Darkness and the Torch of Language

Reading The Miracle Worker recently has made me think about how words seep into consciousness and create meaning. Helen Keller's dark, silent world must have been a swirl of vague sensory impressions, wordless, confusing. When that first glimmer of understanding that things have names, and that the names are the things, swam into comprehension, did she know that words would save her? How did she understand through the power of words those feelings she had never had? Know sights she could never see? Form the sounds she would never hear? To think that words are so powerful that they unlock a universe, even when signed in a palm, even when translated to dots of raised paper, is food for thought...is a feast too rich to digest quickly. Around us, within us, our perceptions are inexorably tied to words.

Podcasting Song

So, what is the musical equivalent of "Eureka!" for the new generation of tech-savvy educators? Hear it first here!

Full Steam Ahead on Stories

Have you ever thought about how stories are put together? We have been studying the parts of a story--setting, characters, events that don't solve the problem, events that lead to the solution, conclusion. What have you learned about putting a story together? Do you like to write without knowing where the story is going, or do you plan it out first?

Our Own Stories

We have been reading about childhood memories of people who learned lessons through things that happened to them. The next assignment is writing a personal narrative.

It is strange that, in every culture and time, people have been compelled to preserve things that they remember, to share. So, I have been wondering why people write down things that made an impact on their lives.

What need do we have to share our experiences?

Do we get more satisfaction from reading about someone with whom we can identify, or in writing our own stories for those who could understand how we felt?

Are these stories that we leave behind us what makes us all human? What if we had no stories from real lives? What do we learn from them?

Just wondering. :)

Reading and Readers

Reading comes very naturally to me. I grew up reading and found it my favorite refuge from "real life" when I was growing up. Now, reading is a luxury, because I have so little time to sit down with a book. But, I know from being a teacher that some students don't enjoy reading (and many do, but are also short on time).

So, I've been thinking about what goes on in a person's head when they read. What do good readers do? When I read, "pictures" form in my head--I visualize what is happening and the setting takes shape, or I can "see" faces and expressions. How can anyone understand without images? That is why we are studying descriptive writing right now...sensory details help readers see, smell, taste, hear, and feel what is happening in the text.

I also ask questions and think critically. Why did the character say that? If I could change the story, I would write it another way. This is confusing and could be clearer. This interchange between reader and writer helps makes reading more fun.

So, if someone doesn't enjoy reading, what things would I, as a teacher (or you, as a student) suggest that he do?