Category Archives: Learning

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“Find Out Anything From Anyone, Anytime”

. Family, Learning, Parenting . , , , , , , ,

Ammon, Carter, and I are in a book! It’s called Find Out Anything From Anyone, Anytime.

Maryann Karinch and James O. Pyle co-authored this book, and one of Maryann’s chapters is Questioning in your Personal Life. She wanted to incorporate my good questioning techniques that I use with Carter and Ammon. She even references my future book (still unpublished, but written none the less!) and has a transcription of a conversation Ammon, Carter, and I had as we planned our Disney World trip last August.

Maryann sent Carter and Ammon signed copies of her book with a “Thank You.” We are all mentioned in her Acknowledgments, and our part of the book can be found on pages 208-211.

Maryann is an effective author, and I think you all would enjoy reading this book. The “Find Out Anything….” can empower us to:

-Identify and practice good questioning techniques.
-Recognize types of questions to avoid.
-Know the questions required when hearing unconfirmed reports of gossip.
-Practice good listening techniques and exploit all leads.
-Determine when and how to control the conversation.
-Gain real expertise fast.

I enjoyed the book, and I think you all will too.

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Letter N – Preschool Unit Plan

. Learning, Letter Unit Plans . , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nn

Unit Plan

N= Neighborhood…thanks, Sesame Street!

Mathematics: TN KCC A.3, KCC B.5, KCC B.4b, KOA A.1 & A.2, KMD A.1 & A.2

Social Studies: TN K 3.01, K 2.01, K 6.01

-North   -Needs    -Neighborhoods

Science: TN K 7.6.1, 7.6.2, 7.7.2, 7.7.3,7.8.1, 7.8.2,

-Weather Data      -Heat Chart   -Night        -Non-living  -Natural 7.7.3

Language Arts: TN RFK 2.d, RFK 3.b, SLK 1.a, SLK 1.b, SLK 6, LK 1.a, LK 1.f, RLK1, RLK2, RLK3, RLK4, RLK5, RLK9

The Nicest Newt  by Heather Feldman

Multiple Intelligences

 

Verbal/Linguistic- reading, writing, Capitals & punctuation

Logical Mathematical- math (numbers 1-20)

Body Kinesthetic- Practicing being Nimble

Spatial- Draw /Color N & n coloring w/ABC Mouse.com, Venn diagram (Night w/day….Moon & Stars)

Music/Rhythm- “Nonsense Words” -ABCMouse

Interpersonal- Relating to Daddy S, Daddy H, & Mamaw

Intrapersonal –Asking how they are experiencing their day with a video journal from iPad

Nature- geography with North, Night

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Ammon & Carter: Museum of Natural History

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T-Rex: Tuesday May 8, 2012

Wooly Mammoth

New York City’s Museum of Natural History: May 8, 2012

Ammon and Carter had survived the Uffizi, the Accademia di Belle Arti, and The Sistine Chapel in Italy, The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, The Louvre in Paris, and many other smaller museums of Europe and the United States. However, they were MADE to go.

During our week in New York City, we had several free mornings and afternoons, and it rained several of those days as well. On Tuesday (May 8), we couldn’t go to Central Park or other parks, so I scoured my mind in thinking of where Carter and Ammon might like to go. I asked if they wanted to see some statues of animals, and they both said, “Oh, yeah”.

Well, we traveled up the subway to the Museum of Natural History, and the subway went right into the basement of the museum (perfect because it was raining!). We went to 3rd floor, winded through the halls, and entered the well-known dinosaur room. Carter was asleep in his stroller, but Ammon walked in, looked up, smiled a HUGE smile, and yelled, “T-Rex!”. She ran and started jabbering. We were in the museum for over 2 hours, and the children loved every moment. Carter even woke up and enjoyed the animals as well. I was so relieved that we chose well. It was a great acclamation to museums for Ammon and Carter.

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John, Jesus’ Friend/Apostle: Ephesus

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Sitting in the Ruins of St. John’s Basilica: October 16, 2011-Sunday

St. John’s Byzantine Basilica Ruins

Camel in Ephesus

Summary of John’s Life

John is the only Apostle who did not suffer a martyr’s death. He was human just like the rest of us, and he had his faults, but there was a spiritual connection and understanding that John had with Jesus that the other 11 did not. John and his family were well known in Jerusalem. He must have been liked by the Jewish rulers as well because he (Had to have been John!) was witness the trials of Jesus during the night of his arrest (John 18:15). John is then present at the crucifixion with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Because there was no Joseph, Jesus was traditionally and culturally responsible to take care of his mother. John was more family to Jesus than his own brothers and sisters, and on the cross, Jesus gave John the honor of becoming Mary’s adopted “firstborn” (John 19:26-27) to be responsible for her until her death. John carried out his appointment with love and dedication.

John the Apostle also died and is buried in Ephesus at approximately 100 years of age, and a huge church was built over his grave. Emperor Justinian and his wife, Empress Theodora of the Byzantine Empire replaced the large, simple church with a huge, Christian, Byzantine basilica. Based on the ruins ( earthquake), it looked quite impressive. It is said to be the first Christian church built in the form of a cross.

We had a great time searching through the ruins. There is even a Princess video that shows Ammon and Carter happily running and investigating their surroundings. The whole experience at Ephesus was excellent. We even got to have our pictures taken with a camel before we entered our tour bus to return to the port of Kusadasi.

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Summer’s Corn on the Cob

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Ahh, the Memories of Corn!

Ahh, the Memories of Corn!

I love fresh corn on the cob especially Silver Queen (oh,
man I’m salivating just thinking of the ears of lightly-salted corn dripping
with melted butter/margarine). I could eat it for every meal for who knows how
many days in a row. On our way home from town Wednesday, Carter, Ammon, and I
stopped and bought some just-picked Silver Queen corn. The smell and later the
process of shucking it, brought back a plethora of memories of me and fresh
corn.

Shucked corn July 13, 2011

It was May 8, 1982, and it was also the day after my 16th
birthday. My father, my mother, and I had planted a good-sized garden, and we
had approximately 6 rows of corn that were each about 40 feet long. The corn
stalks were young and about ankle high. My father and I decided to give my
mother the day off as an early Mother’s Day gift, so he and I, alone, worked in
the garden. As I hoed the corn, we talked about Copper and Chief, the
coonhounds were we raising, but I also spent hours listening to the tales of
Daddy and the hound dogs (King, Queen & Bolivar) he grew up with.
Surprisingly, the warm, May morning flew by. Three weeks later, my father was
no longer with us. He died with an aneurism on his main aorta of the heart on
May 28.

In the middle of July, my mother and I harvested and shucked
the corn that my father had planted and taken care of. At different points
during the process, I cried and cried as I remembered my father. This week on
Wednesday, I shucked the corn and thought of my father and what a wonderful man
he was. I hope Carter and Ammon will make and nurture such memories of me even
if they are of corn on the cob.

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Eeny, Meeny….educational tip day

. Learning, Parenting . , , , , , , ,

I did this assignment with beginning ESL students who on the average were probably 15 years old, and, of course, they were in high school. We used a Big Book called Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mouse, and the first objective was what I mentioned last week: For every student to read the book. A second task was for the students to create their own book while combining the rhyming of “Eeny, Meeny” with the classroom vocabulary words (as well as the verbs that went with them) we were studying too. The books were very Dr. Suess-type books, and the students really seemed to enjoy making them. Let me give you an excerpt from one of the books I saved. Remember, the real vocabulary words were for “items in the classroom”.

 “Eeny, meeny, miney, mesk, who is sitting in the desk?

Eeny, meeny, miney, mencil, who is sharpening the pencil?”

Have a great Monday, and a great week!