Final Thoughts and Reflections

I am so happy to have had another class with Dr. Nita. It is relaxing to knwo your professor, and expect the same outcomes. I can honestly say this is a stress-free environment when you are in the company of a professor who values your time and commitments and allows you to create products that are useful and meaningful. Instead of creating something that has no use or value to myself, I have created things that I would use in my classroom or library, and for that I am thankful!

St. Edmunds

I had high hopes for our literature circles with the St. Edmunds group, but was disappointed we couldn't do more with them. It was a great idea and I really liked the cultural interaction with a group of young, Australian males. Not only would we discuss with an age-appropriate audience, it was a class of all boys (!?) on another continent. I wish we could have done more with them or at least another class. Perhaps next year a different method of communicating would work? I couldn't imagine having the entire class post under just my log in. Would Skype be an alternative next year? Since our classes met at about the same time, it would be an awesome opportunity to have a "face-to-face" literature circle like you would in the classroom.

To Be a Princess

I orignially read this book before Christmas when I was leading my students in a description writing lesson about Queens. I checked the book out for background information and ended up reading the entire book cover to cover forgeting what I was supposed to be looking for. The stories were not only historically accurate and well-documented, they flowed like a well-written fiction story. After each bio, follows a time-line of each princess/queen's life absorbed in the world events of the time. I loved this book and couldn't wait to read it to my class. The young women were relatable to my students and even to me as an adult. It would be a wonderful asset to any library for almost any age because of it's likeablility and meticulous bibilography.

Alligators and Crocodiles

This book was one of the best written nonfiction books I've read. I loved the pictures and the no-nonsense writing style. Seymour Simon'd book is easy to read and follow. Anyone can learn anything when reading this book. Considering the fact that I have taught reptiles in the past three years, I thought I knew quite a bit about the crocodilian family, but I learned quite a bit in the first three pages. I would definitly buy this book for myself or my library because it is a wonderful asset for any school.

My Educational Philosophy

I think when it comes to finding my educational philosophy, it is difficult to pinpoint one particular theory that I subscribe to. Instead I use all three theories in my classroom, in different ways:

Constructivist: About half of my teaching is based on collaborative learning and allowing the students to guide their own learning experience. I use this especially in science and social studies topics, but have used it in all subjects.

Cognitivism: When it comes to reviewing information and making sure students have obtained the proper knowledge, I use the cognitive approach to assess learning.

Behaviorist: I use this method to instill procedures and processes in the classroom. When students are prompted by a sound, word or motion, they immediatly react with a physical response.

How to eat Fried Worms

I love this book! Mainly for the sound effects. I can't help but read this aloud to my students purely to act out the Gute, gute, ver'fine, ver'fine hoo hoo part and read the fish rhymes. My students enjoy the acting out almost as much as I did. I wonder who read aloud the book to the Australia students? Did they read silently or did the teacher act like me?

Pink and Say

I have always loved this book but find something new in it every time I read it. It is the story of two boys that are fighting in the Civil War for the Union. I wondered if the story would have been the same if Say would have been a rebel soldier. Would Pink have stopped and taken care of him? Even though they are kindred spirits at the age of fifteen, I doubt that Pink would have had mercy on someone who was fighting against him. I also thought about the reality of marauders and the destruction they contributed to by turning in deserters. I thought about COld Mountain and the similarities between the two. Overall, I think this book would be a great addition to an elementary or middle school library.

I wonder if anyone else says Pinkus Aylee at the end?

Drinking Gourd

I loved this story because the ending surprised me. I imagined TommFuller as some of my students and admired his quick thinking skills by concocting a lie to tell the people looking for the escapees. He lies and says he stole the wagon to run away from his daddy's spanking. I also liked how his father talks about the difference between right and wrong and obeying the law and breaking the law. Overall, I thought it was a great addition to any library.

Unit Plan

I am planning on creating a unit on Weather or Life Cycles in collaboration with Mrs. Bolick, a fellow second grade teacher. If I choose weather, I would like the kids to research different forms of "Wild Weather" and create a product to showcase that information. I'm not sure what books exactly I would want to use, or if I would use just one book.

If I chose to do life cycles, I would like to focus on insects and read the monarch butterfly books, or do one animal kingdom a week (reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish, mammals, etc.). There are a ton of different books or avenues to choose with that, so I would likely narrow it down to one or two kingdoms.

I'll chat with my teacher and post more later!

Molly's Pilgrim

Our third grade class reads this book every year, but I had not read it until now. I see why they they read it now. It has great potnetial to be a powerful tool in the fight against bullies. It is so hard as an educator to pinpoint those behaviors and always be politically correct, so I felt for the teacher in the story. But I was happy to see how she handled it in the end. I was pleased that Molly's pilgrim was the best one of all and had a special display on the teacher's desk. This book could be a great way to introduce the different versions of pilgrims and cultural differences that they face. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for any library.

The Most Beautiful Place in the World

I really enjoyed this book because of its cultural differences and similarities. On one hand it was amazing to read about the disparity this child faced everyday and the things he went without like electricity, phones, etc. I also thought it was poignant that he wanted to go to school and yearned for that. I think reading this to a class would be beneficial just to show them that there are worse things out there than getting grounded from your XBox. I also thought it would be a good book for kids because Juan lives in another country, yet still faces the same problems and insecurities we face. Broken homes and divorce are evident everywhere. As is the fear that someone doesn't love you. I would recommend this book to a library based on the cultural awareness and belonging that it could share.

The Castle in the Attic

My individual choice for Fantasy genre was Castle in the Attic. What a wonderful book! I love how Winthrop weaves the individual stories into a magical quest to restore power to rightful rulers and right the wrongs that have been done. I found William's plan to keep Mrs. Phillips by miniaturizing her surprising. I also had some questions or points to ponder:

*The theme of the book? Perhaps it's Sir Simon's own words: "The weapons you need to fight the battle are inside your own heart"

*Sir Simon and Mrs. Phillips spend a lot of time teaching William the art of chivalry. I found that refreshing.

* Alastor's final vision is a locust in the mirror. What does this mean?

* Where are the other knights and objects that were with the castle?

*Why is William the only one with the touch to bring the lead subjects to life? Why doesn't Mrs. Phillips' touch bring the wizard to life?

* The book is very realistic until they become miniature. In this book, Mrs. Phillips says, "There are rules in the world of magic just as there are in our own world. Everything has its place. Directions must be followed. Each person is given the right weapon." What would have happened if they broke a rule?

*Why didn't Sir Simon stay lost in the forest?

Literature Circle for Ch.4-6

I really enjoyed the book choices for our group and individual choices. I like the fact that our group is diverse, and therefore our choices are diverse. I read a book (Damitra Brown goes to Town), that I wouldn't have normally read, and I found a million ways to use it in my classroom. I also enjoyed the Hey Mama Goose book because of it's originality and perspective. Even though I changed my individual books a few times (because they were "lost"), I am pleased with the results. I read things that I had in my classroom libary, and hadn't even had the chance to read. I can't wait to make my choices for next week!

Evaluating Children's Literature

I am excited about this class! Children's books are my favorite part of teaching. I have a classroom library slam full of novels, picture books and other goodies! I can't wait to start reading!