The Hoggatteer Experience - THE HOGGATTEER REVOLUTION

Book: Save Me a Seat

10/31/2018

Save Me a Seat is told in two voices, from two points of view. Joe and Ravi take turns telling about their observations in school and their respective views about the class bully.

Along the way, this book teaches the reader about Indian culture, as Ravi's family is quite traditional. The author, Sarah Weeks, does an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere of an Indian family along with their expectations for their son.

From the author's website:

Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they’re both stuck in the same place: SCHOOL.

Joe’s lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own.

Ravi’s family just moved to America from India, and he’s finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in.

Joe and Ravi don’t think they have anything in common, but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

I haven't read a book this quickly in a while, taking it 50 pages at a time and finishing in about four days. Save Me a Seat drove me forward in unexplainable ways, though I still wanted more for the ending. It seemed as if things were just getting started when the last page arrived.

George Washington: Pent-Up Feelings

10/30/2018

There is more than one way that I am not like George Washington: he was able to hide his feelings, while I tend to wear mine on my sleeve. Most people know when I am angry. Most people know when I am tearful. I only wish I could hide myself like the general did.

Sometimes, however, it would seem that when the general kept those pent-up emotions to himself that accompany failure, or sadness, or even joy, he did so to his own detriment. I'm not one of those It's-better-to-talk-about-our-emotions people; I'm just not ready to admit that we are all the same and deal with our emotions in the same way. But at the same time, it would appear that our George could be rather aloof at times. It was hard for him to outwardly admit his mistakes. And for that reason, it is sometimes difficult for us to understand his thought processes. Writes Edward Lengel:

What he might have felt privately is more difficult to determine, for by this time Washington had become as expert at hiding his inner thoughts from contemporaries and from posterity.

Did he feel the sting of loss? Was he saddened when hundreds of his men died on the battlefield under his leadership? Of course. But he doesn't appear to have shown much of that side of himself in the presence of others, choosing instead to put positive spins on their positions. He knew he had to keep motivate and not discourage.

Still, he is known to have complained often to congressional leaders. We have plenty of records of Washington blaming the poor behaviors of his armies for their failure, and there are numerous examples of times when he complained about poor provisions, pay, and conditions. With all of the times that Washington had to put forth a confident face, there had to have been times when he vented to his generals and to Congress.

The other times he would cut loose were on the dance floor. It may not have much to do with his leadership or to his military days, but when George felt the rhythm, apparently he could cut quite a rug. Having seen the atrocities of war, and even condoned some unthinkable punishments or trickery himself, these times of showing his human side are refreshing. When backed to the wall (or to the river) as he often was, with neighboring communities writing off the cause, and with Congress itself abandoning Philadelphia in retreat, George Washington may have been the only person who could lead his ragtag team to victory.

What do we know about this that might help a fourth grader?

Some things are better left unsaid. We all should develop discrepancy for what should be said and what may be kept to ourselves.
Try to build each other up whenever possible. Encourage the positive.
Find someone to talk to when you need to talk something out. Don't always keep it bottled up.
Contents under pressure have a tendency to explode.

Be More Us

10/29/2018

Making friends is not always easy.

Take a little time to watch this video:

Now for some questions:

Have we forgotten how to make friends?
When you meet a person, is it immediately easy to have a conversation? Why or why not?
Is it unusual to approach a stranger and make friends? Are there dangers involved?
Can it be enjoyable to be alone, or must we always have someone with us? Is it OK to eat alone?
What was the most touching moment in this short video?
Must a person be like you to be your friend? Can you be friends with a person who is different from you? How many ways were the folks in this video different?
What punctuation mark did you see the most of in this video? What does that tell you about carrying on a mature conversation?

A Message from the King

10/28/2018

Mood Music

Art Appreciation

Study the painting here (right).

What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
What is happening?
Write your thoughts.

George III

King George III was the king of Great Britain when the American Colonies began to revolt. His father had died, and George became king at a young age.

Life in Britain during the Georgian era was quite different from the life we enjoy in 21st century United States. The first video (top right) will give you some ideas about who the colonies were up against. Be sure to look for King George III as you watch the video.

Lyn-Manuel Miranda wrote a comical, more approachable, version for the hit musical, Hamilton, a version of which resides in the video here (bottom right).

Recorded by Rick Atkinson in his book, The British Are Coming, is a more serious 1777 letter from London to America. By that time, apparently, George III became more and more frustrated with the situation in the colonies:

His Mastey intends to open this year's campaign with ninety thousand Hessians, Tories, Negroes, Japanese, Moors, Esquimaux, Persian archers, Laplanders, Feejee Islanders, and light horse...Ye dumb-founded, infatuated, back-bestridden, nose-ledd-about, priest ridden, demagogue-beshackled and Congress-becrafted independents, fly, fly, oh fly, for protection to the royal standard, or ye will be swept from the face of the earth.

Music Appreciation

You'll Be Back

A Written Response

Well, that was his point of view. It's your turn now. You have been chosen to write the official response to the king from the united colonies. What ideas will you include to refute his message?

The Madness of King George

George III reigned for around 60 years. After the Revolutionary War, which lost the colonies, George suffered from mental illness, causing him to be forever remembered for his "madness". Though we might make light of his mental illness, in reality George III was an intelligent, family man, and he was not without feeling. One biographer wrote that the king "was never known to sign a death warrant without expressing visible emotions." Regarding the potential loss of the colonies, an important part of his empire, George III expressed the following:

I do not pretend to any superior abilities, but will give place to no one in meaning to preserve the freedom, happiness, & glory of the dominions & all their inhabitants, and to fulfill the duty to my God...That I have erred is undoubted, otherwise I should not be human. But...where I have failed, it has been from the head, not the heart.

Three videos follow. The first is a presentation by author Rick Atkinson. The second takes a look at evidence examined in a valuable George III artifact. The third, while irreverent, puts George into perspective along the royal line of British kings.

Music Appreciation: You'll Be Back

10/27/2018

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?

Well, Should You?

10/26/2018

Here is a great flow chart for a person who has a Growth Mindset. If you want to GET better, if you want to BE better, if you want to KEEP getting better, there is a simple solution. Push forward. Challenge yourself. Play up. Practice. And never quit.

JPM: A Contrast of Executions

10/25/2018

There are two notable executions that compose an ugly component of the American Revolution - those of the Patriot spy Nathan Hale and British Army Major John André, who assisted and got caught up in the traitorous escape of Benedict Arnold. Joseph Plumb Martin weighs in on the contrast between the two from his point of view.

Concerning Hale, Martin notes that he was executed as a spy on Long Island, in 1776, "without shadow of a trial; denying him the use of a Bible or the assistance of a clergyman in his last moments, and destroying the letters he had written to his widowed mother and other relations.

André, on the other hand and according to Martin, was brought to headquarters, "where he was examined, condemned and executed". He continues: "He was an interesting character. There has been a great deal said about him, but he was but a man, and no better, nor had he better qualifications than the brave Captain Hale, whom the British commander caused to be executed as a spy." He reports that André was afforded "every indulgence allowed him that could be granted with propriety".

Martin closes the book on the matter with a harsh, "[L]et all who pity André so much, look at it and be silent."

Reading the quick account from a soldier who himself laid eyes on André is chilling. With some four years separating the two executions, much had changed in the war. With some 240 years passing between then and now, it is interesting to consider the decisions that were made so long ago.

As Joseph Plumb Martin notices, each "but a man, and no better". That includes the lowest private to the highest general. I continue to discover that even the men and women we regard as our heroes are greatly flawed and make mistakes, and I cannot imagine the torments they must have experienced that caused history to unfold in just the manner that it did. We do well to recognize that the same is true of today's leaders and citizens are faced with the same hard choices. They, too, deserve our patience and support to make the best ones for our time.

Aeolus in Concert

10/24/2018

Tuesday brought classical music to Cecil Floyd in the form of a globe-trotting string quartet called Aeolus. Two violins, one viola, and a cello played Beethoven and Bach as well as modern film composers. Members of the quartet introduced students to their instruments and sounds before asking them to listen to the music differently - through emotion, by thinking of colors, and by envisioning a story.

Hoggatteers had done their homework ahead of the concert by scanning the artists' website and perusing their individual bios. We made it a point to learn some of their background information so that if we had the opportunity to ask questions, our questions could be more focused and personal.

Following the presentation, and while others were exiting, I allowed my students to greet the performers with handshakes. It was a real-world experience for the things we've learned about greeting others with impressive eye contact. The same was true of our recent field trip to Bluff Dwellers Cave. Guides at the cave were giddy when faced with nine- and ten-year-olds looking them in the eyes and presenting themselves with firm shakes of the hand. They giggled and laughed when students greeted them, indicating to us that they weren't used to that type of treatment. Tuesday's musicians were more accepting of the treatment.

Students must understand the importance of giving a good first impression, so we use every opportunity we're faced with to give them some practice.

Conductors and Insulators: Light Those Lights (Or Not)

10/23/2018

These days, Mrs. Friend, our student-teacher, is helping students figure out what kinds of things conduct (or do not conduct) electricity. We don't always have class in the dark, but when we do, we keep batteries and light bulbs in hand.

Aeolus Quartet

10/22/2018

On Tuesday, students will be charmed by the classical styings of the Aeolus Quartet, brought to us by ProMusica Joplin. Through hard work and lots of practice, this world-touring ensemble has established some impressive credentials.

The Survey Says...

10/21/2018

(Liberty) Bell Work

Sentence Surgery
Read the sentence below. Do you see any problems? Do not rewrite the sentence. In fact, don't even fix the sentence. Instead, on your paper, tell the writer three things that need to be corrected.

what was gorge Washingtons' frist job

Sentence Augmentation*
Augment the sentence below to greatly improve it. Record your improved sentence on your paper.

He was a hard worker.

*Augment: make (something) greater by adding to it

Word Work

Using George Washington's name, create a list of words to fit in the categories below.
Pay particular attention to spelling patterns.

George
(one-syllable words beginning with g)

Washington
(three-syllable words)

Word Wise

Define the following words:

compass

survey

On Target

Write the target number in the "bull's eye".
In the 20 other open sections of the target,
write equations to equal the target number.

Today's number is 11.

For example, if the target number is 36, the student may write expressions like the examples here (right).

6 squared
2 x 18
3 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8
72/2
3 x 3 x 4

Quick Write: Imagine yourself in a different century and describe an average day in your life.

ART APPRECIATION

Analyze the painting shown here. Check out the details.

What do you notice?
What do you think is happening?
What caused the scene in the painting?
What might happen after the scene shown?
What does this piece make you wonder?

FIrst Job

When George Washington was 11, his father died. George did not pursue a college education. Everything he learned beyond this, he learned from experience and personal study.

When George was in his upper teens, before he was a soldier and the leader of our nation, he was a surveyor That is, he measured land and recorded his findings on paper. You can spot some of his actual surveys on the Mount Vernon page about this topic. You can also read about his experience on that page.

Let's measure something using real tools. Let's measure and map our classroom, our hallway, and our playground. By the way, you can check out Washington's actual compass, used for the purpose of measuring angles while he surveyed the land.

Check out modern surveying in the first video above. Then watch the second video about Gunter chains.

Now it's your turn: let's get outside to survey a small plot of land for ourselves.

George Washington: Lead By Example

10/20/2018

In January of 1777, Continental soldiers were retreating in a battle that they should have been winning. General Washington proceeded to ride his horse to the front of the fighting forces and cross between the two armies with neither himself nor his horse being shot. Showing great bravery, Washington's actions encouraged many of his troops to return to the fight where they were victorious.

I have long understood that a leader should be willing to lead by example - that a leader should be willing to jump in with both feet and work alongside his minions. This kind of leader is rare. I had the opportunity to work under such a man in the mid-1980s, before I entered the teaching field. I worked at a catfish farm and outdoor recreation area in El Reno, Oklahoma. The beautiful setting for my job was known as The Wilds, named after the owners. Lynn Wilds was the younger brother in the family, just a few years older than I. You can find what I wrote about that job and others on my Back in Time page, but here is how I wrote about Lynn, a boss who never expected me to do anything that he wasn't willing to do. He took the time to teach me as we worked.

As a boss, Lynn was not afraid to lead by example, usually outworking anyone on staff. He also was not afraid to get dirty. I watched him unclog the grease trap at the restaurant with his bare hands, and remember helping him muck the stalls in the barn. And of course, he could skin a catfish alongside the best of us.

Speaking of dirty jobs, he and I drained the half-acre pond once in order to add an aeration system to it. We wanted to put some perforated PVC pipe in the pond and attach it to an air pump in order to deliver more oxygen to the fish. With virtually no vegetation in the pond, fishermen never snagged moss or trees in the pond, but the fish had to be fed regularly. Also, no vegetation meant the fish needed a source of oxygen that plants would normally provide.

Enter: the two of us. With the sun beating down on it the exposed mud and fish poo, the pond smelled something awful. Donning our wading boots and old clothes, we stepped into the pond. I was surprised when I sank in the muddy substance past my knees. In order to maneuver in the pond, we had to balance on one foot while lifting the other leg completely out of the mud and repositioning it, sinking it once again up past the knee. This, I don’t mind telling you, was difficult, and we both had our times of losing our balance and ending up on our backs or face forward in the mud (Of course, I’m just calling it mud here, but we all knew, with a smell like that, this was so much more than mud.).

The thing that impressed me the most was that Lynn was there with me. I happily did this hapless job because of the camaraderie we had. It was the payment that I gladly paid for being able to do the parts of the job I enjoyed. Lynn wasn’t wary of climbing through that stuff, and because of that I wasn’t either. He could just as easily have delegated this job to some of the grunts on the payroll, and he could just as easily have barked orders from the shore, but that wasn’t his leadership style. Lynn remains one of my greatest mentors (and yes, the aeration system worked, though fishermen often wondered why the surface of the pond bubbled).

I get the idea that George Washington was that kind of man. From my reading in General George Washington, by Edward G. Lengel, I notice that this man, our first commander-in-chief never hesitated to jump in where he was needed. In some cases, Mr. Washington was elite and knew he was superior to his soldiers. In those cases, he probably did not "lower" himself to their level, understanding that he had to establish his authority. But when he needed to lead by example, he did.

Washington had always been like that: on the cusp of the French and Indian War, he was impatient and impulsive, jumping into frozen rivers instead of waiting for ferries, approving the first shots to begin the war himself. Fast forward to 1777, and we find Washington rallying his troops with a more mature and astute version of those same traits. It seems that he had taken his weakness and turned it into a strength.

Is it always possible for such to occur? I don't have the answer to that, but we might still be able to make some applications for kids in the fourth grade:

Never be afraid or wary of hard work.
Learn on the job.
Start and do what you can; you might just figure things out by doing.
Bring others along for the ride. Encourage them.

Music Appreciation: Monster Mash

10/19/2018

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?

Inside Bluff Dwellers Cave

10/18/2018

Our visit inside the cavern at Bluff Dwellers brought oohs and aahs from Hoggatteers as they encountered all sorts of speleothems and historical references to the natives who lived in the area.

Browning Museum at Bluff Dwellers Cave

10/17/2018

The Browning Museum at Bluff Dwellers Cave in Noel, Missouri, has always impressed. Inside are some pretty impressing geological specimens, as well as a quaint collection of antiques, some of which they were allowed to hold.

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