Lady Liberty

Today's post is dedicated to Tommy in Philly, whose grandmother gave me the idea for today's lesson and post.

Today I taught Philip about the Statue of Liberty and we read Emma Lazarus's famous poem "The New Colossus" which graces the pedestal of the statue.  The poem reads:

The New Colossus

BY EMMA LAZARUS

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

I started off asking Philip some factual questions about the statue: what country was it a gift from (FRANCE), what is it made of (COPPER).  Then we talked about the poem, with some emphasis on trying to understand the meanings of new words from context and then comparing their actual definitions.  It was fun for Philip who loves words. 

I first explained how a colossus is a statue. I asked, "From the sound of that word, what word do you think would describe the kind of statue it is?" BIG.  I told Philip about the original Greek Colossus of Rhodes which was a giant bronze statue considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World and was erected to memorialize Rhodes' victory over Cyprus.  

I asked, "What do you think brazen means?"  SUPERIOR.  We looked up brazen which actually has several meanings, one being 'made of brass' and another being 'marked by contemptuous boldness.'  It made me appreciate the author' s word choice which covered both meanings.  It also made me wonder if the word's origin actually came from that triumphant, bronze statue.  

"What is the new colossus?"  STATUE OF LIBERTY.

"How is the new colossus different from the old?"  SHE ACCEPTS ALL PEOPLE

"How are they similar?" STRONG

"What do you think 'imprisoned lightning' symbolizes?"

I THINK REAL STRENGTH IS FROM EACH MAN REGARDLESS OF STATUS.

"What do you think an exile is?"  EACH PERSON REACHING OUT TO ESCAPE THEIR  'NOT' HOMELAND
"Why do you say 'not' homeland?"
SOME PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER WELCOME IN THEIR LAND.

"What do you think beacon means?"  TO NOT MOURN TODAY.  

"Actually it means something else.  It is a signaling or guiding device like a lighthouse.  So let's try again.  Give me another name for beacon."

GUIDE.  Philip added, "I AM EACH DAY LEARNING NEW WORDS."

"How do you think the immigrants felt after a long journey across the ocean and finally seeing the Statue of Liberty?"  THEY FELT WELCOME AND GLAD.

"How would you feel if you were one of the travelers and you looked at her 'mild eyes.'?"

I WOULD FEEL SOME COMFORT

"What do you think 'Keep ancient lands your storied pomp' means?"

STAY AWAY IF YOU ARE RICH AND PROUD.

"What kind of people is she calling?"

I THINK SHE WELCOMES THE POOR AND HOMELESS.

"What is the Golden door?"

THE ENTRANCE TO AMERICA.

"Why is it a gold door?"

IT IS A RICH AND GREAT COUNTRY.

"What did you think of this poem"

I LIKE IT BC IT IS ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY EVERYONE HAS IN AMERICA TO NOTABLY ACCOMPLISH THEIR DREAMS.

Under Lady Liberty's Torch

By Philip Reyes

I see a lady strong and free.

She means peace between France and us.

Pillar of tomorrow's dreams,

She lights the path of foreigners' trust.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Today, May 28, 2014, Maya Angelou died.  She was a true renaissance woman in our day.  She described herself as a poet, a lover of the “music of language.”  As I learned more about her, I thought Philip would really admire and appreciate this woman. 

After school, I told Philip about Maya Angelou.  We did a Brain Pop lesson on her life.  Then we read one of her most famous poems.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

Lisa (Me):  What did you think of this poem?

Philip:  I liked it.  I think it is carefree that the one bird is free to fly and sow its seed somewhere it pleases.  I think the other bird is trapped by the host’s cage.  No God so needs us to enslave one another. 

 

L:  Do you think the poem is about people?

P: Y (for yes)

L:  Who is the free bird?

P:  Someone who gets to live his dreams.

L:  Who is the caged bird?

P:  I think the caged bird is the author Maya Angelou.

L:  What is the cage?

P:  The cage represents oppression by society.

L:  Can you relate to this poem?

P:  I feel like the caged bird.  I kind of feel oppressed by further longing to vear (veer) to some normalcy.  I really want to mean to make a life for myself but I cannot bc (because) I feel limited by being autistic.  I really interested in teaching about the direction autistic research should be going.  Research should go towards teaching communication, not meaningless drills.

L:  What is the cage in your case?

P:  Meaninglessness.  I think bc of misunderstandings of not speaking, autistics are many times sentenced to meaningless lives.  They restlessly mean to free themselves from the torment of silence.  It sometimes makes me so keen to reach out to shake up schools which stand in the way of progress.

L:  Why does the caged bird sing?

P:  He sings for freedom.  Songs for freedom are sang realizing the past was really tormented but there is meaning to our struggles and hope for tomorrow.

L:  What are the things longed for?

P:  Inner peace, to not be mended for autism, education like a normal kid, really good learning how to communicate.

 

Update on Life

Today I noticed it has been awhile since I last blogged and this would be my first entry in May.  After a long winter this year, the sun has finally come out and given us reason to be outdoors more so we have been spending a little less time indoors writing formally.  Today I found myself thinking about what a "normal" life Philip is starting to have.  Of course his life is not normal in the way most people's lives are.  He still needs someone to support his communication all day and keep a close eye on him, but for Philip, this is as close to being part of the normal world as he has ever been.

This evening we went out for ice cream with another family.  Philip was able to order his own ice cream flavor.  He chose mint, a flavor I would have never chosen for him.  It was the first time he ordered ice cream for himself and he loved it.  I had always assumed he liked vanilla.  I wonder how many times he must have thought, "Not again, Mom.  Can't you choose something more exciting?"  My friend T asked Philip how school was going and Philip spelled, GOOD.  Then she asked if there was anything he wanted to say to her.  NOTHING, he spelled like I might imagine any other 11 year old boy respond.  I asked Philip if he had a question for her and he asked her about her job.  We all laughed in good nature about the brief exchange.

Since the weather has warmed, we have been spending more time outside taking walks, jumping on the backyard trampoline, and going to parks and playgrounds.  Philip has resumed hanging out with his friend Nelson more regularly.  He enjoys Nelson's company and though he is not able to talk to Nelson as much as he wants to during the time they meet, he writes him notes in between which I text to his mom.  Philip also has a few pen pals who are autistic and communicate as he does.  I can tell he has a real heart connection with these kids.  They share deep understandings about the world and God that we non-autistics will probably never quite grasp in the same way.    I'm so grateful to see Philip cultivating such real, meaningful friendships.

Another thing Philip has been doing is steadily working on his goals.  For the New Year he came up with his 14 resolutions for 2014 (written here).  He has not forgotten them.  Among the goals he is working on is writing his autobiography.  He uses his letterboard to write a small paragraph every few days.  It has been amazing to discover his point of view in his early years.  It no longer surprises me to find out how different it was than what I assumed.  If anything, I keep learning how faulty my eyes are.

Philip has also been working on typing with support at his forearm.  Philip sees typing as an important skill and having a voice output is an added bonus.  While Philip is quite proficient with his letterboard, being able to churn out sentences and paragraphs with relative ease, typing is a lot more work.  We have used his lesson time as a chance to practice typing his responses in short 1-3 word phrases.  Occasionally he can type a sentence.  As with everything, I continue to push the envelope to see if he can do a little more.

This week Philip typed answers to our Renaissance lesson (here is a portion):
What does Renaissance mean?  rebirth.
Where did it start? italy.
What cultures inspired the Renaissance? greek roman.
When did it start? 1300.
What era was it a reaction to? dark ages.
What happened in the dark ages? no becoming inteligent.
Would you have liked to have lived in the dark ages? no.
During the Renaissance? yes.
Why? talk about  new ideas.
What were some values of the Renaissance?  Knowledge, learning.
How was knowledge from the ancient Greek and Roman times preserved? the monks transcribed a lot of books.
Who were the monks? the help of god.

I then tried stretching him by asking him to type his answer to the question, "What is your motivation to type?"  Philip's answer:  i want to type because kids think u are smart going to do something effective.

One of the biggest achievements Philip has accomplished on his resolutions list is going to public school and being supported in his communication by his teachers.  It has been an up and down transition, but lately more up.  Last Monday, his teacher wrote me a note that Philip was able to identify notes on a staff using his letterboard in music class with typical peers.  He even went to the front of the class with his teacher to fill in a measure with its proper rhythm, notes, and rests.  They say he is getting better with his letterboard and participates in math, ELA, and social group well.  Philip wrote yesterday, I AM LEARNING SO MUCH, BELIEVE ME.  "How does it feel?" I asked.  WONDERFUL was his reply.

Relationships at home are becoming more "normal" too.  Philip and his younger sister Lia have been having their daily communication time with Lia using the letterboard.  This morning Philip remarked, LIA IS GETTING BETTER USING MY LETTERBOARD.  My husband has been reading to Philip daily.  I facilitate conversation with the family.  Philip even jokes around.  Once when his older brother Carlos was being particularly funny, Philip spelled, YOU ARE KILLING ME!  When no one laughed, he spelled, I AM MISSING SOMETHING YOU TALKERS HAVE.  THAT IS TONE OF QUOTE.  We all laughed at that one!

Like in any life, there are its valleys and peaks and everywhere in between.  Right now I am taking in the beauty of an upward climb.

 Baltimore April 2014

Lessons from National Geographic

Since starting RPM a year and a half ago, my way of teaching Philip has evolved and expanded.  In the beginning, I didn’t really know where to start.  Philip would have been in the fourth grade, but at his school, they did not have grade levels and he was still trying to identify coins and match digits 1-5 with the corresponding number of blocks.  I did not know what he knew.  I started by using my second grade daughter’s take-home papers from school.  I taught Philip about habitats and communities and had him complete fill-in-the-blank vocabulary sheets.  From my friend Susan, I learned about some good curriculum guides which I started one year below grade level and quickly got him caught up to grade level.  I used What Your Third Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, Steck-Vaughn Focus on Science, and McGraw Hill U.S. History.  For the longest time I could not get Philip to answer simple math questions like “what comes after 21?” or “how do we write 16?”  Susan gave me a tip she learned from her son Michael who is 4 years older than Philip and also learned from Soma.  He told his mom, “Start at a high level and then bring it down if necessary.”  When I expressed my frustration with Philip’s inability to do math, she suggested I put a handful of coins on the table and ask him to show me the value.  I thought there was no way he would be able to.  That night I tried it and lo and behold, we had our math breakthrough as he pointed on the letterboard the correct amount to the penny.

As Philip moved beyond just answering academic questions to being able to answer open ended questions and give his opinions, I started trying to pick topics that were more relevant to what was going on in the moment like the Olympics or the Oscars.  Oftentimes when there was a day off from school, it would be a holiday like Columbus Day or Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  It gave me a reason to teach him about these historical figures and their significance.  I learned about the iPad app called Brain Pop from another blog of a parent called Emma’s Hope Book.  I began expanding on lessons with Brain Pop to fill in the gaps about interesting subjects related to what we were studying.  For example, Philip and I got into reading all sorts of biographies.  After reading a biography on Jonas Salk who developed the polio vaccine, we did Brain Pop lessons on vaccines and the immune system.  I was learning right alongside him.  It was fun! 

Another source of teaching has been through our church’s Stockade program.  Similar to Boy Scouts, Philip earns badges for achievements.  I help Philip do his achievements which range from learning how to take care of the environment, Biblical studies, going to Dad’s workplace, and knowing our rights and responsibilities as citizens.  Philip is so proud each time he gets a badge or a treat from the prizebox.    

  

Recently we have been making good use of the National Geographic subscription we got for Christmas from Philip’s grandparents.  Before Philip gets home from school, I preselect a few interesting pictures from the magazine that Philip will have the opportunity to write about, whether a story, poem, or essay.  After choosing the picture, I read him excerpts of the article related to the picture and do an academic lesson.  At the end he writes his piece about the photograph.  Today Philip chose this photo of flood zone squatters in Manila:

      

The corresponding article was entitled “Rising Seas.”  We talked about global warming and its causes, how sea levels rise, and the possible consequences.   We particularly looked at Miami, where we used to live, and how the rising sea levels has been posing a threat to Florida’s freshwater supply.  After Philip answered some questions on the reading, he wrote this poem based on the picture.

I Know a Plan

My family is poor.

I plan to venture to the States of America.

We live in slums overlooking the sea.

The sea releases each sort of debris.

It stinks.

Son to mean world

I rinse myself to wash away the torment of each day.

I wash away my past

like the rising tide swallowing our land.

I kiss this life goodbye.

I know a plan.

Dream to make haste to a kind, gentle world.

I leave now.

I won’t look back.