Ebony+Littlejohn

11/6/13


 * “Fix Me Ms. Pope” **

“Where have you gone Olivia Pope?”

Charming, educated, gladiator in a suit.

Magical instincts that help to fix problems.

Your Ebony hair and pecan tan skin

Made the President notice and lured you in.

Stress from too much homework and going to work

Has caused lack of sleep and a cranky Ebony.

I’ll be glad when this wonderfully, hectic semester is over

So, I can teach my Social Studies.

Help me Olivia, Ms. Gladiator

To get through this tough time I’m facing.

Take me on as a client and fix the situation,

So I can go on to complete my graduation.

11/7/13
 * Ebony Littlejohn: ** (6th grade Social Studies ). My unit will be on Ancient Africa and Ancient South Asia. Some of the themes I will focus on will be 1.) History of each (the record of the past), 2.) geography (location, movement, human-environment interaction) and 3.) culture. My unit will focus on cultural awareness  as I want students to develop an appreciation of diversity among other cultures and compare the past to that of the present. My hope is that through my unit students will recognize many similarities between their cultures and that of ancient cultures. I want to use primary sources, music, books, writing exercises, and research and investigation, and mind maps. At the end I want students to create their own village or society of people modeled from what we have learned about place, culture, history, etc. I will be teaching from February 24-March 28.

9/25/13 //Essay//  My name is Ebony and it means black. The word ebony is derived from the ancient Egyptian term hbny. Ebony is a hard, heavy, and black to reddish wood that comes from tropical trees found in both Africa and Asia. The symbolic meaning of my name means strength, dark, and beauty. The black keys on that of pianos are made from the ebony wood. Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder’s Ebony and Ivory” song, on a simplistic level, is about the ebony (black) and ivory (white) keys on the piano. The song deals with racial harmony. It is said that the title of the song was inspired by a quote from Spike Milligan who stated “black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony folks!”
 * Name Inquiry Project**:

 Ebony is a name popular among African- American girls because of its connotation of blackness and beauty. The name Ebony has 11 variant forms in which it can be spelled; such variations include Ebboney, Eboni, Ebonie, Ebonee, and Eboney. Some of the popular nicknames for a girl named Ebony are NeNe, Bony, Ebbs, Eb, and Ebby.

 The origin of my last name, Littlejohn, comes from the kingdom of Dalriada in Scotland. The name was used as a nickname for a young male bearing the name John. It was also used ironically for a person of a larger build.

 My mother chose my name because of her fascination with it. Having two children before I was born, in which she didn’t get to name, she felt it an honor to be able to name me, her third child. During the early 90’s when I was born, Ebony was a popular name. My mother’s love for me drove her to name me Ebony because she said I was her beautiful baby and she wanted a name to reflect that beauty.

//Poem//


 * Beautiful Strength **

From the deep roots of Africa to

the Tropics of Asia,

a tree of Life is Born.

Majestically swaying, gracefully

waving, an exotic sight adorn.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s thicken branches

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">widely spread, with an exquisite

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">trunk that shimmers red.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Brightening the World with

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Darkened timber decorations

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Ebony tree is in sync

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">with Mother Nature.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Visual //

http://enlittle.edu.glogster.com/eci430-inquiry-name-project-visual

9/24/13 Wakefield Middle School Cathy Babinski 6th Grade Social Studies
 * Placement:**

9/20/13 @enlittle14
 * Twitter name:**

9/12/13 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Who says the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon? Throughout my school years, I was identified as an at risk youth due to the environment I grew up in. In elementary school I often struggled with my academics. Through the motivation from each of my teachers along with their high expectations for me, I was able to go on and become an academically successful student. My teachers’ encouragement was the driving force that led me to pursue a career in education. As a future Middle Grades Language Arts and Social Studies teacher, I want to instill in each of my students that there is no limit to how far they can go in life. My teaching philosophy is one that helps students to discover and reach their full potential.
 * Teaching Philosophy**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is my belief that the primary goal of teaching is to promote learning. I believe that all children are capable of learning when given the proper support and guidance. Education allows for students to be provided with the tools to make informed decisions later in life. My own learning experiences have shaped my desires to create greater opportunities for all of my future students. In my classrooms, I will dispel labels and their associations. As a professional entrusted with the young minds of students, I will guide learning and measure growth both academically, personally, and ethically. The course material I teach will be challenging, interactive, and connect with current issues taking place around the world because students need to know why what they are learning is important. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> In order to equip my students with the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful, I will show my effectiveness and passion as a teacher. Students deserve an educator's passion for both content and learning. Teaching and learning becomes a simultaneous journey for both the teacher and students when students' energy is provoked by a teacher's genuine passion for learning because everyone is ready and willing to participate. Every teacher should be one who is effective and creative. An effective teacher is one who sets high expectations for each of his or her students, they believe that students are capable of succeeding; they push and encourage students to go to heights that the students themselves would have never imagined.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">I will teach students to become academically and morally successful. I will focus on the skills that students know how to do as well as the knowledge base they already possess. This will allow for me to build on the student’s strengths; it also helps students to realize what they are capable of and it makes learning a positive experience where students can use their strengths to overcome their weaknesses. I also want to focus on the quality of students’ academics rather than the quantity. For instance, I don’t believe that teachers should wholly consider test scores and the amount of A’s students receive as a means to measuring their academics, but instead assess students’ cognitive abilities. I want to teach students how to think critically and logically; I will motivate students to analyze, evaluate, and question material. Learning that will take place in my classroom will be rigorous, challenging, and engaging.

9/12/13
 * Ideal Classroom:**

9/6/13
 * // Reflection of where I am and where I want to be with my web identity //**

My current persona on the web is still one of a positive student. I want to expand my web identity to include that of other professional teachers so that I can begin to take on my role as a teacher. I feel as though the transitioning from student to teacher can be difficult, so by establishing a web identity where I'm acting as a teacher, I can make the transition somewhat smooth. I'm interested in exploring other sources of media such as blogging, but I'm not sure as to how I should __#|get started__ or how I should portray myself.

9/5/13 []
 * Timeline: **

8/28/13
 * //How will you start the first days of school?//**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">If it’ s one thing that I've learned while preparing for __#|my future__ __#|students__ it’s that the first days of school are the most crucial. I realize that the first day establishes how the rest of the year is going to be. It’s an exciting, yet scary feeling to know that less than a year’s time I will have my own classroom. One of the strategies I’d like to implement on the first days of school is getting to know my __#|students__ and for them to also get to know me. I feel as though creating a bond with each of my __#|students__ will allow for a successful year. I agree with the statement in the small chapter of Tchudi and Mitchell’s “Getting Started,” which says “The tasks of those first few weeks of school are, first, finding the skills and interests each student brings and, second, shaping a climate where the __#|students__ will share freely with each other” (p.92). I believe that when students see that we, as teachers, care and are interested in getting to know who they are, they are more willingly to share more of themselves. I also feel that as a teacher, I should be knowledgeable on the strengths and weaknesses of my __#|students__ so that I can best meet the needs of each one.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Similarly, I believe that going over rules and expectations of the classroom is also a __#|vital__ part of the first days of school. This allows for __#|students__ to be aware of what I expect from them and what they are to expect from me. Defining rules and expectations together will allow for __#|students__ to understand what they each mean. I would also want to follow this up by having them to each sign a contract in which they commit to obeying the rules and expectations. I also think it’s important for parents to sign along with them so that they too can know what’s expected in the classroom.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">In addition, one of my favorite activities listed in the book was the letter of introduction (p.89). This activity immediately allows for __#|students__ to share themselves with the teacher and it gives the teacher a chance to respond back to __#|students__, thus establishing a connection with each of them right away. It also incorporates writing in where the teacher can assess, without grading, each student's written abilities. Moreover, I usually have a hard time with names, so I feel that it is only right to do an activity where, as the book stated, not only I learn the names of each of my students, but they too learn each other names (p.92). I like the idea of the alliteration activity (p.92) where students state their name and follow it up with two alliteration terms which describes them. I would even want to go a step further by having one student __#|to begin__ and all the others who follow must remember both the name and the two alliteration terms of all those who went before them. Overall, the chapter was very helpful in providing information as to how __#|to begin__ the first days of school.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #5371bc; font-family: Verdana,Trebuchet,Arial,sans-serif;">[] Plantation Letters [] <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Trebuchet,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5; text-align: center;">[]
 * SCIM-C Model**
 * Hunters Model of Lesson Planning**

Melissa & Sarah <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #454545; font-family: Verdana,Trebuchet,Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">https://docs.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/document/d/1-tNGer-prrDKJDIer5y7ylZDKKiw8UD8lK5T-AGVoVI/edit
 * Mini Lessons for History:**

Laura & Amanda <span style="font-family: Verdana,Trebuchet,Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">[]

Jennifer & Alyson <span style="font-family: Verdana,Trebuchet,Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">[]

10/1/13

<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Trebuchet,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5; text-align: center;">[|http://artandsocialissues.cmaohio.org] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #5371bc; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Trebuchet,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5; text-align: center;">/ <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Trebuchet,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5; text-align: center;">[] <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Trebuchet,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5; text-align: center;">[]
 * Teaching of the Arts in History**
 * Arts: **
 * Music **
 * Prints and Photography: **