Quotes I LOVE

On Education:

Education is not preparation for Life, Education is Life itself. ― John Dewey

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. ― William Butler Yeats

“Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Mistakes can be a great teacher, but only after the frustration wears off. ― Anthoinette Martell 

The gardener does not make a plant grow. The job of a gardener is to create optimal conditions. ― Sir Ken Robinson

Teaching is not rocket science, it is more complicated than that! ― Dr. Pasi Sahlberg

There is no such thing as a bad child. Every child is a gift. ― Mary Kathleen Walsh

On Doing the Right Thing:

It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. ― J.K. Rowling

“You are what you do, not what you say you'll do.” ― C.G. Jung

It is well to think well, it is divine to act well. ― Horace Mann 

Being nice is a lot of work. It's easier to be a jerk. ― Bob Scheltema 

"It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be better." ― Lisa Karpenko Rollins

On Serving Others:

“Non nobis solum nati sumus.   (Not for ourselves alone are we born.)”  ― Marcus Tullius Cicero

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” ― Barack Obama

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” ― Maya Angelou

The greatest among you will be your servant. ― Matthew 23:11

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ― Chief Si’ahl 

On Being Yourself:

You are intense and wonderful and amazing. . . Do not dim your light, madame. ― Shoshana Jackson

"The most sophisticated people I've ever known had just one thing in common: they were all in touch with their inner children." ― Jim Henson


On Life:

It's kind of fun to do the Impossible! ― Walt Disney

Be honest. Be kind. Be honorable. Work hard. And always be AWESOME! ― Wil Weaton

It was not an adventure; it was my life. ― Yehuda Amichi 

Just because two people's puzzle pieces don't match up, doesn't mean anybody is a bad person. ― Shoshana Jackson

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ― Jeremiah 29:11

"Garlic is like glitter, after you clean it up, you find it on you still" ― James Buescher

Glooscap and His People

I wrote this abridged version of the Algonquin Legend Glooscap and His People that can be found here. I thought the original was a bit long for third graders, but I wanted to keep the flavor of the story.

Out of rocks and clay, the Great Chief Glooscap made the animals: Miko the squirrel, Team the moose, Mooin the bear, and many others. All of Glooscap’s animals were very large, way bigger and stronger than a man.
  His evil wolf-headed brother, Malsum, was jealous and wished to also have a hand in creation, even though he did not have that power. He whispered an evil charm and the remainder of Glooscap’s clay turned to a strange animal: it was not a beaver, a badger, or a wolverine, but a combination of all three, able to change into any of those forms. Malsum named the animal Lox.
Lox, the troublemaker, figured out how to make his mischief.  He went in his wolverine body to Team, and admired his antlers, which reached the top of the pine trees, “If ever you meet a man, you could throw him to the top of the world with those antlers!” Team, thinking this sounded fun, went to Glooscap and asked for a man so he could toss him to the top of the world. Glooscap loved his people and did not like this idea one bit, so he touched Team with his hand and moose became the size he is today.
Next Lox went in his badger form to Miko and said, “With that magnificent tail of yours, you could smash down every lodge in the village.” And Miko proudly swept the nearest wigwam right off the ground. Great Chief Glooscap was nearby, and he caught Miko up in his hand and stroked the squirrels back until he was as small as he is today. “Miko, from now on, you will live in the trees and keep your tail wear it belongs.”
Then Lox put on his beaver shape and went to Mooin the bear, who was the same size he is now, but his throat wad much bigger. “Mooin,” said Lox, “Supposing you met a man, what would you do to him?” The bear scratched his head thoughtfully and at last said, “Eat him! I’d swallow him whole!” Who do you think was nearby? Glooscap, and he made bear’s throat shrink. “From now on you may swallow only very small creatures.” And today the bear, as big as he is, eats only small animals, fish and berries.
Now Great Chief Glooscap called his people together and said, “I made the animals to be man’s friends, but they have acted with treachery and selfishness. From now on, they shall be your servants and provide you with food and clothing.  Now you have power over even the largest wild creatures, yet I charge you to use this power gently.  If you take more than you need for food and clothing, I will send a pitiless giant named Famine, and when he comes, you will suffer hunger and death.

-adapted by S.J.Meyer from Glooscap & His People: An Algonquin Legend

Leap Day!

Here are some ideas I came up with for celebrating Leap Day in your classroom! 

Links mentioned in the video:

Coloring book

Origami Frog

Not your typical PowerPoint

I promised that I would share my PowerPoint Presentation. So here are the slides:

Here is the Video that is embedded into the PowerPoint (the green square)

Click this Slide to follow the Hyperlink from the Presentation.

We had to say what grade we'd like to teach
and the subject we'd like to base our big project on.

Also, I learned about Prezi during class today. Here is the Prezi I made just for this blog!

Part of my take-home Social Studies Curriculum Exam

We know that teacher modeling is important for students. Describe how you will model for students the use of social studies content, processes, and values in your own life. 

I will continue to model social studies concepts in my personal life, in the following ways.

• Participating in community activities and civics -  I often attend community meetings on local issues (Most recently a meeting with the local DNR and Parks authorities about changes that need to be made to our local parks and which areas the community thinks are most important.), I am not afraid to speak up and express my opinion and concerns. I also attend community events; parades, holiday celebrations, Music at the Millpond, Art Fairs, etc.
• Exercising my Right to Vote! – I will continue to proudly wear my “I Voted” sticker on Election Day!
• Active Membership in The Society for Creative Anachronism – I portray a Norse Woman in this not-for-profit Medieval History group, in which we dress in medieval clothing and practice the Arts, Sciences, and Martial activities prevalent during pre-1600s Europe and the societies in which the interacted.
• Researching and Reading – I am a Social Studies Major. I love History, Historical Fiction, and learning about old and new places, people and cultures.
• Visiting Significant Places – I love visiting Historical Sites, Museums, Government Buildings and other “Significant Places.” ;)
• Keeping Current – I pay attention to what is going on the world. I ask questions, discuss, and share information with others.
• Participating in Life – I am a citizen of the world! I participate in life. I serve in my community, pay attention to the world around me, and enjoy life!

Connecting Social Studies and Math

I had to find an activity that involves mathematical ideals from a non-Western culture. I used Tangrams for my report, but, I decided that I would LOVE to have kids "travel around the world" during Math class (maybe all the other subjects too.)

A Trip to China during Math

Adaptable to any grade level - 

I would setup each activity as a center, quads of students rotating through, at least a week long
I have included a photo and a very brief description. (Each has thousands of resources online)

Tangrams (1 square, 1 parallelogram, 5 triangles in various sizes that form a square, and are used to make pictures)



Congkak (a version of Mancala with 7 pits to a side - and 7 seeds/shells in each pit)





Abacus (Ancient Calculator)



Mahjong (I might do this as a computer station and let kids play the solitaire version, as a Mahjong set is quite expensive and the game can take a long time.)
 

Counting Rods (red is positive numbers and black is negative)



Do you have any other ideas?

Sing-a-long Vlog Entry

Intro

Fried Ham

10 Brown Bottles

Grand Old Duke of York

Five Little Hotdogs

Humpty Dumpty - The Nursery Rhyme Rap

The Princess Pat

(Loosely based on the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry regiment's song).

I learned it as "Ragabamboo,"  (as performed in the song) however the original phrase was "Ric-A-Dam-Doo" which means "Cloth of Thy Mother" in Gaelic.  In the video I said WWII, it was WWI, and you can learn more about "Princess Pat" and the Regiment here.

The Little Green Frog

The Titanic Song

The Button Factory

Singing in the Rain. . . Wait, a minute

This song features cumulative actions.

It Only Takes a Spark