learning journey, sentences, publish, FORM, content, writing skills

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May 31, 2013

Greetings all learners! Mrs. J is ‘musing’ again….

An overcast spring day; but, oh, so green!

Remember the Learning Journey?

How well do you understand your place in it?

A quick review: a learner has a question, they seek out resources that may provide an answer, they ‘play’ (work, experiment) with the answer to prove its accuracy (or error), they articulate (apply words to) what they have learned; finally, they ‘publish’ their words.

Publish?

‘Publish’ means putting the words into the sentence FORMS that communicate the learner’s desired meaning and deciding who needs to read the words and why and what place or venue this can best be accomplished.

All writing is words ordered in sentence FORMS.  FORMS are limited and learnable. Content – what is articulated in those FORMS – is individual and infinite. 

                         LEARN FORMS BEFORE CONTENT!!

We are ultimately responsible for our own words, but they are disjointed bits without the FORMS (patterns) that determine meaning. (What does a sentence look like, anyway?)

I repeat:

Learn FORMS before applying content; words contained in FORMS generate meaning. Understanding FORMS well gives you creative control over your content (words).

Meaningful content generates understanding, for yourself and your readers. Your questions can be well and thoroughly answered, by you!

Example:

What does a sentence FORM look like?

Noun  l  verb

Mom  l cooks

This is a base clause, kernel sentence or base sentence FORM.

Words can be added that develop and extend meaning.

It could become: My mom cooks hamburgers.

       And:        My busy mom cooks hamburgers at lunchtime.

Add a few more details: My busy mom usually cooks hamburgers at lunchtime, in the school cafeteria, every Tuesday.

Mom is the noun; ‘cooks’ is her action.

Challenge: Start a ‘treasure hunt’ for base sentences buried in the details of longer sentences in the stories you are reading.

George Washington Carver, novel study, hero journey,

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The Hero Journey of George Washington Carver (Feb, Mar, Apr 2013)

Summary of home school novel study class….

George was born a slave, on the Carver farm, in Diamond Missouri in 1864. He came with great gifts; including the ability to work with and heal plants of all kinds; the artistic ability to reproduce the natural world in water colors; the music ability to learn to play the piano and sing; and the power of perseverance that helped him learn and grow and serve against horrific odds; and he bought an innate faith in God. All theses gifts had to wait for opportunity to appear.

George faced harsh roadblocks from the very start. He was kidnapped, with his mother, while still a toddler. His mother was never seen again; George was found wrapped in a blanket on the chilly ground, and returned to the Carver farm. He was tiny and very ill, coughing long enough and hard enough to damage his vocal chords and impare his speech development for years to come; he remained physically small and weak throughout childhood. He had no opportunity to socialize; no clothing except cast-offs; was often the object of racist rejection, treated poorly because of the color of his skin.

Great mentors were place along his path. Mrs. Carver came first; devoted to keeping the baby alive; proud to show off his gardening skills as he grew. Mr. Jaeger of the grape vineyards recognized ‘his hands were those of a gardener’ and gave him the confidence to believe in himself; Uncle Andy and Aunt Mariah took him under wing when he started school; the Seymour’s did the same later; when he was an older student wanting to go to college; Mrs. Seymour’s nephew, Dan Brown was a significant mentor, helping George get into Seymour college; later he met a mentor professor, James Wilson, who gave him space to sleep in his office at Iowa State University; where he received his bachelor of Science and taught botany for several  years after graduation and was in charge of the greenhouses. All the while, George gives credit to God for his gifts and opportunities; his growth and preparation.

When the letter comes from Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee College. George is ready to accept the call, to step across the threshold and serve.

Washington wants him to come to Alabama and operate the agricultural part of a new college for black students only. George sends back three words, “I will come”.

Challenges are waiting and large. George must create a laboratory from scratch; equipment scrounged from cast-offs and trash. He shows the people how to care for the soil, adding nutrients and rotating crops. He leads them into a better way of life. He goes on a piano tour to raise money for the school and comes home with a realization of the desperate needs of the farmers and creates a farm demonstration wagon filled with the latest equipment that is taken out to where the knowledge is needed most.

He promotes the raising of peanuts to the farmers who know nothing but cotton. He invents several hundred products from the peanut and a hundred more from the sweet potato to convince the farmers of the value of rotating crops. He walks in the woods first thing every morning, to take his questions to “Mr. Creator”. He returns to his workbench to carry out God’s instructions.

Governments and industry notices; he is consulted for council and advice. His peanut/sweet potato powder helps keep soldiers alive during war. He is given honors (awards and degrees) and asked to speak to significant groups. He is made uncomfortable by all the attention; He remains a creative, humble and inspired servant of God all his days.

George Washington Carver died at Tuskegee in January 1946; an incredibly long life for one who suffered so much. Thousands lined up for his funeral; monuments were erected in his honor.

He served his community, a hero. A ship was christened ‘The George Washington Carver‘ in his honor. His gifts manifest themselves in his perseverance and service to his community. He is a great example of the Hero Journey we can all study and emulate with pleasure.

write 'kernal' sentences, use prepositions, try Rosie's Walk

Mrs. J’s Musings

Part 2

April 23, 2013

Try adding prepositional phrases to your own three word ‘kernal’ sentences.

Here are some prepositions to get you started:

As ,at , but, by, down, for, from , in , into, like, near, next, of, off, on, out, over, past plus, minus, since, than, to , up with, about, above, after, around, before, beside, during, through, under, until ……………………

The picture book, Rosie’s Walk, provides a perfect form for writing prepositional phrases. We tried it in one of our classes; here are some results.

Cole- Smoky, the cat, had a nap in the past, by a library, on a bed, under a car, next to the saddle dome, over the bridge, past a volcano, among some clouds, with some kittens, and woke up in time to play with me. !!

Sean- Lenny, the rooster, had a nap, by the fence, under the sun, next to the henhouse, over the brown grass, past the spruce tree, among the Rhode Island Red hens, with some red Sussex cross hens and woke up in time to eat.

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Here is a delicious sentence from Tane, after another exercise where learners were provided a noun, a verb and an object and expected to put words to form and create a relationship with meaning: enjoy?

“The town has been hanging in a tree since the beginning of time.” !!

Wow! I am impressed, it sounds like the opening sentence of a fantasy!!

kernal sentences, prepositional phrases, FORM first, infinite variety of content

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Mrs. J’s Musings

April 23, 2013

Reflections from the most excellent book:

How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One

By Professor Stanley Fish

Words need syntax (forms) to give them the ability to relate to each other in a sequence that carries meaning.

Forms (relationships) are limited: noun-verb-object ( X does Y to Z …to which may be added descriptive phrases and clauses…) but the examples (possible contents) are infinite.

We practiced the three word sentence form for many weeks at the beginning of our classes to which I added specific lessons on prepositional phrases.

As a concluding activity, we turned our ‘best sentences’ (adding personal content) into illustrated ‘little’ books.

Here are those sentences, for your enjoyment.

Matthew- I like playing with my cat, after dinner, before bedtime, behind the couch, in the shadows, next to the fireplace.

Caydee- I like playing baseball with my family, at my house, in our backyard, during family home evening, before popsicle treats.

Daniel- I like playing on my I-pod, with my sister, at my house, in my room, every day, before my dad kicks me off.

Brinley- I like playing in my squirrel house, with my sissy, near the TV, on the fuzzy blankets, after a yummy breakfast of croutons that we pretend are nuts.

Natalie- I love playing with my kittens, on the patio, in the backyard, next to the cat house, by the hot tub.

Cole- I like playing piano with my sister, at my house, in the basement, during a rain storm, before spelling, beneath the kitchen, beside the TV, next to the self, along a wall, for memorization.

Sean-I like eating scones at the table in my house, with powder sugar plus maple syrup, that my dad makes at the stove, with water and sugar,  before breakfast.

Caleb-I like playing, with our dog, Ebony, in our yard, before and after school.

Peter- I like jamming on my guitar, in my room, on the highest volume, by plugging it into my amp, except for on Sunday, because my siblings get annoyed, in their room beside mine.

Learning journey, play, idea-catchers, articulation, creativity

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March 22, 2013

I found a quote somewhere in my studies of the past year and wrote it onto the bottom of my quote collection. Google search returned no connection to a source; I do not know who wrote it but I can so thoroughly connect with their sentiments that I am devoting a page to reflections on this quote.

“Teachers are overworked and underpaid,

What energy it takes to turn a torrent into a trickle;

Then to direct that trickle down narrow,

Well-marked channels.”

This is the perfect metaphor for all I have learned in many decades of working in the teaching profession. If I can leave anything profound to the rising generation of teachers it is this: the children arriving at my first grade classroom door knew how to learn and were full of 6 years of doing it brilliantly! And no two of them were alike in their learning; their interests; their genius. Let them teach you their different ways of knowing.

Stop expending effort turning this torrent of learning into the trickle of conformity demanded by workbooks and standardized tests and bells ringing. Instead, step into the flood by following their natural learning journey. Remember you are their resource not their reason, find out their background knowledge before presenting your ‘great’ (curriculum) idea. Let them ask the questions that indicate personal gaps between knowing and understanding; let them re-arrange and play with the new information until it works through their bodies and into their minds to filling understanding gaps.

Provide opportunities for them to explore all the media, all the different ways of showing how their understanding can be articulated; articulation is the best assessment.

Imagination and creativity are expected of our learners; frequently demanded in workbook pages, no less! Until prior knowledge and present learning connect in understanding (and is articulated) there is no framework on which to hang the power of imagining. And the habit of recording thoughts and ideas assists in this development. 

Creativity feeds on the power of imaginative connections, examining possibilities and turning them into visible products or services; every learner can make a difference in this world if we learn to follow the natural learning journey in their world.

A bit of a rant! Assessment, factory vs agricultural model

 “A thing cannot be weighed in a scale

scale incapable of containing it.” –Thomas B. Aldrich

This quote is weighing heavily on my mind; is my mind able to contain it? Human potential cannot be accurately predicted by even the most ‘advanced’ techniques. Intelligence is not finite or stationary; this moment’s assessment is valid only for this moment.

I have summarized some comments from Sir Ken Robinson; I agree with his sentiments; “We must change the metaphor of education. Eliminate the manufacturing or industrial or factory model that promotes linearity/conforming/batching of people. We must change to an agricultural model. Human flourishing is not a mechanical process; it is organic. “You cannot predict the outcome of human development, all you can do, like a farmer, is create the conditions under which they will begin to flourish.” Reform and transform education by customizing it to your circumstances. Personalize education to the people you are actually teaching, create a movement in education in which people develop their own solutions with external help based on a personalized curriculum.”

I read the latest educational research and attend the conferences and hear the rhetoric and statistics supporting the move away from the industrial model but, after more than three decades as an educator, I have seen miniscule movement in the right direction that actually reaches the children. Why? When we know the truth, why won’t we let it set us free?

questions guide learning, George Washington Carver

My Tuesday morning novel study class has begun the study of the life and works of George Washington Carver. The ‘key’ student question we are pursuing is: What did George Washington Carver do that made him so famous?

Here is what we have learned so far:

George was born into a slave family sometime in January 1864.

His mother was Mary, she lived in a hut on the Carver farm, near Diamond, Missouri, with baby George and his older brother and sister. His father ‘big George’ lived on the next farm.

       Slavery was terminated during the year 1865 starting with the passing of the 13^th amendment, signed by President Lincoln, on January 31, 1865. Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865.

       George and his mother, Mary, are kidnapped from the Carver farm sometime during the summer by bushwhackers against ending slavery. Baby George was rescued; his mother was never seen again. His sister died in the attack.

       Three quarters of the states approve the 13^th amendment on December 6, 1865. It is officially signed into law by the Secretary of State on December 18, 1865.

It reads:

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

       Susan Carver took care of George during his early years, allowing him the time and space to recover health enough to move forward with his life. He had a difficult time learning to speak because his vocal chords were damaged by a severe cough resulting from the exposure he suffered during the kidnapping. He was frail and sickly and learned many home skills (Ie. he becomes an expert at doing laundry for people) and hand crafts because he could not do the heavy farm work.

       His love of nature and gift for caring for ailing plants begins to grow and gain notice.