Choir Takes Over

Tomorrow, I will be getting on a bus and leaving Kalamazoo. The choir program here at Western is going on tour! The only problem with this trip is that I don't know where we are going. Our choir teacher is a lovely women but she has a lot on her plate. As the week progresses, her brain gets more and more frazzled. Needless to say, no one in our group is sure of were we will end up tomorrow night. Each one of us will have our bags packed and be on the bus by 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. We will be traveling to different high schools around Michigan to recruit kids to come to Western. I'm excited to be going on this tour, but again, I'm unsure of where we are going. We are meeting today for rehearsal and I plan on grilling my teacher for the details of our voyage. I like to be prepared and right now, I don't feel that way at all. So anyways, we will be gone from Wednesday until Friday, singing our hearts out every day. 

Topic Proposal

For our next project: Research Paper

            Our group will be researching the Columbine massacre that happened on April 20, 1999. That day will never be forgotten because of the tragedy that took place. Twelve students were murdered and one teacher was taken with them. Twenty-three other students were wounded but not killed. That day, bullying reached a new level of fright. Two boys, Eric Harris and Dyland Klebold decided they had had enough of the torture. They were smart kids that had been picked on because they were “nerds” and imperfect. On April 20, they brought guns to school and spoke out to their peers by shooting the people they hated the most. Horrified and shocked, Jefferson County of Colorado witnessed a tragedy like none before.

            I chose to be a lunch lady at Columbine high school during the gruesome shootings of 1999. “My name is Nancy Snyder and I am in my mid thirties.  Every day, I kiss my husband before I head out the door to my car. A beat up Chevy truck takes me to and from my job at the local high school. When Jack and I moved to Columbine, we didn’t come for the weather or the mountains, but for the jobs. Jack picked up a steady post at the factory and I used the only skill I had to earn some cash: cooking. I had heard through the gossip of the teenagers that some people were liked more than others at this school. I never paid much attention because I had done my time in high school; I was done with that drama. But on April 20, I witnessed the most frightening moment of my life. ”

            I already know who the kids were that brought the guns to school and what their motivation was for doing so. Being bullied is a terrible thing and to have put up with it for so long is impressive. How they dealt with their anger, however, was horrifying and left many people dead or wounded. To be so upset and not receiving any help from family or friends must have been a losing battle. I would like to know if the two boys who brought the guns to school had any mental issues. Were they unstable or did they just snap? I also wonder why no one tried to help them. Where were their parents? Didn’t they notice that their kids were up set? And where did they get the guns? Did a sales clerk really sell to guns to two under aged and emotionally unstable boys? Or were the guns already in their houses? The research my group and I will be conducting during the next few weeks will hopefully be able to answer these questions.

My Second Lesson Plan

Baby Beluga

Objectives:

·      Students will use the song “Baby Beluga” to explore the world of underwater sea creatures.

Materials:

·      Picture books: Sea creature themed, can be found at www.amazon.com

§  The Snail and The Whale by Julia Donaldson

§  Face to Face With Whales by Flip Nicklin

·      Raffi songbook and CD that includes the song “Baby Beluga”.

§  CD and sheet music can be found at www.amazon.com but lyrics are on the next page

Procedure:

·      Open class by calling on kids and having them say their favorite sea creature

·      Introduce the class to the world of whales by reading “A snail and a whale”

·      Discuss how the two characters helped each other

·      Read “Face to Face with Whales” for a more realistic look at whales

·      Introduce the song “Baby Beluga”

·      The first time it plays, everyone just listens

·      Play the song again while the teacher sings along with the recording by themselves

·      Play the song a third time and as the students to join in

·      This time, when the song plays, introduce the hand motion of a whale jumping through waves (put your two hands together and wave them up and down)

·      Finish with a round of applause for each other

Assessment:

·      The students should be focused and putting in effort to understand the singing the correct words for the song. Everyone should be waving their hands when the action is introduced during the final sing through.

Lyrics for “Baby Beluga”

           

Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above, and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, is the water warm?
Is your mama home with you, so happy.

Way down yonder where the dolphins play,
Where they dive and splash all day,
The waves roll in and the waves roll out,
See the water squirting out of your spout.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, sing your little song,
Sing for all your friends, we like to hear you.

When it's dark, you're home and fed,
Curl up snug in your water bed.
Moon is shining and the stars are out,
Good night, little whale, goodnight.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, with tomorrow's sun,
Another day's begun, you'll soon be waking.

Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.
You're just a little white whale on the go.

Rough Draft

I am writing lesson plans for my genre. This is my first attempt.

rough draft 1

Genre Essay

I am very interested in kids and teaching. Within the next eight years, I hope to have my own classroom in a local elementary school. The local part may not be so easily attainable. With the status of Michigan teachers, I will probably have to move out of the state. I'm prepared to go the distance to make the lives of kids better.

I will be writing lesson plans for my future classroom.

Approach to this assignment:
I will plan activities for a variety of subjects. I plan to write one about Math, Science, Language Arts, Music, and Art. Each one will include an activity that will help explain the subject and give kids an opportunity to practice what we have learned.

An example: this is a web site I found for some ideas and inspiration. So far it has been very helpful.
HotChalk Lesson Plans Page

Out Line for Essay

Same Picture as Tuesdays Blog Post :)

Initial Impression: This picture says a thousand words about love, which is why I like it. Nothing is written on it; the only word in the picture is “BOND” written on a building in the background. But the way the man is holding the women so closely and passionately kissing her leaves the viewer speechless. Do the two people even know each other? Was this picture planned? The photo answers so many questions while it evokes twice as many.

Rhetorical Situation: This picture is in black and white, suggesting its timelessness. The two people kissing are front and center, the focus of the photo. I think the purpose of this picture is to provide others with sympathetic feelings towards the people who fought so bravely during WWII. It could also suggest that love can be found anywhere and at any time. The audience that this picture was created for would be the veterans of WWII. However, the picture is easy to relate to so it is now for everyone, not just the fighters of that time period. Everyone is smiling in the picture so the tone seams positive; perhaps love struck.

Analysis Model: Why are these two people kissing? They look like they come from two different worlds; what is bringing them together? I think they are in fact different, but they share to common joy of returning home from war with all of their limbs and a healthy heart still pumping. Maybe they were lovers before that had lost each other during the months of battle, but now they have returned and found each other. Though we don’t know for sure, these lovers seam to be meeting for the first time. They share a bond of war oppression and relief from finally returning home. To celebrate, they embrace with a passionate kiss that leaves the women breathless and the man heroic.

I.      Thesis: Though we don’t know for sure, these lovers seam to be meeting for the first time. They share a bond of war oppression and relief from finally returning home.

II.    Supporting Evidence #1:

o   The way they are dressed tells us when this event took place.

o   The women is in all white, dressed like a nurse

o   The man is in all black, maybe navy blue, dressed as a sailor

III  Supporting Evidence #2:

o   Everyone around them is grinning, showing us the end of an era that will change the world

o   The man on the left side of the picture, walking tall and proud

o   The group of women behind the kissers, the women’s friends? They look one with smiles, perhaps some jealousy.

o   The man on the right side of the picture. Why is he cut off? Who is he? The women’s real lover? Perhaps a friend of theirs?

IV   Supporting Evidence #3:

o   The passion that is shown is real, whether they know each other or not.

o   The man pulls at the women’s dress.

o   The women’s body is leaning at an angle that forms directly to the man’s.

o   It looks like the man is doing the kissing; did the women want to be kissed? Is she fighting against him or melting in his embrace?

V.     Conclusion:

o   Whether the two people that are the focus of this picture are meeting for the first time or the 100^th time, they show us true passion and provide hope for veterans and new generations of people alike. 

Analysis Rough Draft

WWII Picture

Title

            Words aren’t always needed to show others how you feel. This picture is a perfect example of being speechless but still crystal clear about your emotions. As the lips of the two people meet, the audience is overcome with feelings of passion, hope and relief. Though we don’t know for sure, these lovers seam to be meeting for the first time. However, they share a bond of war oppression and relief from finally returning home. These common denominators provide these two people with some ground to base their eternal relationship on.

            This photograph was taken at a specific moment in our nation’s history, but the feelings and emotions captured seem timeless. The clothing worn in the photo shows us that the image was taken at the end of WWII. Though the picture is in black and white, it is clear that the woman is dressed in white from head to toe. Her nurse’s uniform is pressed and clean, suggesting purity. She has sensible shoes on her feel and her hair is pinned back; she doesn’t seam like the kind of girl who kisses random men. The sailor, on the other hand, is dressed in black or perhaps navy blue, colors that suggest rebellion and mischief. So how did these two come to cross paths?  Is it coincidence that the man chose this innocent woman to plant a kiss upon? In the heat of the moment, the excitement must have overcome both of them and soon, they were embraced in the most romantic and famous kiss of all time.

            If the emotions of hope could be written down, this whole picture would be covered in those words. All the faces have that are visible from the audience’s point of view have smiles stretching across them. People were happy at this point in time. The war was finally over, so they were all coming home to greet their loved ones and return to their normal lives. The people that surround the famous couple walk proud and tall. The man on the left side of the picture is dressed in a white sailors uniform, complete with his cap and a grin. Behind the lovers is a group of young girls. They look like they are gossiping about the kiss, but they too are smiling. Perhaps they are friends with the women and they are waiting to hear the details of the embrace. Or maybe they are jealous that the man hadn’t picked one of them. There is one mysterious character: a man, standing so close to the camera that his face is cut off. With his hands on his hips and his weight on his back foot, he doesn’t seam as excited to be witnessing the kiss.  His clothes don’t match the medium of the picture; he isn’t dressed in a uniform, but instead, sports slacks and a button up shirt, hidden by a jacket. We can’t see if he is smiling or frowning. Is he another lover? Or maybe a brother or father figure?

            A kiss can be measured in time and meaning, but also in enthusiasm. This man clearly feels strongly for this women, be it lust or love. As he pulls her close to him and dips her as if in dance, she angles her body, completing the puzzle that is their love. Her heal comes off the ground, a classic sign that she is being seriously kissed. The man pulls at the nurse uniform to bring himself merely inches closer, just enough to complete the embrace. But he appears to be doing the all of the work. Did the woman invite him or did he come on to her without permission? Is she struggling to get free or melting in his embrace? With the smiles on the faces around the couple, we can safely assume that the feelings between the two are mutually positive.

            Whether the two lovers are meeting for the first or the 100^th time, they show us true passion and provide hope for veterans and new generations of people alike. Out of darkness, can come light; a positive from a negative.

 


my conclusion needs a lot of help. I'm just not sure where to end this...

Tuesdays...

Have you ever been bowling at three in the afternoon? Neither had I untill yesterday. My friend Will and I were bored and we came to an agreement that bowling would be a sufficient time waster. When we arrived at the ally, the parking lot was a ghost town. "Think its open?" Will asked. I was sure that it was. We parked and ventured in. "Two shoes and a lane please," I called to the smiling man behind the counter. He happened to be one of the two other people that were there. The place was ours. We got lane number one and sat down to put on our shoes. The two toned toe protectors were almost as attractive as the bowling balls we combed through to find our perfect match. With no one else there, we were able to choose any one we wanted from the collection. As we began our games, there was no pressure from pros in the next lane, or loud, snobby kids who didn't want to leave. It was just the two of us. Not that the privacy improved out scores. Game one: 115 to 125, Game two: 76 to 104. Needless to say, we didn't bowl very often. When we threw poorly, the curse words would stream from our mouths without hesitation. No one was around to judge us. And when we bowled strikes, a small but fearless dance party would break out. After two games, we cashed out and went to Dairy Queen for a small reward. The moral of the story? If your a terrible bowler and need some practice, go in the afternoon on a Tuesday, you will be the only one there.