Find THEIR Voice

What can I say? Wow! I am loving these readings.  Beyond Tolerance was an incredible article.  There is such an important message that Raquel Cook brings across.  Through her experiences with 9/11, she found out what education is really about and why we need it. 

              Kids today are hooked into the media.  They believe what they hear from the TV which we all know we cannot always believe.  It is all about having the latest technology and video games.  I notice this even at the daycare I work at--the school aged kids are hooked on their Nintendo DS’s.  I found myself thinking what are these kids going to be like in the future? 

            Cook talked about questioning the future of her students through what they saw important in the media.  The students could not tell her anything about history or anything that can be truly meaningful to their lives.  Cook began to teach World Literature and redecorated her whole room, making it into a journey.  The students would travel and experience pieces of literature from all over the world.  The way Cook described her room, I would think the students would be excited to learn about World Literature.  I can remember learning about World Literature, and it was not the most thrilling reaction.  The walls were blank and I was not exactly sure what to completely expect, but my teacher made it a completely different experience.  Students may feel World Literature is a history lesson but history comes out of literature. 

            On page 20 of Beyond Tolerance, you can see the students transforming through different world events that have occurred.  Pictures are powerful and can represent literature.  Pictures can speak a thousand words.  Students were told when these photos were revealed to America the media was lying.  The students began to realize you cannot trust the media. 

“English is a language; we use language to communicate ideas; history and culture are the exchange of ideas; language is history is culture is power” (20).   I think this is an incredible quote.  This is what literature is about. I could not agree more with what Cook had to say right there.  You can get so much out of literature, and it can have an amazing impact on you and your students.  This can bring other students to speak out. “YOU HAVE A VOICE” (20).  Teachers need to encourage and remind their students that they have a voice--they have a say to say what they want especially in a classroom where is it encouraged.  If you want your students to speak openly, you have to be willing to as well.  Students will feel more comfortable.

“What will they use their voices for” (20).  The students matured and changed their feelings.  On page 21, her students talked about joining the Peace Corps, and making a difference.  I liked how Cook assigned the homework, especially for a senior classroom.  There was just one rule to stay in the geographical region.  The students were able to use their best abilities and what they were passionate about to design their homework which all worked into literature.  Through different experiences, it exposes students to new things. 

As teachers, we have to go beyond the tolerance level to find the voices we know our students have.  We are “to teach communication, inclusion, curiosity, and questioning” (22).  That is what English is and what is so great about being teachers. 

Literature Circles

After reading the required chapters in Literature Circles, Chapter 2 stuck out to me the most.  On page 18, Daniels states the “Eleven Key Ingredients” for Literature Circles.  These are guidelines for what goes into having successful literature circles.  I feel these would help a first year teacher who may be unsure about what to do or how to go about developing literature circles.  One key feature I really like is to allow the discussion topics to come from the students.  This makes the students in charge of what is happening in the group.  The discussion comes from the students and what they have come up with.  I feel this is key because the students will be more interested in the literature circle since they have the responsibility of coming up with questions and discussing them.  I completely agree with what Daniels had to say on page 22.  He states, “After all, if kids never practice digging the big ideas out of texts themselves and always have teachers doing it for them, how can they ever achieve literary and intellectual independence?”  As teachers, we have to allow our students to use higher level thinking.  We cannot always do it for them or they will never grow and develop within themselves. 

            Another chapter I enjoyed reading was Chapter 7 about books and materials.  I can remember using some of the same strategies when I was in school.  As a teacher, the quality of the book matters.  On page 94, Daniels talks about a science project that gets smelly.  What’s the point?  You want students to see development, take risks, and grow while reading a story.  It is important to remember the reading level of the students.  You don’t want a student frustrated while reading.  The point of literature circles is to have students reading at their “fluency level” (95).  Teachers now have more options for literature circles.  There are Reading Response Logs where students place their thoughts and responses to the reading.  Students immediately are prepared for discussion.  Post-its are great for having evidence from the text right in front of the student.  They are able to write notes on the points about a passage.  Students are prepared for discussion by having everything they need right in the book.  Clipboards allow students to have discussion anywhere they would like to and take notes easily. Role sheets have lots of variety to them.  Roles can be added or removed depending on the group and the importance to the text.  Roles allow students to focus on one concept then share in discussion.  As a teacher I would allow my students to choose what they like most so they are able to get the most out of their class-time discussion.  I feel students can combine a couple options to get the most out of their discussions.

To get Role Sheets, there are a variety of ones in our text, or I found a website with role sheets. The internet is a great resource of finding materials and resources to use.  On this particular website I like the section Ways to Share Books.

http://www.abcteach.com/directory/basics/reading/literature_circles/

Harvey Daniels also has a website, literaturecircles.com that is being updated at the moment.  He reviews books that work well for literature circles.  I plan on checking back often to look at the reviews he has made. 



"Teaching Standard English" and "Untracking English"

            I just wanted to say, since taking this course; I have found the readings so intriguing and useful.  I enjoy reading everything we have been assigned.

            As soon as I read the title “Teaching Standard English: Whose Standard,” I thought the same thing when I read the title.  What is Standard English and where did the “standard” come from?  The first paragraph shocked me!  I can’t believe a teacher would do that to her students.  As a teacher, you should never embarrass your students.  We are not teachers to embarrass students, we are teachers to help and build confidence in our students.  I can relate to not saying words correctly, one word that sticks out in my mind that I ALWAYS say incorrectly is wash.  I have always pronounced it “warsh” (putting a “r” in it).  This is the way my father and grandparents have said it and it’s something I picked up on too.  I try to correct myself but I still feel like I’m saying it incorrectly. 

            I love the part on page 101, when it talks about the kind of teacher to be.  As a teacher, I do not want to see my students struggle the way I struggled.  I want to help my students, just like my teachers helped me to succeed.  It is important for teachers to “know when to correct and how to correct” (101).  If a teacher does not know how to do this the right way, it could hurt the student more than help them. 

            Students often do not take the risks they need to.  They play it safe because they do not want to fail.  I want my students to take risks to push themselves to higher levels.  Students grow this way and that is what I am looking for in my students.  I want them at a new higher level of thinking when they leave me to go into a different grade.  An issue many students face as to why they play it safe is because they are afraid they will be devalued, as mentioned on page 101.  We want students to talk about what they feel.  We want them to have a voice and to keep that importance, otherwise what is the point.  For these students, it is much easier for them to think of something they know and can relate to.  This is how you get them to write, to write about what they know and what is familiar to them.  Students are often intimidated and unsure what to write about. 

            The section on page 102, “but eventually they write. They write stories. They write poems…,” this reminds me of reading and watching “Freedom Writers”.  That was such an inspirational movie that I wrote a letter to the Freedom Writers and actually received a detailed letter back.  I was so surprised to hear back from them.  The encouragement and motivation Erin Gruwell provided is how I want to be towards my students.  I realize that it will probably be a different teaching experience but I can still take what she did and never give up on any student.

Once you have the students writing, the class needs to hear these writing.  It is essential to allow every student to have the opportunity to share, an example of this is a read-around circle.  It is good to hear what everyone has to say and everyone can learn from others experiences.  Students can come to realize they relate to others experiences and make connections.  By this, students become more open and share/write more.  As a teacher, you must create a comfortable and safe sharing place, where you go over with your students what is expected of them.  If there is an environment where students make fun of each other, students will be humiliated and shut down.  Teachers have to remember this because humiliation is the worst thing that can happen to a student that sets them from success and failure. 

When teaching the “standard”, it must be done without embarrassment from anyone.  It is through student’s experiences reading articles, stories, poems, etc. in “Standard English” that they will learn.  We, as teachers, must TEACH them.  It is important that a student knows not to let go of “who they are” while learning the “standard” because that is what makes them an individual.

Once reading “Untracking English: Creating Quality Education For All Students,” a few things just came to mind right away.  Everyone is capable but when assumptions are present, it changes all of that.  Teachers need to realize it is possible to teach a diversity of students and succeed at it.  Yes, it will take changes and adaptations to do so but it is worth it in the end.  We do not want our students thinking they are put into a category because they have nothing going for them.  I do not see how some teachers expect their students to fit into the same “cookie-cutter” mold.  They are unwilling to change for the students’ success and to recognize differences in learning.  I want to be the teacher who makes a different in a student’s life.  I want to differentiate for the success of each and every one of my students.  Not let them fail when there is a change I can make to stop that from happening.  My number one priority is to recognize each student for who they are and meeting their goals in succeeding.

One strategy I really liked from this article is the dialogue journals.  I feel like this is a less intimidating concept for students at all levels.  They are able to have prepared questions and go to their small groups for discussion.  Then they are prepared for large group discussion after feeling rehearsed. 

***To continue from the last blog, concerning graphic novels.  There is a website called ToonDoo that allows you to create your own cartoons.  It is an excellent website for both teachers and students.  I highly recommend it!!!

http://www.toondoo.com/



"Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban School", Wilhelm;s Chap. 5

“Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban High School” provided several strategies that I plan on using in my classroom as an Elementary Education major.  I feel these strategies mentioned in the article can be adapted and modified to this younger age.  I can totally relate and connect with the information presented here.  I, for one, am a very visual person.  I feel when I had struggled with reading when I was younger these strategies would have been a great way for me to comprehend and make meaning of a story.  When I am able to establish the meaning myself, I can remember everything so much better.  Most students seem to be the same way, especially for English Language Learners.  They do not know the English language yet, therefore, they connect with visuals.  With graphic novels, the importance is stated; “limited amount of text would allow students to read and respond to complex messages with text that better matched their reading level” (20).  Even according to Wilhelm’s text, he mentions on page 158, “visualization was considered to be an important part of reading and that it has been shown in various ways that the use of mental imagery has various powerful positive effects for readers”.  I just find myself agreeing, connecting, and knowing exactly what Wilhelm is talking about.  Imagery helps students check their comprehension, whether they “see” it.  That can play an important role in whether or not a student is getting the text. 

Students are able to use dialogue in a more meaningful way, in ways they can reflect, relate, and connect.  By taking a graphic novel or comic strip that is wordless or has wordless sections, the students are able to use their thinking and “reader response” to what they visualize.  The students seem to understand the “visual vocabulary” more than the “written vocabulary” as the article puts it and I absolutely agree. 

As I mention, in my blogs and in class, as a teacher you can gain many various perspectives on using visual literature, along with the other strategies of having open ended questions/discussions to create that meaning and understanding for a student.  As a teacher, you will come away with so much more than the “right” answer or interpretation; you will have a whole class full of various meanings and understandings.  A teacher can learn more about a student through what they are writing (whether using visuals or not).  In the article, it mentioned a student connecting the wordless strip to his own life.  Most often authors and artists create their masterpieces using their own personal experiences and lives. 

I really enjoyed reading about the photography project on page 23-34.  This allows for the creativity students should be able to express, especially in a way that does not seem like it is used enough.  The students create the meaning and will remember it.  I know if I was able to do a project like this I would not forget it.  I can remember in high school doing a project my senior year that was a scrapbook.  There were no guidelines to follow, just our creativity.  It turned out to be one of the best things I ever created and written.  I feel when you use your imagination, your creativity, your knowledge the better you will remember that experience and that information.  As a teacher, including those things in a lesson for a student to use, will increase the comprehension they get in return. 

I was doing a little research and found a website where three teachers were interviewed about incorporating graphic novels into the curriculum.  It had great feedback and seemed to be a positive experience for the teacher, the students, and the school.

http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/elementary-schools-libraries-and-comics-roundtable

How can you put this comic into words?

Wilhelm's "You Gotta BE the Book" Intro, Chap. 1,2,3

After reading Wilhelm’s “You Gotta Be the Book,” I was immediately intrigued.  The introduction was so interesting and made me think of things I have never thought of before.  Wilhelm brought forth his own experiences and strategies that worked for him and also ones that did not work for him.  I put myself in his place wondering what it would be like to be in his sort of situation and who knows maybe one day I will be in that same situation.  Wilhelm’s introduction is the way every book should be for a student, to grasp their attention and hold it for the chapters to come.  Since I am interested in the material presented by Wilhelm, I am hooked to it and want to learn from it.  Wilhelm even pointed out in his introduction, on page 13-14, when working with Sasha, that the student’s interest is a key component to becoming successful in reading.  By adapting to the student’s interest and following the common procedures as the other students, it can make the biggest difference in a student who is reading and not reading.  Sometimes to start out, a teacher may need to take into consideration what the student likes to hook them into reading and to not be reluctant.  I have learned from previous reading education courses and professors that a student should be slowly introduced to different genres and books by letting students read what interests them first such as magazines  Since I am an Elementary Education major with a reading minor, I have learned the key for elementary students to start reading is by reading what interests them.

In Chapter One, when reading the section the “Bottom-Up Approach,” Wilhelm talked about Randy, a student who said that school will only get worse.  I thought about this and related it to the school-age kids I have at the daycare where I work.  I often hear the kids say how much they hate school and it just gets worse and worse each year.  I feel this has to do with difficulties in reading, not liking to read, and the way reading is being taught.  Randy was the same way.  He hated to read.  Students learn how to read from the “Bottom-Up Approach,” which means “parts to whole” (19).  A student is working from the bottom to the top, working with the simplest components to the more complex to complete the “whole” being able to read.  There is a strong emphasis today on students learning phonics which is the understanding of the letter to sound relationship in the basics of learning how to read.  I can remember in elementary school being taught “whole language” rather than phonics.  Whole language is the opposite of phonics.  It consisted of reading a book the way it looks without sounding out the words.  I struggled learning how to read through “whole language”.  I feel as though I needed a background in phonics to know the letter to sound relationship when reading.  I agree with Wilhelm when he states, “I understand that students have to know some phonics to read” (19).  Phonics often turns into doing worksheets and engaging themselves in a book.  Reading should be a combination of phonics and “whole language”.  This gives students the chance to know their letters and the sounds that they make and apply them to reading a book. 

As I continued to read in chapter one, I came across a part about having the “correct” interpretations when reading (23).  Students feel the need to have the “correct” answer rather than answering how they feel or interpret the question.  Students shy away from answering questions if they feel as though they will be incorrect.  I know from experience when I was in elementary school up until high school I would not like to answer questions I did not feel were the correct answer to the teacher.  Now that I am in college, I like to answer questions giving my interpretation and answer of the question because it may be something the professor has not thought about before.  This comes from reading books that there is only one answer, but really there are many meanings to a book.  It is all about how the student views the question.  Teachers often push memorization and for students to think the same thing.  Students do not create their own meaning through that process.  We want students to tell why the text is important, how they can connect it to their lives and other stories, and why they need to learn it.  I feel teachers often get the question from students as to “why we have to do this”.  I have learned this from previous professors, if a teacher cannot justify why, then why does a student have to learn or create meaning from reading a story. 

As I read through the rest of the chapters, I paid close attention to Chapter Three.  I was very interested and found a lot of useful strategies.  What really stuck out to me were the sections on relating to the text.  I feel this is very important while reading, comprehending, and giving to a text.  This is also something I do while I read.  On page 79, Wilhelm talks about relating to characters.  Students often relate themselves to the main character.  They put themselves in that perspective while reading.  I feel this is incredibly important and agree with Wilhelm because the student is able to have a higher level of thinking while relating to the characters which ultimately gives the teacher many different perspectives and meanings.  A teacher wants to see their students thinking differently rather than having that same or that “correct” answer.  On page 93, Wilhelm reflects on how the students relate the text to his/her life or to the world.  The students are using their prior knowledge to connect to the text.  This is something as teachers we can teach to our other students, because this highly engages them to the text.  Through my college education, my professors have talked about role-playing.  In elementary education, we use “readers-theater” which is similar to role-playing.  Students are able to become the character and work with one another to role play.  I love how Wilhelm describes the importance of role-playing.  He states, “This highlights the importance of balancing shared and individualized readings. When students read individually, they can exercise their individual taste and response, and they can encourage others to read the books they have enjoyed.  When readings are shared, students have the opportunity to create response together, to compare response and ways of reading, and to learn from each other about these ways of reading” (96).  Students can connect and interact with one another through reading.  This is very important to a classroom is incorporating individual and shared reading. 

As I have read through the chapters in Wilhelm’s “You Gotta Be the Book,” I have found many connections I can relate to on a personal level and ways I can connect as a teacher-to-be.  He provides many strategies and useful information that is easy to read and comprehend.  Even though Wilhelm’s text is geared for the adolescent age level and I am an Elementary Education major, I am still able to relate what I have learned so far in the courses I have taken and can adapt them to a level for the elementary age level. 

My Literacy Profile

I am a reader, but it has not always been this way.  When I was in elementary school I struggled tremendously.  I had a reading disability which made reading very frustrating.  As I over came my disability, reading became more enjoyable to me and is something I love.  As I read, I love comparing myself to the characters and putting myself into that situation.  The anticipation in books makes me keep reading and wanting to read more.  This is how I know I have a good story in my hands.

I can remember my mom reading to me every night when I was little till the end of elementary school.  As I began to learn how to read, I would read to my mom, but I did not like to read at school.  I always felt embarrassed that I read slower than others and did not always know the same words as my classmates.  I feel I struggled with reading and vocabulary because I was taught “whole-language”.  I had trouble with the letter-to-sound relationship (phonics) and I feel if I had been taught a little bit of phonics I would have had more success.  I don’t remember too many books that I read in middle school.  In high school, I read The Secret Life of Bees, The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, Animal Farm, The Grapes of Wrath, The Lord of Flies, The Glass Castle, A Separate Peace, etc.  When I have free-time to read now, I love to read just about any genre.  I love finding meaning in poetry and even trying to write my own.  I read a lot of Jodi Picoult, Nicholas Sparks, Mitch Albom, etc.  One of my all time favorite books is Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  Just like many others, I have enjoyed reading the Twilight series.

            I am majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in reading.  By taking this course, even though geared for an older age group, I feel I am still able to adapt to the same strategies with a little tweeking.  I may also have more advanced students who could be at this level.  I want to give my students an enjoyable experience with reading since reading is an essential part of our lives.  Reading is everywhere.  I do not want my students to experience what I went through.  I do not want them to be embarrassed and shut down when it comes to reading.  I will use the strategies I learn to make every child succeed through differentiation and introducing different genres.  I want to be the teacher that motivates my students to read and enjoy reading.  I feel the greatest thing a teacher can accomplish is making an impact and difference on someone’s life.