LSCI405: Chapters 1-3

Friday, January 21, 2011

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of The Watsons Go to Birmingham have been very enjoyable for me. I love how the author, Christopher Paul Curtis, writes in slang language. It really beings the characters to life and adds a lot to the humor of the story.
Chapter one gives an introduction to the Watson family by telling a hilarious story of Byron, the oldest brother, getting his lips stuck to a car mirror. This chapter gives the reader a little background knowledge of the kind of relationship Kenny has with Byron. Kenny, a fourth-grade African American, is a very relatable for teens of every race and background. All teens worry about being accepted and finding their place within their school. Also anyone with an older sibling can relate to and appreciate the kind of love-hate relationship between Kenny and his brother.
Chapters two and three introduce the new kids from Arkansas, Rufus and his younger brother Cody. Kenny is relieved to have a break from being the target of the bullies for a while. Then, despite his best efforts to avoid Rufus, he ends up being friends with him. When Kenny has to try to balance his new friendship with his battle to be accepted by his peers, he ends up hurting Rufus's feelings. Kenny then begins to realize that before Rufus he had no friends and having a friend becomes more important to him that being liked by the other kids.
So far this story has been a great read, and I cannot wait to continue reading about the life of Kenny Watson and the rest of his family.

2 comments:

ArkaliJanuary 28, 2011 at 7:54 AM
I thought it was a great lesson for Kenny when he almost blew it with Rufus. Ten to one he learned something about loyalty :-)
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gaynel bahamFebruary 5, 2011 at 9:00 AM
I also believed this was a good lesson learned by Kenny. But most of all the understanding and compassion from his mother to give him the courage to go and try to regain his friendship he thought he lost.
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MARIA MONTESSORI

Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870, and died on May 6, 1952. She was an Italian educator of the early 20th century and is remembered as the founder of the Montessori Method of education. This approach emphasizes hands-on, individualized learning within varying age groups in a student-centered environment. Much of the "hands-on" approach now utilized in preschools and kindergartens today can be traced to the innovations of Maria Montessori. Montessori was best known as an educator; however, she was formally trained as a scientist and medical doctor, and is noted for having been Italy's first female M.D. She was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for her committed efforts on behalf of children.

Through her work to rehabilitate society's discarded children (mentally retarded, behavioral problems, orphans, and poor), Montessori discovered some important principles about all children and the process of learning. One was that children have an innate desire to learn and on their own, they are capable of discovering an incredible amount of information about the world in which they live. This was contrary to what society thought at that time which was that children could only learn through direct instruction, specifically being lectured by an adult. She found that children's innate power of learning worked best when children were turned loose in a safe, hands-on learning environment, and that if children were put into groups with other children within a small age range (i.e., 3-6, 6-9, 9-11, etc.), they not only worked together but learned from each other.

Above all, Montessori felt that her most notable discovery was the awareness that the teacher must focus more on what the students are doing, not the other way around. By observing how the individual children responded to various prompts, she could easily ascertain what lessons and/or experiences to present next. By acknowledging each child as an individual, with individualized needs and abilities, she could apply this method to guide children to fultillment of their potential. Overall, Montessori felt that the most vital ingredient was learning to be a good observer of children, learning to deduce what children need, both in general and as unique individuals, which will then lead to development of their full potential.