A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. ~ Robert Frost

I remember learning about this poem in high school and it has stuck with me since. I like how it says that he took the one less traveled, and that is the way I have always lived my life. At some point in everyone's life there will be a point where they will be at a crossroads and this poem can help to reassure them to chose wisely. When people read poetry everyone takes a different meaning to it. I read this poem at a rough time in my life where it would have been easy to just quit school and do drugs but I was not about that. I worked really hard to get to where I am at today, and when I read this poem it reminds me that sometimes the road you take is not the easiest one but its your choice. 
Robert Frost is a great poet his work can be found on his website called Frost Place. 

http://englishwithasmile.org/2013/05/25/the-poetry-of-robert-frost-the-road-not-taken/The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

We read this a few times with each other and we all read the same part a different way. It was interesting to hear it read differently and have it take on a whole new meaning. 

ZOOM and Dr.Suess

Dr.Seuss has a very unique writing and artistic style. He is famous for his picture books for emerging readers. The pictures illustrate what the words are saying. Such as in Hop on Pop. Cup Pup, Pup in cup. There is a picture of a big cup with a pup in it.  

Take a look at the poster we created, and look at the different artistic designs. Dr. Seuss is known for his illustrations. He uses many curved lines for a more whimsical and dreamy look. He also uses pictures to help the reader learn the word. Look at the pictures below. He shows high as up in the air and shows the characters hopping on pop. He also uses primary colors to show a mood of warmth. 

When we were first given this assignment I was unclear of what we were supposed to be doing. When it was all done however it finally clicked. Every author has its own style and is unique. Some authors use bright colors and straight lines. Some authors have borders on their pages to give a clue of whats page. 

Picture books are great for all ages. I still enjoy reading them. I like the If you give a cat a cat a cupcake book, and I have always loved The very hungry caterpillar. Picture books should be small enough to fit into a child's hands. There are many types of picture books. One kind is a wordless book. One that Dr.Gangi introduced me to was called Zoom. I have never seen anything like it. It started with a close up picture and on each page was a new element. Finally at the end was a whole picture zoomed out to see each page which made up one picture. Students could make up their own predictions on what each page was and see if they were right or even make words up to go along with the book. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhYblhdhQ1M

Carter, D. (2010). Dr. Seuss's Oh, the places you'll go pop-up! New York: Robin Corey Books.

Hop on Pop. (1963). New York: Beginner Books.

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish,. (1960). New York: Beginner Books; distributed by Random        House.

1) One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

2) Hop on Pop

3) Oh, The Places You’ll Go Examine each book and write brief notes to help you explore the illustrator's work in terms of THE artistic features listed below.

	Book 1	Book 2	Book 3
Line	The lines in this book suggest movement and feeling by using many curves, circular, diagonal and zigzagging lines. There are many illustrations where the action, and excitement of the page is clear.	The lines in this book suggest movement and feeling by using many curves. Horizontal and vertical lines are used to show movement up and down hills.	The horizontal  lines in this book show calm progressive movement as the character walks through the book.  There is a feeling of happiness and determination as you read.
Color	The colors in this book are mainly primary colors. At times Seuss uses entire pages of warm color, others are entirely cool, while a some points he mixes the two. The characters in the warm colors appear happy, while the characters in the cool colors appear sad. The colors that he uses help to portray the mood of the pages.	The colors seen  in this book are very inviting to children. They are primary colors but are very bright which might encourages a child to pick it up. Blue and green are colors that are used on many of the pages and suggest calm, serenity, or renewal. The colors in this book provide a happy feeling while reading.	There are a plethora of colors seen in this book. The book starts and ends with a white page signifying the end of an old journey and the beginning of a new one. However, throughout the book you can find an immense amount of light yellow and light orange giving off a sense of cheerfulness and excitement for the reader. It can also give off a feeling of fear into the unknown. A few of the characters in this book can also be seen in the color purple, representing the  mysteries the reader will be challenged with throughout life.
Shape	Many of the shapes in this book are rounded. There are no geometric shapes in this book. These shapes give the illustrations a very whimsical, and dreamy feel.	Many of the shapes in this book are rounded. These shapes used give a very vivid illustration to the reader as they are reading, and lets the readers imagination really take over. Dr.Seuss used big shapes such as a tea cup with a pup in one of the pages which illustrates that is the objects are important.	Throughout the book, the reader will notice that there are no sharp shapes and only rounded edges. This gives the reader a sense of comfort and security as their eyes gaze over the oddly circular shapes found in the book. The large shapes and objects in the book represent the difficult obstacles the reader will face throughout their new journey and life. .
Texture	Many of the edges of the illustration of this book are rough and frayed looking. The textures used within this book help to create images that are less realistic and work to stimulate the viewer’s imagination.	The illustrator of this book uses many rounded and simple pictures. The textures show rough and ragged images in the pictures to show how it feels and really captures the image with feeling in such simple pictures.	The illustrator has a signature style of having smooth large structures and rough and jagged tiny details. The painting textures found within the book give a three-dimensional feel of fictional characters.
Design	Rhythm and Movement Most of the illustrations in this book are contrasting from one page to the next within the two-page spread. It sets the rhythm of the book. Tension While the pictures illustrate a majority of the words written within the text, the illustrations also give extra details that were not mentioned in the text. The illustrations add to the content of this book. Page Layout The layout of the text and illustrations often mirror each other in this book. If the illustrations in the book are very tall and skinny, the text will be as well. The text on the page is very carefully placed.	Rhythm and Movement The rhythm, and movement in this book  is very controlled and flows from page to page.The left and the right side of the pages are equally illustrated.   Words and pictures work together so that the reader can tell what the words are by looking at the pictures.It is a medium size book which is great for all readers and is also made into smaller and larger sizes as well. The layout of the text and illustrations often mirror each other in this book. If the illustrations in the book are very tall and skinny, the text will be as well. The text on the page is very carefully placed.	Rhythm and Movement The illustrations found throughout the book are quite repetitive, especially the characters. The buildings are a bit different in every book, but they all show a sense of forward movement.Even though we identify with the objects on the left of the page, the two spread book has a continuous illustration on the left and the right page, effecting the eyes of the reader to look at both sides equally.   Tension There is a great amount of tension between the words and the illustration. The words portay one story and the illustrations explain what is not said in the text. C.  Page Layout This picture book is both wide and tall with its pictures and text. All of the pictures and characters are complex.
Media and Technique	A.  Painterly Techniques Graphic Techniques Composite Techniques	A.  Painterly Techniques Graphic Techniques Composite Techniques	A.  Painterly Techniques Graphic Techniques Composite Techniques
Style of Art	B.  Cartoon Art Cartoons consist of exaggerated caricatures that emphasize emotion and movement. They possess no subtlety, but are simple and straightforward. It is often chosen to illustrate humorous stories, nonsense, and comical satire.	Cartoon Art Cartoons consist of exaggerated caricatures that emphasize emotion and movement. They possess no subtlety, but are simple and straightforward. It is often chosen to illustrate humorous stories, nonsense, and comical satire.	Cartoon Art Cartoons consist of exaggerated caricatures that emphasize emotion and movement. They possess no subtlety, but are simple and straightforward. It is often chosen to illustrate humorous stories, nonsense, and comical satire.

Home sweet home

We have been discussing poetry in our class. We had to make up our own poems. I struggle with writing poetry and didn't just want to do an acrostic poem. An acrostic poem is where you use the letters that you want to spell out, for instance your name and each letter has a short phrase. Instead I chose to do a free verse poem. For the past 5 months I have been anxiously waiting my house to be built. We are in the final stages and should be moved in soon. My poem I have written is a short version of how excited I am .  Here is a sneak peek of my home sweet home! I have also found this really great poetry website that explains each type of poem. I think that it is important to teach children poetry. I think many people think that poems need to rhyme. Poetry can hard to teach but teaches can start with limricks, or simple acrostic poems. I think that poetry can be a great resource during ELA if done correctly. Many people in our class shared their poems and they were all differnet and we got to learn a little about our classmates this way. I remember in my elementary classes one way we got to know each other was by writing acrostic poems with our names and each letter was something to describe ourselves. Here are some great websites to help use poetry in classrooms
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/integrating-daily-poetry-5-tools-brett-vogelsinger

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/10-ways-use-poetry-your-classroom

http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/bringing_poetry.htm

Three Blind mice .... who was chasing them with the carving knife?

Today we discussed many different Nursery Rhymes. Each of us was given a specific nursery rhyme to research. I picked the Three Blind Mice. It was one of my childhood favorites. I always though it was so funny that the mice were blind for some reason. As it turns out all of our favorite nursery rhymes have many other meanings and even other versions of them.Here is my PowerPoint for the Three Blind Mice. I found out that this nursery rhyme had several different theories on who the wife was as well as the mice. One of which was Queen Elizabeth. The mice also look different in books. Other people did rhymes such as Old Mother Hubbard, Rock a Bye Baby, and more. After saying a few of these nursery rhymes I realized they were pretty violent, especially for children but for some reason children love them.

It had been found that Mother Goose Rhymes help build cognitive and aesthetic development. The rhymes usually rhyme and are often repetitive which could help build fluency. One two buckle my shoe, also helps children count. I remember singing this as a child to help me remember what number came next. These rhymes have been around for centuries. I think this was a great lesson to not only learn about poetry but about the history of the rhymes. 

Lisa Cline Ransome

Today Lesa Cline Ransome the author of many childrens books came to talk to our class. She wrote some biographies on people such as Sachel Paige, and Hellen Keller. She talked about the whole process of her writing a book, and the illustration process as well. She was such a great speaker and kept us all engaged the entire time. She spoke about her blog she had started writing and I joined it to see what it was all about. Her husband is the illustrator of many of her books and she showed us some of what his work entails. He sometimes uses people to pose so he can paint them to get the actual feel for the time period and costume. I thought that was really cook. He has some videos on youtube to show how he works

His work is really unique and the attention to detail is uncanny. I also has the opportunity to buy books from her and I won one as well. The book she gave me is not even for sale yet, it called Whale Trails before and now, and will be for sale in January 2015. I bought all of the following books and had them all signed to add them to my library. The following pictures of the books were all taken from Amazon.com

This book was about a whaling boat that went out on tours but long ago was a real boat that caught whales. The illustrations are amazing. One page is in color and the other from long ago is sepia tones. 

The other books I bought and had signed were

This is a great book about a girl and her mother who would sneak to an underground school at night to learn their letters.

Words set me free a true story of how Fredrick Douglas found his way to freedom one one word at a time. It is a truly inspirational book and a must read!!

This book is interesting because it provides the reader with a different  side of slave owners. This boy is the sol of a slave and slave owner. The slave owner moves to be with his son and lover. He sends his son to the best schools, and provides him with opportunities he would have never had i the U.S. He ended up being great and lpaying for the King and Queen. 

Ransome, L., & Ransome, J. (2011). Before there was Mozart: The story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

Ransome, L., & Ransome, J. (2012). Words set me free: The story of young Frederick Douglass. New York: Simon & Schuster

Ransome, L., & Ransome, J. (2013). Light in the darkness. New York: Disney/Jump at the Sun Books.Books for Young Readers.

Ransome, L., & Karas, G. (n.d.). Whale trails, before and now.