Blog Post 6/4

We began our class on June 4th with continuing to work on our board games.  We got right to work when we were told to start because we were eager to finish our game!  We had all printed images to place on the game board and started to assign their places.  Our first decision was whether we were going to make our game basically geographically accurate or not.  We decided to place our locations (The Berkey Creamery, Beaver Stadium, The Nittany Lion Inn, etc.) in the order in which the lion would go to them which was based on geographical location on the walk down Curtain Road.

 

"Should we start gluing or wait until we decide where all of the locations will be?"  Danielle asked.  And the general consensus was that we should place all of our pieces down where we think they should go before gluing.  This was a great decision because we made many changes in spacing before we had all agreed on all of the locations.  Before we knew it, Kris warned we only had ten more minutes and we all decided we would stay after class to work on the game board so we would not have to meet up later.  We created a to-do list that said we needed to :"create ladders/shoots, write location and direction words on board, make and record instructions, and number the squares."

After this, a powerpoint was shown to give some instructional background on children's drawings.  We learned about why children draw; four categories of drawing including spontaneous, voluntary, directed, copied; and the four realities which were common, archaeological, normative, and prophetic.  With a variety of pictures and videos on the powerpoint, we were better able to understand each example and were kept engaged.  A class discussion of children's scribbling emerged and we all decided there was no specific answer to why children scribble and to take it on a case by case basis.

This led to a discussion within groups and then with the whole class about something we find key in the readings we have done.  The idea of textures was brought up by Beth and then Danielle talked about the idea of pairing a representational drawing with a piece of writing to better express emotion.  Kris stressed the importance of the fact that these two modes of creation should work in tandem.  We then talked about how art can be an additive tool for learning and this sparked another interesting discussion about cutting art programs in schools.  When we hear this idea we immediately think of this as detrimental to students because art is such a key element for expression and exploring creativity.  But Caitlin brought up the idea that maybe by cutting art programs, it forces the teacher to integrate art into the classroom which is what we are learning about in this masters program.  If teachers can realize the importance of discovery through art, they can articulate to parents about how the children are learning many skills besides just "art."  They can learn math through measurement, problem solving, social skills when working in groups, and many more life skills.

We ended the class by working on our board games.  Our group immediately broke off into smaller groups to conquer the work at a quicker rate.  I began numbering the squares, while Caitlin and Jess made the shoots and ladders, while Sarah and Megan began creating the script for our audio directions.  This divide and conquer method really worked because we were almost finished at the conclusion of the class.  I offered to take the game board home and laminate it with clear packing tape and add any finishing touches.  Cailtin offered to record the directions and create the CD of songs to go with our game.  Our group works very well together and we all have contributed a lot to this project.  I am very excited about how the game will turn out, but also enjoyed the journey of making it just as much, if not more!

Mapping

 

Today we went to the maps library to discover how we could incorporate maps into our curriculum. The experience was eye-opening. The goal was to learn about different types of maps, how to use maps in the classroom, find data to make maps, tools for making maps and how to look at real maps. This was accomplished through looking at different kinds of maps including: electronic, puzzles, paper, plastic, and globes. These maps represented different things and were displayed through different kinds of maps. Different maps include: thematic, road, flow, topo, weather, old, new, aerial, and satellite just to name a few.

When we got into the library we were able to look at all the different maps available to us. There are thousands of maps available to us in this library and we only got to skim the surface. At the very end we were show a "fun" map which reminded me of what we are doing with our board games.

When we got back to the classroom we used the information we just learned in the library to remake a board game. Our game is "A Day for the Nittany Lion" and shows where he goes on a busy Saturday. This helps show that maps can be made in very different ways and represent many different things.

Map Library

On Wednesday we went to the Maps Library in the Paterno Library. While there we discussed the different types of maps that exist and how maps have changed overtime. Some of the maps we learned about were Quasi Maps, Topographic Maps, World Population Maps, Atlas Maps, and the difference between Aerial and Satellite Image Maps.

(Topographic Map)

(Us learning about volcanoes from Google Earth)

Technology has allowed Maps to change throughout the years. For example Aerial photography was used in the 1940s and 50s but aerial maps only allow the viewer to see an image on a static scale and only in black and white. Though the use of technology, Satellite imagery allows the viewer to see the color and change the scale as the please to see more or less detail.

(Us taking notes in the Map Library)

(Video of the maps presentation)

We also learned about ways to use maps in our future classroom. Some of the ideas were to draw a map of the child's classroom, neighborhood, or school. Other ideas were to make a concept map, color a map and use it throughout the year, use weather maps, make a past population map, and map where food comes from.

We also discovered many resources we can use to learn more about maps:

• One great article we discovered was called "Preschoolers Using Maps: An Educational Approach."http://uth.academia.edu/SofiaGoria/Papers/395820/Preschoolers_Using_Maps_An_Educational_Approach
• Another is the ERIC Database at PSU libraries which allows us to look up journals and articles.
• Yet another is called 'Penn Pilot' which lets the uses look up aerial views of different places.

We then went into the actual Maps Library which was really cool because we were able to look at whatever we wanted. 

(How the maps library looks)

(How the maps are organized)

The librarians were so nice and helpful, we learned so much. We were even able to look at a rare map made in the 1920's of Penn State University.

(Marci the librarian telling us about the rare maps of PSU)

(Closeup of one of the maps/ the old Beaver Stadium)

We then went back the classroom and got an assignment where we are actually going to be able to make our own maps through creating a board game. Ours focuses on a day in the life of the nittany lion and the players will follow the lion on a tour through campus.

(Us creating our game)

Lion's Lunch?

Lion's Lunch is about a girl who confronts a lion about his bad attitude while walking in the woods one day. She draws a picture of the lion as mean and ferocious. He is upset because he says he is more than that. In the end he proves himself to be kind and sociable and the girl draws another picture of him as such.

The great thing about this book is it contains a lot of synonyms, which allows children to experiment and learn different words. It also shows the lion in a different light besides being scary and feared, he is seen as interesting and approachable. Another great thing it does is illustrate to the reader the other types of animals that live in a lion's habitat.

What it Means to be a Nittany Lion

In my search of resources, I found the book "What it means to be a Nittany Lion". In the introduction of the book it discussed traditions of Penn State: dedicated fans for tailgating, the cheer of "We Are...", the flip by the drum major, white helmets, plain jerseys with no names, etc. Penn State represents tradition. I grew up around these traditions and have embodied them as I am now a representation of this school as a cheerleader. As I was skimming through this book it went through different decades and different key players that talked about their career and experience at Penn State. Each player then talked about what it means to be a Nittany Lion to them individually.

1. "...felt like Nittany Lions because of the kindness of coaching staff as they continued to encounter racism on and off the football field". 
2. "We were national champions. But heck, we're Nittany Lions. That's worth much more than a national championship" (106).
3. Darren Perry said, "To me, what it means to be a Nittany Lion is representing a great tradition, a program that stands for not only a lot athletically but academically, as well. There's a pride there that may be unlike any other school" (264). 
4. Michael Robinson stated, "that's what it means to be a Nittany Lion. Pride. Respect. Class. I'll always be a Nittany Lion" (332). 

 These players learned more than just football. They learned how to pride themselves as a Nittany Lion and to be a part of one of the greatest traditions that a university has. It was amazing to read some of the things the players said about what it meant to be a Nittany Lion. It truly formed who they are as a person. I was so engaged in this book that I even lost track of time and our class left without us! I did not want to stop reading this book because it was so intriguing to see how much Penn State effected the lives of these football players by so much more than just their sport.

This would be a great aspect to incorporate in our classroom. It would teach the students to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves. It would teach them about pride and traditions and how they can create their own traditions.

Prowling through the Library

Today was our first library adventure.  For the last few classes, we have been talking about lions and today we went to the library to search for printed materials and other sources to supplement the learning we had been getting from each other as sources.  We all walked over in the rain and began talking about our plan of attack for how we would find our eight sources which we would soon narrow down to three to check out and return to the classroom with.  We all decided that we would split into two smaller groups so we could still work together, but we would not just be one cumbersome mass.

When we arrived, we split into a group of three and a group of two.  The three person group being myself (Danielle), Megan, and Sarah and the other two were Jess and Caitlin.  The five of us first looked around the room we met in to find resources.

There, Caitlin found a puppet of a lion that we knew would be a unique learning tool to better help the students conceptualize fur and texture of a lion.  They could also use what they learn from books about lions to bring that personality to life with the puppet.  After this discovery, Sarah, Megan, and I went to the computers to make a search through the CAT system.  They seemed to have a handle on it, so I went on a search of my own.  I browsed the stacks and found four books of different genres that I thought would be useful.  I met back up with Megan and Sarah and we started putting the print resources we found into piles after skimming them for content.



"Think about what information the books deliver," Kris told us.  We had immediately began thinking as teachers and saying what we could teach with each book, but we learned that the most important thing to think about what what would the children learn or infer from reading this text.  Given this new lens, we reevaluated the books and tried to use books that would not only be interesting for children but would also either have informative pictures or facts, or give various views of how a lion can be portrayed.

The book I chose was, "How Loud is a Lion."  This book right off the bat is appealing because it has colorful, textured pictures that look like they were created from felt.  When immediately thinking through a teaching lens, I pictured recreating this story with children through the use of a felt board.  But when I began to look at it from the lens of what I would learn from the book, I enjoyed that it began with a question.  Children are naturally inquisitive and may have their own preconceived notions of the sounds a lion makes.  It was also educational in the way that it explains other animals that live in the lion's habitat.  There is a lot of repetition which can be enjoyable for a child with a lot of onomatopoeias for the children to join in with story telling.  Overall, this book is a well rounded, enjoyable story for the portrayal of lions in the classroom.

This is another book that our group found appealing and potentially helpful. It uses a mix of photographs and illustrations to represent different kinds of wild cats. This book is helpful because it helps children compare and contrast the similarities and differences between mountain lions and cheetahs and tigers. It tells a story that could engage the children while using facts to intrigue them as well. The cats in the story go on an adventure to see if wild cats are anything like house cats, something that elementary children can relate to. This book is full of facts about eating, hunting, running, hiding, habitats, and family dynamics. The illustrations can grab a child's attention, but the book's facts are true. Many activities could incorporate the facts pulled from this book or it could just be an educational experience as children sit and listen.