This poem is part of Corey Cook’s recently released chapbook heads held low, which is available here.

Christmas Day

He’s by himself

On Christmas Day

And thoughts

Of dying alone 

Seem less unpleasant

Than they have been

For years.

Taylor Dibbert is a writer, journalist, and poet in Washington, DC. “Takoma,” his sixth book, is due out on January 3.

Dawn in the Forest: An Ode to Nature

The sun rises out of the belly of the earth
Like a giant orange over the mellow meadows
Birds singing their esoteric songs,
Honeysuckles bask in the morning dew
A doe rustling to life after a long sleep
Caterwauling creatures echo over hillsides
Below the canopy are vanguards of activity
Supple blow of the wind weaving in and out of the trees
Conglomeration of broods chirping in their nests
Cryptic mating calls abound
The forest miniature wilds
From aphids to beetles slugs to toads
All on a brownish tarnished tray in disarray on the forest floor
Centipedes skulk through soil caterpillars chomp though leaves
Beetles pelt in their holes trailing and gathering in a
Resilient resolve to cling to life in spite of natural strife
In the deciduous forest that scraps its skin in the fall
Nature calms like a mother
Spring awakens
Chipmunks come out of burrows
Baby katydids and tent caterpillars hatch
Queen bumble bees collect nectar from wild flowers
Azure butterflies greet the dawn
Luna moth squirms and scratches within its cocoon

Green tiger beetles with large eyes jumping spiders with sharp eyes
Pounce on prey!
Between the ferns at your feet and the tree over your head
Is the leafy understory
It’s the furrowed tree trunks weedy bushes brushing your shoulders
Old dead tree that lie on the floor expecting to be explored
Red spotted purple butterflies, ant lions and wood nymphs
Sunset descends as many animals become bed heads
Chipmunk heads to its burrow cicadas stop singing
Birds fly to their resting place
Bush katydid shed its skin in nocturne
All insects molt so they can grow
Winter is here…
Woods are lovely dark and deep says Mr. Frost
And its inhabitants have NO promises to keep
Icicles sparkle on bare branches
Downy white snow manteau the ground
Mysterious eyes carved obsidian in the moonlit dusk
The geese robins and monarch butterflies fly south
While the animals that stay germinate winter skin to stay warm
The air is pure and clean like a mountain stream
Now all bed heads head off to bed to sleep perchance to dream…

[Originally published in Litterateur Redefining World anthology and Fleury’s book: Chain Letter to America: The One Thing You Can Do to End Racism: A Collection of Essays, Fiction and Poetry Celebrating Multiculturalism] 

Jacques Fleury is a Boston Globe featured Haitian-American poet, educator, author of four books, and literary arts student at Harvard University online. His latest publication “You Are Enough: The Journey to Accepting Your Authentic Self”  & other titles are available at all Boston Public Libraries, the University of Massachusetts Healey Library, the University of Wyoming, Askews and Holts Library Services in the United Kingdom, The Harvard Book Store, The Grolier Poetry Bookshop, Amazon etc…  He has been published in prestigious publications such as Wilderness House Literary Review, Muddy River Poetry Review, Litterateur Redefining World anthologies out of India, Poets Reading the News, the Cornell University Press anthology Class Lives: Stories from Our Economic Divide, Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene, among others…Visit him at: http://www.authorsden.com/jacquesfleury.

———————————————————————————-

mistakes

i grew up in a dysfunctional

family where i wasn’t allowed

to make mistakes

and whenever i would make

a mistake

i was punished for it; stand in

the corner for hours, no tv or

radio, etc.

so, of course, i did whatever

i could to not make mistakes

to this day, i am programmed

to be punished when i do make

a mistake

mostly from myself

i know it isn’t healthy

not good for my mental state

but shit, what is anymore

part of the reason i don’t

need therapy

it all was from a fucked up

childhood, just like everything

else

————————————————————————

just as difficult to find

i have a running joke

with my mother that

i would love a morphine

drip for christmas

that or a rare mickey

mantle baseball card

amazingly, roughly

the same price and

just as difficult to

find

so, socks and

underwear

yet again

no excuse to

die without

fresh ones

on

——————————————————————

blood soaked presents

a man came down

the chimney and

quickly was greeted

with a shotgun

he joked, where are

the milk and cookies

one blast later

and the shooter

was enjoying

a few of them

blood soaked presents

christmas in the hood

not sure what any of

these fucks think are

behind these shallow

walls

————————————————————————–

empty shopping centers

as a cynical adult

i can’t help but wonder

how many pedophiles

are at home watching

these christmas specials

with a hard on

to say i hate the holidays

is like calling the greatest

liar ever elected president

in this country abraham

lincoln

and i’m sure given a few

twists and turns this life

could have been much

different

sadly, those roads have

been built over and are

now empty shopping

centers

———————————————————————————

a long rope and a tall tree

another waiting room

more christmas music

these are the mornings

where i could use a

long rope and a tall

tree

there’s a large

evergreen in

our backyard

decisions, decisions…

J.J. Campbell (1976 – ?) is trapped in suburbia, waiting for time to finally be on his side. He’s been widely published over the years, most recently at Disturb the Universe Magazine, The Dope Fiend Daily, The Beatnik Cowboy, Horror Sleaze Trash and Yellow Mama. You can find him most days on his mildly entertaining blog, evil delights. (https://evildelights.blogspot.com)

Homeland, I Sing of You

In the white and black passageway,  

I am stepping one by one.  

With words in my hand… a single tune,  

Homeland, I sing of you.

The path of my life is long thread,  

I do not know where it will end.  

If they say, “Love,” I will be filled,  

Homeland, I love you deeply.

Is it a tree, one branch,  

Even if I’m alone, I will rejoice.  

If they set me ablaze,  

I will burn as “Homeland.”

The spring water is oh so sweet,  

I will drink it to my heart’s content.  

What is value, they may ask?  

Homeland, I understand you.

To my father and mother,  

I will open my arms wide.  

To my most sacred phrase,  

Homeland, I will write of you.

—

O’tkir Mulikboyev Qo’chqor o’g’li  

Teacher of Primary Education  

75th School, Qo’shrabot District,  

Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan

SNOW WITNESS, LIGHT WITNESS

A lonely wanderer sits in the silence,  

The heavens do not spread the grievances of yesterday.  

A feeble message asking for forgiveness.  

On the evening when the moon sets, my thoughts linger.

Cold winter brings sparks in the snow,  

Autumn has gathered the wanderer’s blanket early.  

The hunter will not give up his warm place,  

Longing torments, trust is fading away.

Days and weeks remain in the past,  

Pride does not allow remembrance of the greetings.  

Perhaps it will rise, self-concealing,  

The wretched love has captured the heart.

On the dark night, he heads back home,  

Who knocks behind the window?  

The vision of the girl comes to mind,  

He hurriedly looks at the window, silent.

He returns again, he gazes once more.  

Snow falls, hearts melt in its warmth.  

Today is a symbol of the happiness he’s received,  

The girl appears, preserving the ring in her palm.

Wrapped in a passionate smile, the world unfolds.  

Clouds disperse, and the moon captures the light.  

Two youthful hearts that have forgotten grievances.  

Snow witness, light witness, sorrow dissipates.

Snow is Falling

Snow is falling, wishes abound,  

Like silk draping in golden hands.  

Children run eagerly from behind,  

Hurry up, dear Snowman, to our land.

Let sparkles scatter across the ground,  

Whoever enters the path of joy.  

Some will turn into gnomes, it’s profound,  

Holding sweet cotton in each little boy.

The fir trees sway, showing their height,  

While little hearts spin with delight.  

If the lights flicker and fade away,  

Joy ignites on faces, bright as day.

The forest becomes a lively scene,  

The grand show begins, it’s quite a dream.  

As the forest shadows come out to play,  

Fox, rabbit, bear, and wolf display.

A moment of awe gleams from the eyes,  

It wraps the heart in tender ties.  

The snowy peaks, cloaked in white’s embrace,  

Even the elders feel thrilled in this space.

Shaking off worries, carefree we stand,  

Hopes of children join hand in hand.  

Feelings of youth come rushing back,  

A sense of happiness, filling the crack.

The sound of hooves rings throughout the air,  

“Snowman!” cries the little ones in flair.  

With a long beard resting on his chest,  

A sack of gifts sprawled on his quest.

All of existence lends itself to song,  

The snow melts away the heart’s frozen throng.  

As I peek from the window at dawn,  

A wondrous world waits, brightly drawn.

Believing in fairytales, I feel so right,  

In this moment, I’m a child of delight.

The effectiveness of the technology of using logical exercises and tasks in primary school mother language lessons

Umarova Azizakhon Burkhonovna

Navoi State Pedagogical University

Faculty of Preschool and Primary Education

specialty 70110401-Theory and Methodology

of Education and Training (Primary Education)

1st year master’s student

        Abstract: The technology of using logical exercises and tasks in primary school native language lessons involves identifying and evaluating innovative approaches that help develop students’ thinking skills and deeper mastery of the educational material. The study of the technology of using logical exercises and tasks in primary school native language lessons is relevant today due to the need to effectively organize the educational process, develop students’ critical and creative thinking skills, and adapt the educational content to modern requirements. Although logical exercises and tasks serve to develop students’ thinking skills and increase the effectiveness of the lesson, we have very little knowledge about the selection of those that can be most effective in the process of implementing these technologies in practice and the lack of sufficient scientific basis for their application. In this article, we analyze the effectiveness of the technology of using logical exercises and tasks in primary school native language lessons, their impact on students’ thinking skills and results in the learning process. We also focus on identifying specific approaches and recommendations for the practical application of these technologies. We studied the methodologies used in native language lessons, including an analysis of previous studies on the impact of logical exercises and tasks on students. In addition, we developed new, interesting and interactive exercises, games and tasks that correspond to the age and psychological characteristics of students. By creating our own new methods, we observed a significant improvement in students’ logical thinking and independent learning skills. We also noticed in experimental testing that interactive and innovative approaches further increased students’ interest in lessons and their level of success. In this article, we developed new methodological approaches aimed at developing logical thinking in primary school native language lessons. These methods are also designed to strengthen students’ analytical thinking and make the educational process more effective and interactive.

Keywords: Primary school, native language, logical exercises, logical tasks, interactive methods, logical thinking, increasing sentences, put words in place, find the extra word, pyramid of words.

       Indroduction.  Logical exercises and tasks help develop students’ thinking skills, as they increase the skills of analyzing, comparing, and drawing conclusions in the process of solving problems. Such tasks benefit students not only in mastering knowledge, but also in applying it in practice. In order to introduce effective methods for developing students’ thinking skills, Dilnoza Akbarova conducted scientific work on the topic “Using logical exercises and tasks in primary school native language lessons” in 2019 and published her book “Methodological approaches to developing logical thinking.” The effective use of logical exercises in the classroom was studied by Yulia Frolova in 2016 during her scientific research on the topic “The use of logical exercises and tasks in primary education”. As a result of her research, she wrote her book “Formation of students’ thinking in Russian language lessons”. The use of logical exercises and tasks in primary language lessons is one of the main elements of developing students’ thinking skills and effectively organizing the educational process.

      Today, the use of logical exercises and tasks in primary education is of great importance in developing students’ thinking skills. Research and practice conducted by international organizations in this area confirm the effectiveness of this approach. UNESCO has implemented many programs to develop innovative technologies in primary education. The organization has developed special recommendations for developing students’ logical and critical thinking skills. UNESCO-developed educational materials are used in primary education programs around the world to develop students’ thinking processes and creative abilities. The OECD’s PISA program aims to assess and develop students’ thinking skills. These studies substantiate the need to include logical tasks and exercises in the educational process. PISA studies have led to the widespread use of tasks based on logical thinking in native language classes in many countries. This has helped to increase students’ ability to analyze texts in depth. The World Bank has financed many projects to develop primary education. Among them are the issues of introducing logical exercises into curricula and training teachers in this regard. World Bank programs have made a significant contribution to teaching students to think independently and solve logical problems. These projects have also been widely implemented in developing countries.

This article aims to show a phenomenon that has not been sufficiently studied so far. Dilnoza Akbarova (2019) studies the effectiveness of using logical exercises and tasks in primary grades and, based on these studies, publishes the work “Methodological approaches to the development of logical thinking”. John Dewey presents new methods aimed at developing logical thinking by teaching students independent learning and publishes the book “Experience and Education” in order to apply the methods in practice. The study of these works is very important, because the existing works are aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the lesson for use in primary school classes. This means that our knowledge about the technology of using logical exercises and tasks in native language lessons has not    yet been fully studied and analyzed.

       Material and methods. Today, there is a lack of appropriate methods for the effective use of logical exercises and tasks in primary school native language lessons and difficulties in the correct implementation of these methods by teachers. This creates obstacles to the development of students’ thinking skills and necessitates the creation of new pedagogical approaches and methods. A lot of scientific research and methodological developments have been studied on the technology of using logical exercises and tasks in native language lessons in primary school. This topic is related to the importance of developing students’ logical thinking skills in education. Logical exercises develop students’ independent thinking, ability to identify logical connections, and draw conclusions. This type of training increases students’ activity and enhances the effectiveness of learning. This topic was studied by such scientists as H. T. Turakulov, Sh. G. Mavlonova, A. H. Bozorov and Vygotsky (ZPD theory), Bruner (constructivism), Piaget (cognitive development theory). Innovative educational technologies (Blended Learning, Gamification, Flipped Classroom) are widely used in native language lessons. Scientific work on the implementation of logical exercises in the teaching process using these methods was carried out by N. Nazarova in the works “Interactive methods for primary school students” and Z. M. Rakhimova in the works “Pedagogical foundations of the development of logical thinking”. Dilnoza Akbarova, who studied the age-appropriate features of the development of children’s logical thinking, studied methods for developing logical thinking in native language lessons for primary school students. R. G. Yusupov, on the other hand, developed modern approaches to teaching the native language in primary school.

       Results and discussion.  How does the technology of using logical exercises and tasks in native language lessons in primary school affect the language learning process of students, the development of logical thinking skills, and the effectiveness of the lesson?

We began our research with pilot testing among 3rd grade students from 5 schools. First, we developed new methods for using logical exercises and tasks for primary school students. Then, we tested these methods as an experiment in each class. In the pilot testing, we used the following new logical exercises and tasks.

1. “Increasing sentences”

Goal: To teach students to think logically and complete sentences.

How to conduct:

The teacher says a simple sentence: “A river is flowing.”

Students expand the sentence by adding new words:

“A big river is flowing.” → “A big river is flowing quietly on a summer day.”

Each added word must be logically related.

2. “Put the words in their place”

Goal: To study the order in constructing sentences.

How to conduct:

The teacher gives mixed words:

For example: “A flower bloomed in spring.”

Students arrange the words and construct the correct sentence: “A flower bloomed in spring.”

3. “Find the extra word”

Goal: To develop logical thinking and analytical skills.

How to conduct:

A set of words is given:

Apple, pear, tomato, peach.

Students find the extra word and explain why it is extra (tomato is not a fruit, but a vegetable).

4. “Pyramid of words”

Goal: To increase vocabulary and find similar words.

How to conduct:

The teacher gives one word, for example: “Book.”

Students write other words related to this word:

Book → cover → pages → text → reading.

The student who writes the most logical words wins.

5. “Decipher”

Goal: To improve the ability to understand the order and meaning of words.

How to conduct:

The teacher gives a coded sentence:

For example: “2 apples, 1 tree, 3 flowers.”

Students turn this coded sentence into a complete sentence:

“There are two apples and three flowers under the tree.”

6. “Finish the sentence”

Goal: To develop students’ ability to make logical conclusions.

How to conduct:

The teacher says the initial sentence:

“The sun rose and…”

Students continue the sentence: “…everywhere was lit up.”

Each student answers according to their creativity.

During the pilot test at the school, students were presented with new logical exercises and their effectiveness was monitored. The level of logical thinking of students, their activities in the lesson, and their mastery indicators were evaluated. Based on the data obtained from the test process, the effectiveness of the methods was analyzed and the necessary changes were made. Using the results of the pilot test, it was possible to measure the impact of modern methods on students and determine how they help improve the learning process. After that, improved technologies and recommendations were developed.

      We paid special attention to the development of technology for using logical exercises and tasks in primary school native language lessons, helping to effectively improve students’ logical thinking skills. Through new methods, we contributed to improving students’ thinking processes and effectively organizing the learning process. These methods allow to increase students’ educational success and make the learning process more interactive and effective.

          Conclusion. The technology of using logical exercises and assignments in primary school lessons is important in activating students, developing their analytical thinking skills and increasing the effectiveness of the learning process. Studies have shown that this technology teaches students to think logically, to form their observation and analytical skills. Logical exercises and assignments help to develop students’ speech and strengthen their ability to express their opinions in a clear and logical sequence. This will give positive results not only in the classroom, but also in the mastery of other subjects. The study found that logical tasks are one of the most effective ways to teach students to think independently. Logical exercises also showed high results in increasing students’ learning motivation, arousing interest in learning, and developing critical thinking in them. In the process of using this technology, it is important for teachers to organize the lesson correctly, gradually introduce the exercises and adapt them to the age and individual capabilities of students. In short, the technology of using logical exercises and assignments in primary school lessons will improve the quality of the learning process, but also serve the personal intellectual development of students. This approach is one of the most effective means not only to educate, but also to form active ways of mastering students. Therefore, one of the urgent tasks of the modern education system is to implement and further improve the technology of using logical exercises and assignments on a large scale.

                                Used literature: 

1. Akbarova, D. (2019). Methodical approaches to the development of logical thinking. Tashkent: Publishing House of Uzbekistan.

2. Frolova, Y. (2016). Formirovanie myshleniya uchashchikhsya na urokah russkogo yazyka. Moscow: Russian Academy of Education.

3. UNESCO. Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Objectives (2017).

4. OECD. PISA 2018 Results: What Students Know and Can Do (2019).

5.World Bank. World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realize Education’s Promise (2018).