MGP: Descriptive Piece

A Recycled Playground

A recycled playground was right outside.
It would be a place for us all to run, seek, jump, and hide.

How had it all been made?

The bright red and shiny metal monkey bars,
were made from rough textured plumbers pipes and used parts of Toyota cars.

The black and green swings that dangled so perfectly,
were made from thread and old tires and positioned right under the trees.

The slide was bright yellow and about five feet high,
it came from refurbished trash cans just nearby.

Last but not least was the clubhouse!

The rosy wooden doors and windows were perfectly aligned,
made from carpenters scraps that were not too tough to find.

The only thing left to do was play!
That goodness for recycling, or this playground would not be here today.

How To & Poetry

How to Make your School into a Recycling Success:

Supplies Needed:
· Eight new plastic trash bins.
· Bright green construction paper.
· Arts and crafts supplies: (tape, glue, scissors, etc.)
· Large and visible labels (best to use 8 ½ by 11 piece of computer paper)
· A group of fellow classmates (about eight students would be enough.)

1.) First, cut out eight recycle symbols using the bright green construction paper. EX:
2.) Second, take a piece of computer paper to make your labels. You will need to have three labels titled PAPER, two labels titled PLASTICS, another two labels titled CANS, and one container titled ELECTRONICS.
3.) Third, each student involved is to decorate their own trash bin with the recycling symbol and the proper label.
4.) Next, place the trash bins at any entrances or exits to the school or main meeting places such as the cafeteria, gym, etc.
5.) Once the bins have been created and put in different areas, place used paper, plastics, can goods, or electronic materials in the proper container where they belong.
6.) SPREAD THE WORD! Continue to tell your fellow classmates and peers about the importance of recycling and get them involved.

Poetry:

My Beard

My beard grows down to my toes,
I never wears no clothes,
I wraps my hair
Around my bare,
And down the road I goes.

By: Shel Silverstein

This poem has great imagery. Using this poem in the class room would be a great opportunity to see how vivid and lifelike the poem comes to life. A great example of how to test and explain imagery to the students would be to have the students read the poem aloud or even read it to them. Next have the students draw a picture of what they imagine this beard and person would look like. Once they have created their own pictures they can even compare it to the one by Shel Silverstein. Lastly, it would be essential to explain the imagery component to the students by telling them that a paper, poem, or letter can be so descriptive but not too overcrowded with words that it can cause the reader to picture or imagine what the character or situation looks like.

Narrative Story

A Narrative is a story that shows a sequence of events. A narrative includes other components as well. The genre of the story can be true, fiction, fantasy, etc. A narrative story portrays a crystal clear sense of a beginning, middle, and end. This is a great way for students to define their introduction, body, and conclusion of their paper. Like other stories, a narrative must also have significant details and an audience other than the writer.

Writing workshop is a great opportunity for students to reflect on their own pieces of work as well as those of their fellow classmates. After the students have formed a circle, one person is allowed to read their piece while the other students maintain respect and practice their listening skills. Once the student has read their paper, the listeners have the opportunity to give their own comments and this can be applied through the sandwich theory. In the sandwich theory the students can state what they liked about the paper, ask any questions they may have had, and then finish the sandwich up with a positive statement that can provide a different insight to the writer. Eventually everyone in the story has the opportunity to do this and lastly everyone will do their own editing. Overall this is a great process for the students as they can reflect on their work and any changes that they may make to increase the quality of their paper.

MGP Plans

I will be doing my MGP for third grade, science, and recycling.

Narrative: I will write a short story about the importance of recycling.
Expository: I will create a step by step pamphlet on how recycling should be carried out.
Persuassive: I will write a letter from an animal in danger who wants to convince the class that recycling can save his habitat.
Descriptive: I will create a poem on details of the benefits of recycling.

Talking:
A basic definition of talking is to converse by means of spoken language. Talking allows people to communicate and exchange information.

Talking...Beneficial???
Talking can be beneficial in a classroom if it is applied in the right maner. Communication is a great key for successs! Talking allows students to speak with one another and when students are at the same age levels, they typically have a different way of presenting information to other students in the classroom. Comparing strategies to math problems or ideas for english papers can be discussed on a whole new level between students themselves....rather than the typical student teacher discussions.

Talking in the Classroom:
There are several types of methods that can engage talking in the class room such as literature circles, group chats, KWL charts, debates, drama, Readers Theatre, etc. You can have one on one conversations or small groups of about three to five students. One on one, partner, or even small groups allow students to feed off of eachothers ideas. For example, in literature circles the students can share with their group what feelings they had about the reading or topics they were assigned. One idea will eventually spark another, and creativity is always essential in a students writing. Another way to use talking in the classroom, which is also a fun way, is using it in dramas. Allowing the students to take part in reading different roles of characters in a story can be fun for them as they have the chance to put their own spark into the story.

LISTENING:
Listening is such an important factor no matter where you are. Whether its school, work, home, or even out on the road driving listening is what allows us to communicate and respond to the world around us. The definition of listening is to be able to communicate with another being and understand the meaning of what they are saying. The four different types of listening are discriminative, aesthetic, efferent, and critical listening. I can personally say that I have used each one of these types of listening on a daily basis. For example, discriminative listening is kind of the one I feel a little guilty about as I simply pick and choose what I want to hear. I sometimes tend to do this to when my sister calls me and tells me about all of the ‘drama’ and exaggerations she makes about her situations. I simply choose to hear bits and pieces of information but I never manage to hear the whole story. Within aesthetic listening, I find that I use this type the most. I prefer to listen to particular songs or music and I’d much rather listen to my friends than listen to the news on television. While I prefer aesthetic listening it also ties in with discriminative listening as I’m choosing what I like best to listen to. Efferent listening seems to be what calls for more determination and focus in my point of view. If I’m watching the news and listening about Obama and his new ideals, then I’d be practicing efferent listening; however, I’d also have to fight falling asleep as in this particular example I find my self not interested at all. Lastly is critical listening, and here I think the best example of this was the debate we had in class. It was amazing how this section of listening was tested as I had wanted to find every way to come up with the best responses for our team in the debate, yet I still had to listen carefully to what the other team said to prove that our candy was still the best.

DEBATE:
The most challenging part of the debate was being able to listen to what the other team had to say. This was similar to how many people react when they get into an argument. The main reason why this is so tough is because no matter what the situation either a debate or an argument each side wants to be right and wants to win. I can definitely say I used the discriminative aspect of listening as I heard just enough of what I wanted to turn that into a point that could be argued. It was taking a small piece of information, proving it wrong, and discharging whatever else was being said. The one thing that made it so difficult was wanting to win the debate…even though the other team still had some really really really good points about why their candy was the best.

CHAPTER 2:
“Remember the first week when we had to really work at walking quietly? Now you guys do it automatically”
This is the teacher talk I found most important. The reason why is because it reminds students of their past actions or learning abilities and still gives them room for improvement to see that they have made progress. This also allows the students to reflect on their past abilities such as reading or writing and ask them how they have seen that have improved. More than anything, this give the students a boost of self-esteem and in a sense leaves them only wanting to continue doing better. Lastly, this not only gives students a chance to reflect but it also gives them the opportunity to set goals for their short and long term futures.

RAFT & Capable Writing

RAFT Response:

Role: Bill in Congress
Audience: Congressperson
Format: Lecture
Topic: Why I need to be passed, Strong Verb: Compromise

Some important things we need to discuss today are the importance of myself and reasons for my place in society. The reason I'm addressing this is because I am in no room for compromise, as I am here to make this economy better. As you do know I must be passed and funded before anything that I stand for can come to pass. The new information that I have chosen to present to you deals with what changes need to be made to today economy. I will replace any kind of welfare program that seems to benefit people who simply take advantage of it and replace the welfare program with a help aid/work program. In this program adults will be placed on a two week help study in which funds and any other aid can be provided to them. After the two week period the adult must begin looking for a job or looking into another education option to further their career opportunities. There will be extensive help and advice provided during this time as well by trained officials. After this two week period adults will be making their way into a new career and thus will no longer need the welfare program for extended periods of time. The extra money that is provided will be placed into a different program to benefit and fund schools that are not financially funded as well as others. There is obvious explanation and reasoning for passing me, as I bring nothing but positive into today’s society.


Capable Writer???

I would have to say that I personally do use many of the strategies that capable writers do. For example, I choose to present my material in a matter that will please the reader. If I am simply talking about my own interests which may seem amazing to me and yet dead boring to another person, I will try my best to enhance the reader and get them involved in my writing. Secondly I also value my peer responses to a great magnitude. If I get positive or even negative feedback from other peers who have read my writing, I choose to reread and redraft my paper. After all, having an outsiders perspective on my paper is always a helpful tool to let me know if what I am trying to say is being understood or not. One of the strategies of a capable writer that I find a bit difficult to use is postponing the editing until the end. As we discussed in class it is almost impossible to ignore the red and green squiggly lines that come about when you are typing a paper. Lastly I also find it a tad bit difficult to judge the quality of writing especially if I am judging my own writing. I usually tend to be harder on myself when it comes to thinking about my own paper and writing abilities rather than when it comes to reading some one else’s work. Over all I guess I would say I lean more towards a capable writer but still have a few areas I need to brush up on.

Chapter 3 Blog:

The reading and writing processes can be viewed as the fundamentals that allow students to become successful in their reading and writing habits. The reading process has five different stages that can be used as stepping stones for growth in a student’s reading abilities. The first step is pre reading. Within this step the student is to set a purpose for reading and to preview the text. This in my opinion seems particularly important because if the student is not sparked or interested in the book from the start then they will generally have a negative approach to the remainder of the book. The second stage is reading. This can be completed with a one on one, one to many, or one person basis. The students can choose to partake in buddy reading, guided reading, or even independent reading. The third stage is responding. Here the children are to take action in what they have read. They can do this through group activities about the book or also by writing in reading logs or journals. Fourth is the Exploring stage. This is where the students can take a look back at what they read and examine the authors style or craft. The students can also explore new vocabulary words that may not be spoken in their current time frame. (Such as the example we discussed in class in regards to a book on Rosa Parks and using the ‘N’ word). Lastly, the fifth step is applying. The students will continue to deepen their interpretations and value found in the reading experience through further research or even tests.
The writing process also has stages just as the reading process does. The first stage in the writing process is prewriting. This can involve brainstorming, discussions, or outlining and this is done to simply organize your thoughts. The next step is drafting and this can include several copies of your paper however each one is revised in further depth. The third step is revising and this is where you can add further elaboration and the main purpose of this is to change sentence structure and wording. For example, some specifics and details can be added to basic points in your paper. The fourth step is editing which includes spelling and grammar check and the main purpose for this step is to insure that any grammatical errors have been corrected. Lastly is the publishing step and this is when students can share and display a finished paper.
I personally can remember the writing steps and processes that were carried out when I attended elementary school all the way through high school, and it was as if you couldn’t move on to step two unless step one had been accomplished. The writing process in particular was what helped me most. I especially appreciated when a teacher would provide us with a rubric or check off list as it always seemed to make things a whole lot easier. With a rubric you were still able to express what you wanted to express but you would have the ability to see what was expected from you in your paper. In a sense it was like grading your own paper once you had finished and it indeed called for a greater sense of accountability. In regards to the reading process, I would say that I can’t really remember the reading stages nor do I remember it help in understanding the material in the books. In my elementary school years we had the Accelerated Reader Program. This was where you had to reach a certain amount of points based on the books that you read. Unfortunately, reading simply to earn points left me hating reading. I didn’t really have much of a chance to appreciate the book or take time to write about it…it was simply read the book, take a multiple choice test about it online and then move on to book number two to accumulate more points. I definitely know I would not want to have the Accelerated Reader Program practiced within my school.

Chapter 4 Blog:

The current approach to how children receive language arts instruction in kindergarten through second grade is called emergent literacy. The amazing fact about emergent literacy is that it incorporates both reading and writing for the child, and it also broadens their concepts of cultural and social aspects of literacy as well. In order for children to learn and attain the information presented to them in the literary aspect, they tend to move from simply recognizing environmental print, such as signs, symbols, etc, to actually being able to read the text in a book. In order for children to progress into other levels, they must also become aware of the phonemes, phonics, vowels, consonants, and so much more. The question is how to apply all of this to a classroom in order to help the student attain and simply understand the information. First it would be important to recognize how the child is capable of progressing. One of the main focuses in the chapter was regarding how both reading and writing have three stages as children progress. The three stages include emergent, beginning, and fluent.
Within the emergent stage of reading, the child is able to understand the purpose of books and the fact that books allow communication to occur. Children pick up on predictable books and then move on to the beginning reading stage. I can remember reading to my younger niece when she was about two years old. It was one of her favorite picture books. Immediately when I was finished she asked for me to read it again. Not only that but she was also able to tell me or show me parts of the book that she liked best before we had even turned to the next page. She had not only picked up on the book because it was predictable but also because of the repetition. Also during this stage is where children begin their phonemes and also how to make sense of words. Lastly in the fluent reading, children have learned how to read in that they are able to recognize most words and can understand them particularly well. A great way to help children with this process in the classroom can be through shared reading. Shared reading not only allows the children to read the book to the class, but is also calls for rereading, discussing and responding to the book, and to have the children read it themselves independently.
As previously mentioned, writing also has a similar approach. In the first stage, the children make scribbles to represent writing. Progress can be shown as children begin to line up their scribbles rather than having them in random places on the paper. Next is where children begin writing. A key issue to this stage is that children are able to recall the alphabetic principles and they also reflect on their phoneme and vowels to allow them to create their own invented spellings. Lastly is fluent writing when children begin to write paragraphs and are able to vary their writing according to genre. A great tool that can be used in the classroom in regards to writing is called interactive writing which allows each child to write their own views on the writing activity that has been assigned and also allows them to present this to the class as well.

Chapter 1 Blog:

While all students differ in character and intelligence levels, there are still characteristics that determine how students are able to learn or process information. The first step is referred to as rehearsal, which is simply repeating the information over and over. A great example of this is found in children's books such as Dr.Seuss. Second is predicting. This is where the students are able to anticipate or guess what will happen. The best example I can think of for this is a hypothesis in a science project. Next is organizing and this allows the students to group information into categories. Elaborating is the fourth step and this is where the student expands on information that has been presented to them. This step may call for the student to make connections and to give specifics and details. Lastly is monitoring, which is regulating or keeping track of progress.

The six components of language arts are listening, talking, reading, writing, viewing and visual representing. I think teaching language arts sets the foundation for how children learn and will succeed in any subject area. All of the components of language arts are required for a student to comprehend any new material presented to them. For example, if a student is unable to listen or to read they will have no way of comprehending a new assignment or task that has been given to them in the school or home setting nor will they be able to rehearse or predict any story or material presented to them. Teaching language arts sets up how a child is able to process information and it is truly vital that this is done correctly as it will have a lasting effect on the student in either a positive or negative manner.