EDRG 3321 Author Profile

I found four books this week. My first author I want to share with you is Ian Beck. The book I read is Home before Dark. It is a book about a little girl named Lily and her teddy bear. She takes the bear out for a walk and the bear gets lost. He has to go through all kinds of obstacles to get back home. He was all alone and scared. He had to travel through stormy, windy, rainy weather. He had to cross the street and a car splashed him he got kicked and roughed up by people rushing to get out of the rain. It was dark and he had to travel up a hill and then he fell down. Teddy finally made it to the front door soaking wet and no one heard him knocking. To the rescue comes the night paperboy who picks Teddy up and puts him through the mail slot. Teddy was home safe, sound, and warm laying in the bed right next to Lily. You can look up more information about Ian Beck at www.tellingtrails.co.uk/pages/individuals/beckpage.

EDRG 3321 Ch 5 TTR

POETRY
It was interesting to me to find out that poetry is one of the most hated things to read. Poetry is unique in the way that you can be creative. You can put words together and make it your own. You can make interesting sounds using poetry such as rhyme and rhythm. Poetry can be fun or it can be boring. I think it's all about how you present the material. I like the idea of using poetry as a form of discovery and helping students to develop their language. Sound is a big one especially with the little ones just learning how to read. I also love the idea of teaching children the discovery of words through poetry as well. Very interesting idea's in chapter 5.

EDRG 3321 Maya Angelou

I love to hear this women speak. She is so inspiring and up lifting. She helps me see that there is more to life than "my problems".....ya know what I mean? Ms. Angelou helps me to see that there's more to life than just the everyday routine that I go through and if I'm determined I can accomplish my goals. " I am a human being nothing can be alien to me" this quote is so powerful. In other words nothing is impossible for me, I should fear nothing and I shouldn't let anything or anyone discourage me from what I want to do with my life. NOTHING IS TOO HARD!
Now for the classroom and my future students....I need to be an inspiration to them. I need to be able to take each child and appreciate their differences. I need to see their weaknesses and their strength and help them succeed. I need not make a pre-conceived opinion about a child. I love how Mrs. Pickett showed us how to talk to a child. When she pulled up a chair and sat down and talked to the child face to face.
I need to understand as an educator I'm only as good as my weakest student. It's going to be my job to pull in each student and make them feel like they can do anything they put their mind to.

EDRG 3344 TTR TALKING

TALKING in the classroom is a beneficial tool. I know for me it helps tremendously. When I'm able to hear myself talk through issues it helps me understand better. When I hear others talking about their perspectives it helps me see different sides of the issue I might otherwise have not seen. TALKING does not have to be disruptive to a classroom. I think it's often seen as a negative. Teachers can tend to want their classrooms quiet so the students "can learn." However, a quiet classroom does NOT necessarily mean the students are learning. I love to talk. I also believe that we learn from our peers. If I can get the classroom involved in a group activity were it involves TALKING, problem solving, and critical thinking for a short period of time to keep them on task......I'm all for that. The group activity we had in the debate of the "best chocolate bar" it was fun and interactive. I was able to hear,learn, and TALK to others. Engaging the students, mixing it up, and learning is what it's all about.

EDRG 3344 TTR MEMORIES

One of my happiest moments was when my oldest son took his exam to become a black belt in Taekwondo. It was 3 years ago, he was only 10. He had to write an essay about why he felt becoming a black belt was important. He had to come up with a routine on how he was going to break through 5 different boards, he had to do 150 push ups and 150 sit ups. He had to go through 8 different routines that he had learned since he was five and about 15 different kicks. It was the most incredible sight. He had to work and I mean work hard. I mean this was no oooohhhh he's only 10 let's give him a break kinda thing......this was intense. He had to spar two people at the same time and he kicked their butt. He was sweating and fatigue. He had tears coming out of his eyes from exhaustion. I was cheering him on and telling him, "you can do it baby!" It got so intense when he was in a group spar that I had to step outside, I had tears rolling down my face. THEY WERE PUNCHING MY BABY!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH. To see my son in action and to see his perseverance through it all was absolutely incredible. At the end of the test he ran, flew over 5 people and kicked a board and broke it in half. It was AWESOME. I was a proud mom that day.

EDRG 3321 TTR CH 4

Responding To Literature: Depending on the person who is reading the literature is going to depend how they are influenced by it. I can see why it's going to be so important to assess my students constantly. I'm going to need to be aware of their develpement and help them expand on the progress they are making or help them if I see no progress at all. I read the generalizations on pg 62 and I thought they were decent assessements. Again as Mrs. Pickett would say, "give your students choices" I think that the art of listening has been lost with some teachers. I believe that is unfortunate. I think that engaging their interest would be a benefit to everyone. We need to remember we are in the classroom to help the children learn not for an ego boost. Again I agree that students will respond based on their unique backgrounds...I found it interesting how two different types of children in different parts of the world can view a Dick, Jane, Sally, and Spot books. I like Rosenblatt's theory on literature and agree that the readers do take an active part in literature based on their view of the world. Efferent and Aesthetic response. I believe that when we read we do both.

EDRG 3321 TTR CH. 3

Understanding What We Read:I completely agree with the fact that there has to be comprehension involved with reading. The student needs to be able to understand what they are reading or else it's just a robotic act. I also agree with the fact that the teacher needs to be the facilitator for the student. We need to provide our students with options and it's our job to know how each student learns so we can help them succeed. Not every student is the same. Every student is coming from different home lives and different ethnic backgrounds. It's going to be important as teachers to make that connection. We need to help the children relate on their level. I think it's also important to have high expectations for our students and let them know that we believe in them. Through books and vocabulary we can enhance and broaden their horizons, help them think outside the box. Building comprehension is key. I like the idea of "bridging the gap" either through discussion, lessons, or a book walk. I think the biggest challange is to help the students' brains not to be lazy. When I was a child growing up in middle and high school, I was good at "playing school" I did what I had to do to get by and that was it. I didn't want to do or think more than I had to. I was good at it but now as an adult in my 30's I'm trying to retrain my brain to actually learn and it's difficult sometimes. Retelling a story is a great thing. I know it helps me learn better when I can discuss outloud what I have just read. I'm big on discussions it helps me so I know my students would benefit from it as well.