Learning Challenge: I Wish My Teacher Knew

Compassion

Picture by Milana Balenović

Source: Flickr

Wow, as soon as read what some of these kids wrote, my heart sank a little. This article made me realize even more that people of all ages are going through something we may or may not be aware of. Sometimes all we can do is provide compassion and support. I feel the "I wish my teacher knew idea" is such a good way for kids to open up, and share their feelings without name dropping themselves. This provides security for them and honesty for the teachers that get to read their thoughts. I'm glad to see such caring and genuine teachers providing kids a way to release worries, tensions, and feelings. I've never participated in something like this. I feel another great way to practice compassion is having a feelings wall on campus where students can just right down there biggest stress without their names, and other students can provide advice on the same wall. I think it's another great way to communicate real life emotions people feel, but don't always feel comfortable sharing.

Week 6 Storytelling: The Most Beautiful Ruby

 

Ruby 

Picture by Unknown 

Source: Wikipedia

The three most beautiful girls in the entire kingdom were dancing around in their garden created with tulips, roses, daisies, and every flower you could ever imagine. There was so much beauty in this garden; one would never think these girls could ever have anything more beautiful. In fact, people from all over the kingdom would wait in lines that lasted miles to see the exotic place.

Rebecca, Rainy, and Rosa were always wanting more—more flowers, more dresses, more jewelry. They loved their magical garden at first, but as the time kept going, so did their interest. Rosa, the most adventurous of them all, decided to convince her sisters to go to sea with her and skip school! Rebecca, the smartest of them all was of course, against this silly idea and said no. Rainy, the most creative of them all said yes! Rosa and Rainy eventually convinced Rebecca and so their adventure to sea began!

They bought a boat with their unlimited amount of money, and sailed away looking forward to adventures they had never encountered. The boat continued to sail smoothly as the girls ate they ate their dinner of fresh fruits handpicked for them when suddenly the boat came to a stop! They were on an island with palm trees, light brown sand, and mountains. Rebecca noticed something in the sand-seashells! They had never seen anything like that. The girls picked their favorite seashells when Rebecca noticed something deep in the sand. It was shiny, red, and sparkled from far. She picked it up, and the girls looked at in awe.

As they were looking at this sparkling find, a young boy comes up to Rebecca and says, “Well, look at what we have here…three beautiful girls, and one beautiful gem.

Rosa rolled her eyes and took the gem, and put it inside her dress. The young man wanted a trade. She told him how they had the most beautiful garden in the world, but this little treasure of theirs was a symbol of their adventure and their desire for anything and everything beautiful, and they would by no means give something so precious away.

The young man smiled and said, “Well, then I know you will not take this beautiful crystal for granted.”

The girls sailed away, and the gem was placed in the garden surrounded by flowers. People come and gone enjoyed looking at it, but the girls always shared the beauty behind the ruby. 

Bibliography:  Folk-Tales of Bengal: "The Origin of Rubies" by Rev. Lal Behari Day

Author's Note: "The Origin of Rubies" is a story of how the first ruby came to be set in Bengal. The beauty is of this simple yet elegant crystal is appreciated at the end of the story when a king's daughter puts the ruby in her hair. Treasure was shown in the story when a prince catches half a dozen of these gems. The story's characters are shown to be kings, queens, and princesses. This explains the worth of such a crystal. I put a twist on this story by having three sisters of high class and equal amounts of favoritism in the family show how this beautiful gem came to be. I feel sometimes the most beautiful things have a bigger meaning behind them, and in my story the meaning was of an adventure as sisters.

Reading Notes: Bengal: The Origin of Rubies, Part B

 

Ruby

Picture by Rob Lavinsky 

Source: Wikipedia

Rubies are such a pretty stone. I feel this type of rock was appreciated more in the past, and slowly making it’s reappearance in the present. It can be found in so many different types of jewelry. The beauty is definitely breathtaking. I think the different colors of the stone make it very different and unique—sort of like the story of its origin in Bengal. I feel this story made this one ruby symbolize beauty and treasure.

In my own twist on this story I would like to keep beauty and treasure as the two symbolic aspects of this gem. I thought the characters in the original story were interesting. Favoritism was an interesting topic, but this is something I would like to change. I would like for my story to have no favorites, and instead of a boy finding this ruby, I would like a young girl to discover it with her sisters. I want my story to be an adventure for these girls. I would like to keep the setting at sea. However, something I would like to change up is to have the girl discovering the gem to be less fortunate than the girl that desires the gem from her. This would be a twist from the original story because in the original the boy has the stone, and a daughter of a king wants the stone.

I feel like this would be such a fun story to write about because who wouldn’t love a tale of how a beautiful stone came to be. I feel like this would be a great bedtime story. Symbolism will be the highlight of my story, and it will show my readers appreciation for an underrated gem. The sisters’ character development will also be interesting to write about. 

Bibliography: Folk-Tales of Bengal: "The Origin of Rubies" by Rev. Lal Behari Day

Reading Notes: Raja Rasalu: The King and His Two Queens, Part A

Water as a Crown

Picture by James Moran

Source: Flickr

Wow, this was definitely a dramatic story. Some of my favorite parts included how the prince sprinkled water to make the garden grow again. I feel like I can use water as symbolism in my own story for hope. I also liked how the prince takes on another form. However, in my own story I would like for the prince to still take on another form, but as an animal. Perhaps, I’ll have him be a tiger because they are some of my favorite animals.

I thought the original story was very will written when it came to portraying emotion. I also would like to include a lot of emotions in my story. Jealousy was an aspect I noticed while reading, and I think this emotion is harder to portray as a writer. I feel the best way for me to portray jealousy in my story would be to include magic used for evil.

The characters were also very interesting. You could easily differentiate between the protagonist and antagonist. I think dialogue will come in handy for me differentiate my characters. The original story was told in order to show the importance of a son for these two women. I would like to change this to putting an importance on daughters. I feel women are portrayed as less in some classic tales, but I can easily change that.

This story will allow me to be creative with drama and emotions, and I think that’s a different aspect I’ll be able to explore when it comes to writing my own stories. Nature, emotions, drama, family, and a little magic will definitely help me create a unique story! 

Bibliography:  Tales of the Punjab: "Raja Rasalu: The King and His Two Queen"

by Flora Annie Steel

Reading Notes: Adladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, Part B

Aladdin

Picture by Verónica Marín 

Source: Flickr

This was such a fun read because it reminded me of my childhood! Aladdin was such a fun movie as a kid and even as an adult because there is so much imagination, color, culture, drama, and so much more that went into this classic film. It is by far one of my favorites. That being said, there is an unlimited amount of routes I can take when writing. I think one of the main elements of this original story I would like to change is switching the gender of the main character! I feel this would be a unique twist, and bring a different prospective on the classic story. I would also like more characters involved for dialogue purposes.

I want the setting of my story to be in the “streets,” as in being set in an area where people are not well off, and struggle to make a living. I would like my main theme to represent poverty. I could also include a current event in today’s world to represent poverty, and make my story more realistic for my readers. I feel the best way to approach this topic would be to write in a kid friendly manner. I feel like I can make my story fun and have something to think about after reading.

I’m excited to let myself let the original story take me on my own journey into my imagination, and create something fun and interesting! I think my readers will enjoy the theme, and the main character being a female in a less fortunate environment, and encountering some crazy events. Wish me luck! 

Bibliography:  Andrew Lang's The Arabian Nights' Entertainments: "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 1"

Week 4 Story: Never Judge a Book by it's Cover

The World Awaits

Picture by Lisa L Weidemier

Source: Flickr

There once lived a puppy named Tommy. He was the nicest, most hyper, and most curious little puppy to exist. Tommy was ready to make new friends, and have an adventure into the unknown.

Wow, the sun is so bright, the trees are so green, and the clouds look like cotton candy! Tommy was finally on his first ever adventure to the unknown world—the backyard!

Tommy looked at something moving in the bushes. He was amazed, and a little scared. It had big eyes, a fluffy tail, and long ears!

“I think I should go talk to the fluffy little creature,” he said.

He kindly walked over to the animal with a big tummy, and a cute little nose.

Tommy introduced himself, and the animal said nothing. Tommy figured the big guy was having a bad day, so he decided to leave, and come back later.

On his walk back he ran into a slimy, scaly, with itty-bitty eyes. He’s never seen such a creature. He introduced himself, and the creature hissed at him. Scared, he ran back to his mother and told her everything!

She scolded Tommy for talking to the bunny, but not the snake. The bunny’s name is Jim, and he was known to be the meanest bunny in the entire neighborhood. He ate everyone’s yummy vegetables, and hopped from home to home stealing carrots! Little did Tommy know, this bunny was actually the nicest bunny of them all. He took the carrots and vegetables to all the baby bunnies in the neighborhood because they didn’t have a home, family, or a place to live.

Tommy didn’t see the scar on his face that made him look scary to others. Tommy and his new friend decided to plant a garden for all the other bunnies in the neighborhood. Tommy went back home to tell his mother “never judge people by their looks.” His mom was so proud of her son that she joined them to plant the garden. Soon after, all the animals living in the backyard wanted to be Jim and Tommy’s new friends. 

Bibliography: 
The Aesop's For Children's with illustration by Milo Winter, "The Cat the Cock, and the Young Mouse"

Author's Note:
The moral of this story was to teach kids to never judge people by their looks. The original story portrayed a mouse's adventure seeing the world for the first time. The mouse encounters a cock and a cat. At first, the mouse is frightened by both because he's never seen anything like a cat and a cock before. His mother tells the mouse that the cat is actually bad, and will eat him. He just looks "gentle." I wanted to portray the moral of the story in my own way by changing the characters, and intentionally putting a scar on the bunny to represent blemishes every individual has. "Never judge a book by it's cover" is a saying everyone is familiar with. Even adults make the mistake of judging someone by how he/she dresses, looks, and acts. In my story, the character that everyone thought was bad turns out to be good. This was just another reminder to "never judge a book by it's cover."

Reading Notes: The Cat the Cock, and the Young Mouse, Part B

Mouse

Picture by Liz Henwood

Source: Flickr

This was such a good short story to read. My favorite part had to be the end where the author states the moral of the story, “never judge people by their looks.” In other words, “never judge a book by its cover. I think this is definitely a valuable lesson to learn as a child. This short story was put together in a very simple way that everyone can understand, and have fun reading. I admire that element about these short stories the most.

That being said, I want to keep the simplicity in my own story. I would like to change up the characters to animals that are a little more exotic like a peacock because they are beautiful creatures with a lot to offer to see if you were to witness a peacock for the first time like how the mouse in this story encountered a cat for the first time. I also would like to have an extra character that serves as a “helping hand.” I would like to keep the moral of the story.

This story had a lot of vivid imagery included. The word usage, and description of the animals is something I want to include—meaning I would like to describe all the characteristics of my characters while writing this story. 

Bibliography:  The Aesop's For Children's with illustration by Milo Winter, "The Cat the Cock, and the Young Mouse"

Topic Research: Tigers

Cub 

Picture by Brian Scott

Source: Flickr

The Brahmin Girl Who Married a Tiger

Wow, this story just screams fierce to me. The concept behind the story was based off the phrase "be quiet, or I shall show you my original shape." As soon as I read that I was a little scared and very fascinated. I want to keep this phrase in my own story I hope to write as a tribute to the original short story. However, some of the things I would like to change is the gender of the tiger. I couldn't help but think of Beauty and the Beast while reading this, so the "beast" part I would like to include in my own story. I think this would be so much fun to write about, and add in my unique touch to the concept behind such a different tale. 

Tiger's Foster Child 

This story was so much to read. I think one of my favorite elements to this was the addition of turmeric. Turmeric has been around for what seems like forever in India. It's traditional, cultural, and ayurvedic. I would like to include this little topic of interest in my story, as well. I think this would be a great tribute to the original story. However, I would want my own story to involve more drama, and possibly development of this boy to a man. The possibilities are endless with this story. I also think dialogue would be a great way to be present in the boy's mind if I tell my story in first person. I'm looking forward to writing! 

The Tiger and the Frog

What a clever little story! This definitely made me laugh. It also made me think deeper into the story. What I interpreted was that no matter how small you are, you can make yourself seem big with confidence. I would like to include the concept of confidence as the moral of my story. However, I can switch up the characters and contests! I think I'll have a blast thinking of different competitions for my story.

Feedback Strategies

Feedback

Picture by unknown

Source: Flickr

Be a Mirror

The article "Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset" was a very informational and helpful article to read not only for bloggers, but for anyone that wants to better their feedback skills. The article mentions how we can be a "mirror" by looking at what the author is trying to portray, and not what we think is not there. For example, when reading other stories in this class, we might think something is missing, but if we look at what the author's intention was there might not be something missing, after all. However, there might actually be something missing, and in that case we can give specific feedback, which means to explain the little details we noticed as the readers. I found this article to be very helpful. 

Presence, Not Praise

Wow, this article gave me a reality check on praising. I learned that telling young students that they are "clever" can lead to negative consequences like low self-esteem, and performance levels decreasing when it comes to academic. This article proves a point because I have noticed that many parents nowadays praise children for being the best, when there is always room for improvement. Praising the effort is a better approach, and will lead to trying new tactics to accomplish goals while raising self-esteem. Great read.

 

Reading Notes: A Lion and A Man, Part A

 

Lion

Picture by Kevin Pluck 

Source: Wikipedia

I couldn't help but think of The Lion King when I was reading this fable. I could include this movie in my own story I wanted to help my readers picture The Lion King while reading my own little twist including elements of the fable. I can make it into a kid friendly short story with different animals.

My favorite part of this fable was the moral of the story—listen to your parents because they want the best for you! That was kind of my own interpretation of the fable. There are so many things I can portray with this concept like the consequences of now abiding by the rules parents set for us, and the reasons behind them.

I really like the way this fable was set up. I may follow the flow of the fable, and how the lion goes to different animals to ask the same question. I think it’s a simple and easy way to follow the end of the short story. I’m looking forward to using my imagination! I’ll also include of a lot of nature to help my main character if I can. I think this will help my setting come together. For character development, I’ll include best friends with my main character for dialogue! Looking forward to create my writing with this short story! 

Bibliography: Roger L'Estrange's Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

Weather Widget

I wanted to add this weather widget because I feel like mostly everyone checks the weather at least once a day. As a blogger, I feel like this is a must for your readers and yourself! It's a handy little tool to always be aware of weather condition in Oklahoma, which sometimes can be drastic. If you're a traveler, then this is a must! Hope this inspires you all to add a weather widget in your own blogs. A link on instructions is located above. Happy blogging!

Famous Last Words: Labor Day Weekend

 

Dallas Museum of Art 

Picture by KeithJonsn

Source: Wikipedia 

I feel like this is exactly the kind of extra credit opportunity I needed this week because there was so many things going on in my second week of class. Firstly, my classes are going well! I’m enjoying a lot of them, but they are also very challenging. I am in Organic Chemistry Lab and Lecture, and we had out first quiz this week. I killed it, which I was thrilled about. Organic Chemistry 2 (different from lab and lecture) is also challenging because it’s so different from Organic Chemistry 1, but I love challenges. I think the feeling of accomplishment after a struggle is the best feeling ever.

Aside from school, I went to Dallas, Texas to visit my boyfriend this Labor Day Weekend, and we had a blast. We went to Dallas Museum of Art, and saw very interesting pieces. There are so many exhibits. We didn’t even cover all of them. My favorite piece of artwork was this piece made from clothing depicting the struggles of minorities in New York. We also ate so much, which is my favorite thing to do anywhere.

I think I needed this little getaway this week because this week was a highlight of what my semester is going to be like. It just reminded me I am going to have to be my best this semester. It was a little stressful, but I am a busy body, and I love having something to do all the time.

I’m excited to see what kind of challenges come my way this week, and how I’ll reward myself for taking on the challenges after the week is over. I am also excited to start my stories this week because I was unable to write my first one. I can’t wait to see where my creativity takes me!

Feedback Thoughts

 

Feedback

Picture by unknown

Source: Growth Mindset Memes

Overcoming the Fear of Feedback 

"Overcoming the Fear of Feedback" was a great read for people with a little background on biology because it connects the fear of feedback with biological reasons. For instance, the article mentions that we are naturally more faster at reacting to negativity because this was a necessity for surviving. This explains why our first reaction to negative feedback is to feel a little judged, misunderstood, or simply angry. I also thought it was interesting how people give more positive feedback in person if they, themselves have a low self-esteem. This was a good read for myself because it served as a reminder for staying positive even if I'm being told something "negative." I think it's a challenge for myself to go against biological responses. 

Why rejection hurts so much - and what to do about it 

This was also another great read. I think there is no one in this world that is not afraid of rejection no matter how many times they've experienced it. There is no "getting used to" when it comes to rejection, in my opinion. That being said, this read provided a great source for the topic of the need to "belong." As a psychology major, I've studied over this topic and this article goes hand in hand with this subject. I learned that there is so much more that hurts than emotional pain with rejection from this read. However, making a list of five great things about yourself when you feel that emotional pain is a great way to bounce back. I think I will use this tip when I feel like I won't get "accepted" or "fit in." A little reminder of your own worth goes a long way.

Topic Brainstorm

 

Tiger

Picture by Derrick Brutel

Source: Wikipedia

Tigers

I would love for my topic to be over tigers because they've been one of my favorite animals for so long. I have a stuffed tiger I've had with me since childhood. It went from my room back home, to my dorm, to my now apartment. When I think of tigers, I think of fierce creatures. I feel like I can be so creative with these bold animals. My stories can also put an importance on how these animals are in danger of extinction. I could possibly write a story on the struggles these beautiful creatures face with classic tales.  I will use the World Wild Life website as a source. There is a link provided in the title. I'm looking forward to this topic!

 Children Raised by Animals

How can one not think about Tarzan and The Jungle Book when talking about this topic? I think this would be so much fun to write about, and would take me back to my childhood! I would like to use the article "Feral Child" as my resource to highlight some struggles of being a wild child like a language barrier. I can even make a real world connection to nature with this topic.

Brazilian Stories 

I have always been interested to learn more about Brazil. I just know it's beautiful, but nothing about their culture, lifestyle, things to see, etc. I think this would be a fun topic because I can learn about a topic I've always been interested in. Brazil could serve as my setting in my stories if I wanted! I would like to use "Fairy Tales from Brazil" as a source because I would be able to learn about the differences between the fairy tales I grew up with, and fairy tales from Brazil! 

Hawaiian Mythology 

Wow, I didn't even think about how interesting Hawaiian myths could be because it's just a rare topic that's discussed. I think this would be so intriguing to use as a topic! I could use some classic myths with my own twists to write a story! I would like to use the book Legends of Old Honolulu as a source. After looking into this book I already learned so many new things I had no idea about like how Honolulu actually means "sheltered hollow." I think I would love to discover more about this beautiful place.