Lake stories from different animals: Styles Brainstorming

Topic:
My storybook will be about different animals adventures at the lake. After researching there seems to be a lot of great stories that include lakes, even stories with animals as the characters. I found two stories that I believe I would like to include: How Raven stole the lake and How the Turtle saved his own life. The untextbook has so many great stories, especially when you search "lake". There were also many results on sacred texts. The story does not have to have an animal to begin with, that is the fun with storytelling. Being able to change a human character into an animal.

(Turtles)

Bibliography:
How Raven Stole the Lake
This story is part of the Alaskan Legends unit. Story source:Myths and Legends of Alaska, edited by Katharine Berry Judson (1911).

How the Turtle Saved his own life
This story is part of the Jataka Tales unit. Story source: Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt, illustrated by Ellsworth Young (1912).

Possible Styles: Wow, there are so many styles to chose from. This was the most difficult part for me. 
Adventure: This is of course one of the main topics, the adventure that the animals are on. A possible adventure would be to find a new house, to meet new friends, or even just an adventure to see what is going on around them. There are many ideas of adventures, I think I will stick to something basic like relocating their home or just an adventure to see the nature (lake).

Animal Storytellers: This is more than likely the style that I will chose. It is the most practical, that the animals tell the story about their adventures at the lake. There would be dialogue between the animals, so you know how the animals are feeling. I would want the main animal from each story be the storyteller. This animal would tell the story in first person. 

The lake as the storyteller: This would be an interesting point of view. It would be how the lake sees, feels, and even hears the animals adventures. I think that the lake would be talking in third person about each of the animals, or could even tell it in first person to tell its point of view. For example, the lake could tell a story about how it saw the transformation of a tadpole to a turtle, then that story could be continued with the turtles point of view on how he convinced the mean people to bring him back to the lake (reference from story above).

Reality show of the animals: The stories could be turned into drama between all of the animals at the lake. They could talk about their love life, friendship, and enemies that they have in their world. The lake could be the main setting of the show and the animals would be the stars of the show. 

Famous Last Words Week 3

This week has been a great week. The weather has been gorgeous! Wednesday was beautiful outside and I was stuck inside all day in classes. With that being said, I am not looking forward to the cold and rain tomorrow (Saturday). I am looking forward to the super bowl on Sunday. If you have not seen the new puppy Budweiser commercial you have watch it! Puppy commercial  I only had one class on Monday, which kind of threw me off since I am still not used to my new schedule. I went from having Tuesday and Thursday class to Monday and Wednesday class.

(Budweiser Puppy)

I am trying to get ahead in this class, especially since I get my wisdom teeth out next week. I am not looking forward to having a swollen mouth. I am still working on this week’s project of brainstorming styles for our storybook. I did however, figure out my topic. This week I really enjoyed the unit I read. I chose to read Aesop fables. They were easy to follow along and read. The theme/lessons of each story were very practical and could be used in everyday life. I hope I can read more units like this one as the semester goes on.

I am still overly impressed with how well my classmates are at storytelling. I cannot wait to see what everyone chose for their storybooks. I have a feeling that everyone is going be so creative.  I have noticed that people are even improving. Maybe the comments from other students are really helpful I also have enjoyed how people have changed the color and font of their blog. This makes it more unique. I have, myself, changed the color of my own blog. I need to change the font as well.

Kind of a random thought, but I finally watched the movie The Fault in our Stars. I highly recommend it. Yes, it is sad but it has a great story-line. I enjoyed watching it and would watch it again. 

Reading Diary A: Jataka Tales (Babbitt)

Jataka Tales (Babbitt)

This unit caught my attention by the first section The Monkey and the Crocodile. The monkey was very good at tricking the crocodile and the crocodile would fall for just about anything. Poor crocodile wanted to eat the monkey, but could never outsmart him.

How the Turtle saved his own life was another great story. I think it could be helpful with my storybook, if I chose the adventures of animals at the lake. I cannot believe that they thought the turtle would die in the lake, silly people!

The turtle who could not stop talking, I have read this story before, however I can not remember when and where. I enjoy it every time! However, it is sad that the turtle dies.

The King's White Elephant. I enjoyed reading this story.It was such a happy story until the very end. I would love to see an elephant walking with three feet, that is a sight that I can not even picture in my mind. When I was a little girl, elephants were my favorite animal. I loved how helpful the elephant was and even got his son to help. It was sad that the king bought the son and he was not able to play or help his friends anymore. I did not see the white elephant getting sold to the king.

(The King with the White Elephant)

The Tricky Wolf and the Rats. The wolf got away with eating some of the rats by tricking them to think he was poor and that he could not walk. However, there was a great twist to the story when the Chief of rats caught on. I am glad that the rats outsmarted the wolf.

This unit was full of great stories, that had animals as their main characters.These animals were kind, helpful, and even sometimes tricksters! Most of the stories would end happily ever after. There were some that would have a twist that made them interesting.

Storytelling Week 3: The Two Best Friends (The Monkey and the cat)

The Two Best Friends

(The cutest best friends)

Once upon a time there were two best friends. They happened to both be dogs that lived at a house in the city. Their names were Shadow and Lucy. They were always playing with each other, tearing things up, digging holes, and getting in trouble. They both loved their morning treats. In fact, they would go to any measure to get those treats. 

On a beautiful Sunday morning, their owner was out running errands. He forgot to give them both a treat before he left. The dogs sat in the laundry room, where the treats were located. They pondered on how they were going to get them from the shelf.

“I have a great idea,” said Lucy, “however; I am going to need your help.”

“Okay I will do anything that you need!” said Shadow.

“Okay, so I need you to jump onto the stool next to the washer, then walk over to the table, and then take a leap over to the shelf that the treats are on, and push the bag of treats down onto the ground,” said Lucy with a smirk on her face.

 With her eyes lit up, Shadow agreed.

Then Shadow with all the courage she had, took the first jump onto the stool. The stool shook a little bit, but Shadow made it safe and sound. Once the stool was sturdy, she then jumped to the washer. Shadow felt like the queen of the laundry room. She then pranced on over to the table that was closer to the treats. 

Shadow then asked Lucy, “Okay, now what is next, I cannot remember.” 

Lucy was so excited that Shadow actually got onto the table and shouted, “Now jump to the shelves!” 

As Shadow was jumping the shelves, they both heard the garage door open.

 Lucy shouted, “HURRY, knock the treats down to the floor!” 

Shadow then pushed the treats down to the ground as fast as she could, and then jumped all the way back down to the table then to the stool and then to the floor. As soon as Shadow reached the floor their owner had walked into the laundry room. The owner however, saw Shadow jump down. Shadow was in a lot of trouble and got yelled at. Just as Shadow looked behind her, Lucy had taken off with the treats and hid them before their owner could see them. Lucy was so happy because Shadow fell for her plan. However, Shadow was disappointed because she did all of that work and did not get a treat in the end. The two best friends were now, not talking to each other. This only lasted about a week though. 

 “The flatterer seeks some benefit at your expense” The Monkey and the Cat

Author's Note:

The Monkey and the cat, are both pets who were friends that lived in the same house. They were always getting into trouble together and they both loved getting something to eat. They saw some chestnuts roasting near the fire. First thing that they wanted to do was eat them, but they were unsure how to get them. The monkey came up with the idea of the cat using her paws to get them. The monkey said that he would divide up the nuts between them after she got them out of the fire. However, the monkey would eat the nuts up as soon as she pushed them clear of the fire. Then once the cat burned her paws, their master came in. As soon as their master came in, they both ran off and the cat had little to do with the monkey from then on.

 I decided to change up the characters in the story to two dogs. I thought it would be fun to use two dogs, because we all know that dogs get into trouble together. I did however, try to use somewhat of the same story line of the original story of The Monkey and the cat. I just changed up how they got the food (treats), how the owner came home, and how the story ending. Both stories share the same theme of "The flatterer seeks some benefit at your expense."

Bibliography:

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These stories are part of the Aesop (Winter) unit. Story source:The Aesop for Children, with illustrations by Milo Winter (1919).

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Extra Reading Diary: Aesop (Jacobs)

I decided to read some more Aesop fables. I enjoyed these fables and the themes that came with all of the stories. I like how the situations are between animals. I am sure that animals feel some of these situations and people can relate to how they feel.

I really enjoyed the Dogs and Cats section of the unit. The theme I liked the best on this page was "Don't be Selfish" from The Dog in The Manger. You should never just think about yourself. There are others around us at all times, we should be thinking about them and helping them out.

As stated in the Deer section of the unit, we should always "watch on all sides". This is a great lesson. There are a million things going on around us everyday. We never know what can happen. Therefore, we should be watching what is going on all around us.

Out of this unit, my favorite theme/lesson was from the section of Hares. "Things are not so bad as they seem: There is always someone worse off than yourself." In this story, it was sad that the hares would drown themselves. We need to always remember how blessed we really are. Animals and even us can have bad days, but we should never hurt ourselves or others because of it. Just like the theme, things are not as bad as they seem.

Aesop (Jacobs)
(Picture Information)

Reading Diary B: Aesop (Winter)

Aesop (Winter)

Right off the bat I read a story that I enjoyed. The Fox and the Leopard, Page 11, had a great lesson. "A fine coat is not always an indication of an attractive mind". This can be taken just like the saying, "Never judge a book by its cover". Which both are very accurate.

I can really relate to the lesson from The Goatherd and the Wild Goats, Page 13. "It is unwise to treat old friends badly for the sake of new ones". Sadly this has happened to me before and I have seen it happen many times to others. The story did a good job of explaining a situation where you need to care for the ones who you love first then help the ones in need. You should never treat your old friends bad, no matter what. This is also backed up on Page 20, in the story The Wolves and the Sheep. "Do not give up friends for foes". On page 13 as well, I enjoyed The Astrologer. It is true that the little things matter the most. They can make the biggest difference in the big picture of things.

Page 14 had some really great stories that explained the lessons in unique ways. The first story of the page was Mercury and the Woodman. Their lesson wins the best one overall. "Honest is the best policy". Honesty can go a long ways. This can be tied into the story of The Serpent and the Eagle on Page 15. Karma is real, at least I believe in it. So if you are honest and kind, it will all come back to you eventually.

I really enjoyed this unit. Every story was different and there was a huge variety of animals and people through out. This kept the stories interesting.

(Animals)

Reading Diary A: Aesop (Winter)

Aesop (Winter)

I was really impressed with these stories. There were a lot of little stories that all had great endings. Each story would end with one sentence that was a lesson to learn. Overall, they all made great points and had a good way of explaining the lessons using different animal situations.

One of my favorite lessons was, "Our best blessings are often the least appreciated." This was stated in the last story, The Plane Tree from page 3. Page 3 I believe that this holds true for just about anyone. Everyday we should be grateful for what we have, water, food, a house, and family around us.

The Plane Tree

Another lesson learned from this unit was, "One falsehood leads to another". Which is very true. If you lie once, you have to keep lying to backup your first lie. It is good to learn to never lie, even in the worst situations. You never want to lie especially if you are trying to impress someone, because you know it will always come back to you. I enjoyed the story of The Monkey and the Dolphin. This was a great way to show how lies can ruin a friendship. Page 9 I believe that I might do my storytelling on this story.

I also was very fond of, "Do not let anything turn you from your purpose". The story of The Wolf and the Kid was a great way to show that you should always be yourself. Page 1

I cannot wait to read the rest of this unit. My favorite part is all of the lessons learned and how practical they are to everyday life. I am really enjoying this unit.

Sample Project Topics

Topic: Lake stories from different animals

Comments: I love summer and anything to do with the lake. I thought it would be interesting to include animals and their adventures at the lake.

Possible Stories: There is an entire unit of Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes. I believe that this has many great stories that even include animals. I feel like it will be really easy to find stories related on the Sacred Texts Archive.

Sample Story Comments: I read a story about a tiny frog and his journey with his grandmother.

Bibliography Information:

Sample Story: The Tiny Frog

This story is part of the Mississippi Valley / Great Lakes unit. Story source: Myths and Legends of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes, edited by Katharine Berry Judson (1914).

Pretty Lake Picture

Topic: The Christmas Summer

Comments: I love Christmas and summer. So why not change up the Christmas season to make it into summer. This could include stories of both Christmas and summer. I would just change them  to make it a Christmas summer. It sounds fun to me.

Possible Stories: There are nursery rhymes available. You could even include some bible stories because of Jesus. It is somewhat of a broad topic but can be taken in many ways.

Sample Story Comments:  I read the nursery rhyme Christmas. It was short and sweet. It left a lot of room for imagination and even made it where you could change the season to summer.

Bibliography: 

From the book: The Real Mother Goose

Author: Illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright

Release Date: January 5, 2004

Topic: The Dog’s Life

Comments: My dog is my best friend. It would be great to have a story on the dog’s perspective of things. Since dogs are all over the place, it would be interesting to tell stories about where they live and who they live with (humans). It could be turned into the dogs gossiping together.

Possible Stories: There are so many stories about dogs and even animals. Since we are storytelling, we can change any animal into a dog. The untextbook is full of stories that can be useful. I can also search the Sacred texts achieve for dogs.

Sample Story Comments:  I read Puss in Boots. Clearly, you would change the cat to a dog. But it is a dog that lives in a palace. This was interesting because so many stories are in a kingdom. You could change the king to yourself.

Bibliography:

This story is part of the Lang's European Fairy Tales I unit. Story source: The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1889). 

Topic: The Children on their summer vacation

Comments: Once again, incorporating summer. Kids visit zoos, lakes, and even other states over summer vacation. This would be a story of many adventures that include tales told by the children. 

Possible Stories:In the untextbook unit of Native America, there are many units about tales. They are either retold for children or are children's fairy tales. There are so many stories. 

Sample Story Comments:The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds This story was about two very curious kids, what kids are not curious. Curiosity can make for a very interesting story and even make a great plot twist. 

Bibliography:

This story is part of the American Indian Fairy Tales unit. Story source: American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (1921). 

I really had a hard time with this assignment, It was hard to pick a topic. So many of past storybooks have great ideas. I am trying to be as creative as I can. I am hoping that as the semester goes on that I get better at this. 

Famous Last Words for Week 2

Week 2 was way different from week 1. I feel like I have learned a lot more about all the different stories and even storybooks from past students. I am overly impressed with how well my classmates are at storytelling. Everyone has such a great big imagination and are able to change up stories to make them their own. The stories were successful if I could not tell you what was going to happen. The stories I read were all good at making one part of the plot a twist. I enjoy reading the stories that have happily ever after endings. I am also impressed with the comments being left by other classmates. One they are encouraging because other people like what I have written. Also, they are very helpful. I enjoy the constructive criticism; it really helps with my writing.

Week 2 for me was a little more difficult because I am still not the best at writing stories. I am still trying to figure out what style and strategies work best for me. I feel that I still do my best work when I am alone with zero distractions. This week however, I did enjoy reading Cupid and Psyche. I honestly had no idea what the story was going to be about. I learned about who Psyche was and got to read their twisted love story. Of course, I loved the happy ending.

My other classes are starting to pick up more than they were in the first week. I had my first quiz this week, which I got a 100 on! Since I am in all health and exercise science classes, I do not see many connections between the stories I am reading. Maybe as the semester goes on there will be stories about the health of a person, or even someone exercising. You never know what can come up! This class is full of everything, which I truly enjoy. 

Pencil Picture

Essay of Cupid and Psyche

This week I read Cupid and Psyche. I actually really enjoyed this unit. It was fascinating and very unpredictable. For example, I did not see Psyche’s sisters asking her to kill her husband, Cupid. Yes, there were parts that were hard to understand. However, I believe that was just the language it was in. The notes provided for each section were really helpful. I especially enjoyed the links to learn more about what was in the section. For example, the section of The Sleep of the Dead, had a link to Wikipedia about the famous Greek mythological character Pandora. I have never heard of Pandora until this section. Therefore, I enjoyed learning something new and learning about Pandora. 

If you are unsure if you want to read this unit, I would read the notes provided for a couple of the sections to see if you enjoy what is going on. There are a lot of Greek God’s mentioned throughout. This could be connected to other units that have the same Greek God’s. However, since this is the first unit of the semester, I am not sure what exact sections can relate or connect to this unit. 

Overall, I thought that this unit was very interesting. I was surprised with how the story went. The best part of the unit was that, I could not predict it. Of course, I had a favorite story. In all of my blog posts this week, I feel like I mentioned the section of Psyche's Husband Revealed. I really enjoyed this section; it kept me wanting to keep reading and reading to find out what was going to happen next. I was ready to know what her husband really looked like. It also was very descriptive and I could imagine them both in my mind perfectly. I also, loved The Wedding Feast. I love reading about happy endings, and of course they lived happily ever after. 

(Photo Information)

Storytelling Week 2: Psyche's Husband Revealed

Psyche is a princess who is married to Cupid. However, she has no idea what her husband even looks like. Over the years she has just imagined what she wanted him to look like; handsome, beautiful locks of hair, and even rosy cheeks.

One day, her sisters wanted to know what he looked like. They were very confused however, Psyche could not describe him. Psyche would just make up how he looked, and her sisters caught on. They were then very worried that she did not even know what her husband looked like. Her sisters then wanted her to be safe and asked her to try to kill him. They thought he was a BEAST.

That night Psyche was so worried because she did not want to kill him. She sat in her room just thinking over and over on what to do. Then it all came to her! She thought to herself, what if I just met him and he ends up being the most gorgeous prince in the kingdom. So she pondered all night how to make a date night to meet her husband. Psyche came up with going to dinner and a movie night. That way she could get to know her husband and see what he looked like.

Cupid, her husband, agreed to the date night. Psyche was so nervous since it was their first date. She made sure she looked perfect. It was time to meet Cupid. Psyche had butterflies in her stomach and her palms were even sweaty. She was standing at the door when Cupid walked in. She was blown away. He was not a beast at all. He was gorgeous. Cupid was tall and handsome. He had long blonde hair that was glowing and blowing in the wind. He had the prettiest baby blue eyes and even had a tan that was golden brown. She could not believe that she was actually married to a guy that she had only seen in dreams.

After the date, Psyche fell head over heels for her husband. Cupid did the same. She wanted to show him off to the entire world. Therefore, she set up a family meeting, so her sisters could meet him. Psyche had to prove to her sisters that he was a prince and not a beast. They both fell in love after they shared their first kiss together. They flew off into the world together and lived happily ever after.

(Cupid and Psyche madly in love)

Author's Note:
I decided to change up the story a little bit. I kept the fact that her sisters wanted to kill her husband, however, I left out how they wanted her to. (In his sleep) Also, I wanted the storyline to be different. I changed how Psyche and her husband met. The way he looked in the story compared to my version was also different. In the end of the story, Cupid soared into the air by himself. I thought that it would be more romantic if they flew off together.

Psyche's Husband Revealed

This story is part of the Cupid and Psyche unit. Story source:Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).

Classical Greece-Reading Diary B: Cupid and Psyche

Cupid and Psyche Table of Contents

I laughed in the section of Fears and Doubts. "First he’s a young man with a new growth of beard, now he’s middle-aged with a streak of grey in his hair. Who can change so suddenly from one age to another? The answer, my sister, is that she’s making the whole thing up or has no idea what her husband looks like." Clearly her sisters caught her in a lie. In this story I also enjoyed reading about how Psyche is pregnant and that fact that she is having a little baby boy (Cupid). I am glad that her sisters are looking out for her. That is what normal sisters would do. They would be concerned for their other sister's safety. They would give her an option, which they did in this story. However, this story took an unexpected turn that I did not see coming. They told her to kill her husband!

Husband (Cupid) Revealed

I really enjoyed reading about how Psyche feel in love with her husband. This section was probably my favorite one out of sections 9-21. Psyche's Husband Revealed

I learned a new word in these sections, loquacious. It means to be talkative or tending to talk a great deal.

I of course loved the section of cupid and psyche getting married and living happily ever after. This happened in The Wedding Feast. I loved the fact that almost all the characters introduced throughout the stories, made an appearance at the wedding. For example, Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury.  It was also nice to know that they ended up having a daughter named Pleasure because in an earlier story it stated something about having a baby cupid. Therefore, I thought that they were having a baby boy. 

Overall, I enjoyed this story and was glad I got to read the entire unit. I would suggest it to other students.

Classical Greece-Reading Diary A: Cupid and Psyche

Cupid and Psyche Table of Contents

I chose to read Cupid and Psyche. I actually talked about reading this in one of my previous blog posts. I was not really sure what the unit would be about. Overall, I was pleased with the story. I really enjoyed how easy it was to picture what was going on; the story was very descriptive throughout.

The very first section,The Captive Woman  , I was surprised that the story was beginning with a girl being kidnapped. Right then and there, I realized that this unit could take many turns. In the second section, Her Dream, I was very interesting that the women’s kidnapping took place in her dreams as well. It was sad however, that it had to happen on her wedding day.

My favorite section was The Magical Palace. “At the very centre of the grove beside the flowing stream was a regal palace, not made by human hands, but built by divine art.” I enjoyed the description of the palace. It seems beautiful. Psyche was overwhelmed and taken back with the palace. She could not quite take in the fact that all of the things around her were hers. I would have been the same way. She was very blessed.

I also enjoyed the notes throughout the stories. They were really helpful in understanding what was going on the entire time.The one note that stood out the most to me was in The Jealousy of Psyches Sisters. I enjoyed learning about the four chief winds. “Zephyr was the west wind, Eurus the east wind, Notus was the south wind, and Boreas was the north wind”. Overall, there were some sections that were hard to understand but the notes helped tremendously. 

(Cupid and Psyche)

Famous Last Words Week 1

Storybook

Wow! This week was very interesting. I was not really sure what this class was all about. I love the storytelling part of the class. This really lets me use my imagination and be as creative as I want. I have never blogged before. Therefore, this week I have enjoyed getting to learn something new. Pinterest is also a great way to explore this topic. I love looking through all the pictures and then exploring the websites that they are from.  I have done my best writing/storytelling when I am in my own room. For some reason I feel like I am able to be more creative and it is easier to think of ideas. I enjoy getting to tell the stories how we want. I like the freedom of this class. We get to do things how we interpret them. This is a great way to express who we really are. I am also very impressed with how creative my other classmates are. I really enjoy reading other people’s ideas. It was also cool to look at past semesters storybooks to see what we are working towards. This gives me an idea of what to expect over this semester. Also, to start thinking of ideas of what I want to do for my storybook. I am enjoying this class so far and I am going to try my best to keep up and even get ahead!

This is my last semester of my undergraduate. My classes are going well; however, I can tell that they will be a little challenging. Since my major is health and exercise science, I do not see many connections between them and this class. I have never had a class like this before. However, it is interesting to me and I have already learned so much in the first week!

UnTextbook ideas

Alice in Wonderland
Of course this caught my eye. Alice in Wonderland is very interesting and almost weird. I love how all the characters are so unique. I have never read any type of Alice in Wonderland, so I am excited to read the stories and see a different part of it.

Cupid and Psyche
I enjoy love stories, that is why I chose cupid and psyche. However, I do not know much about the background of psyche. I am interested to read more about the two and learn something new. Do you think that it is easier to understand if you read the novel along with all of the sections?

English Fairy Tales
You can never go wrong with Fairy Tales. I am glad to see that they are written in literary prose so it makes it easier to read. For stories that are hard to understand because of the way they are written, what are the best ways to go about understanding them?

Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes
As you read earlier in my favorite places post. I love the lake. The Great Lakes are gorgeous. I hope that the stories make it easy to picture the lake because that truly is my happy place.


Nursery Rhymes
I really enjoy simple and original nursery rhymes. It is interesting to read the ones that my mom told me when I was a child. I like to see how they have evolved or even stayed the exact same.

Yummy Strawberries

I chose this picture on the pinterest story board because it was colorful and bright, which caught my eye. It also happens to be one of my favorite fruits. I was intrigued when I read the caption. It is a story on the origin of strawberries. How interesting!

My three Storybook Favorites

The first storybook I looked at was E! True Hollywood Story: Women of the Bible. The title of the storybook sparked interest in me because I watch E! all the time. The title told you right away what the story book was going to be about. I really enjoyed reading the section on Queen Esther, I learned more than I thought I would from it. I really thought that the storybook had a great layout that was easy to navigate. The pictures that were chosen were great and really helped you imagine the person that the story was talking about. It was also interesting to read the Authors notes in the sections to get their side of the story and why he or she chose certain aspects.

The second storybook I looked at was A Dog's Adventure. The title really caught my attention because I love dogs. The pictures of the dogs throughout the story were very cute. The introduction was helpful in knowing what the sections would be about. It also did a good job at catching my attention. I liked the fact that Bentley was from Norman and belonged to college students. This is very easy to picture and to relate to. The overall story line for this storybook was very creative and imaginative. I could picture Bentley in each town and loved reading about his adventures. I enjoyed that "Bentley" got to travel to Mexico, France, and Italy.

The third storybook I looked at was Mermaid Tails. This title was very unique and keep your mind wondering to what the storybook would be exactly about. There were many short stories about Mermaids throughout the storybook. The introduction even tells you a little about each story that is going to be in the sections. The layout and pictures were kind of plain and boring but the stories kept me intrigued. I enjoyed the imagination and the mental image that I could picture from just reading.

Image information:
Queen Esther Picture
Cute Dog Picture
Mermaid Picture

Introduction to the class

Hello class, my name is Mary Gillespie. I am 21.  I am from Oklahoma City and am currently living at home. I am a senior and I am graduating in May. My major is Health and Exercise Science. I am also applying to Physical therapy school. I am taking exercise physiology, exercise testing and prescription, sports officiating, capstone, and this class this semester. I am also working two jobs. I work as a tech at physical therapy central and I also coach gymnastics at Metro gymnastics. They are both close to downtown Oklahoma City.

I have one spoiled puppy, Laken. She is a miniature Australian shepherd. She really is one of my best friends. My mom has two dogs that are practically mine too. One is a long haired miniature dachshund and chihuahua mix and the other is a dachshund. Their names are Lucy and Shadow.

(Personal Photo taken November 2014)

I am the youngest out of four siblings. I have three step sisters and a step brother. However, we all look alike and they are more like my sisters and brother since I have known them since I was 5. Between all of them, I am an aunt to eight nieces and one nephew.

My interests include anything that has to do with summer: going to the beach, going to the lake, wake boarding, and anything outdoors. I also really enjoy crafting, spending time with family, traveling, playing board games and going shopping.

Just like any other college student, I love Netflix. My favorite shows that I have watched are One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl. I am currently watching 90210. My all time favorite tv show is family feud with Steve Harvey as the host.

Over break, I spent a lot of time with my family and my boyfriend. I only went out of town for one weekend. On that weekend, I went to Murphy, Texas to have Christmas with my uncle, aunt, and two cousins.

Storytelling Week 1: Mary's Garden

MISTRESS MARY, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With cockle-shells, and silver bells,

And pretty maids all a row.

  

(Original Nursery Rhyme)

Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in the country. Her name was Mary and she was quite the Mistress. She was a very beautiful woman. She would wear bonnets with a big bow every day. Her outfit would also include a dress with puffy shoulders.  eHehhhhhhhhHHeMary was a wonderful sweet woman that was liked by many despite being contrary. She was actually quite nice and very friendly. Everyone wanted to be just like her.

Everyone in the town would want to visit her wonderful garden. Mary has been growing her garden since she was a child with the help of her mom and brothers. Gardening was her favorite hobby. Mary really did not do anything else besides keep up her garden. She checks on it at least three times a day.

The main question that people would ask her was, "How does your garden grow?"

Mary had a very unique garden. She would grow and raise things that nobody ever has. It was a magical garden. Her garden was made up of beautiful flowers. These flowers were in every color and grew in every height. Next in line were the cockle-shells, these shells were one of a kind. She even had a row that was a variety of all different sea shells combined. Some of the shells were even colored. Some shells were blue, while others were pink. The garden also had beautiful waterfalls and ponds with goldfish. On each end of a row, there were gold and silver bells. The bells would ring in the wind. Even Mary’s maids would stand in her garden to help make it beautiful.

Overall, the garden was something that nobody could ever imagine. The End.

(Mary Mary Quite Contrary)

Author's Note:
This story is based on the nursery rhyme "Mistress Mary, how does your garden grow?" which is at the beginning of the story at the top. The rhyme is short and sweet and makes it easy to add to. For my story, I decided to add a few things to her garden to make you imagine what it would look like. I also added details about her living in the country because that is what I think of when I hear this nursery rhyme. I also, added many colorful things throughout my story because as a kid, I would always get asked if I have heard this rhyme. Every time I would hear it, I would think of a colorful garden.

You may read the nursery rhyme "Mistress Mary, how does your garden grow?" in The Nursery Rhyme Book on page 50, edited by Andrew Lang (1897).

Google Search Tech Tip

I decided to search the entire sacred-text website for "puppy". In the example, an elephant was used, so I decided to use my favorite pet animal since elephants are one of my favorite zoo animals. I chose the first link that came up. It was a song called "The Barking Puppy".

The Barking Puppy

This song was in the Africa section. It includes the lyrics to the song and even the musical notes to help you sing it in the correct tune. The song uses the word de instead of the. Also, it seems to have some slang language including ol' and phinney. This song was very interesting to me.

My Favorite Places: Destin and Lake Murray.

My favorite season of the year is summer. Therefore, my two favorite places are the beach and the lake.

Destin, Florida is where my family and I take our family vacation every year. I have gone once a year and sometimes twice a year since I was five years old. My grandpa lives down there as well. The beach is very calming and I love the atmosphere. There is just something about the sand and salt water that I love.

(Image information: Personal photo of the beach in Destin, FL; photo from Spring 2011)

Lake Murray is in Ardmore, Oklahoma. I have been going to this lake since I was six weeks old. My family is really into the whole boat and lake scene. We have had a ski boat my entire life and we also had a house boat for 6 years. My mom and I would go to the lake every weekend in the summer and even sometimes in the winter to hang out with friends. My cell phone did not work very well at the lake so it was a nice getaway from reality. I also met some of my very best friends at the lake. 

(Image information: Personal photo of Lake Murray; photo from Labor Day weekend 2014)

My First Blog

Testing, my first blog, ever.