A Note to Dr. Gibson

Dr. Gibson,

Thanks for a wonderful class!  I really appreciated the increased appreciation for other genres and reading in general that I gained from this class.  You have done a wonderful job and I hope that other students get as much out of this class as I did.  Thanks again and God bless!

Jerrid Neeley

Reflection of Observation

            1: 5 Hours (300 minutes)

            2.

·         I taught a lesson

·         Observed the teacher

·         Assisted teacher

·         Walked around room and helped students as needed

·         Helped students review

            3. Standard 4: The teacher implements and manages instruction.  Observation hours can give you a wonderful model of how to teach.  I really appreciated the time that I got to spend with the teacher I observed.  However, the real help came from teaching the lesson.  This lesson helped me to better learn how to set up a lesson, how to implement the material, and how to manage the class.  I really enjoyed getting to actually teach a lesson with a teacher there for support and help.  I think that it will definitely help me to become a great teacher someday.

4.  Observing students for a number of hours has taught me the importance of reading in learning.  If a student cannot read then they have lost a vital tool in the educational progress.  As a young child, my parents always pushed me to read.  This helped my reading comprehension to be fairly adept throughout my life.  In my opinion, Math and Reading are required to succeed at any job in the future.  These subjects, along with all others, should be incorporated into cross-curriculum lessons.  I intend on incorporating some Reading, English, History, Biology, and Math into my future Chemistry lessons to teach students the importance of subjects they may not find interesting or useful.  Observation experiences are important because it helps to teach a variety of lessons to a future teacher that will help both them, and their future students succeed. 

Reading Log and Wiki Checklist

Genre / Titles you read (Hit enter after each one and a new number should pop up)

             I.      Non-fiction/Informational (1 chapter book or photo essay book reflection required on blog)

1)      Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman

          II.      Poetry (1 chapter or picture book reflection required on blog)

1)      Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman

       III.      Modern Fantasy (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)          

1)      I, Jack  by Patricia Finney. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

3)      Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

4)      Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

5)      The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring by John R. R. Tolkien

6)      The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by John R. R. Tolkien

7)      The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by John R. R. Tolkien

8)      Brave New World by Alex Huxley

9)      Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

       IV.      Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog –can be a picture book)     

1)      The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3)      Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

          V.      Multicultural/Traditional (2 reflections required on blog – one can be a picture book)         

1)      Hiroshima: A Novella by Laurence Yep (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Black Like Me by John Griffin

3)      Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm

4)      In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton

       VI.      Realistic Fiction (1 chapter book reflection required on blog)

1)      Baby by Patricia MacLachlan. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

    VII.      Picture Books (5 reflections required on blog during the first two weeks of class. There should be a total here of at least six.)

1)      The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      –The Rainbow Ribbon by William Hooks and Betty Boegehold

3)      –Smoky Night by Eve Bunting

4)      –The Funny Ride by Margaret Hillert

5)      –A House for Little Red by Margaret Hillert

6)      –The Funny Baby by Margaret Hillert

26 Total

Wiki Checklist

Instructions: Write the number of entries for each category you posted into on the Course Wiki (requirement is four total posts, in four different categories)

CHANGED TO ONLY 2 POSTS

____ Social Studies

____ Science

____ Math

____ Music

__1__ Art (In the Beginning)

__1__ Reading/Language Arts (The Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night)

____ Physical Education

____ Other

Week 8, Reflection; Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery

Freedman, R. (1993). Eleanor Roosevelt: A life of discovery. New York: Clarion Books.

Eleanor Roosevelt was a very inspirational figure in the world; not just for women.  The book follows the chronological structure.  It follows her life from beginning to end in order.  It also is interesting because it has pictures throughout her life so that you can visualize Eleanor.  This book is also written to be narrative writing because it tells the story of her life.  The book is also subdivided into chapters making it an informational chapter book.  This is a great book that is an inspiration to anyone who reads it.

Week 7, Book Talk; Bud, Not Buddy

Curtis, C. P. (1999). Bud, not Buddy. New York: Delacorte Press.

If you had just run away from your terrible adopted parents, where would you go?

In a world pitted against him, a tough 10 year-old boy must find a way to eat and a place to sleep.  However, with no family he has no place to go.  All he has in his possession is an old suitcase, some flyers of a music group his mother used to look at, and a picture of her.  Where will he go and what will he do?  Where would you go and what would you do?

Bud, Not Buddy is a historical fiction book written during the Great Depression.  The story of this young man will have the reader feeling his pain and struggles to find his place in life.


Link to audio folder:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qomwdha4azcthua/Book%20Talk.wav

Week 6, Book Talk; Hatchet

Paulsen, G. (1987).  Hatchet. New York: Bradbury Press.

Bears, a moose… and skunks???

Although these seem like only television fears, how would you handle them?  Thirteen year-old Brian is cast into the Canadian wilderness after his pilot suffers a heart attack and the plane crashes.  His only tool is a hatchet.  Brian must overcome nature, hunger, and thirst in order to survive.  More importantly, how will Brian escape?

Hatchet is one of the greatest realistic fiction books of all time.  It creates a dynamic character cast into a difficult world.  Hatchet is a great read for all ages and audiences.

Week 5, Reflection 1: The Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Sidman, J., Allen, R., Houghton Mifflin Books for Children., & Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. (2010). Dark emperor & other poems of the night. Boston [Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

The Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night is one of the most intriguing poem books I have ever read.  It captures some of the classic elements of poems with beautiful artwork.  One of the items strewn throughout the book is rhyme.  This can be found with words such as creep, peep, and sleep.  A good portion of the poems contain this literary element.  Hyperbole is also found in a few of the poems.  An example would be moon-maker, saying that crickets can create an unstoppable and searing sound, etc.  Finally, figurative language is also present.  This can be seen in large quantity with phrases such as “like noses pink”, “like elfin hair”, and “like ancient cities.”  Overall, this poetry collection is well written and well illustrated.  I really enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone.

Week 4, Reflection 2; Rapunzel

Grimm, J., & Grimm, W. (1960). Rapunzel: a story by the Brothers Grimm ; with pictures by Felix Hoffman. Harcourt, Brace & World.

The traditional story of a girl named Rapunzel has been told for many years.  This version was written by the Grimm brothers; authors of many traditional children’s stories.  This story follows the classic traditional ending as the princess escapes and the witch is carried away.  Many traditional stories have a happy ending.  The setting for this story is also vague and irrelevant like all traditional stories.  I really enjoyed the pictures in this book.  The illustrator does an amazing job of using lines.  Lines are used freely in the pictures to help mold the characters, landscape, and create shading.  It is a very different than what traditional pictures are drawn but is very fitting.

Week 4, Reflection 1; In the Beginning

Hamilton, V., & Moser, B. (1988). In the beginning. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

This book contains many stories of how the world was created according to various cultures.  I really enjoyed reading through this because of how the different groups of people can be compared.  The book even tells what culture the story is from which is a nice touch.  This book contains a good mix showing a diverse world.  This book contains over 25 creation stories from over 25 cultures.  This show of diversity is something that all students should be exposed to and understand.  Not only that, this book also can be show how similar multiple cultures are as many of the stories have commonalities.  These stories also show the values of the people.  This can be seen by how people and animals were created.  For example, the Egyptians placed grave importance and worship upon Ra, the sun god.  Because of how important they felt he was, it is only appropriate that he would be the creator.  The Egyptians also worshiped him for light, growth, and warmth.  Many of these stories also contain personification.  Personification is the giving of human qualities to animals.  This can be seen in having many of the animals in the stories like the raven, rat, and dogs talk.  This book is a great multicultural piece of literature because it helps students to be able to see and relate with other cultures.

Week 3, Reflection 1: The Hunger Games

Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press.

The Hunger Games has become one of the most popular books in recent years and has also been made into a movie.  The author does an amazing job with the details and allows the reader to paint a picture of the world the writer wants to share.  The plot of the books over the entire series is amazing and follows a complex pattern of ups and downs.  The story also includes flashbacks.  These flashbacks are used to explain past events such as what happened to her father.  In the books, the author also creates three different conflicts. The first is man versus nature.  Katniss, the protagonist, is pitted against the arena and its many dangers.  The second is man versus man.  Katniss is in conflict with all of the other tributes in the arena and has to fight to survive.  The third is man versus himself.  Katniss struggles throughout the series to find out what is “real” and what is false.  She also struggles with who she wants to have a relationship with and with trying to help everyone.  All of this is impressive; however, the most impressive is how dynamic the characters are.  Whereas some books do not change the characters as the story progresses with the events (static), characters should be changed by the life altering events that occur (dynamic).  Without spoilers, these books have plenty of these life altering events and the characters justly changed.  Katniss at the end of the books is virtually unrecognizable from the beginning of the books.  She has been changed so much by all of the “conflicts” that her character has evolved.  Not only that, many of the other characters experience similar, drastic changes.  The author does a wonderful job creating her characters and changing them with the story. 

*Image shows tributes from the movie.  This image was chosen because of the great character development the author performs.

Week 2, Reflection 3; The Funny Ride

Hillert, M. (1982). The funny ride. Cleveland: Follett Publishing.

Margarat Hillert has written a number of children’s books.  I chose three books that she wrote this week for comparison and contrast.  This was the newest of the three selected.  This book utilizes 67 words and it appears that the author increased the word total in each of books as she went along.  The style is very simple like the others with short sentences and a repetition of words.  She does a wonderful job of always helping the reader to flow seamlessly through the stories.  I would recommend this story to many students; particularly those with an imagination.  As a child I loved the idea of being able to fly and because the boy flies and experiences all the things from the sky it would have greatly appealed to me.  The plot and conflict are always short and smooth in the authors works even though the characters, the settings, and the themes are not the same .

Week 2, Reflection 2; A House for Little Red

Hillert, M. (1970). A house for little red. Cleveland: Follett Publishing.

Margarat Hillert has written a number of children’s books.  I chose three books that she wrote this week for comparison and contrast.  This book was the second on the three written by the chosen author.  This book is written very similarly to the other two with only 49 words.  Even though it uses a few more words, it is written as simple as the first.  It follows a very structured format with a smooth flow.  Sentences are limited to only a few words and the conflict is very simple.  I would recommend a book like this to someone who enjoys animals or has a pet.  A book like this may interest them and help them to enjoy reading while also practicing their skills and abilities.

Week 2, Reflection 1; The Funny Baby

Hillert, M. (1963). The funny baby. Cleveland: Follett Publishing.

Margarat Hillert has written a number of children’s books.  I chose three books that she wrote this week for comparison and contrast.  This was the earliest of the three written by Margaret Hillert.  This one specifically is the story of the Ugly Duckling.  Because she used to be a 1^st grade teacher, she does a wonderful job of keeping her writing simple.  This book uses only 40 simple words.  She uses repetition of words to allow for the sentences to flow between one another.  This makes the reading very simple and most sentences being only a few words in length.  She does a wonderful job of using her words to flow with the pictures and writing in a way that a child can read on their own with little assistance from an adult.  In my opinion this is one of the easier children’s books to read and enjoy.  It could be particularly recommended for someone who may be a resistant reader as it is simple and also may have some negative feelings toward their reading whether it is by confidence or skill.  

Week 1 Reflection 2; The Rainbow Ribbon

Hooks, W.H. & Boegehold, B. (1991). The Rainbow ribbon. New York: Viking.

The Rainbow Ribbon is a children’s book about a family of bunnies and a ribbon.  I chose this book because I seen someone commenting on the impressiveness of the book.  This book deals with one of the bunnies stealing her sister’s ribbon and then being punished to the attic to be alone. Many children have experience this when they feel that they have been cheated as they often threaten that they want to run away.  The story reaches a climax when she actually does run away.  However, she is eventually faced with a decision of material objects and her family.  At this point, she realizes the importance of family and returns home with her new friend.  Younger children can often get into fights about material objects and can often threaten to run away.  This book identifies with these children and can help them to understand the significant of sharing and the importance of family.

Week 1 Reflection 1; Smoky Night

Bunting, E. (1994). Smoky night. San Diego: Harcourt.

Smoky Night is a children’s story painted in beautiful acrylics.  I chose this book because it was selected as a Caldecott Award Recipient.  This book is a children’s picture book.  David Diaz, the illustrator, does an amazing job of drawing stunning pictures to detail the story and to accent points.  Eve Bunting describes the events of the book in a very masterful way.  It is written in the language a child can understand but in a very detailed way that is hard to describe.  With the combination of the beautiful drawings and masterful use of words, this book is a very easy and enjoyable read.  It also presents a very interesting element as a form of conflict.  Some unknown events of rioting occur and their home ends up being set on fire.  The boy loses his cat but it is later found with his neighbor’s cat.  They apparently never get along but they are found by a fireman cuddled together holding paws.  They then share a bowl of milk.  This element allows for the reader to emphasis any number of points that they wish the listener or it allows the reader to interpret the story as they want.  No matter what interpretation is drawn, a positive message comes from this book.

Introduction

Hi!  My name is Jerrid Neeley and I am 22 years old.  I am the son of Jerry and Carla Neeley from Annville, KY.  Even though I grew up in Annville, I attended the Clay County school system.  I used to be an avid reader as from 3^rd grade to 8^th grade I earned at least 300 AR points every year.  Once I attended high school I had less time for reading as I focused more on my studies and tennis.  As a senior, I was fortunate enough to go to state level competition and graduate valedictorian of my class.  I then attended college at the University of the Cumberlands’ as a first generation college student.  In 2012 I graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in Chemistry and Biology and was the captain of the University’s Tennis Team.  I married my wife in April 2012 and we live in Williamsburg, KY.  She is a student in UC’s Physician’s Assistant program and I am in the Masters of Arts and Teaching program while also serving as a graduate assistant for UC’s tennis team.  This fall I will be attending the University of Pikeville’s Medical School where I hope to become a doctor and help serve the Appalachian Area where I grew up.  The two most important things in my life are God and my family.