enhance current in-class curriculum.
- Word Portraits: Discover who we are by exploring the many facets
if of our outer shells and our inner feelings.
- Naturally Speaking: A focus on the world of nature and the basic
elements that govern our lives.
- Poetic Push-Ups: Exercises that demonstrate that poetry is more
than rhyme. Writers experience the fun of using such “figures
of speech” as imagery, simile, metaphor, alliteration, onomatopoeia
and experiment with the different shapes that a poem can take
- The Language of Laughter: Writers can have fun with words through
the writing of wacky wisdom, silly sentiments, tangy tongue twisters,
and tall tales. Student work produced from the above, judged to be
the best, will be published and distributed annually as a best-practices
- Every school registered in Power of the Pencil receives a School
- Every writer who completes all of the writing assignments receives
a Certificate of Performance
- Teachers are entitled to submit two products for each assignment
completed in the classroom. These Best-of-Class entries will be judged
for additional awards and publication.
3. Cross-Pollination of Best Practices
As is the case with Power of the Pen, an Advisory Council representing
elementary educators and administrators statewide will be seated and
convened annually to monitor outcomes, recommend program enhancements,
and facilitate dissemination of best-practices through grassroots sharing.
If your school district would like to participate in Power of the
Pencil, contact us for more information.