Social Studies for Struggling Readers

I really appreciated the article on struggling readers. I found it very interesting and eye-opening. It made perfect sense to me, but after I read it, I wonder why teachers are not doing these things to help our students. Just as the article states, children who struggle with reading tend to avoid reading. However, if a child was able to read the text and understand it, they probably would love it.

As I reflect on my past experiences, I have only seen teachers use the same text for the entire class. No wonder, some kids had no idea what was happening in the chapter they were to read for homework. They probably could not even read it to understand.

I love to read and it has always been something that I have enjoyed. It makes me very sad to think that there are children out there who are not getting the help that they need. As a teacher, I want to make a difference and help those children who may need an easy version of a story. I intend to keep this article close and share it with other teachers that I know. It is a wonderful tool.

One of my Favorite Poems

A Kindergarten teacher at a local school uses this poem in her class. You will understand if you have ever worked with children. I think I may have this posted in my classroom! I cannot stand to see this!

 

Warning

By Shel Silverstein

Inside everybody’s nose

There lives a sharp-toothed snail.

So if you stick your finger in,

He may bite off your nail.

Stick it farther up inside,

And he may bite your ring off.

Stick it all the way, and he

May bite the whole darn thing off.

Response to readings~ Poetry

All the Small Poems and Fourteen More- This book had to be my pick out of the three we had to read. I thought the vivid words in each of the poems made it very appealing to me. I enjoyed reading it. It made me think of things that I normally would not have , for example the poem about the fence. (pg 39) How many times have I seen a fence that had fallen down and not ever wondered why or how? I loved how Valerie Worth took everyday items and made them feel important.

Brown Angels-  I also enjoyed this book. However, the poetry was not the reason why I liked it. I loved it for all the pictures. I love old pictures! The author said that he had gathered the pictures from yard sales and flea markets. I thought that I was the only crazy person that enjoyed looking at old pictures at flea markets. One time, my husband even ask me why I wanted to buy something like that because I did not know anyone in the picture. It makes me want to try to find out who they are and what their life was like. I also think of how much fun children would have if you gave them old pictures and ask them to make up a story about the people in the picture. That would be so much fun. This book makes me want to go back to flea markets and try to find old pictures once again.

Love that Dog- Oddly so, this was my least favorite book. I had a hard time following this poem. I think maybe I was looking into it more than I should have been. After our class discussion though, it helped. I think that my student’s could relate to the poem and they would probably enjoy reading it.

Dill Pickles~ inspired by Valerie Worth

Freshly sliced

waiting to be seasoned

packed together

for only one reason.

Vinegar, dill, garlic, and pepper

poured over the slices

for when it seals

how it entices.

The Phone Call~ inspired by William Carlos Williams

So much depends on

the ringing of the phone

when it rings ,

anxiously,

I answer

wondering what the

need may be.

Pictures for Poetry

All About My Name

Have you ever sat down and wondered why you have the name that you do? Ever since I can remember, I have wondered why I was named Valorie. My complete name is Valorie Suzanne Pennell Chapman. I was told that I was named by my older sisters and the next door neighbors. My parents thought that I was going to be a boy, but God knew that another girl was just what my parents needed! I was born the day before Valentine’s Day, so they felt it would be lovely to give me a name close to Valentine. Thank God I was not actually born on that day. The name Valorie is from the Latin origin and means strong. I guess I can agree to this. I am a very strong-willed person. Valorie is  a feminine name. 99.9 percent of the people who are named Valorie are females. There are 7,684 people in the U.S. with this same name. It is the 2,138th most popular name. It became popular from the 70′s to the 80′s because of female tv actresses with this name.

My middle name is Suzanne. I am named after my Mother’s middle name, Sue. One interesting thing about this is that I also gave my middle name to my daughter. My husband’s Mother also had the middle name Sue. Now my daughter is named after both of her Nana’s and me.

Growing up I liked my name alright I guess. I was usually the only girl in school with the name Valorie. The only thing that really got on my nerves was that nobody ever spelled my name correctly. Everyone always spelled it with an e instead of an o. (Valerie) Even today when I tell people how I spell my name, they look at me as if I don’t know how to spell my own name. That really gets on my nerves.  I guess that it where my nickname comes into play. A lot of my friends call me Val. I think it was because in elementary school they could not figure out how to spell my name so they used Val for short. It kind of stuck and I am used to people calling me Val. I have played sports most of my life and I was always called Val by my teammates and coaches.

Some of the other unofficial names that I had growing up was Little Pig and Blueberry. My Dad always called me Little Pig. I don’t know why, I guess because I ate everything in sight. Now I guess everyone could call me Sal instead of Val. (lol) My Dad called me Little Pig as long as I can remember. It makes me smile to remember this nickname. Also, in school I was called Blueberry. This name came  from some mean girls who were making fun of my baby blue jeans that I had on. I was not in elementary school, but highschool! Needless to say, I didn’t think it was to funny. Looking back I can laugh about it. On occasion, my close friends will say something about Blueberry just to get me sideways.

Everyone has a name and I think it was so much fun to learn more about my own name. Parents spend so much time on picking out that perfect name, it is neat to see how the name fits the person. I guess I will keep my name.