Week 6 Reading Diary A: Folklore of Loas

Reading diary for the unit: Folklore of Loas

A Child of the Woods

• First off, this reminded me of Native American stories that I read earlier
• I like how the woman grew in the jungle and she lost her anger while wandering through the forest
• It was interesting that she left the village she was adored at to go back to her own.

The Enchanted Mountain

• The lake sounds sort of like the fountain of youth in english folklore
• The place also reminds me sort of the Garden of Eden, especially the description of the fruit and the fact that hunters cannot take life from the animals
• Story idea: write a story as if you are the first hunter to discover this place, wonder over the beautifulness, exhilaration as you drink the water and feel younger, and frustration that you cannot kill the large fowl
• I like that the place is a reward for the tired hunter

The Spirit-Guarded Cave

• This journey seems long and hard and the emotions of the travelers are not discussed
• It seems foolish to me to leave your jewels in a cave but it was also a different time and travel isn't safe either
• I liked the ending, that the treasure stays hidden for all time

The Mountain Spirits and the Stone Mortars

• I like the theme of spirits in these stories
• The story was really short and seemed a little pointless

Why the Lip of the Elephant Droops

• This story was really weird
• I didn't like that the elephant wasn't brought up until the very end of the story!
• Story idea: the twelve maidens journey as they discover the bones until the mouth of the elephant

The Man in the Moon

• There seems to be the moral of the grass isn't always greener on the other side

The Origin of Lighting

• the element of reincarnation in this story is really cool and I like that the selfish wife doesn't get to go live in the sky

The Parrot and the Minor 

• The explanation for why parrots and minor birds can only echo what man says was really cool 

The Faithful Husband

• How did the nymph just set aside her wings?
• I like the sort of friendship the ape and Chow Soo Tome have made 
• Its really cool how large of a role that the animals play in these stories

The Faithful Wife

An Akha Woman, Laos Source: Wikipedia

I thought this image really helped picture the story when you see what the woman would have looked like as a noble, instead of a  slave. 

• The shame that the young boy felt for just the thought of marrying a salve is an interesting insight into the culture of Laos
• The young man seems very concerned with what others think of him marrying a slave, even after she has become noble
• Its sad that the man had to come to love his wife after she went to so much trouble for him

Week 5 Growth Mindset Challenge: Picture

Picture I found on Facebook that reminded me of Growth Mindset

This picture came across my Facebook feed this past week about changing your words and changing your mindset and I immediately saved it to use this week! I loved the idea that just changing the words that you say, or even just the ones that you think to yourself, can completely change your mindset. This reminded me of my struggle to change my mindset when it comes to my classes and even though this is made for elementary aged school children, I found the signs really helpful!

So I challenge y'all to read the signs and incorporate them into your classes and your lives!

Thoughts about Comments

I love to read through my comments that people post to my different stories and other blog posts! The most fun ones to read are the ones left on my Introduction post, because the author usually tells me something about him or her in their comment, which I really enjoy! While the ones on my introduction post are the most interesting, I appreciate the comments on my stories the most. Those comments allow me to improve my writing and I love when people critique my writing in their comments. I like to read which parts of my story they liked best and which parts they thought needed work! I really appreciate when commenters leave suggestions on my story posts as well! Adding a personal touch, or just why they liked or disliked my story, also makes the comment really stand out to me.

Week 5 Essay: The "Bad Guys"

One of the most common themes of almost any story, across all cultures and times, is containing a "bad guy." There is almost always someone in the story to for the main character to fight against and be victorious over, usually to end the story. Sometimes the bad guy makes you hate him, sometimes he makes you feel sorry for him, and sometimes you can completely understand the bad guy.

This week I read the Story Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, which is most commonly known by it's Disney adaptation in the movie "Aladdin." First things first, the original story is MUCH different than the movie version, exemplified by the fact that the original story takes place in China while the movie adaptation by Disney takes place in India. In the original story, the "bad guy" is a wizard who disguises himself as Aladdin's uncle in order to convince him to retrieve the lamp from the cave which he cannot enter. This wizard then disappears from the story after he seals Aladdin in the cave when Aladdin refuses to give him the treasure unless the wizard asks for it until the end of the story when he discovers that Aladdin is not dead. In the movie however, the role of the wizard and the Grand Vizir to the Sultan, two separate characters in the story, is combined into "Jafar" who is present throughout the movie. In this post, I am going to discuss the bad guy from the original story, the wizard.

In the original story, Aladdin does not overcome his opponent through his own merits. It seemed that every time that Aladdin was in a pinch, he would use the unlimited wishes he had from the genie, another difference between the story and the movie, rather than overcoming the wizard himself. In the story, the wizards motives and back story are not well revealed, making it hard to sympathize or understand why he does what he does in the story. This made for a very flat bad guy character; one that you did not understand their motive, you only reacted to his bad actions. I do not personally like these types of characters; I think that they are very unrealistic and in the real world, there are very few truly "evil" people that do bad things just because they want to. Every one has the capacity to make bad decisions and do bad things; I like characters who reflect that no one starts out completely evil and who show that, at least at one point, they are human and can feel compassion. The wizard from Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp did not show that to me.

Bad guys will always be prevalent in stories, especially stories containing some sort of hero and conflict, and in my opinion, it is better when those characters have back stories and can be at least partially understood. The wizard from Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp did not do that for me and I wish that he were more prevalent in the story.

Storytelling Week 5: Thoughts of a Faithful Mother

As I stand there for the sixth day in a row, I think, "I am Aladdin's mother. This is my duty. He loves this girl and I love him. I must ask the Sultan for her hand." But each time I think these words, they become less and less passionate and I become more discouraged.

The first day I stood in this place with much hope, holding the napkin hiding many fine jewels beneath it, and knew in my heart that the Sultan would talk to me. But that day passed, as did the next one and the next one and the next and the next one, with no success on my part. I had not even been able to speak to the Sultan and each night, I went home and disappointed my son more and more each night. But I keep coming because with each disappointing night, he asks me with a small amount of hope in my voice if I think tomorrow will be the day that I can ask the Sultan for his love's hand in marriage.

So here I stand. My feet hurt and I am frustrated, but I stand here for Aladdin so that he may be happy and find true love, like I once did long ago. The Sultan whispering something to his vizir catches my attention and brings me out of my daydreaming haze. All of the sudden the vizir is walking straight towards me and I do not know what I am going to say. I have been waiting for this moment for so long and yet I had no clue what I would say to make my case. The vizir approaches me and asks whether it would please me to follow him to kneel before the Sultan. I can't get any words out, so I just feebly nod my head and follow him through the chamber.

I kneel immediately as I reach the Sultan, my son will not lose his happiness because I can't remember my manners and respect. The Sultan tells me to rise and tell him what I want. When I hesitate and look around at the people around me, the Sultan quickly clears the room and tells me to talk to him honestly and that I will not be punished for what I say. How do I begin to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage? Though, he seems kind; I mean he did clear the room so that I could be comfortable enough to be able to ask him my question. Here goes nothing.

I blurt out how much my son loves his princess and explain that, "I prayed for him to forget her but in vain; he threatened to do some desperate deed if I refused to go and ask your Majesty for the hand of the princess. Now I pray you to forgive not me alone, but my son Aladdin."

He's staring at me quietly; is he mad? I hope he heard my desperation when I spoke of Aladdin committing unspeakable acts if he cannot be with the one he loves. I cannot lose my husband and my son. That is too much for an old lady like myself to handle.

Photo of jewel from Pixabay

He is asking to see my napkin. Oh my lord! How could I forget to present him the jewels?! I show him the marvelous jewels that Aladdin found and his face changes and he seems happy. He turns to his vizir and though I can not hear them whisper to each other, the vizir does not seem happy.

I am told that Aladdin will be allowed to marry the princess but I must not return to him for three months. What an odd request. Still I have made my case and I have succeeded. I must hurry home and tell my son the amazing news!

Authors Note:
This story is based on the 2nd part of the story Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp where Aladdin falls in love with the princess when he sees her and asks his mother to take some jewels that he found when searching for the lamp and have her ask the Sultan for the princess's hand in marriage. In the story, she stands in the chamber of the Sultan for 7 days before he talks to her and I thought that it showed so much loyalty on the mother's part to stay for so long and not give up. I thought it would be really cool to write the story in the present tense as if the reader was hearing the mother's thoughts and I think it turned out well! After the mother presents the Sultan with the jewels, he is very impressed and he is about to immediately grant her request, until the vizir interrupts and convinces him to wait for three months, so that his son might have a chance to win her over. I decided that the mother probably couldn't hear this exchange though, because I thought if she did, she probably would've told Aladdin of this, which she doesn't in the story.

Bibliography
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp from The Arabian Nights' Entertainment by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H.J. Ford (1898).

Week 5 Reading Diary A: Arabian Nights (Aladdin)

Reading diary for the Aladdin portion of the Arabian Nights Unit, I am super excited to see what differences there are between the actual story and the Disney version!

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
Part 1: 

Image from Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

This illustration is WAY different from what I would expect after watching the Disney movie based on this story.

• The story starts out different than the Disney version, I thought it was cool that Aladdin basically caused his father's death by being a bad kid. The disney version sort of ignores Aladdin's childhood.
• I wonder what the ring's purpose is?
• It seems kind of odd that the magician goes to so much trouble to get the lamp and then gives up when Aladdin simply refuses to give it to him.
• The genie comes from the ring instead of the lamp in this story! I wonder what the lamps purpose was then!

Part 2:

• Now the genie came from the lamp instead of the ring!
• I like how in this version there is no limitation to "three wishes" but the genie seems to be a much smaller character than I think he should
• I like the role of the mother and how dedicated she is to Aladdin, although he doesn't seem very grateful
• A story might come from the mother's thoughts as she waits in front of the sultan each day without anything happening, until he finally notices her. 
• The way that Aladdin tries to marry the princess is kind of frightening, he doesn't try to win her over, only to lay next to her and say nothing but that she was his.

Part 3:

• The sultan seems very okay with what has happened and doesn't believe his daughter, a much different dynamic than seen in the Disney version. 
• The sultan seems very fickle and the mother seems to obey her son no matter what
• The way that Aladdin approaches the castle reminds me of the "prince ali" parade
• Its kind of odd that no one questions how fast Aladdin was able to build an entire palace
• The end of this part describes Aladdin as modest and courteous, which I didn't find him to be by reading this story

Part 4:

• The magician's plan is very clever and had Aladdin confided in the princess, this would not have happened
• The sultan seems to overreact to the palace being gone and immediately tries to execute Aladdin
• Are there two genies? One for the ring and one for the lamp? I am sort of confused by that

Part 5:

• I didn't know that the story of Aladdin originated from them living in China, not India
• The princess and Aladdin seem more in love in this part than any other
• I like how the magician is killed

Part 6:

• The ending of the story is very odd
• The genie does show loyalty to Aladdin and the princess by refusing Aladdin's wish though

Week 4 Famous Last Words

This week, my best writing definitely came from my story I wrote for this class! I absolutely loved the story I wrote from a Falcon's point of view, coming from the Bidpai story called The King, The Falcon, and The Drinking Cup.
It was a new style for me for sure and I tried really hard to understand how the animal would feel and what he would and would not understand, he didn't know his master was a king, for example, he only understood that he was a "regal man." I focused most on how the falcon felt as he decided the second time to fly into the king's cup even after he saw how angry the king was. I thought that was important because he sort of was choosing to accept the consequences of possibly dying of the king's anger in order to save the king's life.
I also really liked the title I chose, which is usually the hardest part of the storytelling posts for me, because it highlighted the loyalty I was trying to convey in the story. I also really liked the picture I picked, which was just one of a baby falcon, because I thought that it really helped the readers picture the story when they knew what the animal they were reading about looked like!

Source: Wikipedia

One thing I learned this week was from reading other people reading diary posts. I liked how several of them that I read were in bulleted form, instead of the sentence form I usually use, and that made it way easier to pick out their thoughts on the readings and the questions that they had.

Week 4 Review

I just love this mean from the Class Announcements! I have found a lot of inspiration from the cat memes related to growth mindset this week, as I have needed quite a bit of motivation this weekend to get my stuff together and do what I need to do!

Week 4 Growth Mindset Challenge: Meme

This meme spoke to my soul this weekend as I looked back on how much I have struggled through the past two weeks! Having 200 points out of a thousand total in the past couple of weeks for one of my classes, all in the form of exams or quizzes, definitely tested my mindset! But I worked really hard to make sure that I didn't look at anything I was doing through a fixed mindset, but rather a growth mindset! I loved this meme and I will definitely bring it to mind if I struggle in the week to come! Plus who doesn't love a cat meme?!

Tech Tip Theme

Okay, so I changed the theme to my website and I am loving what I went with! Since my setting is going to be a kindergarten class/elementary school, I decided to go with the "notebook" type theme! I love that it pays homage to my setting and plus, I like the design of it! I might tweek the font a tad, but its growing on me as well! My second choice was the legal pad, but I really liked the notebook and thought it fit my setting just a tad more!

Screenshot of my website design

Tech Tip Website

Here is my new website I just created: https://sites.google.com/site/kindergartenshenanigans/home
As of right now it is very plain and I am having trouble coming up with a Title that I truly love, but in the next couple of days I plan to play around with it some more and get it to something I really like!

Extra Reading Diary: Aesop (English)

My reading diary this week is from the unit Aesop (English) because I am doing my storybook on fables from Aesop units!

The Carter and Hercules
It was really interesting to see the fables in verse form and about the Greek Gods! It was WAY different than the fables I read from the Aesop (winter) unit and it was a little harder to understand in a verse, rather than a very straightforward story. I liked the moral of basically help yourself because it is so often in today's society that we ask others to help fix our problems before we have tried ourselves.

The Two Bags
This verse form fable was super interesting! I thought it was really cool idea that we carry two bags, one with our own faults and one with other's faults. The bag behind us contains our own but we never see that one, only the one in front of us! I really liked this one because I think it is human nature to find faults in others before yourself and I liked the explantation for that in this story. This would be cool to rewrite as an adult giving advice to children.

The Wolf and the Shepard's Boy
I thought it was so cool to hear this famous story in the original verse form and I liked how simple it was. This would be a really cool story to retell with human characters because I feel like this happens all of the time with younger kids wanting attention.

A Miser and Rotten Apples
This story was written in prose, rather than verse. Although this story was sort of hard to understand and the moral was very long, I did like the story and what it was saying. It would be hard to rewrite this story with children though.

The Dancing Apes
I really liked this story! It was super interesting and really unexpected! I liked that the moral was that the Force of Nature is stronger than learned behaviors. I had never really thought about it like that. It would be really really cool to rewrite, though it would be hard to think of a force of nature for children though.

The Fox and the Crow
This story was back to being in verse form. This seemed to really outline the typical tricky nature of a fox that you see in so many different forms. I also really liked that the fox was out tricked in this story by an even trickier stork. This would be cool to use for my storybook.

A Fox and a Cat
This was a cool take on 'tricks' and that the cat only has one sure trick and it work out for it because it can climb a tree when danger comes but the fox had hundreds of slippery tricks that did not help him when the danger came.

The Lion King
First off, I just got really excited to read this story because of the title! I liked the story but thought it would be hard to use for my storybook as the moral wasn't super clear.

The Ass and the Lion Hunting
I liked that the donkey was very quiet and did not boast about anything. He was also very wise which I find isn't usually the case when donkeys are portrayed in stories.

Two Laden Asses
This moral was very odd to me: poverty is easy and safe, while riches are a great snare. I think it makes sense in the context of being robbed, but not in any other context. I liked the story but I dont think that it would be a good moral to teach children. The illustration is really cool though:

Illustration by Billinghurst

Storytelling Week 4: The Life of a Loyal Falcon

I have spent my child as a lowly eyass, otherwise known as a baby falcon, trying to fight for the scraps and respect of my peers. My parents did not have a high status within our cast and, therefore, I could not achieve a high status. I struggled through my younger years with the notion that I could never make my parents as proud as I had always hoped.

Photo of Young Falcon Source: Wikipedia

Everything changed the fateful night I was captured by a tall, broad man in regal clothing. At first, I was so scared and I had no clue what I would do. I had been pulled from my parents and my cast, what was I going to do? 

Though we had a harsh beginning, my time with the regal man grew to be my favorite time that I had ever experienced. I knew that I was important, though I was sort of unsure why, and I only wished that I could show my parents the way that I had climbed and the status that I had achieved. I spent my time in a large mansion and only the regal man fed me and took me hunting. I worked hard for the regal man and he lavished me with affection.

One day, while hunting with the regal man, all of the sudden, none of his men were around us. What was going on? Before I knew it, the regal man had a cup to the dreadful stream. NO! He can't do that! The stream is poisonous... I did the first thing I could think of and I flew straight at the cup. The regal man got mad though and went to put the cup back in the stream. I knew I must save him, he had been so good to me. I flew into it a second time and I had a feeling that this would not end well for me. 

As the cup fell, the regal man reached out in rage and his hands fell on me. Though as I felt my last breaths left me, it was all worth it. 

Author's Note  I based this story off of the Indian story called The King, The Falcon, and the Drinking Cup.  When I read this story, I was struck by the loyalty of the falcon and wanted to write it from the falcon's perspective. I also thought it would be really cool to make the falcon never truly understand that the man was a King, only that he was a 'regal man.'

Bibliography

"The King, The Falcon, and the Drinking Cup" from The Tortoise and the Geese and Other Fables of Bidpai by Maude Barrows Dutton, with illustrations by E. Boyd Smith (1908). 

Reading Diary A: Bidpai

Introduction
The beginning of the story about condensing the King's library collection reminded me a lot of how information is condensed in today's time for social media. I liked the beginning of the story but had a little trouble getting used to the terminology and wording. Bidpai seems like a really interesting character.
The Rustic and the Nightingale
The language of this part of the story reminded me very much of the Aesop's fables that I read last week. Especially with the Nightingale being able to talk to the rustic and giving him a reward for doing the right think. I was left very curious at the end of this story and wanted to know more!
The King, The Falcon, and The Drinking-Cup
I really liked how this story started and drew me in, however I was very surprised how the story took a turn, though I really liked how the falcon saved the king's life and the king had no idea. That is true loyalty on the part of the falcon!
The Two Travelers
The beginning of this story starts really intriguing with such an odd request of the travelers to receive a feast. I was surprised that the two travelers separated and one attempted to complete surprise. I was also completely shocked that the story ended with him being crowned king for being brave enough to attempt the task.
Poor man, Rich man, Young man
The three stories were very intertwined with the underlying idea of being punished for being greedy. Each of these stories very much included elements of karma, which I thought was really cool.
The Merchant and His Iron
I liked how clever and devious the merchant was to get his iron back. I really liked that the merchant controlled his anger in order to get back his iron, not just to punish the friend.

Granville, Illustration of La Fontaine

I really liked this illustration and thought it was really cool!

Gardener, Farmer, Tyrant

The story of the gardener and the bear very much reminded me of an Aesop fable and it ended very differently than I would have expected. The moral was a little hard to swallow, as you want to have an optimistic outlook and give people the benefit of the doubt, but it is true. 

The King, the Hermit, and the Two Princes

I liked how this story ended because it was better for the kingdom that the two sons were not kings.

The Carpenter and the Ape

This story had an interesting moral of not meddling in other people's business. I think its cool to see the difference in morals between the English Aesop's fables and the Indian stories I am reading this week!

The Hunter, the Fox, and the Leopard

I thought it was cool that the story had the fox being smarter than the hunter and ignoring the trap but the Leopard was not smarter, but stronger than the Hunter and therefore was able to kill him even after falling in the small trap. 

Storybook Brainstorming on Styles

Topic I have decided to use stories from Aesop's fables my Storybook after I loved writing my story this week! I found the story to be really easy and natural to write and I loved that I felt like the point came across really well! I would take three different stories from Aesop's fables and use the morals to create stories with children characters and situations that would apply to them! I liked the idea of using my stories to help teach kids morals that are really seen in children's stories today.
The stories I have researched and decided to most likely include are:
         The Eagle and the Jackdaw
         The Sheep and the Pig

The sheep and the pig illustration

because I loved their morals and saw them fitting in with a human story well.
I also plan to use sites, such as Wikipedia, to help me understand the morals in order to write the best possible retelling.
Bibliography
The Sheep and the Pig, from Aesop for Children illustrated by Milo Winter (1919).
The Eagle and the Jackdaw, from Aesop for Children illustrated by Milo Winter (1919).

Storytelling styles
I like the idea of making my storybook sort of like a Winnie the Pooh book for children, but with an Aesop moral in each story! I definitely want to aim my stories towards children with children characters!
I think a third person storytelling method would work really well because it would be like a mom or dad telling a child a story. This is my favorite and I think it is the most logical selection for my story since it is the most common point of view for Children's books.

A first person storytelling method could also be really cool because it would be like the child learning the moral in real time and you would be able to see that! I hadn't thought about doing that until this post but it could be really cool to use a kid's thoughts during my stories!

I think I would like to create characters, maybe even the ones I used from this week's storytelling post, and connect each story in a frametale style! I think that this would be the coolest way to do it.

But it also might be hard to make the morals of each story work for the characteristics of a single set of characters. I could also do more of a anthology and use different characters each story. I could even keep the characters all in the same elementary school so that the connection makes more sense! Or I could use completely different characters and settings, much like Aesop does.

Extra Reading Diary: Eskimo Folk Tales

Reading diary for the first half of Eskimo Folk Tales!

The Coming of Men, A Long, Long, While Ago
I liked that this story was in the oral storytelling style and also the beginning of Earth was super interesting that it just fell from the sky and it was made. There was also a similarity to the idea of Adam and Eve because in this story the people were also covered in leaves. I really like how vague this story was and how it really sounds like something your grandparents would tell you about the "olden days." The story took a unexpected turn when it tells us that there was no sun and water could burn in the old days. It was cool that the Eskimo people believed that they chose for death to happen in exchange for the sun moon and stars.

Nukunguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak
This story had a lot of terminology that I had to look up because they were things that were obviously things that were specific to the Eskimo culture. I liked that Nukunguasik basically got away with killing the middle brother but that didn't feel that bad because the brother was trying to kill him.

The Woman who had a Bear as a Foster-Son
This story reminded me of the story of hulk because the bear had no one to play with because he was too strong. This story was very sad though but I liked that the foster mother did what right for the village even though she had to give up her bear.

Qalaganguase, Who Passed to the Land of the Ghosts
I liked the style of this story and it seemed to have more of a moral than the other stories, that the boy did not listen to the warning and he did not receive his strength back. It had sort of an odd ending though.

Inuit Family Source: Wikipedia

Isigaligarssik

I liked that this story the man won over the wizard but it was very confusing and hard to read. 

Atungait

I really liked learning about the ball games, that was really cool!

The Giant Dog

This story was kind of sad, but I really liked how it ended!

Reading Diary B: Aesop for Children (Winter)

My notes for the second half of Aesop for Children by Milo Winter!

The Mule
I liked the realness of this story and that it touched on being sure of who your family is and where you come from before you brag about it.

The Wolf and the Shepard
The moral of this story, Once a wolf, always a wolf, is very realistic and kind of hard to swallow. We always want to believe that people can change and that bad people can be good. But sometimes it is just a bad person trying to trick you and you have to be weary of that. I also really enjoyed the illustration.

The Wolf and the Shepard

The Fox and the Crab

This story just really reminded me of the warning, the grass is never greener on the other side. 

The Bull and the Goat

I liked that this story reminded me of don't kick someone when they're down. But I liked that this implied that it is not only wrong but that it is wicked. 

The Quack Toad

I had to read this story twice because the moral seemed a little off for the story. When you read the moral by itself it seems that you should mend yourself first to be in the best shape to be able to mend others. But when you read the story it is more that no one would what to be cured by a doctor who has warts all over the place because why wouldn't he have mended himself already? 

The Cat and the Old Rat

This made me think of "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." It is very wise to always remember those that have tricked you. I sort of believe in forgiveness, but not necessarily forgetting what happened. 

Jupiter and the Monkey

I liked that Roman mythology was referenced; I love when other culture's mythology is referenced! This story truly showed how large a mother's love is and how often it can blind you to the most obvious things.

The Wolves and the Sheep

Always remember who your friends are and do not be tempted by shiny new things. 

Storytelling Week 3: Kindergarten Shenanigans

You are judged by the company you keep.

Moral of "The Farmer and the Stork" from Aesop's Fables

Reading Diary A: Aesop for Children (Winter)

This is my reading diary A for the Unit Aesop for Children (Winter).

The Tortoise and the Ducks
I liked this story's moral: Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune. It was an interesting story on how the tortoise could not resist telling the crow that he was indeed the king of the tortoises even when the ducks had warned him not to speak.
The Eagle and the Jackdaw
I liked the ending of this story and the idea you shouldn't do something just because you saw that someone else was able. I also like the picture in this story, it helped me visualize the story.

Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook

The Oxen and the Wheels

I like that this story personified a inanimate object, as well at the animal. I also liked the moral: They who complain most suffer least. 

The Farmer and the Stork

This was my favorite story! I loved the moral: you are judged by the company you keep. I think that is so incredible relatable to times today and it is often lost in todays modern time. We too often think we are only judged on who we are as a person, but most often we are judged on who is around us. 

The Boys and the Frogs

The moral of this story, Always stop to think whether your fun may not be the cause of another's unhappiness, hit home to me. I liked that the moral pointed out that our actions affect other and making someone unhappy is more important than you having fun. 

The Lion, The Bear, and The Fox

This story was cool and I liked that it taught to work together but also that the ones who work the hardest do not always receive the spoils of their work. 

The Wolf and the Lean Dog

Take what you can get when you can get it; I like that moral and find it to line up with a realist point of view, rather than an optimist who would always think something better is coming.

The Dogs and the Hides

This story was enjoyable to read and I could easily figure out the moral to the story. 

Week 2 Review

Meme from Sunday's Class Announcement

This meme just spoke to me on another level:

1. That cat looks almost EXACTLY like my cat, and this is totally something that mine would do!

2. I hate taking risks and I just liked the reminder to take risks in my everyday life. If this cat can do it, so can I!

Week 2's Famous Last Words

It has been a crazy hectic and busy week and my school work definitely showed that this week. Compared to orientation week and the first week, this week I submitted assignments much closer to the deadline than I was comfortable with. I found myself getting very caught up in my other classes and not sticking to the schedule I had created for this class. This coming week I am going to work harder to keep up with my assignments in all of my classes, especially focusing on making sure my assignments in this class do not get forgotten.
I ended up only doing the half-reading this week, because I let it fall to the bottom on my to do list and it did not get done. I read from Ovid's Metamorphoses and I throughly enjoyed the Greco-Roman mythology. It was nice that the readings were familiar to me and that helped me get used to how to read the stories. Although I had a lot of trouble with the Reading Diaries, I couldn't really come up with what I wanted to put in my notes. I do want to read something farther from my comfort zone next week though.
I felt like my writing was good this week, but my story concept was not as strong as it was in week one. I had a hard time thinking of a way to retell the stories in Ovid's Metamorphoses because so many different angles are told in the stories themselves. What I ended up with, though, I thought was good and I really do like how my story ended up!
My week consisted of a lot of studying for other classes, but I was very proud of myself for the amount I studied and how dedicated I was this week. Now to just continue that on throughout the rest of the semester.

Personal photo of my study space this week (September 2015)

Tech Tip Poster

Poster created by me on the AutoMotivator Website with random image (September 2015)

Source: AutoMotivator

This was my first time creating a "demotivated" poster and I thought it wasn't that bad! I came up with the phrase looking at the picture of the Earth and seeing how big it really is and how many people must be included in that picture. 

Week 2 Growth Mindset Challenge

Since learning about the concept of Growth Mindset and realizing I am often guilty of not applying this mindset to my own life and classes, I have been wondering how I can apply this mindset to my own thinking when it comes to my classes or even just my life altogether.

My most difficult class this semester, and probably my entire college career, is Human Anatomy. I have already struggled with sheer magnitude of information that I am required to know and all the different applications of that information. So this past week I worked on my growth mindset and applied it to my studying for my human anatomy practical coming up this week.
One of my favorite study techniques is studying information for a set period of time and then quizzing myself on what I have learned in that time period. Often times, I find myself stuck in remembering the same things and not remembering the same things each time. I start to think things like "I can't learn these new things" or "I must just know what I know and that's it." These types of thoughts are in a fixed mindset that I am only as smart as I am and can only learn a fixed amount of things, like my brain only has a certain amount of space for this information.
This past week, however, I worked on focusing on how exciting being able to learn all of this new information was and how much room I had to grow. Instead of just rote memorizing the words on my flashcards, I worked to think about how I could use this information and how much potential I have. I found my studying to be so much more enjoyable and I feel like I learned more. When I quizzed myself, I didn't get discouraged by the things that I didn't know, instead I got excited to work to really learn them.

I think the challenge presented to me in Anatomy can be seen in almost any fact-based class that I have taken or will take. Often it seems that you are only able to learn so much, like your intelligence directly decides how much information you can remember. In the future, I will try to apply a growth mindset to these classes and learn to love to learn, not just try to memorize!

Just an idea of what I look at all day!

Photo of the bones of the arm and shoulder

Source: Wikipedia

MythFolklore Storybook Topics Brainstorm

MythFolklore Storybook Topics Brainstorm

Juno's Wrath
Comments: In my readings this week from Ovid's Metamorphoses, I noticed how often Jupiter sleeps around on Earth and also how often Juno's rage causes her to punish those he has slept with. I think it would be really cool to do a set of stories on her inner monologue of what she is thinking and feeling as she learns that Jupiter has cheated again and as she decides to punish the girls. Maybe it could be a concept of an Autobiography by Juno to explain herself since she sometimes get a bad name.
Possible stories: There are several stories on the Untextbook about Juno's wrath, or at least contain elements of Juno's wrath in them. In my first reading unit, I read three already! I searched online and there are also several sources with both Greek and Roman mythology to browse through and I found a couple more stories about Juno and her punishments.
Sample Story: I would like to use the story of Castillo if I were to use this topic for my storybook! I think Juno's punishment for Castillo is very unique and the story mostly focuses on Castillo rather than Juno, so I think it would be cool to flip that around and show Juno's side of things!
Bibliography Info:
Sample story: Castillo
Book Title: Ovid's Metamorphoses
Book Author: Translated by Tony Kline
Year: 2000

Fast Forward to Fairy Tales
Comments: I like the concept of using Fairy Tales and giving them a new spin. For this I could take the Fairy tales, not the disney versions, from the Europa's Fairy Book Unit and write them as if they had been propelled into the 21st century, complete with technology and language from today. I like the idea of making the fairy tales really relatable, but still keep with the real versions, not the watered down versions that Disney sells. I do want to work on a better title though, something more creative!
Possible stories: There are several stories from Europa's Fairy Book Unit, like The Cinder-Maid and Beauty and the Beast, that I would be able to readapt into modern times. I also like the idea of telling a lesser known fairy tale in modern times; I think it would be cool because there are less preconceptions in readers minds if the fairy tale isn't famous. I was also able to search online to find Brother's Grimm versions of several fairy tales, which are very very different from the Disney versions, that I could use!
Sample Story: I would like to start with the story of The Cinder-Maid because it is the most famous and well known fairytale. I think this would make a great start to a Storybook because the reader would start by reading a topic that they are comfortable with. I could start the story as a modern fairytale with a tweet as the invite to the Royal Ball, rather than the announcement in the square!
Bibliography Info:
Sample Story: The Cinder-Maid
Book Title: Europa's Fairy Book
Book Author: Joseph Jacobs, Illustrated by: John Batten
Year: 1916

Dateline: Understanding the Circles of Hell
Comments: The poem of Dante's Inferno definitely intrigues me and I think it would be cool to do a storybook on what its like to be stuck in different circles of hell. I thought it would be interesting to do a TV interview format, much like the investigative TV show Dateline, and interview different sets of people stuck in the different levels of hell and why they are there.
Possible Stories: The unit Dante's Inferno contains the entire poem, from which I could pull stories from. Also, Wikepedia's page on Inferno (Dante) is also very helpful in explaining the back stories of the people met in each level of hell and that could help me form the stories (sometimes it can be hard to understand exactly what happened or what is going on because of the language of the poem).
Sample Story: The first story that stood out to me to use was the story of Paolo and Francesca in the second circle of hell, Lust. I thought it would be cool to "interview" them to have them describe why they did what they did and if they think they deserve the punishment that they received. Their story is described well in the poem and I think it would be fun to "get to the bottom" of why they are there.
Bibliography Info:
Sample Story: Paolo and Francesca
Book Title: Dante's Divine Comedy
Book Author: Translated by Tony Kline
Year: 2002

Being Human in an Aesop Fable
Comments: Most of Aesop's fables use animals to demonstrate the moral of each story, however, I thought it would be really cool to take those animal fables and create a human story! Take the animals in the story and make them human characters and make the basis of the story, like what the conflict is over, human based! I think this concept would take a lot of creativity and it would deviate from the original stories quite a bit.
Possible Stories: Looking at the Index of Aesop's Fables is almost overwhelming as there are so many to choose from! It would take awhile to pick just four, but I like that I have a large enough selection to pick four perfect stories for my storybook. There are also a lot of analysis's of Aesop fables available online to make sure I am not changing the moral basis of the fable!
Sample Story: The Ant and the Dove comes with the moral of "a kindness is never wasted" which I thought really could be applied to a human situation. I immediately thought of one kid saving another from being bullied, and then the bullied kid showing kindness back to the kid who saved him. 
Bibliography Info:
Sample Story: The Ant and the Dove
Book Title: The Aesop for Children
Book Author: Illustrations by Milo Winter
Year: 1919

Week 2: Extra Reading Diary: Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4)

This is my reading diary for the second half of Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4), I did not complete a Reading Diary B, so this is where I am taking my notes.

Echo
It is interesting to me that Jupiter tell Juno that women receive more from love and love making when it is men in myths that often take what they want and rape young women. It seems that if women enjoyed love more, than this would not be the case. Juno's wrath is seen once again when she takes Echo's speech away from her in order for the nymphs that have been with Jupiter to flee. I thought the way that Echo disappears into thin air was interesting and could be a great story.

Narcissus
It would be interesting to write a story about the thoughts and feelings of Rhamnusia as she decides to punish Narcissus. Narcissus is fixed in place by his own reflexion, it kind of parallels to how young adults act in modern day with selfies and self obsession on social media. I did not know that Narcissus knew that he was in love with himself and that it was not a joke.

Pyramis and Thisbe
It could be really cool to write a story from the perspective of the thin split in the wall where Pyramis an Thisbe spoke to each other; the wall would have heard everything and have known their struggles and their love story. I love the similarities you can see to Romeo and Juliet in this story.

Mars and Venus
I liked the fact that Vulcan was able to think of a plan to catch Mars and Venus when he learned of their affair.

Perseus and Andromeda
The exchange between Perseus and Andromeda is fascinating because he fall in love with her after only a few sentences. That idea of such fast and quick love seems common in old myths and stories.

Perseus and Medusa
I loved the description of the marriage ceremony as it is so different from what is seen today. Medussa and her story would also be interesting to delve into further.

Medusa Source: Wikipedia

Storytelling for Week 2: Great Bear watches over the Earth

For many years, I have lost count myself, I have watched over the Earth and its people with my son near my side. From the night sky, I see everything that happens during the dark hours of the night and have learned much from my years up here. During the day, the Sun and its chariot blaze past me blinding me and leaving my sight blind for hours; but as soon as the sun has made its journey and it is the moons turn, it is also my turn to observe the people and all I can see. A lifetime ago, Jupiter raped me and he left me to bear his child in shame. I was shunned for what happened, the actions that I fought so hard against left me alone with a child growing inside me. I was denied to bathe with the one I loved the most, Diana, and shunned from her. I had never felt more shame than in that moment; as I walked away my eyes stayed on the ground and tears threatened to fall over at any moment.

Diana Bathing with her Nymphs by Rembrandt van Rijn

Source: Wikipedia

It wasn't until I bore my child that I knew the full extent that my suffering would be. I felt so ashamed for what happened and I was lost and I was alone. But my child would get me through this hard time, I loved him or her no matter what and we could get through whatever as long as we were together. But Juno had other ideas how my son, Arcas, and I would spend our time and it definitely not together. In her fury that I had bore a son, something that she could not do herself, she lashed out at me and transformed my body into a bear; but my mind stayed as human as it ever was. The feeling was horrible and indescribable and painful. Hair began to grow everywhere, every bone in my body began to change shape. Let's just say that I don't exactly like to go back and relive that moment. Well obviously my son was taken from me and raised elsewhere; that was probably the hardest part, knowing that I could not see him grow and become the great man I knew he was going to grow into. We didn't meet for fifteen years, and the day that we finally did was the day that we were thrown into the sky to live as stars for eternity. As my son saw my face and I saw his, I knew he would not recognize me but I knew him.

Even now, after he pointed his bow at me and Jupiter showed his "mercy" to makes us constellations instead of having a son kill his own mother, we cannot talk to each other. He does not know why he is up here with me and I am unable to tell him. It is hard as a mother to know that he probably despises me for what I have done to him. To grow up without his mother and then to be hurled into the sky without so much as a explanation; it must be hard and for that, I wish I could tell him how truly sorry I am.

Ursa Major and Minor or the "Big Bear" and "Little Bear"

Source: Wikipedia

Author's Note
I developed this story off of the story of Castillo from Ovid's Metamorphoses translated by Tony Kline (2000). I decided to go with a different type of storytelling technique this time; I told this story as if I was Castillo and I was telling you my story. I wanted to tell you the story as if she were looking back on it and how she felt at the time. I came up with this idea when I was reading the story and wanted to know how Castillo was feeling and what she was thinking. I thought I could give you a glimpse of how I thought she felt when all of this was happening. I used the original story, but told it in the past tense and add a thought narrative as the story progressed, I made sure to include her thoughts and feelings about what happened. At the end I explained that Castillo was unable to tell her son who she was and what had happened; I got this idea from the story when as a Bear she was unable to communicate with him, I thought about how horrible it would be to not be able to talk to your son for thousands of years when he was right next to you.

Bibliography
"Castillo" from Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000). Web Source: University of Virginia Library

Reading Diary A: Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4)

This is my reading diary for my first reading of the semester from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Books 1-4.

Deucalion and Pyrrha

At the beginning of the story, the river gods caught my attention, as they are not mentioned much even though they are the ones to truly flood the earth. I liked that Deucalion and Pyrrha did not understand the goddess's instructions at first; I've found in reading mythology that instructions from Gods are often very confusing. The actual flood was the part I enjoyed most about the story, especially when the animals were included and described. 

Io

This story starts out very harsh with the rape of a young virgin, which seems very common with Jupiter. I sympathize with her father's sufferings as well. I found Juno's part in this story very interesting. 

Phaethon and Sun

I loved the description of the Sun's palace and how easily I could imagine it in my head. I wish that Phaethon asking to be able to control the chariot and the reactions were described better; I thought they would have had more emotions. 

Phaethon's Ride

Phaethon's ego intrigues me and his sure attitude makes for disaster in this story. My favorite part of the story was when Phaethon looses the reins and disaster is imminent for earth; I thought this could have been described with more imagery. 

The Death of Phaethon

The way that Phaethon dies is very interesting, Jupiter cannot control his anger and his ego shows through because he is the only one able to save the world. I like how Jupiter's punishments are turning Phaethon's relatives and those who allowed him to take the chariot into animals and plants. It would be such an interesting feeling to be turning into something completely not human and maybe not even know the reason why. 

Callisto

Again Jupiter rapes a young woman, which I have seen is a very common theme. It seems that every girl that Jupiter rapes is punished for her discretion, even when she fights him. It is an interesting sign of the patriarch dominated society at the time that these myths were written. The ending of the story is very interesting, that Jupiter considers it mercy to make the mother and son into constellations instead of the son unknowingly killing his mother. 

Semele

It is interesting that Juno's rage is directed to kill the woman Jupiter has been adulterous with, where as in the past stories she has sought to transform them into something else. I also love the irony that because Juno killed Semele, Semele's son was turned into a God by Jupiter's divine full presence. Now Juno must live with him for eternity, but if she had done nothing he would have remained alive only for his mortal lifespan.

Painting of Phaethon in the Sun's Chariot

by Gustave Moreau

Source: Wikipedia