Blog Archives

Music Appreciation: Man in the Mirror

7/31/2013

Students are often called upon to read "chorally".
That is, they read together simultaneously as a group.

Repeating this practice assists young readers with reading fluency -
the speed, accuracy, and inflection of oral reading.

Why not, since it's called "choral" reading anyway, actually read the chorus of a song?

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Infographic: The Snowy Owl

7/30/2013

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I once saw a beautiful owl that looked similar to one of these.
It was perched in a tree, just five feet away from me, in the wild.
We stood and stared at each other for several minutes before going about our business.

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Mood Music: Don't You Worry Child

7/29/2013

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Sometimes, when we go to the movies or as we watch a show on TV, we are transported into the plot. Directors understand that their selection of background music can change and enhance a scene.

Now it is time to turn it around. This time, the music comes first. Do not watch the video; instead, let the music lead your imagination. As it plays, allow it to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written. Then, write the scene. Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing. At the end, you will share your writing. Will it stand on its own, without the music in the background?

Close your eyes.

Listen to the music.

Create a visual story in your mind.

Write your story as you listen a second time.

Tweak your scene.

Share your scene with the class.

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Super Citizens: With Great Power...

7/28/2013

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...comes great responsibility. It is the one line from Spider-man that most of us can remember. And it is that masterfully-crafted line that defines the Peter Parker character. The realization that he has a magnified responsibility constantly plagues Peter. It is the ongoing emotional struggle whirling within him that makes him vulnerable, and it is vulnerability that makes us care about him so much.

There was no way he could have known his Uncle Ben would die, but that doesn't keep Peter from beating himself up. He leaves Uncle Ben (who could cook a mean pot of rice back in the day), and walks, unaided by his spidey powers, into the setting moonlight. His head hangs low as he considers that his special abilities make him more responsible than others. He bears such a heavy load on his shoulders, not because he wants it, but because it has been thrust upon him.

As we work our ways through life on Planet Earth, we must also pick up responsibilities here and there. These roles appear when we advance through learning situations, graduate through new levels in our jobs, and develop new abilities and interests. If we fail to acknowledge them, we will fail in our field of study. If we try to ignore them, we will be exposed as frauds. If we fail to pick them up, we will be forever incomplete.

My hope is for my students to find and uphold their responsibilities now and throughout their lives. Not because I pointed them out, but because they have searched for how to help others and improve themselves.

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The Science of Superheroes: Flight

7/27/2013

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The 2013/4 theme for Cecil Floyd Elementary is Super Citizens.
One does not have to have superpowers to be a good citizen,
but it might be fun to imagine that we can fly.

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Book Review: 13 Gifts

7/26/2013

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I enjoyed the first book in this series, 11 Birthdays. Even thought I didn't read the second book, I expected this third book to be as unique as the first. It was not.

One of the longer selections on this year's list, 13 Gifts fails to capture the mystery and mystique of the original tome.

From Wendy Mass's website, here is a description of the book:

It doesn’t take long for Tara Brennan to realize that breaking into school to steal a goat while wielding a can of pepper spray is not a good idea. As punishment for her misdeed, Tara’s parents send her to the sleepy little town of Willow Falls to stay with relatives she hardly knows, including her eleven-year-old cousin Emily, who, the last time they were together, ate an entire stick of glue. Tara quickly learns that Emily isn’t even remotely the strangest person in town. There’s a boy who sings in the bottom of an empty pool, two best friends who use blackboards to Communicate...and a green-eyed girl who may—or may not—be dating the world’s hottest teen movie star...

Due to another huge lapse in judgment, Tara finds herself beholden to perhaps the strangest person of all: Angelina D’Angelo. If Tara can’t collect thirteen mysterious objects for the old woman in time for her rapidly approaching thirteenth birthday, the consequences will be REALLY BAD. Like losing-her- immortal-soul kind of bad. And that’s just for starters! Tara’s adventures take her and her new friends to places they’d never thought they’d find, some in the real world, and a lot deep inside themselves.

13 Gifts seemed to be just a series of coincidences that were very hard to believe. At some point, I felt myself yearning for a quick ending. All the problems in the story came to resolutions far too easily, without much struggle for the main character. The author would have done better with a smaller number than thirteen, as things became too repetitive.

Additionally, the inclusion of Jewish traditions, while interesting, seemed a stretch for this particular storyline. It appears that the author wanted to inject a cultural element into what otherwise could have been a fun story.

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Sports Science: Torque

7/25/2013

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You say you don't like math and science, and you only want to play sports? You might want to think about all the math and science it actually takes to master each sport. From bowling to football, from gymnastics to snowboarding, you may be surprised where math and science will show up!

Make a list. Where can you find science and math in this video? Be ready to talk about this in class.

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Art Appreciation: Sports III

7/24/2013

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Now is your chance to prove it.

Look closely at the picture at the left.
Carefully consider everything you see.

Think about what might have happened
before and after this scene.

Now write the scene as the best story you can.
Use all the visual imagery
you can muster in your writing.
At the end, you will share your writing.
Can you repaint the picture with your words?

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Video Flash Cards: Multiplying Sixes

7/23/2013

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The following are music videos to help math students who are struggling with multiplying numbers
times six.

Think of these as video flash cards.

Work on these diligently, every evening and on weekends, at home, until you can work them quickly.
If you need to, get some actual flash cards
and study those, as well.

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Infographic: Whitetailed Deer

7/22/2013

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We have many deer like this in our area of the planet -
even some that explore the backside of my property at home.

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Music Appreciation: It's Christmas Time

7/21/2013

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Super Citizens: Mild-Mannered

7/20/2013

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First, let me just say that I believe, right or wrong, we all have alter-egos. Batman's is Bruce Wayne (Don't tell the commissioner.). Spider-man's is Peter Parker, who incidentally did not pick a peck of anything pickled. Perhaps the most unsuper of all alter-egos, however, is that of Superman and his Clark Kent, whose only physical disguise is his glasses and a lack of tights.

Kent is described as mild-mannered. In many portrayals, he is a hick farm boy, a clumsy reporter, and a nerd. He purposefully portrays himself as a weakling so no one will suspect he is actually stronger than a locomotive. Even the female in his life has a not-very-secret crush on Superman while, at the same time, she even seems to loathe Clark Kent.

It is the Kent character that we all relate to, isn't it? We know we will never leap tall buildings, but we will always be noticed more than the bespectacled reporter. Or perhaps we relate to him because we, too, do not want to be noticed. We hide in plain sight, never raising our hands, never going out on a limb, never going the extra mile. Maybe we don't want to shine like a shooting star or stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe we are scared of humiliation or embarrassment, or maybe we will find out we are not as good at something than we thought.

Some of us need to learn how to let those waters roll off of our backs, to not be bothered so much by what other people think. Too many times do we allow others to direct the ways we turn, and too often do we let them throw us off track altogether. We need to put ourselves out there more often, try new things, and take risks. Occasionally, w should raise our hands even if we might get the answer wrong.

Others of us could use a nice dose of mild-mannered in our lives. We try to hard to impress other people, when we could more easily be ourselves. Sometimes we care so much about what other people think that we fail to see what we have to offer. And so what if we don't get the headiest girl on the block. So what if we aren't acknowledged for our great achievement. We don't do things for the recognition anyway, do we? We do things because they are the right things to do.

Let us all seek to be a little more mild-mannered (humble) and a lot less concerned with making our peers look up to us (unless you really can fly).

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Mood Music: Skyrim

7/19/2013

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Close your eyes.

Listen to the music.

Create a visual story in your mind.

Write your story as you listen a second time.

Tweak your scene.

Share your scene with the class.

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Art Appreciation: Lawn

7/18/2013

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Now is your chance to prove it.

Look closely at the picture below. Carefully consider everything you see.

Think about what might have happened before and after this scene.

Now write the scene as the best story you can.
Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing. At the end, you will share your writing.
Can you repaint the picture with your words?

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The Science of Superheroes

7/17/2013

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The 2013/4 theme for Cecil Floyd Elementary is Super Citizens.
If superpowers were real, which would you choose?

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