The Value of Graphic Novels

      

      Imagine, that you have taken a foreign language class for only one year when your teacher hands you a novel in this new language and expects you to read it both aloud, and at home for homework. Plus, your teacher expects you to keep a journal on it in your new language, as well as discuss it in class groups, and take tests on it! This is what reading is like for countless numbers of children who have learning disabilities, dyslexia, or a multitude of other academic challenges. Children with out any academic challenges also disengage because today's youth are living in a hyper-visual culture where pictures and graphics speak volumes to them.  In the end the student may comprehend parts of the novel words and pictures here and there but the overall reading experience will be laborious, frustrating, and confusing.
      What are graphic novels, you ask?  First, lets be clear, graphic novels are not comic books! Comic books are periodicals. Comic books are printed on a monthly basis and the storyline continues from one edition to the next. Graphic novels on the other hand, are full length books. The commonality between comic books and graphic novels are the illustrations and presentation of the written word. Graphic novels dive deeply into the plot and character development. Like  novels, graphic novels tell the whole story from beginning to end. 
     As a special educator and literacy specialist, graphic novels get my seal of approval. Last year, the sixth graders in my school district read the novel, The Lightening Thief, written by Rick Riordan. Students with reading disabilities read it along side of their peers confidently in English class.  They were confident because in their resource room, they read, The Lightening Thief  by Rick Riordan's graphic novel. The graphic novel gave these children peace of mind because the text was less cumbersome yet provided them with the same storyline, plot, and characters as the full-length novel. Using a combination of texts made reading comprehension more explicit for these learners. They were able to delve deep into the context of the novel with out frustration. Using a visual learning approach added the needed diversity that these students needed to move ahead and to become engaged. So, graphic novels no longer need to be an underground commodity. They can also be used as a very appropriate learning tool in reading comprehension.

Daily Parent Links:
Why Older Kids and Adults Need Picture Books and Graphic Novels
http://trevorcairney.blogspot.com/2014/09/why-older-kids-adults-need-picture.html



Daily Educator Links:
Using Graphic Novels in the ELT Classroom
http://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2014/01/using-graphic-novels-in-the-elt-classroom/

Third Grade Math Routines (That can be adapted for other grades-good teaching)
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/third-grade-math-routines


Book Review:
     Today's book review is on a graphic novel written by Rave Mehta, titled The Inventor, The Story of Tesla.  It is a nonfiction graphic novel based on the true story of Nikola Tesla while he competed with his mentor who became his rival, Thomas Edison.  Tesla lived in a time during the Industrial revolution when inventors were known as wizards and corporations were thought of as kingdoms.  J.P. Morgan, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Marconi, Westinghouse,Henry Ford, and Nikola Tessla to name a few, were the supreme wizards in the world of inventions. Tesla went up against the big wigs of industry and forever changed the world with his mind, drive, passion, and want for a better human existence. He catalyzed the second electrical revolution. He was left penniless by allowing others to build their fortunes off of his inventions. Until Rave Mehta brought him back, Nikola Tesla was all but forgotten. 
     Rave Mehta uses a visual learning approach to engage the hyper-visual culture in today's society. He gives Nikola Tesla an edgy steam-punk look to draw in readers. Mehta hopes to light the fire in students to get them interested in STEM learning. It is my hope, that Mehta continues with the Inventors Series to bring more inventors into the limelight. 

"I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success... such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything."~Nikola Tessla
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nikolatesl127569.html#4BdQ2XiqlosEIiM5.99

What is Autism?

     In a recent blog, titled, "What is Special Education" I explained that  Special education is defined under the federal law , Individuals with Disabilities Act  (IDEA) as "Specially designed instruction at no cost to the parent, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability." Special education law has thirteen categories of special education. Each category has its own detailed requirements. Special education pertains to students ages 3-22 who attend a public school. Tonight, I am going to explain the first category, autism, in a little more detail. 
     Autism as defined by the "National Autism Association", is a bio-neurological developmental disability.  Autism generally displays before the age of three. In the regressive type of autism, the child generally appears to have normal development until the age of 1 or 2 but then all of a sudden lose language and/or social skills that they previously had. Autism is generally characterised by impaired social interactions, limited or impairments in communication, and repetitive behaviors. Often those with autism have restricted interests and atypical eating preferences. Sometimes they also have sensory issues with types of fabrics, textures, and or temperatures.
     Those who represent with autism often have social and communication impairments. Often the person does not respond to one's own name, does not smile or make eye contact, and lack's a response to social stimuli. Social stimuli are things like: hand clapping, shaking a rattle, or following a gaze. They also, often lack the ability to pretend play, do not have imitation skills,  or they act aloof like they do not hear.
     Often those with autism have repetitive behaviors such as hand-flapping, making sounds but not words, head rolling, and body rocking.  Persons with autism also have compulsive behaviors such as having the need to arrange items in a certain order, in stacks and piles, or in a fixed line. Any change made to this order will be met with the person's need to fix it.
     Those with autism often have restricted interests .  The individual may need to watch a television line-up in the same order and same time ever day. The person may fixate on a single television show or character, a toy, an object such as helicopters, airplanes, water or perhaps a game. 
     Self-injurious behavior is not uncommon in those with autism. The person may head bang on a wall or with their hand, poke their eye, bite themselves, or pick their skin. I've also seen an autistic person poke his ear and head with a thumb nail showing no response to pain.
    Often those with autism have odd sleep patterns which can include insomnia, early morning wakening, and night time awakening. Also they often walk in their tip toes.
   Autism effects 1 in 68 children; more often boys than girls. Children with autism can make progress. Early intervention is an important key.
   This blog is simply informative only, since autism is one of the thirteen categories included in the federal law IDEA. If you suspect your child may have autism then see your pediatrician or family doctor for advice. In future blogs I will give more detail of the other twelve categories included in IDEA. To restate, the other twelve categories are: deaf/blindness, developmental delays, emotional disturbance, intellectually disabled, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairments.

Daily Educator Links:

Be Proactive in your Communications with Parents
http://gazette.teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/steve-reifman/be-proactive-in-your-communications-with-parents/

Why we Should Rethink Homework for ADHD Kids
http://www.additudemag.com/adhdblogs/35/10939.html


Daily Parent Link:

Healthy Play Outdoors After School
http://www.playworks.org/blog/healthy-play-outdoors-after-school


Children's Book Review:

     Papa, please get the moon for me, is Eric Carle at his finest. In the books simplest terms this gorgeous picture shows the great lengths a father will go for his child. The books design is unique and fascinating for a child with it's pull up pages and expansions. I would personally love being able to climb a ladder to the moon! This is a story that will warm your heart.

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If I Need Help

     I have been an edublogger for a very short time, but in this short time I have met some kind and generous people. Tonight, I am going to tell you about one of these people. Her name is Erin and she and her husband Bruce began a charity called, "If I Need Help.org." It is an organization that helps those who can not get themselves home should they wander off by themselves. The organization gives out patches with QR codes on them that can be scanned or entered manually on the IfINeedhelp.org site to access the contact information that has been logged with the organization.
   "If I Need Help" was born when Erin's and Bruce's son, Jay a, a low-verbal boy with autism went missing several times. Jay could not communicate and had no way to ask for help. The need to keep their son safe inspired them to create a way for at-risk individuals to wear their information. The QR code ID patches provide key contact information to quickly reunite the lost individual with their caregivers. 

Great Advantages of the QRCODEID System:

• The contact information in the profile can be changed in real time.  Add or change parent, babysitter, or teacher contact information as life happens.
• The profile can be e-mailed to someone if a search is needed. Others can see a picture along with contact, emergency and behavioral information.
• Each free If I Need Help membership includes access to a secure password-protected site where important information such as medical records can be stored and accessed in an emergency.    

         As a special education teacher and a Mom I highly endorse this product. All children with and without disabilities can wander off in the blink of an eye. The QR-Code-ID is one way to help ensure a safe return of loved ones including the elderly with dementia. Erin so kindly sent me two sets of patches displayed above to offer to students who may benefit from them. I can also attest to the fact that Erin is always readily available through social media. 
Contact Information:
infoqrcodeid@gmail.com
www.qrcodeid.org
www.facebook.com/qrcodeid
Twitter: @QRCodeiDl

 Daily Educator Link:
How to add a Goggle Drive folder to Goggle sites: : http://youtu.be/-V_R42Dc8_o  via @YouTube

Daily Parent Link:
Ten Things No one Ever Told Me About Having a Daughter
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bret-spears/10-things-no-one-ever-told-me-about-having-a-daughter_b_5745710.html

Children's Book Review:
     Today's review is on the children's book, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt.  Little Duncan loves to color! He one day gets his box of crayons out to color and discovers that they have all quit!  So, Duncan surprises his crayons and does his best work ever! A cute, creative picture book that will get kids thinking in a new way about their crayons!

We Worry...

 

          Yesterday I wrote about being nervous about going back to school. Today I meandered my way through the first day. It was an in-service day. I tentatively walked into my school. I smelled fresh paint and saw new decals on the walls. The new teachers' room was inviting.  Everything was shiny and bright. I had boxes with new materials piled in my classroom.I had many hellos and a few hugs from colleagues.I offered hello to the many new, young faces that wandered the halls.  The most apparent thing was the same look on every face I encountered. No one looked particularly happy. Everyone looked tentative, like they were not quite certain what to expect. Everyone was serious. We went to meeting after meeting. We learned all about the new plans for this school year. It sounded positive. It sounded like there will be a lot of support.  I think I need to refer to yesterday's blog: "We're teachers, we are highly critical of ourselves." Thus, we worry. We really do want to do a great job and do what is in the best interest of our students. Yes, it is hard work. We read the latest in educational strategies and try our best to make these strategies work. We plan and plan and plan, but yes, sometimes we must throw our plans aside because something unexpected and more important than our plans takes precedence. Again, we worry. Sometimes we are observed and sometimes when we are observed our plans do not go as planned. Do we give up? No, of course not! We just worry and try again the next day. The students have not arrived yet this year. They come in two days.  If they had been there our faces would have not looked so serious. You see, we really are there for our students. The students really do brighten our day. As soon as we see students we forget about all of the reading, thought, preparation, and angst we put into our lessons because the students really are like sun on a cloudy day for us. We care about them. We really do want them to learn and like doing it. We really do want them to have successful careers and lives. So, going into day two, and still almost as nervous as going into day one, I have this advice to offer to my colleagues and teachers everywhere:

 
1) Think positive! Things never or rather rarely go as planned. Grin and bare it. It will be okay. Take the good from the lesson learned and move ahead.
2)  Think of others. Helping others helps one to forget their own needs. 
3) Be thoughtful. When planning, thoughtfully address the core standards but thoughtfully address the students too. If you're thoughtful and real with the students, and your colleagues they will be thoughtful and real to you too.
4) Worry less and enjoy the little things. Remember, you have made it through every school day up until now. It's the little things that can make a plain old day a big, spectacular day.
     We are teachers. We are good at what we do because we do it with heart. Doing it with heart, means we worry! We will have a great school year!

Daily Educator Link:
Helping Students Start the Year with a Positive Mindset
http://edut.to/1ByVnQk  via @edutopia

Daily Parent Link:
Could Playing More Video Games Actually Help Your Child?
http://www.learningsuccessblog.com/blog/dyslexia/could-playing-more-video-games-actually-help-your-child

Children's Book Review:
   A Dragon in My Backpack, is a wonderful book to read to a child before the first day of school. It is about a boy named Ben who loves dragons. Ben is about to begin kindergarten but his toy dragon, named Bumps is worried about going to school.  Ben has a very "royal" dream the night before school filled with knights,castles, and dragons that somehow gives Ben and Bumps the courage to go to school. My daughter was fortunate enough to meet the lovely Elvira Woodruff, and recieve a signed copy: "For the Fair Lady, Rachel."
                                                                           

True Calling

   I have been a full fledged, certified, special education teacher since 1983! Please don't do the math, lets just say I was five when I graduated from college! So, explain to me, why after all these years and after only finishing summer school a couple of weeks ago, I am nervous to go back to school tomorrow! This is ridiculous! I am fortunate enough to have the exact same students that I had last year. They are awesome! They know what to do, and when to do it! They amaze me each and every day! It's the kids who keep me on track, not the other way around! If I slip up, my kids let me know it! So, tell me why then am I nervous for the first day of school? My students got my back!
   I think as teachers, we are very harsh critics of ourselves. I can tell you that over the past year the kids in my classroom have become a family. My kids look out for each other. They help each other. They make me proud and humbled every day. I'd be lying if I said we never had our ups and downs but from each experience good or not so good we grew, and learned from it. So, I guess I am nervous just like I am when my own children start school. I want the very best for them. I also want to do my very best for them.  It is my job to guide them into bringing  out their very best. If my students can't do the task one way, then it's my job to reflect, think of each student's learning style, think about each student's strength and weaknesses and come up with a new strategy. Every student is different, but every student can learn. Like all of my colleagues, I want to meet the needs of each and every one of my students. I have met my true calling and I want to help shape our future one student at a time.So, in honor of all my colleagues who will be losing sleep tonight, this video is for you from Teach.org. We have taken the challenge to follow our true calling and tomorrow will be the first day of an amazing school year! 

Daily Educator Link:
Are you looking for game based learning with a school-home connection?
Spelling city.org     http://t.co/wUuleDB  http://t.co/wUuleDBh7F      

Daily Parent Link:
Why is Book reading Necessary During Your Child's Growth?
https://exploreb2b.com/articles/why-book-reading-is-necessary-during-your-childs-growth

Children's Book Review:
     Tonight's book review is a classic, Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater.  This is a fun first novel. Mr. Popper has the daunting task of feeding and taking care of his family plus twelve additional penguins! What's a man to do? Keep in mind the book was originally written in 1938 which only adds to it's character. My daughter first introduced me to this book when she was in third grade. She loved it so much that she wanted me to share in her joy. That Christmas I received my very own copy of Mr. Popper's Penguins, from my daughter Rachel. It is on my list of all time favorite gifts. Your kids and you will love this story too!
     To update, I am currently reading Mr. Popper's Penguins with my enthusiastic 7th and 8th grade special education class. The vocabulary is great because it is seriously challenging. We've also learned that Mr. Atwater died in the process of writing this novel which is why his wife, Florence Atwater is also listed as an author. She posthumously finished writing the novel for him. 
   My only disappointment is that the new movie,Mr. Popper's Penguins with Jim Carrey, is very different from the original book. I have promised my students that we will watch it after we finish the novel. Though the new movie is adorable, I wish it resembled the Atwater's novel a little bit more! I guess since the book and the movie contrast so much, this will give me an excuse to have my students use a Venn Diagram to compare the novel to the movie!  

The Firm Foundation That Grandpa Laid

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." - David Brinkley


Dear Readers: Tonight I was ready to give up! What was I thinking? Give-up, really? Excuse me self, but that is the wrong answer! I have always wanted to write. I don't know if I'm good at writing or not but I like to write! I also LOVE my career choice! I really have met amazing people that I would have never met any other way! So if you are reading this, more than likely you are one of those amazing people that I met along the way! So given that I love to write and given that I passionately believe in special education and literacy, I think blogging was made for me! I no longer want my special kids to be "those kids" because to me they are the most important kids in the world along with my own kids, and my nieces and nephews and cousins, oh and my friends kids, and lets not forget your kids!! So, lets face it all kids are important, so lets not shut the door on any kids. I'm following my own advice and David Brinkley's advice, I'm going to take those bricks and find a way to build a strong foundation for education! Education is special and I'm going to make it work! I will not give up because giving up is the wrong lesson to teach! 

P.S. Incidentally, my Grandfather was: H. Emerson Beckwith whose name is on the plague above. He too believed in education. He was on the board of education when my elementary school was built in 1968. So in honor of my Grandfather H. Emerson Beckwith, I will continue to lay a firm foundation for education! Thank you Grandpa!


Daily Parent Links:

Helping Kids Cope with Cliques

 http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/cliques.html?tracking=P_RelatedArticle#cat20059

  

Teaching Your Child How to tie Shoes in Five Minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWl2dPfBQPk

I've included the link just in case the video chooses not to work! This really is a great way to teach a child how to tie shoes. I've received multiple thank you's from friends who used this video that I posted earlier to teach kids in their life to tie shoes! 

Daily Educator Link:

Twenty-nine Pieces of New advice for New Teachers

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/calee-prindle/29-pieces-of-advice-for-n_b_5719599.html?&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000023

Children's Book Review: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
     Aside from the fact that I just like saying "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse" because it practically bounces off my lips, I justlove this book! I love Lilly,I love her purple plastic purse, I love Mr. Slinger (who you'll meet when you read the book) and I love the lesson Lilly learns! Just about all I can say is "wow"!! Read this book and you will know why! Happy reading!