"Cheaper by the Dozen"-by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

This book is very action-filled and funny. It is about a story of a family that has a dozen children and all the adventures that take place. Many of you have most likely seen it on film, but I recommend to read it as well. This book can be used with adolescents in middle school or with high school students. Below is a website that gives more information about this book and other books written by these authors. Hope you enjoy!!

http://cheaperbelles.tripod.com/

EDRG 3321-Wed.

This week's class meeting, we discussed chapter 4 about Responding to Literature. We learned that if a child can make a connection with a story, they are able to relate and experience what they are reading more easily. In class, we learned about how everything that surrounds a child allows them to build schemata. This meaning that a child learns from experiences either through family, school, travel and outside influences. If a child does not have much experience from these influences, teachers should be able to build their knowledge in areas they are not familiar with. This reminds me of an experience I had when I was a teacher's assistant during summer school. When tutoring some of the children, I noticed that a few were struggling comphrehending a story the teacher assigned. It was obvious that they were unfamliar with some of the language, characters, and backgrounds that played a part in the story. I had to explain in a way to set up the scene and describe some of the details they overlooked. It can be frustrating for a child who may not have been exposed to certain experiences as their peers.

Also in our power points, it stated that cultural influences have an affect on a reader. It stated that children will respond to their cultural background. We have to understand that children will interpret a story based on their culture. Depending on what hemisphere a child is from, their perspective of a story may differ from a child of another hemisphere of the world. What a child interprets from a story, should not be labeled as wrong or put down. Every reader can interpret a reading differently. In class we did a simple activity which consisted of a story and different interpretations of it. Mrs. Pickett gave us a scenario and then had us mark what we felt was necessary to it. It was a short activity but the purpose of it taught me so much more. It allowed me to understand that children need to be guided in their reading. They feel inferior when a teacher ask their interpretation of a story. This can be intimidating for a child, adolescent, or even an adult. There should be direction in a classroom and teachers should support the active role of a reader. This chapter was very helpful and allowed me to understand the different factors that are involved when responding to literature.

All About Me Book

This past week in class, we learned about personal writing and how we incorporate it in our daily lives. The class gave different examples of personal writing including letters, texts, to-do lists, notes, and emails. Going about our daily routine, we tend to overlook how often we use personal writing. In wednesday's class meeting, we did an "All About Me Book" that allowed us to express ourselves. In my book, i stated that music played a major role in my life. I absolutely love to sing and play music on my alto saxophone. I cannot say that I am a professional, but it is a hobby that I am passionate about. This brings me to a personal writing experience about 3 years ago.

Currently, I am a lead singer for a christian band. You could have asked me many years ago if I would ever stand up in front of a crowd to sing, and I would have said no. However, so much has changed since then. I was going through a time of my life where I needed encouragement. Some of you can agree that you have needed some uplifting words from time to time. Well, I was helping at my church with the music and singing and I was debating if I should take the position of lead singer with this band. I felt I was inadequate and could not fulfill this responsibility. I became my worst enemy. I was ready to turn down this position, when I came across a small note that was left in my bible. To my surprise, it was a note that was written by my younger sister (who is also my best friend). It was short and simple, but made a world of difference. It simply stated, "You're a strong girl. Don't let anything or anyone stop you." It was at that moment that my self-esteem was lifted and I knew that I was meant for this position. My doubt left, and a new hope was created. I will never forget that small note my sister left. Sometimes we can be our own worst critic, but there are loving people around us who see great potential in us and will not allow us to fail. This note will always be memorable, and I hope that it can be an inspiration to you as it was for me.

"The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn

Here is another book I believe would be useful for preschool-2nd grade level. My mom introduced this book to me about a month ago. She is a librarian and always tells me about new exciting books for children. This book is entitled "The Kissing Hand" and is simply about the anxieties a child may have before starting school. Some of you may have children, nieces, nephews, or grandchildren who have separation issues. This book is really cute and I hope that you would use it in your classrooms or at home. This site includes activites and ideas that are useful followed by the reading. Here is the link below:

http://www.thevirtualvine.com/TheKissingHand.html

EDRG 3321-Chapter 3

This week in class we learned about comprehension, vocabulary and discussion. We learned how each of these steps are vital in the learning process. Comprehension is the process of understanding and it is very important for a child to comprehend what they are reading. A child lacks comprehension when they are unable to gain meaning from print (their reading). Frank Smith stated that comprehension process is an interaction between visual information and non-visual information. This makes sense because as a child I can recall that I had some difficulty understanding what I was reading, especially math problems. I could not understand what the reading problem was asking. It would take me awhile to fully understand what exactly I needed to do to get my answer. It can be frustrating for a child because they want to understand what everybody else does. We also learned the difference of efferent and aesthetic reading. Aesthetic reading is when a person reads for fun and efferent is when a person reads to gain important knowledge. In Chapter 3, we also learned about vocabulary and it's importance in reading. When a child reads, it is enlarging their vocabulary and word knowledge. Teachers should continue to learn what vocabulary a child knows and what they need to know. Also, teachers should be able to remediate any words or concepts a child may be having difficulty with. This can be accomplished with dramatizing the story. For example, a teacher can use students to act out a story, use props, or puppets. This will allow a student to understand a story better. All students are different and will learn and comprehend a story in their own way. It is important to accomodate each learning style, whether it is visual, auditory or kinesthetic. In this chapter, we also learned about discussions held in a classroom. This meaning that a good discussion is led by the students. The teacher is the facilitator. The chapter explains that a true discussion enables multiple people to talk, to share opinions, to raise questions, and to seek the perceptions of others. These discussions play an important role in the comprehension for students. I completely agree with what the book states. I know that as a child and adult, it helps me understand more clearly when I discuss with others about a reading. I also agree that discussions should be led by students. This allows the teacher to observe what the students understood from a story. Some students may receive a different interpretation than others, but I believe it is useful to hear the ideas of peers. Chapter 3 covered some very important points that are necessary in a classroom. I know that learning these facts will improve my teaching style in the future and will be of use in other areas of my life as well.

"If I won..."

If I won a million dollars, I would be very generous and use it wisely. Of course I would want to spend on myself, but think my conscience would get the best of me. I would first give a portion to my immediate family. This would include my parents and 3 siblings. I would then pay off any debt that may have accumulated over these years. Next, I would give an amount to my church back home since I am so involved in it. Also, I would help out any of my closest friends or extended family members who I feel needed it the most. Then, I would go shopping..but not overdoing it. I would save the rest for any future expense. I feel it is wise to save your money and although I would have a vast amount, I would try to let it accumulate. I do not believe money makes a person genuinely happy, but it would help during these days in our economy.

Writing Is A Process

This week in class we learned that writing is a PROCESS. I knew about most of the steps that writing entails, but did not execute to the best of my ability. It was refreshing to hear about the process of writing. I know that this will be very useful in any type of writing I do in the future.

The first step that is necessary in this process is prewriting: this is when you organize your thoughts and ideas for a paper.
The second step is drafting: this is considered a "sloppy copy" or rough draft. You would be applying your thoughts and ideas on to a paper, computer, journal or even a blog.
The third step is revising: this is when the writer can change, add, or delete sentences on their paper. Another way of revision would be a writer's conference or to get into groups and revise one another's papers.
The fourth step is editing: this is when the writer proofreads spelling, capitalization or punctuation. Groups and partners would also be useful in this step.
The fifth step is to publish: in this case, you would display your writing or even give it to someone for a good cause.