David Castillo edrg 3344

Narrative Letter to teachers and parents.



May 5, 2009

San Antonio ISD
3344 EDRG
San Antonio, Texas 50509-3344

Dear Teachers and Parents:

As an advocate for all types of land formations, I have selected the theme of aquifers. I believe that it is imperative that we always have a safe and adequate supply of fresh water in Texas. To do this, our children must know how to be actively involved in the protection of our aquifer. To ensure that Texas’s aquifers will be valued and protected, we must learn how to balance the demands of humans while protecting the environment.

To help you learn more about aquifers, I have enclosed a variety of information and activities about aquifers. I hope this aquifer brochure will help your students or children appreciate where you leave and encourage you to help protect our (aquifers) land formations.


I look forward to visiting your school on earth day, to share for what I call a well worth experience on protecting our (aquifers) land formations.


For additional information about (aquifers) land formation protection, please contact me at Sav-earth.


Sincerely,

Two Hump Thirsty Camel

David Castillo edrg 3321

What is Historical Fiction?
Historical Fiction is a short discussions of events in the time period that they reflect in the hope that a chronological framework gives you a good understanding of the history portrayed in that time period.

How can we use it in the classroom?
Historical Fiction in the classroom can be used for discussing past historical events. A lesson can be planned around a historical event and the students can role play those events. This allows the student to get the feel of what life was in during those events. Students may dress, cook and work with arts and craft to learn get the feeling hands on of that time period.

David Castillo edrg#3321

Come up with a super sentence definition of Contemporary Realistic Fiction.
Contemporary Realistic Fiction is everything in a realistic story such as the plot, characters, and the setting is consistent with the lives of today's good and bad situations in our society.



How can you use it in the classroom.
I could use Contemporary Realistic Fiction in my classroom to show students the many obstacles we face in life from being student to what parents face in the real world. I would use certain characters and settings to demonstrate certain situations. I could have the students read on a certain topic they are facing whether its a good or bad situation. For example children who's parents might be going through a divorce can pick up a book with characters going through a divorce, however; with a good explanation that all will be OK.

David Castillo edrg#3344

Focus "how-to" Expository MGP (outline)
A. Identify how Land Formations Occur
B. Create clay models of an imaginary tract of land that contains many land formations such as plains, mountains, plateaus, canyonons or valleys.
C. Have students label each formation
D. Have students identify national parks with land foramtion that are unique to those areas
E. Provide several graphs/topographic representations of land formations.




1. Poem (Example)

Sculpting Nature

Pressure plates grind and slide,
Ridges rise out of the depths,
Muscles exposed to sun and rain
Wear down deep grooves, caves
Openings; form arches, bridges.
Ancient sea beds laid bare,
A hidden legacy, then under water,
Now dry layers exposed.
Chart the course, feel the power
of unseen sculptor’s hands,
Slow time moving by eons.
Feel the power and be awed before such beauty.

Land Forms

Pressure builds within the belly,
Liquid rock spews forth,
Explodes with force,
Steam and smoke billow skyward.
Water cools the rock and land is formed,
Breaking the water’s expanse.
*****
Land forms stand before the wearing
Of the rain and wind.
Erosion grooves form, shaping, softening,
Surface changes, water levels rise and carve
Between ridges and one land becomes two.

2. How will I use it in the classroom.
I will use it to help me get students to gain an appreciation for writing, analyzing, reading and listening to poetry, viewing poems as a motivation for studying land formations. They study and create their own Land Formations about poems with some illustrations.

David Castillo edrg3344

What is narrative? Explain the components.
A. Narrative writing tells a story (any type of story) from a true to made up story.
B. Narrative writing also shows a sequence of events over time.
C. Narrative writing always portrays a crystal clear beginning, middle and end to a story (the middle must be clearly able to describe in details.
D. Narrative writings have an audience other that the writer.

Explain the Writer Workshop Experience.
The workshop Writer's Experience has five parts:
1. Students are divided into groups of 3-5
2. For best results students should be siting in a circle and each student will take turns reading aloud their writing while the other students listen. To get the students attention to the reader all students should put their writings away under their desk/chair.
3. As soon as the first student is done with his/her reading the other students will provide their comments by applying the sandwich method (sbh,2007) theory. One student at a time will provide feedback and should start with a positive comment on what they liked about their reading. Student then can ask questions or provide suggestions about their reading. Some suggestion should be such as word choices or should be from small concept to big concept.
4. As soon as all the students in the group have made their comments the next student begins reading their writing aloud and the same steps are repeated until all students have had an opportunity to read their writing and provided their comments.
5. All students return to their desk and begin the rewrite process based on the comments received while participating in the sandwich workshop (edit is the final).

Discuss the process and "sandwich theory". (sbh, 2007-theory)
The workshop was very valuable in the classroom, our home group is small which made it easy to follow the sandwich theory. The group responded with positive feedback and share other suggestions and again in a positive way. We all shared what we liked about the our writings, we gave suggestions or ask questions and end with some encouraging comments.

Thank you, Dr. Harris for sharing your theory.

David Castillo edrg 3321

Growing and Farming
I get up in the morning to that rooster crowing
I hear the John Deere tractor roaring and now
I know its time to get on going
I go to the fields and feel the wind blowing
I pick up my hoe and be-gin hoeing

by David Castillo