Field Experience

Field Experience

1. How many hours did you complete?
I completed 5 hours.

2. In a short paragraph or bulleted list, how did you spend your time?
I spent some of my field experience hours in the Hickman Public Library. The library has reading programs for young children and I was able to let my two children experience me as a reader for them and also helping them find different styles of books to read. After school was over, I spent time with the librarian at my school as well. I interviewed her to find out about how she is going to began next year's reading Renaissance reading program for our school district. I thoroughly enjoyed the field experience for this course because it pushed me to participate in activities with my two children that I otherwise would not had participated in.

3. How did the experience help you to strengthen at least one Kentucky Teacher Standard? (be sure to name the standard)
Leadership is an area that I constantly need experience with. This field experience helped me to take control of a group of students and lead them throughout the day and gave me the ability to ask questions that I would have had to find on my own when we came back to school.

4. Talk a little about one thing you learned because of this field experience. There was a lot of things I learned by doing this field experience, but the one that sticks out in my mind is being able to assist young readers in finding books and being able to use the index for finding books.

Reading Log

I. Non-fiction/Informational (1 reflection required on blog)

1.) Building Big by David Macaulay

2.) How Does a Seed Grow? A Book with Foldout Pages by Sue Kim and Tilde

3.) Our Flag (Little Golden Book) by Carl Memling

4.) There's No Place Like Space: All about Our Solar System (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library) By Tish Rabe

II. Poetry (1 reflection required on blog)

1.) Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? By Mel Glenn (required for discussion)

2.) Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thavers

3.) The Burger and the Hot Dog by Jim Aylesworth

4.) Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman

5.) You Read to Me, I'll Read to You by Mary Ann Hoberman

III. Modern Fantasy (1 reflection required on blog)

1.) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (required for discussion)

2.) Revenge of the Dragon Lady by Kate McMullan

3.) James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

4.) Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

5.) Hey, Little Ant by Phillip M. Hoose

IV. Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog)

1.) Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (required for discussion)

2.) Mississippi Bridge by Mildred Taylor

3.) HENRY'S FREEDOM BOX by Ellen Levine

4.) THE GARDENER by Sarah Stewart

5.) DRUMMER BOY: MARCHING TO THE CIVIL WAR by Ann Turner

V. Multicultural/Traditional (2 reflections required on blog)

1.) Domitila by Jewell Coburn

2.) A Long Walk to Water by Linda Park

3.) John Henry by Julius Lester

4.) Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Curtis

5.) Through my Eyes by Ruby Bridges

VI. Realistic Fiction (1 reflection required on blog)

1.) Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis (required for discussion)

2.) Wringer by Jerry Spinelli

3.) The Spy on Third Base by Matt Christopher

4.) Blubber by Judy Blume

5.) Holes by Louis Sacher

VII. Picture Books (6 reflections required on blog)

1.) Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young (required for discussion)

2.) Never tease a weasel by Jean Soule

3.) Bully Trouble by Joanna Cole

4.) Hungry Hungry Sharks by Joanna Cole

5.) Time Flies by Eric Rohmann

6.) Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole

7.) Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester

Wiki Checklist

__X__ Social Studies

____ Science

____ Math

____ Music

____ Art

__X__ Reading/Language Arts

__X__ Physical Education

___X_ Other

Macaulay. D (2000). Building big. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

The book Building Big describes how bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, domes and dams are built. It gives a history of when these different manmade inventions were made, how they were made, and what issues occurred in raising them. Macaulay also shares pictures of the formations and diagrams of how they were built. This book is organized into five sections.  One for bridges, one for tunnels, then dams, then domes and then skyscrapers.  It also includes a handy glossary of terms in the back.  In each of the sections, examples from around the world of each type of project are explored.

 The three most interesting facts that I learned this book that students will learn as well are...

• The Astrodome, a baseball field in Houston, Texas, was built from the center outwards and it used thirty-seven temporary towers.

• The Big Dig, a local tunnel creation, uses a sunken tube design.  The underwater portion of this tunnel is made of twelve prefabricated steel sections, each 40-feet-in-diameter tube roughly 300 feet long.  They were made in Baltimore, MD and towed up to Boston where all the concrete work was done inside them.

• In making the Thames tunnel of London, England beginning in 1825, a sudden rush of quicksand and water sent the workers running for their lives and into another line of business!

I highly recommend this book because...

This book tells about structures that were built centuries ago as well as local ones that have not even been completed yet.  The book caught my eye because it tells about things you do not usually learn in a science or math class.  The fact book is easy to read and is educational in that it gives somewhat of an introduction to the study of engineering sometimes when it was just starting out itself.

This book is also a book that deals with applied science and the practical applications. The specific type of book this would be considered a book of how- to- book. The book is also an informational picture book that shows different structures throughout the book on how different objects were formed and how to do different things throughout the book. I was person ally able to read this book to my two boys and they enjoyed the book the whole time I was reading it to them because they wanted to know what the next object was that the book was discussion, so I highly recommend it to young builders and students that want to engage in engineering.

 The BIG question? How do we become an engineer?

.
Book Talk: Mississippi Bridge

You ever set and just looked out over the horizon and just imagined a world of no hatred toward one another. Places where everyone was able to get along. Let me take you back to a time where people were afraid to step out of there house or to get on a bus, because they were afraid of what might happen to them. During the times of the great depression money was not just an issue; race was an issue as well. There was a young white boy named Jeremy Simms that witnessed the unfair treatment of African Americans. One day setting around a bus stop he saw the worse of people. When the bus finally arrives, Jeremy watches as the African Americans are forced to take seats at the back of the bus. When a white family arrives, the African Americans are told to get off the bus to make room for the new arrivals in the pouring rain. Find out how this fateful trip turns out in the book Mississippi Bridge which is set in our country when the economy was at its worst, almost a hundred years ago during the Great Depression.

Taylor, M. (1991) Mississippi bridge. New York: Random House Children's Books

 

Jeremy Simms is a bored and lonely 10-year-old Mississippi boy who hangs around on the porch of the village store. Most days, he says in this brief, powerful Depression-era story, ''I just sat on that porch, looking out at the rain and the gloom and ain't nothing much happened to break the expectedness of it all.'' Nothing, that is, until the day when the bus to Jackson careens off the rickety bridge over a flood-swollen creek and Jeremy becomes a participant in the drama.

Mildred D. Taylor has already written three splendid, award-winning novels about the Logans, a black land-owning family. In Mississippi Bridge, she's jumped to a different point of view. Jeremy is white, the son of a mean-spirited local farmer. Like Huck Finn, Jeremy accepts the racism of the day as a given but is troubled by its cruel daily practices — especially because he longs to be friends with the self-sufficient and charismatic Logan children, who regard his awkward overtures with suspicion.

Taylor evokes the currents of conflicted feelings and the painful, pointless losses caused by racism with pungent immediacy. Her black characters especially, as perceived through Jeremy's eyes, have an amazing presence, power, and vitality. Taylor continues the story of the Logan family in this book set in rural Mississippi during the 1930s from the point of view of a ten-year-old boy named Jeremy. Jeremy is white and claims to have always liked playing with the Logan kids, even though they are black and his family and the white community is against white people associating with black people. Jeremy tells of the harsh double standards in the local store when the storeowner Mr. Wallace lets a white woman try on a hat before buying it, but will not allow Rudine, a black woman, to try on the hat without buying it. Jeremy sees the lack of fairness in this act and many others. Other men in the store, including Jeremy’s father, call Josias, a black man, a liar because Josias says that he is traveling to go to a promised job.

The white and black people get on the bus to travel, with the white people sitting in the front and the black people sitting in the back. Jeremy follows the Logan children down across the bridge as they walk toward their house in the rain. After a while, Jeremy returns to the store where the bus is still sitting. The bus driver is arguing with the black passengers telling them to get off the bus since there is not enough room. More white people have come to board the bus and travel on that day. Josias refuses to leave the bus. He explains that he absolutely has to travel on that very day. The bus driver literally throws him off the bus into the mud.

The bus begins its journey. As the bus begins to cross the bridge, it loses control and crashes off of the bridge into the rushing water below. All of the people that were on the bus are now injured. And, the black people who were made to get off are amazingly saved. As Josias says, “Onliest thing I know is that the good book, it say the Lord work in mighty mysterious ways”

Big Question? What would you have done if you were put in the situations of the the black people of the past?

Spinelli, J.(1997) Wringer. New York. HarperTrophy

This book is about a fictional city where there is a festival every year, called pigeon day. On pigeon day about 5,000 pigeons are released into the sky and people try to shoot as many as they can. Usually, when a bird gets shot, it doesn't die, but falls to the ground. Once you're nine years old, you have to become something called, a "wringer." The wringer's job is to run out to where a wounded pigeon is, and wring its neck (twist it until it dies.) There is a boy named Palmer, and he doesn't want to be a wringer. He wouldn't have the guts to kill an innocent pigeon. But he knows he has to. He just keeps thinking to himself, "I won't turn nine for ages. I don't have to worry about that right now." But, of course, one day, his ninth birthday comes. Also, he sees this pigeon on his windowsill and keeps it as a pet. He knows if anyone found out he had it, they would take it and use it for pigeon day.
So, wringer is pretty much about Palmer getting in a pickle because of his fear of becoming a wringer.
I like this book because he has no fear of doing what he believes is right and trying to save the birds from death.
The way social realism was brought out in this book is thast Spinelli bravely addresses the issue of cruelty to animals. Cruelty to animals dulls the senses of the perpetrators so that their cruelty may turn toward humans. Caring for others and caring for animals help to form compassion in human beings. Some of the descriptions used by Spinelli in the pigeon shoot and the acting out by the gang may be offensive to some readers, but it must be viewed in the larger context of the message. The story is told from the third person point of view, which means that the author shares the plot line in addition to the thoughts and feelings of Palmer, the main character. There is no identified narrator and the main character does not tell the story in his own words. By utilizing this style, the author is able to tell the events of Palmer's life, both in the present and in the past, as well as share Palmer's thoughts and emotions. This added dimension of emotional revelation helps to further Palmer's character in a way that a pure narrative would not be able to do. This technique is especially important in the telling of Palmer's story, which is based heavily on the boy's sensitivities and easily wounded feelings.
This book would be a great book for ages 4through 7 and up to read so that they can read to understand how to overcome fears.
Big Question? What makes young people pick on others, call them names, harass them? What is a bully?

Aylesworth, J. (2001) The burger and the hotdog. New York, NY:Arthemeum Books for Young Readers

 

Poetry plays a vital role in the world of children’s literature. It gives children a sense of rhythm and sound, and it can make simple concepts interesting. Often it is funny and engaging, a clever use of language making the poetry entertaining and unique. Kids will sink their teeth into this collection of poetry featuring a banquet of fanciful food characters. Best taken in small bites, Aylesworth's book of food-based rhymes approaches sing-song-y monotony before the third or fourth poem. Foods from all groups are represented, but junk food takes the brunt of most of the longer, four-stanza poems. Gammell's "pencil, watercolor, pastel, crayon, and coffee" illustrations lend an oddly alluring grotesqueness throughout. Younger listeners could use help deciphering food puns and less well-known figures of speech in order to appreciate the humor in some of the poems. There’s a teacher named Frankie Fish Stick, pungent cheeses named Woodrow and Wanda, and a couple of eager eggs named Yack and Yimmy (two very “yolly guys,” who are—naturally—full of funny “yolks”).

I for one really enjoyed reading this book it had my attention and would deffenintly keep children ages 5-8 wanting to know more it includes lots of favorite foods in this 23 rhyming poem book: pizza, bagels, cake, pickles, even chewing gum. Several poems convey subtle lessons about behavior, as in “Nellie and Bill,” the story of a sweet pickle who is a more pleasant friend than her sourpuss dill pickle companion. Some poems are pure dessert, as in “Veggie Soup,” the story of a country/western band with Bo Beet on fiddle and Tex Tater on guitar, or the title poem, which has a soda breaking up a fight and threatening to kick the participants in the buns. Creative teachers should find ways to integrate these poems into the classroom, especially to liven up lessons on nutrition and the food pyramid. The final poem, “Up to You,” encourages young readers to write their own poems about “food folks.”

This book would be great to teach to students about the different rhyming patterns and how the other styles tend to not have rhythm and how this book has rhythm in and it and students can be taught the differences in sound patterns as well.
Big question? Can this book be used in a Science class or a Health and P.E class?

Park, L. (2010) A long walk to water.New York: Clarion Books





A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nyas in an astonishing and moving way.  I read this entire book while fishing with my two boys one Saturday afternoon. I wanted to cry many times during this book while watching my sons play with each other while fishing on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi. Okay, so it's pretty unusual for me to cry while reading a book; it's always the happy parts that make me cry and to think about if this were to happen to my family. This book is based on a true story, which makes it even better and more interesting.

This is my first book about the lost boys of Sudan, and this book is really good. I liked that it was short, to the point, had a wonderful ending, yet still captured the trauma of Salva's experience of fleeing his family and his village, walking hundreds of miles to Ethiopia, and then spending six years in a refugee camp only to be returned to Sudan.

The other character, Nya, played only a small role in this book, but her story is one that is so touching and interesting: walking eight hours a day, every day, to get water for her family. She cannot go to school since she spends her time getting water.

Salva and Nya's stories are told in alternating chapters. Nya's chapters are short (sometimes only a page or two) and in brown ink. Salva's chapters are longer and in black ink. And, of course, Nya and Salva are connected. They have to be or having them in the same book would be strange. About three quarters into the book the reader figures out how their paths will cross, but it still made me so happy.

The theme of this book would have to be being able to control anger and hurt. The pain that these two young children had to endure during this long journey would be enough to drive someone insane, but they were able to keep their composer and conquer their goal. The setting for both of the children are in the dry dessert and the heat was something that was unbearable at times. The story for both of them was told in first person point of view and gave descriptions of what was going on through out the book.   

The way that this book can be related to a real world situation would have to be that if you feel once there is no need of giving up. I f you look at the Roman empire they did not build Rome in a day it took a long time to build Rome and this was what these two young children were able to do was fight through trials throughout their life.

The Big Question?

How do you conquer your fears?

Coburn, Jewell Reinhart. 2000. Domitila: A Cinderella tale from the Mexican tradition. Auburn: Shen's books.

Summary:

Domitlia is an example of Latino literature, which the title of the book gives this away. Feminine diminutive of the Roman family name DOMITIUS. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Vespasian and the mother of emperors Titus and Domitian in the Spanish culture Domitilia is what they use. This story appealed to me because of the title and the illustration on the title page and it keep me wondering what she looked like before. I wondered if the story would be anything like Cinderella. The age level for this book would be 6-12 years of age. My students would benefit greatly from reading this book because they would learn so much about the Mexican culture. I like how they used different words throughout the book to talk to each other in spanish. That also helps the reader get a sense of understanding of the Spanish language. The book is filled with various illustrations of how Spanish people live.

Domitila is not only "sweeter than a cactus bloom in early spring," she is also a talented cook and an amazing leather artist. Most of the classical elements of a Cinderella story can be found in Domitila. A gentle weaving of her mother's nurturing with strong family traditions is the secret ingredient for Domitila to rise above hardship to eventually become the Governor's bride. Moreover, with a firm belief in simplicity and realism, Domitila makes a lasting impression as a triumphant Cinderella in her humility, service, and unassuming modesty.

With love and care in every stroke, McLennan captured on canvas the warmth of relationships, the fondness for color and texture, and the versatile patterns characteristic of the Mexican people. Readers will soon fall in love with the shimmering light of the desert landscape and this well-told story of Cinderella-with-a-twist.
The theme of this story is how a person can change over time and that goodness is always rewarded. Jewell Coburn does an excellent job adapting this tale from a traditional Mexican story that was supposedly passed down for generations in the Rivero family of Hidalgo, Mexico. This story was particularly fascinating because of the authors focus on the male figure and his character transformation. The illustrations portrays the brilliant colors that are characteristic of the Mexican culture, and easily capture the reader’s attention. Many of the aspects of Domitila do not fall in line with the typical Cinderella story, yet this book gives the reader a glimpse of a realistic love story with some similarities between the well-know fairytale. 
The way that this book ties into a real life situation is that we should not judge a book by its cover. I always tell my students that you should not judge someone by their mistakes that they make because one day you my be in their shoes. Just lkie the govenor did when he got mad about the food.
The Big Question?
How would you change after reading this book would you want to help out the others that need help?

McMullan,K. (1997). Revenge of the dragon lady.New York,NY: Bill Basso

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this Modern Fantasy chapter book. Revenge of the Dragon Lady fits into the Modern Fantasy genre in the Quest Stories category. This chapter book is set in medieval times. The things that I liked the best about this book was that it really got me involved with the book and I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to read to young children that love fantasy books about dragons and castles.

The way that McMullan made this fantasy book seem realistic is by the way that she made it seem to be that the students where in a school for knights and that it made it appears to a reader that this was a real setting for them. The way that the author was able to use humor in the book is how she talked about nursery rhymes and how the young dragon slayer was able to kill the dragon by telling jokes. My favorite character throughout the book would have to be Wiglaf whom the dragon was searching for. The setting of this story was in a make believe school for children that where learning to be dragon slayer’s. Throughout the whole book it discussed how the boy had killed the son of Gorizil and that he was her darling boy. The dragon was in search of her son’s slayer and would do anything to catch him.
The way that this book could be used to help young readers is by showing them that as a young person never give up trying to do your best. When the boy felt that he was going to be defeated by the dragon he called upon a wizard to help him fight the dragon. This goes to show you that young people in grade school can always call upon someone to help them when in trouble.

Big Question:

1. The boy used a spell from a wizard to achieve his goal of defeating the dragon. Is this cheating or use of the brain?

Hungry Hungry Sharks

Cole, J. (1986). Hungry, hungry sharks. Random House Books for Young Readers.

This introduction to sharks keeps within a first-grade reading level without sacrificing information. Cole tells about different kinds of sharks, and facts on their food consumption and innumerable teeth. The text makes clear that few sharks eat people and that sharks come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
I realy enjoyed reading this book I also enjoyed the illustrations on the pages and the useage of color. The way the illustrtor is able to use the color of the ocean and the color are in greys, blues, blacks, and browns. I think the illustrator uses these colors because those are the colors that are found in the waters where sharks live. Almost all the drawings take up most of a page. I think the illustrator did this so that you could see the details of the sharks and other sea creatures. The pages were able tyo come to life for me and that is what young eager readers want to see, so that they can feel like they are part of the book.
When disussing millions and millions of years ago the author talks about how the planet was and about the dinsourars and different reptiles roamed the planet and how that the shark was part of many years ago and how it is still around today. The idea to do this really gives the readers attention to want to learn about something that has been around for a while. When discussing this book with young children I would allow them to draw a picture of a shark and let them tell about it and give me great details of what a shark might eat and what a shark might do throughtout the day.

BIG Question?
1.Where do sharks live? Would you like to live with them?
2.What do sharks eat and why do they eat this?
3.How big can sharks grow to be?

BULLY TROUBLE

Cole, J. Bully trouble. Random House Books for Young Readers.1989

   
  This book is a book enjoyed by many. This book is illustrated in full color and gives the affects of kids actually being involved in the book. "Bully Trouble" is by far one of the best books I have seen and read to introduce young children to. The book illustrates what a bully might look like and what a bully might do to harm someone. The book is a good introduction book for 2nd or 3rd graders because it is longer but not too long.


  I personally enjoyed reading this book. I would use this book to tackle a bullying problem that may be happening in my classrooms. Reading this book to young students could show students how it hurts to be bullied and what people feel when they are bullied. However I would make sure to discuss that when you are bullied you're not supposed to react back rather get help from an adult.


  This book is great for primary, intermediate, and upper grades because it involves all areas of students. The book details about how the one young boy was bullied and how older kids and adults reacted when he was bullied. Every day we hear of a kid being bullied and nothing really being done about it. I believe if this book was to be read to all students at an early age bullying would be something that people would not want to do because of fear of what may happen to someone.


BIG Question


1. Have you ever seen someone being bullied?


2. Have you been a victim of bullying or are you a bully?


3. How do you solve bully problems?

Cole, J. The magic school bus on the ocean floor. New York. by Degen, B. Scholastics. 1994

While teaching her class about the ocean, Ms. Fizzle drives the school bus as it turns into different things on the ocean floor.They begin their studies by taking a field trip into the ocean and their first lessons are about the tide pools and the continental shelf. They put their scuba gear on and continue on their journey while learning about the different fish, how they breath, plankton, and the underwater food chain. After a while they get back on the bus and explore the deep ocean floor and the many plants and creatures  She explains to the students real facts about everything they see in the ocean.

This book is also a tv show, which helps the children compare it to the book and enjoy it more if they have seen the show.

Rohmann, E. Time flies. New York. Crown Publishers, 1994

This book is a story with no words.  The story takes place in a dinosaur museum.  A little bird flies into a window and explores the bones.  Slowly the bones come to life and a dinosaur swallows the bird.  The bird then goes through the body of the dinosaur and out the end of the bones and flies back out the window.

This book is a great way to do several activities with children. Students will also like that it is a book with no words and the teacher can tell the story as they want to, instead of reading word for word. The way children could use this book is to write their own story to go along with the pictures.

James Bridges Bio

Hello my name is James Bridges I currently teach at Fulton Co. Middle School in Hickman Ky. I was born and raised in Hickman. I received my Bachelors degree from Murray State University in 2002 in Physical Education. I also received my Masters from the University of the Cumberland’s in 2010 in Special Education. I am currently working on my second Masters in Reading and Writing Specialists. I am married to my beautiful wife Lindsey and we have two children Broc who is 9 and Braxton who is 4. During my time off from school I help with my wife’s pizza business that is in our town that we have owned for almost three years now. While I am not there I work in the local prison system with inmates trying to receive their GED which is very challenging in many ways.