Meganshell's Blog

Double Entry Diary

meganshell — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:37:15 +0000

	Quote from the books	My Reactions
Section 1A	“Why should we Americans pay taxes to an English king who cares nothing about us and gives us no say in the way our affairs are run? So we avoid ports in England or Jamaica where we must pay the customs fees.” (p.13)	Connection: I feel that this does connect to many people’s feelings about paying taxes these days. I know we are not paying to a King but we still pay taxes and many times have no idea what our tax dollars are paying for and I frequently hear people complaining about paying their taxes and as we know some people avoid paying their taxes, as did Jake and the crew.
Section 1B	“Pirates wanted weatherly boats—usually sloops or schooners that could sail closer to the direction of the wind than the heavy, square-rigged warships sent to capture them.” (p.10)	Reaction: I think this is a brilliant idea. I had the misconception that pirates traveled in huge ships but I was wrong. They wanted something small and something that would move when they needed it to. I see how it could out run a huge heavy ship!
Section 2A	“We left the island today, but not before leaving behind the captain and second mate. This is the meaning of “marooning” that I heard the pirates speak of in their meeting this morning.” (p.30)	Reaction: I thought this process was very interesting. They give the captain and first mate supplies and this shocked me because I figured that they would be heartless and want them to suffer.
Section 2B	“He’d be swinging a cutlass and clutching a dagger. He’d have pistols hanging all over him. He’d have a wooden led and an eye patch. Of course he’d wear silver-buckled boots (well, one boot) and a fancy jacket with a feathered spangle hat. Surely he’d have a parrot on his shoulder, swearing and shrieking “Pieces of eight”!” (p.2)	Connection: As I have learned from the internet workshops and the other research that I have conducted on pirates I know that this is a common misconception of pirates and their way of life. Many resources that I have came across have cured my misconceptions.
Section 3A	“Mermaids are young and beautiful and sit combing their long, blonde hair. This lass is bald, ugly, and old. Why, she even has long whiskers, and is as big as a carthorse.” (p.42-43)	What really happened: This was no mermaid. This was a normal sea animal apparently that these seamen do not often see.
Section 3B	“Ships leak, every one of them, especially old wooden ones. A part of every pirate’s day was spent pumping water out of the bilge, the deepest part of the hull.” (p.14)	Question: I have looked at this picture over and over again and can’t seem to figure out how this system worked. I would like to research it some more and figure out how they used this contraption. So, how did it work?

Section IV-Notes for the Reader

Part A

Who were the colonists?

The colonists were born in America or they were immigrated into the English colonies.

What are the Navigation Acts?

The Navigation Acts were laws that were set in place so that the colonies were only allowed to trade with England.

How did the colonists feel about Navigation Acts?

The colonists were not happy about the Navigation Acts. They did not like them at all. They had to abide by these laws.

Who were freebooters?

The freebooters were people who illegally brought untaxed goods into the colonies for the people.

Describe the relationship between the colonists and the pirates?

The colonists had mixed feelings about the pirates. They liked the smuggled goods that they got and they also felt some protection from the pirates but they also began to get tired of the constant fighting.

Part B

What did you learn about the different kinds of pirates?

I did not know that there were so many different kinds of pirates. There are several types though and many of them became pirates for different reasons. There are buccaneers, freebooters, and lascars. There are also other types of pirates.

Out of all the pirates mentioned in this section, which ones do you find most interesting? Please explain why.

Anne Bonny was my favorite pirate. I would have never thought that women were pirates. She was very smart and dedicated to her work and successful for a woman. The funny part about Anne Bonny was her wardrobe. I thought it was really neat of her choice to dress like a male.

Pirate Diary

meganshell — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:12:21 +0000

The Journal of Jake Carpenter was rather interesting. It was filled with a lot of interesting things but they were gruesome. I could not see girls really getting into this. But on the other hand that my be a stereotype. I personally did not like the book because of the graphic pictures and language. I like the way the book is written though. It did grab my attention and keep me hooked until the end. Before science class this morning Velma and I were talking about this book and we both did not understand why a doctor would send his son off to sea. Especially when pirates were everywhere. I don’t think that made much sense at all. I honestly believe that a doctor would keep his son far away from that kind of lifestyle. I also really enjoyed how Jake was reunited with his uncle. It was amazing how he survived because I thought after they set his uncle off of the ship that Jake would never make it but he did and together him and Will are going on a fishing ship called the Newfoundland.

What If You Met a Pirate?

meganshell — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:30:29 +0000

The first page of this book shocked me. I was beginning to become angry after reading all the made up things kids believe about pirates. I thought this book was supposed to be true and factual. It was not until I turned to the second page and began reading on that I found out it explained itself greatly and answered the many misconceptions of pirates. This is a great example of not judging a book by its first page. Anyways as I continued to read I began to like this book. I like how it is written with the questions at the top of the page. This question/ansewr format it very interesting and this book could be a great resource for children. If they had a specific question they could turn to the page and have their question answered. This was my main draw to the book. Another great thing about this book was the illustrations. They were very descriptive and informative. This book was the most informative thing that I have read since we began this unit on pirates. The questions that we were asked to answer during the pirate workshop could have been answered from this book alone. I like the way it gives great detail about their ships, lives, and attacks. From many of the internet sites you only got a piece of information that didn’t really explain anything in detail. This book filled in the gaps for me and helped me clear many of the misconceptions that I previously held.

Experience with Internet Workshop

meganshell — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:27:33 +0000

I thought that the internet workshop was a great idea. It is very engaging for students. It allows them to look and search for information in places that they use on a daily basis. It does not require a ton of book work or a teacher standing at the front of the class lecturing. I like how the websites were bookmarked, this will save a lot of time and aggravation if students are not used to working with computers. While I was completing the internet workshop I found that I was actually engaged. I went through the websites, answered the questions, learned a lot of things that I did not know, and even found myself playing the games. I think that the websites that we used were very user-friendly and that kids would be able to navigate these pages with ease. Another thing that I thought about was the idea of students being able to work on this at home. Also students, who were interested, could find even more information and have time to enjoy the games. The only question/concern that I have about this process is what if students do not have approval to use the internet…what would you do to still include them in this process?

The Not-So-Jolly Roger

meganshell — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:19:13 +0000

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think that children would do the same. This book is an easy read and even younger children would love to hear it read aloud. I think it would be a good extension to a pirate unit. The way that the book is written, I feel, is what drew me in. This books gives you the introductory information, heightens the story line, gets your mind wondering, fixes the problems, and then finishes with a cute ending. I was surprised how into this little book I got. It did not take me long to finish the book but once I began it I could not put it down. I liked the idea of having actual information in it, to me this was a great plus because of the facts and the fiction. If I ever get the chance to complete a pirate unit in my classroom I can assure you that this book will definitely be a part. Even though the pirate unit may not happen I will still have the book in my classroom so my students can enjoy it.

Internet Workshop and Blog Publishing

meganshell — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:31:34 +0000

The authors of this article express their beliefs about technology and the classroom. They feel that using technology will engage students and create more learning. The authors state that technology can enhance social studies teaching and learning. I thought that it was interesting that some teachers do not feel comfortable using technology. I guess because of my age and my experiences with all the technology classes I didn’t understand that. However it is just the same as if someone isn’t good with math of course they will be timid about teaching it. The internet workshop described in this article allows children to research information about their topic, which in this case was pirates. I liked this because it is structured but students also have a choice of websites to choose from. I thought this was a good idea and resource. The blog was another great idea and offers students the opportunity to share their work with many people. I feel that blogs are very engaging for students and encourages them to be creative and share their ideas. We have had many classes where we have had to create and use blogs and they do have great benefits for both teachers and students. I feel that this article is a great resource for the information about the internet workshop and blog publishing. I know that I will use these processes in my teaching career and this article will help me to make sure that I am using them effectively.

Swashbuckling Adventures on the High Seas and Pirates in Historical Fiction and Nonfiction: A Twin-Text Unit of Study

meganshell — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:12:10 +0000

I decided to post one response for both of these articles. I felt that they went hand-in-hand and without having both I would not make much sense. I have to start by saying that this pirate unit was not very appealing to me until I read about these articles about these units. These articles describe a very engaging and informative unit that will grab children’s attention and get them involved in their learning. I am excited about this unit now and can’t wait to experience it for myself. The Swashbuckling article is a step-by-step guide introducing the certain processes of the unit; such as, the double-entry diaries, additional resources, and the data retrieval chart. I appreciated being able to have these worksheets. I also liked how the DED was practically 2-column notes but related to journal writing. I feel that this process is very effective for students because it allows them to keep notes and it is organized enough for them to find information later.

The other article demonstrated the lesson and offered great ideas. I really liked the idea of the notebook. I have seen a lot of KWL charts made but never one created in a journal with each letter on a different page. I thought this was very creative. The other part of the notebook was also a great idea. Having the students label each page with a letter of the alphabet so they can write new vocabulary was neat. I thought this would be a great resource. I also liked how the students would talk and create kid friendly definitions and create illustrations. This process of the twin-text benefits children in many ways. I like the fact that it is just not reading different books but giving students a variety of opportunities to gain knowledge. On interesting fact that I learned from this article was, “pairing fiction and nonfiction is an effective method of enhancing students’ reading comprehension, boosting students’ interest and engagement, and expanding their knowledge and imagination.” (p16) I had no idea that pairing these two types of literature together benefitted children in this way. I can now use this information to create other units in my classroom.

Instructional-Level Social Studies Trade Books

meganshell — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:06:16 +0000

I found this article very interesting and helpful. I knew that a child having to read material that was not on their level was not beneficial but I didn’t know that it caused as many problems as it does. This quote, for me, sums up this entire article; “struggling readers need books they can read—accurately, fluently, and with strong comprehension—in their hands all day long in order to exhibit maximum educational growth.” Using the strategies from this article a student will be given material that relates to the content area, material that is correctly fit for them, and material that benefits them in their reading practice. I was shocked when I read about the example child missing over 1000 words from a session of silent reading. Honestly I would not have thought that the grade-level material would be so difficult that it would cause major problems such as these. If all teachers practiced these techniques our student’s reading problems would not be as severe as they are now. The author stated that many teachers sympathize with low readers and I completely agree with this. Many teachers want to help their low readers and most do not know how and may not have the resources to fully help these students. Another quote that I agreed with from this article was “schools without rich supplies of engaging, accessible, appropriate books are not schools that are likely to teach many children to read at all, much less develop thoughtful literacy in most students.” This caused me to realize that I need to look of a school that has developed reading programs and materials; however, I also feel that even if my school does not put much emphasis on reading instruction I can create this type of environment in my individual classroom. This may mean more work for me but in the end it will benefit my students. The processes that are explained in this article are very helpful to me as a teacher in the making because it gives me directions to create a very beneficial classroom where all my students, no matter their level, will be included and gaining the same information on their own ability level. I feel that after reading this article I will be better prepared to teacher each one of my students on their own level. As the author stated, we have to view our “class” as a group of individual students. I will use this article in my teaching and will definitely keep the book lists for a reference in my future classroom. The author stated that this process takes a lot of extra work for students especially the hunt for appropriate fit books but with the list I feel that I am one step ahead and can manage these processes easily.

Vocaroo Test

meganshell — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:04:47 +0000

http://vocaroo.com/?media=voklDUoU6lgbd7NAl

Ordinary but Meaningful Pictures

meganshell — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:40:49 +0000

Below are pictures that are ordinary to many people but are meaningful to me…

My Laptop

Where the work is constructed!

My Class Ring

Meganshell's Blog

Double Entry Diary

Quote from the books

My Reactions

Section 1A

“Why should we Americans pay taxes to an English king who cares nothing about us and gives us no say in the way our affairs are run? So we avoid ports in England or Jamaica where we must pay the customs fees.” (p.13)

Section 1B

“Pirates wanted weatherly boats—usually sloops or schooners that could sail closer to the direction of the wind than the heavy, square-rigged warships sent to capture them.” (p.10)

Reaction: I think this is a brilliant idea. I had the misconception that pirates traveled in huge ships but I was wrong. They wanted something small and something that would move when they needed it to. I see how it could out run a huge heavy ship!

Section 2A

“We left the island today, but not before leaving behind the captain and second mate. This is the meaning of “marooning” that I heard the pirates speak of in their meeting this morning.” (p.30)

Reaction: I thought this process was very interesting. They give the captain and first mate supplies and this shocked me because I figured that they would be heartless and want them to suffer.

Section 2B

Connection: As I have learned from the internet workshops and the other research that I have conducted on pirates I know that this is a common misconception of pirates and their way of life. Many resources that I have came across have cured my misconceptions.

Section 3A

“Mermaids are young and beautiful and sit combing their long, blonde hair. This lass is bald, ugly, and old. Why, she even has long whiskers, and is as big as a carthorse.” (p.42-43)

What really happened: This was no mermaid. This was a normal sea animal apparently that these seamen do not often see.

Section 3B

“Ships leak, every one of them, especially old wooden ones. A part of every pirate’s day was spent pumping water out of the bilge, the deepest part of the hull.” (p.14)

Question: I have looked at this picture over and over again and can’t seem to figure out how this system worked. I would like to research it some more and figure out how they used this contraption. So, how did it work?