Scripted and Basal Reading

My feelings on scripted and basal reading programs aren’t of an extreme.  I think that it is nice to have a program like Basal in the classroom, so it can give students options to work with, but at the same time it isn’t a program that adapts to each students individual needs.  I can’t say that I have seen either of these programs in my 6th grade classroom, in fact the reading sources in my classroom are scarce.  There is a lack of authenticity in these programs as stated by Tompkins.  The texts aren’t designed to adapt to each student or their background, i.e. some of the texts may not be prevalent to the students and in that case the students could lose motivation and then the point of the program would fall through.  If I had to use Basal in my classroom, I would do a lot of adapting to the program.  I guess I would use the program as a guide to ensure that my students were reading at grade level, but I think that I would add to the program.  Adding to the program, I would make sure that it is infused with relevant material to the students and that vocabulary has a chance to be built upon and that activities related to the reading would extend beyond just a worksheet.  I have seen first hand how strictly working with worksheets does not prove beneficial to the students’ comprehension of the material and the same goes for not using worksheets at all.  Students need to have access to the texts they are reading and have the chance to reference back to the material.  I know that when I read I at times miss something the first time I read through, but by looking back at the text a second or even third time I gain more information.   

New Literacies Project

The New Literacies project has deepened and broadened my conceptual understanding of literacy.  Back in 301 when we had to look at literacy, my idea was that literacy was just the ability to read and write and that it mostly dealt with books and text.  Through exploration I have been exposed to the whole realm of literacy and the various mediums.  I see literacy now as being able to understand and work with information, to read and comprehend, to carry from one medium to another, and being able to communicate.  My understanding of literacy will forever be changing and expanding, so I don’t feel as though I can set my view of literacy in stone.  Working with digital literacy was a great learning experience for me.  I love working with technology and have always enjoyed exploring on the computer and other electronic devices.  Doing research with my iPod and its function in education led me to new functions on my iPod that I had never known how to use.  I mainly talked about uploading text as well as audio books, but soon after finishing the project I was able to upload my first podcast with great success.  I recorded a lesson that was done and was then able to put it on my iPod for easy play back and review.  I am interested in exploring digital literacy more since I only focused on one area.  Now that I have discovered the benefits to iPods and education, I will for sure use it in my future classroom and even my own studies.  Because I am familiar with technology and am a frequent user of a computer, cell phone, iPod and Television it may seem that digital literacy may not be new to me, but indeed some aspects were.  Podcasting, notes, and audiobooks were all new to me and through my exploration I was able to accomplish each of these and although I am not perfect in these areas I plan to continue practicing with them. Having our projects posted on the Wiki is a great resource for the future.  It is nice to be able to access different literacies and have examples of each.  I know that I learned a lot when I looked at some of my classmates projects, one in particular really struck me and had me trying to improve the look of my blog.  Not only was the technology used informative to me but the description and links within that technology about the literacy was simple and informative making the project as a whole look very professional and a source I plan on accessing now and in the future.  It was important for me to write a response on this classmates project because it proved meaningful to me and I could tell that they had put a lot of thought and hard work into it, so in the response I wanted to give forth my best reflective comments.  When thinking about effective literacy instruction, I think of effective instruction as a whole.  To create effective literacy instruction, all students in the classroom need to be taken into consideration.  If I were to implement my technology into the classroom right now, I would have to teach a majority of the students in my classroom the functions of an iPod and a computer.  The students are able to follow directions and are receptive to technology as most of them own a cellphone and have used a computer for typing.  The GLCEs talk about being able to retell stories, adapt to different audiences, and take initiative.  I think that the use of an iPod in the classroom can help with all three of these.  Listening to audio books can help those who are auditory learners retain the content of the story, having books, notes and podcasts on an iPod can help students learn to adapt to different forms of text and students can take initiative in learning how to work with an iPod and finding ways in which it can benefit them.  I know that not all students will want to work with this form of technology because they may prefer another form of learning, but I think that it is important to have this option available for those who are auditory learners as well as those who may need audio and visual at the same time.  Through the whole exploration it was great for me to see how an iPod can be used in a positive way in the classroom instead of just being considered a cheating device or a distraction.  All in all, I’m glad I chose the project I did because I was able to learn a lot from it and will be able to use what I’ve learned to assist me with my schoolwork.  Literacy is a continual learning process for me, because as technology and environments change, literacy will change as well.  My goal is to provide different mediums in the classroom so that all my students can have an effective and positive literacy learning environment. 

Fluency and Vocabulary

I think that fluency and vocabulary are key factors in language arts instruction.  Fluency is a building block on which students can build their strength and confidence in language arts.  As a student builds their fluency they are also in turn building their vocabulary.  For a student to be fluent they must recognize words and punctuation and from that create expression as they read.  If students are unable to recognize commonly used vocabulary then their fluency in reading will be interrupted.  Tompkins states “Students become fluent readers through a combination of instruction and lots of reading experience.” (156)  I definately agree with Tompkins, if you are just instructing students and they aren’t practicing then what is the point of instructing them and vice versa.  Students become familiar with vocabulary through speech and text, if they are exposed to vocabulary and are challenged to learn new words their vocabulary will increase.  Students are constantly practicing vocabulary when they speak to other people and when they are writing and reading.  As students practice and experience reading and writing their fluency increases, just as when they were first learning how to talk, the more practice the more fluent the speech became.  With both fluency and vocabulary, it is important that these are put in to practice in the classroom, and one of the best ways to make sure that students are engaged is to expose them to reading and writing that is meaningful to them.  I think that vocabulary needs a balance of instruction (i.e. meanings of words, spelling and context) as well as practice (writing the words in sentences, reading and speaking).  I think it is important that we as teachers give our students the resources needed to continually develop their vocabulary as well as their fluency.   

Writing in the Classroom

When it comes to writing in the classroom, I mostly see writing practice.  The instances in which the students are practicing writing in the classroom, there is no instruction from the CT.  The students are to sit quietly at their desks and write.  I have seen them write in a reading log, practice cursive, and work on reports.  The students practice their cursive by copying a phrase off of the white board.  Once they are done they raise their hand for it to be checked, they are being checked on accuracy in the formation of their letters; basically to see if they copied it correctly from the board as the phrase is written in cursive.  If the students get it correct they get a sticker, if they don’t have it correct they have to fix the underlined area and get it checked again.  When I have gone around to check the students’ work, I have noticed that the students are focusing on getting the letter formations right that they forget about making sure the words are spelled correctly.  

The students have done two reports this semester.  The students are required to do research and then produce a paper as well as a home made project.  I have been present when the students are working on their papers and from working with a variety of students it is apparent that the writing levels in the classroom are extremely varied.  Some of the students write complex sentences that create a flow and voice in the paper, whereas others write very simple and basic sentences that answer the posed questions verbatim.  Some of the students write paragraphs that are only one to two sentences long, and others write paragraphs filled with detail and varied sentence structure (i.e., not all of the sentences start with the same word).  Based on what I have witnessed in this 6th grade classroom, I’m not sure that the students have been instructed on writing styles and formation of quality papers.  I wish that writing instruction occurred more in the classroom, because some of these students who are behind in their writing abilities have the potential to be great writers.  I have at times asked the students who write simple sentences and one to two sentence paragraphs to describe what they are trying to say, and they can go on and on talking about it, but by looking at their writing it is not conveyed that they know all this information.

 The students don’t have peer revision time and I’m not sure that many of the students know what that means.  I asked one student when I was helping her finish her final draft if she had someone edit her paper, and she responded with, “well my mom looked at it”.  The only collaborating the students do when it comes to these papers is help each other find books or give each other ideas, but even that is minimal.  On one occasion when I was helping the students with the classroom, I was shocked by a comment that was made to me by my CT.  I was helping a male student, who by my CT’s classification is a good writer and doesn’t really need much help.  I was editing his paper, checking for spelling and grammar as well as to see if the work looked plagiarized, as they had had an issue with this on their last papers.  My CT called me aside and asked me who I was helping, I stated with whom I was working with and she replied, “his dad is a teacher you should help some one else, he has the support at home.”  I didn’t quite know what to do when told this, I thought to myself, this is not fair to this student, just because he has support at home shouldn’t exclude him from having support in the classroom.  I told the student “this looks really nice, just double check your spelling.” which were my observations from looking at his paper, and then I had to move on to help a student that my CT claimed “really needed the help”.  I felt horrible having to leave this student with a partially edited paper, he looked at me with a look of confusion in his eyes as I had to all of a sudden move on to someone else.  

The majority of the students in the class also speak and write in AAL (African American Language).  When my colleague and I had to edit some papers that our CT asked us to edit, she never gave us a rubric, which created some dilemmas when editing.  My colleague and I were puzzled as to how to correct some of the sentences in which AAL was used, because the work made sense, but we didn’t know if our CT wanted the students writing in Standard English.  How do you correct someone on something that is correct in one form but not in another?  How do you show the students why they got it wrong when in actuality it was right?

Field Work Frustration

Continually seeing the look of disappointment amongst the faces of the students I work with is starting to take its toll.  I can’t help but feel their frustration and wish that they didn’t have to be continually let down.  One of the most recent situations occurred with the Valentine’s Day party.  My colleague and I took an extra trip to the school on Valentine’s Day to join the students for their party, but that morning we had received an email from our CT saying that the party had been moved to Friday because neither of our CT’s would be at the school.  Our students voiced to us that they would really like it if we could come to their party on Friday afternoon, so we decided that we would switch our time and go in the afternoon on Friday instead of the morning.  That whole afternoon the student’s were trying to be on their best behavior, because the CT’s had told them that if they could not behave for the subs then there would not  be a party at all.  The students watched a movie that afternoon, Tuck Everlasting, which as one of the boys stated was a “chick flick”.  No one really wanted to watch a movie and sit still, so we let the students draw quietly.  It was hard for people to sit in their seats and keep focus on the movie, since everyone else in the school was having a party.  Hormones and emotions were running high, with it being Valentine’s Day.  The sub just yelled at the students to be quiet but that just made it worse.  Notes started being passed, girls asking boys, “do you like me? yes or no” and vice versa, some of the note passing resulted in my colleague having to deal with the students in the hallway.  Being in the classroom that afternoon was a great learning experience.  Friday comes and my colleague and I are excited to join the students for their party.  Upon arriving our CT tells us that the party has been rescheduled yet again because “the students didn’t get themselves organized for who was to bring refreshments”.  I found this comment hard to believe, there was not a sign up in the classroom indicating that the students needed to bring refreshments, or a word mentioned by any of the students the previous afternoon.  I could tell that all of the students were let down, when they would tell us that the party was moved, their voices carried their frustration.  This is the second time in the past month that they have been let down for a celebration.  They had all come prepared with their valentines to pass out to their classmates and all they got to do was pass them out, no celebration involved.The party situation is just one among other broken promises.  Some of the students are called out frequently by one of my CT’s, and each of these students knows it.  On a daily basis they tell me that they can’t ever do anything right in the classroom or in general.  It is sooo disheartening to see them doubt themselves because their teacher doesn’t believe in them.  One of the female students was out of school for three weeks and upon her return she found that her seat was at a table by herself with her back to the blackboard.  She told me that she has no idea why she has to sit there by herself, she doesn’t get to be part of any groups because she sits alone, and she doesn’t bother saying anything in class because she knows she will just be yelled at.  I witnessed her trying to be attentive in class, and her legs were turned sideways so she could see and the teacher just stated “why aren’t your legs under your desk, that is not the way we sit.”  I thought to myself, how is she supposed to see if she has to keep her legs under the desk, if she has to stare at the bathroom door all day how is she going to be engaged in what is going on during class.  Knowing that there is a handful of students who never receive praise or encouragement, I take every opportunity I can to support and encourage all of the students in the classroom.  These students who are labeled as “trouble” have an enormous amount of potential, but there isn’t anyone who challenges them or expects much of them.  I tried giving one of them a challenge last week, and when I asked how their progress was they told me that they had exceeded my challenge and finished their entire project.  I was sooo happy and excited to see the joy they had on their face when they told me.  After a horrendous day with the sub, I have learned that if I am ever out of the classroom on a holiday, I will leave my students with a lesson or activity in which they can learn about the benefits of a positive environment in the classroom, friendship, respect, etc.  But when it comes to seeing the continual frustrations of my students because their teacher is at times unorganized or had a personal issue with them, I am at a loss.  How do I help these students see their potential and believe in themselves?  Some of these students are at the point where they just don’t care anymore, I wonder will they make it to High School?

Digital Natives

When thinking of technology, I never really considered the fact that one could be a native or an immigrant.  I found this website to be interesting and informative.  After taking the quiz, I would consider myself a digital native.  Technology is a huge part of my everyday life, I would say that I “rely on it to study, work, play, relax, and communicate.”  I own a cellphone and use it everyday, for talking as well as texting, I have a lap top which I use to study, access the internet, and communicate.  I have ample access to the internet and use it for the news, to shop, talk with friends, research, get directions, and much more.  I love exploring new programs for my computer and figuring out how to solve technical problems.  I am able to use and understand all of the Microsoft Office programs which has been useful in the classroom setting.  Some of my students are working on Power Point presentations and do not know how to navigate the program and don’t receive much help from my CT; I am able to help them with their questions and give them tips and suggestions.  I think that the idea of technology in the classroom is a great idea, but I think that it will only be a positive if it is used effectively.  With technology on the rise, children are learning how to use computers and such at a much earlier age.   I am grateful for the experiences with technology that I had throughout my elementary, middle and high school years.  I hope to give my students some of these same opportunities.  As a teacher, I want to do my best to not only implement the use of technology but understand the ongoing changes and stay up to date with all the different mediums of technology.  Through the internship year as well as now, I want to learn ways to implement technology in the classroom if the school does not have the resources, such as computers, cameras, televisions, etc..  

Thoughts on Language Arts Lesson…

When it comes to what I am going to do for my lesson, I am still not quite sure what source of literature I will be using. Time has not permitted me to sit down and discuss things with my CT.  The students will be reading a few novels throughout this semester, Esperanza Rising and A Wrinkle in Time being two of them.  My CT has stated that I could do something with those pieces of literature, but I have concerns with this.  I worry that planning a lesson based on the books and where the students should be at the time I teach my lesson the students may not be at the same place.  My CT can be a bit flaky sometimes and she often changes things on a whim.  Therefore I am thinking that I want to base my lesson on a piece of literature that is different from their classroom readings.  One of my colleagues who is in the classroom the same time as I am is interested in working with poetry.  I may choose to go the same route as we may be teaching together due to lack of time and the amount of students in 402 that our CT has come into the classroom.  Our students are very interested in music and the arts, as this school is a performing arts based school.  For my science lesson, I had the students work with raps/poetry to help them comprehend vocabulary.  All of the students were split into groups and each group came up with something very different and creative.  The students liked putting their own creative spin on things and then presenting it in front of the class.  I have also done a creative dramatics lesson with the students involving poetry.  The response I received from this was great, all of the students were actively participating and showed enthusiasm and excitement throughout the entirety of the lesson.  I want to use literature that will give my students the opportunity to see different ways in which they can express themselves, and also to see the power that words hold.  I want my students to be able to relate to the literature and see different ways in which words can be written, whether it be a short story, the varieties of poetry, etc..  A word can turn into a phrase, which can turn into a paragraph, which can be a poem or a verse of a song, or a part of a story, and so much more.  I am really excited to teach my Language Arts lesson to my students, I am just concerned that I won’t be able to find an effective and meaningful piece or pieces of literature for my 6th graders. 

Differentiation

Differentiation to me means diversity in all areas of the classroom setting.  All of the students in a classroom come with different backgrounds, motivations, skills, abilities, etc.  As a teacher I think it is my duty to provide students with a variety of different ways to approach material presented in class.  To work with the differentiation in the classroom setting, I think it takes both the student and the teacher working together in the learning environment.  As a future teacher, I know that differentiation means adapting and adjusting to the classroom dynamic.  Each student in the classroom is unique not only as a person but academically as well.  Working with the students and their academic abilities creates an environment for the teacher to become part of the community of the classroom instead of the one who just spouts out rules and information.  Accommodating to the different needs and interests of the students will lead to greater student involvement and interest.  Differentiation can also bring the students together as a community, working with one another to problem solve and collaborate.