3321 Blog 11

Dinner party conversation. Guests include Wilma Randolph (Olympic Gold Medalist runner), my sister, Pam, Charlemagne (King of the Franks), Maria Tamez, my son Jesse, and David Castillo.

Pam: I'm so glad you got everyone together for this meal.
Jesse: Me too. When do we eat?
David: Let's all sit down and enjoy this wonderful meal.
Wilma: I hope there are some low carb items on the menu.
Charlemagne: I insist on sitting at the head of the table.
Maria: I'll sit anywhere.
Pam: It's nice to get away from the kids for a night.
Maria: I think it's wonderful that you have a big family.
Wilma: I come from a huge family. I had 19 brothers and sisters.
Jesse: I would have liked to have some of my cousins here especially since I'm the youngest person at the table.

Charlemagne: Children belong in school and should be seen and not heard.
David: While I understand your reasoning for that comment, I think its important for Jesse to socialize with some older people. He is on the cusp of adulthood.

Wilma: Pam, I understand you were born with cerebal palsy? When I was young, I got sick and my leg twisted inward. I had to work very hard to overcome that.
.
Pam: I know what you mean. I also had to work hard at physical therapy. I think that's why I became a physical therapist.

Charlemagne: I would be interested in learning about what a physical therapist does.
Maria: I think its wonderful that you both were able to overcome such adversity.
Jesse: I might become a physical therapist. How much does it pay?
David: You have to go to college for many years.
Charlemagne: College is a good thing. I have always encouraged my people to learn as much as they can.

Pam: I went to college for about 6 years to get a degree as a physical therapist.
Wilma: You know, training for the Olympics takes a very long time and a lot of committment.
David: If you have the passion for something, you must be willing to work long and hard for it.
Jesse: Maybe I better just concentrate on getting a part-time job and go to community college for my core classes.

Maria: I think that's a good idea.

The evening progresse without any problems and everyone leaves feeling satisfied.

3321 blog 10

Historical fiction are books that has its setting in the past that may or may not have real people and places along side a fictional story. The language fits with the time period being portrayed as well as the belief system and values that were the norm for the time period. The plot should be credible, without magic and fantastical creatures, and be historically authentic, all while connecting the reader to the past.
I think having historical fiction in a classroom helps to teach students about things of the past that have shaped the world they live in today. They can feel a connection to the characters especially if they are children like themselves with the same thought processes and feelings. To help students connect with the characters I would have them do a cause and effect organizer of the story and of the present using themselves as the present day characters than compare the two to see the similarities and differences. I could also have the students create drawing of the book's setting and explain what the picture is about or to create a drawing of the student dressed in the clothes of the time period of the book.

3344 blog 10

Descriptive piece:

The clouds are gathering in the sky,
Rolling, darkening, building up.
Rushing across the heavens so high,
Casting a grayness over the land.
In the sky, the gloominess expands.
The faint sounds of a rumble,
Luminous veins of light, blinding flashes,
As the wetness begins to tumble,
Onto the ground it slashes.
The thunder grows louder
Booming and crashing all around.
Now the lightening can be found
Zig-zagging in the sky.
The drops fall more heavily,
Leaving nothing in its wake dry.
It seems to go on forever
But the wind forces the storm away.
Nothing left but the gentle pitter-patter,
Replenishing the earth for another day,
The Earth has a cleansed feeling again.

Blog 9 3344

Expository outline
What to do in a tornado? Do these things to the song of “Looby Loo” to remember the steps.
1. Go to a room that has no windows, a closet, a bathroom, a cellar
2. In the room or bathroom, have pillows and blankets to cover body from debris
3. In a basement, take:
a. Flashlights
b. Radio for weather reports
c. Batteries
d. Canned food
e. Books, or games
4. Come up when the storm is gone
5. Be careful when walking
6. Find your parents
7. If house is safe, go back inside and go to bed

An example of poetry for kindergarten is the Jesse Bear books by Nancy White Carlstrom
The books have various themes with little poems on each page. One particular book is How Do You Say It Today, Jesse Bear? ,has a poem for each month of the year. I would show the months of the year to students on a large calendar then recite the poem. Later I would recite the poem and see if the students can tell which month is being described based on their earlier introduction to the poems. I think it would be a fun way for the students to learn the months of the year.

Blog 9 3321

Contemporary realistic fiction is a story that is realistic in every way, with its plots dealing in the everyday problems people face and how they solve them, the relationships people have with one another, and the real way the story is portrayed in the contemporary world. The characters in the stories are people without supernatural powers and animals that behave like real animals, who deal with conflicts because of themselves, other family members, society, or nature.

Contemporary realistic fiction can be used in the classroom to help students understand the relationship between cause and effect with the use of graphic organizers as well as class discussions on how to solve a problem, with the students creating a web showing the ideas they came up with for solving problems. The students can also learn about the different parts of a story, the introduction, the build up to the climax and the falling action of the conclusion using graphic organizers. Students can also use journaling when reading contemporary fiction and readers response to the story.

Blog 8 3321

Poetry

Ode to our Professors

As this semester comes to a close
and we have learned all we can learn
from our Professors so experienced and wise
they send us on with hearts that yearn
that they have prepared us for any surprise.

They know they have a job well done
when we graduate and go into the world
as the school districts seek and come
we'll have our own class with boys and girls
and use our fount of knowledge to teach
and make an effort to reach
the minds of the next generation!

Blog 8 3344

A narrative tells a story about something that can either be fiction or non-fiction, depending on the author. Once the topic is chosen, the narrative goes through a sequence of events with a definative beginning, middle, and end. Characters. plot, and setting have details to support the story and the author keeps his or her audience in mind while writing the narrative.
When the author keeps his or her audience in mind, he or she develops the events into a unifying theme so the story flows beginning with an intro that gives the reader the who, what, why, and where, the characters are introduced, the scene set, and an incident that leads into the body of the narrative, the middle. Conflicts develop in the middle that lead to the climatic point of the story that is followed by a resolution in the ending of the story.
Writers workshop is valuable for writers since it gives them a chance for their work to be read aloud to an audience and it gives the sudience a chance to respond. In a classroom, the workshop usually consists of 3-5 students in a circle with one reading and the others commenting around the circle after the story is done. Comments should follow the Sandwich Theory (SBH,2007) guideines where the audience says what they like about the writing, give suggestions or ask questions and end with some sort of positive, encouraging comment. The school where I once worked did wrtiers workshop on a grand scale, involving the entire school. Once everyone had done a class workshop, we have a young authors day with tables or desks set up outside each class, decorated to invite people to stop and read, and everyone (parents, teachers, other students) went throughout the school reading and commenting in everyone's stories. It was really cool and they did this for many years. I hope that they are still continuing with this special day.

3321 Blog 7

Modern fantasy takes readers to another world other than our own or brings otherworldly creatures to the known world. Either way, it can take the reader on a fantastic journey with the imagination picturing dragons or the shire. Anything is possible in this genre as our minds briefly allow for the laws of nature or physics to be ignored while we read the story.
The book I chose is "The Great Redwall Feast" by Brian Jacques. His Redwall series is about woodland animals that live in a medival world much like our own medival times. His stories always has interesting dishes served up at feasts such as damson pudding, meadowcream, or strawberry fizz.
A fun activity would be to make up a list of ingredients for one of the dishes and gather all we need. Then come up with a recipe to make the dish and serve it while re-reading the book.

There happens to be a recipe for meadowcream online:
1/3 cup cream, 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup honey, 1/3 cup sugar. Whisk ingredients together and chill. Serve over everything. Amounts can be modified to individual tastes.

My sons and I did this when we first learned and read the books by Brian Jacques. We had a great time looking for the ingredients and even more fun making the stuff. Then ,of course, we had our own feast.

3344 Blog 7

My MGP is going to be about weather and I would direct it towards K-3.

Descriptive- poem about rain, sun, snow, fog set inside a weather wheel. When you turn the
opening to rain, there will be the poem and so on.

Expository- using a well known children's song, the words will be instructions on what to do in case of a tornado.

Narrative- a weather report about rain
Persuasive-a public service advertisement about the sun's effects on people's skin.

3321 BLOG 6

Traditional literature is one of the most universal types of tale that has been passed down from generation to generation in all cultures that integrates any setting imaginable, fantastical characters, and obstacles or attitudes that must be overcome by the hero in order to live happily ever after.
Students can learn how many cultures share similar tales by comparing them with Venn diagrams and discussing the differences and why there are differences. Studenst can do a character mapping of the hero and villian of the tale then discuss whether or not the character has feelings or thoughts like their own. Students can share what they would do differently from the hero. Another activity to use with traditional literature is to sequences the story using beginning, middle, and end.
I would definitely use traditional literature in my classroom to expose my students to the various genres in literature. I feel it would help to expand their vocabulary along with their horizons and help them to become more creative with their ideas. Some of the students may never travel far from home and with literature they can imagine these faraway places.

3344 Blog 6

To talk means to express yourself using speech, helping with the exchange of ideas or information. Talking may take the form of conversation, exchanging ideas with others in a group with everyone contributing ideas and thoughts.
Talk is beneficial to students in a classroom becuase they are a community of learners who exchange ideas about subjects they are learning all day long to help them better understand what they are learning. Talking helps not just in the classroom but in the world around students. It teaches them to communicate with others in their lives.
If students are doing readers workshop or writers workshop, students may use aesthetic talk in grand conversations by sharing ideas and questions. Storytelling and readers theater helps students to connect with what they have read by telling the story or acting out the story, giving it more meaning. When efferent talk is used in the classroom, students are informing and persuading others using activities such as show and tell, oral reports, interviews, and debates, teaching students how to speak in front of others, ask questions, and listen to others in a discussion.

3321 Blog 5

Picture books are stories that have illustrations to coincide with the text of each page. It is through the pictures that the setting, plot, or mood of the story can be better conveyed to children of all ages. These types of books can be used often to help children better understand the world around them and helps them to think more critically by being more observant. Picture books can also help children to connect with a concept that they may be learning. As for limitations, the books should be age appropriate and be meaningful for the children being read to, as well as being entertaining.
To select picture books that are true to form, the pictures should match the text and should relate to the setting, the characters, and the plot. It should appeal to the age group and be age appropriate while avoiding sterotypes. I find myself choosing picture books first by knowing what the message of the story is and the message I want to get across. I then check the words, comparing them to the age I'm reading to so that younger children won't lose interest if its too wordy. I also check the pcitures and the colors used in the illustrations so that it will be appealing. I like to use pictures books because I feel the child's interest can be stimulated to become great readers and the books can also be great teaching tools. I have used picture books as teaching tools with my own sons and with classrooms in the past. I especially like to have children look over the picture carefully and see how it relates to the text. With the Mercer Mayer Little Critter books there is usually a mouse, cricket, or grasshopper somewhere on each page and my sons and I loved to look for whichever one was used in a particular story. My sons both love to read to this day.

3344 blog 5

Listening is to hear what someone says in order to respond after processing the meaning of the words spoken. To really listen, a person hears whjat is said, not filtering out what's not important to you but it is important to the person speaking. I admire people who take their time responding to someone because I feel the person is listening and are processing what has been said before speaking back. To me, this shows that a person has taken the time to convert what has been said into meaning.
There are four ways to listen that each serve a different purpose. To use discriminative listening, a person would tune out unimportant information, like when listening to a lecture. Aesthetic listening is usually ofr pleasure, like when a person listens to music. Efferent listening would be used when taking notes to have information on a chapter read in a textbook. Critical listening involves listening carefully as you might do when asking for someone's opinion on a subject.
The most challenging part of the debate about choclate was for the group to come to a mutual decision about the key points to sell our chocolate. During this exercise, I wanted to listen to everyone thoughts and wanted everyone to have a voice, including the more quiet people.
The teacher talk that is most important to me is the "I see you know how to spell the beginning of that word". If a teacher can encourage what a student is doing right, whether it be in spelling, reading, or doing math, then the student has some confidence to go further and not gi ve up. If a teacher can give that to a student, the student will try that much harder.

EDRG 3344 capable writers blog 4

I forgot to write about capable writers so I'm doing it now.

Capable writers tap into their prior knowledge first. Once the writer knows who his or her audience will be, ideas can be organized with a goal in mind whether it be to persuade, instruct, or inform. Then the writing process is utilized with drafting, revising, and evaluating the quality of writing. During the writing, connections are made and words can be created into new sentence structures creating new and exciting ideas. I usually try and do what a capable writer would, especially with a goal in mind and organizing my ideas. I do this especially because I like what I have written to flow and make effortless transitions. Most of the time I actually end up making changes even when I'm typing out my final draft so just it will flow more naturally.

Blog 4: 3321

International literature are literary works written in a different language other than English and are originally published in another country. It can be translated and released into English. International literature can also be written in English but in another country. This type of literature differs from multicultural literature because it can teach about other geographical places in the world, allowing the reader to picture an entirely different place than where he or she lives or has seen. Whille multicultural literature teaches people about different cultures and values , the stories may be written by someone who hasn’t or doesn’t actually live in the culture being portrayed. International literature goes beyond that by providing stories of other cultures around the globe, connecting the reader to other parts of the world through words.
2 activities that I could do with a kindergartener through to a second grader with multicultural literature would be to do a Venn diagram comparing/contrasting parts of the students culture and that of another culture after reading and discussing the book read and the children’s culture. Children can also do a reader response to the story based on a question discussed during whole group time.
2 activities I could with the same group involving international literature are making a T chart using an ingredient such as an egg, and write what foods we eat and the foods another culture makes with the same ingredient. The students can also do a problem/solution from the story then discuss how we’d solve it differently.

3344 blog 4

Writing assignment for RAFT
Role: ESL student to self in the format of a diary.

Hola Diary,
It's me again. What a day I had! First, I got on the wrong bus because I didn't know where VIA was or if that was where I needed to go. When I finally made it to school, I was relieved to see something familiar. I felt more than ready to begin my day. The trouble didn't stop there. Whenever the teacher called on me, the other students laughed at the way I pronounced words. It makes me feel like not trying but I know my parents expect me to learn English so I can have a better life than they have. At lunch, I couldn't understand what the lunch lady was saying and the line was backing up because of me. I ended up bursting into tears and running from the cafetaria, so I didn't get to eat. By the afternoon, I was tired, hungry, and frustrated. Luckily, I have my favorite teacher in the afternoon. She is always patient with me and treats everyone equally. No one laughs at me in her class and I always want to try my best for her. Today she told me I was doing so well that she is giving me more challenging work to do. I promise I will work very hard for her and for myself. Now that I know what VIA is (thanks to my teacher) I was able to get home without any trouble. It feels like I always go through so many emotions every day and it leaves me feeling exhausted. But I will keep trying so I can get better at English and get a good job one day. Until tomorrow.......

EDRG 3321 Ch. 3

To effectively evaluate books for children, the story should be good and about something that could happen. Elements the author uses such as plot, conflict, characterization, setting, theme, and the author's style should be taken into consideration as well as the reader's age and level of reading. Books should be accessible for children and conforming to the reading level in order to read independently. The book should be of interest to the particular child reading the story. These criteria for evaluating children's books can show the timelessness of a character's feelings and their actions as well as understanding what the setting represents. By evaluating books, children can learn their heritage as human beings, learning that all people have conflicts in their lives that can be resolved, especially if a child can identify with a character in a book. Reading about other places and eras in which characters had problems to overcome helps foster personal development in children and they gain emotional intelligence as they read about character's feelings. If the story is well written with qualities in plot, characterization, setting, and theme, children not only expand their knowledge and imagination, but they carry values gained from literature into adulthood.
Character analysis helps childrn to better understand the character's flaws, feelings, strengths, and past to better understand the character themself as human like children are. This can help the reader to personally conncet with the character and the story. The same can be said of seeting analysis in that it halps the reader better understand the mood of the character through the words describing the time and place of the story and the feelings the characters have about those elements. Through analysis, readers can travel with the character to the time and place of the story and feel connected to the history in the book, whether it be through symbolism or through a historical or geagraphical background. In this way, the reader can be transformed to another place and time through a book and by analyzing these components, can understand how the author was able to accomplish the fact.

EDRG 3344 Ch.3

Reading and writing processes are interrelated and go hand in hand. In the reading process, prereading has the reader choosing books, getting background information such as topic of book, genre,and illustrator. The reader decides the purpose for reading, whether for pleasure or information, then previews the book by looking at the length adn difficulty. In writing, a similar process occurs when prewriting. In prewriting, the writers chooses the topic, decides what form to write in and who the audience will be along with organizing ideas and why they are writing. The next process in reading is the actual reading of a selection that compares to drafting in the writing process. Readers use knowledge of words and strategies to read and can use shared reading, guided, independent, or buddy reading, or reading aloud . Writers put ideas on paper by actually writing without worrying about conventios, just getting their thoughts on paper. The reading process of responding to what a reader has read can involve writing in reading logs about thoughts and feelings while writing, talking about feelings or thoughts and comparisons. The writing process involves the same concept with revising. At this time the writer refines and clarifies written ideas by rereading what was written, sharing compositions, making revisions, and conferencing with the teacher. The exploring stage of the reading process involves rereading the selection, the author's use of text and literacy language, learning new words and thier meanings, and learning strategies on reading. It is the same in the writing process through editing. This is when the writer corrects spelling and mechanical errors through rereading and learning about proofreading. Finally, in the reading process, applying what has been read to deepen understanding by reflecting on what was read and interpreting through writing, visually representations or oral presentations. Writers publish finished work by making books, reading their compositions aloud, or sharing their compositions with others.
I pretty much use the same processes when writing by first getting my ideas down on paper. I usually write my thoughts out than type it out using double spacing in order to read and revise my thoughts in a way that flows and will make sense for whomever reads what I have written. I then retype my words in the revised form using double spacing and I print it out. This way I can reread what a wrote and look for any errors, in spelling or mechanical. Once I'm satisfied, I save my final draft on the computer as final draft and I print it out the finished piece to be shared with others.

EDRG 3344

Children are usually introduced to literacy when they are read to by caregivers. They learn that print on the things they see in their environment correspond to meanings. Their first attempts to write look like scribbles that will eventually become letters then words as they develop. In a classroom setting, play centers help develop reading and writing if they are equipped with materials that have print or materials to write with. As they develop, children also learn letters and the sounds that correspond with each letter. This can be done as books are read to them or even with songs. Vowels and consonants are learned as well as blends of consonants and vowels. As they go from emergent to beginner to fluent readers and writers, they learn the generalizations of language and spelling patterns. The development through these stages can be accomplished by the teacher using a variety of instructional resources. Shared reading allows the teacher and children to read together and using big books, the teacher can model print, how to read from left to right, and spacing between words with whole group time. Predictable books can help students learn patterns through repeated words in order to predict what may happen next in the story. Many schools now have older children from upper grades partner with a younger grade in order to read to each other and discuss the books. Other activities that can help in the development of early reading include traveling bags of books children can take home as well as students dictating their own words to be recorded by the teacher and later read. Writings come from their drawings and speech and teachers can model correct structure of words and sentences. What begins with a letter to represent the whole word can become sentences and paragraphs as the child becomes fluent in reading and writing.
I see how the children can go from one stage to the next and since I believe reading is the core to all learning, the examples given in the text were ones I will incorporate into my classroom one day. I have seen the traveling bags of books where I once worked that had paper and crayons for drawing pictures of the story along with toys and stuffed animals to get the child more involved in reading. As I was reading the chapter, I noted many things that I feel I'll be able to use and have seen examples of the strategies used by teachers previously. By using songs and play incorporating reading and writing, I think it makes the learning experience more fun for the children and the older children reading with them gives them another experienced reader to learn from. I think these types of activities should encompass a large portion of the classroom schedule, even going into other subjects.

EDRG 3321

The history of children's literature begins with the oral tradition of children listening as the values of their elders were passed down. Early printed children's books treated children as small adults to be instructed on manners, morality, and spiritual behavior. The first of these types of books made thanks to the invention of the printing press that mass produced print and was mounted on wood. It wasn't until the publication of "Pilgrim's Progress" that literature began to give some entertainment to children instead of just instructing them in spiritual and moral matters. With adventure and exciting characters, it was entertaining to children. Ideas about children began to change, and with those changes, came changes in literature. But the literature was geared towards the upper middle class children, while those in poverty spent their time working to keep surviving. There were some authors who chose to write about the less fortunate children, using children as the main characters for their stories but still it was mainly those better off that got to enjoy the written words. Ilustrations also had changes from woodcuts that were colored in to brightly colored, fanciful pictures that were appealing to children. Many more types of books were becoming available besides the beautifully illustrated picture books, Books about adventure, fantasy, and real people were becoming popular with the upper middle class children, who were now, by the 1800's, less expected to be miniature adults and instead able to be more free. It showed a changing attitude towards children, where they were beginning to allow them to develop naturally. Eventually books became available for all children and despite censorship, have access to a variety of genres. As times have changed and the structure of a typical family have changed, so have the books written. When God and family were most important, literature stressed conscience and traditional family roles of men and women. When times changed and optimism ruled the day, especially in America, familes in literature were portrayed as happy and secure, children had few problems, and patriotism was strong. From the 1960's to present day, families and personal values have changed dramatically and are reflected in literature with children facing problems that the girls in "Little Women" could have never imagined. The range of literature has broadened to encompass so many different genres that there is surley a book for every type of person in the world.
I, for one, am glad that literature changed with the changing world. I imagine I would have been very bored reading the limited text that was once available for children. I don't think children really understood the grown up language that was being pressed upon them so long ago but they had no choice. Toda, there are so many choices for which I'm thankful for. I have one son who loves to read fantasy/adventure and the other one prefers to read about science or cartoon editions of Garfield and Zits. At least they are both reading and have such a variety to choose from.
Since ther are so many choices now, I think classrooms should have a variety of genres and should include the early classics like Robinson Crusoe, Oliver Twist, and Little Women beside biographies and realistic fiction. Of course, younger children can be introduced to various genres with books specifically written for their age group. I am a true advocate of reading and plan to have many different books in my classroom. I have saved all the wonderful books I read to my children and the dozens I have bought from their scholastic book orders and plan to have a wonderful classroom library. I will enjoy sharing the same books I read to my sons with my own classroom.

EDRG 3321

Ch. 1 summary
Literature can not only instruct children but also invites them to explore new and fantastic worlds. Books help personal development to occur in children as well as language, cognitive, and social development that will influence them well into adulthood. Each child is different in how he or she interprets and responds to what has been read. The variety of materials available range from picture books to biographys to poetry, each with unique purposes such as cause and effect. Children learn to respond to literature either efferently to focus on information, or aethetically, to explore what they feel or think from the words they read. As children advance through the stages of development, their responses become more sophisticated, their understanding of their world expands, and hopefully, through family and good teachers, they develop a life-long appreciation for reading.

Values are beliefs we have and consider to be very important to us and who we are internally and how we appear externally. These may have been instilled at an early age by family or learned through experiences and they make us who we are. I value family most of all and it probably came about when my parents divorced and the only thing I could count on during that difficult time was my mom and my brother. As I spent time with my husband and his family, I really came to appreciate family and the traditions that went along with it. I think the importance and value of family can be taught by older members of a family when they are always there for each other and pass down and maintain traditions within the family year after year. I try to show this to my own sons by always being there for them and doing whatever I can for my whole family. I always tell my sons that friends come and go,but your brother will be your brother forever.

EDRG 3344

Students can best learn language arts if they are given the opportunity to utilize many resources in order to broaden their abilities in reading and writing. Some such resources would be to read a story and then compare it to a movie about the story, doing hands on activities to make the story come alive for them, and discussing parts of the story such as the beginning ,middle, and end of a story. Language arts involves listening when a story is being read, talking about the story and sharing ideas, reading the story either aloud or silently, writing and the components of writing such as prewriting and revising, viewing information to integrate visual learning with literacy, and visually representing what they are learning or have learned. Children use phonological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic systems in Language arts so that they are pronouncing words and decoding words when reading, they are combining words and adding prefixes and suffixes, they learn meanings of words and study synonyms, anatonyms, and homonyms, and they modifiy their language according to situations. It is in these ways children assimilate the new material being learned or accommodating new information the build onto existing knowledge. By providing opportunities to build on skills already possessed, children can better learn the language arts through media, writing and reading activities, and discussion.