John Adams' Legacy

"Subjected to some of the most malicious attacks ever endured by a president, beset by personal disloyalty and political betrayal, suffering the loss of his mother, the near death of his wife, the death of a son, tormented by physical ailments, he had more than weathered the storm. His bedrock of integrity, his spirit of independence, his devotion to country, his marriage, his humor, and a great underlying love of life were all still very much intact." John Adams, page 567.

This just about says it all. I have completely changed my view of John Adams.

Spelling words

I used several different techniques discussed in the book to teach my vocabulary words for my 5th grade reading class today. First, I passed out a set of spelling flashcards to each of my students. They were given the task of sorting them and categorizing them. They could do this by any means they thought was a category that made sense. We are studying affixes and Greek and Latin base words. When they had finished sorting their flashcards, they were to write them in the categories they had made, and draw a picture of any of the words they had a hard time understanding the meaning. We then discussed the different groups they had chosen. Finally they came to the front of the room and sat on the floor. We went over the word and its definition, then they would tell a sentence to the partner sitting next to them. When most of the students had a sentence, I had 2 or 3 of them give their sentences to the group. Then we went to the next word.

John Adams and the Contenential Congress

On of our families favorite movies is 1776. In fact, when my children were growing up, one of our 4th of July day celebrations each year, was to watch the movie as a family. I felt it helped my children to understand why we are celebrating that day. It came with mixed reviews. At this point (they are adults) they either hate or love that movie. What it did for me, is that for the first time in my life, I realized they these people were real men, that had different personalities, and views that should be done. I found that they didn't just get together and say "let's declare Independence!" The section in the John Adams book I read with great excitement, as some of the text used in the movie was almost exactly the same as in the book. However, the chapters added more depth of understanding of what was happening, and how he felt about how people looked upon him and how he thought they looked upon him.

Boston Red Sox Tickets

I have an extra ticket for the Red Sox vs- Philadelphia Phillies Friday Night at 7pm

10 of us will be attending. Riding the train down and back to the game.

Let me know if you would be interested. I hate to get stuck with this extra ticket.

Classroom Instructions That Work

A week after our seminar, I tried to use the technique that we learned in class that day. We have been studying the Civil War, and particularly the Slaves. I have a set of newspapers that go over different periods in American History. I gave each of the groups that my students are divided into (3 or 4 people per group) one of the articles in that paper. The groups read the articles and decided the most important points that were covered. I then handed out chart paper, and had them list or make graphic organizers of the important points.
When they were finished, each group came up to the front one by one, and each child told about an important part of their chart in 30 words of less.

I really like the part where the students had to use there words carefully. It made them think about what they wanted to say, and be precise about their words.

When the exercise was over, we mounted the posters in the hall, where all of the 5th grades could see them, and read them.

This activity turned out very well, as each group had a chance to study one article in depth and hear about the other articles. It kept 90+ percent of the students engaged the entire learning time.

Lesson Plan- Earthworm/Mealworms

For my lesson plan I divided my fifth grade class into groups of five. Each group was given an earthworm and a mealworm. They were to draw, measure, touch, and write the physical characteristics of each animal. Then each group was given an information sheet for each animal. Together they read the information and wrote down 10-12 notes or short facts they thought were important about each one. From there the students returned to their own desks and changed their notes into two paragraphs summarizing what they had learned about each animal.
I was very happy with the results. The students were very excited to be working with live animals and learning about them. They worked very well in groups. The group discussions were interesting as students decided what was important enough to be included in their notes. Then when I read their paragraphs I was very excited to see that most of the paragraphs started with main idea sentences and included most of the important facts. It was a fun lesson and incorporated many of the strategies Marizano wrote about. The students seemed to really enjoy it.

William Bradford: the Plymouth Co

I found this article somewhat hard to understand. I think it's the 17th century grammar.
It was very interesting how he perceived the Native Americans. He thought that they were Barbarians, and they stole corn seeds (though I don't know that they thought they were stealing, they my have thought that they were left). Finally, they accepted that the Indians were ok, and began interacting with them. In his article, he said, that they had a 30 year truce with them, even through the time that Mr. Bradford wrote the article.
I thought that it was interesting that they found out that free enterprise worked better at producing enough food and goods than a socialistic society. When the people were doing the work for the farm that they owned, they worked harder and the women and children were more ready to do the work than before.

Cotton Mather

As I read about Cotton Mather and the Salem witch trials it seems tragic how some of the people could accuse others for witchcraft possibly for their own gains. If those accused pleaded guilty they would live; however, all their land would be sequestered by the government. If they pleaded innocent and were found guilty, they were hung.

George Burroughs was also accused of witchcraft. He was known to lie and his son wasn't baptized. He denied being a witch and was accused. On the Gallows George Burroughs recited the Lords prayer. It was said that witches were unable to recite the Lord’s Prayer. Some of the people in the crowd wanted the execution to be stopped. Mather intervened saying that Burroughs had been convicted by a jury. (Even with such an act of innocence it was not enough to save his life.)

It seems if someone wanted power or land they could accuse you or a family member of being a witch.

The Bean-Field

Ok, I confess, I've been a little too hard on Thoreau. He did work. I am fairly impressed with his twelve bushels of beans. I have a minor bit of experience with beans, and he accomplished quite a bit doing it all the natural way. I am beginning to see him as much as an experimenter with life as a philosopher. Sometimes, I actually like him!

Lazy or "laid back"?

I think I thought Thoreau was tremendously talented and took to nature's trails to transform himself into a thinker. (It's late so alliteration just had to tag along. I think I'm okay now.) I have appreciated the sincere feelings that have been shared. It would seem safe to say that we all agree on how much more of an appreciation we have gained for John and Abigail Adams. I, as at least a few others, have also found how much more I am learning and enjoying history now than I did when I was in high school. Back to Thoreau for a moment I must head. I have found that by the same amount that I have increased in my desire to read about our historical beginnings, I have decreased in my desire to read any more Thoreau for a while, at least. I am amazed at how much I can enjoy his language and images and still get tired of his "going on and on and on." I must admit that I decided to find out if he was just writing to be writing when he talked about the dimensions of Walden Pond. He said it was 1/2 mile in diameter and a mile and 1/2 (or was it 1 3/4?...I don't have my book home this weekend) in circumference. So I worked it out mathematically, hoping to prove his figures weren't right. To my chagrin, he was right! That means he may have been speaking more truth and less fiction than I was giving him credit for. No matter, there is one more concern I have about Walden Pond. Did I understand Thoreau right that there was a spring at the bottom of the pond which was the source of water for the pond (plus, of course, precipitation). Then he explained about the fish in the pond and his bathing in the pond. That was okay, I guess. I used to go swimming in a lake where fish had been known to nibble at the swimmers' legs, but I would never have drunk the water. To think of the excrement from the fish, the bugs, and anything else that happened into the water, and then to think of Thoreau's drinking that water as the best water around just gave me a sickening feeling. While he mentioned a fellow down the way "distilling" his water, I never read where Thoreau did anything but drink it "fresh." If I have misunderstood this point, I will be happy to be corrected. Otherwise, I must still question whether Thoreau was just being lazy, rather than laid back, in his "natural" habitat.

John Adams Part I

What's struck me the most about this biography so far is how much I didn't know about American History that I thought I knew.  It's  funny...you remember reading about the events (i.e. The Boston Massacre) in text books, but until I read about it in detail, I realized I knew virtually nothing.  For example, I didn't know Adams was charged to represent the shooters in court.  How ironic.  I can imagine the disappointment of some of his colleagues, but when I read his quote about everyone having the right to a fair trial, I realized he was setting the tone for foundations of democracy we enjoy today.

John Adams Book

My experience reading the book John Adams has been very interesting. I am so new at all the foundation of this country and, considering myself not well informed about the entire history of the USA. I have been amazed on how a dedicated man John Adams was to this country. He really worked hard through out his education at school. I really felt happy when I read that he even became an educator like all of us. I got very impressed with the fact that he needed to leave his family so many times to take care of the business of creating a new country. Abigail was such a wonderful wife and very prepared to all she went through. She was ready to "fly to the woods" and follow Adam's advice. It is very interesting to know the soldiers slept in her kitchen floor so many times as her home was close to the road. She witnessed the revolution through her naked eyes. What a powerful statement in the book when it says that he read aloud from Cicero's Orations to find confort even if "one undertood non of the meaning"(pg 45). The contribution mentioned in the beginning of the book related to this specific reading show how inteligent he was in conforting him emotionally through this religious act of "reading'. Very interesting! I trully believe that John Adams was very aware of his surroundings, more than we can picture in the book. That is all for now I hope somebody can give me some feedback in my blog it has being very nice to learn all this in such a short period of time.

Thoreau's Imagery

I recently mentioned how elegantly Thoreau writes. While I certainly do not agree with everything that he writes, I do agree with the way he writes. I had an opportunity to share a few of my findings with one of my seventh grade classes this week. We were doing our core tests in Language Arts earlier this week. The classes usually complete the day's section of the test before the class time is over, and since they are in a computer lab to take the test, they are only allowed a reading book at that the computer. I told the students to enjoy their books, or I would start reading mine to them. They asked me what book I had with me, and I showed them Thoreau's Walden. They said they wanted me to share (they really are great kids). So I shared one of his very long sentences that was most of one paragraph and then asked them what kind of punctuation would need to be in that sentence. They were sharp and got that right, so I decided to read some of his imagery using figures of speech to see if they could even remember the figures of speech. Here is a sampling of what I read. "A lake...is earth's eye." (149) "it is worth the while to see the silver grain sparkle when you split this wood" (161)
"peet-weets (Totanus machularius) 'teeter'" (148) "These are the lips of the lake, on which no beard grows." (145) "red squirrels...kept up the queerest chuckling and chirruping and vocal pirouetting and gurgling sounds that ever were heard;" (245) The kids had fun, got the answers right, and enjoyed their brief visit with Thoreau. It was a good day.

I am amazed at how little government and politics have progressed. All the back stabbing and two-faced lies have really opened my eyes....not much has changed in the last 300 years. I am fascinated with the early age in which these men attended Harvard.

The "Simplistic" Life

I am thoroughly enjoying reading John Adams, and I certainly agree with those who have commented on the relationship between John and Abigail. Also, it seems to me that if the simplistic life meant eating home-grown food, making clothes, and putting family first, the John Adams family would definitely qualify. On the other hand, according to David McCullough, Thomas Jefferson lived in quite a different world which included at least two-hundred slaves. While the food may have been grown on the Jefferson land, clothes made in the Jefferson home, and care given to the family, the lifestyles of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were hardly the same. Even the extent of patriotism differed. I have come to admire and respect the role John Adams played in the establishment of this great country thanks to McCullough's biography.
Another time, I would like to share all of my thoughts on Thoreau and Walden, but, alas, that is definitely for another day. For now, let it suffice to say that I have lost my teenage love for the "simple life" of Walden's pond and Thoreau's wisdom. There is much wisdom in Walden, but there is also much I have grown to dislike. The one truth that remains for me still, is the truth that Thoreau was a remarkable writer. He uses imagery and figures of speech absolutely beautifully.

A Blog to Buffy

Following is a blog I wrote when I thought I was more than a mere "follower" on this site. It was written immediately after "Buffy" had written a beautifully composed blog.

Buffy, I really enjoyed your writing style. I felt like I was taking the walk with you. Thanks for sharing. I agree with the others about how the enthusiasm a teacher has rubs off on the students. I spent eighteen months (2005-2006) in Germany. I was shocked how excited my students were upon my return to read the novels dealing with World War II, all because of my pictures, interviews with WWII survivors, and love of Germany. What a difference! I am so excited about doing the same with Whitman, Poe, Irving, and all the others I will "come to know" through this marvelous experience.

I'm Drowning...maybe

I had no idea the good, the bad, and the ugly I would encounter being selected for this excellent learning opportunity. First, there was the 'not so simple' problem of becoming a member of this blogging community. Now that I am finally alive (blogging), I am wondering if I am the only "frustrated" member of this family. I have always enjoyed swimming and learning. Now, I'm feeling like I've dived into a pool and can't reach the surface of the water with my "learning" for this Foundations class. While I am still very excited with content and purpose, I am concerned about not being able to reach the surface of the requirements. As a Language Arts teacher, I am constantly researching material and new ways to teach to different learning styles. On top of that, of course, there are papers to correct regularly and grades to post. For those of you with younger families, especially, I am wondering how you are succeeding. Just when I think I might yet reach the expectations, I hear of yet another assignment that will need to be completed before the trip. I read whenever I can, I research late into the night, and I write on the weekends. Now if my L.A. students, my private music students, my grandchildren, and my community obligations would quietly disappear, I just might succeed. What are the chances...

Comments on our readings...

I have found it interesting as I read the selections of Anne Bradstreet et al, that although life was very hard for these people, it was less self-centered than our life today. As I read these excerpts, I have to remember that at least in New England, the people in these colonies came for specific reasons - puritanistic lifestyles, focus on God and religious beliefs, and true relationships with their fellow men. They appeared to be 'content' with their simpler lifestyles. I don't know how easy it would be some of us to live simplistically today.

I agree also with what has been said throughout the posts about John and Abigail Adams. They had such an incredible relationship with each other - love, trust, support - throughout all their trials. I love reading the letters that John wrote to his wife. When was the last time most of us wrote a love letter or any type of letter where we poured out our inner most feelings to our spouse or best friend? Too bad not every relationship in today's society has that type of love.

Lesson Plan ch. 7 - Marzano

I have not been able to get onto the blog until today, so I have been keeping a document of my responses in case I ever got on to this. :) Thanks for interesting comments.

I agree with the statement by Marianne Evans about students learning to master skills when working in groups. I put my 8th grade honors classes into groups of 5-6. Each group read a different novel, but all had a similar theme. Because this was an honors class, the groups were homogeneous for the most part, but the group dynamics were based on the student's first choice of novels. They had about 12 class periods to read the book, discuss as they went and be accountable for reporting to the rest of the class. At the end of the time period, I gave the students an accountability form to fill out; specific tasks needed to be accomplished by the time they completed the book. One of the questions I asked on the form was to describe the best and worst part of working in the group. I was extremely pleased, but surprised at the responses I received on this assignment. Many of the students said that they were a little nervous being in a group with people they might not have known well, and didn't pick to be with in a group.At the end of the time frame, the students mentioned that they had learned a lot about the book because the other group members often had different interpretations or understandings of what was happening. I was happy with the results and intend to do this again next year.

Classroom Strategies

Lesson Plans which incorporate strategies from Classroom Instruction That Works

Cooperative Learning

Research shows that organizing students into cooperative groups yields a positive effect on overall learning. During the last few weeks of March my 5th grade students learned about volume and surface area in math and science. One lesson from the Utah Core Academy which I use to teach surface area is called “Candies R Us”. The students work in pairs to design boxes with lids which will hold chocolate candies. They are asked to review all of the possible rectangular boxes with a volume of twelve and then present the model of the box they have chosen along with the reasons for choosing that box. They must brainstorm with their partner which requires continued communication about the concepts of volume and surface area. They must work together to build the boxes, assessing the results together, and then using higher reasoning to understand that although the volume of the boxes stays the same, the surface area will change. They must also work together to determine which box would be the most cost effective to make and to ship, understanding that the box with the least amount of surface area would be the best choice. This requires the partners to reason together, exchanging information, and learning from their attempts and successes. As stated in Marzano’s book, students must learn and master specific skills for working in groups. Throughout the year, my students have learned the communication and compromise skills in order to work in pairs and groups of four. This has led to the highly successful use of cooperative learning in my classroom.

Notetaking

Note taking requires students to identify what is most important about the knowledge they are learning and then state that knowledge in their own words. I teach students different ways to take notes, sometimes incorporating a T chart, a Venn diagram, or an outline form depending on the information that is in the lesson. One note taking strategy I learned from a Saturday Social Studies Seminar is “Stop and Write”. I have used this when teaching history as we view a video or read selections of text together. First the students write a sentence about something they already know about the topic. They then write three things they learn while watching the video or reading the text: I learned that . . ., I also learned that . . ., and However, the most interesting (or you could use important) thing I learned was . . .. Finally, the students write a question that they would still like answered. After taking notes in this way, I always have the students share one of their statements with the rest of the class.
Before I used this format, I would always have the students write three sentences about new information they learned from a video. But I prefer this note taking strategy because it has a place for them to write something they already know, activating prior knowledge before gaining new information. I also like the fact that it has the line “ the most important or interesting thing I learned” because it implies that the student will continue searching for new information until the end of the presentation instead of learning three new things in the first few minutes and then losing focus. I also like the final statement which gives students the opportunity to continue thinking about the topic and the chance to wonder and explore more. Students definitely pay more attention and retain more information from videos and texts when they take notes and we review them as a class. As a fifth grade teacher I understand the importance of helping students become good note takers so that when they enter middle school and are expected to record information from lectures, they will have this strategy in place.

Ichabod Crane...

It was easy to see how Disney created the character from this incredible descriptive piece. Every part of Ichabod comes to life as this character is planted right before you in all his glory. Sleepy Hollow takes you to the site and weaves you through the scenery as if you had been there yourself. The trees the terror and even the bounty of the place are easily imagined. I loved the piece and am working up a lesson on this one.

I have posted 2 posts on this thing and still can't find any of mine posted. I always say that I am technologically impaired.
Over vacation, I read a good part of the second section of John Adams. I love this book! I was really touched by the strength that Abigail had, and the things that she did. Her husband was in Europe for years, and took, first one, than two of her sons, and she stayed at home. She took care of the children, kept a farm running and entertained and kept contact with members of Congress in the United States. John was a great man, but I don't think he could have accomplish so much, if Abigail hadn't been by his side.

Pre -Seminar Lesson from Classroom Instruction That Works

World History
Political Revolutions
Sixth Grade Standard III, Objective 1: Understand processes of revolution
Indicators: a. Examine social, religious, and economic issues that may lead to revolution. b. Identify and compare how revolutions develop in multiple areas of human life.
Students will be able to compare and contrast the causes and effects of the American Revolution and the French Revolution using a Venn Diagram. (Graphic Organizers for Comparison, pgs. 18-19, Classroom Instruction That Works by Marzano)
Anticipatory Set: Students brainstorm as groups and list as many items as they can remember about the American and French Revolutions. Time them for 5 minutes, then share with the class.
Lesson: Students read the chapter in the textbook dealing with the American and French Revolutions. Use the T-chart organizer to take notes as they read.
Students pair-share their notes from the T-chart.
Divide class in groups and have each group analyze the information from their notes to create a Venn Diagram to show their comparisons.
Closure: Groups present their Venn Diagrams and summarize what they learned for the class.

Walking by Thoreau

I’m afraid Thoreau would not approve of my kind of walking – I walk for exercise and to ponder on situations and events happening in my life. These are not allowed in Thoreau’s definition of walking. I don’t know that even when I have hiked in the mountains that I have ever been completely concentrated in what is around me. Yes, I enjoy the smells, the sights, the sounds of nature, but to immerse myself in Nature? I don’t believe it has ever occurred to me. Thoreau has such a talent for becoming part of what is going on around him in the woods and likening those occurrences to our relationships to God and others. I wonder what Thoreau would make of our hectic, mad pace of life and our ability to fill every waking moment with activity. He definitely would not approve of so much civilization. I think he would still be able to find the time to walk and compose his writing, although it might be more difficult for him to find venues he hadn't traveled on before. I have been walking more outside since it is spring, and I have tried to pay more attention to the awakening of the plants and animals and marveling on the rebirth of everything this time of year. I think our problems would seem smaller if we took time to gain perspective of our place in the world by viewing ourselves as a part of Nature, just as Thoreau tells us to.

Sleepy Hollow

Just finished reading Irving's "Sleepy Hollow" and thoroughly enjoyed it all. What a great piece to use to help students to visualize during reading. He uses beautiful language and descriptions. However, I must question, in the building of the character of Ichabod and his superstitious nature, was Irving poking fun at Cotton Mather and his book on witchcraft. I can't wait to read this aloud to my students so they have exposure to the whole story with its remarkable portrayal of the time and language, and not just the Disney version I am sure they all know.