1. 1. Reading: The Orphan Train Currently Loving: the fresh white snow Watching: Less TV since CableOne switched to all digital Eating: No Diet Coke or high fructose corn syrup Planning: A trip to Germany in June Feeling: Thankful Learning: To speak German Julie Westrick
2. 2. I have just started reading The Orphan Train. As a history education major, I love reading historical fiction. I am thankful that I now have the opportunity to pursue my dream of earning a teaching degree. It is not always a popular opinion, but I do love the fresh blanket of white snow! With fewer TVs connected to CabeOne, I am getting more done at home and am getting to sleep earlier at night. I am traveling to Germany in June as a chaperone for my daughters GAPP group. I feel that I have more energy by not drinking diet soda. My daughter has a sensitivity to corn syrup, so our family has greatly reduced our intake. I studied Spanish in high school, so learning German has been a struggle. Ich verstehe nicht, I dont understand!
3. 3. In the classroom, life stories would be a great way to have students share aspects of their lives that make them different from other students and aspects that they have in common. By learning more about each other, students develop a sense of community and accept each others differences. If you have a culturally diverse class, it is beneficial to celebrate differences to make they more accepted by all students. A Currently Poster would be appropriate for Kindergarten through high school in varying levels of difficulty. With older students this could be expanded to included longer writing projects and research into culture and family history. Care should be taken to ensure that students do not feel pressured to share stressful personal information with their classmates. Podcasts can be used by teachers to post video versions of their lessons for students to view online if they were absent or if they would like to review a topic that they did not understand the first time.