Close Reading

Close reading is important in understanding and writing literature.  According to Patricia Kain, close reading can be thought of as "observing facts and details about the text."  Close reading is all about your observations about the text and what ideas you get from it.  Dr. L. Kip Wheeler wrote, "you find a specific passage and analyze it in fine detail, as if with a magnifying glass."  Close reading begins by annotating the text, looking for anything of importantance.  While doing this you should be asking yourself questions about what you are starting to notice.  You should pay attention to patterns that you see and word choices.  Asking questions about why and how the author did this or that is also necessary for close reading. 

Being 18 in 1943 would be very different.

Today I woke up at my normal time of 5:07 am.  I am so tired but I know that I need to get up and go to school.  My family thinks it’s important for me to get my education as well so I am able to make more money.  On my long walk to school I start to think, why do women have to become teachers or nurses?  Why can’t we become doctors or maybe even scientists?  I know that those are men’s jobs, but I still like to imagine myself as a doctor, cutting people open and saving their lives.  Not having to sit behind a desk or be in the background but jump to the front of the picture. 

               Sitting in school, I can’t wait to get out of here.  I feel that the time is not ever going to be up.  I can’t stand sitting in this crammed room with the professor talking about how to teach a class.  I don’t want to be a teacher.  I don’t want to sit in a classroom all day, every day for the rest of my life.  I want to be able to be out in the open and be able to move around.  I don’t to sit still all day.  Maybe I should play a sport, be a professional soccer player.  That would be so fun.  Too bad there are no women’s professional sports teams. 

Khan Academy

I think that Khan Academy is a good way to teach children.  I feel that by switching the orientation of the class, it gives children a chance to flourish.  I think that doing homework in school is very beneficial to everyone because if they have questions or need help, there is someone there for them.  I think that Mr. Khan has a good point by doing this.  I think that by giving teachers feedback on how well each student is doing is also very good.  I think that giving each student, if needed specific help would help them throughout the school year.  Allowing the students who are finished with each lesson to go ahead is important.  Each student learns at a different pace and this allows that to happen.  I like that the students are able to play games to help them learn as well.   Playing those games keeps the kids focused and paying attention to what they are learning.   Also having the “classroom learning” on short videos is very critical.  The students are more likely to pay attention to short 10-14 minute videos rather than a teacher standing in the front of the room talking for 30-40 minutes.  I think that Khan Academy is a good way for the students to learn. 

Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson has a point when he says that schools are killing children’s creativity.  Children are forced to sit through boring classes that are general.  Everyone has to take English, math, science and history even if they know that they are never going to use this in their future.  Children are being taught in order to meet the states standardized tests.  Every school has to do so well, so the children are taught to pass theses tests.   If any child, can’t sit still through the school day they are considered to have a disorder, ADHD.  They are put on medication so they are able to sit still and focus on the boring school day.  Back in the day, children who were like this were taken to the doctor’s.  Gillian Lynne is one of these children.  Her doctor however did something different, he told her mother to enroll her in dance class.  She was fidgeting around and couldn’t sit still because school was boring to her, she wanted to dance.  Gillian became a multi-millionaire and was very successful all because she was not put on medication when she couldn’t focus at school.  I think that this doctor did something amazing, he didn’t brush her off and give her medication.  If Gillian had grown up in present day, she most likely would have been give medication at an early age and perhaps her talent never would have been realized.  I think that Sir Ken Robinson has a good point and that we should listen to him and not try to diminish the creativity of the next generation of children. 

21st Century Emerson

A 21^st century Emerson would say that the scholars had done certain things how he instructed them to and other things still could use work.  Emerson would say that American thinkers were doing a decent job because they were differing from old ideas.  Americans have used their creative inspirations to become successful.  Emerson would say that the scholars are still in need of a greater knowledge of nature and how it is similar to the scholar themselves.  The new scholars though have produced new books.  The more the scholar puts in, the more they will get out of it.  The scholars have used past influences to grow and become individuals; to think for themselves.  Every right step the scholar took led them to success and to grow. The scholars should also be able to show what the learned with others.  Emerson would be pleased with how the scholars of the 21^st century turned out.