Whether or not you are an educator, viewing the two videos below will be worth your while.  Sit back and enjoy the symbolism within our daily lives. . . .

Here is an assignment I recently shared with my two accelerated freshman English classes.  We have a rigorous curriculum to follow in the classroom yet I wanted to give the students opportunity to express their more creative sides.  I came up with this to supplement our study and analysis of symbolism.  Aside from the period during which we watched and discussed “Words”, this is a project they had to complete solely at home on their own.  The student sample below is just one example of how well they ran with this!  

ASSIGNMENT:

In conjunction with our study of “The Scarlet Ibis” and symbolism, watch this video from NPR’s Radiolab to help illustrate how images are contextual. You will complete an assignment afterwards, but first I just want you to watch and enjoy it:  

Now search for the word semiotics and define it.  Watch the video again with that definition in mind.  As you watch, write down all of the words presented through the images and sound in the video.  We will discuss how the varied definitions of these words match the context within which they are shown.

For the end result, you are going to create your own video.  You will need to decide on eight words of your choosing.  Four of the eight words must be from our most recent vocabulary list.  You must find at least two different meanings for each word and at least one image to represent each meaning.

Use PhotoPeach, MovieMaker or another program of your choice.  In addition to production of your slideshow, provide a “key” that highlights which words you used along with an explanation of the word definitions.  Happy producing!!! 

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In this moment, this speaks to me . . .

There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found
while journeying east and west -
The only folks we really wound
are those we love the best.

“We flatter those we scarcely know,
we please the fleeting guest,
and deal full many a thoughtless blow
to those who love us best.”

~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Why is it that when our egos are involved, we are afraid to try or, if we do, we don’t try hard enough or hold on long enough OR we’re just tooooo late?   We aren’t willing to take risks, push immediate feelings aside and reach for what we really want.

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I discovered this touching short story during my first year of teaching and am still enamored with it. My students and I recently performed  a text rendering with this piece and I was reminded of its heartwarming conclusion.  Particularly during this online dating era when too many gawk over profile pics, it is that much more refreshing.  (I threw in a little exercise as I typed it to add a little fun to your reading):

Appointment with Love

by s.i. kishor

Six minutes to six, said the clock over the information booth in New York’s Grand Central Station. The tall, young army lieutenant lifted his sunburned face and narrowed his eyes to note the exact time. His heart was pounding with a beat that shocked him. In six minutes he would see the woman he had never seen, yet whose written words had sustained him unfailingly.

Lieutenant Blandford remembered one day in particular, the worst of the fighting, when his plane had been caught in the midst of a pack of enemy planes. In one of his letters, he had confessed to her that he often felt fear, and only a few days before this battle, he had received her answer:

“Of course you fear…all brave men do. Next time you doubt yourself, I want you to hear my voice reciting to you: ‘Yea, though I walk among the shadow of the valley of death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me.’”

He had remembered and it had renewed his strength.

Now he was going to hear her real voice. Four minutes to six. A girl passed close to him and Lieutenant Blandford started. She was wearing a flower, but it was not the little red rose they had agreed upon. Besides, this girl was only about 18, and Hollis Meynell had told him she was 30.

“What of it?” he had answered. “I’m 32!” He was 29.

His mind went back to the book he had read in the training camp. “Of Human Bondage,” it was, and throughout the book were notes in a woman’s writing. He had never believed that a woman could see into a man’s heart so tenderly, so understandingly. Her name was on the bookplate: Hollis Meynell. He had gotten hold of a New York City telephone book and found her address.

He had written; she had answered.

Next day he had been shipped out, but they had gone on writing. For 13 months she had faithfully replied. When his letters did not arrive, she wrote him anyway, and now he believed he loved her and she loved him.

But she had refused all his pleas to send him her photograph. She had explained: “If your feeling for me has any reality, what I look like won’t matter. Suppose I’m beautiful. I’d always be haunted that you had been taking a chance on just that, and that kind of love would disgust me. Suppose I’m plain (and you must admit that this is more likely), then I’d always fear that you were only going on writing because you were lonely and had no one else. No, don’t ask for my picture. When you come to New York, you shall see me and then you shall make your decision.”

One minute to six…he pulled hard on a cigarette. Then Lieutenant Blandford’s heart leaped. A young woman was coming toward him. Her figure was long and slim; her blond hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears. Her eyes were blue as flowers; her lips and chin had a gentle firmness. In her pale green suit, she was like springtime come alive. He started toward her, forgetting to notice that she was wearing no rose, and as he moved, a small provocative smile curved her lips.

“Going my way, soldier?” she murmured. He made one step closer to her. Then he saw Hollis Meynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl, a woman well past 40, her graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump; her feet were filled into low-heeled shoes. But she wore a red rose on her rumpled coat. The girl in the green suit was walking away.

Blandford felt as if he was being split in two, so keen was his desire to follow the girl, yet so deep his longing for the woman whose spirit had companioned and upheld his own; and there she stood. He could see that her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible; her gray eyes had a warm twinkle.

* * *

Before you read any further, Grading Girl wants you to create your own ending to the story, and to reason why you ended it that way.   Now to continue:

Lieutenant Blandford did not hesitate. His fingers gripped the worn copy of “Of Human Bondage” which was to identify him to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, a friendship for which he had been and must ever be grateful. He squared his shoulders, saluted, and held the book out toward the woman, although while he spoke he felt the bitterness of his disappointment.

“I’m Lieutenant Blandford, and you – you are Ms. Meynell. I’m so glad you could meet me. May – may I take you out to dinner?”

* * *

The story is not over yet. Have you figured out Kishor’s ending to his story, and did it coincide with yours?   This is not to say Kishor’s ending is the most important point . . . the point of GG’s exercise is to help you discover what your view of love—particularly romantic love—is.” Here’s how the author concluded the story:

The woman’s face broadened in a tolerant smile. “I don’t know what this is all about, son,” she answered. “That young lady in the green suit, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said that if you asked me to go out with you, I should tell you she’s waiting for you in that restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of a test.”

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I do!!!  GG gives “Appointment with Love” an A+ for its message of inner vs. outer beauty.

And here is the method I used to share this special story in class . . .

Text Rendering

adapted from NY Times Learning Network lesson by Shannon Doyne

Choose and distribute a text for everyone to read silently. Ensure that everyone has tools for underlining and/or highlighting sentences, descriptions and phrases they want to read and hear out loud.  When students are ready, tell them that they will read aloud parts of their choice — whatever struck them as interesting, memorable, likable, eye- or ear-catching, etc. Give them a moment to make their selection.

Explain that, unlike other oral reading experiences they have probably had, they will not be called on to read in a circuit around the room, nor will volunteers put their hands up to read, nor will they be called upon to read. Instead, they will read aloud their passages as they are ready or “moved” to speak, waiting for someone else to finish.

Before they begin, tell them that there may be pauses between readers and moments when several people start reading at the same time. Tell them that when this happens, to just let one of the readers “go” and then wait their turn. Also assure them that it is fine to read the same passage aloud a second, third or fourth time, as each reading can bring new understandings and interpretations, just like re-reading a difficult passage until the reader understands its meaning. Read your own selected passages, too, along with your students. Finally, tell students not to comment, but rather to just read and listen.

If there is time, do the activity again, this time with students reading in an order that “answers” or elaborates on the last passage read. Encourage them to use different tones and inflections as a way to “reply” to previous readers, too. As the order becomes less random, conversational patterns will emerge.  When the reading is over, give students time to write about their observations about their experience.

This worked well for my reading class, demonstrating the difference between reading aloud and silently.  That little voice we hear in our heads when we read may not carry the inflection, tone, or stress that our out loud voices may; hence, we may lose some of the mood or purpose or emotions.  In today’s iBook era, reading aloud is becoming a lost art.  That is very sad to me.

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A needed piece of sunshine and moonbeams on this evening . . . .

Spend some time with a baby and you’ll understand what life is all about.  Babies love unconditionally.  They are not selective or judgmental or prejudice. Babies are joyful and happy just because. Babies find wonder in the most trivial pursuits and revel in how wondrous this world truly is.  Babies can smile even in the midst of a crying spell.  In The Power of Intention, Dr. Wayne D. Dyer declares it well:

• “Just watch little babies.  They’ve done nothing to be so happy about.  They don’t work; they poop in their pants; and they have no goals other than to expand, grow, and explore this amazing world.  They love everyone, they’re completely entertained by a plastic bottle or goofy faces, and they’re in a constant state of joy.”

“Constant state of joy” . . . I really like that.  Even if you don’t have a special baby in your life, you certainly were once this blissful as a babe yourself.  I’m a firm believer that we can reach that state again if we just be.   Take Dr. Dyer’s advice and “vow to emulate” a baby’s joy.

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A palindrome is a word, phrase, or sentence that reads the same forward or backward.  Once in a while for extra credit, as a last question on a quiz, I’ll invite my students to come up with one.  Here are a few.  Can you list others?

1.  If I had a hi-fi.

2. No lemons, no melon.

3.  No, Mel Gibson is a casino’s big lemon.

4.  Rise to vote, sir.

5.  Cigar?  Toss it in a can, it is so tragic.

6.  Oh, no!  Don Ho!

7.  Never odd or even.

8.  Rats live on no evil star.

9. A Toyota!  Race fast, safe car.  A toyota.

10.  Dennis, Nell, Edna, Leon, Nedra, Anita, Rolf, Nora, Alice, Carol, Leo, Jane, Reed, Dena, Dale, Basil, Rae, Penny, Lana, Dave, Denny, Lena, Ida, Bernadette, Ben, Ray, Lila, Nina, Jo, Ira, Mara, Sara, Mario, Jan, Ina, Lily, Arne, Bette, Dan, Reba, Diane, Lynn, Ed, Eva, Dana, Lynne, Pearl, Isabel, Ada, Ned, Dee, Rena, Joel, Lora, Cecil, Aaron, Flora, Tina, Arden, Noel, and Ellen sinned.   (if your name is in there, you should feel pretty special that you are a part of a palindrome!)

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I enjoy making up words.  For instance, wasn’t the GLEE episode that aired after the Super Bowl zombastic?!  Those that viewed the show will know exactly what I mean.  Words of the English language are fascinating to me.  Language is ever-evolving, growing new words and losing extinct ones.  At times, language may diverge when a subgroup separates from a larger population to create a unique social identity.  Other times, popular phrases teenagers use may seemingly disappear after a few years of unpopularity.  Here is a collection of fun facts I’ve collected over the past decade teaching English, illustrating just how strangely interesting these words we take for granted are.

Words About Words

1.  The longest one-syllable word in the English language is screeched.  The word has an onomatopoeia effect to it, don’t you think?

2. No word in the English language rhymes with orange, silver, purple or month.  I think this calls for creation of new words!!

3.  Typewriter is the longest word that can be made using the letters on only one row of the keyboard.  Try it!

4.  The sentence “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” uses every letter in the alphabet.  Everyone knows this one, right?

5.  Dreamt is the only English word that ends in “mt.”  This shows how important it is to dream.

6.  Go is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.  Some may argue this one, but a curse word does not constitute a complete sentence – it’s an exclamation!

7.  Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.  It’s also the perfect example of an evolving word; this word has been all but replaced by flight attendant.

8.  The letters of the alphabet in order of frequency of use are:  ETAISONHRDLUCMFWYPGVBKJQXZ

What fun facts regarding words do you have to add to this list?  I’d love to have you add them!!

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Happy February!  Having a wee bit of trouble keeping up with your new year’s resolutions?  No worries – here are some ideas for embracing the sheer joy of exercise!

1.  Invest in a spray tan and stroll into the gym with your newly applied color.  It’ll accentuate your muscles and make you feel fabulous flexing them.  My A+ recommendation = Get Your Tan On

2.  Equipment everyone should have at home when you can’t get to the gym:

a.  10 & 15 pound dumbbells

b.  a jump rope (fun, inexpensive, easy cardio!)

c.  an exercise ball – there are so many exercises you can do with this from performing crunches while sitting on the ball to lying on the ground with the ball squeezed between your calves and performing leg raises.

d.  your able-bodied self! (push ups, sit ups, lunges, squats, kicks, etc . . . none of these powerhouse moves absolutely require a piece of equipment)

Honestly, that is all you truly need to get in a solid workout at home.  Check out my Workout for the Weary for more info.

3.  Treat yourself to a new exercise outfit.  My A+ recommendation for the ladies = the Best Yoga Pants Ever!  Trust me!!

4.  Schedule hot yoga, massage, and a mani & pedi all in the same day.  I did this once and can’t wait to do it again.  Heaven on Earth!  My A+ place for hot yoga =  The Only Guaranteed Moment is This One

5.  Break out of your mold and try a new exercise or use a piece of equipment that you’ve never used before at the gym.

6.  Try a new type of cardio.  I just played racquetball for the first time – very fun!!!  Additionally, here’s a review of a class that holds benefits for all gym goers:  Improve Posture and Poise with Pam’s Pilates and Progression in Pam’s Pilates

7.  Can’t commit to one gym?  I just learned about this thanks to TimeOut Chicago!  It’s a Yoga Fitness Passbook that allows you to try one class at many yoga studios.  Genius!!

8.  One goal on my list for this year – and it should be yours too:  schedule a photo shoot with a physique photographer!!  It’ll motivate you to get into tip-top shape.

9.  Double your repetitions on all exercises for a month, then check out your cuts in the mirror!

10.  Check out my favorite resources for fitness facts:  Muscle & Fitness Hers and Oxygen.  Both of these magazines are packed with step-by-step exercise instruction, nutrition nuggets and inspiring fitness facts.  Gentlemen, Muscle & Fitness is highly recommended!

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I’m sitting here watching the news getting more than a little anxious about our pending potential blizzard.  I know my East Coast colleagues can’t say the same but my school district has yet to declare a snow day this year; in fact, we didn’t partake in the snow dance last year either.  While the amount of snow the wise weathermen are declaring is daunting, I’d really like just one measly snow day . . . just one.  After all, there’s so much we teachers can do to remain our productive selves.  Here are the top ideas.  What would you add to this to-do list?

1.  Always wanted to create a blog?!  Snow days are perfect days to begin one.  If you’re creating a blog for your classroom, I highly recommend edublogs.org.  Edublogs is free (or $40 for the ad-free Pro version) and student-friendly with helpful hints every step of the way.  Check out my latest, newest classroom blog for my senior expository writing class:  Writing Well

2.  Check out the archives of #engchat for all the great convos you’ve missed.  You’ll pick up insightful ideas from a resourceful network.

3.  Read, read, read!!!!  Curl up with one or more of the books piled up on your nightstand.  I’ve got Before I Fall and Sisters Red waiting for me.

4.  Make ahead a scrumptious lunch to bring to school tomorrow.  My recommendation:  Baby spinach leaves + dried cranberries + grilled chicken + cinnamon roasted pecans + pomegranate vinaigrette = one amazing lunch! (Thanks @MichelleLMyers!)

5.  Bake a batch of cookies, brownies or cupcakes to bring to your students.  They will always remember you for it!  OR bake a batch for your colleagues to share in the office.  A favorite in my office:  Mint Chocolate Brownies

6.  Plan ahead!!  Vow to plan at least two week’s worth of lessons for at least one class.  If you’re so inclined, do this for all your classes and/or increase it to one month’s worth.

7.  Organize that inbox!!!  Create folders for your work emails and organize them!!!  Make a folder for each class, a folder for technology tips, a folder for student information, etc.

8.  Exercise.  A healthy teacher is a happy teacher.  Try my Workout for the Weary that will take you about 15 minutes to complete.

9.  Of course, catch up on that pile of papers or set of blogs to grade!!  You know I had to include this one.  Maybe the least fun of ideas but perhaps the one that will make you feel most refreshed when you return.

10.  Take time for fun.  Snow days are as exciting for teachers as they are for students.  When was the last time you made a snow angel, built a snowman, sled down a hill, had a snowball fight?

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What is your passion?!  What’s that one thing you fall back on to escape from your everyday trials and tribulations?  Your feel-good activity guaranteed to make you feel exhilarated, refreshed and alive?  Mine is dance. My dancing in the living room as a little girl translated into many dance classes from junior high through post-college.  Ballet, jazz, modern, character . . . it didn’t matter what I took.  I even wrote about the physical and emotional benefits of dance for my senior expository research paper (a class I now teach!). After my daughter was born, my dancing feet moved into the basement where we had a ballet bar for me and a matching lower bar for my mini-me.  While I haven’t taken formal classes on a regular basis for some time and the bars are long gone, dance will always resonate in my soul.  I still race to the basement to dance it out – even if only for a few moments.  I’m seriously contemplating taking classes once again and decided today’s post may give me some inspiration to do so.  Let the music play . . . words about dance → →→

Dancing can reveal all the mystery that music conceals.  ~Charles Baudelaire (yes, yes!)

Dance first.  Think later.  It’s the natural order.  ~Samuel Beckett

There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good.  ~Edwin Denby

The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music.  Bodies never lie. ~Agnes de Mille

Dancing faces you towards Heaven, whichever direction you turn. ~Terri Guillemets

Dancers are the messengers of the gods. ~Martha Graham (love her!)

Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen? ~Friedrich Nietzsche

You can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart.  ~Author Unknown

There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them. ~Vicki Baum (so true!)

You don’t stop dancing from growing old, you grow old from stopping to dance. - Author Unknown

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I made a poster out of this and have it hanging in each classroom that I teach. 

The Importance of Collaboration

We remember . . .

• 10 percent of what we read
• 20 percent of what we hear
• 30 percent of what we see
• 50 percent of what we both see and hear
• 70 percent of what we talk about with others

Thus, the act of collaboration itself raises the reading comprehension of every student in this class.  Let’s collaborate!!

**Adapted from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers

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