Author: Claire Sakelson

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But I am done with apple-picking now.

Robert Frost writes this line in his poem, “After Apple-Picking.” The speaker in the poem narrates their weariness after a long day of apple-picking, drifting in that in-between state of being not fully awake or asleep. Even the rhyme scheme reflects the speaker’s disorientation; the end rhymes are all over the place! This poem is like a pool of crystal clear water: you can gaze deeper and deeper into its depths, and you might even catch a glimpse of yourself staring back.

Take a few minutes to read “After Apple-Picking” at the end of this post. I promise it won’t disappoint.

Frost’s line, I am done with apple-picking now, serves as inspiration for this week’s Autumn Artfest prompt. One of our wonderful Blackbird & Company artists, Kelly, found her imagination sparking at this line. She took the apple-picking idea and ran with it to create miniature beaded red apples—so cute!

Need a refresher on what exactly Autumn Artfest is all about?

Each Monday morning, we will post on the blog a prompt for you to ponder and respond to, along with one of our artist’s renditions as an example. Every prompt is a quote or homage to a published poem, painting, or musical piece about Fall. Collect your creations in our downloadable chapbook, Six Breaths of Fall. Embrace the Autumn spirit!

Feel free to vary artistic mediums each week. Here are some art forms to consider:

  • Poetry
  • Painting – watercolor, acrylic, etc.
  • Drawing
  • Microstories
  • Embroidery
  • Beadwork
  • Music composition

Send in photos of your creations to our social media or email. We would love to highlight YOUR breaths of fall on the blog!

~ Claire S. 

 

After Apple-Picking

 

My long two-pointed ladder’s sticking through a tree

Toward heaven still,

And there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill

Beside it, and there may be two or three

Apples I didn’t pick upon some bough.

But I am done with apple-picking now.

Essence of winter sleep is on the night,

The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.

I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight

I got from looking through a pane of glass

I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough

And held against the world of hoary grass.

It melted, and I let it fall and break.

But I was well

Upon my way to sleep before it fell,

And I could tell

What form my dreaming was about to take.

Magnified apples appear and disappear,

Stem end and blossom end,

And every fleck of russet showing clear.

My instep arch not only keeps the ache,

It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round.

I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.

And I keep hearing from the cellar bin

The rumbling sound

Of load on load of apples coming in.

For I have had too much

Of apple-picking: I am overtired

Of the great harvest I myself desired.

There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch,

Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall.

For all

That struck the earth,

No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble,

Went surely to the cider-apple heap

As of no worth.

One can see what will trouble

This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is.

Were he not gone,

The woodchuck could say whether it’s like his

Long sleep, as I describe its coming on,

Or just some human sleep.

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Why do the white beaches in fall sigh?

Great question…this sounds like a query that can only be answered in the form of art! Week two of Autumn Artfest finds us ready to paint, draw, sew, compose, bead—in other words, ready to create. 

This week’s prompt is inspired by German painter Christian Rohlf’s White Beaches in Fall. He completed this expressionist oil painting in 1910. Yet over 100 years later, we still find the painting’s warm, vivid hues and remarkably colorful white trunks to capture the same Autumn of today. 

Here’s the poem this prompt sparked in me:

Why do the white beaches in fall sigh?

 

Worn out by

winter’s ice cold glare,

spring’s manic joy,

summer’s weighty breath,

we beaches have strength

in our white bones

for nothing

but a soft sigh—

and a resigned fall.

 

Need a refresher on what exactly Autumn Artfest is all about?

Each Monday morning, we will post on the blog a prompt for you to ponder and respond to, along with one of our artist’s renditions as an example. Every prompt is a quote or homage to a published poem, painting, or musical piece about Fall. Collect your creations in our downloadable chapbook, Six Breaths of Fall. Embrace the Autumn spirit!

Feel free to vary artistic mediums each week. Here are some art forms to consider:

  • Poetry
  • Painting – watercolor, acrylic, etc.
  • Drawing
  • Microstories
  • Embroidery
  • Beadwork
  • Music composition

Send in photos of your creations to our social media or email. We would love to highlight YOUR breaths of fall on the blog!

~ Claire S. 

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Happy birthday, James Harriot!

All Creatures Great and Small

James Alfred Wight (who used “James Harriot” as a pen name) lived a life worth remembering. You might know James Harriot as the author of All Creatures Great and Small, which happens to be one of my all time favorite books—it’s hilarious, poignant, insightful, and beautifully written. Harriot finds significance and value in the smallest of moments, showing us that we don’t need to travel far and wide to experience the good life. Living deeply starts in the mundane, in the now. All that to say, All Creatures Great and Small is a must-read.

Back to the man behind the book, James Alfred Wight, called “Alf” for short. While All Creatures Great and Small is labeled a memoir, only about half of its content are from Wight’s life. The other half is fiction. 

On his birthday, here’s a glimpse of Wight’s life you might not have caught from reading his books:

  • After German air raids targeted his home cities, Wight enlisted in the RAF (Royal Air Force) in 1942 to serve as a pilot during World War II. He was a skilled pilot but was discharged a year later for health reasons. Going from the RAF to the Yorkshire countryside is quite the change!
  • Wight started writing in earnest after twenty-five years of working as a veterinarian, in his fifties. For the first three years of his writing journey, Wight struggled with rejections. After a publisher advised him to write in the first person and take a more autobiographical route, he struck a tone that resonated with his readership and the rest is history.
  • Wight’s books have sold over 100 million copies! His first six books have all sold over a million copies. 
  • In the book, Siegfried Farnon brought James into his veterinary practice as a partner. Siegfried is portrayed as cantankerous, eccentric, and loveable. Siegfried is based on Wight’s business partner, Donald Sinclair, who fits the bill for this characterization—which might even be a toned down version of what he was like! Wight’s son recalls that the reason Sinclair was “such an eccentric character was that he didn’t think he was.” At first, Sinclair took offense at his characterization in All Creatures Great and Small, saying to Wight, “This book is a test of our friendship.”

If you haven’t had the chance yet, crack open All Creatures Great and Small, a high-school, Level 4 read (Check out the book and guide bundle HERE). I promise you won’t be disappointed!

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Autumn is in the Air—and so is Autumn Artfest!

September 22nd is a big day. It marks the shift from lounging in a beach chair to sitting up straight at a desk, from catching whiffs of sunscreen to enjoying pumpkin spice. In other words, September 22nd is the first day of Fall!

One of my favorite parts of Fall is the art associated with it. This might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think “Fall,” but for me, Fall is inextricably tied to the National Arts and Humanities Month of October. I remember drawing each day of October as a high school art student, when art enthusiasts across the country unite to create art every day of the month. October offers us room to slow down, take a deep breath of every-crisping air, and create. 

So, starting today, we are launching our own Blackbird & Company twist on National Arts and Humanities Month. We’re calling it Autumn Artfest!

For the next six weeks (starting on September 28th and running through November 9th), we will shape an art chapbook full of Autumnal ideas. Download this free Print Shop template HERE to create a miniature chapbook with an envelope, titled “Six Breaths of Fall.” Althou

gh a chapbook is usually a little book of poetry, we’re using all kinds of mediums—because isn’t all art a kind of poetry?

Each Monday morning, we will post on the blog a prompt for you to ponder and respond to, along with one of our artist’s renditions as an example. Every prompt is a quote or homage to a published poem, painting, or musical piece about Fall. Embrace the Autumn spirit!

Feel free to vary artistic mediums each week. Here are some art forms to consider:

  • Poetry
  • Painting – watercolor, acrylic, etc.
  • Drawing
  • Microstories
  • Embroidery
  • Beadwork
  • Music composition

Lastly, submit a picture of your favorite Autumn Artfest creations for a chance to win a featured post on the blog! We’d love to highlight your hard work and creativity. (Submission link coming soon!)

Here’s to Autumn Artfest!

~ Claire S.

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Today is the deadline for Pages registration!

It’s the first day of September! And you know what that means…today is the deadline for Session 1 Pages registration!

What exactly is the purpose of Pages? Pages live online classes foster competence, creativity, and confidence in students as they press into the important work of becoming literate. Being able to communicate an original, BIG idea is the ultimate goal of English Language Arts. 

At Blackbird & Company, we offer dozens of Pages classes each year taught by our expert teachers. From Literature to Research to Art and more, there’s a class for every student. You can peruse our course offerings HERE. And of course, don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about where to place your student. We’re happy to help!

As a Pages teacher myself, I’ve found that our small class sizes really give students the opportunity to be known, to not only develop as writers but also as humans. Students are both challenged and supported—for what better way can we nurture young minds than by encouraging them to think deeply about ideas? Than by taking risks in their writing? By reading great books?

I, for one, can’t wait to see my students again this September. 

One parent writes, “Thank you for making class so enjoyable and personal. My daughter’s writing has really expanded since being in classes with you.” – Brit

Here’s to the 2026/2027 Pages school year!

~ Claire S.

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Summer Bingo closes August 31st….so cross off your last boxes!

Quick! Before summer thumps shut like a dusty book, one more deadline approaches: the end of Summer Bingo! 

Summer Bingo submissions close August 31st (Click HERE to submit). Finish off the season strong by journaling about your day, lending a book to a friend, or making a craft—all with the chance to win some wonderful prizes! 

Here’s a reminder of the prizes you can win with a Bingo submission:

With every bingo you get (which means you’ve completed five activities in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), you’re entered into a raffle to win the Corduroy book and stuffed animal set or the Matilda book and pencil pouch. The more bingos you submit, the more entries you have! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But that’s not all: If you get a blackout (which means you’ve completed every activity on the bingo square), you’ll be entered into a raffle to win ANOTHER Solo Stove—this one being a Mesa Tabletop Fire Pit. With a blackout also comes a 20% off coupon code for one item!

Download Summer Bingo for free on Print Shop. Let’s soak up these precious days of freedom!

~ Claire S.

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We love (and support) our teachers.

The first day of school is right around the corner. Your curriculum is selected, your books assembled, your students in their seats (or near them, at least)—but, as you know, there’s so much more to teaching than having the right materials. 

A good teacher is inspired. And they pass that inspiration on to their students. 

We at Blackbird & Company are here to walk alongside you, lightening the burden of planning and logistics to create room for your imagination to soar. Let us support you through this adventure of a school year.

Here are some of the support resources we offer on our website:

  1. The Blog — You’re already here, which is a great step to take! BUT, chances are, there’s more to the blog than you would have guessed. Filter by category to peruse the topics that are most relevant to you, like Pages, Print Shop, Write Ideas, and Writing Resources. Glean new teaching strategies and learn more about the resources at your fingertips.
  2. Schedules and Lesson Plans — Fitting together teaching schedules and lesson plans can feel like putting together a puzzle in which none of the pieces fit together. That’s why we created these resources for every grade level collection AND individual subject. Take a moment to peruse our expertly-assembled teaching schedules and lesson plans. 
  3. Online Pages Classes — Whether you’d like to learn how to use Blackbird & Company guides by seeing another teacher apply them, or you’re homeschooling and want your student to find community with peers and another teacher, our online Pages Classes might just be for you.
    We offer 5-week (and longer) classes for every student. From our CORE curriculum of Earlybird to Level 4, and our Application materials like Essay, Research, and One True Sentence, our friendly teachers can’t wait to meet this year’s students.
    But keep in mind, the deadline for Session 1 sign-ups is September 1st—so take a look now!
  4. Print Shop — We’ve been abuzz with the Print Shop news lately, which you’ve probably picked up on if you’ve kept an eye on the blog! With a slew of downloadable ABCeDarian crafts, Reader’s Guides, One True Sentence worksheets, and more, we aim to create thoughtful, high-quality learning supplements that will deepen students’ engagement with the arts. 
  5. Video Collection — Learn more about how to adopt a literature-based language arts education with the Video Collection on our website. We offer professional development videos, including how to teach phonics, and videos that supplement units like Operation Lexicon: Traits of Character.

So amidst the whirlwind of educating young minds, draw on these resources to take time away from planning and stressing, and channel it into inspiration. Let us not forget that learning—and watching others learn—is one of the greatest joys of this life!

~ Claire S.

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Let’s Edit Together.

Many teachers and parents hit a wall editing student work—it can seem so subjective! The last thing any of us want is to discourage our budding writers. But editing doesn’t have to loom large like a specter of educational despair. YOU are equipped for this task, and we are here to help with some quick online resources.

Earlier this week, we took a look at the Blackbird & Company Writer’s Checklists, which detail what to highlight in a 5-minute editing conference. But today we’re going one step further.

Drum roll please….

Introducing our new Editing Tutorials!

These videos look at real samples of student work and model how we would edit them with the Writer’s Checklists. Check out our first batch of tutorials centered around Level 1 edits on all our social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest). Our first five videos explore how to edit:

  1. Hook and Indent
  2. Mechanics
  3. Supporting Ideas and Adjectives, Example 1
  4. Supporting Ideas and Adjectives, Example 2
  5. Twist

 

With examples of dos and don’ts for each checklist bullet, we’ll give you practical tips on how to edit student work. And stay tuned for our Level 2 and 3 tutorials—they’ll be following shortly.

Every teacher edits differently. No matter your editing style, however, the most important part of a red-pen edit is (1) to help our students’ ideas shine, and (2) to empower them to keep writing. We don’t edit to crush their spirits or to force them to conform to an outline. No! We edit because our students’ ideas deserve to gleam and shimmer in the sun like a cracked geode. We edit because we believe that our students are capable of so much more than they know. 

Browse these editing tutorials for a little inspiration and direction. YOU are more than ready to pick up that red pen!

~ Claire S.

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Get ready to edit…taking a look at the Writer’s Checklist.

When many of us are faced with a piece of student writing, these thoughts instantly start to fly:

“What do I comment on?”

“What should I expect of my student based on their age?”

“How can I teach my student to self-edit?”

That’s where the Blackbird & Company Writer’s Checklists come in. For Levels 1, 2, and 3, we offer free downloadable checklists on Print Shop that walk you through what edits to make at each level. The 5-minute conference just got easier!

For example, at Level 1, we look for writing three supporting ideas and using some adjectives. By Level 2 we upgrade to writing five supporting ideas, connecting related ideas, and trying out all four sentence types. By Level 3, the hope is that the student can soar and write eight supporting ideas, add sensory details, and vary sentence length. With a little scaffolding, students can climb the ladder to authentic writing!

These checklists aren’t just for teachers and parents—they’re also a wonderful resource to hand to students so they can start practicing the art of the self-edit.

So this school year, print out a stack of Writer’s Checklists. They just might streamline the editing process for both you and your students.

Well-written, Blackbird!

~ Claire S.

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It’s the dawn of a new school year—who do you choose to be?

Over the last four years or so, I’ve gotten into running, a hobby I’ve always avoided like the plague. This sport has taught me a lot, first and foremost that running is HARD. But it has also shed light on something else: the relationship between identity and goals. 

Here’s what I mean. There’s a difference between people who say they’re “trying to go on runs” versus those who say, “I’m a runner.” The difference boils down to identity. The first group hasn’t incorporated running into their identity while the second group has. When I made the shift from “trying to go on runs” to seeing myself as a runner, I didn’t immediately get faster or run longer. The difference was mental. Motivating myself to run became easier, my running habits became automatic. And that consistency spurred growth. Now, I even kind of enjoy runs sometimes!

Identity-based change doesn’t end with running—it also has everything to do with becoming a writer. 

At this juncture, with the sun setting over summer and rising on the school year, it’s the perfect time to examine identity and goals. This year, who do we want to be? What do we want to achieve? How do we teach our students to intentionally set goals?

One answer lies within the theory of Identity-Based Motivation (IBM) proposed by Dr. Daphna Oyserman, a psychology professor at USC (here’s the article if you’re curious about psychology like I am). She explains the link between our identities and our motivation. Because we prefer to act in ways that are consistent with our identity, we interpret difficulties that arise when we do identity-consistent actions as important or meaningful. The struggle seems worth it. On the other hand, when we do something that doesn’t align with our identity, we see difficulty as a sign that we’re in the wrong place, the struggle proving we don’t belong. 

So for example, when I view myself as a runner, the hardship I experience has meaning because it’s pushing me to become more of who I am. When I saw myself as someone just trying out running, however, every obstacle became proof that I wasn’t cut out for this sport.

The same goes for writing. For a writer, the challenge of getting ideas on the page is important because it shapes the person to become more of who they are. For the “I’m not good at writing” or “writing is boring” student, the struggle inherent in writing is discouraging.

Therefore, our goal isn’t to shape students into people who write sometimes. We want our students to be WRITERS.

Identifying as a writer doesn’t mean you have it all figured out. As Thomas Mann said, “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” Being a writer means you have something to say—and each student is brimming with wonderful, colorful, vibrant ideas, if only they have the means to express them. 

This year, let’s lean into identity to drive action. Every student is a writer—and we can’t let them forget it.

~ Claire S.