Story Lab: Twine

(My Exact Reaction: made with Cheeseburger)

Hey guys! I made my first TWINE!!!

If you have read a few of my more personal goal post you may know that I have wanted to do this for a while. I finally did it! It is easier than I thought, but also not super simple. If I had to suggest something it would be to test the story every few slides. I wrote my whole story and put the caption in the wrong place. I put it as a tag soooooo don't do that haha.

Overall, it was so much fun. I won't be using it again most likely, but it was pretty cool. I still don't know how to save the file, so I will include a link, but I don't know if it works. The Twine is based of off the story called The Stars in the Sky by Joseph Jacobs. Basically in the story a girl goes on a round robin adventure to find the stars. In the end it is just a dream, but you don't know till the last moment. I used this exact plot in the my twine, except I cut the adventure down a bit. I didn't want to get too carried away with my first twine in case I messed up! If you want to read the original here is the link!

Click Here to Play

Reading Notes: More English Fairy Tales, Part B

(Young Lassie on a Fish by John D. Batten)

Hey there!

When I was reading through the stories in part b of the More English Fairy Tales unit, I stumbled upon a story called The Stars in the Sky. If you have happened to visit my blog before, you may know that my project is called Star Stories for Children! So, obviously I was super interested in reading this story.

I was hopping to get some great new ideas, especially for the conclusion. This story really helped me imagine being a kid again and running around in my vivid dreams. So for the conclusion of my story I really want to speak to that. I still want to keep it as the reader is the traveler, but maybe set a tranquil mood where Vela can explain what happened and send the reader off into a dream.

As for the notes on this story, I want to focus them on the little details that may benefit my story, or I may practice retelling this story to get ready for the conclusion!

• A girl wants to see the stars and goes on a wild goose chase to find them
• She ask many people, but she never sees them
• She is told to go on a horse and then on a fish
• The fish drops her off at stairs, but she can't seem to get to the top where the stars are
• She falls of and hits the water and cries
• She wakes up in bed wailing all alone

Some ideas:

• Make it a happy ending where she does find the stars! Maybe even Vila and link my story haha;)
• Make it a young kid who climbs many things to visit the stars.
• For my story I would love to have this same kinda story in the conclusion, but focus mores on the ending. Vela will drop the reader off in bed and the reader will wake up to the sun rising. 

Bibliography:
More English Fairy Tales, Part B, The Stars in the Sky by Joseph Jacobs. Retrieved from Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbooks

Reading Notes: More English Fairy Tales, Part A

Hey there!

So, I just read some of the English fairy tales and have picked one called Tattercoats to focus on. I selected this story because it is very similar to Cinderella. I wanted the opportunity to sit down with the story and really compare and contrast it. Also, I am currently addicted to Cheezburger so here is a picture I made.

(Pumpkin Pupper made with Cheeseburger)

Tell me that is not the cutest puppy ever. No there are no pumpkins in this story, but there are pumpkins in Cinderella. So, there is the first contrast ha ha!!!

Anyways, in Tattercoats there is a girl who's grandfather hates her. He hates her because during her birth her mother died and her mother was his favorite daughter. He is also rich, but he is a huge jerk. He refused to see his granddaughter. Over the years she is mistreated, hungry, and has no nice clothing. No one takes care of her except one servant.

That in itself is pretty different from Cinderella. There are no evil sisters or an evil step mom. Saddly  no talking and singing mice. I really was hopeful for a cute singing animal. Moving on though....after that set up, the rest isn't too far off. Tattercoats can't go to the ball that a prince is having to pick out his wife. She goes to a field and actually meets some guy who tells her to go to the ball with him (he was impressed by her flute). This guy is actually the prince. He tells the king this is his wife and she magically transforms and is then wearing a pretty dress. Happy ever after. 

So, if I were to change this, I would add significantly more cute and fluffy animals. Other than that, I love this story and want to keep it pretty similar!

Bibliography:
More English Fairy Tales, Part A, Tattercoats by Joseph Jacobs. Retrieved from Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbooks

Learning Challenge: All Smiles Jar :)

(The Earth is a Ball, made by Cheezburger)

Hey guys!!!

My plan for the next week or two is to write down a couple things that make me smile everyday. I will do this in a blog post saved as a draft and share it after a week. I plan to spend some time finding videos and pictures that make me smile. This will be perfect for when we are all stressed out for finals!

If you have any pictures that make you smile or any quotes comment them or comment the link!

Growth Mindset: Get Comfortable With Being Comfortable

(My Mantra, created with Cheezburger)

Hey there! This is my mantra or motto. I actually have been using this for a couple of years now and I love it. I am a dancer, so anytime I do a tryout or go to a class I remind myself of this. You have to do a lot of uncomfortable things in your life, but you just gotta remember that they are producing growth and change. From working out to going on interviews, things you aren't used to are not really comfortable situations. So, get comfortable with it! 

Extra Credit Reading Russia: Part B, The Fox-Physician

(Fox by Wikicommons)

Hi there guys!

So this story was very unexpected and quite jaw dropping to say the least. So get ready for a trickster fox and a dynamic plot.

Summary:
There was an old man and woman who planted cabbage. The old man's cabbage grew really tall...like to the sky. Actually, to the heavens. So, this old man climbs all the way up to the heavens and is super pumped. He comes back down and gets his old woman and throws her in a bag to take her up. They get halfway and he accidentally DROPS THE BAG. Aka....she dies. Oh but no fear because a fox physician is there to save the day. He tells the only man to give him oatmeal, butter, and her body. The fox demands that he should be left alone in a bathroom. The man waits outside while the fox "saves" the old woman. Well does he save her?.........Well......he eats her. Yeah. Plus this fox eats the oatmeal and butter. So, now the man is wifeless, foodless, and poor. The fox gets away.

What was my initial reaction?

(Screaming Hamster by Eurokek)

Was I surprised?
Okay to be honest I was expecting a trickster story because it includes a fox, but I was not expecting it to be that tragic. It was also kinda random in my opinion. Like why did they plant cabbages? Why did the old man not let his wife climb up herself? It is just a lot of whys. So, yes I was surprised by the ending and I wish it would have ended happier.

Would I retell?
Probably not. While yes it does contain a fluffy cute animal.....the animal eats someone and I just don't know if I vibe with that. If I did retell it I would be taking that part out. Maybe the fox would actually save the day. Who knows, but this story is not high on my retelling list.

Bibliography:
Russian Folktales: Russian Fairy Tales, Part B by W. R. S. Ralston. Retrieved from Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook.

Week 11 Story: Why The Deer Has Horns

Why The Deer Has Horns

(Red Deer by Wiki Commons)

Long ago animals would come from near and far to battle in games. These games could sometimes be winter agility games or summer endurance games. The winner of these games would receive a wonderful prize for their family.

One year a team of two elephants won a tug of war against two lions and earned tusk.

The polar bear earned its white coat after winning a game of hide and go seek with a chimp.

Another year the cheetah outran a wolf and earned spots.

One of the greatest prizes ever given was a pair of horns. The game was very simple. Run as fast as possible and leap over any obstacles. First one to the finish line wins. This game required an ability to jump high and maneuver through the thick brush.

There were only two animals left in the competition, one would win the games. The two animals were the deer and the bunny. Both had out run their competitors easily. It was going to be a huge match up!

Before the race started the bunny asked if he could go look at the finish line so he was aware of its location. He blamed his short memory for forgetting. The animals decided that was fair and let the bunny go. After several minutes, the animals grew worried the bunny was in trouble or lost. They sent a hawk to search for him. 

When the hawk found the bunny, she saw that the bunny was clearing a path under the brush! The hawk flew back and told the animals of the cheating scandal. The animals were in disbelief and extremely upset. So upset, that when the bunny returned they could hardly say a word. 

The animals finally told the bunny that they knew he had cheated, and he was disqualified. It was quite the scandal in the animal kingdom. The bunny stormed off and the deer was given horns. This is why the deer has horns!

Author's note:
Hey guys! Thanks for reading my story. This story was actually inspired by one of my extra credit readings, How The Deer Got His Horns by James Mooney. To create my story, I simply added another dimension to the original. I added the annual games. These games were inspired by the Olympic games! That was honestly the only big change, but I feel like it added a fun flare. I would love to imagine all the animals coming together and competing together. It would be awesome to see the most talented animal in the world! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this story! 

Bibliography:
Myths of the Cherokee: How The Deer Got His Horns by James Mooney. Retrieved from Un-Textbook. 

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk-Tales, Part B

(Eskimo Family from World Atlas)

Hi guys!

So these notes will be about the Eskimo Folk-Tales, part B. Just as an overview of all of the stories, they are fairly violent. I was actually shocked at how many people died. There were many gruesome stories about killing women, men, and eating people. Compared to part A this was different, but even part A had some violence.

One story that really shocked me was The Wife Who Lied. Link Here

....um..... okay.... buckle up because this one is rough

So, a woman was raised by a tribe of people who eat other people, but she was taken away to be a wife at a young age. Like she left the people eaters, got a new mans, and a big happy family. I mean I would be grateful as heck at this point, but she was not. She wanted to go home.

Obviously, the only way to go home is to start a war. She put mittens on her feet and went back home so they believed she had not been taken care of. Her home tribe got really mad at her husband's tribe. So, when all the men left for hunting her home tribe went and killed all the women except three that hid. The home tribe stuck the dead women's bodies through long poles in the ground.

At this point I was shook.....like what even. How common was this? Anyways, the end is pretty simple and just as gruesome. The husband's tribe finds out that the wife lied and said she was being mistreated. They started a war and then killed the wife. Her death was pretty gruesome. If you are curious I suggest reading the story.

Moral of the story: DO NOT LIE

I will not be retelling this story. If I did, I would try to make it less violent for sure!

Bibliography:

Eskimo Folk-Tales, Part B by Knud Rasmussen. Retrieved from Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook 

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk-Tales, Part A

(Polar Bear from Creative Commons)

Hi guys!

Okay so today I read some stories from the Eskimo Folk-Tales Part A. Of course I loved the story about the cute polar bear. This should be no shock by now......

On a real note, this story is so cute. There isn't a huge underlying meaning other than to appreciate what you have before it is gone. Something I noticed with all of the stories in this unit is that they all had a pretty blunt ending. There wasn't always a good sum up or a overarching meaning. Most of these stories are just stories to be told not teach.

The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster Son. 

• An old woman is given a bear cub (polar bear) from a bear hunter who gave her meat
• The woman defrost the cub
• The cub learns her language and she raises it
• The cub plays with the kids, then the adults, and then just the men
• When it is too big, the bear goes hunting with the men and help kill seals
• One day it kills a random man to protect itself like the old woman told it to do
• The old woman told the bear it had to leave her to protect itself from people coming to kill it
• She waited until there was a day without a cloud in the sky to send the bear off. 

So this story reminded me of this movie I used to watch a kid at my family's house in Colorado. My favorite part is that the bear would sniffle when it was hungry. It was repeated throughout the story and added a heart warming touch to it. I would love to retell this story so here are some story ideas:

• Tell the story from the Bear's point of view
• Change the bear to a wolf and modernize it
• Tell the story from a bear hunters point of view
• Retell the story how it is
• Retell it in a diary format over many years
• Year/ Day 1: getting the cub
• Year 2 entry: cub is playing too rough
• Year 3 entry: cub's first day hunting
• Year 4: cub attacks man 
• Year 5: saying goodbye

Here are some sources 

• Polar Bears 
• Time line of polar bears 

Bibliography:

Eskimo Folk-Tales, Part A: The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster Son by Knud Rasmussen. Retrieved from Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook 

Extra Credit Reading Notes: Why Dogs Growl

(An Agressive Wolf Puppy by Creative Commons)

Hi there! 

So I highly suggest looking through the home page of UN-Textbook to find some awesome extra credit readings. The stories are all so great and so hard to choose between! So why did I pick Why Dogs Growl? Well I am getting a puppy in a few months and I would love to know exactly why it will growl;) Haha just kidding. I love stories on why things are the way they are. It will be a great story to share with my friends and family too (all dog lovers)!

Lets jump it!

First off, the word helpmeet is used a lot. I had no idea what this meant so I used trusty google to save the day. Helpmeet means a helpful companion. Typically a husband or wife. I believe it is supposed to actually refer to Eve though. Correct me if I am wrong. 

But back to the story, Adam was essentially surrounded by a bunch of animals with partners. God decided to give him a partner. So, God cut out a rib from Adam and set it on the ground. The dog at cat were growling and the dog snatched the rib. God took the rib back and cut off the dog's tail. The dog has been growling ever sense. 

So time for a little creativity. I would change a lot about this story. First off, you could make this story longer and more detailed. Here are some questions I have that need answers

• Why do some dogs have tails now?
• What was the first dog?
• Why did God set the rib down?
• Why did the cat not grab it?
• Why cut the tail off the dog?
• What happened to Eve?

There are too many questions that need answers. If I retold the story I think I would ditch most of it. Maybe keep the part about Adam. Overall, not a great story, but it could be fun to change it up!

Bibliography:
Why Dogs Growl from African American Folktales by Richard Dorson. Found on Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook. 

Week 10 Lab

Hey there! 

So this week I went ahead and explored writers write. I love exploring that website and finding awesome and beneficial readings. Since I am writing a storybook for children I really try to focus my attention on article centered around how to write for kids. 

Lets start with the 

Do Your Characters Have SMART Story Goals?

This one was great to check Vela in my storybook. She kinda acts as my main character/ narrator. It is also good to check each main character in each sub story. Here is the condensed checklist!

My Main Character Has A....

• Specific Goal: define the goal using these 5 Ws...
• Who?
• What?
• Where?
• When ?
• Why?

• Measurable Plan: we can measure their success or failure if we know... 
• How they will achieve goal/ execute the plan?

• Attainable Goal: its gotta be realistic...
• Does your character have the resources?
• Does your character have the ability?

• Relevant Goal: does the goal make sense...
• Will my character grow/benefit ?
• Is my character motivated?

• Time-bound: create tension and urgency 
• Will my reader feel a need to keep reading?

The other article I really want to save and utilize is the 

140 Words To Describe Mood In Fiction

I'm not going to write all 140 words out, but please use the link to explore some great descriptive words for mood! Mood is what the reader FEELS. 

If you have any suggestions for articles to read, please leave them in the comments. There are some pretty great articles on the writers write website!

(Mindset Cat from Feedback Cats)

Reading Notes: Alaskan Legends, Part B

Hey there! 

So I am going to focus these notes on a specific story from Alaskan Legends, Part B. This story is called Tricks of the Fox. After reading all of the stories in part B (which I HIGHLY recommend because they are short, sweet, and super good) I found I enjoyed this one the most. All of the stories had a very historical mood about them. The were written in third person, but they were told as if they actually happened. It was like a direct retelling from someone who watched it. It is kinda difficult to explain, but if you read the stories it may make more sense. 

Anyways, I picked this story because it was a trickster story! It also had fox as the main character and if you know anything about me, you should know I am a sucker for stories about cute furry animals. Here is actually a link for 14 cool fox facts! One of the facts is that arctic foxes don't shiver until it is -94 degrees F! Also look how dang cute they are.

(Arctic Fox Pup by Wiki Commons)

They also change color with the season!

(Another Arctic Fox Pup by Wiki Commons)

Lets start with a brief run down and my thoughts while reading the story:

In the beginning there is a male fox with his pups. He leaves to go get Eagle eggs.

• Pups are also called kits or cubs. Male foxes are also called tons. 
• What kind of foxes is the story talking about? I think it is arctic foxes since the story is from the Koryak (Siberia). Here is a list of mammals in Alaska though. There are red foxes and arctic foxes. 

The first trick is done by the fox to get the eagle eggs down. Essentially he put grass stalks on his ears and pretended like he was going to knock the tree down where the eagle and her eggs were. He said he would knock it down if she did not throw an egg down. The eagle through an egg down to the fox. He then demanded another, she was frightened to lose all her eggs so she threw another. The fox laughed and insulted the eagle. The eagle picked him up and flew the fox to a deserted island. 

The second trick is done by the fox to get off the island. He sings a song to get the attention of the animals in the water. They ask what the song is about and the fox ask if they think there are more animals in the water or on land. They say the water. The fox ask them to prove it by making a bridge from the island to the land so he can count. They do as the fox says. The fox uses this bridge to escape this island and return home. 

• I wonder what song he sang?
• Why did the sea animals not eat the fox?
• Do you think the fox learned his lesson to not ask of too much?

Bibliography:
Alaska Legends Part B edited by Katharine Berry Judson. Website: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook

Learning Challenge: Read an Article, Attention

Top 10 Ways to Be More Productive When Working from Home: link here

(Working From Home by Clip Art)

Hey guys! This article was really beneficial for me since I do most of my work at home and I am planning on completing a masters online in a few months. 

Something I already knew was the importance of getting dressed. That makes the biggest difference in my productivity during the day. I wake up, wash my face, brush my teeth, get some coffee, eat a bite, and then put on real clothes. This separates my home life from my work life pretty well. 

One thing I did not know was the "commuting to your office" point. I may try this, but honestly I am not a huge fan of it. If it works that is awesome. Apparently if you take a walk around the block like you are commuting to your office, it helps you get in the right mindset. 

I am curious to explore the impacts of creating a focused work environment. I will be moving into a house in a couple months and I am currently picking out my office furniture. It is so important to have enough desk space for me, but other aspects I have no idea. I really want a standing desk. I have always had a desk in a bedroom and now I finally have a legit office. I am hoping that may help focus me by itself, but who knows. I may try to google some ways to create a focused office environment before I buy anything!