MeMoRiEs!

Today in class, we shared our memories. We shared memories that made us feel warm, that made us laugh, cry, that were a long time ago and that were precious as gold. For my precious as gold memory I chose the day my niece was born. I have a nephew who is five going on six next month, and two nieces that are only two months apart with another niece/nephew due in Nov. With my nephew, I didn't get to see him until he went home from the hospital. With my niece that I picked for my precious as gold memory I was there the entire time. I have made such a bond with her since then. Not only was I there for her birth, but even when she was only three of four weeks old and her mother had to go back to work for the last couple of weeks of school, I was the one who took care of her. I feel almost as if she is my own. I am extremely close to her and I would do anything for her. I feel so much closer to her than I do with the other two because starting from the day she was born I've been an extremely big part of her life! This is why I chose the day of her birth as my precious as gold memory.

This is my Precious as Gold! She is my niece!

Personal Book

Yesterday in class we made Personal Books! These books were fun to make and very creative. It showed a lot about a person not only because of what we wrote in them, but because you had to be creative to decorate it. I wrote about my love of shopping. It truly is relaxing to me even if I'm just browsing, I don't even have to buy anything! My favorite thing to shop for though, are shoes! I have a shoe fettish. Shoes are usually the first thing that catch my eye! If I find a pair of shoes that I like, I usually end up getting them even if I don't have an outfit that matches, I can always find one! I'm going to express my interest in shoes with a poem!

Shoes!

They can be pricey

but they are usually cute,

they can be on sale

like my pair of black boots.

They could be flats

to match a cute shirt,

Or maybe they're heels

to wear with a skirt.

They might be simple

to wear everyday with jeans,

or possibly elaborate

like you see on movie screens.

Shoes come in all sorts

there are flats, heels, and more.

But don't buy too many

or you'll run out of room for them to be stored!

If I won...

If I won the Randy Caroll Credit Card that is loaded with $100,000 there are several things I would do. First of all, I would pay off my truck. Then I would set some money aside so that when I get married I have enough to pay for the wedding that I want. I would also pay off my school loans and for the rest of my school. I've taken out quite a few loans and it would be nice to not truly have to worry about those since i'm going to school to be a teacher! Then, with whatever money I had left, I would find a house, or maybe property. I think I would put the money to pretty good use. It wouldn't be wasted. Some poeple that win money like that would waste some on shopping sprees. I can't say I wouldn't use any of it on shopping, but probably not a lot. I would like to use it for the things i've listed. Especially having a nice downpayment on property or a house would be awesome. These are just a couple of things I would do if I won the Randy Caroll Credit Card.

Writing is A PROCESS!

Writing is a process. There are five different steps in writing. These steps help make the paper the best it can be. The first step in writing, is pre-writing. Pre-writing helps you organize your thoughts. This is where you use brainstorming. Whether it's semantic maps or even just notes on your paper. Pre-writing helps you understand what you want to put in your paper and what you might not include.
The second step of writing is Drafting. Drafting is actually writing out the first copy of your paper. Sometimes called the sloppy copy. The sloppy copy can be done on the computer or a journal or even a blog, but should usually be handwritten on paper. When we handwrite our rough drafts, it keeps us more focus on the content of our paper, whereas if we type it, were not soley focused on the content but we're also trying to correct and write as we go.
Step three in writing is Revising. Revising is changing something that doesn't make perfect sence or maybe rewording it, as well as, adding or deleting sentences. This is where you check the content and ideas of the paper. A good way to revise papers is to have a peer look over them or do writing workshops or writing conferences. It is best to have someone other than yourself review your paper because they might find something that you looked over several times.
Editing is step number four. Editing is all abour checking the spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. This again, is better when a peer looks over your paper or even groups of three, writing conferences and workshops work as well.
Finally in the writing process we have Publish. When the student has finsihed their paper, and gone throgh all the steps publish it. Publishing it might be hanging it on the walls for all of his/her peers to see in the hallway. This makes the child feel accomplished, tells him/her they've done a good job. Another example is, say the paper was supposed to be a letter tot he principal, then when the paper is done and turned in, send it to the principal. These are just things to make writing more real, instead of just an assignment.

Circulary Story

A circular story is a story that starts and ends with the same thing. It starts with one thing and from there might go into something completely different. It circles around to end up with the same thing as it started off with. For example, we all know that the book "If you give a mouse a cookie" is a circular story. All of the events in a circular story relate.

You can use circular stories in the classroom to help students better understand something. Maybe you have them make one up on their own. This could show them that all of these items and events in this story are some how related to one another. Another way you could use circular stories in the classroom would be to read it to the class and have them answer questions to make sure they understand. Then have them explain to you what events took place and how they are related.

When it comes to making reading fun, I think about the little children. When it comes to them, dressing up in a costume from the book your reading keeps them entertained. If you do activities that they enjoy, then the next day they will be excited about reading time. To make reading fun for some might not take as much effort, sometimes just letting them choose which book they want to read is good for them. They can choose their book and then draw their favorite scence from the book they chose, or share with a friend. These are just a few ideas of what could make reading fun.