Role Models and Ryan’s Story

So this improved way of delivering quality lessons to Ryan has really helped with his creative thinking and writing.  It allows for more outside of the box learning, not just memorization of facts.  It allows the student to apply what they have learned previously and what they are learning now to make it more of a way of learning and expanding how to think.  This is important for continuous learning to take place since we have an infinite amount of time to continue to learn throughout our lives (I am definitely still learning!)

For Music Tuesday (which we ended up doing the lesson today as Tuesday was jam packed),  we did a lesson on “Looking up to the Stars” which essentially was about celebrities as role models.  I like to use the site Readworks.org for lesson ideas.  This particular one was about Allen Iverson, the 76ers basketball player who wrote a rap album.  There were so many opportunities for Ryan to weigh in on different components of the lesson.  Here are some thoughts:

“How would you describe rap music to someone who has never heard it?”  IT IS WORDS WITH A BEAT TO THEM.

“Critics said it also promoted violence against women and others.  Can you use promoted in a sentence?”  SHE WAS PROMOTED IN HER LINE OF WORK.  I then explained to him that promoted here means supported or endorsed.

“What is your definition of a role model?”  SOMEONE WHO IS KIND AND REALLY IS SMART.

We then talked about the 76ers and a little about the team name and some brief history on Philadelphia.

We talked about Iverson defending the album because of the”rough life” he grew up in (I described Iverson’s childhood).  “How would you define a rough life?”  SO MEANINGFUL TO ASK ME.  TOO MUCH TO SAY.  IT SEEMS THAT PEOPLE WOULD HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.  “What is your opinion on a rough life?” NOT BEING LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

“Do celebrities have a duty to be a role model?”  YES BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT KIDS GET FIXATED ON PEOPLE IN CELEBRITY ROLES.

“Who do you consider one of your role models?”

ONE OF MY ROLE MODELS IS MEANINGFUL MARK.  HE IS ALWAYS CARING.  HE IS ALWAYS LEARNING MORE TO HELP ME.  MARK TOTALLY GETS ME.  HE DOES NOT MAKE ME FEEL TERRIBLE IF I MAKE A MISTAKE.  HE REALLY LIKES ME TO BE HAPPY.  IT IS HARD FOR ME TO SHOW HIM THAT I LOVE HIM BUT I THINK HE KNOWS IT.

Mark is Ryan’s step grandfather.  Since moving to Texas almost a year ago, we have gotten to see him and Granny (Ryan’s grandma Margaret) so much more.  Family is everything to us so this has been such a blessing.  Ryan is exactly right as Mark is ALWAYS trying to learn more to help Ryan and to understand Ryan.  It really means so much to me and obviously to Ryan too.

*****

Ryan completed his story today.  It took 4 days, writing a little bit at the end of each lesson this week.  I think that it is cool that he incorporated the Industrial Age (because the first lesson was about the first steam engines with a little history about the Industrial Age).  Here is the finished product:

I asked Ryan for a title for the story and his reply was MORE LIKE A CHAPTER OF A STORY.

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A BOY NAMED CARL.  HE STOOD UP TO BULLIES.  ONE DAY HE LIVED ON THE EDGE AND DECIDED TO TIME TRAVEL BACK TO THE INDUSTRIAL AGE.  HE VISITED TOO LONG AND GOT TRAPPED THERE.  RIGHT NOW HIS PARENTS DON’T KNOW WHERE HE IS.  MORE TO COME LATER.

WE ARE UNDER FIRE DEALING WITH LIFEFORMS FROM ANOTHER PLANET.  HAPPINESS IS NO MORE.  CARL REALIZES HE NEEDS TO COME HOME.  CARL TRIES TO LEAVE.  THE TIME TRAVEL MACHINE BREAKS.  CARL NEEDS HELP.  HE USES HIS IPHONE TO CALL.  IT CALLS HIS CARING PARENTS.  HIS PARENTS ARE WORRIED HE WON’T FIND HIS WAY HOME.  CARL POORLY TRIES TO FIX THE MACHINE.  HE IS UNSUCCESSFUL.  IT IS LOOKING GRIM FOR CARL.

DEALING WITH THE BROKEN MACHINE PROVES TO BE CHALLENGING FOR CARL.  LEARNING TO MAKE IT WORK BY TRIAL AND ERROR BECAUSE HE CARED TOO MUCH FOR GIVING UP ON IT.  CARL PREVENTS THE LIFEFORMS BECAUSE HE WINS, FOR GOOD ALWAYS TRIUMPHS OVER EVIL.

THE END.