20 Key Words

1. Context
2. Literacy
3. Literature
4. Formulaic Writing
5. Literacy Crisis
6. Functional Literacy
7. Standard
8. Education
9. Learning
10. Method
11. Theoretical Context
12. Classroom Context
13. Writing
14. Reading
15. Evaluating
16. Revising
17. Peers
18. Technology
19. Editing
20. Communication

Book Club Presentations: Day 3

In class on Thursday, October 24^th, I was the student for both presentations.  The first presentation was on the book, “Write Like This”.  I thought they did a pretty good job overall explaining everything.  It felt a little rushed, but I realize they did have a limited amount of time.  I think the best part of this activity was finding the different pictures within the one big picture.  I also liked the activity with the poem, however, we were rushed through it and weren’t given a lot of time to think and collaborate within our groups.  I would use both of these techniques in my classroom to get my students to realize that they need to read things more than once to fully understand it and would continue to practice this technique with their readings. 

The second group that presented had read the book, “Nonfiction Matters”.  They did a great job giving an overview of the book and it really caught my attention.  Their activity was based on the K.W.L chart (what we know, want to know, and what we learned).  This was very similar to some things I came across in the book I read, which was based in an ELL classroom, so it was good to see it in another setting as well.  I had fun with this activity, learning about sharks, and would definitely use this in my future classroom.  Overall the day went well and I learned a lot.

Book Club Presentations: Day 2

Today I was both the student and the teacher. The first group that presented was the Wondrous Words book club and I thought they did a great job.  Their activity was interesting and something I’ve never seen before.  We did what they called “chorus reading”.  We picked a line out of a text that stood out to us and then got into groups to put our phrases together.  Putting the phrases together was very fun and it was interesting to see what everyone came up with.  Their ignite talk went well; the only thing I would have done differently is to not have words on the PowerPoint.  The words they had up there were what they were saying and it distracted me from the speaker more than helping me follow along. 

   My group had the book “Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swirling Galaxies”.  I think our presentation went fairly well.  The activity part got kind of hectic, but I hope everyone understood what we were doing and why we were doing it.  We didn’t really stick to our “parts” we talked about, so while some input was good, it got really jumbled and confusing at the same time.  I think it would have been better if we acted out our whole presentation as a group to see how it would go, but it always goes differently with real students.  Overall this was a great learning experience for me.

Book Club Presentations: Day 1

We had our first day of book club presentations and I was the student for both of them.  They were both very different.  The first presentation was “Practical Poetry” and they did a good job giving an overview of the book.  Their presentation wasn’t timed correctly though so I think they got a little off track.  When it came to the activity it was really rushed and we weren’t given a lot of time to think.  Also, it would have helped if they gave us their own example before having us do the activity.  In their overview of the book they talked about how you can connect poetry to other subjects so this would have been helpful for them to show with the activity.  There were only two guys in this group so I think they did a great job with having to do all the work by themselves.  The second presentation was “Don’t Forget to Write” and theirs seemed to go very smoothly.  The ignite talk was timed well and they got all the important information to us.  Their activity was a great thing to be able to participate in.  It was fun and allowed us to use our creativity.   It was also something that I could actually see myself using in my future classroom.  I like how they had each member of their group help the groups with their story outlines so everything was made very clear.  The only thing that could have helped their presentation was to make their demonstration as creative as they wanted us to be.  Both presentation groups did a great job and I’m excited to see what everyone else read about.

"The Popularity of Formulaic Writing" Reading Response

As I was looking over the California Common Core State Standards for writing I noticed that in the younger grades it is very specific as to what they should be able to do and how they should be able to do it.  Also, it seemed like it was more of their opinions.  Since they seem to mainly be writing about their opinion of books they read or narratives I think it would be fairly easy to get them interested.  The students could choose what they read and write narratives that will spark their creativity.  The meaningful experiences students will gain at this age are the very basics of their writing.  They will learn about opening sentences, concluding sentences and adding some opinion or commentary.

Wiley says, “I do not believe formulaic writing is the actual villain…. Rather it is the pedagogical blindness that formulaic writing leads to that disturbs me and that seems to be the real culprit”.  The example he focuses on for “formulaic writing” is the Jane Schaffer approach.  Although this approach will help students get the hang of how to write an essay and what parts need to be in an essay, they need to get rid of the “formula” at some point.  The article talked about this approach depleting the confusion, however, it doesn’t allow students to explore their “ideas, reactions, and interpretations.” He also talked about this “formula” making it easier for the teachers, but not necessarily helping the students.  He stated, “Formulaic writing short-circuits this discover process”.  Students are so focused on the “formula” of the essay that they forget to add creativity and that they don’t have to stick to this specific “formula” for everything; it’s just supposed to help them organize their thoughts and clear up any confusion.

             As I thought back on my education and writing specifically, I remember using similar “formulas” for almost every essay I wrote.  Most of my teachers focused on a certain “formula” when we were writing essays.  The problem I see with this now, looking back on it, is that we were never told that it’s okay to stray from this “formula”.  I remember always having to follow a specific “formula” and getting marked down if I was missing a commentary sentence, for example. The “formula writing” made me not like writing very much because it was very boring. This is exactly what Wiley was talking about shouldn’t happen.  The “formula” should be there if you get stuck or are confused, however, students should know that once they feel comfortable straying away from the “formula” they should do so.  Now that I’m in college professors don’t necessarily give you a “formula” to write with.  At first this was hard for me to get used to, but now I know that if I’m stuck I can use what I have learned in the past, however, I don’t have to.  It is nice not having to go by a “formula” now, but rather just having guidelines and I am able to explore my creativity more.  

Larson/Maier Reading Response

One of the things that really stood out to me in Larson/Maier’s text was the reading/writing groups.  This teacher used these types of groups very often and it is something I have personally experienced.  In almost every classroom I have volunteered in I have seen this strategy in progress.  I also experienced this strategy as a young child.  I think it is a great way to help children learn and they get more time with the teacher in a smaller group.  Also, if the teacher isn’t at their group they probably either help each other (because they talked about having different levels in the groups) or I have seen other adults helping in the classrooms and with these groups. 

I chose this photo to represent the classroom full of books.  I think every classroom should have lots of books and a large variety of books.  We want something to catch the child’s attention so they want to read and enjoy reading.  In the article it said that the teacher made books available to students through many different ways including, author and theme studies, read aloud, and guided readings.  She ran the class at a pace of 120 books per week! That’s a lot of books! I think it is great that she can implement this many books into her students learning.  Many of the classrooms I have been in do maybe one short book a week.  

I chose this picture because I really like how the teacher implemented writing into her classroom.  The children aren’t only reading books but also writing them! They even get to share them at a special ceremony!  I think this is a great way to let children show their creativity while also learning.  Also, they come up with ideas together as a class and put all the pieces together.  In the article it states, “she co-constructed a context in which she and her students were authors together, struggling over questions and problems authors struggle over.”  This quote is perfect in describing how this teacher ran her classroom.  It also lets the children know that if they struggle with something it’s okay and they aren’t alone.

This last picture really describes this teacher’s classroom.  She highly encouraged children’s creativity and made unique ways for children to express themselves.  I really enjoyed this article and reading about different ways this teacher is getting students involved with reading and writing. 

Reading Response to William's Article

I can imagine teachers playing many different roles.  I think one that is popular with older students is the stand up comedian.  Getting students to laugh while teaching them makes the experience more enjoyable and catches the student’s attention.  This could, however, back fire if the students don’t find the teacher funny.  I’m sure we have all had some really good teachers and some really bad teachers.  A teacher we may see as a “bad” teacher could be playing the role of the punisher.  I personally think that playing this role constantly can create a very negative environment for the students.  There are some times that students may need to be “punished” but this shouldn’t be the focus of our classroom.  We should create a positive environment for students to learn and allow them to enjoy learning.  A teacher may also play the role of an actor or actress.  I have seen teachers do this when they are teaching something like a certain history lesson.  Dressing up like the person the children are learning about or acting out something engages students.  It also shows how invested the teacher is in teaching his/her students.  They could also have the students act out a skit and the teacher would act as the director.  Many teachers play the role of a parent or role model.  Students look up to their teachers and trust them.  One teacher that comes to mind when I think about the roles teachers play is my third grade teacher.  She played the role of a musician.  Every morning we would start by singing while she played the guitar.  We sang songs such as the Star Spangled Banner, This Land is my Land, and other songs that went along with our history lessons.  Everybody loved this part of class and it made learning very enjoyable for us.  Whenever she could implement a song to help us learn she would.  There are many things such as this that we can implement in our classrooms everyday.  We may not even think about it as playing a different role, but just thinking of ways that can help enhance our students learning.  I never realized how many different roles teachers play until I read Williams article.  This article really opened my eyes to how many roles we can play as teachers and how it can help our students.  I also noticed that teachers can play both negative and positive roles.  I think it is very important that we keep our classrooms as positive as we possibly can and always try to implement the positive roles.  This is a great way to keep our students engaged and excited about learning.   

Book Club

I chose the book Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swirling Galaxies.  I thought reading this book would be interesting and allow me to see English through a second language learner.  Having children that are using English as a second language in the classroom is becoming more common and it is important that we don't forget about these children.  I think this will be a very interesting and fun book to read. 

Quick Write 9/5/13

My parents both went to college and always helped me with my homework when I was younger if I needed help.  Although they both went to college and are very smart, education and school in general has changed so much over time that there became a point where they couldn’t help me anymore.  They always try their hardest to help me, but sometimes they can’t.  I remember when my mom would help me with my third grade math she would say “we didn’t do this until like the fifth grade”.  So, naturally, there became a point that she could no longer look at a math problem and be able to help me with it, knowing how to do it off the top of her head.  This doesn’t have anything to do with different cultures or languages like it did with Rodriguez, however, it shows that even if there isn’t a culture or language disconnect there can be a disconnect in another way. 

Rodriguez Article Response

I found Rodriquez’s story very interesting.  It also directly related to what I was thinking about when reading the previous article about literacy.  I chose five questions to answer about Rodriguez.  The first question I’m going to talk about is, what motivated you to go to college?  I think his mom had a large part to do with his motivation and with his education all around.  She constantly encouraged him and his siblings to do their best and get the best education they could so that they didn’t have to struggle to find a job like she did.  He also seemed to really enjoy school and his education in general.  This brings me to the next question, did your family support/value your educational path?  I believe that his parents wanted him to get the best education possible and supported that.  However, he did get made fun of by his own father, brother, and sister when he read.  Also, his mother would have liked for him to go to college closer to home, but I think she understood that he was getting a good education and it was best for his future.  My next question is, what level of access did you have to educational support?  I think in the beginning of his education he had a lot more support because his parents could help him.  Once he started getting older he did things more on his own (partly because his parents couldn’t help him).  His parents always tried to help him but simply didn’t have enough education to do so.  It also seemed like he had a lot of support from his teachers and really admired them.  The fourth question I chose to talk about is, what is the literacy background of your parents?  His parents spoke mostly Spanish, they could speak some English but it wasn’t always “correct” English.  His parents wanted their children to get a good education so that they were more literate, could get good jobs, and wouldn’t have to struggle through life like themselves.  The last question is, do you speak other languages?  He speaks Spanish and English, however, I think his English was getting better than his Spanish.  In the story he mentioned that he was losing his Spanish accent, but I know he didn’t forget how to speak Spanish because he still spoke it at home and around family.  I like that Rodriguez’s parents did everything they could to get their children the best education possible.  It is rare to find, not only, a supporting family, but also a very motivated child.  

Response to Szwed's Article

My literacy practices mainly include pleasure, education, and everyday life.  We wouldn’t be able to survive without some type of literary practice and that’s why literacy is so important.  Something that I really thought to myself about while reading Szwed’s article is, is literacy actually declining or is it just presented in a different way?  I think literacy is just presented in a different way with the use of technology and the Internet.  People may not buy as many books, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t reading.  We have so many other ways that we can now access literacy and it is easier to access. 

Literacy is very important because we use it everyday to survive, whether we realize it or not.  We are reading signs and communicating each and everyday.  Communication has been made easier by recognizable signs, like Szwed presented, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t reading.  On page 427 Szwed talked about literacy appearing not to be needed in our day-to-day lives anymore, however I strongly disagree.  I think it has been made easier for all people to be able to function instead of making all people learn how to adapt.  This doesn’t mean that our children don’t need to learn how to read and write.  They definitely do! It’s one of the most important things they will learn and will use it everyday!

A big thing that stood out to me in this article is that it is very hard to measure literacy.  The more I got to thinking about this the more I agree.  There really is no way to measure literacy.  I don’t even know how I would be able to go about measuring literacy partly because everyone learns differently and at different paces.  Society has been made so that everyone can participate and survive, however, we should still take the initiative to better ourselves and educate our children on reading and writing.  We need to emphasize how important literacy is.

I found it interesting that the author thinks literacy is declining, because I think it is just changing and we aren’t used to the change.  Technology has a huge part to do with the change, but I don’t think it is a bad change.  Literary pieces are now easier to access, we just need to keep teaching our children about literacy so they can access these pieces and better their education.  I also feel that everyone needs to work together to achieve some type of literacy.  Something that shocks me about literacy practices is using it as punishment.  We should never punish a child with reading or writing, because we want them to enjoy these things.  Giving them this type of punishment is the worst thing we could do to our children, it discourages them from enjoying literary practices.  It is more important now than ever that we emphasize how important literacy is and how valuable your education is!

My Literate Life

I use my reading and writing skills everyday, as I'm sure most everyone does, whether they realize it or not.  I don’t do as much formal reading and writing as I do informal reading and writing.  The main “formal” reading I do include reading novels, and textbooks.  My “informal” reading consists of text messages, and social networking posts.  Some other reading I do that could fit into either category are reading emails, letters, and cards.  When it comes to writing I thought I didn’t use it as much, however, I think I just use it more informally than formally.  The only “formal” writing I really do is what I am asked to do for my classes and some letters.  My “informal” writing includes text messages, social networking posts, notes, and lists.  Two other types of writing I do that could fit in either category are emails and cards. 

I think that since we have a much wider variety of reading and writing now our job as future educators has just become that much more important.  We need to make sure that students know the difference between informal and formal reading and writing and when it is appropriate to use each of these.  It is also important that we encourage children to read by having a wide variety of books in our classrooms and letting children read whatever catches their attention.