[Music] it's often said reading can transport us from one world into another maybe you're at home on the couch or you're sitting on a bus or in a waiting room at a doctor's office and you escape into a world of aliens with spaceship shaped like giant pretzels or all of a sudden you're hiding from a hiting python in the Amazon or slinking through Sage Brush trying to catch a horse thief in Montana did you ever wonder how writers weave such magical spells how they levitate you off your couch and onto Aladdin's flying carpet hi everyone I'm Jeff Cass and today we're going to work on capturing what I like to call the feel of the day when we write our goal is to imagine we have a reader who is somewhere else a cousin in Alabama a friend in Hawaii or even a stranger eating breakfast at a cafe in Mexico City and that person is looking at your writing we want them to experience whatever you're experiencing we want them as much as possible to feel like they're right there beside you how will we do that there are two main steps first we pay close attention to what our senses are experiencing that's why I like to carry a writing journal everywhere I go if I want to capture the feel of a place I open my journal and I take notes so I can relay those details to a reader today we're at Riverside Park let's start with what I can see I can see trees but to just say I can see trees is boring let's let's spice it up or or sugar it up would be more accurate some of the leafy trees look like massive green marshmallows others are skinny and lighter tone like sticks of chewing gum I can also see kayakers parents and their children dot the water in plastic kayaks dipping their paddles in and out so they look like spiders skittering along the river what can I hear kids laugh and scream in the playground an older brother chases his giggling younger sister up the slide and they almost collide with another kid on his way down now I'm going to combine the senses of taste and smell based on what's happening in the picnic area got burgers and brw wor sizzling on the grill mixed with laughter of adults keeping half an eye on their children finally I'll think about my sense of touch what does my body feel the air today is warm and moist kind of like a locker room after the whole team has taken a shower the ground beneath my feet soft and damp that's enough about what I see smell and here around me the feel of any day also includes UD how I'm personally feeling and how my environment or what's around me affects my feelings that's the second step I'm going to make a list of some things going on in my own head for example I'm thinking about my son and his baseball team in South Dakota and about my daughter as she heads on a trip to Costa Rica I'm also thinking about what time I have to be home to walk my dog and I'm also worried about climate change okay that's a lot to think about time to start writing I'll take my notes and combine them with whatever else is bouncing around my brain to express what the day Feels Like For Me Feel of the day Riverside Park ipolani Michigan the sky today after this morning's rain feels gray with sorrow kids run through the playground laughing and shouting and several different languages one boy chases his giggling sister the wrong way up a slide and they nearly collide with another giggling boy on his way down past the trees some of which look plump like dark green marshmallows and others thin and light colored like sticks of gum kayakers scatter across the river their paddles dip out of their plastic boats so they look like spiders skittering across the water parents and children laugh as they Splash it's it's true I'm worried about my son playing baseball in South Dakota about my daughter packing her suitcase for a trip to Costa Rica about whether I'll have enough time to take my dog's snow cap for a walk before it rains tonight and speaking of rain I also worry about whether the changing climate will bring a bunch of dangerous hurricanes this summer still listen to the laughter drifting through this moist air as burgers and brator Sizzle on the Park's Community Grill tune in to the delighted squeals of children as they kick a soccer ball the ground beneath my feet is soft unsteady always slightly shifting I can shift too and figure out how to slow down and enjoy the moment and not stress out over things I can't control now it's your turn write your own feel of the day Pros paragraph wherever you are go outside take something to write on and write with observe what's happen around you and jot down notes about what you can see hear smell taste or touch then write some notes about anything else you're thinking next take your notes and start writing a paragraph that describes the day both the environment outside and how you're feeling inside remember your goal is to capture the feel of the day for someone far away a reader you want to invite into your world thank you for joining us if you want more fun ways to practice literacy skills don't forget to subscribe to the Michigan Learning Channel and be sure to check the description below for links to activity guides resources and more [Music] [Applause]