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!!

Reading and writing are important facets to a language so it's important for students to learn how to implement each one in their daily lives to the best of their ability. If their abilities are inhibited in some way, shape, or form, it's our job as teachers to step in and help bridge the gap from learning to applying. I don't think all is lost if a student struggles with reading or writing because there are other ways for them to be socially active for example, talking. I'm pretty sure that a person may feel scared to socialize with others if he/she has a delay or disability because of the stigma that is associated with having a "problem." Nobody wants to associate with a sub-average student because others may begin to think that you have a problem too. Students may think because their lacking in one area they are deficient in all areas. I also think that a lack in social skills may strengthen a skill in another area. For example, if a student can't read well they may find that writing is their strong suit. If a student struggles in writing a good book again and again will improve their reading. The book says on page 102, "Writers participate in several types of reading activities" and goes on to say, "Readers are writers, too." This demonstrates that reading and writing are interdependent on one another. Readers can improve their writing by reading and writers can improve their reading by writing. The following sentence on page 104 also drives this point home: "Reading contributes to students' writing development, and writing contributes to students' reading development." I've always preferred writing over reading. It takes me longer to read because I don't look forward to it. I rediscovered last semester just how good of a writer I was and I'm sure the amount of reading required for my classes had something to do with it :-) I think that having others know that there is a "problem" can help. This gives excelling students an opportunity to help those who struggle-which fosters socialization. Whatever way teachers decide to help it's up to them-I like the following suggestion, on page 104, "What we need are reading teachers who act as if their students were developing writers and writing teachers who act as if their students were developing readers." Something absolutely needs to be done before the amount of catching up becomes nearly insurmountable.

Learning a language is best accomplished by being immersed in it, especially if you're learning a foreign language. We have two ears so we hear twice as much as we can say. Of course when we're little, that's how we acquire our new way of communication-we listen to what others say. After we learn how to talk, we can write in our own language, and soon read in our own language as well. We learned a couple of weeks ago that the best to increase vocabulary is by reading. When I was little, I had a series of books that went through the alphabet and gave tons of examples of pictures that started with each specific letter. I think just being an inquisitive and curious child helps too. If you hear a word you're not familiar with-ask someone or look it up yourself-I think information acquired first hand sticks around longer. Teachers also play a BIG role in helping us all learn language and not just in language arts class. We all know terms that relate to other areas such as math, science, and social studies. Anyone we come into contact with in our environment helps us learn language.

There are a vast number of words in the English language. However, there are words that are just naturally going to be used on a more frequent basis. I'm sure this has been the case throughout history with any other language ever spoken. Because these words are more popular in usage, it's necessary that our children know them and familiarize themselves with them because of their popularity. One way to accomplish this is through word walls. The more lessons or mini-lessons a teacher does that includes these words, the more comfortable students will feel seeing, saying, and using these words when necessary.

I think seeing an object and recalling its name helps to increase our ability to learn a language. Connecting the pictures that were in my letter books to their physical representation helped me. It's one thing to see a tree in a book but being able to see a tree and touch it in nature makes that connection more concrete. Symbols are visual depictions of objects. I think this is helpful for those people who feel they are visual learners, like me. Symbols help make the connection between the abstract and the concrete. You can't touch a tree in a picture book but seeing and touching a tree outside help the idea of a tree come to life. There are also symbols that companies use. When you think of a check mark you think of the Nike shoe company. Sometimes a company is known more for the symbol than the product but they still help the thoughts of objects become actual, real, and tangible.

Just like reading, people write for various reasons. People write because that's their job. People write to reflect upon their day in their journal or diary. People write because it's part of their assignment. People write because it's easier for them to write how they feel instead of say it aloud. Whatever the reason is, people write. Whatever the reason is, people want to write something that is meaningful to them and possibly the public. Janet Emig once said, "Writing is often our representation of the world made visible. When one reads what another has written, he/she is opening their minds to see things differently from a new perspective. The experiences an author has had also lends itself to the reading process which can certainly entertain an audience. Reading can help someone feel like he/she isn't alone in the world. A reader can identify him/herself as a character in the book.
Reading and writing are both areas that contribute to language arts. Both of these areas help to create language, an art form. By engaging in each of these a student has the opportunity to see if he/she has grasped and successfully utilized what he/she has learned in the classroom. Both reading and writing are processes and have to be taught. Some writing isn't worth reading and it's those works that can turn someone off to the whole idea altogether. But when someone finds a good book, the search to find one better than the last read is relentless.
When someone writes, there are no limits, only what he/she limits him/herself to. Vera John-Steiner has a quote that reads, "Writing is the product of a creative, dynamic learning process that spirals naturally upward and outward toward limitless possibilities." Writing and reading both employ the use of imagination. Writing something and later revisiting that particular piece can be done with a sense of pride, if you were the author, or gratitude, if you were the reader. Reading or writing producing something that has no bounds or limits is exciting. Hopefully, a habit will develop from this entertaining discovery.

A book has the power to do several things to a reader. One effect a book can have on someone is for him/her to be entertained by the words they digest. This type of reading is known as aesthetic reading. People are transported into a different time, a different place, and get caught up in the characters' various situations. On the other end of the spectrum, there is efferent reading. This is done with the intent of learning. Here a reader is to absorb for an educational purpose what is presented on the page. Aesthetic and efferent listening are done with the same purpose; to entertain and learn respectively. When I read, it's most of the time so I can learn more about what the teacher is discussing in class. However in an English class, the variety of literature that is given to be read serves both purposes. By being entertained the reader learns things along the way.

Reading doesn't just happen-it's a combination of processes that result in one being able to read. The first step is prereading. Here, a student will have a purpose for reading, have a plan for reading, and remember or learn background information that will help him/her understand the story better. An example is knowing that Dr. Seuss writes with rhyming words. This will help a student to realize in what way the story "The Foot Book" will be written. Stage two is reading, the student is reading the text. There is more than one way to read a selection. Students can engage in independent reading, reading with a buddy, use shared reading, participate in guided reading, or listen to the story while it is read aloud. An example is a student reading "The Foot Book" independently. The next stage is responding. Students have the opportunity to share their thoughts on the book or seek more clarification on something in this stage. An exmaple is the student responding to the open-ended questions: This book reminds me of... or I noticed that Dr. Seuss is... in his/her reading log. Stage four is exploring. Teachers help students to explore by, "rereading the selection, examing the author's craft, focusing on new vocabulary words, and participating in minilessons" (pg. 79). For example, the teacher could bring in other Dr. Seuss books and compare and contrast "The Foot Book" to those selections. The fifth and final stage of reading is applying. Here, students choose some way to express what they've learned as a result of having read a particular book. For example, a student could make a collage of all the different types of feet that are mentioned in "The Foot Book."

Capable readers have four acquired four necessary factors . They are word identification, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Word identification refers to the number of words in a student's vocabulary and the strategies he/she uses to learn, and eventually recognize, the unfamiliar ones. The second factor is fluency which refers to being able to read, "quickly and with expression" (pg. 82). Within fluency are three additional factors: reading speed, word recognition, and prosody. The goal is 100 words per minute. The more words a student knows, the faster his/her reading speed will be. Prosody means reading with the correct intonation and appropriate phrasing. Without doing these things, the meaning of a sentence will be lost of confused. The next factor is vocabulary. Reading is a great way for students to increase their vocabulary. A larger vocabulary helps fluency which helps to create a more capable reader. The final factor is comprehension. A capable reader understands what he/she read and why he/she read it. Comprehension occurs throughout the reading of a particular selection and then at the end, a new, whole, and complete understanding is achieved.

There are five different ways in which students can read. They are shared, guided, independent, buddy, and participating in read alouds. To encourage the use of these different types, teachers could have literature focus units, literature circles, reading workshops, and special thematic units in thier lessons. There are, of course, a whole lot more options teachers can do. Anything that contributes to a studen'ts reading is valuable and helpful. I also think that the reading a child does outside of the classroom can do nothing but help him/herself as a capable reader. Anything a teacher does just needs to be educational, engaging, fun, and contagious!!

I was surprised to learn that there were six language arts. Throughout school, it was always just called language arts assuming that it was it's own subject. They are each different in their own ways but are all interrelated to one another. Collectively, these arts help to create language. I can see why talking and listening are commonly overlooked. They don't seem to be hard actions to do, but it's the manner in which they're done or in which they should be done that educators need to start to emphasizing.
Viewing and visually representing should be a part of this list. Seeing and doing are two things that make learning so engaging. I think because of the addition of these two, the process of language is complete. These two facets along with the other four help to make language meaningful and personal. I think that by adding them we are realizing that the digital and media influences are important to children. Technology is growing by leaps and bounds and if these two were omitted from the list it's almost as if we were suggesting that these influences are nonexistent. We are embracing these advances and helping children to adjust to the changes they see as well as adults during their lives.
The arts that stand out to me are listening, writing, and viewing because they correspond to the type of learner I am. I remember something better if I write it down. I pay close attention to what is said (listening), and I transfer that to my notes (writing). I am also a very visual person so to see it is to make it more memorable for me. I used to enjoy reading when it was done for fun and pleasure in the younger grades but as it got to be a chore, as in a homework assignment, it wasn't enjoyable anymore. I do not expect them to always be the same, I expect them to grow and change as I do during my life.
I enjoyed listening to Sahara Special. I usually don't like being read to but I found this time to be quite engaging. I personally cannot relate to this story but I think we can all identify someone from elementary school with one of the characters. I hope that Sahara and her mother realize that the school is doing its best and that school will be fun and enjoyable for them both by the end of the story.