Hook - Don't let bad luck drag you down in life. You might think you will never get ahead, but just keep on pushing and maintaining a positive attitude and demeanor.
Summary - Stanley Yelnats is stuck with bad luck, thanks to a family curse and this lands him in a boy's detention camp. The camp director has the boys dig holes in order to build character, however, she she has other thoughts about the holes being dug. While digging these holes, Yelnats begins to develop a friendship with the other boys, especially with Zero. Yelnats and Zero run away from the camp and find themselves on top of a mountain. Yelnats and Zero make their way off of the mountain and Yelnats finds his bad luck begin to take a turn upwards. Yelnats reverses his family curse and also gains a life long friendship with Zero.
Importance - Friendship is an important characteristic to value in life. Life may drag you down, but friends will always be there to assist you along the way. Friends are a valuable assets in life, as they are there to lean on in tough times and can guide you in the correct direction.
Thoughts - This story shows the importance of family, friendship, and value of not giving up. Sometimes people see no light at the end of the turn and just decide to give up. However, Yelnats does not give up and keeps on pushing through. Giving up is no way to look at life, we all have to keep pushing and strive for greatest and take grasp of our goals in life.
Rating - This book draws you in and keeps you wanting to read more. This book drew me in and is a movie which I find myself watching when it is on TV. I would rate this a 5 start book for the life values it teaches. It shows that people can outgrow the negatives in life and one can end up succeeding.
Author - Louis Sachar went to the University of California of Berkeley and graduated in 1976. Sacher wrote Sideways Stories From Wayside School and graduated from law school.
http://www.louissachar.com
Monday, October 1, 2018
The Big Game
Hook - Growing up in the footsteps of his Super Bowl winning father, will Daniel crack under the pressure or will he push through and create his own successful path.
Summary - Daniel Owens is a middle school standout football player. Owens hears about his father's success on a daily basis, and starts to feel the pressure from it. Along with being pressured of the people in his town to become great like his father, Owens' has a new issue discovered. It is discover Owens can not read and his football journey is put in a bind. Owens has to put in the time in the classroom in order to create his football legacy. Will Owens crack under the pressure of learning how to read, or will he succeed and become great like his father.
Importance - When it comes to school and athletics, there is a tight line to balance. To be successful, students have to be able to manage both. Life is also more than football, basketball, baseball, and etc. as one is never for sure if they can rely on sports taking them far in life. An education can assist and guide you longer in life then just focusing on sports.
Thoughts - This story has a powerful message and one which follows in the footsteps of the writer. The writer was a NFL player, but highlights the importance of obtaining an education over sports. This book shows that there is more in life then only focusing on sports, as you never know what is going to occur in life. Everyday major sport athletes get injured and their professional careers are at jeopardy. When students pay attention to their education, they have multiple paths they can take and thrive at in life.
Rating - On a five star rating, I would rate this book a five. I see it too many times where sports are seen as more important than a education. Sometimes people think one's education can take hits in order for them to be successful at sports. However, in this book, one teacher takes a stand to people just wanting to her to look the other way and let Owens pass. The teacher knew the importance of having Owens learn how to read and what it could help him achieve later in life.
Author - Tim Green is a former first round NFL draft pick. While playing in the NFL, Green studied law and got his writing career going. Green has gone to numerous schools to speak with students about the importance of education , reading books, and good character. Green urges students to put school before sports.
http://timgreenbooks.com
Summary - Daniel Owens is a middle school standout football player. Owens hears about his father's success on a daily basis, and starts to feel the pressure from it. Along with being pressured of the people in his town to become great like his father, Owens' has a new issue discovered. It is discover Owens can not read and his football journey is put in a bind. Owens has to put in the time in the classroom in order to create his football legacy. Will Owens crack under the pressure of learning how to read, or will he succeed and become great like his father.
Importance - When it comes to school and athletics, there is a tight line to balance. To be successful, students have to be able to manage both. Life is also more than football, basketball, baseball, and etc. as one is never for sure if they can rely on sports taking them far in life. An education can assist and guide you longer in life then just focusing on sports.
Thoughts - This story has a powerful message and one which follows in the footsteps of the writer. The writer was a NFL player, but highlights the importance of obtaining an education over sports. This book shows that there is more in life then only focusing on sports, as you never know what is going to occur in life. Everyday major sport athletes get injured and their professional careers are at jeopardy. When students pay attention to their education, they have multiple paths they can take and thrive at in life.
Rating - On a five star rating, I would rate this book a five. I see it too many times where sports are seen as more important than a education. Sometimes people think one's education can take hits in order for them to be successful at sports. However, in this book, one teacher takes a stand to people just wanting to her to look the other way and let Owens pass. The teacher knew the importance of having Owens learn how to read and what it could help him achieve later in life.
Author - Tim Green is a former first round NFL draft pick. While playing in the NFL, Green studied law and got his writing career going. Green has gone to numerous schools to speak with students about the importance of education , reading books, and good character. Green urges students to put school before sports.
http://timgreenbooks.com
The Crossover
Hook - Never let anyone lower your goals. Other's expectations of you are determined by their limitations of life. The sky is your limit, sons. Always shoot for the sun and you will shine.
Summary - Josh (Filthily McNasty) and Jordan Bell are middle school basketball standouts, who grew up with a NBA father. Family values, trust, and faith are pushed to the limit and the twins obtain a grasp of the important topics in life. Basketball is a priority for the twins, but the relationship between each other and their father, is more important.
So What - When it comes to the important things in life, such as family and friends, this book highlights those important topics. It also teaches to not take these topics for granted, as you do not know when one will be gone forever.
My Thoughts - This book highlights the important aspects of life and the fact that we should not take these things for granted. Family and friends should always come before other aspects, such as basketball and this book showcases the importance of the order.
Rating - When it comes to star rating system for this book, I would have to say a 5 star rating. I am not a huge reading fan and I found myself wanting to read as much of the book in a setting as I could. It drew my interest and that is hard for a book to usually do. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, especially if you are into sports like I am.
Author - Kwame Alexander is the author of 28 books and has obtained numerous awards.
https://kwamealexander.com/product/f/BOOKS/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkTn3l2FnIY
Summary - Josh (Filthily McNasty) and Jordan Bell are middle school basketball standouts, who grew up with a NBA father. Family values, trust, and faith are pushed to the limit and the twins obtain a grasp of the important topics in life. Basketball is a priority for the twins, but the relationship between each other and their father, is more important.
So What - When it comes to the important things in life, such as family and friends, this book highlights those important topics. It also teaches to not take these topics for granted, as you do not know when one will be gone forever.
My Thoughts - This book highlights the important aspects of life and the fact that we should not take these things for granted. Family and friends should always come before other aspects, such as basketball and this book showcases the importance of the order.
Rating - When it comes to star rating system for this book, I would have to say a 5 star rating. I am not a huge reading fan and I found myself wanting to read as much of the book in a setting as I could. It drew my interest and that is hard for a book to usually do. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, especially if you are into sports like I am.
Author - Kwame Alexander is the author of 28 books and has obtained numerous awards.
https://kwamealexander.com/product/f/BOOKS/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkTn3l2FnIY
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Weekly Overview
This week we heard quite a few presentations, and all with a lot of information. There was a wide variety of information presented, and all were very educational. Everything from Wonder to plants to flamingoes to life cycle of a frog, this shows how much educational knowledge is in the class. I liked all the visual aids and different thinking maps which were used. These ideas gave me some ideas which I could use later down the road in my social studies classes. It is crazy to think that some of the material can be used in a all types of classes, just need to use a little creativity and switch it all up. Two more weeks of classes left and we are all getting closer to our final goal. I can say from when I started all of this, time has been flying and classes have been getting knocked out.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Week 4
The first lesson plan I have submitted was over Japan's Pacific Campaign. I am a huge history buff for the World War II period and that includes Pearl Harbor. I know it is a sad time in our history, but there are so many learning points which can be learned from it. For this lesson, I picked showing 15 minutes of video from the movie Pearl Harbor. I picked this as my anticipatory set because I believe this will grab all of the student's attention. The video clip is action packed and shows what happened during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Student engagement is key and I believe students will be engaged and have numerous questions. I selected a reading worksheet over Japan's Pacific Campaign. The worksheet allows students to understand the buildup of Japan's Pacific Campaign and then how the Allies countered Japan. I used the Before-During-After Questioning for the reading worksheet. I believe students should have at least a little knowledge about Japan's Pacific Campaign or Pearl Harbor. This reading worksheet will provided them with more information to add to their knowledge bank. I created a bubble map for students to complete, because there is lots of important information which can be used. As I am creating more lesson plans based on a reading strategy and thinking map, I am finding them to go a little smoother. I know reading is very important in education and is a vital part of one's growing. After school, students will use reading every day and as educators, we have to ensure students have a good grasp on reading and understanding material.
Monday, March 26, 2018
Week 3
When it comes to thinking maps, I like how there is a wide variety of them to pick from. Last semester, Ms. Steffes provided me with a good overview of thinking maps. With this class, I get to see them again, and I like seeing things twice, because I find myself to grasp the stuff better. When it comes to the thinking maps I like, I am a big fan of cause and effect, flow maps, and bubble maps. I know there is a ton to pick from, but those are the three I find myself to be picking for the most part. I like cause and effect, because students can grasp the cause of something and then understand the effect of it. Students actually have to put in effort and pick good causes to get the effects. I like flow maps, aka timeline, for many reasons. Flow maps are great when it comes to history, which I am getting my degree in. Flow maps allow students to show the important dates and things in history. Bubble maps are also are also good for history. You can take like a person, event, or place and then have students branch out important information about the topic in the middle. I know there is a ton of thinking maps to pick from, and I can see myself branching out on the thinking maps I use as I further myself in my career. However, for now, those are the three which I like the most and see a use for.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Strategies
The two strategies I liked the most from this week were Before-During-After Questioning and the Analogy Chart. What I liked about BDA Questioning, was the fact that is breaks down the reading into three sections. In the Before section, students explain what they already know about the reading and what are their expectations for the reading. In the During section, students begin to think about why things are happening and get some of their Before questions answered. In the After section, students highlight what they learned from the reading and talk about some of the key points. I like this strategy for the fact that students have to stayed focus on the topic. Sometime in reading, students just read the book and don't remember anything. However, with BDA, students have to put in input and can gain an understanding of the material.
My other strategy I liked was Analogy Charts. An Analogy Chart is like a T-Chart, which I also like, students are given two words and then add more words to the chart that are similar to their top word. This allows students to be creative in the words they come up with that are similar to their first word. As a teacher, you can have students focus on certain types of words with this chart, or just show their knowledge and come up with what they know.
My other strategy I liked was Analogy Charts. An Analogy Chart is like a T-Chart, which I also like, students are given two words and then add more words to the chart that are similar to their top word. This allows students to be creative in the words they come up with that are similar to their first word. As a teacher, you can have students focus on certain types of words with this chart, or just show their knowledge and come up with what they know.
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