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.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
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.
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.
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