My new school visit pal, Sammy the CheerREADER, came with me ( and Goldie and Bo Peep) to The Reading Bug last weekend for a Get Ready for Back to School storytime. It's that time of year, my friends.
The Reading Bug--and the Classroom-preparation conversations on Twitter--made me realize Hooking the reader is like starting a new school year. Think about it.
As teachers and librarians--and book store owners--, we want our space to be a place kids want to come back to--a welcoming, comfortable, safe-but-exciting place to take risks. A place that promises. Isn't that what we love about books?
Bulletin boards are like first pages of a manuscript--harbingers of things to come; affirmations that someone here (teacher, author, main character) gets you. We can learn from each other. Take risks. Find adventures! Come on in!
I've spent a lot of time agonizing over The Hook. (Come on--I even wrote a rap about it. ) I used to think it meant starting your story in the middle of the action. Bop! Zing--off we goooo! But that's like having new student transfer into your class in December. Or arrive in the middle of storytime.
What I didn't realize until recently is that YES, it's best to start the manuscript where your character's world changes (or right before)--but consider this...
A hook can be tone--like a welcoming smile on the first day of school. The tone of The Reading Bug promises adventure and discovery and fun: You've come to the right spot. Books do this too.
And maybe it comes down to one thing: You. Do you like your job? Do you love your job? Find a way. The positive energy that comes from YOU is a powerful hook.
Happy Back to School. Happy writing. Happy Readers!
Time to post one of my favorite end-of-the-year lesson plans. (TGIJune !) Here's a Use-this-tomorrow lesson in which your class will celebrate, review, and give closure to a year of different writing units, while you put your feet up! (Think I'm kidding?)
What One Kid Can Do
Over and over, the wonderful kids I meet at Author Visits tell me, "Someday I'm gonna ______ (Fill in the blank: a. write a book, b. win the Superbowl, c. get a puppy , d. save the world...) Kids want to make a difference just as much as adults do--in their lives and their world. And for some reason, most of us--young and old--save these goals for Someday.
Repeat after me:"Someday" is now.
Ready: Introduce your class to 18 year old Riley Carney (who's off to college next year!), the author of NINE books.
Set: A. Have students share about other young people like Riley: Kids in your school. Students in your community.
B. Brainstorm with your students about ways they would like to make a difference in their lives or our world. Have them select the one goal or cause they would most like to accomplish "someday."
Write: Let students pick one of the following.
* A persuasive essay about why this goal or cause is important.
*A speech (which they will give to the class--Extra perk: No papers to correct!) about this issue or goal.
*A descriptive essay about the way the world will be if this issue is not addressed.
*A futuristic /fantasy story about kids who stand up for this cause. (See Riley's novels at http://www.rileycarney.com/ )
* A Letter: Friendly letter or Thank You to Riley or another young hero; Letter to the Editor; complaint; (Note: Riley's letters can be sent to :
BREAKING THE CHAIN
P.O. Box 100644 ,
Denver, CO 80250-0644
Most Important Note: You, dear teacher, are not to go around the room and help them on this one. Take a break. Make it fun. Put your feet up. Put a strip of masking tape on your mouth. : ) Students may talk among themselves for 10 minutes. If you've posted Features Lists/Expectations of each genre on your walls, let them refer to those. If not, let them "phone a friend"--ie Think-Pair-Share.
Then: Ready, Set, Write!
And by the way, to those of you (I'm talking to you,too,Teachers.) who have told me "Someday I'll write a book," --Someday is now!
I have been knee-deep in revisions lately, in between school visits. And for the longest time I couldn't think of a good blog topic. (You've been very patient, @Grade1 ) Then I looked around--literally--and there they were: revisions, revisions--all over my office!
I tell students at school visits that sloppy copies are not something teachers make up to torture you. It's what authors do. But in our microwave society, kids want their popcorn NOW. Revision is as painful as watching tv commercials. Can't we fast forward to recess?
I was so thrilled when Westwood Elementary kindergarteners shared their sloppy copies with me recently!
Sloppy copies don't need to be perfect. I show my sloppy copy of Goldie Locks Has Chicken Pox to kids as proof. (Below left) That's where you get the story out.
And then the revisions begin.
Author Maureen Johnson (Scarlet Fever, Devilish, 13 Little Blue Envelopes and more) says on her web site, "Books aren’t written once—they’re written five, a dozen, twenty, fifty times." If you teach high school, consider sharing her archived August 2007 post about How To Revise a Book because A.) This woman's funny, and B.) Revision and the Professional Writer will give your students an inside look of the process from manuscript to book. If you have time for Twitter, @MaureenJohnson is equally hysterical in 140 characters. (Witness her gazillion followers...)
Author Mitali Perkins, (Bamboo People , Secret Keeper, Rickshaw Girl and more.) says she gives herself "permission to write garbage" in her first draft because her "strength is in revision." On her blog, Mitali's Fire Escape. Mitali has Teachers' guides for her books (Click here .) You can also follow her at @MitaliPerkins like I do. (Important digression: I've discovered cool things from Mitali like the contest on diversity at I Am This Land. Check out the videos. Share them with your students.)
Twitter is an instant school visit. Seriously. One of my all-time favorite authors, Sharon Creech (Do I even have to mention Love That Dog, Bloomability, Walk Two Moons, A Fine, Fine School and the others?) is now on Twitter( @CiaoBellaCreech ), and her latest blog post was on--you guessed it, Revision. At the beach. She talks about the need for "think time" during the revision process. Check out the beach where she thinks, and also her writing space. (Mine will never look this clean!)
OK I hear you, teachers. Teaching this 'Beach" step in the Writing Process would open a can of "I'm Thinking!" worms. But wouldn't it be great to take Language Arts/English field trips to the ocean...?
Back to Revision. Jane Yolen's blog this week is about revising the titles of her latest picture books. ( For teaching guides to her books, click here.) Do you think she went with WARTY MONSTERS, SPORTY MONSTERS or GRUMBLY MONSTERS, TUMBLY MONSTERS for her sequel to the forthcoming CREEPY MONSTERS, SLEEPY MONSTERS ?
Co-Authors, Ellen Potter ( @EllenPotter ) and Anne Mazer ( @AnneMazer ) have written a terrific book called Spilling Ink for the young writers in your class, based on letters from fans asking for writing advice. It's full of writing prompts, anecdotes, and guidance on voice, developing characters and plot, revisions, and writer’s block. Ellen Potter admits to "feeling squeamish" about revisions. "Make the easiest changes first and save the really hard ones for last," she says.
As for my elementary teacher friends, my dog Max's video, Ruff Drafts, featuring my driveway lined with actual rough drafts, will show them that writing is revision. Dog-gone it.
Last fall, when the New York Times declared picture books were "so unpopular these days," I was surrounded by eager readers at the Oakland Parents Literacy Project's Family Night where, after teachers and volunteers read aloud to different age-groups, each child received an age appropriate, NEW book. Yes there were chapter books and middle grade novels, but imagine dozens upon dozens of PICTURE BOOKS clutched tightly in the hands of young readers as if they were made of gold.
Fast forward to our local Santa Parade this December, where I got to be a BookMobile Elf. @ (Yes, Virginia-- a Bookmobile Elf) Thanks to our wonderful public LIBRARIESandthe generous donation from Raley's, we elves handed out NEW children's books--one for each kid along the parade route--instead of candy! Imagine 1.5 miles of happy children with a new book in hand, hundreds of which were PICTURE BOOKSand BOARD BOOKS. Several young mothers exclaimed to their tiny newborns, "Ooh, look! It's your very first book!"
The recent article by Karen Springen in Publisher's Weekly, is a fabulous rebuttal to the NYTimes' no-good-very-bad assertion, including picture book opinions of editors, book sellers, publishers, authors, and librarians. As Springen points out, todays' parents grew up on PICTURE BOOKS and want to share that experience with their kids. And there is a place for PICTURE BOOKS in the lives of older readers too.
I would like to add that there is a place for PICTURE BOOKS in the classroom as well. Students who read below grade level must still read biographies and do state reports. Cross-age tutoring where upper grades read PICTURE BOOKS to the younger kids, not only improves reading but increases self-esteem and teaches cooperation and diversity. Can these experiences be just as successful with e-readers? Possibly--if your child attends one of those rare schools where teachers don't already shell out their own money for boxes of tissues and school supplies no longer in the "budget." And watch a teacher cringe just thinking about how they would monitor a class set of e-readers so nothing gets broken. I'd opt for PICTURE BOOKS any day.
No more PICTURE BOOKS? Bah Humbug! Ask the parent or grandparent who treasures each snuggle-up-and-read moment with their little ones. And yes, even the tiniest fingers love to play with your iPhone, but they can't pocket call your friends with a PICTURE BOOK.
Consider this quote from another very famous 1897 newspaper article by Francis Pharcellus Church in the New York Sun, with just one or two changes...: Yes, VIRGINIA, there will be PICTURE BOOKS. They exist as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no PICTURE BOOKS. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Hopefully, some time in the next eight days, you will settle down with excited little ones, and you or a friend or family member will read aloud a holiday favorite, like 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS or THE CHRISTMAS STORY, or perhaps something new like Kim Norman's TEN ON THE SLED, or Anna Dewdney's LLAMA LLAMA HOLIDAY DRAMA . And then you'll know PICTURE BOOKS are here to stay.
Happy Holidays
May 2011 be filled with peace, good will, and books for all.
Seriously! Turn that energy into a grammar lesson with my Verb Song! (below)
But first, a quick Thank You to CRA for the opportunity to share some of my fluency games last weeknd. I had a great time meeting teachers, reading specialists, and administrators at your California Reading Association conference in Riverside!
But OK--back to the topic--since it's Friday and the kids are about to burst. (Or possibly their teacher? : ) Been there, done that!)
Erin's VERB SONG is based on an old favorite Come on and Join Into the Game (author unknown, public domain) I bet you'll recognize it instantly.:
Erin's VERB SONG
Let everyone laugh like me. (ha-ha) Let everyone laugh like me. (ha-ha) Come on and join in to the game, See how many verbs you can name.
(Now have a student try...)
Let everyone skip like __________(Name of student who contributed verb/ex. James) (skip around) Let everyone skip like James. (skip around) Come on and join in to the game, See how many verbs you can name.
Let everyone sneeze like _________(ex Vivian). (achoo!) Let everyone sneeze like Vivian. (achoo!) Come on and join in to the game, See how many verbs you can name.
Let everyone yawn like _________(ex. Jesse). (yawn) Let everyone yawn like Jesse. (yawn) Come on and join in to the game, See how many verbs you can name.
Let everyone jump like__________(ex Jose). (jump) Let everyone jump like Jose. (jump) Come on and join in to the game, See how many verbs you can name.
(Always end with a summary:)
Let everyone laugh like Erin, (ha-ha)
Let everyone skip like James, (skip)
Let everyone sneeze like Vivian, (achoo!)
Let everyone yawn like Jesse, (yawn)
Let everyone jump like Jose, (jump)
Come on and join into the game! See how many verbs you can name!
See how simple that is? Have fun! I need to go work on my middle grade novel revisions now....
Let everyone rewrite like Erin... : )
And Happy almost Halloween from me and Pocahontas.
This post is about how I teach writing differently these days--now that I get to hang out with children's authors like Ashley Bryan (pictured), attend SCBWI conferences, and keep up with editors and publishers.
For example, every Fall, I would give my high school creative writing students a handout about 50 Ways of Saying Said--until I learned that said is the invisible word preferred by editors, so that readers aren't thrown by stronger verbs like exclaimed, remarked, answered, and (I got his one more than once:) articulated. Take a look at some of the stories in your classroom. Yes, you'll find words like mumbled, whispered, boomed, barked, blubbered, and more but they are used sparingly when writing dialog.
That being said(sorry--couldn't resist!) here are some other insights that might change the way you teach young writers:
To outline or not to outline: Many published authors like to outline, or use a story map, but many do not. Our students work in various ways too. I remember as a student, creating my requiredoutline after I'd written my essay--not before--, so I could get full credit. Here are a few other author opinions:
I outline and then I don’t stick to the outline. As new possibilities emerge, I outline again. If I follow the first outline, the book stinks. If I don’t outline at all, the book stinks. The key is to find the nice-smelling ground between.
I can’t work from an outline. If I have an idea for a novel, I mull it over while I’m writing something else. I have to let it grow in my subconscious. Once I’m committed to start the novel, I brainstorm ideas and create a loose outline—a series of possible scenes—in my journal document, on my computer.Marisa Montes
Rachel also told writers at a recent SCBWI conference she tried using the one act play structure--but that didn't work out either. Her advice (sure to be a hit with your middle grades kids:) "Barf out your first draft."
And speaking of Rough Drafts:
I've included my most recent video ROUGH (ruff!) DRAFTSby MAX the Dog below, if you'd care to show your students my driveway full of sloppy copies. Yes, these are truly my rough drafts. Keep your fingers crossed that some go farther than the recycle bin...
REvisions:
When you're at a plot juncture, list 12 options--even the bad ones---stay away from easy morals and endings.Gail Carson Levine
I'll never forget what I heard at an SCBWI conference, where Christopher Paul Curtis talked about his Newbery Award winning novel, The Watsons Go To Birmingham. He told us that in his first draft, the Watsons went to Florida! “When I got them to Florida, nothing happened so I had to rethink.” His son brought a poem home from school that he was supposed to memorize, called The Ballad of Birmingham. The rest is history.
Writing Groups, Writing Circles, Editing Groups:
I've read some discussion on EnglishCompanion.ning.com recently about this, and I agree with author Gennifer Choldenko that, "writing groups aren't for everyone." Even though I am lucky to be part of a great group of published authors, I don't always bring chapters to the group for critique. Sometimes, I prefer to trust my gut. Some of my writing friends avoid Critique Groups entirely.
Your young authors know the story they're trying to write, and it's hard to figure out which crit group suggestions will help their story--and which will take it in another direction entirely. If you do use writing groups or writing circles, consider telling students to sift through the student comments and use the ones they feel will help their story.
This post is long enough so I'll save the rest for another day. But just for fun, check out two of my favorite quotes from the recent SCBWI conference in LA:
It's amazing to me that everyone thinks they can write children's book--my dentist, my golf buddies, neighbors, ...the Pope...I mean come on--I don't read on his turf!Jon Scieska*
* rhymes with Fresca... : )
Why don't we teach humor? Which do we use more in life--humor --or the ability to recognize foreshadowing?Gordon Korman
Happy Back to School, everyone. (No, that is not an oxymoron! You can do this!) Have fun sharing these with your students:
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Many schools celebrate National Teacher's Day or week during this first week of May. (IMHO we should celebrate Teacher/Librarian Appreciation every day. Just sayin').
What will you do? Yes, cupcakes are lovely, and chocolate can surely help a weary teacher get through at least one stack of papers that needs correcting, but there are many ways to thank teachers and librarians besides baked goods; ones that don't result in a guilt-ridden urge to fast on diet soda only, or dreams of a personal trainer...
May I suggest:
TaTues :Thank a Teacher Tuesday begins tomorrow. (The idea came to me last year--a step towards daily Teacher Appreciation/ see IMHO above.) Take a moment every Tuesday in November and May, and send a message to a teacher or librarian who has made a difference in YOUR life.
OK, yes, you can thank a teacher in your child's life if you want, but sometimes I think adults don't remember the educators in their own lives--the teacher who helped you reach your goal, encouraged you to do your personal best. The one who went the extra mile. The one who believed in you.
The late Jaime Escalante was one of these teachers. But not every teacher gets a movie made in his or her honor. I wish I could thank some of the teachers who were instrumental in my life, but sadly--like Mr. Escalante--they are gone. So I hereby dedicate this post and my deepest gratitude to: Miss Moore (*who taught me girls could be good at math!), Mr. Markey (*who let me take time out of class to go down the hall to the kindergarten and read to them each week), Mrs. Uhrig (*who made me write in a journal--the very same ones I share at author visits these days!), Mrs. Lang (*who believed seventh graders + Shakespeare= As You Like It) and Mrs. Cecile La Violette Belden ("Pronounce it trippingly on the tongue." *who taught us to think outside the box long before anyone knew we were in one!)
As for teachers you want to thank (and you know you do), you'd be surprised how many are now on Facebook! Seriously. And I can tell you first-hand how fun it is to get a message from a former student who has found Ms. Dealey out here in cyberspace. : ) *You guys rock!
Some other Thank a Teacher (or Librarian) ideas:
Volunteer for a few hours in the classroom or library of your old school. Or your child's school. Or the school in your neighborhood. Teachers need help when school is out, too--packing things away for next year, cleaning up before they can check out.
Send a Thank You out on Twitter (#TaTues ) this month. So what if that teacher isn't a Tweet-a-holic? Send it out anyway. You never know where it will land.
Donate a book to the library, in honor of your favorite teacher or librarian. Send it in to his or her class to read first before you give it to the library.
Blog about the teachers who inspired YOU.
Let's face it. Thanks to the media (If it bleeds,it reads.), we are fully aware whenever new studies come out saying our school system is failing, but why not focus on the daily victories? The unsung heroes who--despite budget cuts and layoffs and constant criticism-- make sure our children have a safe learning environment; challenge them when they could easily cruise; feed them when they are hungry?
And while we're at it...What if CEOs gave back to the schools where they learned to read? What if celebrities and rock stars held benefit concerts for school districts where BUDGET is a four letter word? (JOKE) What if politicians remembered the very system they are criticising and downsizing got them where they are today?
Who nudged you to follow your dreams? If you can read this, thank a teacher.
PS Happy Retirement to the three B's: Mrs. Barger, Mr. Briggs, and Mrs. Bean.
This post's try it today lesson plan is about play ing with words --and a fun way to teach prepositional phrases with Dr. Seuss!(No Joke.) No, the picture (above) isn't of Dr. Seuss. But the more I read about Theodor Seuss Geisel (Happy March 2nd Birthday!), I think he'd appreciate the giant gnome statue we discovered in British Columbia last summer. (the face and beard look a lot like the guy in the first cartoon Ted Seuss Geisel drew for his high school newspaper, the Central Recorder in 1937!)
It looks even more like the gnome in first drafts of my pb, Little Bo Peep Can't Get to Sleep. Yes, I mistakenly wrote in a gnome under the bridge instead of the TROLL who snarled at Bo Peep. (In fact, my illustrator even drew a gnome in the first sketch.)
As I tell students at school visits, writers and illustrators make mistakes too! (That's what the sloppy copy is for!) And writers also love playing with words.
According to Charles D. Cohen's Seuss biography, THE SEUSS AND NOTHING BUT THE SEUSS (Random House/2004), Ted Geisel loved playing with words. One example: at age 14, he wrote "O Latin," a parody of Walt Whitman's "O Captain, My Captain!" for the Recorder.
So to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday (or just have fun teaching prepositional phrases--no seriously! It's possible!), try my PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE GAME with your students:
Materials needed: GREEN EGGS AND HAM by Dr. Seuss (Random House), 1 hat (a red striped Cat-in-the-Hat hat is optional), strips of paper and pencils.
1. To prep the class for The Prepositional Phrase Game (pun intended) tell them Dr. Seuss' GREEN EGGS AND HAM is full of prepositions. (Write the definition of a prep phrase on the board: a group of words beginning with a preposition--words like in, for, to, with, after, near--and usually ending with a noun or pronoun.)
2. Read p.19-20 of GREEN EGGS AND HAM and point out the prep phrases.
3. Next, read the entire book and have students raise their hands when they recognize prep phrases.
4. NOW, have each student write a prep phrase that describes a location in their class room on a slip of paper. (Under the desk, near the flag, etc.) Collect them in a HAT. (Did you know that Dr. Seuss had an enormous hat collection, and this was the inspiration for THE 500 HATS OF BARTHOLOMEW CUBBINS ?)
5. NOTE: be sure to write a few Non-prepositional phrases of your own and put them in the hat. Examples: find the book case, touch the door handle, walk to the white board, etc. (think "Simon Says")
6. Have the class stand, and tell them you will read one paper out loud at a time. If it is a correct prepositional phrase, they must follow the direction (ex they must ALL move "near the flag" if they think it is a correct pp). If they move on a phrase that is not a correct pp, they must sit down. The fun begins when they all have to huddle "under Jake's desk" or sit "on top of my desk." (Sneak a few of those into the hat too!)
I made this game up on a day when we had a few extra minutes to kill and from then on, it was a class favorite. Your students will never forget what a prepositional phrase is again!
And---shifting gears here--, I'll never forget last summer in Parksville, B.C. when I discovered my own Gold(ie) in Canada. (GOLDIE LOCKS HAS CHICKEN POX that is...in the Parksville Library--yay!)
Congrats to Canadafor an awesome Winter Olympics, cool libraries, and the crazy giant gnome.
This blog is about two fun (and easy ) lessons to use next week to help your students learn about voice.
But first, congratulations to my writing pal (and Co-SCBWI RA), Patricia M. Newman on her new picture book, NUGGET ON THE FLIGHT DECK, (Walker 2009), an adventure story packed with words and phrases straight off an aircraft carrier--and a perfect example of Voice.
Try this easy lesson for students of any age: List the Air Force vocabulary (and definitions) featured in Newman's book. Choose two volunteers. Direct them to try to use as many phrases as possible in a conversation in front of the class.
Ask the class what they noticed about each student as they acted out the conversation.
Did the tone of their voices change when they used the phrases? Did they stand differently?
Ask the two students how it felt to speak that way. Did they use their normal voices? Or did the words make them want to add an accent or different voice? Now have each student write a dialog between Newman's characters, or between the student and a character who might use this same vocabulary in speaking. Compare the two voices.
Another one of my favorite assignments during the holidays not only teaches Voice, but brings generations together. How? Have your students interview a grandparent or relative or older friend of the family--preferably someone with at least two decades or more between them. Tell them to plan to spend at least 30 minutes with him/her. If possible, have a ape recorder or video camera handy.
1. Ask a grandparent or relative/friend to choose one of the following topics: (The best topics are those that will bring back vivid memories.) A childhood prank; any games played back then that are not played now; special holiday customs; the most magical holiday memory; weather: a winter when they were snowed in? a drought when times were hard; How they learned to drive; an unusual family nickname and how they got it.
2. Ask the grandparent or relative/friend to retell the story as if it was happening right then, including sensory details they remember, and any unusual phrases or slang used during that era. If possible, record the interview--or at least part of it. If not, try to write it down just as the relative/friend tells it. In his/her voice--not yours.
3. Polish and include the slang/phrases in dialog in the story. Add any other details to smooth out the story. Share with the class. Compare the voices.
And speaking of voices, it's time for me to pbic and get back to my manuscript! : )
School visits are back in full force and aside from the fun I have at assemblies, I love encouraging kids (and teachers and librarians!) to play with words. That's what writers do, after all, right?
Kids always ask me about "Writer's block." which I rarely get. My theory: whenever we stop playing with words and "get serious" about writing, writer's block happens. By serious I mean worries that the first draft must be perfect (ha!) or that I must follow my novel's plotmap to the T. By playing I mean getting the ideas out--making room for rhymes or ideas or characters who show up on the page unplanned, and plot twists even you didn't see coming. Like I tell students at school visits: This is what sloppy copies are for!
These days, with required No-child-left-untested State Standards, a lot of the PLAY time gets cut. And yet when all is said and done, aren't the creative problem solvers, the ones who know how to play with ideas and words and think outside the box, the ones who pave the way?
So--enough talk--here's one of Erin's favorite ways to quiz or review with students (on any topic!)
and teach sentence structure (shhh--don't tell them!)
AND play with words at the same time:
A variation of a theater game called Dr. Know-It-All. (aka Professor Know-it-All)
Who: 10-12 students (or less) stand in line or semi-circle at the front of the room, facing the rest of the class.
How: Tell the 10-12 students they are now "one brain" and must answer questions on the given topic with a complete sentence, by speaking one word each in turn. When the "brain" has answered in a complete sentence, the last person adds the end mark ( example "Period." or "exclamation mark!")
Sample question (asked by teacher or other members of the class): What ways can you describe a rock?
Sample answer (one word per student, going down the line as many times as needed until the sentence is complete and answer given.): "Rocks can be described as mineral or soft or hard or part of the earth period."
Students must not only LISTEN to each other (now there's a concept!) but make sure the sentence makes sense and actually answers the question.
Most important rule: Have fun!
PS: Thanks to Librarians Lynn Baker (Cambridge Heights) and Julie Korb (Citrus Heights) for the photos!
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