INFOGRAPHICS - a word that confuses the pants off of me! (My first thought) Upon further reading and reading and more reading, the concept of infographics is starting to grow on me. I find that my kids have an easier time expressing themselves through pictures than strictly through written conversation. Not all kids are good with words, but most kids can draw you a picture of what they are thinking on a certain question or topic.
Ideas:
1. It would be interesting to see what the "writing process" would look like described through the use of infographics.
2. In first grade, we do alot of work with sequencing. Many of my kids find it easier to describe a story when picture or drawings are incorporated. It was be interesting to see what a story sequence would look like.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Task 1: How to prepare children for Hurricanes
Upon examining different resources on hurricanes that apply to younger children, http://whatworks.wholechildeducation.org/blog/before-and-after-a-hurricane/ knocked it out of the park. This site provided so many excellent ideas for the young students I teach on a daily basis. So many resources these days are written with older kids in mind and people so easily forget that all age groups are affected by natural disasters, such as hurricanes. As we know in the past couple of weeks, much of the US east coast has been on pins and needles about the possibility of tropical systems coming ashore - Irene actually made landfall. Due to this storm, school openings were delayed & once the students actually began school, they came in with so many questions and stories of experiences that were new and confusing to them. I was faced with many of this questions. The Whole Child Bog and its resources attack many of the questions that were asked and will most definitely be bookmarked for future incidents.
Sesame Street offers access to a hurricane tool kit for parents, families, and caregivers that can aid in helping young children to feel safe and cope with emotions they may encounter. By allowing the children to watch videos of Big Bird and other characters prepare for all aspects of the storm (before, after, etc...), they realize that they are not alone. Actually seeing some of their favorites cartoon characters going through the same hardships and events they are makes it just a little bit easier to comprehend.
While tracking Hurricane Katia and TS Maria, we used many of the activities and videos presented to prepare for the possible implications these storms could have had - thankfully, we got lucky! Yet, my kids have a better understanding of what a hurricane is, how to prepare, and gotten many of their questions and concerns answered.We have even made activity survival kits for each child to have in case we are faced with another storm (like Irene). They brought in several of the items they would like to include and I supplied a few special things that I would like them to have. They are been instructed to talk about their kits with their families (parents received a letter prior to the activity) and to build a family kit together at home.
My kids are no longer confused about the events that were faced with during Irene. They are well aware of what things happen during these storms, what they need to do to prepare, and what may happen afterwards. THEY ARE READY!
Sesame Street offers access to a hurricane tool kit for parents, families, and caregivers that can aid in helping young children to feel safe and cope with emotions they may encounter. By allowing the children to watch videos of Big Bird and other characters prepare for all aspects of the storm (before, after, etc...), they realize that they are not alone. Actually seeing some of their favorites cartoon characters going through the same hardships and events they are makes it just a little bit easier to comprehend.
While tracking Hurricane Katia and TS Maria, we used many of the activities and videos presented to prepare for the possible implications these storms could have had - thankfully, we got lucky! Yet, my kids have a better understanding of what a hurricane is, how to prepare, and gotten many of their questions and concerns answered.We have even made activity survival kits for each child to have in case we are faced with another storm (like Irene). They brought in several of the items they would like to include and I supplied a few special things that I would like them to have. They are been instructed to talk about their kits with their families (parents received a letter prior to the activity) and to build a family kit together at home.
My kids are no longer confused about the events that were faced with during Irene. They are well aware of what things happen during these storms, what they need to do to prepare, and what may happen afterwards. THEY ARE READY!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Engaging the Eye Generation
Everyone is looking, not many are seeing - Peter Leshack
What a wonderful book to be reading! My blog for the day will be based on Chapter 1 "Developing Intelligent Vision". Reading Between the Lines was an awesome section in this chapter. I found myself mesmerized at the thought process of the children during the lesson on the book, "Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship". Especially the part where the teacher asks Joshua to locate the part of the story that shows they love each other and become friends. Joshua points out a section in the inner spine between two pages and states "Right about here". Joshua formed a bridge of sequence between the pages that could not be seen yet he knew that somewhere between those two images a friendship had occurred. He formed an understanding through the use of imagery.
Through the classes discussion, the young students learned to "read" photographs to address questions that were posed by the teacher. They gathered information and formed theories based on their observations, compared visual information presented in the book to their prior knowledge, and then used the text to find additional clues. The use of the Venn diagram served as an aid to help the students keep track of the various perspectives until they could agree on a definition of the abstract concept of friendship. Through this guided discussion, the students gained new skills and fine-tuned skills that were already presented. They "read" the images.
What a wonderful book to be reading! My blog for the day will be based on Chapter 1 "Developing Intelligent Vision". Reading Between the Lines was an awesome section in this chapter. I found myself mesmerized at the thought process of the children during the lesson on the book, "Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship". Especially the part where the teacher asks Joshua to locate the part of the story that shows they love each other and become friends. Joshua points out a section in the inner spine between two pages and states "Right about here". Joshua formed a bridge of sequence between the pages that could not be seen yet he knew that somewhere between those two images a friendship had occurred. He formed an understanding through the use of imagery.
Through the classes discussion, the young students learned to "read" photographs to address questions that were posed by the teacher. They gathered information and formed theories based on their observations, compared visual information presented in the book to their prior knowledge, and then used the text to find additional clues. The use of the Venn diagram served as an aid to help the students keep track of the various perspectives until they could agree on a definition of the abstract concept of friendship. Through this guided discussion, the students gained new skills and fine-tuned skills that were already presented. They "read" the images.
Goals for this school year
Wow ... another school year is upon us and new faces will soon enter my door. I am ready for a new school year and the exciting things it will bring. When it comes to goals this year, I have set two different goals for myself; a goal as a teacher and a goal as a student.
My goal this year as a teacher is to keep an open-mind with my brand-new babies. With new personalities arriving next week (due to Hurricane Irene), I must remember to be patient and understanding to the variety of needs they may have. No two children are alike and no child will be identical to the children I taught last year. As their teacher (and protector), it is my job to makes sure their needs are met and they receive the very best education I can give them. Yes, there will be times when I could pull my hair out and my nerves will be SHOT, but new hair will grow and my nerves will clam down ... PATIENCE and UNDERSTANDING are my two best friends this coming year and BOY, will I need them!
My goal as a graduate student @ Chowan University also contains the idea of having an open-mind - open to the new and exciting things that will be introduced and master over this next semester and year. My goal is to take these new ideas and lessons learned and apply them in my won classroom, ensuring that I have being the very best teacher I can be. There will be road blocks along the way and times when nothing seems to be going my way, but I have made it through three full semesters and I am still chugging along. My goal is to make this year of grad school into the GREATEST YEAR EVER :)
My goal this year as a teacher is to keep an open-mind with my brand-new babies. With new personalities arriving next week (due to Hurricane Irene), I must remember to be patient and understanding to the variety of needs they may have. No two children are alike and no child will be identical to the children I taught last year. As their teacher (and protector), it is my job to makes sure their needs are met and they receive the very best education I can give them. Yes, there will be times when I could pull my hair out and my nerves will be SHOT, but new hair will grow and my nerves will clam down ... PATIENCE and UNDERSTANDING are my two best friends this coming year and BOY, will I need them!
My goal as a graduate student @ Chowan University also contains the idea of having an open-mind - open to the new and exciting things that will be introduced and master over this next semester and year. My goal is to take these new ideas and lessons learned and apply them in my won classroom, ensuring that I have being the very best teacher I can be. There will be road blocks along the way and times when nothing seems to be going my way, but I have made it through three full semesters and I am still chugging along. My goal is to make this year of grad school into the GREATEST YEAR EVER :)
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