TITLE:    LIKE THE BACK OF  MY HAND

AUTHOR:    Barbara Howard, Canadian Valley Vo-Tech, El Reno, OK.

GRADE LEVEL:      9-12.

OVERVIEW:  Many students have difficulty finding something to write 
about and view writing as drudgery. 

PURPOSE:  The purpose of this exercise is to introduce students to 
writing for fun. 

OBJECTIVES:  Upon completing this activity, students will:

1.  Have written nine phrases

2.  Have selected the best three

3.  Have shared their writing with others 

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES: 

1.  Have your students sit on their hands so that they can't see their 
hands.  Keep your own hands where the rest of the group can't see 
them.  When everyone is more or less uncomfortable sitting on their 
hands, ask questions a-g below.  Get out-loud responses from 
everyone, if you can. Call on people by name, or take turns around the 
group. 

a)  Have you any little white spots on your fingernails?

b)  If your hands were flat in front of you, would the tip of your 
thumb reach your second knuckle on your index finger?

c)  Which of your fingers have hair on the middle of the three parts?

d)  Which is longer your-your index finger or your ring finger?

e)  Have you any freckles or moles on the backs of your hands?  
Where exactly?

f)  Which fingernail is shortest?  Which is longest?

g)  When your index finger is stretched straight out, how many 
wrinkles are there in your middle knuckle? 

2.  After everyone has answered all the questions above , have people 
look at their hands.  Read questions a-g again as everyone looks at 
his or her hands-and marvels. 

3.  Anyone who got six of the seven questions right deserves a 
handshake.  Give him/her one.  And say something personal to 
everyone.  For example:

      You're really wonderful.

      You sure know a lot about the back of your hand.

4.  Finally, tell everyone to get a pencil or pen and begin working on 
number 5 below.  

5.  Look closely at the back of one hand.  Find shapes of animals, 
faces, highways, other things.  Write three phrases saying what you 
see.          

6.  Look at the shape of your hand, the outline of your fingertips, 
your fingernails, the bumps and veins and wrinkles and hair.  Think 
of things they look like or remind you of, and write three of them 
below.        

7.  Look hard for things you have never really seen before-patterns, 
shapes.  Move your fingers and notice what changes. Write three 
phrases telling what you see.        

8.  You have nine phrases in blanks 6, 7, and 8.  Put a check alongside 
the best three. 

9.  On the next page, trace the outline of your hand.  Spread your 
fingers slightly and fill the page. 

10.  The outline of your hand is like a map.  Take the three phrases 
you just checked and put them on your handmap wherever they look 
best. 

11.  Have each student share his/her work with the group.