Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Visual Perception Assessment

I did the Pencil Eye Sync Test on two different people: one adult female, one child female.

The adult, obviously, more clearly understood what we are trying to achieve and followed the pencil carefully as I moved it around her face. She saw only one pencil and one me for the entire test. She was able to follow the pencil as it came closer to, farther from and moved in various directions around her face.

The child, five years old, struggled a little more. She was able to follow the pencil as it moved left and right, but moved and blinked a lot when it was coming closer to her face. She saw one pencil for the majority of the test but saw two mes when the pencil was closest to her eyes. I'm not sure if this is just confusion or silliness or if there really was a perception problem.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

eTextbooks

These books would be great for understanding the nature of the learner and the importance of play in early childhood education.

Play, Learning and the Early Childhood Curriculum
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Elizabeth_Wood_Play_Learning_and_the_Early_Childho?id=Je-ezbowp9AC&hl=en

SAGE Handbook of Play and Learning in Early Childhood
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Elizabeth_Brooker_SAGE_Handbook_of_Play_and_Learni?id=ztfSAwAAQBAJ&hl=en

Learning Through Play, 2nd Edition for Babies, Toddlers and Young Children
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Tina_Bruce_Learning_Through_Play_2nd_Edition_For_B?id=ils2AgAAQBAJ

Play for Children with Special Needs: Supporting Children with Learning Differences
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Christine_Macintyre_Play_for_Children_with_Special?id=yzKMAgAAQBAJ

Understanding Young Children's Learning through Play: Building Playful Pedagogies
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Pat_Broadhead_Understanding_Young_Children_s_Learn?id=XOrGBQAAQBAJ

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Text Set


Focus: Gardening/Growing (What we are covering with our students the next few weeks in PreK4!) 

Standard - Science/Social and Emotional/Physical (fine motor and gross motor): understand vocabulary (Garden, Grow, Seed, Plant, Soil); be able to label a flower; be able to discuss what is required for a plant to grow; observe a plant in the classroom; plant their own seeds (and take care of them); visit a garden

Set: 

Book: The Curious Garden by Peter Brown 
Find: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=n8yW9cVSP0sC&source=productsearch&utm_source=HA_Desktop_US&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=PLA&pcampaignid=MKTAD0930BO1&gl=US&gclid=COmbwf-X-8sCFceCgQodD4MHEg&gclsrc=ds

Book: If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson
Find: http://www.target.com/p/if-you-plant-a-seed-hardcover/-/A-17163666?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Entertainment%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Entertainment&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9011563&gclid=CjwKEAjw55K4BRC53L6x9pyDzl4SJAD_21V1F7NHJaXfFKSelvEAWiVOk4DRfEiRmXuSMixZT26gOhoCnyPw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Chart:



















Activity:



















Book: The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle (includes seeds to plant)
Find: http://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Seed-World-Eric-Carle/dp/1416979174/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459986424&sr=8-1&keywords=the+tiny+seed+by+eric+carle

Book: Seed to Plant
Find: http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Readers-Seed-Plant/dp/1426314701/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1459986656&sr=8-7&keywords=gardening+books+for+kids

Articles: Gardening with Children
Find: http://www.miraclegro.com/smg/goART2/contentArticle/gardening-with-children-gardening-basics-miracle-gro/28000051/7400004/27000004/12900004?cmp=kid/Gardens/Google_SEM/NonBrand/G_Gardens_NonBrand_See_KidsGardening/G_Gardens_NonBrand_See_KidsGardening&s_kwcid=AL!4676!3!102709580198!p!!g!!gardening%20for%20kids&ef_id=VuWXAgAAALSEIR12:20160406235142:s

Video: Parts of Plants
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QjSD2AF5mg

Video: Sesame Street: Mrs. Obama Plants a Garden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiXU_SDirRQ

Song: The Planting Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a44NFSiIn54




eBook Reading

eBook: The Great Gatsby

Where to find eBook: iBook store on iTunes

This is one of my favorite books.. I was required to read it in high school but have read it a few times since then just because (both hard copy and digitally). Love triangle with the added dramatics of the era and the mystery of always feeling watched and how that is interpreted among each character...  

I have read several eBooks, some for work/school, others for pleasure. Personally, I like to have a hard copy when it comes to school and work -- I like to mark pages with sticky notes and sometimes even highlight/make notes in the margins.. I know there are features on eReaders that make this possible, but it's just not the same effect for me. It took me a long time to even want an eReader; I use an iPad mini and I had iPads for years before I committed to buying my first iBook. Now, I love the experience for pleasure reading.. I read a lot of series and it is so much easier to have everything in one spot instead of carrying along two or three books. 

I enjoyed reading this book on my iPad.. While the hard copy is not a large book, I like the ease of "fake" pages and simplicity of one screen. There have been other books, though, that I have not enjoyed "eReading" for lack of space to write notes or easily flip ahead several chapters -- i.e. with Christian devotionals or college books. 

I think that eReaders are great for pleasure reading or for reading as a child -- the use of technology really appeals to kids -- but personally, I prefer a hard copy for educational purposes.. While I admire the thought of a light iPad versus a heavy textbook, I guess I'm just "old school" in my studying methods and prefer to have the real deal sitting in front of me. For reading to students, especially early ed or elementary ed, an eReader would be great because you can find so many books and stories that could "play" or come to life on the pages of an eBook versus the one dimensional illustrations in paper copies. 

I guess you could say I'm 50/50 on the experience.. Depends on the nature of the book, the purpose of the reading and the length of the story. It's definitely growing on me! 





Saturday, April 2, 2016

BookBuilder

http://bookbuilder.cast.org/create.php

Not sure if this link will work. If not, the title of the book is Counting with Casen.

Storybird

http://storybird.com/books/mushroom-and-moons/?token=6bn4d9thuy

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Tech Roles

Discussion Coordinator

Name: Chelsea Lucius
Book: The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reading Assignment: Chapter 1

Assignment:
Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group might want to discuss about this book, or part of book. Your task is to help people talk over the big ideas in the reading and share the other members’ reactions.  Usually the best questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and concerns that occur as you read. You can list these ideas below during or after your reading. If you want, you may use some of the example questions below to help you develop the topics for your group. Part of your job is also to make sure that each group member contributes to the session.

Possible discussion questions or topics for today:
1 Have you ever felt as alone or unwanted as young Mary must feel?
2 Have you ever neglected someone in your life, perhaps not to the extremes but similarly, as Mary’s mother?
3 How would you feel to lose the one person who has always cared for you?
4 What would your plan be if you realized you were alone and had no one to help you or care for you?


Sample Questions:
What went through your mind while you read this book/passage?
How did you feel while reading this part of the book?
How would someone summarize this section?
What was the main point discussed in this book/section?
At what point did today’s reading remind you of any real-life experiences?
What questions did you have when you finished this section?
Did anything in this book/section surprise you?
Describe one or two of the most important ideas presented in the text.
Predict some things you think will be talked about next.






Vocabulary Elaborator

Name: Chelsea Lucius
Book: The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reading Assignment: Chapter 1

Assignment:
Your job is to develop a list of words for your group to define in the context of this book, or part of book. Your task is to help define these words from the reading and share with the other members.  The words you should select to define should be words that you or other members of your group cannot pronounce, define, or understand in the way they are presented. To find your words:
1. First, point to the unexplained word and then underline or highlight it. 
2. Next, read the sentence containing the unexplained word. 
a. If you cannot comprehend the meaning of the word, read the preceding sentence to try to figure out the definition. 
b. If you still don’t have a definition for the marked word, then read the next sentence after the marked word. 
3. Lastly, use a dictionary to check the definition of the word.
Usually dictionaries will have several meanings and it is important to look at each numbered definition and decide which one coincides with the marked word.

Words I have never heard before:
Words I don’t know what they mean:
Words I have seen before, but never used this way:

Word               Page/Paragraph/Line   Definition
1Tyrannical                 | page. 1// definition: unjustly cruel, harsh, or severe; arbitrary or oppressive; despotic                      |
2 Governess                | page: 1 // definition: a woman who is employed to take charge of a child's upbringing, education, etc.                    |
3 Bewilderment           | page: 4 // definition: a confusing maze or tangle, as of objects or conditions                         |
4 Desolation                | page: 6 // definition: dreariness; barrenness; deprivation of companionship; loneliness; sorrow; grief; woe.                        






Connector

Name: Chelsea Lucius
Book: The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reading Assignment: Chapter 1

Assignment:
Your job as the connector is to make connections from the reading to other experiences: to other texts, to yourself, or to any other things you have heard about or seen. Your task is to make statements that explain connections between what you are reading and something you have read in the past, some of your own personal experiences, or anything else in the world (for example: the news, movies, television programs, people, etc.). As you read consider what you are reading and try to make the connections. You can create your own connections or use the examples below. Record the page/location of the sentence you are connecting, then rewrite or summarize the sentence, and then explain about the connection.

Connection starters:
·               This book reminds me of ________ (another text) because…
·               I remember reading another book, ___________, that also talked about …
·               This part of the reading reminds me of ___________ …
·               I felt like ______ (story character) when I …
·               If this had happened to me, I would have…
·               Something similar happened to me when…
·               The reading relates to my life by…
·               This reading reminds me of a news report I saw on television about …
·               This book reminds me of ____________ (a movie) that was about …
Connections:
                                   
1 Chapter 1 //  Theme: Feeling unwanted
Connection: Mary feels a desperation in wanting to be loved as she feels and knows that her mother never wanted her as she fancies herself with parties and other people are prioritized before her daughter. It reminds me of current TV shows that show the desperation to be loved and wanted through finding love, going on wild adventures and, most obviously, storylines of characters who were never wanted by their parents (i.e.: Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy).
2 Chapter 1 // Loneliness         |
Connection: Hearing that her parents are gone and her caretaker has already passed and realizing she is completely alone. This reminds me of the Left Behind series or even shows like Lost or Last Man on Earth when they realize they are alone and are facing the challenges of what to do next and how to take care of themselves. I can’t imagine the fear that a young child would experience in this situation.