1. Reading: The Orphan Train Currently Loving: the fresh white
snow Watching: Less TV since CableOne switched to all digital
Eating: No Diet Coke or high fructose corn syrup Planning: A trip
to Germany in June Feeling: Thankful Learning: To speak German
Julie Westrick
2. I have just started reading The Orphan Train. As a history
education major, I love reading historical fiction. I am thankful
that I now have the opportunity to pursue my dream of earning a
teaching degree. It is not always a popular opinion, but I do love
the fresh blanket of white snow! With fewer TVs connected to
CabeOne, I am getting more done at home and am getting to sleep
earlier at night. I am traveling to Germany in June as a chaperone
for my daughters GAPP group. I feel that I have more energy by not
drinking diet soda. My daughter has a sensitivity to corn syrup, so
our family has greatly reduced our intake. I studied Spanish in
high school, so learning German has been a struggle. Ich verstehe
nicht, I dont understand!
3. In the classroom, life stories would be a great way to have
students share aspects of their lives that make them different from
other students and aspects that they have in common. By learning
more about each other, students develop a sense of community and
accept each others differences. If you have a culturally diverse
class, it is beneficial to celebrate differences to make they more
accepted by all students. A Currently Poster would be appropriate
for Kindergarten through high school in varying levels of
difficulty. With older students this could be expanded to included
longer writing projects and research into culture and family
history. Care should be taken to ensure that students do not feel
pressured to share stressful personal information with their
classmates. Podcasts can be used by teachers to post video versions
of their lessons for students to view online if they were absent or
if they would like to review a topic that they did not understand
the first time.