Thomas L. Dynneson

The Cemetery Glade

In the spring the birds will sing
Flying high across a clear sky carried aloft on a feathered wing
Not caring about the boys who will die
Beside their comrades in a battle cry

Brave boys just out of school
Full of hope and the golden rule
Their cause is just and in courage they trust
Some of their broken bodies will soon lie in the dust  Read More 

(a) Religiosity – The interpretation of events, or the outcomes of events, due to a strong religious outlook. It includes actions and arguments that are predicated on the belief that to follow certain pathways will curry the favor or the disfavor of god(s) of the supernatural realm or those realms that are deemed sacred, including Fate; it also includes oaths and pledges that are designed to evoke the favor of the spiritual realm.  Read More 

What had I learned about reading in a social studies class?

1. Older students with low reading ability will avoid reading.
2. Students are aware of the inability to read and they tend to hide this problem from others.
3. A lack of reading ability in an older student can produce a large degree of hostility.
4. Although older students with poor reading skill may seem to be a lost cause, they are not a lost cause.
5. For many, if not most students, assigned classroom materials are inappropriate for instructional purposes and must be modified and/or supplemented.
6. Older students, like younger students, learn to read or improve their reading skills by reading. Reading, like any other skill, can become a habit that improves with practice.
7. Reading can become a social affair in a social studies classroom, and can be used to build relationships.
8. The inability to read at an expected reading level does great harm to a student’s confidence and a student’s sense of self-identity that may follow them through life.
9. Social studies learning demands a certain level of reading comprehension; thus these skills become social studies skills.
10. Most surprising of all, students with weak reading and comprehension skills can learn to read relatively well in a short period of time, provided that they read on a regular daily basis and have supervision.  Read More