Poetry

Because poetry is Dr. Harris' favorite genre, I've decided to share some of my personal writings from many years ago. I hope it is inspiring and uplifting to everyone and to no one offensive......



Dear Lord,

I'm writing you in my spare time,

letting you know what's on my mind.

Not very often do I take the chance

to let my emotions slip into a trance.

I'm usually so tied up in my own things,

trying to make knots with broken strings;

always relying on my own thoughts

and so many times, getting caught.

When You created our lives

You did it with such perfect strides.

You gave us each day

to spend our own way.

You gave us our family and friends

with which much of our time we spend.

Most important, You gave Yourself

and showed us we could do nothing by ourself.

You showed us a life.

You showed us a light.

By giving us these things,

You enhanced our dreams.

We now have a sight of things to come,

like a life everlasting in your heavenly kingdom.

By leading a life of proper growth

we give to You our promised oath.

To simply come to You and pray

that by Your side we would stay.





Life

Our life is like

one big highway.

Yet instead of cars,

there are people.

So many going

the same way.

Eventually having to make

their separate decisions

to lead to their own

special destiny.





Why

Why in the world

do I get this way?

All tired and mad

with nothing to say.

I can't help myself

when this mood comes on.

I just sit around

until it's gone.

I hope someday

I'll be willing to say

if it weren't for God

I'd still be that way.





The Bible

The Bible is a book

with words so true.

It speaks to hearts

both old and new.

It teaches us

day by day

to be ready for Him

When He comes our way.

Telling us

day by day

how to live

a better way.





God's Love

With love from above

I have left you this book.

To be with you always.

Upon which always to look.





Understand

The words of today

are, 'always to pray'

to our Father above

who has left us His love.





My Psalm

Oh Lord, God of Love

Thou are the most high

from heaven above

Thou are the one; your Son who died

to forgive our sins

and have eternal life.

Oh Lord, God of Love

You are our refuge and strength

You are the one I love

and You are the one

of whom I think.





I guess I got carried away and added more than I meant to. But this is a collection that I put together as a teenager and it means so much to me that I didn't mean to overuse this as an opportunity to share it.....................but I couldn't help myself!

Modern Fantasy

1) What is modern fantasy? Modern fantasy includes literature books that take readers into settings where the impossible becomes possible. Books like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Borrowers, The Chronicles of Narnia, or The Tale of Peter Rabbit may be examples.

2) Design a classroom activity (name, directions) I would title this activity Chivalry Characteristics. After reading several different stories about chivalry (like Don Quixote, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings) in modern fantasy, I would have students work in small groups of 3-4 to list character traits that seem to be part of the code of chivalry. The group which generates the longest legitimate list gets a reward of some type (homework passes). The teacher records on the chalkboard all traits from all groups at random. These traits are then grouped into categories such as physical characteristics, attitudes toward other people, attitudes toward battle, etc. Finally students discuss within their original groups which characteristics remain important today and which are no longer important. Then I would ask them to try to explain why certain traits have become less important while others have remained.

Traditional Literature

1)Give a supersentence definition of Traditional Literature. My definition of TL would be a type of story, like folktales, fables, legends or myths, that is passed down family lines in the form of a tradition.

2) How can you use TL in classrooms? Give details. Any time folktales, fables, legends or myths are introduced to students, they will be exposed to TL. For younger ages, a book like the Gingerbread Boy or The Three Billy Goats Gruff or Cinderella. Then there are also books like The Serpent and the Sea, The Hare and the Tortoise, Aladdin, or Robin Hood.

3) Will I use TL in my classroom? Why or why not? I don't think any teacher should not use TL in the classroom. By exposing students to different forms of literature, it gives them a selection of types of reading to possibly become interested in for years to come. How will children learn about things like the supernatural, morals or satire, human emotions, or bravery if they are not given a chance to be exposed to them?

Picture Book Blog

1)What are picture books? When can you use them? How? Are there any limitations?
Picture books have more pictures than words. They tell stories through the pictures without using as much text. They can be used anywhere, anytime. They are especially helpful for smaller children just learning to read and other people of any age that may not be expert readers. I think there are no limitations to the use of picture books.

2) How do you evaluate or select a picture book? What is the process?
In evaluating or selecting a picture book, the person selecting should consider the following: accuracy, illustrations, avoiding stereotypes, appeal, theme, purpose, language, interests, age level, and whether or not the text and illustrations are harmonious. This is basically what every reader does when selecting books. This is just the extended version of selecting high quality picture books.

3) What are my personal views on picture books? Like, dislike? Why? Use, not use? Why?
I totally enjoy picture books. Beginning with the ones that little babies can use that are plastic! There are so many variations of picture books that apply to every audience. There are also picture books that can be used as learning tools, such as alphabet books, math books, instructional books, concept books, etc. I especially like the wordless picture books. I feel that those allow the imagination to go to the fullest extent. Picture books should be everyone's favorite type of book.

Blog #4 - Intl - vs - Multi

International literature originates in a specific country and is then translated into other languages. It is different than multicultural literature in that multicultural represents cultures and ethnicity's that are written anywhere, not necessarily in the country being referenced.
International literature is important in classrooms since it introduces children of all ages to issues outside of their local scopes.
By exploring multicultural genres in class, we were made aware of the description and examples of books available. While covering international literature, we were also made aware of descriptions, definitions and similarities and differences between it and multicultural literature. The most significant difference is where international literature originates.
Since I missed class when the blog assignment was given, I did not understand the instructions!
For my International class instruction, I would have the students find the location of the origin of the book they are reading. I would also have them try to find out what language they spoke in that country of origin.
For my Multicultural class instruction, I would have the students try to bring in an item directly related to the book they were reading. For example if it was a book written about Mexico, the students could bring in a tortilla, or a sombrero, etc. I would also have them try to find a person from the country that was written about and find out what that person has to say about their country of origin.

Blog #3 - Evaluations

1. Describe how to effectively evaluate books for kids. Is this value based?

I believe to evaluate books for kids, there should be several things taken into consideration. Is it age appropriate, believable, natural, did it have strengths and weaknesses, did it have a theme? All of these things would determine whether or not the evaluator considered the book to be good.

I definitely believe the evaluation issues would be value based. Each evaluator is chosen for specific reasons. Those reasons could be educational, pleasurable, informative, religious, or etc. With those specific interests in mind, the evaluation issues would be value based on those categories.

2. Why do character/setting analysis on children's books? What does it accomplish?

Character and setting analysis should be included by evaluators for a reason similar to what I've mentioned above. Evaluating these issues point out whether or not it is age appropriate. Children have no business reading the same materials that adults might. The most immediate examples that comes to mind are keeping things like profanity, adult settings, or even things like medically related issues away from children. Allowing things such as those to be available for children does not promote a healthy frame of mind. As for the medically related readings, it probably would be too advanced to read in the first place and it might bore them to death! How healthy would that be? By 'censoring' what children read even to the slightest degree, it helps them grow at a pace that is beneficial to everyone involved.

Chapter 2 Blog

Chapter 2 reviews the history of children's literature. It states that before recorded history, family units and tribes shared their traditions and values through stories told around the campfire. Before the 1400's the literary heritage in Europe was mainly based on parchment manuscripts that were handwritten by monks and scribes. Around 1450 Johannes Gutenberg discovered a movable metal type which began the mass production of books. Before 1476 most children's books were not written with their interest in mind, so William Caxton began writing specifically for them. His most important publication may be considered the Fables of Aesop. During the 1600's political upheaval, religious dissent and censorship affected English literature. Book titles began stressing the importance of providing moral instruction for children. Since John Locke envisioned the child's mind as a blank page, he began writing books relating to the healthy upbringing of children. During the 1700's Charles Perrault published what is known today as the Tales of Mother Goose. These writing were mostly fairy tales retold from older traditions. In 1719 Daniel Defoe authored and published the adventure story Robinson Crusoe while in jail. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that children should be accompanied in their search for knowledge, so in 1762 he wrote Emile which stressed the importance of harmonious experiences in children's natural development. The Victorian authors of the 1800's were sensitive to the realities of poor children. From that mindset, Charles Dickens wrote about those unfortunate children in his book Oliver Twist. With the 19th century came what may be considered the greatest writer of adventure, Mark Twain and his book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Throughout history, other authors such as John Newberry and Hans Christian Anderson became famous for their input towards children's literature.
Censorship, although it has always existed in some form, became prevalent during the late 1960's and '70's. This censorship covered topics like racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination. There became a period of change regarding children and the family beginning in the late 1800's. Books began stressing the importance of responsibility and self improvement. Books like Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor emphasize values of a traditional family. Since the late 1960's, however, children's literature has made changes. The ideal traditional family has declined and is reflective of emotional problems and personal issues as depicted in Meg Rosoff''s, How I live Now.
Overall, I believe this chapter highlights the different roles that authors have taken over the years in consideration of children's literature. It points out how books have changed in relation to the time periods and what their contents may reflect in relation to that specific time.