passionately curious

Quote of the Day

Fortunately, we don't have to "teach" our children to be creative - inherent in the very core of children's beings is the embodiment of creativity. To think of something in a new way, to inquire about something that others don't even question, to come up with something truly unique and new is what children do best.  When we give our children the space and encouragement to explore their own creativity, they can become our most inspiring of artists, our most inquisitive of scientists, and our most original of philosophers.

- Amanda Blake Soule, from her book The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nuture Family Connections. You can also find Amanda at her blog, Soule Mama.

Lookybook

Lookybook allows you to view entire picture books as you would in a bookstore, except this time it's digital.  Unlike Amazon's "Search Inside," you can browse from cover to cover before you decide to purchase. You can't find every picture book here, but new ones are added each week and the list is growing.  You can add comments,  put your favorites on a "bookshelf", or even embed a book to share with others.  While books with larger print are easy to read (I've read several with my 5 year old!), others are better at just giving you a sense of the book before you buy it.  Lookybooky is worth a look!  Tip: Click on the eyeballs of the embed to view a larger version.

Quote of the Day

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. - Albert Einstein

I Have Heard of a Land

I was recently reminded me of this wonderful picture book by Joyce Carol Thomas that fits in perfectly with our study of the American pioneers.  I Have Heard of a Land is a poetic portrait of brave Americans, including many black settlers freed from slavery, who sought a new life in the west.  This story is inspired by Thomas' own family's journey to the Oklahoma Territory during the 1893 land run.  Thomas writes from the perspective of a strong and determined black, woman pioneer.  Below are some of the phrases that create the most powerful feelings and images for me. 

I have heard of a land where...

the earth is red with promises
a woman can plant her crop and walk all day and never come to the end of it
the imagination has no fences
what is dreamed one night is accomplished the next day
flapjacks spread out big as wagon wheels
butter is the color of melted sun
her possibilities reach as far as her eyes can see

It must have been wonderful to imagine such possibilities.  As Thomas writes in her Author's Note, "I Have Heard of A Land is one story of the journey of African Americans to a place of hope, a hope connected to the yearning for land - when land was another word for freedom."

Although limited, I have found a few other children's books (suitable for second grade readers) that document the African-American experience during Westward Expansion.  I'd love to know of others. 

Aunt Clara Brown: Official Pioneer by Linda Lowery
This is a biography of a a freed slave who travel to Colorado to find her daughter. 

Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner
A story of an African American family traveling to Kansas in 1878 to claim free land.

Black Cowboy Wild Horses by Julius Lester
Based on the true story of cowboy Bob Lemmons.

Black Frontiers: A History of African American Heros in the Old West by Lillian Schlissel
Includes black and white photographs dating from 1852-1948

30 Days: 21

Making buttermilk biscuits with our homemade buttermilk.  We'll enjoy these warm with homemade butter and honey!

30 Days: 20

Making Butter Like the Pioneers.  Pioneers often hung a bucket of cream on the wagon and let it bounce there all day as they traveled on the rough and bumpy trail.  At the end of the day, they were left with butter and buttermilk.  We made butter (and buttermilk) using whipping cream in baby food jars - shaken by hand for 2-3 minutes. 

30 Days: 19

Covered Wagon: Experiencing Life in a 19th Century Historic Village. 

Professional Development on My Time

Since attending the Illinois Techology Conference for Educators (IL-TCE) in February, I've been thinking much more about building my own personal learning network.  PLNs were mentioned at nearly every presentation I attended, including those by Steve Dembo, Steve Hargadon, and Vinnie Vrotny.  I already ready followed many blogs and did a great deal of reading there, but I wanted to build my relationships with people - to communicate, collaborate, to interact, to give my voice to the discussions.  Along with social networks, many people said that Twitter was a good place to start so I decided to give it a try.

Twitter, a free social network and "microblogging" service, allows you to communicate with frequent, short messages (only 140 characters) called "tweets." Not only can you share your thoughts, observations, and daily happenings,  but you can follow the tweets of other people. I started by following the same people whose blogs I read daily and soon discovered that they were posting information on Twitter that wasn't in their blogs.  For example, over spring break when I had time to check new "tweets" often, I discovered that David Warlick was presenting live in Texas and later Will Richardson was speaking in Tennessee via ustreamtv.  I was able to watch their presentations as if I were in the audience, but from the comfort of my couch!  In following Twitter, I've learned about interesting articles, blog posts, webcasts, and people that I otherwise may have never stumbled upon.  I'm still getting comfortable with my own contributions, but it's a start.

I've never been a techie - just a teacher wanting to follow best practices and newly inspired by the possibilities of using technology in the classroom. I'm simply trying to keep up with my young students who sometimes know more about computers than I do.  I want to use technology in meaningful and authentic ways.  I'm intrigued by how technology is changing the way we (should or could)  teach, learn and connect to the world.   My husband now calls me a geek, but I know that I'm in good company!

If you, too, are interested in learning about technology in education, here are just a few of the places I visit frequently for own professional development.   The wonderful thing is that much of this learning happens when I have time for it.  If I miss a live presentation or webcast, it's often archived as a podcast or on ustream.  I can share my thoughts and questions and receive quick responses through comments on a blog, twitter, or immediately during a live chat. 

Blogs
David Warlick
Will Richardson
Lucy Gray
Sylvia Martinez
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
Anne Davis
Steve Dembo
Karl Fisch
Chris Lehmann
Vicki Davis

Live Audio & Video Discussions
EdTechTalk Chat: Women of the Web 2.0, It's Elementary, Parents as Partners
Classroom 2.0 Live Conversations

Social Networks
Classroom 2.0
Twitter

Social Bookmarking
Del.icio.us

 

 

Wagons Ho!

This month, we've been studying the Oregon Trail and the children have been keeping their own historical fiction pioneer journals.   As a class, we formed a "wagon train", lead by the brave teacher-captains, Ms. Harrison and Mrs. Maxey.  We left our "jumping off" spot in Independence, MO and have so far traveled 550 miles to Chimney Rock.  Twice a week, the children write a new journal entry with the topic chosen by the teachers.  We've read many information books about pioneers and the Oregon Trail.  We've also been following Westward to Home: Joshua's Oregon Trail Diary and Casey's Journey: Going West in the 1860s, two books of historical fiction written from the perspectives of a young children.  Below are some excerpts from our pioneer journals. Although it's difficult for my students to understand life without television or computers, to know what's it like to not have much food or money, to have to work hard at chores that simply sustain a family (laundry, hunting, sewing and mending clothing, chopping firewood), they have really put their imaginations into this project.

Today, the wagon train saw a small heard of buffalo! The problem was they also saw us! Those buffalo charged like a bullet.  The buffaloes killed two oxen and there were 10 buffalo in the heard and we shot them all. 

We are crossing the South Platte River.  P.U.!!!!  It smells disgusting!  We are fording the river.  Sam sits in my lap.  I sit in mama's lap.  It was a good day to cross the river.  We didn't lose anything.  I am very tired. 

Now this is crazy.  First I have to wake up early at 6 a.m. Then we have to walk 15 miles. I met the whole wagon train and the captains.  They are very nice.  I've got a busy schedule (chores, dinner, sleep, breakfast...). My dad wants me for my chores to shoot my pretend arrow at any bird who comes near.  Tonight, I sleep under the wagon. 

We reached Chimney Rock.  When I try to look at it, I almost fall down.  Pa says it means we are a quarter of the way to Oregon!

*The wagons in our "wagon train" were made from recycled milk cartons. 

30 Days: 18

Class wagon train bound for Oregon!