My expository piece is about how to set up my aquatic turtles habitat within the classroom. I could set it up as a power point. The second grade students could follow the directions to create a home for thier new class pet. I, of course, would have all the supplies assembled and pre-measured (eg., filter, chemicals).
Step 1
Place the filter along the back inside corner wall of the aquarium.
Make sure you have pressed the suction cups securely.
Step 2
Get the dock and center it along the back, inside wall of the aquarium.
Make sure the suction cups are attached securely.
Step 3
Fill the aquarium tank half way with cold tap water. Do not put warm or hot water. This could hurt or kill the turtle.
Step 4
Add the pre-measure solution of water conditioner and Turtle Clean to the water. This will help keep turtle healthy. Please do not dip your fingers in liquid and do not taste the liquid.
Step 5
Plug the filter in. This will mix solution evenly throughout the water.
Step 6
Attach the heat lamp to the top of aquarium making sure to point the light on the dock. Plug in the lamp. This helps to warm the turtle because he is a cold blooded animal who depends on the warm sun.
Step 7
Carefully place the red eared slider turtle on to the dock. Then place the screen over the top of the tank to make sure nothing falls in by accident.
Final Step
Feed turtle two times a day. Your classroom turtle will be happy, healthy, and will grow from the size of a silver dollar to be as large as a saucer. Students, you will enjoy watching the turtle chase your finger through the glass, feeding him, and seeing him bask in his lamp.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
EDRG 3321 T/Th Author profile
The author Laura Numeroff is famous for her circle stories, like If You Give A mouse A Cookie. These books are great for predicting. All children seem to love her books. Check out her web sitehttp://www.lauranumeroff.com/ She has two new books I am looking forward to reading. Also, Oprah has added to of her books to her book club ( ages 3-5).
Leo Lionni is a four time Caldecott Honor Winner. Here is his website http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/lionni/ His books are great for lesson plans. You can take two of his books and students can compare details by creating a Venn diagram. More lessons can be found on http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=263
EDRG 3321 T/ Th Chapter 9 Non Fiction
I was surprised how this category of genre has changed. Like informational picture books and Photographic essays, diaries, and activity/ craft books. It is not just a biography or a resource book. Now I come across a book and I can determine if it is a "faction" like the example Diary of a Worm or Diary of a fly.
Like Prof. Pickett mentioned, something we all need to remember is about how boys learn and take to reading. Boys usually hate to read because they are disengaged. We as teachers need to introduce literature, whether it be non-fiction or not, so they can see themselves in the text. When you interest them with something they like, you will have an engaged reader.
Like Prof. Pickett mentioned, something we all need to remember is about how boys learn and take to reading. Boys usually hate to read because they are disengaged. We as teachers need to introduce literature, whether it be non-fiction or not, so they can see themselves in the text. When you interest them with something they like, you will have an engaged reader.
EDRG 3344 T/ TH MGP Descriptive
This is my poem.
I have a pet turtle,
who a year ago was tiny.
I named her Myrtle,
and her shell was so shiny.
She loves to bask on her dock,
warming her body with a heat lamp.
She sits as still as a rock,
until she is warm and no longer damp.
Larger, Myrtle began to grow.
She would startle and dart.
My turtle is not slow.
She is very, very smart.
I've had her a year,
she's as big as a block.
She looks at me as gentle as a dear,
I look at her and wish she still fit on her dock.
I have a pet turtle,
who a year ago was tiny.
I named her Myrtle,
and her shell was so shiny.
She loves to bask on her dock,
warming her body with a heat lamp.
She sits as still as a rock,
until she is warm and no longer damp.
Larger, Myrtle began to grow.
She would startle and dart.
My turtle is not slow.
She is very, very smart.
I've had her a year,
she's as big as a block.
She looks at me as gentle as a dear,
I look at her and wish she still fit on her dock.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
EDRG 3321 T/ Th Chapter 8
I know we have the option of blogging about a fiction book we like, but until recently I had no interest in picking up a book for enjoyment. Now that I have found that reading can be aesthetic, I don't have the time to read because of homework and having a family. Some books I would like to read are the Twilight series. My daughter says there is so much that the movie did not cover or that the film changed. The books are so much better.
Stephanie Meyer is a Christian who has many morals, for example she believes in no sex before marriage and has incorporated this in her writing. Which is a good moral to have for children today with high pregnancy rates and diseases. It is a great role model for children to read and know that it is OK not to.
The Characters in her book are almost real. But not the typical vampire. These vampires sparkle in the sunlight rather than dissolve, they have a reflection and they can be "vegetarian" vampires, meaning they feast on animal blood instead of human blood. I can't wait to find time to read the series.
Stephanie Meyer is a Christian who has many morals, for example she believes in no sex before marriage and has incorporated this in her writing. Which is a good moral to have for children today with high pregnancy rates and diseases. It is a great role model for children to read and know that it is OK not to.
The Characters in her book are almost real. But not the typical vampire. These vampires sparkle in the sunlight rather than dissolve, they have a reflection and they can be "vegetarian" vampires, meaning they feast on animal blood instead of human blood. I can't wait to find time to read the series.
EDRG 3321 Author Profile
Author Margaret Wise Brown is a famous children's author who wrote Good Night Moon and The Run away Bunny. She did not write like the typical fairy tales, she focused on quite times and was gentle in her voice. She never spoke down to her readers.http://www.margaretwisebrown.com/Her_storynew.html
Robert Munsch is a very interesting character. His website is interactive. He was a strange child, he went to school to be a priest, then ended up working at a daycare making up stories. This is were he began writing childrens books, he had so may stories that his wife urged him to publish. http://www.robertmunsch.com/
Friday, October 23, 2009
EDRG 3344 T/R MGP Persuasive
My Persuasive piece is a letter to my students about not littering around lakes, ponds, or beaches because it can harm not only turtles but other animals who inhabit that watery home. So here goes:
Dear Second Grade Students,
This month we have been learning about turtle habitats. We have also created an aquarium habitat for our own classroom turtle, Sheldon. As we have cared and feed our class turtle, we realize that our turtle is a living organism that needs caring and we have grown to love Sheldon. Yet, Sheldon is not the only turtle who needs our help.
Zoologists are scientists who study animals. Zoologists tell us that turtles are being hurt because of human pollution. The ponds, lakes, streams and oceans are not being kept clean. People are throwing trash in the water and the turtles are eating the trash. Some of the trash that scientists have found inside of turtles is foil, Styrofoam, paper, hooks, fishing line and plastic bags. Turtles in the ocean usually eat jellyfish, but when they see a plastic bag in the water they think it is a real jellyfish and eat it. When turtles eat trash they can get very sick and die.
We don’t want to hurt any more turtles. So we need to tell our friends and help to keep the lakes, rivers, and ocean clean to keep turtles healthy. Please throw away all trash into a garbage can. Don’t leave it in or near the water. We will not only help Sheldon’s family but all the other living animals like fish and frogs.
With love,
Ms. Bernal and Sheldon
Dear Second Grade Students,
This month we have been learning about turtle habitats. We have also created an aquarium habitat for our own classroom turtle, Sheldon. As we have cared and feed our class turtle, we realize that our turtle is a living organism that needs caring and we have grown to love Sheldon. Yet, Sheldon is not the only turtle who needs our help.
Zoologists are scientists who study animals. Zoologists tell us that turtles are being hurt because of human pollution. The ponds, lakes, streams and oceans are not being kept clean. People are throwing trash in the water and the turtles are eating the trash. Some of the trash that scientists have found inside of turtles is foil, Styrofoam, paper, hooks, fishing line and plastic bags. Turtles in the ocean usually eat jellyfish, but when they see a plastic bag in the water they think it is a real jellyfish and eat it. When turtles eat trash they can get very sick and die.
We don’t want to hurt any more turtles. So we need to tell our friends and help to keep the lakes, rivers, and ocean clean to keep turtles healthy. Please throw away all trash into a garbage can. Don’t leave it in or near the water. We will not only help Sheldon’s family but all the other living animals like fish and frogs.
With love,
Ms. Bernal and Sheldon
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
EDRG 3321 T/R Author Profile
Steven Kellogg is both an author and illustrator. He has several books to look at on his site. http://www.stevenkellogg.com/ He also has American tall tales such as Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, John Henry and Pecos Bill. They locate the settings of these tales on U.S. maps which is great to teach geography beginning second grade. This a website that takes his books and gives you lesson plans http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?
Audrey Wood has several books and she also writes with her husband Don Woods. Their website has an interactive page for children to copy coloring pages, play games, and cut and paste activities. This author also has picture books.
EDRG 3321 T/R Chapter 7 Blog
The chapter was very interesting. I learned so much about picture books and now I view them differently. I never realized how much is inferred when reading a picture book. I went to the library to pick out a book for class I ended up checking out six picture books so I could read them with my four year old. He loves it and thinks they are so funny. When using picture books for students it can be used as a writing exercise and will help promote higher order thinking along with learning about the genre of art. I now look at the inside cover for what type of medium was used to illustrate and I look at the techniques used in the art work. like hatches used to texture.
I admire the authors of these genre because so much is said with little to no words, just expressions and motion on the pages. Wow!
I admire the authors of these genre because so much is said with little to no words, just expressions and motion on the pages. Wow!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
EDRG 3321 T/R Author Profile
Melanie Watt is both an author and illustrator. She has several book for younger children, like a book about Scaredy Squirrel who never leaves his nut tree because it's way too dangerous. He could encounter tarantulas, green Martians or killer bees. But he's well-prepared. Scaredy Squirrel's emergency kit includes antibacterial soap and a parachute.very cute and funny book http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/author/1263/Melanie-Watt.html
Author David Shannon has three books that I like. The first is Duck on a Bike and the second is A Bad Case of Stripes, about a girl who is worried about what others think. Last is The Bunyans
a spin on the Paul Bunyan story and how his family helped create the wonders of our landscape today. http://www.scholastic.com/titles/nodavid/davidshannon.htm
a spin on the Paul Bunyan story and how his family helped create the wonders of our landscape today. http://www.scholastic.com/titles/nodavid/davidshannon.htm
Kevin Henkes has several books and his web page is cute. He is an author of a book that my daughter loved to read, Chrysanthemum, about a mouse who is embarrassed of her name and kids make fun of it. Most of his stories have a mouse as the main character. Check out the website, http://www.kevinhenkes.com/
Friday, October 9, 2009
EDRG 3321 T/R Chapter 6 blog
I am horrified by the original stories of children's fairy tales that we read to our own kids. I wonder how someone could see the original tales of a bloody murder and think, I could change this for kids, like in the story Little Red Riding hood. Freaky!
I did enjoy the fractured fairy tales, it was a fun twist of other stories that we traditionally tell and hear. Like variations of The Three Little Pigs and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! Also, the story of Cinderella and Cinder Edna. I love how Cinder Edna was so down to earth, she put a dress on layaway then took the bus to and from the ball.
Lastly, I like how chapter 6 has given so many ideas that we can use traditional literature in our classrooms. Also, how we can make it fun and meaningful to our future students, like having puppetry, drama, and ways students can transform a traditional story into a new variation of the original.
Hope y'all have a great weekend. I hope I have a great weekend too, my week has been sleepless with sick little ones.
I did enjoy the fractured fairy tales, it was a fun twist of other stories that we traditionally tell and hear. Like variations of The Three Little Pigs and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! Also, the story of Cinderella and Cinder Edna. I love how Cinder Edna was so down to earth, she put a dress on layaway then took the bus to and from the ball.
Lastly, I like how chapter 6 has given so many ideas that we can use traditional literature in our classrooms. Also, how we can make it fun and meaningful to our future students, like having puppetry, drama, and ways students can transform a traditional story into a new variation of the original.
Hope y'all have a great weekend. I hope I have a great weekend too, my week has been sleepless with sick little ones.
EDRG 3344 T/R MGP Narrative (revision)
A Place for Sheldon
Once upon a time in a pond far, far, away, there lived a turtle named Sheldon. The animals of the pond called him Shel for short. Shel was awkwardly larger than other turtles his same age. Shel never quite fit in and he was wanting more than anything to be good at some thing, anything. His best friend is a dragonfly, named Drake. Drake had lots of ideas to help Shel find a talent he
was good at.
Drake suggested that Shel could try to be a chef, but Shel's arms were to short. Shel would hold a bowl in one claw and a spoon in the other but the mixture could not be stirred because his arms could not reach across his shell. Drake then said, “Well maybe you could be a singer." So Shel and Drake went to go see the best singer of the pond, Froggy the frog. Froggy had a great singing voice. He performed karaoke every night on a lily pad stage. Shel asked Froggy, "Can you teach me how to sing?" Froggy gave Shel some pointers on how to croak karaoke. Then, Shel decided he was ready to try his singing voice out. When he opened his mouth, a horrible sound came out, Screech!!!! So, Drake said, "Maybe if you climb on the lily pad stage, your voice would sound wonderful." Shel struggled to climbed on the lily pad. But before he was even up on the pad, it sank.
Sheldon was so embarrassed and sad because he still could not find his niche in the pond. He could not find what he was great at. Shel just swam away with his head down. Drake the dragonfly found Shel on his log. He told Shel, " Just be yourself and in time you will find who you are suppose to be."
Just then they heard a "Splash!", it was a fish doing her acrobatic routine. The fish was part of a circus show in the pond. Sheldon had an idea. "I could be an acrobat!!!! Excited, he rushed into the water and dove straight to the bottom. He just knew if he got enough speed he could fly into the air and flip just like the fish. He pushed off the bottom of the pond and swam as fast as he could. Which was not very fast. When Shel reached the surface, only his neck came out of the water. "No flying, no flipping! Aahhh!" growled Sheldon. " I can't do anything."
Drake felt so bad for his friend. "There is something you can be good at. Just be yourself and you will be happy," Drake said. Sheldon agreed and said "Maybe your right. Like they say, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The two friends called it a day and went home for the night.
The next morning, Shel woke to the sound of birds chipping. He left the log to find breakfast. After breakfast, Shel basted himself out on top of his log to warm up in the sunlight. Hours went by before Drake came over. Drake was so exited he found something for Shel to do. Earlier, Drake came across the pond's water polo team. They told the dragonfly that if he knew any turtles who were big and strong, to send him to the cattails of the pond. Shel heard Drake but he did not feel confident enough to go.
Shel took three days before he finally was convinced by his friend to go try out for the water polo team. Once Shel arrived at the cattails, he noticed that the other turtles were his same large size. They were missing one team mate and needed a new player. Sheldon tried out for the team and they asked Shel, "Will you help our team go to the championship finals?", Shel didn't hesitate, he
accepted. After two months of being on the water polo team, Shel was a strong player. He was a very good player and was voted the most valuable player. Drake was so proud of his friend.
The pond was all a buzz. All the pond animals were preparing for a parade. Their home water polo team won the championship game. Shel was who everyone was waiting to see in the parade. Shel felt like he finally belonged and he had a purpose in the pond. When Shel was on the float he waved to everyone while Drake rode on top of Shel's shell. Shel turned to see Drake and
told him, "Thank you for always believing in me and standing by my side. Your a great friend."
Once upon a time in a pond far, far, away, there lived a turtle named Sheldon. The animals of the pond called him Shel for short. Shel was awkwardly larger than other turtles his same age. Shel never quite fit in and he was wanting more than anything to be good at some thing, anything. His best friend is a dragonfly, named Drake. Drake had lots of ideas to help Shel find a talent he
was good at.
Drake suggested that Shel could try to be a chef, but Shel's arms were to short. Shel would hold a bowl in one claw and a spoon in the other but the mixture could not be stirred because his arms could not reach across his shell. Drake then said, “Well maybe you could be a singer." So Shel and Drake went to go see the best singer of the pond, Froggy the frog. Froggy had a great singing voice. He performed karaoke every night on a lily pad stage. Shel asked Froggy, "Can you teach me how to sing?" Froggy gave Shel some pointers on how to croak karaoke. Then, Shel decided he was ready to try his singing voice out. When he opened his mouth, a horrible sound came out, Screech!!!! So, Drake said, "Maybe if you climb on the lily pad stage, your voice would sound wonderful." Shel struggled to climbed on the lily pad. But before he was even up on the pad, it sank.
Sheldon was so embarrassed and sad because he still could not find his niche in the pond. He could not find what he was great at. Shel just swam away with his head down. Drake the dragonfly found Shel on his log. He told Shel, " Just be yourself and in time you will find who you are suppose to be."
Just then they heard a "Splash!", it was a fish doing her acrobatic routine. The fish was part of a circus show in the pond. Sheldon had an idea. "I could be an acrobat!!!! Excited, he rushed into the water and dove straight to the bottom. He just knew if he got enough speed he could fly into the air and flip just like the fish. He pushed off the bottom of the pond and swam as fast as he could. Which was not very fast. When Shel reached the surface, only his neck came out of the water. "No flying, no flipping! Aahhh!" growled Sheldon. " I can't do anything."
Drake felt so bad for his friend. "There is something you can be good at. Just be yourself and you will be happy," Drake said. Sheldon agreed and said "Maybe your right. Like they say, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The two friends called it a day and went home for the night.
The next morning, Shel woke to the sound of birds chipping. He left the log to find breakfast. After breakfast, Shel basted himself out on top of his log to warm up in the sunlight. Hours went by before Drake came over. Drake was so exited he found something for Shel to do. Earlier, Drake came across the pond's water polo team. They told the dragonfly that if he knew any turtles who were big and strong, to send him to the cattails of the pond. Shel heard Drake but he did not feel confident enough to go.
Shel took three days before he finally was convinced by his friend to go try out for the water polo team. Once Shel arrived at the cattails, he noticed that the other turtles were his same large size. They were missing one team mate and needed a new player. Sheldon tried out for the team and they asked Shel, "Will you help our team go to the championship finals?", Shel didn't hesitate, he
accepted. After two months of being on the water polo team, Shel was a strong player. He was a very good player and was voted the most valuable player. Drake was so proud of his friend.
The pond was all a buzz. All the pond animals were preparing for a parade. Their home water polo team won the championship game. Shel was who everyone was waiting to see in the parade. Shel felt like he finally belonged and he had a purpose in the pond. When Shel was on the float he waved to everyone while Drake rode on top of Shel's shell. Shel turned to see Drake and
told him, "Thank you for always believing in me and standing by my side. Your a great friend."
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Author Profile EDRG 3321
Author Mo Willems was recommended to me by my mentor teacher. his books are funny. http://www.mowillems.com/ some of his titles are Pigs Make Me Sneeze!, Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus, Elephants Can't Dance.Actress,
Jamie Lee Curtis, also writes childrens books. Jamie Lee Curtis is the author of Big Words for Little People (for empowerment), Is There Really a Human Race? ( self awareness), It's Hard to Be Five (self control), I’m Gonna Like Me (self esteem), Where Do Balloons Go?(imagination and loss), Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day (moods and feeling), Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born, and When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old’s Memoir of Her Youth.http://www.jamieleecurtisbooks.com/meet_jamie.html
Ted Arnold is another good author. Some of his works are Parts, Frogs in Space, Hooray For Fly Guy. http://www.teddarnoldbooks.com/
Thursday, October 1, 2009
EDRG 3321 T/Th Maya Angelou Video
I have always loved to listen and read poetry. I don't understand it sometimes, but that is ok with me. The poem is like a song, it can make me feel sad, happy, calm, and some make me feel at peace. One of my favorite poems is by Sylvia Plath called Morning Song. When you read it one may interpret as a baby's death. But when I read into it more, I now see that it is about a mother and a new born and how she wakes in the night to breast feed her baby. It is so beautiful. Maya Angelou too is a wonderful poet. I enjoyed watching the video and was amazed that she memorized and recited so many poems by memory.
Paul Laurence Dunbar is a poet who influenced Maya Angelou. When she recited his poem It brought up feelings that upset me, due to a situation the happened during my field base. A child was being picked on by a teacher every time he moved, she had labeled him like a caged bird. I ended up getting emotional when I shared my feeling of this poem with Ms. Pickett. Here is the poem:
Sympathy
I know what the caged bird feels.
Ah me, when the sun is bright on the upland slopes,
when the wind blows soft through the springing grass
and the river floats like a sheet of glass,
when the first bird sings and the first bud ops,
and the faint perfume from its chalice steals.
I know what the caged bird feels.
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
till its blood is red on the cruel bars,
for he must fly back to his perch and cling
when he fain would be on the bow aswing.
And the blood still throbs in the old, old scars
and they pulse again with a keener sting.
I know why he beats his wing.
I know why the caged bird sings.
Ah, me, when its wings are bruised and its bosom sore.
It beats its bars and would be free.
It's not a carol of joy or glee,
but a prayer that it sends from its heart's deep core,
a plea that upward to heaven it flings.
I know why the caged bird sings.
Because of this situation and this poem, I feel that I know what kind of a teacher I hope to be. I don't what to be putting a child down, I don't want to tell them they are better when they are not in class, or that they are bothers. I want all my students to feel wanted and that I care. I hope that none of you fall into that ugly teacher that speaks badly of your students and gossips with colleagues about them.
Paul Laurence Dunbar is a poet who influenced Maya Angelou. When she recited his poem It brought up feelings that upset me, due to a situation the happened during my field base. A child was being picked on by a teacher every time he moved, she had labeled him like a caged bird. I ended up getting emotional when I shared my feeling of this poem with Ms. Pickett. Here is the poem:
Sympathy
I know what the caged bird feels.
Ah me, when the sun is bright on the upland slopes,
when the wind blows soft through the springing grass
and the river floats like a sheet of glass,
when the first bird sings and the first bud ops,
and the faint perfume from its chalice steals.
I know what the caged bird feels.
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
till its blood is red on the cruel bars,
for he must fly back to his perch and cling
when he fain would be on the bow aswing.
And the blood still throbs in the old, old scars
and they pulse again with a keener sting.
I know why he beats his wing.
I know why the caged bird sings.
Ah, me, when its wings are bruised and its bosom sore.
It beats its bars and would be free.
It's not a carol of joy or glee,
but a prayer that it sends from its heart's deep core,
a plea that upward to heaven it flings.
I know why the caged bird sings.
Because of this situation and this poem, I feel that I know what kind of a teacher I hope to be. I don't what to be putting a child down, I don't want to tell them they are better when they are not in class, or that they are bothers. I want all my students to feel wanted and that I care. I hope that none of you fall into that ugly teacher that speaks badly of your students and gossips with colleagues about them.
EDRG 3344 T/TH Benefits of Talking
Talking is very beneficial in a classroom and helps students academically. Talking promotes higher-level thinking by making students think more about the story , also causes them to reread the text to confirm the question or comment. Furthermore, those questions and comments made help other children, who may be lost, to understand what is going on within a story. Talking also helps build language proficiency, helps gain confidence, and gets the quiet students to participate.
I know that talking benefits me as a student. In school, I was always quite and just sat back to absorb information. When giving an oral report or speech, I would have such anxiety. I hated to speak out. Now, I still shake a little but I am able to perform. I love that in our classes, talking and participation in encouraged. I have been able to learn more about not only the subject but my fellow classmates. In turn, I feel more confident in speaking during class because they are on longer strangers. We are a community.
The debate we had in class, Snickers v. Twix, is a great example. As each side of the classroom argued back and forth, I noticed people who usually don't say anything, speak up to give they ideas toward the debate. Even though the topic was silly it was a great learning experience to be a part of and a tool that we can use in our classrooms. That was so FUN!
I know that talking benefits me as a student. In school, I was always quite and just sat back to absorb information. When giving an oral report or speech, I would have such anxiety. I hated to speak out. Now, I still shake a little but I am able to perform. I love that in our classes, talking and participation in encouraged. I have been able to learn more about not only the subject but my fellow classmates. In turn, I feel more confident in speaking during class because they are on longer strangers. We are a community.
The debate we had in class, Snickers v. Twix, is a great example. As each side of the classroom argued back and forth, I noticed people who usually don't say anything, speak up to give they ideas toward the debate. Even though the topic was silly it was a great learning experience to be a part of and a tool that we can use in our classrooms. That was so FUN!
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