We Are Together: It is Really Fun to Me, It Might Be Fun to You, Too! Mr. Larson's Class | Volume 1

Mr. Larson’s Class | Volume 1

It is Really Fun to Me, It Might Be Fun to You, Too! Community Stories by the Fourth-grade Students at Carpenter Elementary | Spring 2022

We Are Together Mr. Larson’s Class | Volume 1

It is Really Fun to Me, It Might Be Fun to You, Too!

Community Stories by the Fourth-grade Students at Carpenter Elementary | Spring 2022

826 National’s Commitment to Inclusion As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps of learning occur, we commit to inclusion: We will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, immigration status, military service, or disability.

826michigan Staff Judy Tipton, Development Director Catherine Calabro Cavin, Education Director Frances Martin, Operations Director Megan Gilson, Program Manager Michael Spaeth, Development & Communications Coordinator Caitlin Koska, Volunteer Coordinator Maya Jain, After-school Program Coordinator Kinyel Friday, Field Trip Program Coordinator

Copyright © 2022 by 826michigan and Blotch Books.

All rights reserved by 826michigan, the many whims of Drs. T & G Blotch, the illustrators, and the authors.

The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826michigan. We believe in the power of youth voice and are thrilled that you picked up this book. No part of this book may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher, except for small excerpts for the purposes of review or scholarly study.

Illustrations by Kim Ly, design and layout by Robyn Charles.

By purchasing this book, you are helping 826michigan continue to offer free student programs. For more information, please visit: 826michigan.org

Also published by 826michigan Young Authors Book Project The Book of Many Wisdoms Because No One Else Could Do It In Our Defense In the Clouds Over Ypsilanti A Moment to Remember Rare Air / Aire raro A Lantern of Fireflies Tell Me How It Was Where Is It Coming From?

Enjoy! Recipes for Building Community All I Could Do Was Look Up: Anatomy of a Middle School What to Call the Place I Call Home: Voices of 26 Ypsilanti Middle School Students The Moons Were Jealous 2020: Visions of the [Near] Future Don’t Stay Up So Late How to Rise Or, I Put My Heart into the Close Tall Tales & True Stories Suddenly My Heart Stopped for Just a Small Portion of Time: Defining Moments

OMNIBUS 826michigan OMNIBUS I 826michigan OMNIBUS II 826michigan OMNIBUS III 826michigan OMNIBUS IV 826michigan OMNIBUS V 826michigan OMNIBUS VI 826michigan OMNIBUS VII

826michigan OMNIBUS VIII 826michigan OMNIBUS IX 826michigan OMNIBUS X 826michigan OMNIBUS 11 826michigan OMNIBUS 12 826michigan OMNIBUS 13

An Incomplete List of Chapbooks 140-Character Fairy Tale Characters And I Did My Best The Big Mess-Up and Other Stories Bon Temps Roulez!

Cats Came to the Dog Party Carrying Ourselves Across: The Art of Self-Translation The Clouds Spell Detroit Colors Came Out Crazy Soup Cuando los robots atacan

An Incomplete List of Chapbooks (cont'd) The Distance Between Two Sides of a Color Don't Get Freaked Out, But I am a Fifteen-Year-Old Vampire Deluxe: Tales from Two Tutoring Labs Even the Stars are Robotic Everything You Fight For And Gain The Fog Was Geemy He Gets in a Pickle Almost Every Hour Hello Sandwich I Am Thankful for the Moon So I Can See in the Dark I Hope You Consider What I’ve Said: Kids’ Letters to President Trump I Rode My Yak to School Hello Sandwich I Use This Pencil To Write I Suddenly Became Noodles It Tasted Like the Sun Joy Got Up and Laughed Let’s Make a Bridge Maybe I Was Born to be One of the Big Creatures My Fish is a Good Fish My Heart Felt Sad for the Bird Playing Chess with Owls in the Dark Really, Really Melted Up The Sandwich Never Wanted to be Eaten Spinach Doughnut Talking Back, Giving Thanks, and Why You Should Never Drink the Haterade That Moment Broke My Heart But Also Made Me Strong They Have Pet Stars Thunder-, Lightning-, and Waterproof !

Training a Shark The Ultimate Tacocat We Went up with the Pearls and Were All Millionaires When the Whales Celebrate Where Everything is Written The Wind Shushes and Hushes Zomb, the Formalist

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Contents Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... vi Ron Young Lin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 1 Angel Solis.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 1 Angelina Solis.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 2 Kaylana Keomany. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 2 Aytek Windes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 3 Fiona Cacioppo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 4 Vania Williams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 5 Razaan Hasan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 5 Jordan Lee.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 6 Ay’Nisha Mitchell-Banks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 6 Colette Dunn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 7 Dominik Squire.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 8 Ava Doettl.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 9 Grace Weeks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 10 Kaden Curry.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 10 Aliyah Payne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 11 Donovan Cundapi Ventura. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... 11 Emily Truong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 12 Evie Jane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 12 Jasdeep Toor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 13 Mavis Troches Ramirez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 14 Group Sketches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 15 Acknowledgments.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 16 Curriculum Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................... 18 About 826michigan.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 28 Writing Core Values.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 29 The 826 Stand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ 30

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Introduction In 826michigan & Carpenter Elementary’s “Write Your Way” program, we wanted to create an opportunity to reflect on the many communities that surround us, whether we know we are a part of these communities or not. We also wanted to use writing to express the things we see in those communities—the things we do, that we appreciate, and the many “ways” one can be in a community. And, it turns out, writing is one way to be in a community, and to create connections with new people. Thus, just by writing our community stories, just by noticing and documenting, we are also reflecting, connecting, creating, and making a difference all at once. The writers at Carpenter Elementary have worked hard, mostly over Zoom where connection is often even harder, to do writing which required them to use their imagination, make connections with and for their readers, and to use the power of writing to transform their own and others’ ways of seeing and thinking, which all makes a huge difference.

We called these community stories “manifestos” because of all the things this kind of writing has the power of making visible to others, of making manifest (when writers record what they notice in their connections to others). Manifestos do not just, however, make communities visible; they also make visible their writers’ desires and beliefs and feelings about the things they see. And it is ultimately desires, beliefs, and feelings, put in writing, that actively create a community of understanding between writer and reader. So thank you, dear reader, for being a part of this community. We hope that when you connect with this writing, you are inspired to notice, with intention, the many paths you share with others, and all the communities sustained, created, and changed when you commit to caring for those paths, and maybe even to making new ones.

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Ron Young Lin

Age 10

My Tennis Community I want more people playing because the more people playing, people may make new friends. I want everyone to have fun because having fun is important.

I don’t want bullying because seeing it hurts my feelings and it

is hard to be an up-stander. I don’t want tennis balls to get stuck

or disappear because it is hard to find it or get tennis balls

out of the fence. I don’t want people shouting when they score

because it is disrespectful and it hurts my ear.

What I feel in the community, I feel happy when I score. I feel

sad when people bully me. I feel nervous when we are playing

four square.

Angel Solis Age 9

My Business My name is Angel and today I’m going to talk about what I

want for my business. I want to open a Mexican restaurant with

tortillas, enchiladas, tacos, conchas, pan dulce, tamales, aroz,

tacos dorados, churros, burritos, pozole. With workers. And for

drinks I want horchata, Jarritos, sangria, Jumex, agua de limon, mangonade, agua de sandia, smoothies, Coca Cola.

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Angelina Solis Age 9

Angelina, Kaylana & Isa I’m Angelina and my community is about my friends Kaylana

and Isa/Isabel. I love my community because we are all friends.

I don’t like it because we all live so far. Me and Isa go on walks sometimes. Me and Kaylana are asking to have a sleepover.

Kaylana Keomany

Age 9

My Roller Skating Community My name is Kaylana and I’ve been doing roller skating for over

two or three years with my family, and my community is about

roller skating. And one thing I enjoy is learning new tricks. I feel very happy about my community. It’s not so big; it’s usually at a skate park or in my basement. I love that my community is very

funny, entertaining, helpful, and joyful. I wish that it can feel

comfortable and safe because it’s usually not. I want everyone

to be kind, safe, and helpful; I do not want anyone to be rude or

disrespectful. I want my family and friends, etc. to see this!

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Aytek Windes Age 10

My Manifesto Hi my name is Aytek. The community that I am writing about is my family community and I mean my family don’t really

understand the things that I like so I guess this is kind of about

me. As a hobby, I want to be a Pokémon card collector, and as a job I want to be an archaeologist and a video game designer. I

like to do stuff mainly on my own, my life is fun . . .- ish. I mean

to be honest it took me a while to figure myself out, but I like to

do my own thing and follow my own path, not the path of others.

I like to play video games and make/create things. Things I love

are Pokémon cards, if I become a video game designer, I will and want to make a Pokémon video game. My classroom is always

full of drama and I hate that. I mean for once it would be nice to

have a day with no drama in it. Well, the end is near! Bye ya’!

Volume 1: It is Really Fun to Me, It Might Be Fun to You, Too!

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Fiona Cacioppo

Age 10

My Community Hi, my name is Fiona. My community is a soccer team. The name of my team/club is Crush. I have been playing Crush Soccer

since I was seven. My positions I play are center forward and

midfield. I like soccer because it helps me with social life and

fitness. It is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Also I can make new friends.

It is about fifteen to eighteen players big. One thing that I really like about my team is that we all learn how to be a teammate.

There are also problems in soccer. For example, if someone

missed a goal other people may get mad and I don’t want that to happen in my community. If someone gets sad by that, I

will help them and cheer them on. Hurting someone is not the way physically or mentally, so I try and help them if they get

hurt. If they are on the field, I cheer them on. I want people in

my community to feel like no one is left out. What I love about my community is that we don’t bully people. How I fit in my

community, well, we all fit in because we all play soccer. I want

my soccer team to read this. Soccer helps me focus. If my soccer teammates can’t come to a game, I will help them out by giving

them a ride. I want people to feel like soccer teams at Crush are safe and sound. I love my community so very much.

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Vania Williams Age 9

My School Community Hello my name is Vania. I have a big community. I love my

community because they are funny people. There are a lot of

people and what I do to help my community is when someone is sad I try to cheer them up. What I want for community is to help

others and be kind to others so they don’t feel left out.

What I do not want is bullying, and that’s because there are a

lot of kids who are and it is not OK. You might have been bullied

before, so don’t do it.

Razaan Hasan

Age 9

My Tennis Community Hello! My name is Razaan. I love my tennis community.

It is my favorite sport. I feel very happy and excited about my

great community. I want my community to keep up the spirit and

be happy. I don’t want my community to be upset, or think they can’t achieve their goal. I love how my great community always supports each other and gets through struggles.

When my community plays tennis, it is so much fun. I love how

everyone is always happy and there is no worries to worry about.

Also I like how my community is very competitive, but in a good way. I want my community to be proud of what they can do. I

love my tennis community.

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Jordan Lee Age 10

Introduction You are probably asking what I want? Well, you see, I wanted to

tell you about my community. WAIT! Before you leave, this is for

my football LOVERS, my friends who wanna play/watch football but you might wanna play.

From my experience I had a teammate that had gone to school with our opponent. And the time we lost, he got bullied. And

that’s an issue in my community.

And as wrong as it is, I don’t know what to do.

But back to the fun things I love touchdowns, hanging with friends. And for me that’s fun for me.

Ay’Nisha Mitchell-Banks Age 10

My Community Hi, my name Ay’Nisha.

What I would do for my community: Help with the homework, try not to throw away food, help clean our community to be a better person, and try not to litter. Do

not make fun of others that pick up your trash.

Today I came to school with crutches and people helped me

walk. One of my friends helped me get around and other people

crowded me, and one of my friends said stop crowded her.

The end.

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Colette Dunn

Age 10

Gymnastics Fun My name is Colette. I have been doing gymnastics since I was three. It is really fun to me. It might be fun to you too! My

favorite thing to do in gymnastics is a back handspring! It is so fun. I want my community to not laugh at people when they

make a mistake. My community is really, really fun. It’s fun to me because of the tricks. My favorite is the floor. I like back handsprings & one-handed round-offs. It’s kind of hard to

describe because you have to do it so fast that it doesn’t even

feel like you’re doing anything! My brothers do gymnastics too!

I have two brothers it is so fun to do gymnastics with. I have

wanted to be on a team since I was three, but my mom thinks a

team is going to be too hard and because of the traveling. I have

got in a team four times but my mom said NO to them all.

I go to gymnastics every Monday. My brothers and parents are

part of my community too! How I can help my community is help my gymnastics class with tricks. I think you can try a sport and it might be gymnastics!

Volume 1: It is Really Fun to Me, It Might Be Fun to You, Too!

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Dominik Squire

Age 10

My Baseball Community Chapter Number One Usually I go to baseball and take turns playing different

positions. Me and my friend play baseball or tag after baseball camp. The season was going to begin, but first I had to do tryouts.

Part Two Tryouts is a test to see your skill, speed, and abilities. For tryouts, I made new friends. We all had tags with numbers so we could make a line. First, we did batting. Then, we did throwing. And

last, we did catching. In baseball, you need to hit the baseball.

You need a good aim to hit. You also need to not be scared of the ball. Focus on it. And last but not least . . .

Part Three You need to have good throwing skills. You can throw a lot farther than you think. I am Dominik Squire, and this is a

message to my readers and future opponents, because I am coming to play . . . in the league of baseball!

Chapter Number Two My teenage future is to become a baseball player. But as a

grown-up, a football player. Now, let’s get to basics. First, you

need the equipment. Like a bat, or a back-pack, or even a glove.

You need to try to swing in a good angle, so you can hit the ball.

Using the bat could help also with speed. Now, the glove can

help with the blocking. The glove is able to catch the ball. The glove helped me to catch and grab the ball, and block myself.

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And last but not least, the helmet. It helps if you get hit by a

baseball. It also looks cool. Use these tools the right way and practice. You may be able to be one of the most best players.

And I hope my reader will get some advice from my manifesto.

Thanks for reading!

Ava Doettl Age 9

My Animal Community Hi! My name is Ava and I’m part of a community where me and

my friends rescue animals. Some stuff that I do is I save animals.

Some of my pets are rescues, like my tortoise. She was lost and her siblings kept fighting so I took her to my house. But anyway

I love my community because it helps Earth, nature, animals,

and life. Also sometimes I pick up trash. I love my community

because I love nature, because without it Earth would just be a

big ball of rock! I don’t want more sad animals and a sad earth!

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Grace Weeks

Age 9

School Community Hi, my community is my school and how I fit in is, because I’m a student.

I want to help by stopping bullying.

And one thing I like is learning, and my favorite specials are music and P.E. Something I don’t want is more bullying and cyberbullying.

And I want to learn more and have fun!

Kaden Curry

Age 10

I Used To Play Track I used to play track. You always need to practice every day and

have someone motivate you so you push forward. And you can ask your coach to see what you need help with and you can

keep training and you have to wake up before school.

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Aliyah Payne Age 9

Manifesto Hi my name is Aliyah, and one community I’m in is my wrestling

community. It’s not that big, but I’m fine with it. We practice very

hard and practice drills. We train Tuesday and Thursday. When

I’m with my community I feel happy because they are kind and

they don’t treat me differently because I’m one of the only girls there. It’s weird but fun that I’m one of the only girls. They help

each other and are really good sports. I want my community

to be happy, win or lose. I don’t want my community to be too

competitive. Even if it doesn't happen, the one thing that I really

need them to do is stay safe and not get hurt. If they get hurt they won’t be having fun, and if they’re not having fun they might not want to be a part of the community any more. That’s how I want

to write about my community.

Donovan Cundapi Ventura

Age 10

Soccer Community Hi I am Donovan. I love soccer. But when I am on the field I get really scared, nervous, anxious, but when it is the second half

I get really competitive. Also my fave position is striker, and I

really don’t like defense because they can sometimes hit you really hard.

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Emily Truong

Age 10

My Community Hi, my name is Emily. I think my community is Asian. For now, because my family is in Vietnam and China . . . well some in

China. Most of my family was born in Vietnam, and my grandpa

was born in China and moved to Vietnam. My grandma had eight

children. Well, what I like about something is delicious food

and beautiful places. And I hate something that is no peace

everywhere or some. In Vietnam, they have very tasty noodles

and a waterpark. Well I think it’s far or close, also it’s near a

beach. Next, in China it has a beautiful place like the terracotta army. And also great food. So yeah . . . done.

Evie Jane

Age 10

My Manifesto Hi I am Evie and my neighborhood is my community. Something

I want is my community to spend more time together, like having neighborhood parties. I don’t want everyone to watch screens all the time and I want them to come and talk with neighbors

once and a while. I don’t like it when parents just let their kids

go play because sometimes they can be mean or destructive. If

someone was in trouble, like if my friend is in a fire, I would try

to get them out but first call 911. I moved into my community

about two and a half years ago.

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Jasdeep Toor Age 10

Flag Football Hi, my name is Jasdeep Toor and I am going to make a list of

what I want and don’t want. First off, I need to practice throwing

because I am qb (quarterback). Second off I am cb for defense (cornerback, I block the wide receiver), so need to practice

interceptions or pick sixes. Then I am a kicker. Need to practice

kicking. Other positions I play: safety, linebacker, wide receiver,

tight end, defensive end. Some things I do not and do like: First they always change the coach? One person always gets the

football—Jareem! I love flag football! Get a touchdown and win the game!

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Mavis Troches Ramirez

Age 10

Mi Familia Comunidad/My Family Community Soy Mavis, vivo en Michigan y tengo diez años.

Me preocupa mi comunidad familiar.

En comunidad, me gusta jugar con mi familia.

Quiero que mi familia sea feliz.

No quiero que en mi family haya problemas. Quiero que mi maestro lea mi escritura.

I am Mavis, I live in Michigan, I am ten years old.

I care about my family community.

In my community, I like to get together in family to eat or play.

I want my family to be happy.

I do not want problems in my family. I would like my teacher to read my writing.

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Group Sketches

Volume 1: It is Really Fun to Me, It Might Be Fun to You, Too!

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Acknowledgments A community of extraordinary people came together to create this publication. As Kaden reminds us, it’s so important to “have someone motivate you so you push forward.” Our families, our teachers, our volunteers, our designers, illustrators, copyeditors, and community partners—everyone plays a role in helping us stay motivated and inspired to write. Aarionah writes, “Some community people do work and some do writing too . . . I like communities because it makes me be grateful when I do things, too.” We are endlessly grateful to the special communities at Ann Arbor Public Schools that welcomed us and the writerly communities that were formed in the process of building these collections!

Students and teachers at Carpenter Elementary Volunteers Kim Ly, Illustrator Robyn Charles, Designer

Program Volunteers Kaitlyn Stymiest Bill Walker Charlotte Moore Sridevi Srikanth Claudia Mancy Sarah Allen Danielle Cubitt Katherine See Muhammad Chaudhry

Ben Lee Rebekah Kindy Jenna Kobeissi Pat Gold Grant Molloy Blake Williams Danny Creech Tyler Pemberton

Copyeditors Lauren Rudewicz

MaKenzee Van Buren

Typists Susan Morrel-Samuels Noelle Sciarini

Danielle Colburn Rachel Bullen

Program Lead & Teaching Artist Lauren Rudewicz

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Our partners at Ann Arbor District Library Elizabeth Pearce Walline & Amanda Schott Our friends at 826 Digital for inspiring our Write Your Way lesson and theme

Teachers Christine Blandino Pete Larson Stephanie Steiner & Ms. Maren

AAPS & Carpenter Leadership Team Michael Johnson, Principal LaShawna Brandon, School Secretary Nancy Shore, Ann Arbor Public Schools Strategic Partnership and Volunteer Coordinator Robin Birdsong, Title 1 Teacher Veronica Shah, Reading tutor

Community Supporters Ann Arbor Area Community Fund Rotary Club of Ann Arbor Leinweber Foundation The Hawkins Project Domino's Pizza EOTech Warby Parker Altarum Institute Galens Medical Society Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor PTP Management

Volume 1: It is Really Fun to Me, It Might Be Fun to You, Too!

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Curriculum Guide I love to write. But I think that I will learn more. I think the way I want to become a better writer is if I focus. On how to edit writings. Not to make it perfect but better. I want to spell correct words, so maybe that can help me, and I want to be an editor. If I would make a book, if I started my own business, I would have a lot of paperwork to do, so that is why it is so important to learn how to write. —Jayla Canada, Age 10 This book project began with three fourth-grade teachers at Carpenter Elementary in Ann Arbor, who believed in their students’ ideas, and wanted to support and encourage their students to develop their ideas in writing. Writing, like all art, often brings us joy as much as it challenges us—and especially so when we are still learning to write and to catch our thoughts in mid-air as they whiz by. With this in mind, we at 826michigan collaborated with these teachers to adapt a pre-existing program available on 826 Digital called “Write Your Way.” The original “Write Your Way” program curriculum was compiled by 826 National to “engage students in the joy and power of writing” when they write with authentic purpose.

Our version adapted the principles of 826 Digital’s twenty-session “Write Your Way” curriculum, with its focus on reflection, connection, creation, and making a difference. Over the course of four sessions per class, we leaned into another meaning of “Write Your Way”: using writing to create a path, and find your way, through all the things happening around you, in your head, and in the world you are a part of. You can try out some of our adapted writing activities here, or visit 826digital.com to download the original materials!

Write Your Way . . . On Earth & Beyond Write your own community story for a real or imagined community. As you saw in the student writing in this book, community stories can come in all shapes and sizes, and can be about many different kinds of communities— in the present, past, and future, real and imaginary, nearby and far away, big and small.

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But . . . community can be hard to explain! Everyone thinks about and experiences community in a different way, even if being part of a community does mean you share something in common.

In these exercises, we will try to explain what a community is by writing about the experiences, stories, feelings, and desires that have connected us to other people. We will have to be really detailed, because we’ll be trying to explain to readers who might have totally different experiences than we do. So, are you up for the challenge? All you need is a pen or pencil to write with, and an extra sheet of paper if you want to write on more pages than the ones we give you here! We'll take you through the steps we used to write community manifestos about the communities that mattered to us.

Manifestos Part 1: Brainstorming As writers, we need to take time to understand our own ideas before we share them with other readers! Brainstorming is a warm-up for us: we can write our observations, feelings, and thoughts about a community . . . and we can write it messy! We can use bullet points, short phrases, stories, examples, feelings, and/or even drawings. This will help us map our ideas before trying to organize our ideas into sentences and paragraphs and stories. You can use a chart below to get going, or a blank piece of paper.

Think of this part of the writing like a journal or diary entry: it helps us know what’s on our minds!

First, make a list of any community you feel you know well, or that you would like to know well. Look back at the writing in this book for examples of some communities.

Next, pick one community from your list that you’d like to spend more time thinking about. Use the brainstorming prompts to list out, draw, remember, or jot with that community in mind. You can use the blank pages in the back of this book or your own paper. Once you have your ideas down on the page, you can use those ideas to inspire your community story!

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A Community You Are Part Of: ___________________________________ Example: The fourth grade at Carpenter Elementary Read the prompts below Jot, draw, or write a list in response to any of the bullet points that interest you!

What is your experience like in your community? » » » »

Things you do as a member of this community, by yourself or with others Roles or jobs you have Interests you share with others How you feel when you spend time with others in this community Example: helping collect homework = I feel important and helpful, playing at recess = feel fun and creative

What do you know about the experiences of others in your community? » People you know in this community » Things these people do in your community (with you, by themselves, or with others) » Any roles they have (you might have to guess or be creative!)

Example: My teacher answers my questions, our principal makes jokes when he visits our class What experiences do you share with others in your community? » » » »

What you share in common with your community Things you wish you could share in common with your community Activities that really make you feel like you’re a part of your community Activities you wish you could do more often or start doing with your community Example: We’re all students, I wish I knew more artists and that we went to more museums

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We Are Together

Part 2: Writing with a Community Audience in Mind If there’s anything that you want for yourself, it’s very likely that there is someone else who wants that, too. It’s even more likely that that person already shares a community with you! You can share appreciation for your community, and give and receive support for creating a world that you all would want to live in. We wrote manifestos with Carpenter Elementary: a manifesto is a way of writing about the things you value most. Manifesto is related to the word “manifest,” which can have two meanings. “A manifest” is kind of like a list, and “to manifest” something means to make it appear (often in a magical way—like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat).

When we look at a “manifesto” we can think of both of these meanings: You list your values and beliefs in a manifesto in order to make your dreams about the kind of world you want to live in appear in reality.

Here’s our recipe for manifesto must-haves: ; Who am I? Tell the reader about yourself ! ; How do I feel about my community? Share your emotions to help readers understand why you care! ; I want . . . What do you want to see happen in your community? Include specific details, examples, or feelings ; I do not want . . . What is not desirable for your community? Include specific details, examples, or feelings ; Who is my audience? Who do you want to read your manifesto?

A Manifesto Map Write down your answers to these questions one by one, in full sentences.

Before you know it, a paragraph will manifest on the page before you!

First, tell your reader about yourself. Who are you?

Then, describe one community you are a part of. ✏ How big is it? ✏ What are some things you like about being in this community? ✏ How do you feel when you think about your community?

You can use I Do/They Do/We Do as a format for this if you would like!

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Then, list what you want in detail. ✏ What things do you enjoy? ✏ What things do you think others in your community would enjoy? ✏ How do you want others in your community to feel?

Then, list what you do not want in detail.

Lastly, answer: Who do you hope reads your manifesto?

Sentence Starters We’ve included some sentence starters for exactly that: they can help you get started writing sentences! But, this is not the only way a community story can look. As the writer, you might decide you want to start your sentences differently . . . or that you don’t want to use full sentences at all and write a poem or make a collage instead. Think about your audience and decide what makes the most sense!

I am ________________________________________________________.

I care about_________________________________________ community.

In my community, I like _________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________.

I want_______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________.

I do not want _________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________.

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We Are Together

Use the following pages to brainstorm, write out your manifesto, or even draw yourself in your community!

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We Are Together

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We Are Together

Draw your community here!

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inspires school-aged students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers in their communities.

Our writing and tutoring programs uphold a culture of creativity and imagination and support students in establishing strong habits of mind. Through publication and community engagement, we provide students with an authentic and enthusiastic audience for their writing.

Our programs provide an energizing creative outlet for students and meaningful volunteer opportunities for community members.

ONLINE LEARNING LAB For the 2021–22 school year, our programs remain virtual. When is it safe to return to our in-person programs, we plan to continue to offer virtual program opportunities as well!

SCHOOLWORK SUPPORT The program formerly-known as tutoring has been given an updated name, but the same great foundations remain. We organize trained volunteer tutors to work with students one-on-one with their homework after school. Schoolwork Support is available for all subjects, for students ages 8–18.

WORKSHOPS We offer a number of free workshops taught by professional artists, writers, and our talented volunteers. From comic books to screenplays, bookmaking to radio, our wide variety of workshops are perfect for writers of all ages and interests. One of the most popular workshops we offer is our weekly Wee-bots program for elementary-aged writers.

IN-SCHOOL PROJECTS Our trained volunteers go into local public schools every day to support teachers with their classroom writing assignments. Based on the teacher’s curriculum, assignments range from writing tales to crafting college essays to exploring poetry.

FIELD TRIPS Students come as a class to our writing lab to join a group of volunteers, interns, and staff in order to help solve a problem through writing—whether that is our editor Dr. Blotch’s insomnia, our looming story deadline, a mystery in need of solving, or one of the many others we encounter. Our field trips always end in a finished publication of original writing that students take home.

OUR STORES Our Robot Supply Co. stores are one-stop shops for robots, robot owners, and enthusiasts alike. They are designed to inspire creativity and bring awareness of our programs to the community. Visit the Ann Arbor Robot Supply Co. at 115 East Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor for in-store shopping. For store hours and online shopping, visit us online at onwardrobots.com. All proceeds from our stores directly fund our free student programming. Onward robots!

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WRITING IS

A way to figure things out by ourselves

We create a safe place to be ourselves and try new things We support the ways that writers work (like thinking, sketching, talking)

A way to help us connect to our world

We study the writing we want to do so we can try it We learn how to change our writing for genre, audience, and purpose

A way to help us learn who we are and who we will become

We work with a group of writers who help and support each other

A way for us to use our power to make changes and build a better world

www.826michigan.org

826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities.

We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards.

Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization.

We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It's our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands.

As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability.

The 826 National network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start.

And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.

by Gerald Richards, CEO