# data[].attributes.body
Background image: "Instructions" by Joseph B.

# data[].attributes.body
Notebook

Welcome them

These newcomers to the community of writers

Fledglings flying pencils, Flair pens, and crayons for the first time

Across your smooth blank pages

The possibilities endless

Gather their words

Celebrate their scribbles

Laud their lines

Squiggly and straight

Protect their pictures

Labored treasures in Violet and Aquamarine and Raw Sienna

Honor their attempts

Listen

To their thoughts

Stories

Poems

Worries

Let your spine support them

On days when ink flows steadily

And when it ceases to

Keep them safe between your covers

Welcome them

Notebook

-- Christie Wyman, 2019 (draft)

# data[].attributes.body
Write stories that shine,
Let all the words flow,
Rest firm in my grip,
Don’t leak, slide, or slip.

Fill the sheet with my words,
Be kind, true, and quick,
Splat my brain on the page,
Pain, joy, and outrage.

Don’t let me down.
I depend on you so!
Don’t run out of ink,
Just show what I think.

Sherry Howard © 2019

# data[].attributes.body
By Madison, 5th Grade G.T student.

Your vertebra must stay strong,
Your spindly blue ribcage holds beating words and breathing doodles.
You must stay a well-functioning organism, doing your job efficiently.
Hold together until you grow weary and old and begin to weather.
When you fall apart, let your destruction become recycled into the next generation.

# data[].attributes.body
I’m here to have a word with you -
I’m here to raise the bar.
It’s time to end your idleness—
you’ve been too slack by far.

It’s time for you to lift your game,
to step up to the mark.
You seem to think this writing gig’s
like walking in the park.

So set your sights a little higher—
and try to mend your ways.
Now come on, get a move on...
(and please avoid cliches.)

Kate O’Neil

# data[].attributes.body
by Kaia, 3rd grade

DONT”S for the glitter pen

Do not let go of my paper

Don’t spill glitter on my assignment

Don’t shift to the side

Don’t roll off the table

DO’S for the glitter pen

Keep your glitter to yourself

Claim and stay in that spot you picked on the table

Avoid poking everybody in the eye

To avoid glitter from getting on my assignment, you stay still like a statue.

# data[].attributes.body
Be pink for a drink.
Be green for a bean.
Be yellow for Jello.
Be red for bread.
Be blue for clues.
Black...oh, yeah...be black for a black Cadillac.

Jessica, 3rd Grader in Mrs. Hoeft's Class

# data[].attributes.headline
Instructions for an Interactive Digital Notebook by CVarsalona

# data[].attributes.subject
Instructions for an Interactive Digital Notebook by CVarsalona

# data[].attributes.body
https://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2019/05/instructions-to-my-digital-inspiration.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instructions for an Interactive Digital Notebook

# data[].attributes.body
Remember, you may not be able
to see all the text at one time.
Scroll down as necessary.

Please listen.
It’s important to do your best.
We need to talk.
I don’t want to be rude,
but you need to hear this.
You have been given a Number 2 pencil and
scratch paper. Notes written on the paper
do NOT count as your response.

Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Seriously.
Don’t.
You’re just a snapshot,
perhaps a blurry one at that.
You aren’t the only measure of success,
nor necessarily a valid one.
Click here to bookmark this passage
to come back to it later.

I get it.
You’ve been placed in a tough position.

Overused.
Overworked.
Misunderstood.
How can you take your own measure,
let alone someone else’s,
when you swing between altar and pillory?
If you’re not sure
how to answer this question,
you should still try to answer it.

It’s time to push the pause button.
You may be asked if you are sure
you want to do this.
Consider taking an extended vacation.
The navigation buttons
are on the bottom right.
Just pack up and
head off to some remote location.
You need a break.
And so do we.
If there are no questions,
click the “Continue” button.

You may begin.

©Molly Hogan, 2019

# data[].attributes.body
provide me the expressions
supply me the right word
equip me with the phraseology
so I can be heard

furnish me the vocabulary
so that I can understand
render me intelligible
in this unfamiliar land

Bridget Magee, 2019

# data[].attributes.body
Jayden L. (girl), 5th grade

beep once or twice
and never die
wake me up in the morning
and give me energy
remind me of important days
but never go away
hold my secrets
hold my pictures
hold my messages
hold my calls
stay at 100
with brightness up
a beep
a ring
a sigh
a laugh
I do it all
because you I have
all  my apps
are there for me
all separated
and clear to see
I click on one
then on to the next
Then I get tired
and have to rest
you help
you hold
you do it all
just do whats right and
NEVER DIE!!!!

# data[].attributes.body
Do not run out of gas
Always stay powered up
Go, drive away
Down and up.

Go, go, go, as fast as you can!
Be very big just like a minivan.

Flash your lights.
Beep your horn!
As long as you're driving in the morn.

Naomi, 3rd Grader in Mrs. Hoeft's class

# data[].attributes.body
When I push
this way
your wheels
are supposed to go
this way.

Not that way.
No.
No.
No.
Still no.

By Melissa Koosmann

# data[].attributes.body
In a shifty,

Shifting world,

Be sincerely

Single-minded.

Greet everyone

You see with

Recognizable red--

Offer an

Unmistakable

You.

Be clear

And direct--

Draw our attention away

From everything else

Onto this

One thing:

Becoming

Still.

Tabatha Yeatts

# data[].attributes.body
Stay tied,

Never get lost

Explore everyday

Always protect toes

Knots are not good.

Even sneakers dance.

Run fast

Slow down inside

by Kathleen Mazurowski

# data[].attributes.body
Stand up straight.
Keep your shelves long and strong;
Don’t let them sag!
Hold each book in a gentle hug,
Protect covers from fading,
Prevent dust from settling on pages,
Preserve words, ideas, stories.
Welcome every reader;
Generously share your treasures.

© Catherine Flynn, 2019

# data[].attributes.body
Attention! Shuffle!

In, out.

Up, down.

Split those pairs!

Thwack, thwack, and whoosh, whoosh yourself into a frenzy

then swish…

flutter to the floor.

Break rank!

Twos and three, creep under the couch.

Queens and Kings, dive deep in cushions.

Hide!

Until..

little hands find you, and

sticky fingers pull you from your hiding places.

Back in formation, but don’t pair up.

Not yet.

Wait patiently until it’s her turn to ask.

And then…

when you hear your name,

pair up!

Notice her Oreo covered mouth.
turned up like a crescent moon.

Even you, One Eyed Jack,
can’t miss the glint in her eye.
Happiness flows from her small hands to your faces.
Game over.

Job well done, everyone!

By Ellen Leventhal

# data[].attributes.body
You’ll need…
A dozen dancing drummers,
decking dinky drums,
flying by on dragons,
droning endless hums.

Likewise…
Forty furry ferrets,
with forty frenzied chums,
eating fruity florets,
saving all the crumbs.

Lastly…
throw them in your toolbox,
twitch it with your thumbs,
toss it with a tumble,
out you’ll see what comes.

© 2019 Joy Moore

# data[].attributes.body
Don’t give me cords in tangled knots.

Don’t show me tabs where there are slots.

Don’t leave out pieces I will need.

Don’t make your text too hard to read.

Your diagrams are convoluted.

“Some assembly,” quite disputed.

Don’t pretend there’s nothing to it

and please – don’t say a child can do it.

– © 2019 Matt Forrest Esenwine, all rights reserved

# data[].attributes.headline
Instructions for a Video Game Controller

# data[].attributes.subject
Instructions for a Video Game Controller

# data[].attributes.body
Move smoothly.
Don't break.
I'm awake.
Ready to play
my video game.
If somebody takes you,
if they break you...
...they're in for it.

Aaron, 3rd  Grader in Mrs. Hoeft's class

# data[].attributes.body
Stuff outside, be fun.
Be a fun place to play.
People like recess.

Antoine, 3rd Grader in Mrs. Hoeft's class

# data[].attributes.body
Make me dizzy
Go round and round
Blow a soft breeze
Shhhhhhh Shhhhhhh
Create a tornado of sand
Spinnnnn Spinnnnn
Don't let me fly off
Ouch!!!!!!!
I hit a bushhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

By Chloe 3rd grader GT

# data[].attributes.body
Brush forward without weight on the foot; a slap

Shuffle, shuffle, stomp, stomp

Now brush forward with weight on the foot; a flap

As the music crescendos, the left foot ends with a flap

On the downbeat, the right foot gives a slap

Stomp, shuffle, shuffle, stomp

Shuffle, stomp shuffle, stomp

Pick up the pace, make some noise as you flap

Lights dim and the tempo slows with a slap

The slap, the flap, and stomp all lost along with one tap shoe.

~jone rush macculloch (draft, 2019)

# data[].attributes.body
Don't let me fall!
Hold me tight!
Don't blow your wheel!
Don't let me slide like a seal.
Don't let my feet slide.
I don't want to use training wheels.

Listen to what I say.
If you don't,
I'll love you anyway.

Isabella, 3rd Grader in Mrs. Hoeft's class

# data[].attributes.body
Feel no need to only be
straight or curved
or sloped or flat
or quiet or noisy
or lined with leafy trees or bare-branched trees or flowered trees.

Feel no need to be gravel or earth or covered in needles or autumn leaves.
Be all those things in turn.

Just give me space
to climb
to stroll
to stretch
to stand
to breathe.

Rebekah Hoeft, 2019

# data[].attributes.body
Hold
leaves,
twigs,
snake skins
woven into
the shape of a bowl
perfectly sized for
three
small
eggs
laid in late spring
in the crepe myrtle tree.
Do not sway
lean,
loosen
in the wind.
Stay
still & quiet
waiting patiently
to watch wild birth.

© Margaret Simon

# data[].attributes.body
Blanket a bird with downy warmth.
Feel the air lift you and rise.
Use every crayon in your box:
flamingo pink, bluebird blue, oriole orange, sparrow brown.
Let troubles roll off you like water on a duck’s back.
Signal your strength and sex appeal.
Know when to blend and hide.
Bend but do not break.

Buffy Silverman, 2019

# data[].attributes.body
Hang light around my neck,

ready always on my trek.

Zoom quick, and stabilize.

Focus sharp before it flies.

Don't fog, so I can see

that flighty little chickadee.

© 2019 Cindy Breedlove

# data[].attributes.body
Wear a suit of sunshine on a May morning.
Perch on the bird feeder.
Crack sunflower seeds with your strong beak.
Leave a pile of empty hulls.
Beware the stalking cat, the squawking hawk.
Sing a song of snack food,
Potato Chip! Potato Chip!
as you swing your wings in rollercoaster flight.

Buffy Silverman, 2019

# data[].attributes.body
Blow so lightly, a gentle breeze.

Rustle leaves hanging from trees.

Whip and gust. Dry up mud.

Evaporate puddles from the flood.

Play a tune on front porch chimes-

A lullabye for summer times.

Carry kites across the sky.

Help the birds to soar and fly.

Fan the flames for our weiner roast.

Build surf waves along the coast.

Whirl and swirl! Move that air!

Just please try not to muss my hair!

Copyright 2019 Kimberly M. Hutmacher

# data[].attributes.body
Collect cool water.
Ripple in the breeze.

Grow bushy cattails.
Reflect the skies and trees.

Echo bullfrog’s song.
Hide awe in your deeps.

Splash with darting fish
before winter’s freeze.

Kay Jernigan McGriff 2019

# data[].attributes.body
Acquiesce to the seasons.
Satiate yourself on snow melt and spring rain.
Rescue runoff from rivulets and streams.
Tumble white and wild over boulders and rocks.
Careen screaming over cliffs, and then
Ease off and etch oxbows onto plains.
Keep within your banks.
Flood only when necessary.
Slow down in summer, even rivers need a rest.
Gorge yourself on autumn storms and then,
Come winter, rest, encased in ice.

Acknowledge your importance, but
Remember, you are part of a larger cycle.
Share some of your cargo with the sun.
Hydrate the plants that grow near your shores.
Vanquish the thirst of animals congregating there.
Replenish oceans and lakes.

Be mindful of your responsibilities.
Harbour insects of all kinds.
Calm your whirlpools around nesting fowl.
Be gentle with amphibians and reptiles.
Mind your manners around mammals,
but keep those beavers in check.
Nurture fish of all species.
Guard their eggs til they hatch.
Tend the fry till they are ready and then,
Show them the way to ocean and lake.
Welcome them home when they return.

Provide for your people.
Cradle canoes and kayaks.
Float flies and fishing lines downstream.
Scrape out swimming holes.
Rehabilitate yourself when you are desecrated.
Be kind to us, even when we are undeserving.
And fierce when you must, but
Please don’t take our loved ones from us.
Let the rumble of your passing be a persistent lullaby.

Cheriee Weichel 2019 (draft)

# data[].attributes.body
Seed,
tucked in soil,
freed of hull,
weathered shell,
slowly swell.
Accept your fate.
Germinate.
Take root.
Be firm.
Introduce yourself
to worm.
Take stock.
Learn to navigate
around mole,
over rock.
But beware,
Don’t linger there.
Travel up towards light,
heat.
Be nourished.
Burst forth
and flourish.
Drink, quench.
Avoid flood.
Unfurl leaf,
Burgeon bud.
Give the world
a fragrant scent.
Flower’s sweet
accomplishment.

Michele Krueger, © 2019

# data[].attributes.headline
Instructions for Luscious Greens of Spring

# data[].attributes.subject
Instructions for Luscious Greens of Spring

# data[].attributes.body
Greens and I talked today

on this bone-chilling May day.

But, luscious lime leaves laughed

with my request of rallying rising sprouts.

Determined buds and blooms

turned noses up and away,

as softly I said–Save your blooms for sun-warmed days.

Stiffen that upper lip, was all they seemed to say…

Evergreen’s new sprouts

did a dance and turned about–

Be a blanket for your fellow flora, I implore ya.

Perhaps they piped, for we love the merry month of May.

Day lilies multiplying in profusion–

green gold and deep emerald

murmured, what’s your message–

Grow passionately then propagate petals.

Fiddlehead ferns curled up tight

couldn’t take time for me.

Do save your built up energy

for unfurling gradually.

Proudest of all were the towering

tulips draped in cerulean-silver-leaves.

Carry on I called and their reply, rejoice in our

return they sang, best bundle up some more.

© 2019 Michelle Kogan

# data[].attributes.headline
To the Daisy That Has Survived Even Though the Grounds Crew Mowed Down the School Land Lab Two Years Ago

# data[].attributes.subject
To the Daisy That Has Survived Even Though the Grounds Crew Mowed Down the School Land Lab Two Years Ago

# data[].attributes.body
Bloom!
No matter how low they mow you,
Bloom!
Show the world you won't be stopped:
Bloom!
Keep the memory of your former glory alive--
Bloom!
Send roots deep and runners long--
Bloom!
Bring joy to those who see your smiling face:
Bloom!

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2019

# data[].attributes.body
a directive to the tissue
box is in order

this pollen season

always stand at hand
ready to face nasal expulsions
with three-ply gentle strength

© Diane Mayr

# data[].attributes.body
Be soft and forgiving.

Be two-ply (or more).

Treat my nose as your own

when it’s scratchy and sore.

Stay near me, a comfort—

aseptic and white—

when I can’t sleep for sneezing,

alone in the night.

Accept my "I'm sorry!"

for all of this goo.

Hear my deep thanks

in every achoo.

© 2019 Renée M. LaTulippe

# data[].attributes.body
Keep your head down
and perfectly still.

Patience.

When you feel the pressure,
hold your head up high and

Squirt! Squirt! Squirt! to the left.

Turn back.

Squirt! Squirt! Squirt! to the left.

Turn Back.

A perfect arc.
Every time.

Squirt! Squirt! Squirt! to the left.

Turn back.

Head down.
Rest until tomorrow.

© 2019, Rosi Hollinbeck

# data[].attributes.body
Be shiny and sharp,
Be quick ,
But not on it.
Be smallish to
Carry around in
a pocket.
Hang around feet,
Hang around hands,
Where toesies and fingers
Have trimming demands.
Make a snippy-ish sound,
Remain cool under pressure.
Cut pointy, or round,
Then file for good measure.
And when you are done,
Slip back in the deep
Of pocket or purse,
For that’s where you’ll sleep
Until the next need
To clip and make neat
An ugly hangnail
Or unpedicured feet.

By Donna JT Smith ©2019

# data[].attributes.body
Blast me with your beautiful extremes:

daylight till near bedtime,

frightening thunderstorms,

a cold Independence Day.

I’ll still love you.

Paste memories in my mind:

carny tilt-a-whirls,

State Fair lambs and blue ribbons,

ice cream truck melodies.

I will remember.

Grow grand gardens for cellar jars:

tomatoes and green beans,

cucumbers and carrots,

but avoid too much zucchini.

I will love them and share.

Prepare me for autumn:

turn pumpkins orange,

drop a leaf or two,

plan with the birds.

Even ending, I’ll love you.

Linda Baie ©

# data[].attributes.body
Invite me to breakfast.

Begin as a simple slice of bread.

Color yourself buttery yellow,

staying within the crusty lines.

Pen words with generous swirls

of cinnamon-brown

and sugar-white.

(I’ll understand the message)

Tuck yourself in an oven-envelope.

Send out your irresistible aroma.

Relax.

Enjoy the warmth.

Go ahead—fall asleep.

I’ll take it from here.

© Penny Parker Klostermann 2019

# data[].attributes.body
Be half full,
Never half empty.
Learn to chill,
There’s always plenty.

Pour your love out,
Replenish with goodness.
Don’t have doubt,
Nor fill up with darkness.

Quench a thirst,
Put out a fire.
You’ll never burst,
If things are dire.

Be see through,
Like water that’s clean,
In all you do,
So that you will gleam.

Your blessings will overflow,
As only a glass can know.

By Angelique Pacheco, © 2019

# data[].attributes.body
by Landon, 5th

Be still

sustain heat

Hold every thing and don’t
drop it

Be very strong so that you don’t break

Make a CLING! Noise every time you hit some thing

Be the best you can

Go to your maximum

# data[].attributes.body
Don’t sink my hope,

please hold the water,

I’ll add the dishes

sponge and soap.

Use your sprayer.

Make some bubbles,

scrub them up for

this ball player.

I’ve got a ball game,

I’m the pitcher,

no time for chores,

can’t take the blame.

Let’s make a deal,
I’ll win the game,
You'll spray and scrub
Off every meal.

When I hit
that big home run.
Don't drain my hopes
Or throw a fit.

I hope we stay,
like this forever,
you 'll wash the dishes,
I get to play.

© Robyn Campbell

# data[].attributes.body
Make a branch thick—one
that is low but not too low,
and keep it parallel to earth.

Let it grow strong so
it won’t shake in a breeze
or bend in strong winds.

Then a man will come to you.

Don’t resist when he flips
a heavy rope over your branch,
the thick one parallel to earth.

Let him pull the rope tight so
it doesn’t slip with the weight
of a tire he will hang at the end.

Then a boy will come to you.

When this boy sits on the tire
pushing off with his feet to
swing higher and higher,

You will feel the rope jerk
as he drops high to low, back
and forth, and up... up again.

Be strong when the rope
twists and rubs. Don’t bend,
no matter how great the weight.

© 2019, Alice Nine

# data[].attributes.body
Soar high!
While wrapping me,
Inside your gentle hug. And
Never, ever let
Go, too soon.

Soar higher!
With every pump of my legs,
Increase the possible trajectory. Nimbly tipping and sending me Giggling into space.

Softly swish and sway,
While darkness closes in.
Impossible to ignore the call,
Now we have to say
Goodnight. Dear swing.

© Maria Marshall 2019

# data[].attributes.body
Love what you see
Be patient and kind
Keep expectations in check

Reflect my best self
Reject my objections
Cast no doubt or shadow

Focus my light
Frame my true beauty
Remind me that I am enough

© 2019 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.

Photo credit: [K]ua

# data[].attributes.body
Lie Flat—

Stay on her head.

A square of Eagles’ sky

you will not take flight

until it’s time.

Point four corners

to a wide, new world

Hold the waving tassel right

until after the procession

the speeches

the walk

and applause.

Be prepared

to signify achievement

when your tassel
is moved from right

to left.
Here comes the toss

Get ready...

Get set...

FLY!

© Linda Mitchell

# data[].attributes.body
Embrace your ebony splendor, and

even though you’re just a baby

be grand and stand on your own three legs

Exude the brilliance of Bach, charm of Chopin,

elegance of Ellington, greatness of Gershwin,

boldness of Beethoven, joy of Joplin

Engage and educate every set of hands,

ebonies and ivories yielding to

big and small, beginner to advanced

Entertain, passionately inspire, and

elevate the spirits of all beings,

beautifying existence with wordless songs

© 2019 Mindy Gars Dolandis

# data[].attributes.body
quit your tick:
stop your tock:
take a break, relentless clock!

how did we give up
so much power
to the tech that
counts the hours:

minutes: seconds?        watch!

watch how precious
moments pass
as we watch you
instead of grass

growing,

dew
drying,

eggs
hatching,

butter-
flying::

tiny vast
events unfold
in tickless timeless

spans:: not old

not young we                hang

in time suspending

mindful watching

never ending::

be silent, clock

let there be                     now!

ask sun and moon

to teach you how

©Heidi Mordhorst

# data[].attributes.body
Shine real bright.
Don't come at night.
Don't come close to Earth.
When Winter comes, knock him back to
Aunt Artica.
Be the star of the show.
Let everybody know:
you shine bright.

Isabella, 3rd Grader in Mrs. Hoeft's class

# data[].attributes.body
Star in the sky,
shine so bright.
Only come
out in the night.

Be sparkly
and shiny
when you glow.

Ani, 3rd Grader in Mrs. Hoeft's Class

# data[].attributes.body
Find good light,

perfect angles.

Blur your focus,

soften scars,

furrows of frowns,

deep crow’s feet.

Catch a dazzling

twinkle of mischief

in sunlit eyes, bright

smile on pouty lips.

Pause a moment.

Ready…

set...

click your shutter.

Dianne Moritz

# data[].attributes.body
Enjoy your place on the piano top.

Offer memories when someone plays

a favorite song of whom you show

in loving remembrance long ago.

Enjoy your home of walnut frame

dusted and lifted to memorize

a sparkle of eyes of whom you show,

that smile a mystery of long ago.

If by chance, you find yourself

in forgotten attic memories,

you will be found as children grow

and loved again for whom you show.

Linda Baie ©