On WORD PLAY and Happiness

As part of the general goal of recognizing, appreciating and effectively utilizing the nuances of language – Raffy was given several activities dealing with subtleties on the word-level. One such activity deals with the transforming “magic” that affixes have on word-meanings. The following are just some examples of Raffy’s word definitions:

v    The Universe is a place that consists of galaxies and stars.

v    Semifinal is a term in games that signals halfway to become the champion.

v    A Superhighway is a long road that can support many vehicles.

v    Prepaid is a term that means that you pay before you get it.

Another task for nuanced language deals with words with multiple meanings. For this part, we would simulate a guessing game that Raffy – THE GAME MASTER – played with several reading clinicians (and even his mom) one afternoon. To prepare for this fun activity, Raffy had to independently choose word(s) that may be used in different contexts, note down the word’s dictionary meanings, and produce original sentences as clues leading to the word in question.

To make it slightly easier for the readers, the number of items has been reduced, and the choices for the correct answers have been provided:

RAFFY’S WORD LIST and their dictionary meanings, as noted. Table : a piece of furniture consisting of a flat part resting on legs : a compact arrangement of information in parallel columns. Type : a kind or class : to write on a typewriter, computer keyboard, etc. Abuse : to use wrongly : mistreatment

RAFFY’S GAME:

Fill in the blanks of each pair of sentences with ONE word that would satisfy the context of BOTH sentences:

o       The king has been _______ his power ever since.

o       There are a lot of _______ children.

o       We brought a new ______ from the warehouse.

o       This _______ has information about our resources.

o       There are so many different _______ of animals.

o       Too much ______ can cause carpal tunnel syndrome.

In this last work featured, Raffy was given the chance to express how he equates summer to family togetherness.

Since there was an acknowledged difficulty in recalling events and details, he was first asked to enumerate as many occasions and/or activities he could remember, and then to plot them on a timeline to establish time order.

He was then tasked to list supporting details for the events given, all based on self-generated “wh” questions. Raffy’s final pre-writing activity was the production of a bulleted guide for his main idea – together with its supporting details – for each paragraph.

My Favorite Parts of Summer

I went to Davao at the start of summer. I went there by plane for one hour. I went with my mom first, while my dad came later. I left Davao fifteen days before the end of summer. My three favorite parts of summer are when I was playing videogames, and then when I went to Maxima, and when I celebrated my birthday.

I played video games when I did not have plans. I played them in my house with my cousins. Second, I went to Maxima, a popular place that is home to a big water slide. I went there by boat. I went there to have fun with my relatives. Last, I celebrated my 13^th birthday in May 12 with my cousins and relatives in Davao.

I like my favorite parts of summer because they make me happy but the most favorite part of my summer is my 13^th birthday. In the future, I will spend more time with my relatives.

Raffy is currently a 7^th grader in a progressive school in Alabang. As can probably be gleaned from his set of works – Raffy enjoys games, and develops best when allowed to infuse learning with creativity and fun. His interests extend from science to chess to boxing and to (a more recent addition) drum playing. His favorite activity, however, is still spending time with family. 

Poetry from the Self-Professed Non-Poet

When he started his 7^th reading intervention program, this young man confessed to having this particular literary genre as his least favorite. He said it was intimidating. He said that he could not possibly ever really like it – much less write in its style.

You would understand, then – what a pleasant (self) discovery this has been for him.

What follows are some of his works for this trimester.

This first one strictly adheres to the structure of the English or Shakespearean Sonnet, down to the rhyme scheme and the 5 iambic feet in each line.

OPPORTUNITY LOST

                       

They always make noise inside the classroom,

Wanting to see the teacher lose control

They think it’s a game, I think they presume,

And they always, and always reach their goal.

Playing video games all day long, winning,

One game after another, winning all.

Non-stop gaming, rather than living.

They go with the motto: I win them all.

Looking at another persons paper,

They avoid getting caught, and they succeed.

Also avoiding the sight of the teacher,

They get the answers, the answers they need.

The short-cut to winning they always choose

Though they do not know, in the end they lose.

The following reflects a passion for perfection, in more ways than one. This is very much evidenced by the meticulous care and detailed attention given to construct the central image of this, his very first Concrete Poem. The resulting chaos and confusion displayed by his final output also seem to inadvertently mirror this young man’s own befuddlement, as he – with his youthful idealism and patriotic pride – tries to make sense of this tragedy that he has just witnessed.

Last, but most certainly not the least, is this young man’s series of poems, all following the 5-7-5 syllabic pattern of the Japanese Haiku. Since, in formatting for his final output, this young poet decided to play with his font and color choices – he now claims a new and original form, putting together Haiku and Concrete Poetry. He has decided to call this form the HAIKRETE. J

This fifteen year-old who, from now on, shall be referred to by his nom de plume: CIPHER – not only writes poetry (something he swears he is not good at, even when faced with amazing examples proving otherwise) – he is also now beginning to appreciate this literary genre, as he reads Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Cipher of course juggles his reading with his other pursuits like his academics, playing the guitar, listening to heavy metal, and playing air soft. 

An Expedition with Relations

Lucas’s European cruise with his family was used as a springboard for two different tasks aiming to further develop his expressive skills, especially in expounding on a subject by providing supporting details.

To help in concretizing his memories, Lucas was asked to use a timeline as his graphic organizer.

This timeline was then used as a basis for his pre-writing exercise of noting down word/phrase associations for each place visited. For his first work, he was asked to follow the structure of a three-paragraph essay – featuring the introduction, the body and the concluding paragraphs.

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      My Summer

                 My summer vacation was long but felt short, because it was fun.

It started well. I lay down and watched TV all day long. I was with my parents and little brother. At the middle of summer, I went to Europe with most of my family.

                

                  My grandfather planned the trip around Europe. I went to 8 countries but I will talk about only 3. Amsterdam was the first place we went to. It was cold and had a lot of bicycles. We went to a wooden shoe factory in Holland. Another place we went to is Russia. There we went to a winter palace in St. Petersburg. It is connected to an art museum. The last place we went to was Spain. We were with my grandfather’s friend and explored Barcelona, Spain.

                   I had a great time in Europe. I had fun in the trip because of the things we saw. I learned about new sights in the world. Sights like the famous paintings of  Da Vinci and Van Gogh. I want to go there again because Europe was a good place to go to.

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The three particular stops that Lucas identified in the previous essay (Amsterdam, Russia and Spain) were further explored. This time, visual prompts – in the form of photos – were used to assist Lucas in coming up with even more information specific to the experience.

The original output of this task is a Powerpoint presentation, which he was able to make with minimal guidance. The main slides were converted into pictures – as seen in the series below:

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My Summer (in Powerpoint)

(The text of each slide has been transcribed, for easier reading)

Amsterdam/Holland

Ø      A big windmill beside a pond.

Ø      The unpainted wooden shoes (above) only last for 3 years.

Ø      The shoe maker explains about making the shoes. He used a block of wood.

Ø      A statue of Rembrandt. My dad likes his paintings a lot.

Ø      Outside an amusement park with some big shoes.

Russia

Ø      Walking in front of a summer palace in St. Petersburg. It was big with a lot of rooms surrounded by gold. There was a room covered in amber.

Ø      This is a long ceiling of fresco pictures of bible stories in the old testament. I stared at it for a while because it was very detailed.

Ø      This is the unfinished sculpture of Michelangelo. It is a man exercising.

Ø      This is the painting of the return of the prodigal son by Rembrandt. I think it is a bible story.

Spain

Ø      This is a winery. It is somewhere in Barcelona. It was boring. The tour was about making wine out of a fruit.

Ø      This is Paella. It is a kind of Spanish food. There is egg, shrimp, and fried rice mixed in a pan.

Ø      This street performer looks like a headless guy. But I saw some hair when the picture was taken.

Ø      I was with my brother and some guy in a robot costume. It transforms, somehow. My parents thought it was Bumblebee, but the body didn’t look like it because of the wheels.

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Now on his 5^th reading intervention program with Wordlab, Lucas’s steady growth  – both physically and in his literacy skills – has been unmistakable. He is a very diligent 7^th grader; yet he never forgets to make time for creative expression through drawing and painting. In fact, he recently joined his school’s Art Club.

Jon and His LEA

One of the methods used to enhance comprehension skills, as well as develop expressive language, is LEA – or the Language Experience Approach. In the samples below, Jon was asked to independently follow a procedure, beginning with the preparation of materials, until making sure that the work area is left clean after the activity is done.

In this first LEA activity, Jon was asked to do the experiment, purely based on the text provided below. Hardly any guidance was given; monitoring was mainly focused on maintaining safety.

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Erupting Volcano Experiment

Materials:

·        Small bottle

·        Clay

·        Measuring cup

·        Plate

·        Bowl

·        Dropper

·        Spoon

·        Funnel

·        ¼ cup of hot water

·        ¼ cup of vinegar

·        5 drops of red food coloring

·        2 spoonfuls of baking soda

Procedure:

First, get a small bottle and put it on a plate. Second, wrap the clay around the bottle to make your own volcano, making the plate as your base. Be as creative as you want to be! Then, put this plate of volcano in a bowl. After making sure that the plate of volcano is steady, measure ¼ cup of hot water and pour it into the bottle.  Then, using the medicine dropper, mix 5 drops of red food coloring into the hot water in the bottle. Afterwards, put 2 spoonfuls of baking soda into the mixture. Make sure you use a funnel so the baking soda does not spill all over! Now, your volcano is complete. Well, almost. The final ingredient is the most important, so make sure you pour it slowly. Can you guess what the final ingredient is? If you have figured it out, that means you are ready to make this volcano erupt! Have fun!

After the activity, as well as the resulting discussion, was done – an integral part of any LEA activity is an independently written essay outlining the materials, steps, learning points and conclusions or opinions made from the experience. Guidance was initially given Jon regarding the parts of a three-paragraph essay, as well as the essential ideas incorporated within the parts: introduction, body and conclusion.

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MAKING A BAKING SODA VOLCANO ERUPT

          When a base and an acid mix, carbon dioxide will be produced. A baking soda volcano erupts carbon dioxide, which is produced by a base and an acid. In making a baking soda volcano erupt, you will need clay, a paper plate, 1/4 cup of vinegar, red dye, 1/4 cup of hot water, two spoonfuls of baking soda, a bottle, a big basin, and just to stay safe, a funnel.

          In making a baking soda volcano, first put the bottle standing on the plate. Then wrap the bottle around with clay so it will look like a volcano but do not cover the hole of the bottle.

After that, put the plate of volcano into the basin. Now that the making of the baking soda volcano is complete, it is time to make the mix that will make the volcano erupt. First pour the hot water into the volcano and also put the red dye into the volcano. Then put the two spoons of baking soda into the volcano using a funnel and a spoon. After that, pour the vinegar into the volcano but be quick and careful or the hot water will fry your hands.

          Carbon dioxide is produced by the mix. The production is too fast, the mix has to get out of the bottle for more space. If you are smelling something now, that may be the carbon dioxide from the volcano mix and it isn’t good for the lungs.

Video Link to Jon's Erupting Volcano Experiment

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In this second LEA activity, Jon was given the procedure in the form of picture diagrams. He was once again given minimal guidance, but was encouraged to ask questions when in need of clarification.

After making his own kite, Jon was given the chance to test-fly his kite. Some difficulties were encountered, as there was a marked absence of any breeze that day. But, as Jon himself explains in the following written output, he was able to creatively solve this problem.

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Kite

This essay is about making and flying a kite. In making a kite, you will need plastic bags, string, sticks, scissors, a marker and tape. You will also need a big open space like a park, field, or even a big building top.

          The first thing you have to do in making a kite is cut the plastic bag into a shape of a diamond. Then put the two sticks in a + shape. Make sure the sticks end at the pointy ends of the plastic diamond. After that, put tape to secure the sticks. Then poke two holes beside the place where the two sticks meet. You also have to put two holes in the bottom end of the kite. Next, put a string and tie it through the holes. Tie long string to the string tied to the kite. Lastly make a tail for the kite out of plastic strips tied to the bottom of the kite. Flying a kite is easy. You just need sunny weather and wind that makes the leaves flutter. In case there is no wind, make wind by running.

          Kite flying is fun because it feels good when the kite is in the sky. Kite flying is tiring without wind. It is because you have to run. Be careful not to go into dangerous places like the road or the edge of a building top while running.

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A reading of Jon’s written outputs would reflect this young man’s keen sense of humor, his natural facility in understanding and following step-by-step procedures, as well as his inclination towards creative thinking. He just recently transferred from a highly traditional to a progressive school espousing inclusion, where he seems to be thriving. This is Jon’s first reading intervention program. He has proven to be very much invested in the activities presented, as well as the strategies introduced; he has been noted to use said strategies with as little guidance as possible.

And it Begins

This astounding work is the first page of DahkSinol’s latest project for his continuing reading and writing program – a book of short stories intricately woven together into a novel. The book outline (which is currently classified top-secret/eyes-only) shows pride in his heritage, as he uses Philippine mythological creatures as seven of his main characters.

These kinds of projects develop a lot of the student’s writing skills. The technical aspect of writing, such as the consideration of the point of view, the setting and the coherence of the plot, were tackled during the long pre-writing period. The mechanical aspects of writing, on the other hand – like his adherence to capitalization and punctuation rules, subject and verb agreement, and his consistent use of verb tenses – are constantly addressed through the numerous rounds of editing.

White. A bright light shines upon me. I can hear a voice calling, “Welcome to the New World, Meru-Maru.” A calm voice shines upon me. I look up. I see… What I see is… The Root. The source of this blinding light is above me. I try to make out the details, but every time I try to look at it, I’m forced to close my eyes. The light itself irritates my eyes even when I shut them as hard as I can. I look at the ground, trying to seek refuge from the light’s sheer power. But even that won’t help.

“Meru-Maru… you need to help me…” it calls. Desperation comes from her tone. The light slowly disappears, like a mist slowly dispersing. While it faded out, I could see the forest and this blue glowing orb coming in front of me. “Can you save me? I need you to save me… Can you do this?”

I try to think about what this thing wants. It wants me, Meru-Maru, to save it. This is completely wrong. What does it want from me? I’m nothing special. There’s nothing to know about me. I don’t even know about myself. What a joke! Someone’s asking for help from a person who knows nothing about what he can do! This is too funny to be real. Wait, am I real? I don’t know. I feel like this uncontrollable fear is controlling my mind. Only one word came into my mind. RUN.

I break into a sprint. I start to run as fast as I could, but these feet won’t do. My body wants me to stop, but I won’t stop. I will never stop. Not until I know I’m safe. Suddenly, I trip on a log. I start to fall to the ground, but the will to survive still lives in me. I start to crawl. I keep crawling. I don’t care what happens. I continue to crawl. The soil is moist which gives extra help in bringing me forward. I stop. My body won’t go anymore. I think I broke it. I look up. I notice I’m still inside this forest. Around me is the light blue water, a river. I let my hand in and start scooping it to my mouth. It’s cold. The cold water goes down my dry throat. I let the feeling of the cold water surround me as I let my face fall inside this pool. The water cleanses my face of the dirt that I accumulated while I ran through the dirt and the mud. Suddenly, this weird feeling. My mind wants me to pull myself out from the water. I pull out from the cold and let the drops water run down my face as I look at the river again.

Wait… Is this? This face is something else. What’s that word? Now I remember. It is called human. What a freak! While I look at it, it always copies me – when I wave, when I touch the water, when I close one eye – all of it. And then something slams inside my mind. THIS. IS. ME. The very truth shocks me to my core. I look at my hands, but what I see are not normal hands, but claws. I try to take in these facts. Then I hear the voice again.

“Why have you run away? Do you not wish to save me?” it asks. I turn around and see that the orb is here. I can’t escape.

written by DahkSinol

DahkSinol is 12 year-old Isak, who is currently in his freshman year in high school. The amazing progress of his literacy skills is reflected in the dynamic and cumulative development of his intervention programs, the first few of which mainly focused on tapping into his then emerging reading, spelling and expressive skills through the multi-sensory approach. The next set then focused on developing specific comprehension skills, genuine love for reading, and in furthering the progress of his oral and written expressive skills. Now on his 23^rd reading and writing program, Isak is asked to focus on self-direction and –management, as well as on other higher order comprehension skills.