https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19 en-us 2017-01-18 16:09:29 UTC 2020-05-12 15:39:09 UTC hello@padlet.com mccoyk7 https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/147858662 The beginning of the story was very descriptive, informative and engaging to myself, as the reader. I think that the author did a great job in regards to intriguing the reader and providing enough information and detail in order to have a great understanding of what is going on so early in the story and what could possibly happen in the future chapters. I liked how this chapter included scientific pieces of information as well as personal/societal issues as well. I like how the setting is in Florida because as the reader I can relate to that as I have a lot of family that lives throughout parts of Florida and I visit there a lot. In regards to science, so far, we have been introduced to a variety of different names of plants/trees and we are also learning about the alligator and the places that alligators like/don't like to sleep/live/sunbathe/etc. I can't wait to continue reading the story because chapter 1 definitely left us hanging. ]]> 2017-01-18 16:15:33 UTC https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/147858662 mccoyk7 https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/149365788 During this chapter, I like how it outlined more scientific vocabulary along with social aspects, too. A few scientific aspects that stood out to me the most included the different plans and animals (along with characteristics). I think that many children can relate to these things and would enjoy reading about them. A few ideas that I picked up on and that stuck out to me included: the way in which James James tried to lure Dajun in with a turtle, how there are over 2,000 different plants in South Florida (& Liza K. has learned about at least 400 of them because of James James), how mosquitos do not fly higher than 9 feet so James James sleeps in a hammock that is above that, and how James James tests the water in the Solution Pit from time to time. There were many animals that were brought up throughout this chapter including: egrets, ducks, vultures, raccoons, and turtles. The text even describe the Gumbo Limbo as a niche- and it described what a niche is. That is a great way to introduce that term to students. Along with the scientific aspect, I also liked different parts of the social aspect of the story, too. I compared the community that the people have made together to regular homeless people we see, today. Many homeless people seem to be participating in the "survival of the fittest" whereas in the book, the characters all seem to be working together to survive, and they all have the same feelings in regards to wanting to save Dajun because they say that he protects them. I am curious to see what the rest of the story holds and I can't wait to see what happens with Dajun and the people of Gumbo Limbo. ]]> 2017-01-25 16:10:49 UTC https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/149365788 mccoyk7 https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/150891366 Throughout this chapter, again, we were introduced to more vocabulary terms in regards to science. I think that as a future teacher, if I were to use this book or something similar to it, I would have my students take notes on all of the new vocabulary and then at the end of each chapter, we could discuss the terms. I like how in this chapter Liza K. went into great detail in regards to some science aspects, like how alligators are cold-blooded and discussed how they go about regulating their temperature, how the elevation determines which plants grow where, greenhouses, the difference between a solution pit and a lake, and how female alligators dig caves to hide their hatchlings so that beasts and birds will not eat them. I like how while we are reading, we are learning big ideas and smaller ideas that we may not think about on a regular basis. I feel like as a teacher, I could create so many different lessons/activities that we could do as a class to compare to the group. One thing that stuck out to me was when Liza K was talking about how people who live in the woods use other "languages" to communicate. I thought that this was funny, but it seems to be very true for Liza K and the people that live around her because they seem to use different signals & other things a lot. I also like the quote, "I was an eagle surveying my home," by Liza K. I thought that this was a good comparison, and again, involved science. Towards the end of the chapter, Liza K took a minute to really express how much she missed Dajun. I am curious to see what happens in the chapters to come because I feel as if Liza K views Dajun as a best friend, so I am excited to see how he "acts" and "treats" her- since we do have negative views on alligators. ]]> 2017-02-01 16:32:49 UTC https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/150891366 mccoyk7 https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/153045449 Throughout chapter 4, I thought of a couple activities that could be based off of the information that was provided. The first thing that came to mind involves a food chain. In one portion of the chapter, it discussed how the little fish eat the pesticides, the sunfish eat the little fish, big fish and turtles, the birds eat the big fish and then the alligator (Dajun) would eat the big fish, turtles and birds. I know that in this aspect it was trying to get to the point that the pesticides could end up harming all of them, but it made me think of a food chain because of that. Another small thing that came to mind is when Liza K mentioned observing caterpillars as they hatch. I think that this would be a cool activity to implement in the classroom because I know that most students know about this process, but haven't necessarily witnessed or observed it. One thing that stuck out to me throughout the chapter was the very last sentence- "Nature is mysterious, but so are woods people." I liked this because we are definitely beginning to realize that as we continue reading the book.]]> 2017-02-10 13:44:58 UTC https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/153045449 mccoyk7 https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/154044246 One idea that stood out to me in this chapter is the discussion on recycling. Liza K discussed how in school they collect and recycle bottles, glass, plastic, tin cans and newspapers. While most schools should already do this, this could raise discussion amongst the class that they should try their best to recycle. Additionally, the teacher could create some type of challenge for the class as a whole to encourage them to recycle. Another fact that stood out to me by Liza K was how she mentioned that if Dajun had been in the water, then he would have projected to stick out about 6 inches. I thought that this was a great observation that Liza K had made prior to this time. In addition to the scientific aspect of the text, I was drawn to the social aspect as well. It is important to note, as a future teacher, the fact that Liza K is homeless and when she was confronted to provide her address, she wasn't sure what to say. As a future teacher, I am going to experience things like this and I will have to find the best ways to deal with those situations. By reading this book, I have learned that I need to pay close attention to my future students along with their lifestyle so that I can fit their needs the best way that I can.]]> 2017-02-15 15:38:35 UTC https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/154044246 mccoyk7 https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/155492113 It really catches my attention about how much Liza K. knows and is able to predict so much about Dajun. I think that it is really interesting that she is so invested in trying to figure out where Dajun is that she is just coming up with all kinds of ideas- like the armadillos and how they may have driven him away. Additionally, it caught my attention that Liza K. legitimately WANTS to stay living in the woods and while she may want her mother to get the job, she doesn't want to leave Gumbo Limbo Hammock. I really like the relationship that Liza K and James James continue to have in regards to finding Dajun along with their life in the woods. They always seem to work together and bounce off of each other's ideas in order to predict where Dajun could be. It also really helps that James James has a degree in ecology-so many of the ideas that he has are legit and make sense. I think that he is very helpful with keeping Liza K calm about finding Dajun. Of course, I was very shocked at the information that we found out about Priscilla. I obviously thought that she was just an alcoholic trying to deal with the pain of living in the woods, but it turns out that she is actually doing something good. I have never tried to feed hummingbirds, so I think that as a class it would be cool to do this with my students and let the students see how the hummingbirds come around and do eat the food that we would provide. ]]> 2017-02-22 16:00:30 UTC https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/155492113 mccoyk7 https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/157075956 Throughout the chapter, I thought it was very interesting how James James got offered a job, but said that he wasn't going to accept it. I felt the same way as Liza K did- her mom needed a job and was hoping to get it (even though she doesn't think she will), meanwhile, James James could have a job and won't take it. I feel like the people who live in the woods are all on different pages when it comes to some things, but at the same time they have all built a community with one another and share many similarities. With this specific idea, in the classroom, I could teach about how people who live in the same neighborhoods can be very much alike, but also share major and big differences amongst one another. A few things that I took away from this chapter is that alligators can hold their breath for 5 HOURS if the water is cold (wow!!!), Travis has been hunting Dajun for 10 days now (I thought that it had been way longer) and that the PCP couldn't have washed into the canal because the levees are too high. To be honest, I am glad that the story is starting to take off now and giving us some more interesting information. For a while, I feel like it was the same thing over and over just hunting for Dajun, but now that Liza K has met the parrot (& the fact that there are only 2 chapters left) I think that the story is going to start getting more interesting for the reader (me)! ]]> 2017-03-01 16:25:19 UTC https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/157075956 mccoyk7 https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/161857377 As the book is coming to an end, we are starting to learn and find out new and exciting things. In this chapter, I am glad that we finally have figured out where Dajun is. As it was seen throughout the chapter, Liza K seems very grateful for "Sherlock Holmes" for pointing her into the direction of Dajun's whereabouts. In this chapter, I kind of started to feel bad for Liza K when her mom told her the news of her getting a new job and how they would be moving into a house. Although it is different, it made me feel sad for Liza K because she has created a community within the woods and with the woods people and I would hate to see her have to leave them. I predict that all of the woods people are going to get caught and have to move because of the social worker approaching Priscilla, too. Just like throughout the whole story, Liza K has so much knowledge in regards to alligators. In this chapter, when she found Dajun, she was talking to him and mentioned that he reversed alligator behavior by staying under the water all day and coming up at night. She also mentioned that since the water was so cold below, he must have been able to hold his breath longer and not have to come up as often as we would expect. I am excited to see what happens in the final chapter and see how the story wraps up.]]> 2017-03-22 15:27:31 UTC https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/161857377 mccoyk7 https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/163441928 I thought that the ending of the story was very good.  We got the answer that we were looking for throughout the entire story, that Dajun was in Gumbo Limbo Hole and he was definitely alive and well. I thought it was cool that although all of the woods people are having to leave and move somewhere else, James James will be staying there for good and looking out for all of their previous "homes." Additionally, I thought it was cool to learn about how alligators can hold their breath for 5 hours, and then thought it was funny how Dajun was hiding out in the hole the entire time. It seemed as if this whole time, Dajun has been lying in the hole the way that he was at the end of the story, with only his nostrils out of the water, and no one even knew. What a smart guy! I thought that this book was very engaging and I think that it is a good book to use to tie into science and would be fun to use with younger students. ]]> 2017-03-29 14:43:23 UTC https://padlet.com/mccoyk7/u59p5372kg19/wish/163441928