TEMECULA: Writing skills promoted at camp

Program helps students to be creative with language

By RANI GUPTA - Staff Writer | Thursday, July 24, 2008 9:14 PM PDT ∞

TEMECULA ---- Normally, it can be frustrating for Rebecca Grenier, 11, to read her writing aloud in class because her fellow students often don't seem to care what she's sharing.

The last two weeks were different.

Rebecca, who starts sixth grade next month at Temecula Middle School, took part in an eight-day camp at Ysabel Barnett Elementary where students wrote poetry and short stories, met with authors and read their work to parents.

Unlike in school, Rebecca said, her fellow campers were interested in hearing what others had written.

"Because everyone came here to write, it's not hard to do," she said of reading aloud.

The camp was part of the San Marcos Writing Project, an offshoot of the National Writing Project, which aims to improve instruction by making teachers more comfortable with writing.

After a five-week summer institute at Cal State San Marcos, teachers put their new skills to use at camps held at Barnett and throughout northern San Diego County.

Teacher Vanessa Wierenga said the camp drew 85 second- through eighth-graders, more than twice the number of students who enrolled last year. As the camp ended Thursday, students read aloud from their work in front of dozens of family members and their fellow campers.

The works read during that "open mike" session included a haiku about the family dog, essays about Starburst candy, and a poem about skateboarding wipeouts.

They ranged from the earnest ---- an acrostic poem honoring a girl's grandmother ---- to the amusing.

One story that drew laughs was 8-year-old Ally Redman's story told from the viewpoint of a piece of bubble gum that journeys to the dump.

"I was about to get burned, but the person who was going to burn me stopped and he took me out and put me in his mouth. Peew! That's disgusting!" said Ally, reading from the end of her story. "Then he burned me."

Ally's mother, Lynn, said she appreciated the chance to hear the work from her daughter, who will start fourth grade at Luiseno Elementary in Lake Elsinore next month. She said the open mike session also provides students with valuable feedback.

"I love that they had the opportunity to read aloud what they've written," she said.

During the camp, students heard from children's authors Kristy Orona-Ramirez and Stacia Deutsch. They wrote stories, poetry and essays from various prompts, such as a clipping from the comics pages.

Rebecca relished the freedom to use a writer's notebook that she didn't have to show anyone, including her teacher.

"There's nobody breathing down your neck to get it done in a certain way," she said.

While Rebecca aspires to be a writer, fellow camper Tyler Whitehouse, 11, has other plans. But Tyler, who lives in Las Vegas and attended the camp on vacation, said his improved writing skills could prove useful.

"I'd like to be a mathematician when I grow up," he said, "but if I need a little extra money, maybe I'll be an author too."

Contact staff writer Rani Gupta at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or rgupta@californian.com.

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