The write start - Jennifer Hallissy 2010
Passing Notes
Guidelines for the Activities
IN THIS AGE of text messaging and e-mail, I wonder if passing notes is in danger of becoming a lost art.
I speak from experience on the subject of passing notes. My best friend, Regina, and I dedicated ourselves to perfecting the art of note passing in English class. I dare say we wrote far more notes to be slipped under the desk than we wrote on our papers on top of the desk. It definitely fell under the category of creative writing nonetheless, and isn’t that what English class is all about, anyway? (For the record, our teacher didn’t agree.)
Instead of encouraging our kids to engage in classroom subterfuge, let’s pass along the note-passing tradition in other venues. Notes can be slipped into lunch bags, Mom’s laptop bag, or Dad’s briefcase, under little sister’s pillow, or into the pocket of Grandma’s sweater. Pass notes back and forth while passing the time in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. Or pass an “Are we there yet?” note around the backseat of the car on a long drive.
Oh, and if you want to help your kids elevate note passing to an art form, teach them how to incorporate some super-fancy note folds. And make sure you demonstrate how to transfer the aforementioned notes discreetly (you never know when the teacher might be looking).
MATERIALS
∗ paper
∗ pencil
HOW-TO
Write a note. Less formal than a letter, a note can be about anything that’s on your mind. The only requirement is that you keep it short. Passing notes requires a quick turnaround time, so get right to the point. One or two sentences max, so your note-passing partner doesn’t have to wait too long. It also helps to include a question, which invites a timely response.
Variations
For Scribblers: Scribblers love to pass along their latest work by slipping it under a door, for example. Next time they pass you a scribble, add a scribble of your own to their page and pass it back. See how long you can keep the “conversation” going.
For Spellers: Spellers are ready to start writing some simple notes of their own, and folding them into small, passable squares.
For Storytellers: Storytellers may enjoy composing a cooperative story by passing a note back and forth. Every time the note comes back to you, add a line to the story, and so on, until it’s complete.
For Scholars: Scholars will appreciate the opportunity to elevate note passing to an art form by incorporating a creative note-folding technique, such as the following:
1. Fold the paper in half the long way, with the writing on the inside of the fold. Fold it in half the long way one more time, so that you have a long, skinny rectangle.
2. Holding the long rectangle horizontally, fold the bottom left corner up to form a triangle on the left edge, and the top right corner down to form a triangle on the right edge.
3. Fold the left edge over and in toward the middle again, forming a parallelogram shape. Fold the right edge over and in toward the middle again, forming a rectangle. Make another diagonal fold at each end, folding the right edge up and folding the left edge down. Your paper should look like an S shape turned on its side.
4. Fold the right side of the S in toward the middle in the front, and then fold the right side back and down.
5. Tuck the left side inside the top of the triangle in back.
6. Now your note is ready for passing!