10 Mindfulness Exercises to Help You Stay Present

10 Mindfulness Exercises to Help You Stay Present What is mindfulness?According to Psychology Today, mindfulness is a state of mind, where you pay more attention to the present. When you’re more mindful you become more observant, less judgmental, more awake, you get in touch with your feelings, you become more focused, you become more excited about your present and your future.Yes, mindfulness is a state of mind. It is not necessarily a good or a bad thing. While it has many advantages, some of which we will discuss in this article, some people will argue mindfulness could also be harmful. Mindfulness techniques, promote ways of thinking, that will be beneficial to some and detrimental to others.For example, mindfulness promotes awareness of one‘s environment, and acceptance of one‘s emotions. In normal social situations, this pattern of thinking will promote the behavior of acceptance (including self-acceptance) and empathy. The same pattern of thinking, may be perpetuating antisocial behavior in humans susceptible to crimina l actions. This is because mindfulness will increase the feelings of being entitled to more than others, rejecting authority, demanding immediate gratification.WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE MINDFULNESS?Mindfulness is scientifically proven to have positive results in many situations. For one, mindfulness reduces anxiety. For patients with generalized anxiety disorder, mindfulness techniques were proven to reduce stress, and increase the sense of control. Patients reported feeling better after an eight week treatment. Second, mindfulness promotes empathy, leading to counteracting to bias â€" gender bias, age bias, race bias, etc.Mindfulness is a therapy for depression. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy reduces stress and promotes positive cognitive behavior. It helps patients recognize destructive thought patterns before they relapse into depression.Next, mindfulness is proven to improve body dysmorphic disorder. After a three-week meditation training, women who underwent the treatm ent, compared to women from the control group, experienced less body dissatisfaction, they had greater self-compassion and self-appreciation. Mindfulness can improve your mood, reduce your fatigue, improve your focus, and significantly increase your level of functioning in your everyday life. It is a very successful technique against allowing distractions. A study from Harvard University claims that mindfulness stimulates the cortex â€" the part of the brain that controls the inflow of information. Your brain cortex, in a mindfulness state, will be better prepared to sift through information, retain the useful, and reject the meaningless.WHAT EXERCISES HELP WITH MINDFULNESS?Mindfulness is a way to stay in the present. Therefore, you will notice a repeating theme in our exercises. Anything that gets you out of your routine, anything that breaks your habits, anything that will get you out of your automatic actions, or automatic thoughts will promote mindfulness for you.Try to become p olydextrousBeing polydextrous means you are able to write with both of your hands. Writing is one of those things, we do automatically. Breaking the habit will make you appreciate the art of writing in a new light, and with that, you will become more aware of your actions. Our brain is divided into two hemispheres. The left part of the brain is responsible for anything that has to do with logicâ€"thinking in words, sequences, seeing patterns, mathematics, facts. The right part of our brain is responsible for anything that has to do with creativityâ€"feelings, imagination, intuition, instinct, rhythm, holistic thinking, religion, arts.What is even more confusing is, the right part of the brain controls the left parts of the body and of the left part of the brain controls the right part of the body. The reason is, the neural pathways get twisted and switch positions in your neck. Scientists claim that writing with your non-dominant hand is a very successful form of art therapy. It’s a way to tap into the thinking process of your inner child â€" bring back some of the emotions curiosity, hope. What happens is when you write alternatively with your dominant and non-dominant hand you’re strengthening the relationship between the two hemispheres of the brain â€" the logical person and the artist. How to attempt at the exercise?Get a beautiful notebook. With a cover that will inspire you. Journal for 10 minutes every night.Alternate your left and right hand for every paragraph. When you feel more comfortable try adding some sketchesâ€"draw something that grabbed your attention during the day. A tree, a person, a dress, an animal…Once you get further into the experiment journal about the new feelings and thoughts you attribute to the exercise.Most people who have tried this technique report feeling stronger emotions, experiencing playfulness, heightened creativity, better physical stamina, stronger intuition and instinct. Reorganize your personal spaceFirst of all, try and preserve order. For what you’re trying to achieve, creative chaos will not work. There is no order in chaos and there is no difference between one type of chaos and another. It will be more difficult for you to feel in the present if there is no significant pattern in your surroundings to grab onto.That being said, you need to switch up things in your environment. If everything always stays the same you will stop noticing it. Everything will merge into a blur of things and possessions.Do you need an example? Alright, here it is. When was the last time you bought yourself a book, but didn’t have time to start reading it right now so you just left it on the shelf. You only discovered it the next time you are reorganizing your space. It was pretty soon? There you go.Here are several ideas you can use to reorganize your space:When cleaning your bookshelf, order your books from the tallest one to the shortest one from left to right on one shelf and from the right to the left on the next shelf. Next time you do your cleaning reorganize again by the name of the author. Reorder the compartments in your drawers buy function once, and by color next time.Reorder your clothes on the hangers by height once and by color next time.Change decorations often. Have a theme. You can make it seasonal. Try fresh flowers during spring, colorful leaves during fall, change decorations for Halloween in November, in December make it’s holiday decorations. Celebrate something different every month. The point of the exercise is to become more aware of your surroundings. Ideally, the changes you introduced will not be without a reason. They will reflect, or be inspired, but other events in your life. In that case, you will switch off the automatic dismissal of your surroundings and will be more conscious of the present state.Pay attention to automatic actionsDoing things in a hurry is never beneficial. In this section of the article we will talk about three things that w e always do without much thinking even though it is widely accepted doing them slowly and cautiously will be better for our body and soul. Walking.Have you heard the saying that from time to time you should stop and smell the flowers? It is of course a metaphor, however, it applies very well here. Slowing down your rhythm, and enjoying your surroundings, will stimulate your creativity. You will feel happier and healthier. Aim at breaking your routine by doing a walk. Maybe hop off the bus earlier? Or go shopping by foot if you can. Try and find a way to take at least 30 minutes of walking a week.Walking is the best way to enjoy your surroundings, but it is also very beneficial for your health â€" it will reduce your risk of high cholesterol, heart problems, stroke, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and some cancers.And you will enjoy more if you do it consciously:Be the cliché. Smell the flowers.Pet someone’s dog. Ask for their name. Enjoy their affection. Change your way of walking â€" switching from flats to high platform shoes will help.Take notice of the architecture or nature around.Imagine the lives of strangers passing by. Even strike up conversation.EatingGulping down large amounts of TV dinner in front of the screen is not your friend. You will have issues with your body, and with your mind.Taking it slow, enjoying every taste in each bite, enjoying the change of feeling in your palate from when the food first touches your tongue, switching it around from side to sideâ€"that will improve your experience so much more.Eating is a great source of pleasure. Why waste it by being in a hurry? There are no taste buds in your tummy. Breathing Being conscious about your breathing is one of the main tasks in meditation â€" an activity proven to improve your intentional focus, to minimize the volume of negative thoughts, increase your concentration span, help your inner peace, reduce stress and fatigue. To improve your breathing technique:Try to achieve the optimal pace of breathing. It should be slow enough to calm you down, but fast enough so you don’t feel out of breath. Try to take breaks â€" allow yourself several beats after you exhale and before you inhale again. Listen to your breath. Visualize â€" imagine oxygen filling your body from your mouth, through your lungs, to the tips of your toes and fingers. Break your habitsYou don’t need to stop yourself at walking, eating and breathing. Whenever you feel you are doing something automatically, stop and do it differently â€" in a reverse order, or simply with a twist.Buy a different style of clothesHold your drink with the opposite handTurn on another TV channelListen to new music stylesGive a chance to getting to know people you used to consider boring, intimidating, or stupidBuy a bold lipstick colorAsk someone out whom you thought was out of your league, or you thought was not good enough for you. Pro tip: Once you achieve mindfulness, you will not only find it helpful to stop doing things out of habit â€" you will also find it easier to break bad habits. Addiction happens because of the promise for a reward. If you are more aware of your urges, you will discover it is easier to ignore them in the name of your physical and mental health. Stop the distractionsAre you used to watching the TV while eating dinner? Or listening to music while working? While dozens of people report they find it so satisfying, we encourage you to take (the remote) control and switch off the small screen. Multitasking does not work. Stop attempting to do multiple things at once. You are just tiring your brain. You are giving it an impossible task. Instead of performing several tasks at the same time, you are forcing it to switch from one to the other, giving neither your full attention. Turn off the music while you are driving your car. Commuting could be so much more interesting if you are not constantly attaching your mind to the same old noises coming from the radio.St op wearing your earbuds at work. Pay attention to what you are doing. Learn to achieve optimum focus. Instead of putting off your most difficult or unpleasant tasks, challenge them. And beat them. Anything you ‘do in the background’. Stop it. Remember the fiveWhenever you feel too anxious, too distracted, too overwhelmed you can apply the remember-the-five technique that will bring you back to the present. It’s idea is to attach your senses to the present moment. Stop. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. And do the following things in this order:Try to remember 5 things from your surroundings. Try and see them with your mind’s eye, as accurately as you can, with their shape, their size, the material they are made out of. Imagine you are zooming in on them and seeing them closely. Try to distinguish 5 things you are hearing right now. Are children playing outside? How many? How old? What are they doing? Can you hear cars passing by? Can you hear your cat purring? Can you hea r yourself breathing? Can you hear your heart pumping?Try to feel 5 things touching your skin right now. Can you feel your clothes moving on your body as you are breathing? Can you feel your fingers on the desk? Can you feel the humidity in the air? Can you feel your shoes scrubbing the floor? Once you have engaged your senses, linger for a while in the present moment. Try and imagine yourself in your surroundings. How your energy is interacting. How you are affecting the space. The warmth of your body filling in the room. The humidity of your breath going out in slow motion. See, hear and feel. You are in an ultimate focus mode. In the present moment. Chances are your anxiousness feels far away now. Work out and meditateWorkouts in combination with meditation is the ultimate physical wellbeing routine. First off, your workout is beneficial for your muscle tone, your endorphin levels, your heart. But it will also raise your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone, that could b e helpful in your everyday life for your mood and behavior if it is within limits. Go a little higher and you have yourself a compromised immune system and high blood sugar, leading to feelings of anxiousness and storing extra abdominal fat. Workouts generate pain. And pain is a complex feeling, but also, a complex emotion. Third, intense physical activity requires recovery, which meditation can provide. A mindfulness meditation channels those feelings and energies and concentrates them in the present moment. Meditation has been proven to deal with pain better than opioid blockers. On the other side, working out prevents cognitive decline. As The Huffington Post reports: ‘While exercise and a healthy diet can’t “cure” Alzheimer’s, they can help shore up the brain against cognitive decline that begins after age 45 Working out, especially between age 25 and 45, boosts the chemicals in the brain that support and prevent degeneration of the hippocampus, an important part of th e brain for memory and learning.’Feel all of your feelingsSociety tells us we should be always happy. We are treated better if we smile. People think higher of us if we portray a happy persona. We are encouraged to share the highest points of our lives on social media. But we are not always so happy. And should we be. In order to achieve the ultimate state of mindfulness, you need to be completely in touch with your emotions. Weather you a feeling nostalgia, boredom, disillusionment, regret, bitterness, fear or insecurity… Don’t force yourself to go back to happiness at any cost. If anything, this strategy will weigh you down. Instead, feel your feeling. Ask yourself some questions. How are you actually feeling right now? Why? What got you here? What are the physical expressions of your feelings? Let yourself linger a little bit longer in your thoughts. You will discover it gets you out of the vicious spiral of unhappiness because it completely changes your thought process. Yo u will be completely free of your slavery to happiness. You will no longer be unhappy because you are unhappy. You will feel increased self-acceptance and peace of mind. Talk more than languagePart of achieving the ultimate state of mindfulness is being completely present for communication with your close ones. Have you ever felt you are missing something from the dialogue? The words are there. But the meaning isn’t? You do not feel the intention behind what is being said. Actually, words are only but a small percentage of communication. Need proof? Well, all you have to do is think about the difference between talking in person and talking via instant messaging. A lot of the meaning is lost, isn’t it?What you are missing is the intonation, the facial expression, the body language, the posture. Whenever you have a conversation in person, pay full attention to those. You will have more meaningful and truthful conversation if you learn to read those. Make sure you use them to the full extent to achieve the right expressions on your part. Feel a dissonance? Someone is telling you one thing, but your gut is telling you another. You do not need to call the person out. But react to the full extent of the information you have. If you feel confident you can be of better help if you have a more honest conversation, do not tell them you know they are lying. Ask them questions. This is one of your best friends in this situation: ‘Are you sure this is how you are feeling?’DIYA great way to increase your mindfulness and live in the present is to stop thinking about your surroundings as just things or possessions. Instead, you can strive to become more aware of how objects are created. What it costs. How long it takes. How it is done. Obviously, some of your possessions you cannot manufacture yourself. Just try and get more involved. Food. Most people have at least some skills in cooking for themselves. But even if you are a keen cook, you probably have something yo u get from the store. Try baking your own bread. Or doing your own mayo. Gifts. DIY gifts are not always acceptable unless it is a family occasion involving young kids. It is not the same for DIY cards. It is a cute hobby. Try it. Furniture. It is easier than it sounds. Try and construct yourself a simple shelf. The Internet will help you.  Art. Paint a picture. Or do a collage. Frame it and put it over the fireplace. CONCLUSIONMindfulness is a technique you can employ to feel better about yourself and others. It will do you good for your personal well-being, your mental state, and even your behavior at the workplace. It is little more than the state of being aware and awake all time â€" aware of your actions, aware of your appearance, aware of how your behavior affects others. If you have to draw any conclusions of today’s article, we encourage you to break your routines. Do things differently. It will always force you to question your ways. It will always get you out if you’re stuck in bad behavior. It will always cause you to re-evaluate the way you do things. It will always bring you extra benefits. 2029-10 Mindfulness Exercises To Help You Stay Present 10 Mindfulness Exercises To Help You Stay Present /span

Why people choose religion - 882 Words

Why People Choose Religion One of the most debated ideas in the world is religion. There has been bloodshed in countries over religion. Religion is a sensitive topic to some people because it is the reason people live their lives like they do. What is the reason people really choose religion? Is it because they truly believe in every detail of a religion or is it because they were told to believe it? It is a question I have thought about for a long time. So, what is religion anyway? According to Dictionary.com, religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as a creation of superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual†¦show more content†¦Greek Mythology was good teach valuable life lessons to everyone and there was a sense of right and wrong in the community then. No one wanted to go to â€Å"Hates†, which was hell. They all lived there lives to go to the heaven’s with Zeus, who was the ruler o f all God’s. The Greeks had no reason to believe otherwise. They had no answers for any of the things that happen so they had a belief for everything. Religion now is in many ways just like the Ancient Greek’s. Nearly every religion has a God or higher being that was the creator or everything and that we were put on the Earth to follow God’s rules so nothing will happen bad in our life after death. There are rules that God’s in religion’s now have that will bring you success in the afterlife just like theirs did. It seems almost as though religions now have been based from that. Some people just choose religion because they have grown up in it. They are told to believe it when they are young and grow up with their family and friends telling them that is what to believe. That is true in a lot of cases, but there are many people that convert religions too. 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The Slavery Of The United States - 1059 Words

A slave is a man, woman or child who is the lawful property of another person and is compelled to obey them. Slavery is the system of possessing slaves, which could be either one slave or many. Slavery in the United States officially began with the trans-Atlantic slave trade, it also began during this period in a lot of other countries. The slaves were treated inhumanelyfor several years;it was abolished in the United States on December 6,1865 and abolished in many nations. However, it still continues until today. The slavery which was started during the Atlantic Slave Trade still exist today but holds a different form, trafficking, forced labour, and child slavery. Slavery has existed for thousands of years. However financial and social†¦show more content†¦Immigrants are especially helpless; however people from the a country may likewise be constrained in their own particular nations by sex and/or tribe. Female are especially constrained for work, particularly young ladies in domestic bondage who are regularly sexually abused too. The slavery in the United States empowered the slaveowners and at the same time destroyed them. It is this dynamic that winds up destroying the bonds between slave individuals and the general system. Frederick Douglass account provides a sample of this. The instance of Sophia Auld would be one such case: That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon †(Douglass 40). Toward the begin of her collaborations with Douglass the slave, she is al truistic, notwithstanding showing him the process perusing and composing words. Yet, when reproved by her spouse, Hugh, about how there must be a level of control over slaves, she becomes chilly and became the same as many other slave proprietors in her treatment of Douglass. In this light, slavery taints the individuals who are in control because they continue to treat people badly, and and so it affects them as people. Having control over an

My Hobbies Free Essays

My Hobbies In my life I had a lot of things to do and enjoy. According to my life besides the ordinary tasks that anyone does, I have several pastimes. Among these one is swimming, watching movies with my parents and play baseball. We will write a custom essay sample on My Hobbies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Swimming i use it to keep my body in good condition and get muscular endurance. the hobby of watching movies with my parents is fun and we talked and shared the evening opining about the best movie we saw. Baseball is a pastime that was implemented since my fourth years old by my dad and i never stopped practicing. My favorite pastime is the baseball, because I can show my talent playing this sport. The baseball is a sport that depends about ability and mind control. Anyone can have the tools to be the best players of ever, but If the person doesn’t have mind or self-control any couldn’t try to play this sport. The baseball have a roll in my life and that role represent my respect on the field. The respect that I purpose being a great catcher; everybody knows when I’m in there I the back of the homeplate doing my work, the work than anyone can’t do better than me, protect and command my team. Im my life this activity is so important, because my position in the game describe my self equal than me in the outside. Each people determine his position by his ability, but the catcher position that if you want to play it, any might to be a lider just only to could try it. How to cite My Hobbies, Papers

The Main Messages Of The Play Essay Example For Students

The Main Messages Of The Play Essay As the inspector begins his final speech he makes sure that no one is talking that they are all listening. After he makes them all listen he points out to each of them how they have helped to push the girl towards suicide. He admits that Gerald did at least give the girl some affection and happiness, but stresses that they are all to blame and that they will never forget what they have done. The inspectors tone becomes prophetic as his final speech goes on, he talks how the world will change and soon. He talks of fire and pain and destruction, this could relate to the world wars that are coming. Then after this huge climax and build up the inspector leaves them. The family are in shock and awe. The Inspectors repetition of what each has done to harm the girl is a useful reminder of their weaknesses and makes sure they realise what they have done. It shows that the Inspectors job is nearly over, it leaves the Birlings to think back on their part in the girls death and it builds up the sense of guild before the Inspectors final speech. We will write a custom essay on The Main Messages Of The Play specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now A large section of the play has been leading up to this point and it almost like the finishing climax if it wasnt for the additional surprise to come. The Inspectors last speech sums up how Priestly feels about capitalism and people but just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths with us, In this final speech JB Priestly is aiming to make his audience think again about their views and make them realise that everyone should be responsible for everybody else. Earlier in the play Mr Birling had said The worlds developing so fast that itll make war impossible Priestly attempts to put across the part that these values are incorrect and though the inspectors final speech he lets the audience know that if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish The inspector is crushing Birlings earlier thoughts and opinions to show how wrong their lives and views are.

Free Essays on The Mythological Hero In Tolkiens Lord Of The Rings

The Mythological Hero in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien was very fond of mythology, especially Norse and Irish Mythology, and used concepts and conventions of both throughout his works. Throughout mythology there is the ever-reoccurring theme of the epic hero, whose being is ever out of the readers reach. Tolkien represents the epic hero primarily through the Kingly Edain character Aragorn. There is, however, the fairytale myth as well, which features the small hero who is a mere common person placed in extraordinary circumstances. The Fairytale hero is best represented in The Lord of the Rings, by the hobbit Frodo. Tolkien also uses the concept of â€Å"The Hero and His Sword† throughout the story and throughout his other tales of Middle Earth; however, he only uses bits and pieces, while primarily creating his heroes from his own imagination. Aragorn is the last descendent of a long line of kings. He is not immortal or descended from the gods like many heroes of Greek, Roman, and Norse Mythology; however, he does have immortal ancestry, even though it is not immediate. It must however be traced back through many generations. Unlike many of the famous heroes he is not conceived by divine intervention or by supernatural means either. Unlike Arthur or the Irish hero Cuchulainn, who are born by supernatural means, Arthur by Merlin allowing Arthur’s father Uther to seduce Arthur’s mother in the form of her husband who was already dead at the time, and Cuchulainn conceived by a mortal woman and the Irish god Lugh, Aragorn is descended from the union of the immortal elf Idril and the mortal man Tuor (Flieger 43-44.) Aragorn is not easily identified with, having such a high and unheard of heritage. The men of Rohan and Gondor also have trouble believing him, as they are not able to comprehend his story, since they are but common men compared to Aragorn and he is but thing out of their past seemingly long ... Free Essays on The Mythological Hero In Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings Free Essays on The Mythological Hero In Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings The Mythological Hero in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien was very fond of mythology, especially Norse and Irish Mythology, and used concepts and conventions of both throughout his works. Throughout mythology there is the ever-reoccurring theme of the epic hero, whose being is ever out of the readers reach. Tolkien represents the epic hero primarily through the Kingly Edain character Aragorn. There is, however, the fairytale myth as well, which features the small hero who is a mere common person placed in extraordinary circumstances. The Fairytale hero is best represented in The Lord of the Rings, by the hobbit Frodo. Tolkien also uses the concept of â€Å"The Hero and His Sword† throughout the story and throughout his other tales of Middle Earth; however, he only uses bits and pieces, while primarily creating his heroes from his own imagination. Aragorn is the last descendent of a long line of kings. He is not immortal or descended from the gods like many heroes of Greek, Roman, and Norse Mythology; however, he does have immortal ancestry, even though it is not immediate. It must however be traced back through many generations. Unlike many of the famous heroes he is not conceived by divine intervention or by supernatural means either. Unlike Arthur or the Irish hero Cuchulainn, who are born by supernatural means, Arthur by Merlin allowing Arthur’s father Uther to seduce Arthur’s mother in the form of her husband who was already dead at the time, and Cuchulainn conceived by a mortal woman and the Irish god Lugh, Aragorn is descended from the union of the immortal elf Idril and the mortal man Tuor (Flieger 43-44.) Aragorn is not easily identified with, having such a high and unheard of heritage. The men of Rohan and Gondor also have trouble believing him, as they are not able to comprehend his story, since they are but common men compared to Aragorn and he is but thing out of their past seemingly long ...

Harold and the Purple Crayon Lesson Plan

'Harold and the Purple Crayon Lesson Plan Grade: Approximately Fourth Grade Subject: Language Arts Lesson Title: Harold and the Purple Crayon Lesson Plan Materials and Resources Needed: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett JohnsonPurple crayonLarge sheets of paper Reading Strategies Used: Sketch-to-StretchVisualizingRetelling Overview and Purpose: Students will use the reading strategy Sketch-to-Stretch to develop concepts, summarize information heard and retell the story through drawing.The purpose of this activity is to gain listening comprehension skills. Educational Standards: Students will read, write, listen and speak for literary response and expression.Students will read, write, listen and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. Objectives and Goals: Present personal responses to literature that make reference to characters, plot, and theme.Create a story using elements in literature.To motivate children to ask them if they like to draw.Then ask, when you listen to a story how many of you close your eyes and picture what is happening? Then have them close their eyes and try and picture a horse next to a barn. Once they open their eyes ask them what they saw, what color was the horse? What color was the barn?Go around the room and show the children how each person imagined something different.Tell the children that they will be using their imagination when you read a story to them.Introduce the book, Harold and Purple Crayon by, Crockett Johnson.Tell the students that will have to listen carefully to the story that is going to be read because they will be drawing what they hear.Tell the students they will be using their ears to listen and their hands to draw what the character Harold is drawing in the story.Ask the students what t ypes of things do they think they will be drawing? Ask students, do you think everyone will have the same drawing as everyone else? Why? Why not?Arrange for students to find a spot on the floor where they will have a lot of room to draw.Ask students where they should start drawing on their paper once the book begins. What part of the paper, where you draw next when you come to the end of the paper, etc.Retell the name of the book and begin reading.Stop a few times at the beginning of the book and ask what they are drawing. ( He put a frightened dragon under the tree to guard the apples. Ask the students, what are you going to draw now?) Do this so they understand what they should be doing.To end the lesson, have the students place their drawings at their desks and then have them walk around the room to view everyones pictures.Share and compare their drawings.Have students come up and retell the story through their drawing.Ask questions to compare such as, What did Brady draw in this picture that Hudson left out?Have the students obse rve how each child has their own perception of what happened in the story. Assess quality texts using accuracy, objectivity, and understanding of the book. Independent Activity: For homework have each student draw a picture of their favorite part of the story using only their memory. Verification and Assessment:You can verify your objectives by looking at the drawings from class and their homework assignment.Students also: Compared drawings with one anotherOrally shared their opinion when retelling the story through the drawingDrew a picture of what they thought happened in the book by using elements in the story