Memory 3344

One memory that is really important to me and that I'll always remember is when I got my dog two days before Christmas. I remember when I first saw him as a newborn puppy. It was like the man upstairs had shined a light on him and telling me that he was just for me and I was determined to make him mine. Two days before Christmas my mom suprised me when she came into my room while I was still asleep and just dropped him right on top of me saying Merry Christmas. I named him Dimitri and we're like a match made in heaven. Dimitri taught me how difficult and sometimes really stressful it is taking care of a dog. Mom and I guessed that he was about 3 months old when we got him and a month later he became sick with mange. It started with a little scab between his shoulders; at first I thought our cat might have just scratched him but at the end of the week it had spread all the way to his tail. So I took him to the vet and she told me that he had mange. I was worried because mom and I had a much older dog and we were scared that he would get it too and not survive it, but the vet told me it wasn't the contagious type. My mom was talking about puuting him to "sleep" after hearing everything it was going to take to get him well from our vet, but I told her that that was not an option and I was determined to see him through this since he was mine. After all the vet visits, special food, special medicines, special baths, staph infections on 3 of his paws, having to fit him with a cone, and doing all the research I had to do on his illness it took him 2 years to finally be cured of it. And you talk about expensive, I swear after all that I realized and estimated that after how much I spent total on getting Dimitri cured, would probably estimate on how much I would spend on just the basic preparation if I had an actual child, like diapers, crib, clothes, etc. Of course that's not counting the discounts the vet had generously gave me on his meds and treatment. Thanks to this experiment I realized that I was no where near ready for an actual child yet and Dimitri is abput all the child I can handle right now; and he's 6 years old now. So quoting from my mom is that if you really want someone to love and love you back unconditionally instead of a baby, get a dog.

About ourselves 3344

One thing I about myself is that I love to listen to music. I like different styles of music, but my favorite is rock, punk and 80s heavy metal, country, and musicals. I like to listen to music when I'm relaxing or studying because I strongly believe that it helps to keep me focused and concentrate on my work. Music helps relax the mind and clear your head of other distractions. Some of my favorite artists are Elton John, Eagles, Kiss, Nickelback, and Montgomery Gentry. Music is important for anyone to know because music brings out all sorts of emotions in people and relate to the way a person feels at that time. I also think it better when someone likes a variety of styles of music because then they have more of an appreciation for what the song represents instead of being closed minded by liking only one style.

Personal Writing 3344

I have done some personal writings in my life probably more than I remember. I have written letters to my family, emails to my family, friends, and teachers. I have made lists for things I need to do and things I need to get and I have sent and received greeting cards from my family which I have kept every one from the time I was six years old and every now and then I like to take them out and look at them. I use to have to write journals about certain topics for school and now that I am in a university I am writing blogs for my assignments and I still have to take notes, so that counts as personal writing. Everyone should do some form of writing, whether it's personal or academic, because it helps to gather your thoughts and express what is in your mind. With personal writing you have the freedom to say and think whatever you want and some of that writing you could publish and share your thoughts with others. There is an old saying that everyone has a least one good story within them, but very few every tell and share their story. That's why it's so important to encourage students to keep up with their writing and the teachers need to continue to support, encourage, and teach their students new methods and styles of writing. A person's writing and their styles are always changing with each generation, so teacher have to constantly keep up with the times, especially in this age of technology.

Chapter 3 Comprehension, Vocab, and Discussion

Everyone has a sense of comprehension. Comprehension is a process of what is read or even what you think about a picture. There is multiple ways to comprehend the text that you read and that is stored up into your schemata as info that might also link to info you already knew. A quote from Diane Stanley has really caught my eye " A child who reads good books will prosper. She will develop her vocabulary, increase her knowledge, and come to understand others better. She will pass dull moments in pleasure, receive comfort in hard times, and experience moments of sheer joy. What else could possibly be better?". I have to completely agree with that because when a child reads their imagination comes alive and they can visit a world of grandure.
The teacher is more of a facilitator and role model for their students. The teachers need to support their kids and set their bar a liitle high and guide the students to that bar and let them soar on their own. This method is known as scaffolding which is supportive teaching that includes questioning, modeling, feedback, and instruction that was thought up by Vygotsky.
Vocabulary is also very important for students to know because the better their vocab the more eloquent and intelligent they will sound in their speaking. Spelling bees and spelling tests will help them keep in practice with their vocabulary.

Chapter 2 culturally responsive classrooms

This chapter describes how culture is everywhere and how it often clashes in the school. The word culture in actuality is the way of knowing, believing, valuing, and thinking among a group of people. There are two types of culture called surface culture and deep culture. Surface culture is the type that everyone believes is culture such as where a person's is from, what food they eat, holidays, and architecture. Deep culture is more in depth with a person's characteristics, beliefs, and values. The school environment is a type of culture in itself and is often mismatched among its students and teachers. According to Michael Oleksa, for example, he says that the system of deep culture is like American football where if everyone is knows the game of football then everyone is playing the same game and everything's great, but put a soccer player into the football game then everything and everyone is thrown into confusion and chaos. The soccer player begins to feel like he/she doesn't belong.
The problem with this mismatched culture is that the values underlying these practices tend to match those of white, middle-class, Western European, heterosexual, male-dominated culture. Those students who are different from this way of thinking are degraded and labeled to have a discipline problem or have a "learning disability". Many administrators and school boards claim that it is the student who needs to conform and adjust to the culture of the school, but in fact it's the other way around. It's the school and it's falculty that need to conform and adjust to the students culture. The schools are obligated to meet the needs of all its students and to also accomodate the parents and better understand their beliefs and customs.
There is certain literature that the students culture doesn't allow and by having a better understanding the parents and teachers can find some common ground and find a way to compromise to benefit the child and not make it a terrible experience for them.

Chapter 3 3344

Chapter 3 is basically describes and explains the processes of reading and writing. This chapter drills into your head and burns it in your mind that READING AND WRITING IS A PROCESS and goes into detail how that process works out. Both processes are very similar with a slightly different approach. The reading process is when the reader negotiates the meaning to comprehend or create their own interpretation, and to do this the following reading steps need to be taken: Step 1. Prereading, which builds background knowledge, sets the purpose, and previews the text. Step 2. Reading, either independent or group, read the entire text, and applying strategies. Step 3. Responding, write what you thought in a journal/discuss in class or group. Step 4. Exploring, which consist of rereading the material and getting more in depth with the text, examining the author's style of writing, learning new vocab words, and participating in minilessons. Step 5. Applying, the reader can create a project for their book to make it more interesting, make connections and read books that are similar to the one that was just read, and value the experience of read such a great book. On the reading section of this chapter in also states that there is two different types of reading that are called aesthetic and efferent reading. Aesthetic reading is when someone reads just for fun and pure entertainment. Which should be the main reason why people read in the first place in my opinion. Efferent reading is when the reader focuses more on the information of the text, not the experience. Efferent reading is most common in schools in my opinion because of have to do research and look up facts from the textbooks.
The writing process is almost the same thing as the reading process except that this process is more on what people write and how they think. There are five steps for the writing process: Step 1. Prewriting, it's said that 70% of writing is spent on this first step alone; this is also known as the brainstorming part of writing because it's in this step a writer starts thinking of topics to write on. Step 2. Drafting, where the writer writes the rough draft and considers content over prefection. Step 3. Revising, when others look over the writer's work, critique, and suggest some changes to make the story better. Step 4. Editing, proofreading the work and having others proofread your work and putting the final touches on your paper. Step 5. Publishing, sharing your written work with others as the last and final copy.
This chapter also explains how to teach the writing process steps to students in an effective way and some activities that a teacher can use to teach these steps. All to help a person to become a better reader or writer.

Circular story 3344

A circular story is when you have a storyline of events and at the end of the story it ties right back to the beginning. For example, the If you give a mouse a cookie story starts if you give a mouse a cookie, he will want some milk and by the end of the story the mouse will want a cookie all over again. A teacher or any person cun use this method to help set up a routine for themselves and their children. By doing something like brushing ones teeth in the morning, getting dressed, and going to work/school, and bythe time they get home they brush their teeth at bedtime. Creating a routine helps make tasks and errands run smoothly. Their are several ways to make reading fun for kids. For example, you could give them activities to do that involves the story while you read it to them. A teacher could also have the students take turns reading the story out loud, so they can be involved in the reading process. A teacher could split the class into groups and assign that group with a part or chapter of the book and have that group perform a skit on that chapter. These are a few examples and this can make reading more interesting for the students.

children's literature authors

I have found some pretty informative websites on different children's authors. Of course there is always google to help you. I have googled and found sites like http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/child_lit/authors/ and http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/mai.html. Wikipedia is another website that can give you a general idea of what your particular author is about. Barnes and Nobles website is another source that is good to look up certain books your author has written. Chapter 1 of the Living Literature textbook explains how important it is for teachers to inspire their students to read. One quote in the book stated that books are significant tools for learning and I strongly believe that is true. Without books the scientists and famous explorers wouldn't have made their greatest discoveries that had made them famous without books of previous knowledge to guide them. Another thing the book mentioned that really struck me was that all children can learn and that the processes of learning never stop for students or teachers. Everyone has the ability to learn and there is the old saying that even an old dog can learn a new trick. It is every teachers' goal to not only teach the students how to read, but to inspire them to want to read. That is something that takes some ingenuity and creativity to make reading fun for the children. Learning should be fun for everyone. Books teach a person about responsibility, culture, other lands and countries, and different people. Without the knowledge of books and the authors who wrote them we would not be able to learn from past mistakes and of the morals and values that those books preach.