something permenant presentation
Cinquain Poem
Family
Isolated, broken
Uniting, inspiring, moving
You only have one
Union
Double journal entry
Section 1:
Entry 1:
Quote : “if you didn’t sweep the dust out right quick between the storms, you would end up scooping it out with a shovel,” Page 7 paragraph 2
Connections or reactions to recorded statement: I thought this gave great insight to the lifestyle and pain the dust bowl had on everyday life. It wasn’t a time of happiness by any means but people did what they could to make the best of the situation.
Reaction (How you feel about the quote): I like how I can get a clear image of what the author is trying to describe. It also seems that the text gives personality to such a dreary time in American history.
Quote Connection (Self, Text, World) Similar to the many piles of snow I have had to shovel this semester because it’s been like a blizzard for three months.
Quote/Picture Inference (What you think it means): That times were rough and the dust seemed to be a constant strain on the people in this time period. Page 7
Quote Question: How much dust accumulated over this time period? What was the biggest influence it had on everyday life?
Prediction What Really Happened (You will complete this after you know) Lack of rain causing severe drought. This caused more work for families, such as cleaning cow’s nostrils, sweeping, and constantly cleaning.
Effect (What happened?) Cause (Why did it happen?) Lack of rain caused an accumulation of dust and a drought in America.
Author’s Craft (Simile, metaphor, personification) it is a statement with no literary terms incorporated in the sentence.
Entry 2:
Quote :” the dust storms scared us to pieces… It was dark as of the middle of the night” page 8 paragraph 2
Connections or reactions to recorded statement: The other day we had a blizzard up here and it was a white out. That in it self was enough to keep me inside. I couldn’t imagine complete darkness during the day.
Reaction (How you feel about the quote) I thought this quote was engaging and relatable. Everyone has been scared before but I forget how certain experiences can have so much impact on life. I’m sure that the dust bowl was an experience that probably changed people’s perspective that lived through it.
Quote Connection (Self, Text, World) I remember as a kid watching a tornado out of school window and seeing pitch black. I guess a fear of the unknown would be enough to scare anyone and I couldn’t imagine it during that time period when house were probably not structurally sound.
Quote/Picture Inference (What you think it means) There was no picture but I would say that the quote is straight forward. It describes to the reader a clear image of what they experienced. Darkness is something everyone has experienced, but not everyone has experienced it during the day.
Quote Question: How long did a black out last? What did families do during this time? How did they prepare for this?
Effect (What happened?) Cause (Why did it happen?) large amounts of dust caused limited visibility from the sun.
Entry three:
Passage: It was a time of desperation. From 1930 to 1940 the number of farmers and agricultural workers in the dust bowl states declined by approximately 400,000; by 1937 the unemployment rate in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas had soared to 30 percent. Pg. 10 paragraph 2
Connections or reactions to recorded statement: the unemployment rate has been very bad even in the present, their isn’t a dust bowl,yet there are similarities.
Reaction (How you feel about the quote): I feel that the passage gives the reader a set idea and understanding of how the dust bowl truly effected Americans.
passage Connection (Self, Text, World):A profession like teaching isn’t even safe from unemployment. Mecklenburg county schools have been letting lots of teachers and qualified staff go because of the financial dilemma.
Section 2:
Entry 1:
Passage: California! California! California! To the Okies the word ” California” was magical, describing a place where they can go to better their lives. Pg. 11 paragragh 2
Connection: College is where i go to better my life. The classroom is where my students go to get the skills they need to function in everyday society.
Reaction: I couldn’t see my self in a situation like the Okies. It would be easy to put your faith in something that seems to be your only hope, but heartbreaking to travel across the states and find nothing.
Question: what percent of Okies found jobs on their travels? Were there any government aid like Katrina or Haiti for these people back then?
Entry 2:
Passage: And what a site it was. The Okies had sold there few valuable possessions they still had: an old tractor, a cow, or perhaps a cow that had survived. page 12 paragraph 2
Connection: Moving has been a pain for me in the past few years from home, to dorm life, to my house i live in now. I couldn’t imagine selling everything that I valued, to living on the road to survive.
Reaction: This is a sad image in my mind and something I hope that I never have to go through.
Picture reaction: Pg.12 + pg.13 Idea of traveling through heat, dust, starvation truly is represented through the people in these photos.
Questions: Who benefited from the dust bowl? Was it landowners, businessmen, or did everyone have a negative effect through the time period?
Entry 3:
Passage: For those with their own vehicle, an old car with three mattresses lashed to the roof was called “rich.” And if someone saw a car with just one mattress, they’d say, ” There goes a poor Okie.” Pg. 13 paragraph 2.
Reaction: I thought this shows that even in a time of desperation, pain, and misery, social classes still exist.Pride does survive as faith does, when you hit rock bottom.
Connection: I just thought this was an interesting insert to the book. If I was to try to make a connection it would have to be that, I myself have lived poor and middle class through my life, but this makes me appreciate everything I have had in my life especially.
Question: what percent of traveling Okies would be considered rich in the end of the dust bowl era? Or did social classes continue throughout?
Section 3:
Entry:1
Quote: “It was paradise,” Trice Masters recalled. “When we saw the valley we started hollerin’ and yellin’ cause we knew it was Californ’. ” pg.22 paragraph 2.
Connection: I remember coming into to Boone when I was moving into college. I felt the same feeling of suspense when I saw the valley and what all was to come.
Reaction: I enjoyed this quote, because it shows how the hope of the Okies was finally coming true, well least they thought it was.
Question: how long did it take the okies to realize that life here wasn’t all that they had hoped for?
Entry:2
Passage line: What California had to offer the Okies was more hunger and misery. Page 24 paragraph 2
Reaction: heart ache, disappointment, and misery seems to be a country wide problem. It must of been a struggle to even push on considering there last hope was a lie from the beginning. Ideas of prosperity in California wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Connection: I would see this to be a reoccuring theme today as well. Immigration to the land of the free is a idea of prosperity that the Okies shared, but in the end it doesn’t always work out the way you planned it.
Question: Did the California workers suffer more because of the influx of Okies that moved there?
Entry3:
Passage: Here families would gather to sing and “pick,” playing an assortment of instruments that clattered and twanged- spoon, washboard, saw, and of course banjo, harmonica, fiddle, and guitar. page 31 paragraph 2.
Connection: I have either seen or played every instrument listed above. I really like this passage because music has been such a huge part of my life for so long and it is nice to see connections from the past still relatable to the present.
Reaction: I love how music can be a deciding factor in making life a little more pleasurable. I know after a long and hard day that music is always there to cheer me up and it seems that the Okies shared that same passion.
Question: Did the migration to California change the style of music heard in the area?
Section 4:
Entry:1
Quote: “Okie use’ ta mean you was from Oklahoma,” an Okie says in the Grapes of Wrath. “Now it means you’re a dirty son of a bitch. Okie means your scum.” Pg. 34 paragraph1
Reaction: It seems to me that words meanings are constantly changing. Bad originally meant something that was no good, but i have heard it used in slang terms to mean the opposite, as if describing a good thing. As the influx of people came over the California, i’m sure the idea of the people became a huge issue, but they were just going for survival.
Connection: Immigration today has the same connection. As more Hispanic populations come over I see a change in the way we percieve people of that ethnicity. The goal of the Okies is the same of the Hispanic population, a better life.
Question: What caused the meaning of Okies to change? Was it a common meaning among all Californians?
Entry:2
Quote: ” The teachers nag and look at you like a dirty dish rag.” Pg. 39 paragraph 3
Reaction: It makes me so angry that in such a loving and nuturing profession such as teaching, that teachers act like this. I could never imagine treating any of my students like that, especially the ones that are going through tough situations. School is a safe haven and a place to get away from problems, not hurt students.
Connection: As a teacher I understand how fragile students are emotional, physically, and mentally. This quote just makes me want to work harder to providing a friendly and safe enviroment for my students each and everyday.
Question: Did those teachers get fired, because they should have.
Entry:3
Quote: ” The big problem for me,” the superintendent said,” was to find out what to do for these children to get them adjusted into society and to take their rightful place.” pg. 41 paragraph 3
Connection: I on a daily basis am analysizing students needs to provide instruction to make them sufficient learners and good citizens. I could not fathom the amount of attention, resources, and patience a superintendent would need for these neglected students.
Reaction: I am heartbroken to think of the countless students that the state of California passed by in this time of disaster. A students life is a top priority and I’m glad to know that this superintendent has enough passion to see the issue at hand, even if there wasn’t an easy solution.
Section 5:
Entry:1
Quote: “The Emergency,” Leo said,” was overcrowding in the public schools.” pg. 45 paragraph 2
Reaction: I understand the tone that this person had toward this situation. It seems that education is a important part of life, but gets put on the back burner on the priority list of politicians and government. It is upsetting to think that teachers are fighting for so much in education, but little to nothing is done.
Connection: It seems that there is a lack of teachers in my profession, an overflow in student population, and still teachers are losing jobs. I worry about helping 12-15 students at a time when I become a teacher and have my own classroom. I could not imagine 30 students or more and trying to meet each individual needs.
Question: Why does that always seem to be a problem in education? Is there a solution that can fix this constant problem?
Entry:2
quote: “I became a panhandler,” Leo rememebred, “and I was pretty good.” His pitch was simple and just what the residents of Kern county wanted to hear. pg. pg47 paragraph 2
connection: I sing in a acapella group at Appalachian State University. If it is nice weather after our night practices, we sing at various places around campus like this group. We seem to have good standings with our fans and seem to share the same passion as the Dust Bowl Kids in the book.
Reaction: I loved this because for once in this story, a person who went through the dust bowl prospered through something they enjoyed. It seems that life around this time was all work no play, which I guess is do for the fact that everyday was a struggle for survival.
Question: Did the Dust Bowl kids ever record?
Entry:3
Quote: There was no partiality, ” Leo said,” no embarrassment or ridicule.” Instead, “There was friendship, understanding, guidance, and love.” pg. 51 paragraph 1
Reaction: One of the few times in the story that actually wanted me to experience this atmosphere. Instead of loom and gloom, a community was forming and lifestyles were changing
Connection: The way that they describe the last part is how i view teaching. It has to have understanding, friendship, guidance, and love between a student and there teacher. Then learning will be fun and engaging, attitudes toward teaching will change as did the Okies in the new enviroment.
Question: how many homes and town were rebuilt at this time period?
Section 6:
Entry:1
Passage: While the children of Weedpatch Camp were building a school for themselves, they were also attending classes, doing homework, and taking tests on a regular basis. Pg.60 paragraph 1
reaction:I felt that this a above and beyond the call of duty for these kids. I guess it made them more motivated in there work being apart of its construction, but I could not do alot of that stuff when I was the age of some of these students. I am glad to see that education was important to these kids and it makes me greatful for the life I have had over these years.
Connection: I am teaching 40 hours a week with this program, preparing lesson plans to teach, doing homework and singing probably 5 -10 hours a week. It is time consuming, but nothing compared to the worj that was going at the Weedpatch Camp.
Question: Were there any other schools at this time that went through a similar procedure like the students of Weedpatch?
Entry:2
Passage: Because attendance at the school was sometimes sporadic and because many of the students were learning from scratch, Leo recalled , “there was no quantum leaps in knowledge. There were only little victories, when a student understood addition or learned to write a complete sentence. But the main thing was they were learning.” pg. 62 paragraph 2
Connection: I have a student that is learning from scratch and it is a battle everyday to teach him what he needs to know at the grade level he’s in. I can see the frustration that this teacher faced and how little victories can be satisfying in certain situations.
Reaction: I thought this was a really good passage for me as a upcoming teacher to read considering the relevance to education it has. I like how even when things seem negative, with the right attitude you can find something positive.
Question: What curriculum if any did the schools of this time period use?
Entry:3
Quote: When we started to build the school, it gave the parents hope,” Leo said. “They could see what the school meant to their children. They could see it everyday in their faces, in their laughter. Pg. 67 paragraph 2
Reaction:I feel that this sums up why i wanted to teach. Knowledge is one of lifes greatest gifts and students I feel want it. Parents want the best for their kids, but if students have a interest or an excitement for something, then usually so our the parents.
Connection: I have students that seem to come from broken homes, bad living situations, malnourished families, and when they come to school then I see hope and happiness in their eyes. I feel that this passage sums up the relationship between schools and families in a powerful way.
Question: Are parents more active in their students schooling now, or back then?
Internet workshop:
Internet Researcher:___Nicholas Combs__
Objective: The purpose of this activity is to introduce you with the instructional strategy Internet workshop. You will learn the educational value of Internet Workshop as an instructional strategy as well as how it improves students’ new literacies skills.
- Go to the web address http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/RT/2-02_column/ Scroll down to the section Internet Workshop. What is the purpose of an Internet Workshop?
It may be used as a directed learning experience, a simulation, a center activity, or with many other instructional practices you already use. Generally, though, it contains these procedures:
| 1. | Locate a site on the Internet with content related to a classroom unit of instruction and set a bookmark for the location. |
| 2. | Design an activity, inviting students to use the site as they accomplish content, critical literacy, or strategic knowledge goals in your curriculum. (As children progress, you may also invite them to develop independent inquiry projects.) |
| 3. | Complete the research activity. |
| 4. | Have students share their work, questions, and new insights at the end of the week during a workshop session. You may also use this time to prepare students for the upcoming workshop experience. |
- In the subsection, Complete the Research, the author describes options to organize computer use. What does he recommend for a self-contained classroom?
In self-contained classrooms with one or two Internet computers, you may wish to assign students to a schedule such as the one in Table 2. This provides each student with 1 hour of Internet access each week—30 minutes by themselves and 30 minutes with a partner. This is usually sufficient time to complete the research activity for Internet Workshop.
- Why do you think the sharing component is such an important part of Internet Workshop?
It can bring up student ideas that their peers or the teacher may not have thought of. It allows students to build ownership on their schoolwork in a more engaging way.
- The author suggests various themes for different age groups. Select one variation that interests you and describe it in detail.
Letter names in kindergarten. Internet Workshop is not limited to the upper elementary grades; it may be used at every grade level, even as low as kindergarten. Another teacher who was interested in trying Internet Workshop with his students had been told that they were too young to use the Internet. We developed an Internet Workshop activity for his writing center to help students develop letter-name knowledge and the ability to form letters. Children’s literature can be another variation, suitable for any grade, is to develop independent Internet Workshop activities around the works of exceptional literature children read in class.
- How does the author suggest developing new literacies skills using Internet Workshop? Give at least 3 examples and explain how these would help develop “new literacies.”
Discover more information about an author you have read. Find out what other classrooms around the world are doing in your area of study. Or use the URL for a site to uncover clues about who created it and why. These tools make students investigate new ways they can access the Internet. It can also let students be the holder of knowledge, instead of the teacher, which helps them to form their own concepts.
- Critical thinking: How do we know the information from http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/RT/2-02_column/ can be trusted? Give at least two reasons you believe this site is trustworthy or not.
I think it is trustworthy because it has references listed and it also provides links to sources that they mention in the text.
- (Synthesizing) How does Internet workshop fit into our concept of “Comprehensive Balanced Literacy Instruction?”
This fits into our concept of balanced literacy because it engages many disciplines and uses multiple techniques to reach young students and especially young readers. I like how it shows many examples that you can use in the classroom, but makes the Internet a more accessible tool to students.
