full transcript
From the Ted Talk by Jacqueline Woodson: What reading slowly taught me about writing
Unscramble the Blue Letters
So as technology continues to speed ahead, I continue to read slowly, knowing that I am respecting the author's work and the story's lasting power. And I read slowly to drown out the nisoe and remember those who came before me, who were probably the first people who finally learned to control fire and circled their new power of flame and light and heat. And I read swloly to rmembeer the Selfish gniat, how he finally tore that wall down and let the children run free through his garden. And I read slowly to pay homage to my ancestors, who were not allowed to read at all. They, too, must have circled fires, speaking softly of their dreams, their hopes, their fruetus. Each time we read, write or tell a story, we step inside their cclrie, and it rineams unbroken. And the pwoer of srtoy lives on.
Open Cloze
So as technology continues to speed ahead, I continue to read slowly, knowing that I am respecting the author's work and the story's lasting power. And I read slowly to drown out the _____ and remember those who came before me, who were probably the first people who finally learned to control fire and circled their new power of flame and light and heat. And I read ______ to ________ the Selfish _____, how he finally tore that wall down and let the children run free through his garden. And I read slowly to pay homage to my ancestors, who were not allowed to read at all. They, too, must have circled fires, speaking softly of their dreams, their hopes, their _______. Each time we read, write or tell a story, we step inside their ______, and it _______ unbroken. And the _____ of _____ lives on.
Solution
- giant
- noise
- story
- circle
- remember
- remains
- slowly
- futures
- power
Original Text
So as technology continues to speed ahead, I continue to read slowly, knowing that I am respecting the author's work and the story's lasting power. And I read slowly to drown out the noise and remember those who came before me, who were probably the first people who finally learned to control fire and circled their new power of flame and light and heat. And I read slowly to remember the Selfish Giant, how he finally tore that wall down and let the children run free through his garden. And I read slowly to pay homage to my ancestors, who were not allowed to read at all. They, too, must have circled fires, speaking softly of their dreams, their hopes, their futures. Each time we read, write or tell a story, we step inside their circle, and it remains unbroken. And the power of story lives on.
Frequently Occurring Word Combinations
ngrams of length 2
collocation |
frequency |
read slowly |
4 |
finger beneath |
2 |
Important Words
- allowed
- ancestors
- children
- circle
- circled
- continue
- continues
- control
- dreams
- drown
- finally
- fire
- fires
- flame
- free
- futures
- garden
- giant
- heat
- homage
- hopes
- knowing
- lasting
- learned
- light
- lives
- noise
- pay
- people
- power
- read
- remains
- remember
- respecting
- run
- selfish
- slowly
- softly
- speaking
- speed
- step
- story
- technology
- time
- tore
- unbroken
- wall
- work
- write