BLog #7

1. Observations and experiences in field placement.

• Well, my student teaching experience ended Friday, and I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it. I had a great group of students, and a fantastic host teacher. From start to finish, I feel as though I improved as a teacher and mentor. I not only taught the students many things; they taught me many things as well. In the classes I taught, I had students at a variety of reading levels and with a variety of reading styles. Through our Accelerated Reader program, I was able to observe what types of literature my students enjoyed reading and how well they understood the material. I taught the students about conflict, resolution, and character traits through our study of several short stories. I also introduced a unit on poetry by sharing some of the pieces I have written over the years. Through these exercises, I learned that most of my students actually enjoy reading as long as they are helped with comprehension. The discussions we held were very insightful. I hope all of the students I teach in the future have such an open mindset and vocal interaction.
  

2. Progress on assignments

• My assignments are coming along nicely. I have outlined my final two literacy engagements, and my research is nearly complete for my inquiry project. I have so many things due over the next few days, that these are slightly on the back burner right now. I will sit down and knock these out sometime this week.
  

3. Final reflection and reaction to Readicide.

• Readicide has been read and put away for quite some time now, but the ideas from the text are constantly in my mind. I have observed during student teaching that reading is not a priority with these students when they are away from school. There are so many other things the students have to do these days that it is difficult to get them focused on reading. Many of these students enjoy reading, but comprehension and understanding makes it a chore. If they do not understand what is going on in the book, they don't want to read it. When we discussed different aspects of short stories in class, and when the students had the chance to actually make sense of what they were reading, the interest level definitely rose. Through my literacy engagements, I feel as though I combated readicide admirably. I hope I can continue this in the future.
  

Blog #6

1. Field experiences relating to content literacy – observations, interactions, and
questions.

• I think the biggest thing I have seen with content literacy is in relation to vocabulary. When I first came into the classroom, I noticed that many of the students were REALLY struggling with learning the new words. My host teacher is traditional, and she has been having them do worksheets out of the book, read the definitions of the words, and things of that sort. The vocabulary test grades did not come out the way she expected. The students could not transfer the meanings of the words across different areas. They could match the words with the definitions, but they struggled to write original sentences using the words. They struggled to fill in sentence blanks with the correct words. They struggled matching the word with the synonym or antonym. When I took over the class, I used a more constructivist approach. Yes, I used many of the techniques my host teacher used, but I also had the students use their creativity as an advantage. I had them illustrate the words (like we did in class). I had them write their OWN definitions. I had them play a game using the words. We have not had another vocabulary test yet, but I believe I am seeing the students gain a greater understanding of the words.
  

2. Progress with literacy explorations - successes to celebrate
and challenges.

• My successes and challenges relate directly to the vocabulary I wrote about in #1. It was a definite challenge to figure out how to get the students to create meaning. However, once they did, I had a feeling of accomplishment. I felt like a made a difference.
• Another challenge that I did not have the opportunity to take on was the Accelerated Reader program. All of these students received a test grade based on the number of points they earned. The day after the grades came back, I was shocked. A number of these children earned ZERO points. Is this just laziness or what? This was an assignment that was spearheaded by my host teacher, and I did not have an opportunity to interact with the students on this.
  

3. Reflection for ways to avoid readicide in your content area.

• I am still working on this. During my TWS unit, I am going to implement several literacy techniques - background articles, article summaries, etc. - to see how the students react. I'll have more to write after this is completed.
  

RC

Blog #5

Field experiences relating to content literacy:
Observations - When I first began my student teaching experience, the classes were finishing the final third of "Summer of the Monkeys." I could pick out fairly soon who understood the text and who did not understand the text. Most of the time it simply came down to who was reading and who was not reading. "Summer of the Monkeys" is a great novel, and students from a variety of backgrounds can relate to its different aspects. Unfortunately, many of these students just did not want to read.

Interactions - Because many of my students did not want to read, I implemented a couple of strategies to make them HAVE to read. The first was a sketch project. I had the students draw out a scene from an assigned block of reading on half of a sheet of paper. On the other half, the students had to write out what was going on. This worked fairly well. All but four of the 85 or so students taking the course completed the assignment on time, and about 85 percent of the projects were acceptable. I also had the students summarize complete chapters. This didn't work quite as well. Many of the students struggled to get their ideas down on paper in a thoughtful, organized manner.

Blog #4

1. Ideas for literacy explorations
- I am very interested in the idea of providing large amounts of background material before assigning a text. My inquiry project has a focus on short, modern texts in association with the larger, regularly assigned texts. I also would like to see how fictional videos based on literary works will affect students' interest levels.

2. Response to Readicide
- Some of my ideas are similar to those mentioned in Chapter 2. The "Article of the Week" is something I was required to do in high school, and it was the basis for my plan of incorporating articles into literature studies. "Word Walls, Book Floods, and some of the other ideas are pretty good as well, even though I'm not sure they will have that much of an impact on student literacy.

3. Enduring Questions and Concerns About Content Literacy
- Will students make a connection between current articles and the literary texts?
- What do you do if students refuse to take part in a classroom discussion?
- Will audio books improve student interest?

4. Inquiry Project Progress
- Not a whole lot of progress right now. I really won't get started on it until I get into my student teacher placement.

5. Further Understanding of Reading as a Learner in My Discipline
- It is easy to understand how reading is important in my discipline. It is English/Literature after all. I believe the tough thing to understand is that English/Literature is not ALL about memorizing plots and characters and literary elements. You have to creating meaning between the text and the students' lives. Students should be able to apply the concepts discussed in the texts to the decisions and situations they encounter on a daily basis.

Blog #3

Response to Readicide

What is the message? The message is pretty much what I thought it was going to be: the strategies of many English/Language Arts/Literacy teachers are currently destroying students' interest in reading. Students no longer know how to read. Students no longer wish to read. Students no longer read. Period.

What is your reaction? I am not surprised in the least. For as far back as I can remember my classmates have been uninterested in diving into any text - whether it be for pleasure, school, or a combination of both. The constant vocabulary quizzes, post-chapter questions, comprehension tests, and other traditional methods of assessment drove my fellow students into a literature-less state of being. I was similar to my compatriots, but not in this way. I have always been addicted to the written word - vocabulary, short stories, novels, poetry and anything else with words. I thrived in a situation where many failed.

What are your connections to school experiences? I preface this answer with this: my answer is directly associated with English/Literature. In our reading group, I posed the following question to the other members: What is the true purpose of Literature class? I'm not sure if we truly touched on it during the few minutes we had, but I believe the answer is a combination of many possibilities. Knowledge of literature is a route to social acceptance. Having a knowledge of classic works often times diverts awkwardness during conversation. Knowledge of literature is also lends itself to the transferability of information across all disciplines. The ability to read and comprehend becomes easier. The ability to regurgitate facts becomes easier. The ability to improve grades and understandings becomes easier. Having an understanding of the structure of different literary works has a direct correlation to an improvement in writing skills. Sentences become easier to write. Subject verb agreement becomes second nature. The flow of writing becomes natural.

What are ways you now understand will help students read more effectively in your discipline? I believe this concept is directly related to differentiated instruction. Sure, vocabulary quizzes and post-chapter questions are a way to assess, but so are storyboards and acting sessions. Teachers must find a way to connect each student to the text, whether it be by having the student listen, speak, draw, or act.

Blog #2

1) What are your initial thoughts and ideas about your inquiry topic?
- I have not gone over this project with anyone else in the class, but I have a good idea of what I would like to look into further. I believe my inquiry topic will be how bringing current articles, essays, and other types of literature into the English classroom will help students relate to the classic works.

2) What are your beginning ideas about your contribution to the inquiry project?
- Like I said, I have not talked to anyone else in the class regarding this project, so I am not exactly sure how I will contribute. It may have some relation to finding articles that have some correlation to classic literature, or it may be more directly aimed at helping the students creating meaning between the two types of writing.

3) How are you now understanding reading in your discipline?
- My understanding about reading in my content has not had any major overhaul. Actually, I don't believe my views on reading in my discipline has changed at all. With my discipline being English,I'm not sure my views will change.

Blog #1

A) What are your perceptions of content literacy and the adolescent reader?
- Content literacy across all disciplines is an important aspect of the educational model. Students must associate efficient reading techniques with math and science in much the same manner they would in English or history. Yes, the individual reading techniques for each class may differ, but the effort and focus must be the same.

B) What are your experiences involving content literacy?
- My experiences involving content literacy are almost entirely focused around my middle and high school years. Content literacy played a large role in each of my classes. We were taught early on the different methods for understanding texts in different classes. We constantly read and critiqued science articles. In English, literature comprehension was taught in all grade levels. Math class was based on real-life applications, therefore effectively producing comprehension opportunities. The examples go on and on.

C) What are your initial observations of effective reading in your discipline?
- Literacy in English is possibly the easiest to measure simply because literature, grammar, and comprehension hold a constant place in this educational arena. In English courses, teachers place heavy emphasis on understanding the texts. The main idea, plot, characters, context, and setting come alive in English classes, and it is easier for adolescent readers to grasp the importance of these aspects. In science class, students may simply answer the questions at the end of the chapter. In English class, those same students are more likely to read the text from start to finish.