1. The article I chose was titled "Reading Teacher wants students to pass test, love books."
Jeni Ernsthausen, a third grade reading teacher, is working hard to prepare her students for the rigorous new Ohio Achievement Assessment, which will determine whether or a student has to repeat the Third Grade.
2. URL
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/03/15/krista-ramsey-third-grade-reading-guarantee/6475723/
3. The best written line.
"She also has a very good handle on something the state’s not measuring at all: not just if her students can read, but if they will read." I thought that this line was well written because of the use of the colon in the middle of the sentence. Ramsey wanted to emphasize how Ernsthausen is trying to tailor each child's education to their specific needs. This is highlighted by saying before the colon, "... something the state's not measuring at all:". This shows how what she is doing is not at all required by the state education standards, and that what she is doing is going above and beyond to help her students. More emphasis is shown after the colon by saying "... not just if her students can read, but if they will read." Ramsey wants the reader to realize how important understanding each student's disposition towards reading is, and that what Ernsthausen is doing is important.
4. Author's Writing Style
I believe that Krista Ramsey's writing style is blunt, and to the point. All of her titles reflect this style as well. They do not joke around, but rather tell you exactly what the article is about. One quotation that supports this from "For better vision, kids need more time outdoors" is "But before parents claw back the iPhones, experts say the problem may not lie in the technology itself, but the amount of time spent on it, the environment in which it’s used and the activities it’s replacing." A quote from "Reading Teacher wants students to pass test, love books" is "For her students, the stakes couldn’t be higher: Pass the 2½-hour Ohio Achievement Assessment or be retained in third grade, at least for language arts" A quote from "Superbowl QB's score points for great style" is "Whatever magnificent things Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson do on the field Sunday at the Super Bowl, some of us appreciate what the two quarterbacks have done off the field all year. That is, helping to bring back the art of dressing well." All of these quotations get to the meat of the situation and don't "dilly-dally" in getting to the point
5. Three Questions
1. How do you know what to write about? Are you given stories? Do people E-mail you?
2. How did you learn to master writing craft techniques? What are some strategies that
students can use to better their writing?
3. How do you let the reader hear your voice shine through the article?
Monday, April 14, 2014
The Goldfinch - Predictions for Chapter 3
In Chapter 2 of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, Theo goes back to the apartment that he and his mother share, like they are supposed to in an emergency situation. After waiting for hours, he finally decides to call the rescue hotline he heard on TV to see if they have found his mother. They had not. Finally, he wakes up in the middle of the night to hear the telephone ringing. It is a social services worker who wants to speak to his Dad. Earlier in the chapter the reader is told about Theo's history with his father. We learn that his Dad was a drunk who left his family. When the lady asks to talk to Theo's father he says "He's not home right now...". Before anything else can happen, Theo hangs up the phone. The chapter ends with a pair of people knocking at the door.
I predict that for chapter 3, we will find out that these people are Social Workers who have come to tell Theo that his Mom died, and to take him to a foster home. Then, I think that we will be brought back to the present time in the story, and told what crime he committed whilst he was in Amsterdam.
This chapter was relatable to me, because it got me thinking about what I would do in an emergency situation. Theo and his Mom have a plan to go back to their house if they are separated, and to call one another. That made me realize that my family has no real plan for what we will do if something bad happens. The only thing I can remember is my parents telling me to go to the mailbox outside if we hear the smoke alarms. :) This prompted me to go talk to my parents about what we should do in a crisis. I would suggest that everyone talks with their family as well.
To read more about what you can do in a crisis, visit http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan to learn more.
I predict that for chapter 3, we will find out that these people are Social Workers who have come to tell Theo that his Mom died, and to take him to a foster home. Then, I think that we will be brought back to the present time in the story, and told what crime he committed whilst he was in Amsterdam.
This chapter was relatable to me, because it got me thinking about what I would do in an emergency situation. Theo and his Mom have a plan to go back to their house if they are separated, and to call one another. That made me realize that my family has no real plan for what we will do if something bad happens. The only thing I can remember is my parents telling me to go to the mailbox outside if we hear the smoke alarms. :) This prompted me to go talk to my parents about what we should do in a crisis. I would suggest that everyone talks with their family as well.
To read more about what you can do in a crisis, visit http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan to learn more.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
The Goldfinch - Chapter 1 Thoughts and Reactions
The first chapter of the book The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt catapults the reader to several years before the events of the book with the main character in Amsterdam. This technique hooked me into the story right away. The character, Theo (Although, at the time, we didn't know his name), is trying to read a Dutch newspaper article about something that had happened earlier that day. He is very concerned that his name will show up in it. This leads him back to the memory of his mother, and that segues into the events that occurred at the Frick Museum of Art in New York. Theo and his mother walk around the museum while they wait for the rain to stop outside. Theo's mother explains what all the paintings mean because she was an Art History major. After a while, the pair become separated as the mother wants to go look at some other paintings. Then suddenly, a bomb goes off. Theo is able to escape the building after a while and is sent away by a fireman before he can go back and look for his mom. The Chapter ends here.
The beginning of this book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I began reading with very little knowledge of what was going to happen. All I knew was that something was going to happen with a painting called the Goldfinch. I also loved how Tartt was able to connect me with Theo and his mother within a few sentences of describing them so that I would be emotionally invested in them. This allows for a more realistic and gut wrenching experience while reading the book.
Below is a picture of the titular painting, The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius (1654)
To read more visit http://www.frick.org/exhibitions/mauritshuis/605
The beginning of this book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I began reading with very little knowledge of what was going to happen. All I knew was that something was going to happen with a painting called the Goldfinch. I also loved how Tartt was able to connect me with Theo and his mother within a few sentences of describing them so that I would be emotionally invested in them. This allows for a more realistic and gut wrenching experience while reading the book.
Below is a picture of the titular painting, The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius (1654)
To read more visit http://www.frick.org/exhibitions/mauritshuis/605
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