Bent, Broken, Whole and Healing books

One of the LIGHTS Vanguard mentors handed out a paper with definitions to all of the youth in Vanguard yesterday and asked them to make sure they kept it in their folders all year to reference.  Here is a link to that same paper:  http://timpfest.org/stories-whole-broken-bent-or-healing/

Art projects and resources

SITES:
http://doodlealley.com/  A fun site that really opens youth up to the importance of stretching their "artistic wings."

WATERCOLOR JOURNALING:
I liked this quick art idea. It works very well for artists of all levels, and is empowering to those who are not confident to have fun with it.

We'll be doing this next month in our class as we study "Integrity" under the umbrella of "proper role of government and society".  The tie in? "To learn how to sketch things as they really are" or "how we can all see things (or situations) a little differently, but it doesn't change what it is inside.  We must seek for the truth in everything (and every situation)."  Bit of a stretch :)?  Oh well.

"---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: the Hopkins Family <list@lovetolearn.net>





You don't have to be an artist to have fun creating a Watercolor Journal! Here's how.

Hello,

I'm not an artist. But I have discovered a new hobby that is wonderfully fun and creative: Watercolor Journaling! No, you don't have to know how to paint. Seriously. Just follow along with me and see how fun and easy this is!

How to Do It:
1) Date your page and jot a few sentences about what happened in the last day or two.



2) Next draw a simple outline of something with an ultra fine permanent marker—just draw whatever you are looking at. You don't have to be clever or artistic. Just outline whatever you see...a cup of steaming soup, a pine tree, a bird outside your window, a strawberry...anything. Draw a simple outline. Non-artistic is fine.

3) Open your paint set and make your figure come alive by adding some color to it by painting inside the lines you drew. Easy as kindergarten coloring. Watercolor is super easy to paint on and looks lovely.



4) Hey, you're a "Watercolor Journal-er"! Really, truly. It is that easy!

I know there are all sorts of instructional books on how to paint, but this is free-style. Just do whatever you like, whatever comes to mind. You'll learn as you go. You can even mix some colors together and have fun trying it out!

The best thing about it is you are creating something valuable: a record, a journal—but more than a journal; a wonderful-to-look-through book of your ordinary days.

Here's a few things I've learned since I've begun: don't paint from memory, paint what you see. So, it is easier to paint a non-moving target (cup) than a moving one (bird). People are trickier for me than objects. Remember, this is totally free wheelin' creativity! Just do whatever comes! It's just for fun, not for perfection. No one is going to see it but you (unless you want to share). This is a self-expressive, personal, visual autobiographical history of your days. Enjoy!

By the way, I keep a written journal of life's ups and downs and all arounds, but I decided this was going to be a totally positive journal. So no matter how rough the day has been, I don't mention anything negative. I try to only record positive, happy things. (Some day's entries are very brief!)

My ultimate favorite tools for this hobby are just 3:

1. Ultra Fine Permanent Marker
2. Watercolor Journal
3. Portable Watercolor Set

That's it!

I hope you'll try it. I've found a lot of enjoyment in it. I keep my 3 favorite tools tucked in my bag wherever I go, and whenever I have a few minutes of waiting time, I whip them out and make an entry. It is very satisfying!

Enjoy!" (Source: "Love to Learn")

Imaginative Arts ideas by years and subjects

As with most of the posts, this is intended to be a growing post.  If you are positively sickened by the lack of resources you were hoping were on here, then please know that is part of your genius saying, "I could do better!" and you should!  Post your ideas in the reply, or let me know them at mary.vanguard@gmail.com. T-E-A-M: Together Everyone Achieves More, right? Or my adaptation: "I-E-P-T-I-F-I-A-H-T-E-A-M":  If Everyone Puts Their Ideas For Imaginative Arts Here Then Everyone Achieves More"...okay, the first one is more catchy :).

"Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers"

Ancient Times


Medieval Times


1500-1750's
Renaissance & Baroque Art.
Bach
Hayden
Handel
Taj Mahal (1639)
1st piano built in 1709!

1750-1900
 Impressionism
Edgar Degas: 
Renoir
Cézanne--still lifes post-impressionism
Van Gogh
Seurat: Pointillism
Mozart
Beethoven
Schubert
Mendelssohn
Chopin
Liszt
Wagner
Gounod
Franck
Bruckner

1900-present
 My Place in Art:Modern Art. 
Matisse: fauvism
Picasso-Cubism
Mondrian-Abstraction
Dali, Salvador, Surrealism
Pollock, Abstract expressionism
Warhol: Pop art

Tips and Questions for book discussions

1) invite the Spirit
2) ask "open ended questions" (ones that don't require a "yes" or "no" answer) as much as possible
3) try to incorporate something visual or active at some point in the discussion (i.e.  we built our own little monument for our book discussion on "Charlie's Monument," each taking a turn to add a stone while we answered questions like: "what is a way I have served or been served that was meaningful to me," or "what could I say is a stone that I either would like to have in my own monument of life or already do")
4) make sure you are bringing out the principle of the month.  Reading the opening article of the newsletter gives you a glimpse, or the corresponding section of the 5,000 year leap that you see going through on the Constitution journeyman assignment the first week

Marni Hall found a great site for book discussion questions:

reading comprehension article/questions

Here is a basic sum-up:

Essential Reading Comprehension Questions

Before we begin a new novel, watch a movie or read an article on our favorite blog, most adults have already started tapping into a vast collection of knowledge about what they already know or think about the “text” they are about to engage with.


The ability to tap into our schema and seek out patterns to make sense of new information is an essential reading comprehension skill. It’s also a skill we can teach our students simply by posing strategic questions. 

We’ve been reading Judi Moreillon’s book Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension and would like to share a series of questions you can ask students to help them build connections between:

• Themselves and the text
• Multiple texts
• Texts and the world
  

Building text-to-self connections
One of the best ways to model text-to-self connections is by using think-aloud questions. The following questions focus on three areas of text-to-self connection: feelings experiences, and ideas:

• Have you ever felt like the character(s) in this story? Describe what happened and how you felt
• Have you had a similar experience? Compare your experience to that of the character(s)
• Have you heard or read this information before? What does this information mean to you?
• How does connecting a story or information to your own life experiences help you better understand it?
  

Building text-to-text connections
Students often do not understand or enjoy readings because they do not see immediate connections between the text and other materials they have already read and enjoyed.  To help them make connections between texts, try asking the following questions:

• Have you ever read another book or seen a movie in which a story element (setting, plot, conflict, theme, or style) is similar to the one in this story? Describe how they are the same
• Have you read another book or seen a movie in which the writer used language or text structure similar to that in this story? Describe how these texts are similar.
• How does making connections to familiar texts help you comprehend the new text?
  

Building text-to-world connections
When students are able to stretch their thinking and see how a text connects to issues beyond what they are reading, it is much easier for them to invest in this new experience. To help your students make connections from the text to social, historical and contemporary issues, pose some of the following questions:

• What do you think the author’s message or purpose was in writing this story or presenting this information?
• Did the author suggest a message that connects with bigger ideas about the way things are in the world? What do you already know about these issues?
• What do you think was the author’s opinion or perspective on the big ideas in this text? Do you agree? Why or why not?
• How does making connections to larger issues help you comprehend the text?

Awesome "basic" book questions

AWESOME BOOK QUESTIONS

1. Is God a part of this book?  How or why not?

2. List some of your favorite quotes.

3. What parallels or similarities do you see between characters or events in this book and your experiences in life?

4. What is the message(s) of this book?  Does the author present it effectively? Why or why not?

5. How would you describe this book: helpful? riveting? thought-provoking? disturbing? boring? powerful? a waste of time?...WHY?

6. What did this book make you think about in your life?

7. Did this book change your view (“reconstruct your brain bridges”) in your mind?

8. Did you like the ending?  Why or why not?  How would you have changed it?

9. What does this book make you want to do (if anything)?

10. What would you say if you could write a letter to the author if you knew they would carefully consider what you said?

11. Would you recommend this book?  Why or why not?

12. Who is your favorite character?  Why?

13. Who is your least favorite character?  Why?

14. What character (if any) changes the most?  For the “good” or “bad”?

15. Why do you think this book is included in the Vanguard Youth reading?  Would you recommend it for next year?  Is there a book that better conveys the message in your experience?  Defend your opinion ☺.