Four Perfect Pebbles:
Chapter 2&3: I wrote chapters 2 & 3 together because they were both very short chapters. Throughout reading this book, it is very easy to imagine what the author is writing about. I also like throughout these 2 chapters that they have the pictures so you can see what these people looked like and you can somewhat get an idea of their living. Throughout chapter 2, I get somewhat confused because it seems that such a long period of time is summed up in 2 paragraphs. But as we talked about last class, every day was just the same as the day before. At the end of chapter 3, it described the family leaving home and traveling to Holland. The way this section is described seems so outrageous to me. The specific things that they were not allowed to bring with them and that everything else was just taken right out of their hands is something that would be very difficult. Besides taking the 4 blankets and a few other items with them and then having the 3 household containers sent to them, in my life today that would seem impossible. I would have a hard time parting with a lot of my things. I would be nervous if I were them to not receive those 3 containers.
To Understand:
Chapter 3: This chapter had a TON of information throughout the figures. On page 49, the story about Kevin, the kindergartner in a very low income school was a real great story. I think it is a great example of how some of our students are in our own classrooms. I also liked reading about the different sessions throughout the figures (crafting, composing). I would like to talk about these in class though to compare and contrast the two sessions.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
September 23rd
Four Perfect Pebbles:
Chapter 1: After talking about this book a little during class, I was very interested to go home and start reading it. So far I have realized how easy of a read this book is. I was stressed out in the beginning of class with all of the books I have to read between both of my classes but this was such a relief. Several years ago I traveled to Austria with a group of students in an Ambassador program and we got to visit a Concentration Camp there. Being very young and it being over 8 years ago, a lot of the details are hard for me to remember but this book is helping me remember the feeling I had while I was there. It was a very empty feeling and a very dark place. Reading this chapter and previously visiting a camp, helped me put a picture with the book when the character was talking about the fences and the wood with holes that they used as toilets. I am very interested to read the rest of the book and to find out if she does find the fourth pebble.
To Understand:
Chapter 2: In this chapter, the author talks about three models that she has created to help her students and colleagues: Dimensions and Outcomes of Understanding, What's Essential for Literacy Learning, and Literacy Studio. This chapter had a lot of tables in it where it somewhat confused me so I am interested to talk about it in class tonight.
Chapter 1: After talking about this book a little during class, I was very interested to go home and start reading it. So far I have realized how easy of a read this book is. I was stressed out in the beginning of class with all of the books I have to read between both of my classes but this was such a relief. Several years ago I traveled to Austria with a group of students in an Ambassador program and we got to visit a Concentration Camp there. Being very young and it being over 8 years ago, a lot of the details are hard for me to remember but this book is helping me remember the feeling I had while I was there. It was a very empty feeling and a very dark place. Reading this chapter and previously visiting a camp, helped me put a picture with the book when the character was talking about the fences and the wood with holes that they used as toilets. I am very interested to read the rest of the book and to find out if she does find the fourth pebble.
To Understand:
Chapter 2: In this chapter, the author talks about three models that she has created to help her students and colleagues: Dimensions and Outcomes of Understanding, What's Essential for Literacy Learning, and Literacy Studio. This chapter had a lot of tables in it where it somewhat confused me so I am interested to talk about it in class tonight.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
September 16th
To Understand: Foreword, Prelude & Chapter 1
Foreword: Throughout these few pages, Debbie Miller talks about a women named Ellin, the author, and the idea of this book. To Understand challenges us to think beyond comprehension strategies; it invites us to ask what these strategies are for.
Prelude: This section is about the author and how she eventually wrote this book. She describes her reactions with her friend, Tom Newkirk and how he compared her writing this book to the super bowl. "You're talking about writing a book, not winning the Super Bowl!" (Page xvi). Finally in 2007, Ellin & Susan Zimmermann dug back in and created the second edition of Mosaic of Thought.
Chapter 1: This chapter starts out by Ellin attending a second grade classroom to observe the types of programs that school uses and to also observe the books the kids were reading. Ellin first starts out by talking to a student named Jamika. She asks her a few questions about the book shes reading and Jamika comes back with a firecracker response and continues on asking why does everyone always ask "does the book make sense?". Ellin continues on to the next student but can't get Jamika's question out of her head. Throughout the next few days, Ellin started thinking that if the students understand what it means to comprehend or to "make sense". She decided that a new definition for comprehension needed to be made, a definition more worthy of our children intellectual potential. Ellin attended several different classrooms of different ages and ability level and read aloud and invited these students to use the comprehension strategies and to define and describe what they understood after using the strategies. The students exceeded her expectations. Ellin then goes on doing other observations and working with teachers to decide what it really means to understand.
So far, I enjoy reading this book. It has really made me think what it means to understand. We always ask our students to describe what they read, retell it, or answer questions and sometimes the students really don't understand what they are reading and whether or not it truly does make sense. I am interested to see what she concludes about what it means to understand and how we can work with our students to make sure they know what "understand" really means.
Foreword: Throughout these few pages, Debbie Miller talks about a women named Ellin, the author, and the idea of this book. To Understand challenges us to think beyond comprehension strategies; it invites us to ask what these strategies are for.
Prelude: This section is about the author and how she eventually wrote this book. She describes her reactions with her friend, Tom Newkirk and how he compared her writing this book to the super bowl. "You're talking about writing a book, not winning the Super Bowl!" (Page xvi). Finally in 2007, Ellin & Susan Zimmermann dug back in and created the second edition of Mosaic of Thought.
Chapter 1: This chapter starts out by Ellin attending a second grade classroom to observe the types of programs that school uses and to also observe the books the kids were reading. Ellin first starts out by talking to a student named Jamika. She asks her a few questions about the book shes reading and Jamika comes back with a firecracker response and continues on asking why does everyone always ask "does the book make sense?". Ellin continues on to the next student but can't get Jamika's question out of her head. Throughout the next few days, Ellin started thinking that if the students understand what it means to comprehend or to "make sense". She decided that a new definition for comprehension needed to be made, a definition more worthy of our children intellectual potential. Ellin attended several different classrooms of different ages and ability level and read aloud and invited these students to use the comprehension strategies and to define and describe what they understood after using the strategies. The students exceeded her expectations. Ellin then goes on doing other observations and working with teachers to decide what it really means to understand.
So far, I enjoy reading this book. It has really made me think what it means to understand. We always ask our students to describe what they read, retell it, or answer questions and sometimes the students really don't understand what they are reading and whether or not it truly does make sense. I am interested to see what she concludes about what it means to understand and how we can work with our students to make sure they know what "understand" really means.
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