[Printable] Vocabulary Bookmarks

12 June, 202212 June, 2022Leave a comment

I’ve always been a collector. First it was rocks, then Hot Wheels cars, then words and names. I usually copy new-to-me words on the last blank page of the book I find them in, but that doesn’t work for borrowed books.

To increase my kids’ literacy over the summer, I created these vocabulary bookmarks that can be folded or left unfolded and printed on white, colored, or patterned paper. I was inspired by some bookmarks I found online, but I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, so I made my own, and now I’m sharing them with you, free for personal or classroom use.

*(You’ll need to print on colored paper to get this effect)*

Each page fits two bookmarks. If you wanted to get creative with your copying, you can copy them front and back in landscape mode (or short-side bound). Then you’d get 4 per sheet.

For one-side copies, cut the pages in half to separate the bookmarks and then fold them along the dotted line, text out. You’ll get a bookmark that is regular sized, with page numbers and vocabulary words on the front and definitions on the back. Fold or unfold your bookmark to hide or reveal the definitions.

I grabbed a pink one for myself and have added a couple of words from Ada Limón’s The Carrying:

chert—the geological name for flint rock
toyon—a Californian shrub

Download the PDF by clicking here >>Willard’s Vocabulary Bookmarks<< or on either of the images above.

What kinds of words have you collected this summer? Let me know in the comments or find me on Twitter or Instagram @larathelark

Commercial and Literary Fiction as Paintings

29 May, 201829 May, 20182 Comments

I’ve written at length about differences between literary and commercial fiction (including different genres and what “mainstream” fiction is), but reading Bone Gap this month while also studying Frida Kahlo has got me thinking in allusions, so I wanted to share another quick observation on the topic.

Commercial fiction is like representational art: whether it’s about something true or not, it’s clear what the subject of the painting or story is.

Images in this post may be copyrighted and are used for educational purposes only.

jose_tapiro_y_baro_-_portrait_of_a_moroccan_man_1913_watercolor_and_pencil_68_5x49cm

utagawa-kuniyoshi-takiyasha-the-witch-and-the-skeleton-spectre-1847-trivium-art-history

alexandre-cabanel-rebecca-et-eliezer-1883-trivium-art-history-1

zinaida-serebriakova-self-portrait-at-the-dressing-table-1909-trivium-art-history

Above: Moroccan Man by José Tapiro y Baro, 1913; Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1847; Self-portrait at the Dressing Table by Zinaida Serebriakova, 1909; Rebecca et Eliézer by Alexandre Cabanel, 1883

Literary fiction can be more like impressionist, expressionist, surrealist, or abstract art—less accessible because the subject isn’t always clear, and the presentation isn’t always appreciated.

Symbolism holds more weight in literary fiction.

Self Portrait on the Border between Mexico and the United States of America, 1932 (oil on tin)

Self-Portrait on the Border Line Between Mexico and the United States by Frida Kahlo, 1932

Literary fiction holds cultural literacy dear, alluding to classic literature and ancient mythology.

Penelope by Carlo Carrà, 1917

Literary fiction is more likely to experiment with mixed media, incorporating poetry, illustrations, comics, letters, or other ephemera.

robert-rauschenberg-bed-1955-trivium-art-history

Bed by Robert Rauschenberg, 1955

Words in literary fiction are like visible brushstrokes, sometimes drawing attention away from the story and towards the writer as artist. Word choice is important: how can you combine words in a fresh way to create new impressions on the reader? What connotations do the words carry? Literary fiction is imbued with tone created not by line or color but by diction and metaphor.

odilon-redon-the-cyclops-1914-trivium-art-history

The Cyclops by Odilon Redon, 1914

Do you have a favorite modern artist? What is your favorite work of literary fiction?

English Word Origins

3 May, 20183 May, 20181 Comment

I meant to send out a cutesy announcement that I’ve been accepted into Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, but this week has been incredibly busy. Tonight is my pre-orientation, and I’m thrilled to be joining this program!

I still plan on posting to the blog rarely—quality over quantity—but I also hope to resurrect my weekly (or bi-weekly) newsletter, which you can subscribe to in the footer on my website.

Until then, here’s an old post I recently remembered about word origins. Click through to the original study for an interactive look at the inherent etymology of five different passages: American lit, British lit, legal, medicine, and sports. And check out my Anglo-Saxon Diction post for an exercise in word choice.

Do you have plans for the summer? What are your writing goals for the next couple of months? If I can help you achieve them in some way—comment or reply!

❤ Lara

Lara Willard

I’m a visual person, so I appreciate graphs, especially color coded ones! But I’m also a design person, so color schemes get to me. While their color scheme makes me shudder a bit, I am digging this visual representation of English word origins!

Read the original study here. If you hover over the highlighted words, you can see the origin of the word. Click a word, and you’ll be taken to its entry in the etymology dictionary. Pretty nifty stuff!

Interested in English word origins? Did you know that Old English (that big pink chunk of the pie) has Germanic roots? Be sure to read my post on Anglo-Saxon versus Latinate Diction.

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[Worksheet] Four Personal Goal Categories + Inspirational Quotes

1 February, 201826 April, 20204 Comments

No affiliate links here, and no price to download. If you find this resource helpful, you can buy me a cup of chai. I hope you stick around for awhile to see what other resources and worksheets you can delve into!

When it comes to goals, January is really just a free-trial month. So don’t worry if you didn’t meet your New Year’s resolutions. They’re not nearly as important as setting goals for yourself.

I’ve blogged about S.M.A.R.T. Goals before, but now I have a worksheet for you that will help you establish more than just achievements and professional objectives.

Individual growth is holistic, but juggling professional and personal responsibilities is rough. It usually results in dropped balls and broken plates—or hearts. We’ve discussed the difference between important and urgent, so let’s figure out how to really make a priority of those important things that have been evaporating on the back burner for too long.

We Work Too Much

Perfectly (and coincidentally) timed with this post was a recent Twitter discussion on the pressure we put on ourselves to always be working:

"You Should Be Working" (YSBW) is a very serious condition of the freelancer or self employed person, wherein they feel perpetual guilt no matter how much they've actually done that day that if what they're doing RIGHT NOW is not paid work, it is A BADNESS and must BE STOPPED.

— C A L L . E X E (@orbitalnomad) January 30, 2018

The struggle is especially real for people who work at home:

Luke gave me some good advice and I wanted to share it. pic.twitter.com/nYSILSBEsN

— Kelly Bastow (@Moosekleenex) February 1, 2018

“You do this thing where you’re never fully committed to work time or break time. Every day you get some work done, but you’re never in ‘work mode’. But then when you goof off, you feel guilty, ’cause you feel like you should be working on something. You should have designated work time, and work hard to get it finished. But then, have relax time, and actually enjoy it. I think you’d be a lot happier.”

The Personal Goal Planner

When creating this goal planner, I researched a dozen different life coaching techniques and ended up with four non-work categories that can end up falling to the wayside when we focus too much on work: