Shona's Shennanigans: Recent Episodes
Shona Rose
She reads it better, here on youtube: Carolyn Forche performs her poem "Ourselves or Nothing." It is dedicated to the late Terrence Des Pres, whose book The Survivor, a much-admired account of holocaust survivors' will to bear witness, entailed a great struggle for the author. Forche, who knew Des Pres later, witnessed forms of that struggle. Des Pres taught at Colgate University and he was one of the first to offer a course in the literature of the holocaust (in the mid-1970s). The poem refers to Forche's own work in El Salvador supporting those who bore witness to atrocities committed there. https://youtu.be/5jIiRvFRj18
I found something to help us with our theme: https://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/04/books/two-poets.html
In this episode, I express my insecurities and try to figure out what ee cummings was talking about and how I'm going to write the model essay for this unit.
Be prepared. This is weird. Very, very weird. You probably won't understand it all at first. I sure don't. How will be examine these poems by "being" and "unbeing." I have no answers, but we will roll through the muck and mud of these ideas together.
No capital letters? Why? Sanchez writes here to reflect on a powerful, personal experience with a real person. Her words became a gift to him. Soak up the words, read more about the man, and then return to the letter to see what Sanchez is saying about walking, peace, bravery, and other things.
Reading poetry by phrases, singly, and then reading them coherently reveals a focus on phrases and meanings that you would miss without such a dual practice.
Sometimes, I read something and injure myself. I think you'll hear the poetry Sanchez uses to describe her admiration of Norma.
First, I put it into one sentence, then taking it line by line as before, I tried reading the punctuation as if it were a noun. Hmmmm.
Sometimes it helps to read and take it line by line, taking the meanings as they emerge.
Perhaps god is a child.
Perhaps god is a child's hand.
Both could be true.
And sometimes, it helps to read the text first without the parenthesis, adding them later when you can figure out the sentence.
And sometimes, you still don't get it when you are finished. Like that ending...
Sometimes you have to take out some words and reorder them. The disorder of the words in the poem seem to match the disorder in thinking that cummings explains at how we have no choice when the government makes a proclamation about war.
This one has been very difficult. The only thing that seems to make sense in reading it is to consider the verbs as nouns/concepts. The piece takes on a shuddering dread, as if recounting the process where living becomes death.
How do you even read this thing aloud? I tried it as if pretending to tell a story, realizing that it can no longer be told.
This one was hard to read. It feels like it is missing words, but I wonder if each stanza functions as it's own part of speech or clause...
If we joyfully navigate ourselves into the future...(introductory dependent clause)
as lovers who strive for the biblical oneness (appositive to describe ourselves and our relationship)
how do we in our limited understanding imagine ourselves free? (independent clause)
Even though we don't understand the mysteries, you'll rest and I'll sing to you
while the rest of the world concentrates on their schedules that don't matter.
We are free in our love.
I don't know. Probably nonsense.
I'm impressed by how Specter ended the piece. Are you? Even if science doesn't have all the answers, I think I believe in some of the power of nothing.
We continue our chunking of the text, but hone in more about HOW the writer is using the signposts and other techniques to structure and deliver the line of reasoning.
We continue the piece, noting where the text structure changes that help use trace the line of reasoning. Startling statistics continue to be a part of what we see that help us understand the severity and complexity of the problems.
Malaria was a global killer before COVID. And you'll find some surprising similarities and contrasts. In this podcast, I model how we chunk texts as we read by noticing what the writer is doing with the organization of paragraphs and passages. By doing so, we understand and follow the writer's logical reasoning. Apparent in this text also are Startling Statistics, one of the strategies of Notice and Note. We notice these statistics, question them, and use them to help us follow the author's perspectives, tone, and purposes.
Y'all. I was reading Orwell today for a lesson plan. I was astounded at how the end of his essay on "Politics and the English Language" mirrored what we have been considering in the writing institute. Astounded.
In this episode, I read aloud from an essay Orwell wrote between Animal Farm and 1984. As I read, I model reading strategies and how I am tracking my purpose for reading: to find out how this essay led to the concept of Newspeak.
In this episode, I read from Natalie Goldberg's chapter "Writing is not a McDonald's Hamburger" from Writing Down the Bones. I consider the implications for fake writing day and prompt driven, standardized assessment for on demand writing.
In this episode, I focus on setting a purpose for reading, pausing to summarize, question, and research.
As I read aloud, I am modeling how we pause to connect, ask questions, and use text evidence to support our metacognition and initial comprehension.
In this episode, I walk through the Comprehension TEKS to share ideas about what the metacognitive skills are that we will be using in the IBD unit, Dealing with Difficulty.
Use this to continue the discussion of what we should learn about interpreting research.
Use this to help students plan for the synthesis of two texts in this unit. I've also paused to give insights about what Gladwell is doing and how that should inform students as readers and thinkers of research and interpreters of bias and findings.
Use this to help students understand that
you need to stop and research some things
you can reorient yourself to the overall purpose by revisiting previous headings
These steps help you stay grounded in the author's train of reasoning.
Use this to help students understand how we pause as we read to make text to text, text to self, and text to world connections.
Use this to help students understand that reading is not about finishing. That we must pause, think and digest. Reread and reconsider as we make meaning.
Use this to share with students about
how you have to stop and think about word meaning and connotation
how you don't always know what the author is talking about in full (the second couple)
how how the title doesn't make much sense until you get to the end and think
Use this to help students:
adjust their purpose for reading as new ideas present themselves in the text.
Use this to help students understand
how multiple readings are necessary.
that we are not expected to know every word or concept upon first reading
that prosody, (tone, phrasing, and inflection) help bring meaning to a text
Please use this recording as additional support for students who are reading or rereading Auscultation by Steven Church
I'm reading and thinking aloud from ACTS of Teaching III for the Abydos 2020 Institute at Region 16.
The article concludes with discussion about Transformation, Discussion/Reflection, Application, and Evaluation.
Most folks I talk to say their biggest struggle is getting kids to engage. Cambourne has important ideas about motivation that we could use to find solutions.
Cambourne begins to lay out the reason why his previous theories were problematic and how he discovered alternatives to the behavioristic model he had employed before.
This podcast accompanies a course I am teaching at Region 16 about how provide the conditions of literacy learning as we go online. I was inspired to read the text aloud by Michael Wesch, author of "The Art of Being Human." He created a youtube video Teaching Without Walls: 10 Tips for teaching online.
Jane Oakhill, Kate Cain and Carsten Elbro, in Understanding and Teaching Comprehension: A Handbook, share the following thought experiment. As you listen, think about who is the better reader. How does your evaluation of the readers change throughout the podcast? (p. 22-23).
Avi gives an overview of the book and how she came to write the story at her website, here: https://www.avi-writer.com/books/books/poppy.html
Happy Reading
Read more about the book at Kirkus reviews. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jan-cheripko/rat-3/
AVI talks about the story behind the story here: https://www.avi-writer.com/books/books/crispincross.html
I first encountered Anderson with her book, Speak. This one is different...and just as powerful. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/fever-1793-by-laurie-halse-anderson/
Yes. It's old. But it's SOOOOO good. Here's a website with resources: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/freak-the-mighty-by-rodman-philbrick/
I rember reading this...but don't remember how it ended or any of the details. Might have to read it again. Read more about the book here: http://sharonshinn.net/safekeeper.shtml
I first encountered this book while teaching reading at Fannin Middle school. It's one of the most powerful books I have ever read. And Zusak continues to write: http://www.zusakbooks.com/
David calls himself an accidental novelist, but I'm so glad he made that mistake. Truesight is the first of three. You can check out his website here: http://davidstahlerjr.com/truesight/
Some of you know Andrew Clements from his book Friendle. But this is actually his first book. Check it out! https://www.andrewclements.com/books/things-not-seen
This site has professionally produced excerpted readings and Sharon's own reflections about writing the book. Stunning. http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=20
Sound interesting? Pick up a copy and start reading! http://rickriordan.com/series/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians/
Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST 1 • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation Part 2 • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation Part 3 • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation Part 4 • Jennifer Wilkerson's ...
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Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS • Jennifer Wilkerson's Presentation to CREST RE TEKS