Last One

When this class first started, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve never been a big fan of language arts so I was dreading it a little (no offense Dr. D :-). Anyway, from this class, I’ve learned that there are so many ways to improve and entertain a student’s experience with language arts so they come to love it instead of dread it. One big idea I’m taking away from this class is that language arts is not one thing-it’s six different things that combine together to produce this art form we refer to as language. There are so many ways to communicate an idea because of these six facets. No one can walk away from this class and not know and stress the importance of the reading and writing processes. It is not a waste of time but a organized, thoughtful, and critical progression that allows a student to show off just how well he/she can write and comprehend story concepts. Another big idea I’m taking away from this is listening is often neglected in classrooms: Hearing IS NOT the same as listening. The three different types of listening should be demonstrated and practiced in the classroom. One thing I became a big fan of was read-aloud. I usually despise being read to, but something magical can happen with the aid of a good book (Sahara Special) and an excellent reader (that would be you Dr. Duncan). I also learned the importance of asking questions and that to be truly effective has to follow the IRF cycle for both student and teacher. I really liked how the text offered suggestions for the ESL student population that I will one day serve. You can’t supply the ESL students with the same type of information in the same manner as non-ESL students if a teacher wants to really be an effectively good educator. Then, we come to the blog. There is no way I would have started a blog if it hadn’t of been for this class. I enjoyed keeping a blog and it was cool to read everyone else's. Having a blog is like a continuous magic talk or a key talk (keyboard). It’s simply another way to involve everyone in a conversation especially those who feel more comfortable expressing their thoughts through writing instead of talking. I REALLY enjoyed this class!! Thanks for all the insights Dr. Duncan-the information will definitely come in handy in the future. I appreciate the final thoughts you left on your final blog :-) Here is one of my favorite quotes: What do we teach our children?…We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique…You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Pablo Casals As well as: Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. Garrison Keller Thanks for a great semester Dr. Duncan. The wishes you expressed to us come back to you two-fold!!

Talking, talking, talking

I really enjoy magic talks-I definitely believe that what is written is just as powerful as what is said and that written words have the same capacity as spoken words. To be seen and felt instead of heard is the difference with the magic talk and a regular talk. It is more involved and more reflective than a regular conversation. While you have to watch what you say, you also have to watch what you write. It is a good practice to get into to have these kinds of activities. It benefits those who often shy away from speaking aloud. They don’t necessarily have to worry about being ‘called-out’ by someone and embarrassed, unless they have a very distinguishable handwriting. I think that the IRF cycle is an important piece of any classroom talk. To acknowledge what someone has said makes the speaker feel validated, whether the answer was right or wrong is another question however. That’s why it is a good idea to ask a variety of types of questions so students don’t get stuck in the groove of answering the same old questions: Challenging them challenges you as a teacher. Talks can quickly become heated and people go on the defense, as we saw in the clip from Freedom Writers. I think this can be healthy as well though. That teacher would have never really known her students had that conversation not occurred. The big idea to take away from this topic is that silence does not facilitate learning! Talk it up!!

Listening and Propaganda

The first thing I think about when I hear the word listening is hearing. People often think they are the same but they are DEFINITELY not. Hearing involves just that, being able to detect a sound, a music note, a voice. Listening involves processing what is heard. I think that people take hearing and listening for granted. Like many other things, we don’t realize how precious and valuable a sense and resource these two are until, sadly sometimes we lose that ability for whatever reason. I think that our level of interest to the subject or person affects our listening/hearing sensitivity. I’m very guilty of hearing instead of listening. For example, when my mom tells me about her day but I’m more interested in the Minesweeper game I’m playing. I hear what she’s saying but I’m also trying to beat my high score, so I don’t listen. I think the assumption that because one can hear one is listening is one reason why our students are struggling the way they are. Listening is a skill that takes time to develop and mature and teachers need to make sure that the difference between these two is taught early as well as the ability to do either/both. Maybe if we listened to half of what we hear, we wouldn’t be so deceived by propaganda. I enjoyed the in-class activity. Seldom do we stop to think about what we’re seeing and being told. We may listen to the propaganda with one ear-set (instead of a mind-set) when we should be listening with a different, better, and more effective method. Critical listening instead of aesthetic listening is better suited to ensure that we aren’t hoodwinked by those things that are just too good to be true!

Field Experiences

For this class, I was at Leesville Middle School with a seventh grade language arts teacher. I enjoyed my time with her. She is a very good teacher. She is engaging and the students know that she cares about them and their work. She won't accept anything less than their best. She relates thinks back to the students to make them see things in a new light. She might be tough on them, but it only makes her students work harder. I've seen so many concepts we've covered in class during my time. The writing process, literature circles, left-handed writers, figurative language, and story elements are just a few of the numerous things that I've been able to relate from class here to class there. One of my favorite visits was when the students analyzed several different poems. I was fortunate enough to hear prosody in action and it was awesome!! I really don't think the essence of the poem would have come across if another student had read it. In this visit, I was able to see students analyze different things that together created a poem. The insights that they shared were brilliant. My least favorite visit would have to be the one when my teacher told me that she kept forgetting about my coming, until I showed up. I know she's busy but that still made me feel a little uncomfortable and kind of un-welcomed. I didn't expect to enjoy a language arts class as much as I did. My classes weren't nearly as exciting and enjoyable as the ones I observed. Perhaps if my teachers were as effective as Mrs. Rigsbee, I'd have a completely different attitude towards language arts and trust me, it'd be for the better!!

In order to make a unit plan fun, entertaining, and exciting, I have to pick a book that I enjoy as well as my students. I’ll approach this topic in two ways. First, I’ll focus on my ESL students and then think as if I were a regular classroom teacher. When I was younger, I loved reading the books that go through every letter of the alphabet and listed tons of pictures for the various sounds that letter could make. For an activity, I would introduce the long and short vowel sounds and have the students try and create their own list of examples. A book I could use in both classrooms would be, “Esperanza Rising.” For those students who had moved here, whether it is from another country or another town, it would serve as a very relatable piece of literature. The book also deals with loss and tragedy so it would be a good coping tool to use in the classroom. If I had older students, I would use Richard Rodriquez’s book, “Hunger of Memory”. This book deals with a boy who struggles between using his native Spanish and learning English. He wants to be successful in the future, but at the present, he is losing his family’s respect and sense of belonging there with them. For this book, I would have students write their examples of being torn between two cultures. Also, I think it would be a good idea to have students create a chart of the similarities and differences between their two worlds. Another good read I enjoy is “Anne of Green Gables.” For this book, I would have students invent situations where they would have to choose between an outstanding opportunity and leaving your family behind or settling for some not as great but being there for your family. This is what Anne had to do. She had to choose between going off to school to teach and staying behind to help Marilla in her failing health. Another activity I would have students participate in is sharing any stereotypes that they’ve experienced. People in Green Gables thought Anne was so unruly, because she had never been in some of the given social situations. She was also made fun of because of her red hair. I would also include how differences make us cool and interesting. I now realize that these topics can serve their designed purposes in both classroom settings. The only thing that would change would be the age range. Very young or older, it doesn’t matter because good books and engaging activities can be found and done for all!!

Freebie Post

So, I just got back from fencing which is so much fun!! You work up quite a sweat in that class, which for me is a good thing. I’m watching the dining hall crew and the band set up for the luau tonight. They’ve got palm trees attached to the regular trees-it looks very tropical. Aaaahhh, the beach, it would be pretty sweet to be there now, just to relax, but with 27 days of class left, not that I’m counting :-), it’s only going to get more hectic until the end. Next Thursday night, my class that I’m observing is having their poetry slam performances and I’m planning on going-really looking forward to it!! There’s a bunch of people who are sick; there were only two people in my seminar class last night. Proficiency exams are going on now for Spanish. I’m going to have to take that eventually. I’m so glad Dancing with the Stars is back on television!! My favorites are Shawn Johnson and Melissa (from the Bachelor).

I’ve got to sit down and figure out my schedule for the fall. I’ve got the summer covered-study abroad in Costa Rica!! That is going to be an awesome four weeks. I hope my best friend is having a good day. This is her first year teaching and unmotivated students are driving her crazy which drives me crazy because I’m the first one she calls to vent to. I think I’m going to have a long night ahead of me. I’ve got about 60 pages to read for my English class, a midterm to rewrite for that class, and a paper topic I have to select for that class. Shut eye might not be much of an option tonight. It is so nice to see the sun shine again!!

I hope things will go well for my sister. She’s a junior in high school and taking pre-cal and hates it. Not to mention that the teacher for it is the only one who teaches it and she hates it herself. Attitudes are contagious and sadly I know several of my sister’s friends who have this attitude for this class. Bananas and peanut butter are really good together, I’m enjoying that now. Well, I’m going to change clothes, freshen up, and look over our stuff one more time before the test. Later y’all :-)

Considering we are all in college, we've all had more than enough exposure and/or experience with writing. I've saved things from elementary school and I when I look through them, I can see the stages my writing went through. It's something to look back on and think wow, I've come a long way from scribbles :-) When you get to this stage in life, you think you know all there is to know about writing and it becomes kind of a mundane task to complete. However, writing is a process and one can always improve upon this art. It takes a good teacher to help you rediscover how powerful writing can be and challenge someone to become a better writer; such is the case with me. In elementary school we practiced writing on a frequent basis to prepare for the writing portion of the EOG-I still have stories I wrote. Writing can only improve with practice and I think this repetition helped start me on a path of striving for the best work I could/still can produce. I've enjoyed having a blog. I feel like I can express myself more clearly through writing instead of talking. Writing can be just as powerful as speech. I've read somewhere that anything worth writing is worth reading so the connection that these two art forms share is again exemplified by this statement. I think this class has allowed me to see that writing doesn't have to be all serious all the time-even though most of the assignments aren't conducive to a humorous piece of literature but blogging allows me to do whatever suits me.

For my book project, I'm planning to write about an experience I had with driving-don't we all have one of those stories!! The topics my story will cover include advice, humor, difficulties, help, and lessons learned. I know how I want the story to go in my head but the challenge will be making sure the finished product on paper matches my vision. I expect it to be fun but it may be a little tougher than I imagine now. Tompkins writes, "It it difficult--even for adults--to craft well-formed stories incorporating plot and character development and other elements of story structure", (Chapter 9, page 303). I plan on using the bullets on page 308 of our text to make sure I've covered every potential problem in writing my story. To further illustrate the difficulty of writing a story, I found a quote from Nathanial Hawthorne, "Easy reading is damn hard writing" (http://www.quotegarden.com/writing.html). It may be a daunting task but I'm willing to face it!!