A Perfect Number
Six, it was the perfect number. As a kid it seemed everything important came or worked in correspondence with the number six. The mystical bubbly beverage soda (my favorite when little) came in a six-pack, there were six hot dogs in a package and twelve cookies in a dozen— because who eats just one? Not only that, but six makes three groups of two, which is perfect so everyone has a partner for Disney Land rides and no one rides alone. Also, six makes seating in a suburban perfect. There are 3 rows of seats leaving plenty of room for two individuals on a bench with plenty of room to spread out, stretch, and store rations for long car trips. Finally, six wooden chairs placed around an old oak table giving each member of my family their own place to enjoy meals filled with laughter and joy together.
Life seemed  perfect. I loved growing up with a family of six, it seemed it was the perfect number and I cherished every day I spent together with them. My family consisted of my two parents, two older brothers, and then my younger brother and I. Now don’t get me wrong, my family sure disagreed on many things and rarely shared opinions on certain matters, however everything always worked out. One of the best things was the family pairing. My parents naturally went together being married, and my two older brothers combined forces out of similar interest— to torment my younger brother and I. Which  left us to unite in the defense of one another. That bond not only saved us from potential torment, but it formed a friendship that will last a lifetime.
The close-knit friendship between my brothers and I rarely skipped a beat. It didn’t matter if we fought one minute because the next we would go on marvelous adventures and the contention slipped from our minds. We constructed forts from sheets transforming our bedroom into a vibrant Indian tapestry market with only one secret entrance. Together we trekked the frozen tundra of the mysterious new world of the backyard. And in summer we ate otter pops until our mouths no longer resembled a color recognizable to the human eye and our taste buds blasted into shock from the excessive amounts of sugar ingested. Even as time went on and we grew, nothing could stand in our way. We, the youngest in the family prided ourselves on being just that.  Those were the days.
                 The thing about younger years is their predictableness. I loved predictable. I delighted in the idea that when I finally arrived home after school  I found snacks on the table and my mom at home. Every weekday and weekend was the same. Monday through Friday delivered hours of school and play. And Saturdays were my favorite. My parents hated the repetitiveness, but I on the other hand loved waking up early Saturday morning to go watch my brother’s baseball games in the spring, football in the fall, and swimming in the summer. I also enjoyed certain structured activities;  the structure created a secure environment for me. Who knew everything would change so quickly. 
 At age fourteen I never expected my life to flip so suddenly. My Mom talked about wanting to adopt a baby for awhile, but yet nothing really happened. That’s why it came as such a shock when my parents sat all my siblings and I down in the living room to discuss the potential of adding another child to the mix. After a conversation we came to the general consensus adoption would add to the general happiness of the family.After a while we had no luck  adopting an infant .  The talk of adopting slightly older children through the state gradually came to the forefront of conversation. This made me nervous and scared. Like  staying up all night, can’t- stop- thinking- about- horrible- things- that- could- possibly- go- wrong kind of  fears and nightmares. The fear probably came from selfish thoughts but I, for one, didn’t like the idea of change; especially change that I didn’t have control over.
However, one little picture took that fear and erased it from my mind. A photograph of a fair skinned, chubby cheeked little three year old boy. His blue eyes resembled the fresh sky after a rain storm and his vibrant orange hair created an aura of jubilance around him . The first time I saw the picture, my heart started beating as if sounding for battle. Starting out slow and strong and continually increasing in temp. After a minute the perpetual beating left me tired, exhausted and wheezing as if I had just ended a marathon. Something about his smiling face melted my heart like ice cream in the summer sun. I had no idea what, but something about this boy struck my heart, leaving me with a strong yearning to fill it.
Little did I know within a month the void in my heart would be spewing over. After several weeks of finishing up paperwork, home studies and requests for adoption, a red line appeared around a Saturday on the calendar hanging in the kitchen. Before I knew it the day arrived. The night before I wrestled for hours with my sheets and I believe they ended the night victorious leaving me exhausted and feeling sick. The car ride to meet this mystery cherub seemed to drag on as if a four hour long chemistry lecture. The built up anxiety and excitement left my nerves running rampant throughout my body, searching for a way out.
Finally. We had arrived. Excitement, anxiety, curiosity, fear and insecurity all fought within my head and left me in an emotional stupor. As the car filled with my family came to a hault in the parking lot of the Glenns Ferry Park, my eyes scanned back and forth searching for the little boy who for the past month ran around my head leaving little muddy footprints in my dreams. One more glance to the right. Stop. Was that him? Was that the boy who changed my life forever?
The car stopped. I sat there frozen. Frozen like a cold Logan Winter morning. Within an instant my family stepped out of the car and somehow my chilled body followed them. Each step loosened my joints and soon my stride increased in speed. As we walked over to the foster parents I couldn’t keep my eyes from drifting towards the red-headed angel throwing baseballs and tumbling towards them. My parents began talking, however their words slowly muffled into silence and my body drifted towards the tiny angel. His un-proportionate chubby body forced my heart to grin and heart to pulse rapidly. His jean shorts, too long for his body, almost reached his ankles and the bright red shirt brought out his sun kissed cheeks. As he smiled his cheeks pushed up on his face closing his eyes into a tiny squint. Every laugh and every smile stole another piece of my heart.  I looked down.  A small baseball stitched with red rolled into my foot. Looking up I saw a chunky little hand point at the ball and the beholder grinning. No introductions needed. Soon the mini world series broke out and the cherub ended the game stealing my heart.
My family and I all loaded back into the car and drove away. I knew from that day on my life would never be the same. I couldn’t wait for the day when the little angel came home. To my home. And let me say life never remained the same. Who said there was a perfect number for anything? Truly was there such a vast difference between six and seven?  Thinking about it we just needed to buy two packs of soda or hot dogs. And really, who doesn't enjoy leftovers? But why stop at seven? Within the next two years three more children came into the life of my family, bringing the Monks family to the perfect number ten.
Our family pictures now have three adorable blue eyed, blond, smiling faces. Overnight my family gained three adorable little sisters at the ages of 4,5 and 7. Similarly as before, as soon as I met this trio of angels my heart was stolen once again. However with them no anxiety was involved. Sure excitement and nerves filled me waiting for the day they came home, but no fears muddled my thoughts. I have come to love all four of my adopted siblings as if they were my own flesh and blood. I can't imagine my life without them in it? The family additions have only added to the perfection. Just think! Now basketball games consist of five on five. Each person brings their own challenges and strengths to the family; and together we fit perfectly. Sure, car trips feel more tightly packed and a new table sits in the dining area, but that just makes dinner more entertaining. Now there is never a dull moment in the Monks’ household. Who says there is a perfect number? Maybe there is, but maybe, just maybe the perfect number is one that brings the most joy and happiness into a life. And for me, that number is ever expanding and eternal.

Reading to Children at Home ( Group Portfolio)

1

Audience Analysis

Intro:

For our group project, we propose that parents read to their children on a day to day basis. This will help them improve their academic skills, reading comprehension, and social interaction. In this paper we want to address parents or guardians of children and students. We are concerned that in the modern world we face today that most kids are not being read to as often as they need to. We are looking to propose a plan to help encourage parents to read to their children on a more consistent basis.

Key Characteristics:

We want to focus on middle class families with children from infancy to adolescence. It is not only important for the adults to understand our purpose, but also for people of younger ages to understand the benefits of reading to encourage their reading habits. Many families have very busy schedules and may not have sufficient time to spend reading to their children.

Another thing that will affect the way we address our audience is taking into account the different cultures and backgrounds that families come from. We realize that not every family speaks English because of their cultural backgrounds and circumstances.  Regardless of the language they speak and cultural background we still want to encourage them to apply these same concepts.

Attitude of Audience:

In general, our audience will agree that reading to children from an early age is beneficial for both their social skills and learning development. We are not concerned about convincingparents that reading is important, but rather our issue is convincing parents they need to implement consistent reading into their child's lives. We also will be trying to convince parents and guardians to continue reading to their children even when they can read on their own. We also want parents to encourage their children to read non academically. Some parents may feel that the only reading their children need is from their classes at school.

Executive Summary

Reading: should parents read to kids? Insist on kids reading to themselves at home? How much?

What is the Problem:

Older kids these days are not always at the reading level they need to be at to succeed in school. Not only does this affect them academically but it will also affect them in real life .Especially after high school graduation. Parents need to approach this problem now, while their kids are still young, rather than later.  

Where is the problem:

Although this problem exists in many places around the world, for the purposes of this argument and to narrow the topic, the focus will be on the United States population and how reading to children affects Americans later in life.

When did it become a problem:

We generally do not think about how the amount of reading we do with our kids affects them. Over the years we have begun to realize the correlation between reading to kids when they are younger and the affects it has on their academic success when they are older. Its hard to say when this really became a problem because it has slowly progressed over time. 

Who does it impact:

This impacts the kids themselves. To help them be more successful in life they need to start reading young. This will  help them develop skills that will make them more successful academically. Not only will it benefit them now, but also later in life.  

How did it become a problem:

This became a problem by parents passing on the responsibility of reading with their kids to their children’s teachers at school. The reason this is a problem is because teachers do not have the adequate amount of time; they have too many other subjects they need to cover in one day. This means the amount of reading time a child gets at school is simply not enough. This is where parents come in. Parents need to spend time reading to their kids to help them get the one-on-one reading time they need.  

Why should the audience care:

​Reading to children when they are younger affects them in many different areas in life; both developmentally and intellectually. Not only will it improve their literacy, but it will also assist in the development of their language and communication skills later in life. If parents want their children to reach their potential in literacy and want them to be more successful inschooling, it is in their best interest to understand the benefits of reading to their children at a young age.

Proposal

Parents typically will agree that reading to young children will benefit them. Although they may agree, it doesn't mean that they will incorporate the concept into their lives. Along with this general understanding, there are many studies conducted in the United States that show the positive benefits of reading aloud to children consistently at a young age. These studies evaluate not only language cognition but also reading levels, social interaction, and other important life skills.

There are many different intellectual advantages that result from reading aloud to children, the most obvious being an increase in the child's reading level and ability.  Along with a higher reading ability, students who are read to at home also have a higher level of writing.(Spellings). This tie between reading and writing helps students not only in their literacy skills but also in many other subjects (10 reasons).If children become comfortable with reading at a young age, they tend to be able to pick out concepts more easily in other areas of school.    

Along with educational and intellectual benefits, reading aloud to children also increases their language skills and social interaction. (10 Reasons). It has been shown through several studies and research in elementary level students, that children with a larger vocabulary tend to do better in formal education settings (Mathieson). Children who have an overall larger vocabulary not only have a better ability to communicate with their peers and superiors but also are more competent in expressing their feelings and inner thoughts. This ability can result inhigher self esteem and self worth which is extremely important in children during the developmental years (Santrock).

Another one of the many benefits of reading aloud to children is the influence it has onseveral life skills. It has been shown that when parents read to their children it helps them develop their cognitive thinking skills as well as the ability to grasp abstract concepts. Reading to children and having them practice reading helps them develop concentration skills (10 Reasons). Developing a child's critical thinking skills will help them in their academics as well as in real life situations.

The importance of reading to children is readily apparent and most would not argue the benefits of reading together. In fact parents can see results through short, consistent reading sessions. It is our goal that parents take the initiative and encourage their children to develop and increase their skills by taking just ten minutes a day to read to their children. Many parents may say they are too busy to take time to read to their children but encourage their kids to read alone. Although a child’s personal reading is important, it is simply not enough. The average American spends two hours  on social media and two and a half hours watching television daily. It seems as if there are ten minutes in a day that can be spared to increase their child's educational development (Hinckley). Ten minutes, thats all it takes. However as parents and children adjust to reading together it is encouraged to adjust the time to longer periods to greater influence the benefits of reading.

Although reading to children and independent reading is important, it is also necessary to not allow it to get out of hand. Reading needs to be encouraged not only academically but also for fun. The ability to get lost in a book and explore with imagination is incredible, however there needs to be balance. Parents shouldn’t force children to sit and read for long periods oftime, this could take all the fun out of it. Short amounts here and there with time for discussion and questions however can be very beneficial. Not only for the child to grow intellectually but for bonding time between parent and child.   

Dr. Gary Reglin and Dr. Horace Cameron of Nova Southeastern University, and Dr.Nonofo Losike-Sedimo of University of Botswana, conducted a study that determined the effectiveness of parental involvement in students reading scores. They selected 30 students randomly from seventh grade who failed the EOG reading test in the 2009-2010 school years. Results showed that when the parents intervened the experimental groups reading comprehension scores increased. (cite) It is statistically proven that a parents involvement increases their child’s academic skills. As discussed previously, reading helps develop a child’s critical thinking, ability to grasp abstract concepts, and broadening their vocabulary. Reading also helps develop imagination, social interactions, and problem solving. All of these skills not only help children through their academic careers, but they last with them throughout their lives. These skills will help them far beyond their schooling years.

Works Cited

"10 Reasons Why should Read to your Children ." Early Moments- Sharing the Gift of Reading .N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2014.

Burns, Judith. "Keep Reading with your Children." BBC News- Education and Family . BBC, 16 Sept 2013. Web. 10 Feb 2014

Cervone, B. Cushmanp, K. Whatkidscando. “Advice for Parents: Helping Your Child Succeed in School-and Life.” 24, Ap. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

Cullinan, Bernice, and Brod Bagert. "Reading With Your Child." Reading With Your Child. U.S. Department of Education, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.

Larsen, Douglas P1, Andrew C2 Butler, and Henry L3 Roediger Iii. "Comparative Effects OfTest-Enhanced Learning And Self-Explanation On Long-Term Retention." Medical Education 47.7 (2013): 674-682. Education Source. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

Moats, Dr. "When Older Students Can't Read." LD OnLine: The World's Leading Website on Learning Disabilities and ADHD. N.p., 2010. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.

Mathiesson, Connie. "The hidden benefits of reading aloud - even for older kids." Great Schools.Great Schools Inc., n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2014.

Pérez-López, David1, and Manuel1, mcontero@i3bh.es Contero. "Delivering Educational Multimedia Contents Through An Augmented Reality Application: A Case Study On Its Impact On Knowledge Acquisition And Retention." Turkish Online Journal OfEducational Technology 12.4 (2013): 19-28. Education Source. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

REGLIN, GARY, HORACE CAMERON, and NONOFO LOSIKE-SEDIMO. "Effects Of A Parent Support Reading Intervention On Seventh-Grade At-Risk Students' Reading Comprehension Scores." Reading Improvement 49.1 (2012): 17-27. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

Spellings , Margaret. US Department of Educatiom . Office of Communication and Outreach .Helping Your Child become a Reader. Washington DC: , 2005. Web.

Sukhram, Diana Patricia, and Amy Hsu. "Developing Reading Partnerships Between Parents And Children: A Reflection On The Reading Together Program." Early Childhood Education Journal 40.2 (2012): 115-121. ERIC. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

Whitebread, David, and Sue Bingham. "Too Much, Too Young: Should Schooling Start at Age 7?" - ​Opinion. N.p., 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

Morgan Monks
Informant: Jerry Morgan
Place Collected: Grandfather's home


Title: An Aging Text


Genre: Artifact

Informant:
The person whom I found my artifact from was my Grandfather on my mother's side. He had been given the family bible form his family and had been keeping it in storage.

Context:
In order to collect this Bible I asked my mother where the Bible was because I had seen it when I was younger but it had been a long time since I had last seen it.  I then asked my mom to locate it and it happened to be at my Grandfather's house. He brought it over to my mom and she took some pictures and sent them to me. She also gave me a little backstory of the family bible (mostly which my grandfather had told her)

Text:
The item is an old family bible from the early 1800's with a family history in the front pages. It is a rather average bible from that time period with no special decoration considering my ancestors purchased the book either right before or soon after their voyage to the America's. It also has inserts of birth, death, and marriage dates.

Texture:
I feel like the age of this book really gives it a lot of texture. When you flip the pages the old material and the age on the spine really lends to a sense of awe and curiosity when it comes to antiques. It is crazy to think that this book has lived over wars and famine and plague when the owner's may have not.

Meaning:
This family bible really means a lot to me not because of the bible, but because of the records inside of it. As much as I love looking at things of the past-- because I love to look at them and just wonder about the stories it could hold-- It really meant a lot to be able to look at the names of my ancestors written with a quill and ink. It made me really appreciative of their pilgrimage and the opportunities that their struggles and trials have given to me. I now want to study more about these ancestors and find more about my history and past.

Morgan Monks

Informant: Myself/ Mom

Place Item Collected: My memory

Title: A Lullaby of Love 

Genre: Family Song

Informant: My mother is the person who would always sing this song to me and my younger brother. She has been eternally 39 for 4 years now and was born in Las Vegas. My mother grew up in a home where her parents weren’t very involved and I think that situation has made her become quite opposite to that. My mom has always tried to be very involved and supportive in my life but not overbearing. 

Context:  My mom used to sing me a song every night, even when I was older. I honestly don’t know when I stopped asking her to but I remember thinking to myself I was probably too old to have a lullaby every night but I didn’t really care. I also used to think that my mom had a wonderful voice and even told her she should go on American Idol.  She laughed at me and I never understood until later and I now recognize why she thought my idea was so comical. I never knew this until I was older but my mom would also sing that same song to my younger brother Kaden. I don’t know if the song had as much as a profound effect on him but I can only assume it was similar considering he told me that song was also his favorite and he asked for it often. 

Text: The words to the song ‘You are my Sunshine’ that my mom would sing to me every night are as follows:

You are my sunshine,

My only sunshine.

You make me happy

When skies are grey.

You’ll never know dear,

How much I love you.

Please don’t take my sunshine away

Texture:

My mom used to sing this song to me almost every night, when I was scared, and when I was sad. As expected as I grew older the songs came less and less frequent. However when I was older (as I said probably too old to be getting them) I remember some nights I would ask my mom to come into my room and sing the song to me. When she would sing the song she would sit on my bed, and push the hair away from my face as she sang to me. After she was done she would leave my room, and start to close the door just before I would stop her to leave it partly opened. (I always loved falling asleep to the noise of my parents up and talking or watching television).

Meaning:

I never really thought about the importance of this song to me until recently. I mean I always loved the song. To be honest when I was younger I thought my mom had made it up and I was the only one she sang it to because I was her only sunshine. Except when I figured it out that she in fact did not right the song nor was I the only one she sang it to, there was no difference in the meaning of it to me. I felt like she meant that song every time she sung it to me. Even when I was older to me that song meant I love you and I will always love you. I feel like my mom’s skies will be grey if I am gone for forever. I have gotten just a little glimpse of what it feels like to be away from her by being at college. Just being able to give her a hug or talk to her whenever we are in the same room means a lot and I really took that for granted when I was home. To me this song is so much more than just a lullaby; it is the characterization of my mother’s and my relationship. She is my best friend and right now she is my sunshine. I don’t know what I would do without her. She is always the one I can go and talk to about anything and we never stay mad at each other for more than a little bit. I plan to serve an LDS mission and I think that this song is one of those things I will be able to keep in my heart and be close to her.

Bonnie Moore

English 2010-027 @10:30

Morgan Monks
March 20th 2014
Subject: Genealogy Chart

Dusting off the Past


     As I found and researched a little bit about my family it was really informational and it helped me understand a little bit about my ancestors especially because I have only met a few of them. Most of my great grandparents died before I was born or when I was a baby. The other ones lived so far away I rarely saw them before they past. Looking at the genealogy charts gave me a little bit more information into their lives.
     One of the interesting things I did pay particular attention to was the age at which my grandparents died at. There was the untimely death of my fathers mother Artha at 52 from breast cancer which I knew about, but also I learned several of my great grandparents died at a young age as well. My grandfather on my mother's side's parents died at 53 and 68. I was curious about these instances and my grandfather informed me that both of his parents had serious substance abuse such as smoking and alcohol and they died from the affects of that. I never knew that about my great grandparents and it really put into perspective maybe some of the reasons why my grandpa does some of the things he does. He has a hard time getting rid of things so I think that maybe that has a little bit to do with the loss of his parents at a young age along with his brother. Learning this information gave me a little bit of insight into the life of my grandfather.
     Another thing that was interesting to me was where my family is from and where that led them to stay for their lives. On my fathers maternal side most of his family is from Arizona and that is where a large portion of his extended family still lives. In fact my uncle recently moved there to be close to family. My fathers paternal side is from California however and that is where his family has stayed for a long time except when my father moved to Nevada when he was in high school. On my mother's side it rather similar on her maternal side. My mother, grandmother and great grandmother were born in Nevada in the Las Vegas area and my great grandparents stayed there their rest of their lives. The interesting thing is my mother's paternal side. They seen to come from a much different area, the east. I asked my mother what led them to the west because that is closer to where they died and she informed me that when the depression hit her great grandparents left the east to the mid west for more financial opportunity. Looking at where my family came from helped me know just a little bit more about them and gave insight into some of the trials they had to face.
      Another thing that is rather interesting that is shown on a genealogy chart is the passing down of names on my mothers side of the family. For starters I was given the name Morgan from my mother. Her maiden name is Morgan. She did this because she was named after her mother's maiden name Shelley. One thing I don't notice however was that my mothers middle name came from my great grandma Alice Reba Mhoon.Another interesting thing I had never noticed before is my fathers middle name came from his grandfather Arthur which is where my fathers mother'so name Artha came from.  Although I don't plan to name my first daughter my maiden name Monks, I do want to look at my ancestry and find a family name to incorporate into my future family.
    Overall being able to look at my family ancestry really made a difference in the way that I look at my family. I learned a lot about my families past but also thought of things I want to incorporate into my family's future.

Morgan Monks

Informant: Jason Monks

Date retrieved: 3/1/14

Title: A Short Engagement 

Genre: Family story and legend 

Informant: The person who I heard this story from is my dad Jason Monks. The story has been passed down from my father's side of my family. It comes from 6 generations back and has been one of my favorites from that side of my family. 

Context: the story actually comes from an autobiography from my ancestor Lewis Barney. My dad and older brothers have read the book, however I have only read a little bit of it. The story of Lewis Barney's life I will share I heard from my father. My dad often will share a story of one of our ancestors when the subject comes up and this one seems to be told quite often even though everyone in my family knows what happens. We have the book written by Lewis but it is also available online by searching biography of Lewis Barney.

Lewis Barney 

Text: In 1825 Lewis Barney's mother died when he was 17 years old. After her death he and his father Charles would go on trips and leave the younger children at an aunt's. However two years later his family decided to travel west. When the family was preparing to begin their journey his father Charles was approached by a young woman the same age as Lewis. She wished to travel with the family to the west however Charles told her it would be unsuitable and improper for a single girl to travel with them. The next day she came back and pleaded with Charles to take her out west with them. Charles then proceeded to tell the young woman that she could come with their family if she would marry him. Without hesitation she agreed and that same day they went down the road to the Smith home and were married. 

Texture: This story is my favorite because I find it rather funny. When I was first told the story I thought that this is the point of the story when Lewis would be married considering the fact that the young woman was his age. It is funny however because someone who could be his wife ends up becoming his step-mother. Considering the time frame this type of occurrence really wasn't out of the ordinary but when you actually look at the age gap it is rather odd. Considering that Lewis had older siblings his father must have been over double the age of his wife and yet she willingly married him. 

Meaning: Although this story doesn't have much sentimental meaning to me, I do find it rather cool that I have stories preserved from my family's past. I know many do not have many stories from their past family to share and think of and I am grateful I have them. And although the story isn't some amazing rescue or battle story it is just as special or even more so because it is a story of everyday life. It's about how a girl became a wife and mother and although that is probably not how she wanted her story to go, it showed how important going west was to her that she made a sacrifice. This story teaches me about sacrifice. And sometimes it is better to give up something we want (such as finding love) for something better (her new life out in the west). That's why I love this story so much. 

Bonnie Moore 

English 2010-027 @ 10:30