McNaughton Fine Art: How to Lower Gun Violence

McNaughton Fine Art: How to Lower Gun Violence: This morning I was reading a blog entry on Glenn Beck's The Blaze when I ran across this blogger's words..  I thought it was rathe...  Thanks for the outstanding information.  I agree wholeheartedly with the implications of the information you shared.  We need to take a stand and I think sharing this info with as many citizens as possible might help.  We need to stand up for our rights.EN

NOT MANY RAINY DAYS

Wow!! What a Trip!

Thank you Larry H. Miller Foundation and Zions Bank for sponsoring such a fabulous trip to Boston, Philadelphia, and all the other assorted historical places that we went to along the way. The trip was a total eye-opener to me, and the insight that i gained to our country's history will be invaluable to my lesson planning this Fall. I enjoyed very much meeting all of you and the daily activity we had in the adventure of walking into the richness of our history. Can't wait to see you all in August!!

Photos of Boston Red Sox Game

Taking the Measure of John Adams

It's understandable that we're all impressed by John Adams after reading the McCullough biography. His accomplishments, his foresight, and his forebearance were and are remarkable. Sometimes, though, we tend to see things only in the tone of what is presented to us. He did have enemies and they were quite vocal in what they saw as his shortcomings. He didn't come dashing out of a phone booth wearing a cape every time there was trouble. I would think capes and frilly shirts and such would be more Alexander Hamilton's style. I'm sure that Adams also engaged in the rough and tumble of politics, although we get the impression from McCullough that Adams did expect a certain decorum and statesmanship from himself and from others...and that often he was disappointed in the duplicity of others. If there is a nobility that comes through with him, it is that Adams seemed to place his ambitions on the back burner in critical times and do what he felt was in the best interests of America. This brought him to some uncomfortable choices. He defended British soldiers after the Boston Massacre. He took on friends in political fights because he believed that his agenda was best for America. He served a very difficult, protracted amount of time in Europe when he desperately wanted to be home. His letters to Abigail show much of what he wrestled with. And they also are the best argument for the sincerity of his sacrifice. His service as vice-president and the deference he showed to President Washington speak highly of his willingness to set good precedents for the new government. Even his actions and reflections after serving as president and enduring some bitter lambasts against him show that he possessed a view of founding something that was larger than any one group of people or any one generation. He certainly wasn't perfect, but he is a great example of devotion to a cause and sacrificing for future generations.

Walking, Ponds, and Getting Excited.

So with the fact that we are leaving in a few days, I keep thinking about the first article we were supposed to reading about "walking", and Walden Pond.

With the shows that I've been watching, there have been a few people sitting next to ponds, and I think about how he must have sat on a tree, or side, and gone over all of his thoughts.

I also think about the walking essay and how he mentioned that if he didn't spend around 4 hours walking each day, it didn't feel worth it. I highly doubt that I could walk that many hours in a day, just for the fun of it.

I love hiking, and walking around the Daybreak Lake, but that seems a bit much.

The real reason to write this was that I am getting excited for the trip, and I keep thinking about the reflection and thoughts I am hoping to have at the pond and while doing all of this walking.

What do you think?

Marzano Lesson #2 Compare/Contrast

I started this lesson by reading the book, "I am the Dog, I am the Cat" by Donald Hall. This book shows all kinds of similarities of dogs and cats by having the dog and cat tell about themselves. (Example: “I am the dog. I like bones. I like to bury bones. As for eating, I can take it or leave it – but I like it when they feed me.”) The next page is the cat talking telling similar things about itself.

Next students put the information about dogs and cats into a Comparison Matrix, to show the specific similarities and differences. As teams, the students chose the items to compare.

Then we took this strategy to the Civil War. (We didn’t do this until we had completed our Civil War Unit) As teams, students choose things to compare. These are possibilities but I did not limit them to the following items.
North/South Northerner/Southerner
Slave/free black black child/white child
Rebel soldier/Union soldier slave/master
Lincoln/Davis Grant/Lee
They started by filling out a Venn Diagram, listing as many similarities and differences as possible. Then they took this to a Comparison Matrix choosing the specific items to be compared.

Finally they wrote a story modeled after the book, I am the Dog, I am the Cat.

Reflection: I really liked this activity and although I used it with the Civil War, it could be used in any unit where comparisons are valid. The students seemed to be able to do this quite well because we started whole class and I guided them through identifying the similarities and differences in the book we read. (The book is great for this) Most of the students are very familiar with Venn Diagrams but it helped to start with a Comparison Matrix whole class using the dog and cat book.

I saw some great work and some deep thinking in this activity. Most of the students really enjoyed learning about the Civil War, so they were excited to use their knowledge and make the comparisons. I think it helped to give them some choice on what they could write about. I also think that it helped them to work in groups, but I would love to take this to an individual project comparing something else. (next year)