Fabulous Me!

It has been so long since I have posted anything. I guess I have been apprehensive about my ex-husband reading this. Hopefully he is done obsessing over me and I can update my fabulous new life to this old blog. Ha...that sounds like the old TV show, "This Old House." I guess I kinda feel like that though. I was a dilapidated old house that just got a total overhaul and I have a fabulous new exterior. Those who knew me before will understand since as of August 1st...I have lost 55lbs. Go South Beach Diet! It feels so good to eat healthy (and don't even worry that the crust on that pizza is whole wheat...nice!) and exercise. I mean, I always new that I was fabulous, but for the first time in a long time I feel like maybe other people will be able to see it with out a first impression getting in the way.

I guess I feel reborn almost. Coming out of an abusive relationship is not an easy thing. I feel like I was lost for a long time. I feel like 6 years of my life were taken from me...stolen perhaps. There were so many aspects of me that had been forgotten about along the way. Now that I am on my own and living it up, I feel like I can breath again. I am engaging in passions (wholesome goodness only, I promise) that have been locked away like a dirty dark little secret. It is fun to be social again. Being married to someone with bi-polar disorder does not lend itself very well to having any kind of a social life. And as we all know...I am a very social person. Hello, if there is a party you know that I will be there with bells on making everyone laugh so hard that maybe...just maybe someone might pee their pants just a little bit. This photo for example was taken on a school field trip. Let's all just remember that I am the teacher. Why someone ever put me in charge we will never know. Any who, we were on a simulated bass boat so I started to pretend that I was getting a little sea-sick and all my kids (3rd grade) loved it! One of them grabbed my camera and snapped the flash. Don't even worry that I have like 5 different ones after this of all the kids and me pretending to throw-up on each other. Gosh I love my kids...they are so stinkin' fun!

Anyway, life is beautiful and full of wonderful surprises around every corner. I am even learning how to country swing dance....and hello let's all just take a minute to take that one in. We all know that my entire life has been dedicated to hating country music, so what in the heck is going on....I don't even know...but it's kinda fun!

These photos are just to show everyone how much fun I have been having with my posse (the cousins)! The first picture is pre-corn maze. All is well and fine and yes I do mean fine....hello we're gorgeous!

The second picture is right in the thick of danger. I am pretty sure that the chain saw man was chasing us and we knew that our lives were on the line. Yes, yes, that was it.

Life can give you lemonade!

Well, if you think that my last post seemed like life had been dealing me a hard hand, you don't even know. Since then, I have filed for divorce. My husband who I have stood beside and supported has been gambling for the past two years. I finally realized that enough is enough and prayed for help. I was told that it is time to move on. This has been a hard thing for me, but I know that the Lord is on my side and is looking out for me. I love the Lord more than my husband, so Him I must follow. I have moved to Utah and will be starting my new job as an elementary teacher soon. I feel free, safe, and happy for the first time in a long time. I know that out of the darkness will arise a brighter future. Like my brother-in-law told me, "When one door shuts, a window opens, but sometimes the hallway is really long."

Hurrah!

Well, we moved back to Oklahoma so that I could finish school and then be able to move anywhere. Up until a month ago we really thought that we would be staying put. Then, PJ lost his job and we lost the foster kids. This was so hard for us. However, these turn of events came after a family fast so we truly feel like it was supposed to happen, however painful it was. Those two things were the only things keeping us here, so bon voyage Oklahoma. We will no longer be the classiest looking people on the block because we have all our teeth and don't have mullets. We will now look just like everyone else. I have accepted an amazing 3rd grade teaching position in Ogden, Utah. Everything about this has felt good and right to me. I can't wait to get there and get settled into our new life.

Alphabet: Phonics/Decoding

EDUC3313 Fall 2006
Laura Orr
Alphabet: Phonics/Decoding
Language Arts
Kindergarten

Trade Book: Curious George Learns the Alphabet

Author: H. A. Rey

Time: 30-45 min

Goal:
In this lesson, the goal is for students to recognize the symbol and sound of each leter of the alphabet.

Objectives:
The learner will say each letter of the alphabet as I point to it, with 85% accuracy.
The learner will identify the alphabet by sound, with 85% accuracy.

PASS Standards:
Language Arts Reading/Literature: The student will apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, appreciate and respond to a wide variety of text.
Standard 3: Phonics/Decoding – The student will demonstrate the ability to apply sound-symbol relationships.
1. Identify the alphabet by name.
2. Identify the alphabet by sound.

Materials/Resources:
Big pad of paper
Marker to write with
Book: Curious George Learns the Alphabet
Literacy Center

Procedure for Teaching/Methods:
Anticipatory Set:
Sing the alphabet song. Children that know the song may join in while you are singing.

Clarify the Objectives:
“Today we are going to learn about the letters in the alphabet. We are also going to read about a little monkey that did not know his alphabet so the man in the yellow hat taught him.

Instructional Input:
Read: Curious George Learns the Alphabet.
Discuss the book with the children as you go along. Summarize the book as you read it. Children will get bored quickly if you read everything. As Curious George learns about each letter, write it down on a big pad of paper. Write both uppercase and lowercase, so children can visually see the difference. Also say the sound the letter makes and the letter as you write it. (ex. Say “/b/, /b/”, write and say “B”; say “/d/, /d/”, write and say “D”.)

Check for Understanding:
Observe the children while you are reading. Occasionally ask the students what the next letter is, what sound the letter makes, or what the picture is. Then tell them that the picture starts with the ­___ sound (which ever letter you are talking about). Check for responses from everyone. If a few are not responding, call on them for the answer. Once you are finished reading the book, have all the children say the sound and the name of a letter as you point to it. Sometimes point to an upper case letter, while other times point to a lower case letter. If some children are not answering, call on them when you point to a letter.

Closure:
Ask children to sing alphabet song with you as you point to each letter. Sometimes point to uppercase and other times point to lower case.

Student Product/Independent Practice:
Blog activity. Instruct children to do the “Uppercase/Lowercase” activity at home. Tell them to go to the blog Kindergarten Am I Nuts. They may need help from their parents to get there and get to the activity. Then, they need to comment on the activities with the help of their parents. (Getting parents involved at home is a great way for the parents to see what their child is learning, and actively participate in the learning process.)
Uppercase/Lowercase

Assessment/Evaluation:
Were the children able to name each letter with 85% accuracy? Were the children able to recognize the sound of each letter with 85% accuracy? I will work with students individually that struggled during the discussion.

Source:
Rey, H. A. (1963). Non-Fiction: Curious George Learns the Alphabet. Boston, Ma: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Literacy Center Education Network. (2006). Retrieved October 2, 2006, from http://www.literacycenter.net/lessonview_en.htm.

Mode:
Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing, Visual Representing

Uppercase/Lowercase Activity

Click on the hyperlink below, and select the uppercase/lowercase activity. Once you are in the activity, there are three numbers at the top of the page. Do all three activities and then add a comment to the blog. Before you begin, make sure the speakers on your computer are turned on. In the first activity, use your mouse to match the uppercase and lower case letters with the up and down arrows on the screen. For the second activity, click the number 2 at the top of the screen. Then, click one time with the mouse to activate the activity. Then type in any letter on your key board to see the letter light up and hear the name of the letter. For the third activity, click the number 3 at the top of the screen. Then, play the match game with your mouse. Match the uppercase letter to its lowercase letter. Once you are done, ask your parents to help you type a comment on the blog page telling me which activity you liked best and why.

Fun Scavanger Hunt

Hey everyone. I have had a lot of fun doing this assignment. I want to teach kindergarten, so I needed to make a scavenger hunt that was fun and not too complicated. I decided that I could incorporate a scavenger hunt into a lesson about teaching rhyming words, which is a big part of learning how to read. This would engage the children by participating in a “fun activity” while also integrating technology into the lesson. I feel that in order to reach all children, we need to make the learning environment appear exciting and spontaneous, and not so rigid. I feel that incorporating a scavenger hunt into a lesson can do this. It is almost as if the student thinks they are playing a game, but the teacher is secretly sneaking “learning” into it.

Rhyming Words Scavenger Hunt

In this scavenger hunt, you will see a nursery rhyme. Read the nursery rhyme and click on the link to find the missing rhyming word. You may look for the answer in the picture, or in the nursery rhyme below the picture. The missing word will rhyme with the word written in bold. Type your answers by leaving a comment; I will check to see that you found the correct rhyming words. Once you are finished, you may go to any of the nursery rhymes and participate in the on-line coloring activity.

1. Jack, be nimble; Jack, be quick;
Jack, jump over the _______.

Jack Be Nimble

2. Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the ______;
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.

Hickory Dickory Dock

3. Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags ________;
One for my master,
One for my dame,
But none for the little boy
Who cries in the lane.

Baa Baa Black Sheep

4. Jack and Jill went up a _____,
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his _____,
And Jill came tumbling after.

Jack and Jill

5. Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the _____,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such a sport,
And the dish ran away with the ____.

Hey Diddle Diddle, the Cat and the Fiddle

Rhyming Words Scavenger Hunt Answer Key

This is the answer key to the scavanger hunt. Hope you had fun.

1. candlestick

2. clock

3. full

4. hill, crown

5. fiddle, spoon

My very first entry ever. YIPPEE!

Well, this is my first real exposure to weblogs. They are still a little new to me, but I hope to get all hyped up about them like the rest of the world. I have been to a few different weblogs, and seen some fun things. Hopefully, I can learn how to do all those cool things too.