(3/31) Erin - Reflection on Literacies Project

Throughout this project, my definition of literacy has definitely expanded. Before, when thinking about literacy, I immediately thought of reading and writing. In my teacher education classes so much focus has been on the “reading and writing” aspect of literacy. Throughout my education at MSU, I have learned that “reading and writing literacy” can encompass many things and be found almost everywhere (ex. menus at a restaurant, seeing labels of food at a store). However, I never realized that there were so many different literacies as there are. It was very interesting to see my peers’ projects about other literacies other the one I chose. Being able to view their projects allowed me to broaden my definition of such literacies. For example, when I chose emotional literacy, I thought it only dealt with being more aware of your emotions. However, I learned that it’s much more extensive … it’s the ability to “recognize, understand, and appropriately express our emotions” (feel.org). Also, when thinking about environmental literacy, I simply thought it only dealt with protecting the environment. However, I learned that it also deals with knowledge of environmental systems and processes, developing skills for understanding such processes, and feeling a personal and civic understanding to such issues. In a way, I relate multiple literacies to Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Just as there are many types of literacies, there are many types of intelligences. People are prone to be more literate and intelligent in some areas compared to others.

Not only did I learn a lot about my literacy, I learned a lot about my technology as well. I chose digital storytelling for my technology. I had never worked with a digital storytelling program before. It took a lot more time figuring out the program and getting used to it than I thought it would. I was definitely a “digital immigrant” when it came to digital storytelling. I felt I put a lot of time into a project that was not that advanced in presentation. However, I ended up learning a lot about this technology. It was especially interesting to me to see how other people used the same technology. I used a voice over aspect with pictures so it would actually be like I was telling a story (except digitally). A lot of people did not use voice overs, but put words on the screen instead (like in a real story). It was interesting to see how different people created different projects using the same technology. Incorporating this technology in my classroom will be very beneficial. Just as we made alphabet books in class on a topic (ex. sharks, baseball) digital storytelling could be used as well. Students could record their voices, create text, and include pictures in their presentations. Learning about this technology has made me more interested in learning about other technologies!

Noteblog 3/26 - Kelly Briggs

From exploring everyone's new literacy projects and from being in this class for the past few months, my understanding of literacy has changed and grown. Before this semester I thought that literacy was just reading, writing and knowing how to do the two. I did not ever really think about the deeper side of literacy and all that it has to offer. I now am full of information about literacy that I can apply towards my own classroom and my own lesson plans. I now have multiple ways to teach about literacy from all of the new lit projects that I viewed. I feel like I can look back at all of these projects and have tons of ideas for lesson plans. These lesson plans will be much more exciting and interactive than they would have been before doing to project.

I know that I will encounter many diverse students and schools in my future, and I feel better prepared for this now. By knowing all of these different ways to teach literacy to students I feel like I can reach out and teach any student. By knowing all of these diverse literacies all of my future students will have a better chance of enjoying literacy because I know so many ways to help them and encourage them. With so many choices you are bound to find something that will work. I think that any of these technologies and literacies can be used in any grade with all students. I am in a kindergarten classroom and I know that they would be very entertained by many of these projects. Anything that involves music and pictures gets them excited and motivated.

My project was on social literacy using digital storytelling. This technology was new to me because I had never made a moving, talking, show before. It was really interesting to work with the digital storytelling program and make lots of different changes and alterations before I submitted my final project. The literacy that I focused on was also new for me. It was exciting to learn about students sharing their knowledge with other students around the world. It was also really cool to learn about all of the different ways in which they do this. I would be impressed by any student who could use any of those technologies. I struggled with making my project and I am an adult. It took a lot of time and effort and I had to have previous knowledge of uploading photos and adding music, etc. I think that all students should have the opportunity to work with technology like this. It would require a lot from the students, but the types of projects and presentations that they could come up with would be amazing. I know that students today are becoming more and more technology based, and I think that it is my responsibility as a teacher to stay on top on that. I want to be able to keep my students attention and once in a while maybe even “wow” them. I definitely think that all of these technologies and literacies can and should be used in the classrooms because they are important for students to use and important for everyones learning.

Andy's New Literacies Reflection- Visual Literacy

New Literacies Reflection- Visual Literacy

Learning about visual literacy actually taught me a lot about myself as a teacher and a learner. I realize now for example why I like using different type of visual in my lesson plans so much. By seeing how I comprehended meaning much better from visuals and text than I would have with just text alone shows me how much of a visual learner that I am. I believe that having an image to back up texts makes an incredible difference in the meaning that I take away from any type of text. Visual literacy is excellent for ESL learners as well because it helps break the language barrier between teacher and student. ESL students are able to interpret meaning and build on different types of literacy skills while becoming familiar with the English language at the same time. I don’t believe that there is any doubt that the forms of media that I worked with when learning about visual literacy can’t be called a form of literacy and apart of Language Arts curriculum. Using different types of visual literacy’s in your classroom can help build up language art skills as well as help facilitate their comprehension and ability to use the skills they already possess. I could easily see how I could have incorporated more types of visual literacy into the lesson that I already gave to my third grade class. Using a voicethread or a google map would have helped me illustrate the theme of my lesson as well as build upon the lesson objectives that I had planned for the lesson which were:

Reading
Students will…
R.CM.03.01- connect personal knowledge, experiences, and understanding of the world to themes and perspectives in text through oral and written responses.

Listening/Viewing (response)
Students will..
L.RP.03.03- respond to multiple text types listened to or viewed knowledgeably, by discussing, illustrating, and/or writing in order to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding.

Voicethreads and google maps use visuals which students can relate with their own lives, prior experiences, and understandings of the world while learning new information. Both of the examples also use multiple types of texts which they listen to, view, discuss and reflect on, make connections with, take positions, and even show their own understandings. For example students could listen/watch a voicethread about World War 2 which addresses information that they just learned in the lesson you are working on to help make more connections. Or you could assign your students to make their own voicethreads to present to the class which showcases their understandings of a topic that they are working on in your class. These understanding among others have really helped me adjust my understanding of what literacy is as well as how beneficial incorporating visual literacy in you classroom can be both for both teachers and as a students. As a teacher it allows you to vary away from the traditional Language Arts lesson while still at the same time teaching multiple skills and understandings to your students which creates a more effective literacy instruction overall. As a student, it allows them to make more connections to what they are learning and facilitates to all kids but especially students who are ESL or visual learners.

Coming into this year I thought that literacy only involved reading and writing. I associated literacy with reading books and writing papers primarily because that was what I was accustomed to working with in Language Arts before college. I now realize that literacy can be much more than just reading and writing and that it can include multiple types of media such as pictures, videos, maps, and much more. While researching and making my project I began to realize how information and ideas could be extracted from images which don’t even have any type of text on them. For example, I looked at multiple voicethreads that teachers made to make Venn diagraphs, stories, and literacy projects. I realized after watching a few of the examples that I was definitely learning something from the thread and that it was definitely more interested than just reading about it. I also realized that mashing visuals and texts with one another could further increase the amount and the authenticity of what is being learned. Having both visuals and text allow students to make multiple connections with what is being presented to them. This can help students make connections to their own background knowledge, interpret the meaning through multiple sources, and facilitate multiple types of learning styles. They also call upon using more skills and being more engaged in what you are learning as well. I learned for instance that by creating your own mini lesson through a movie maker or using videos on YouTube, you can teach a mini lesson or incorporate them into a lesson you are already teaching (such as fractions). From this project I learned that literacy involves much more than simply reading and writing, it involves listening, visualizing, and interpreting with different types of media to convey meaning.

(3/19) Erin - Vocab Mini-lessons (Mississippi River)

• For words that cannot be found in the dictionary, I would have students use a “context clues checklist”
• “There was a low fog and I seen them step out of it on a sudden, almost like haints in the night.” – p. 9
• Students would then fill out the following checklist:

Clue	Description	Yes/No - Answer
Definition	Try using the definition in the sentence to understand the unknown word.	Yes – something flying in the night
Example-Illustrations	Can you use an example or an illustration to understand the unknown word?	No – no illustration with text
Contrast	Is the word compared or contrasted with another word in the sentence?	Yes – compared to the word sudden … and also somehow related to fog
Logic	How does the rest of the sentence help you understand the unknown word?	Key context clues – low fog, sudden, night
Root Word and Affixes	Does the word have any root words or affixes that can help you understand its meaning?	No
Grammar	Can you tell what the function of the word is? What about its figure or speech?	Yes - noun

• Having a word wall for words only found in Mississippi Bridge would be very helpful!
• It would be important to choose important or interesting words
• Segregated
• It is easier for students to learn a cluster of words vs. isolated words
• Can teach mini-lessons with some of the words
• Ex. sharecropping à tenants, acres
• Can have a word study activity (example – posters, maps, etc.)
• Creek (can draw picture of creek in story)
• Students can use tools to help define the word such as dictionaries or thesauruses
• Satchel
• Threatening

• WORD WALL (words can be organized alphabetically, by parts of speech, in sequential order to how the word is found, etc.)

Womenfolks (7)	Creek (9)	Exchange (10)	Widow (11)	Mite (12)
Admiring (13)	Sharecropping (16)	Backlip’ (22)	Acres (24)	Tenants (24)
Satchel (29)	Burlap (29)	Threatening (33)	Sorrowful (33)	Prideful (37)
Creaking (39)	Ruckus (44)	Sprawling (47)	Snivelin’ (50)	Segregated (51)

Notebook 3/19 Andy Schiller

Vocabulary Mini Lesson

Topic: Learning Vocabulary through Word Posters
Grade: Third Grade
Time: 30 minutes

1. Introduce the Topic- The teacher will ask the kids if they ever heard or read a word before that sounds exactly like another word that you know but that it means something completely different?

2. Share Examples- The teacher will then write words on the board which sound alike but which have different meanings. The teacher will first want to show the class how the two words are pronounced the same by reading both of them aloud to the class. The teacher will then ask the class if they sound any different from one another. Once the class has agreed that it does, then ask them if anything is different between the two words. If the students don’t reply correctly, than the teacher should point out how the spelling and definitions of the two words difference even though they are pronounced the same way.

a. Examples of words to use: see-sea, days-daze, I-eye, right-write, threw-through

3. Provide Information- The teacher will then explain how two words that sound exactly the same but mean something completely different are called homophones or homonyms. The teacher will explain how these words can easily confuse readers when they are trying to interpret text or speech, but that they especially confuse people when they try to write the words down. The teacher will then tell the class that a poster of homophone words will be hung on the wall for the class to view whenever they are reading, writing, or whenever they want.

4. Guide Practice- The teacher will then explain to the kids that each of them will be asked to pick one homophone each that they would like to learn more about from the chart. The teacher will then explain the activity by telling the class that they will each be making posters to conceptualize the difference between their homophones. The teacher will explain that every poster must include the correct spelling of the two words, a picture that articulates each word, and a sentence that uses each word in the correct context.

5. Assess Learning- The teacher will assess the learning of the class by observing the posters the class made during the minilesson. The teacher will look to make sure if the students correctly answered the three tasks that were assigned to them to complete for the poster. The students should have written each word correctly, they should also have two pictures and sentences that articulate the meaning of the two different words correctly. If the student has met all three of these tasks, than they should have learned the objective.

Noteblog 3/19 - Kelly Briggs

Notebook: Vocabulary Lesson

This vocabulary lesson would work for grades K-2. The lesson would revolve around the letters in the alphabet and words from the text that match up with those letters.

• Have the students find a word in the text that starts with five different letters of the alphabet.

• Each student can pick their own five letters. Or assign one letter to each student so that each letter of the alphabet is covered.

• Have the students either find, look up, ask a friend, ask the teacher, or just know what the word means.

• Then make a class list.

• For higher grades, you could decide what type of word each student came up with. For example, a noun, a verb, an adjective, etc.

(2/20) Erin "Understanding MY Reading Processes"

After reading Tomkin's Chapter 7 on Facilitating students' comprehension and the article "Profiles in Comprehension" I feel that I'm a little more metacognitive about the comprehension strategies I use and the struggles I personally face.

Out of the eight comprehension strategies mentioned, I think I most struggle with identifying big ideas and summarizing. I have a hard time making my reading, or writing experience, as compact as needed. I'm sort of one of those people that highlight everything in the text. Too many things seem important to me, I include many details as part of my "big ideas." The two strategies are definitely interrelated. If you struggle identifying "big ideas" than you most likely struggle summarizing because summarizing is joining all of the big ideas together. Say I read an article or selection for class, the next day I'll usually remember a random detail but maybe forget a few of the main points. I think I do this because the comprehension strategy, connecting, comes to me most easily. Connecting is when readers activate their background knowledge to make connections or links. Three main connections are text to text, text to self, and text to world. I think since I've been in college I've greatly improved my "connecting" strategy. As a language arts teaching major, I've had to take a fair amount of English classes. Many of these classes require the student to make one of the three connections.

When reading Applegate, Quinn, and Applegate's article "Profiles in Comprehension" I definitely saw myself in one of their eight profiles. Before I went to college, I know I definitely was a "literalist." A literalist looks for all answers to any type of question to be stated in the text. I definitely did just that. I distinctly remember become frustrated when I couldn't find an exact answer in the text. Throughout my schooling, however, I have found that my comprehension struggles have lessoned. I have become a better reader.

Andy Schiller- 2/20

The readings that I had for this week were Tompkins chapter 7 and Carlisle’s How Can I Help Children with Learning Disabilities. Carlisle’s article gave me a lot of advice on how assist literacy development for children with learning disabilities in my classroom, but it did not teach me much about my own reading comprehension process.

The Tompkins chapter on the other hand did teach me a lot about my reading comprehension process. The first thing I learned was what the definition of comprehension actually was. In the book, Judith Irwin defines comprehension as the reader’s process of using prior experiences and the author’s text to construct meaning that is useful to that reader for a specific purpose. I thought that this was a perfect definition for comprehension because I too believe that it’s the meaning you form for whatever purpose you are attempting to address or answer. I can relate this to my own experiences when I have failed on a test or did not come away with the same meaning or understanding as everyone else who read the same text. I realize now that just because I failed does not mean I didn’t comprehend what I read, but instead it may mean that I used the text to construct meaning for a different purpose than everyone else had. This makes a lot of sense because in the end we all don’t think alike.

Chapter 7 also talked about the factors that influence a reader’s comprehension. After reading over these factors, I can see which ones I struggle on and which ones I excel on during my reading comprehension process. I know that I definitely use my background knowledge when I am reading. I am always try to connect what I am learning with what I already know because my understanding then is way more in depth. I use my background knowledge either to relate what I already know or to relate an experience I had in the past.

I know that I am pretty fluent as well. When I am reading, I never find myself sounding out or struggling with many words that I do not know or cannot pronounce. I never thought how important this was in relation to comprehension before I read this chapter. Now however. it makes sense because if you are struggling to read every word, then how can you think or eternalize what you are reading.

The other factors that I realized which I never had any issues with are comprehension strategies and making inferences. I know that I make inferences when I read because of the fact that I like to use background knowledge with whatever I am learning or doing. I now realize how this background knowledge causes me to make inferences because I am constantly comparing what I am reading with what I already know so that I am always inferring something is going to happen based on my background knowledge. I have always known comprehension strategies such as predicting and summarizing are an important role in comprehension so it comes with little surprise to me that it impacts my reading comprehension process. This is something I think is engrained in your head as a child and so you do it naturally whenever you read.

Finally I realized that having a purpose and motivation are two factors which have not played an active role in the process of my reading comprehension. As a child I use to really enjoy reading books, but as I grew up I started to like reading less and less and I started to get less and less out of what I read. After reading this chapter I now realize that these two factors affect my reading comprehension. I think these 2 factors disappeared from my reading comprehension process when what I was reading became less personal. Once this happened the reading had no purpose to me because I didn’t know why I was reading it; it had no relevance or importance to me so why should I read it? I now realize that you if you do not see a purpose to reading then you are not actively involved with it. This makes a lot of sense compared to my enthusiasm for reading, and I think it has a lot to do with motivation as well. If I don’t see a purpose to what I am reading, then how can I be motivated?

Noteblog 2/20 - Kelly

The readings that I had to do for today (Tompkins Ch.'s 7 and 2) centered around the reading process and reading comprehension. The reading process is a five stage process that is used to help student to comprehend and find meaning in the text. Comprehension basically put is, “a thinking process” (p. 223). Comprehension is the way in which the student understand, interact, and find meaning in the reading.

I have never seen the five stages of the reading process before reading this chapter. I think that I do a lot of the steps while I am reading without actually knowing it. I usually preread a book before I read it. I like to look through the book to see how long it is, how small or large the font is, how the chapter are broken up, etc. Generally I read for pleasure and so I do not think too much about my background knowledge on the topic. When I am reading for school or for acquiring information, I do think about the knowledge that I already have on the topic in order to connect the new information with the information I already have. Next I read the book. For the responding stage of the reading process, I do not usually do that so formally. I tend to think and reflect on the book, to see how it made me feel, but unless asked to, I do not generally write about the book. I love to reread books, especially ones that I enjoyed, so I participate in the explore stage of the process. I also participate in the applying stage of the process when I tell a friend about the book, or when I recommend the book to someone else.

When I am reading a text that I have not read before, or that is an informational text, I do pay attention to the comprehension factors. As I said before I only sometimes think about my background knowledge before I read. When I am reading informational text, I do think about the big ideas that I should get out of the reading. I am a fluent reader and I know how to make inferences, although that concept can get a little confusing for me sometimes. I am always motivated to read, because I love to do it and I love to learn new information.

Both of the readings that I had to do for today helped me to see how the reading process works and how it helps to boost students reading comprehension. I liked being able to see if I actually follow the steps of the reading process and if it helps me to understand what I am reading. It is funny to think about how something so simple (to me), can be made so complex by labeling each step you take during the process!

Noteblog 2/6 - Kelly Briggs

Before I took the digital native quiz I thought that I knew a lot about technology, but after taking the quiz I am questioning that. I only knew 50% of the questions that were asked and those questions were the most basic of the six. I think that I am part digital native, part digital immigrant. I say this because I know a lot about basic technology, but the more complex technologies are confusing and a little bit intimidating to me. I know a lot more about computers and technology than my mom, but my younger sister is way ahead of me. So that puts me somewhere in the middle of the technology spectrum.

The term emergent applies to my digital literacy because I do fall somewhere in the middle of the technology spectrum. I know a little bit about technology, but I do not know everything. I am slowly gaining knowledge. I have the basics, which I use to build upon. Also, I want to continue to build up more of my technology knowledge. When I become a teacher, my students are going to be way ahead of me with their knowledge of computers, games, and programs. I am going to have to learn a lot to keep up with them. The information on the website talks about how students today have so many fast moving stimuli, teachers need to embrace the knowledge that their students hold, and try to match them at it.

Emergent literacy is related to emergent digital literacy by the fact that they both can be a path on the way to higher literacy. Emergent literate students have the basic alphabet skills, can listen and retell stories, and know the order of a story. Emergent digital literate students have the basic computer skills. Both are progressing towards becoming more proficient in their particular area. Both of these students need a teacher who can lead them on that path. As future teachers, we need to be able to provide our students with literacy knowledge and digital knowledge. In order to do this, it is our job to become more knowledgeable in literacy and digital technology.

(2/6) Erin "Digital Natives Quiz"

After taking the digital natives quiz, I learned I’m sort of a digital native. I didn’t know the following terms: modding, smart mods, and wiki (although I knew about wikipedia, so I get it now :) ). The terms I did know where: blog, IM’ing, and MM Online Games. However, I definitely think of myself more as a digital native than a digital immigrant. Like the definition states, I rely on technology for studying, work, play, and communicative purposes. My parents would definitely be examples of digital immigrants. Although they try, they definitely struggle to master new technologies. They just recently got cell phones and use the computer primarily for e-mailing … that’s it.

The website addressed the fact that emerging digital natives have different cognitive learning patterns. It addressed a few that I understood and related to. The first was the parallel vs. linear way of thinking. That talked about the issue of multi-tasking, which I can very much now relate to. I can be on the computer turning an assignment in, while talking on the phone, and IM’ing a friend. I also related to the connected vs. standing alone change of thinking. This way of thinking addressed how different modes of technology can actually be viewed as learning tools. One example that was stated, which I have become more familiar with, are blogs. Last semester for my TE 448 class, and this semester for TE 402 I have had to participate in blogging as part of my course assignment. Blogs serve(s) as a learning tool because you can write and respond to them. Another one I related to was active vs. passive learning. This semester, I’m taking an online course. Like the article mentioned, listening to lectures is seen as more of a traditional way to learn, which has since changed. Now, many classes are offered online.

In her book, Tompkins defines emergent literacy as a view on how children become literate. So if I view myself as an “emergent digital learner,” I need to focus on how I am becoming literature through the means of technology. Tompkins mentions certain qualities of “young literacy learners” that I can relate to my experience as an emergent digital learner. One aspect of an emergent literature is that “children learn the functions of literacy through observing and participating” (84). The same holds true for technology. The more someone observes and participates with different domains of technology, the more familiar they will be with its functions. Tompkins also states how young literacy learners’ “reading and writing abilities develop concurrently and interrelatedly” (84). The more experiences one can have with different forms of technology, the more connections within technology they will have. And finally, Tomkins states that “through active involvement ... young children construct their understanding of reading and writing” (83). Emergent digital literacy learners will become more learned if they are actively involved with technology that is consistent with this new way of learning.

To meet the needs of emerging digital literacy learners, I feel it’s important to teach in a way that is consistent with the new ways of learning. This can be done by focusing on the new styles of learning the article mentioned and altering lessons to fit these new needs.

Andy Schiller- Digital Literacy (2-5-08)

After taking the quiz I would consider myself to be digital native. I was able to define every one of the definitions besides one. I do not think that I would say that my digital literacy can be described as “emergent”, however, I think that in this day we can all describe ourselves as emerging technology. A new invention and breakthrough seems to happen daily and something that is new becomes old just as fast as overnight. I have always had a niche and curiosity for technology so I have always tried to stay on top of the latest and greatest technological advances. I took computer classes in high school and I am also currently taking a class right now called “Teaching and Learning with Technology” (CEP416). To give a brief overview of my digital knowledge, I will explain how I am familiar, or am not familiar, with the words that were on the quiz.

Modding- I was familiar with this word because I have “modded” an X-box game system before. In order to do it you had to take the machine apart and insert a chip inside the machine. Once the chip was in you could play games and movies that you couldn’t before.

Smart Mobs- I was unfamiliar with this definition. However, after reading the answer it makes a lot of sense.

Blog- I have recently become very familiar with blogs because I am using them in both of my classes (actually right now J ). I have both written my own blogs and have browsed others as well. As a future teacher I think that these blogs are a good resource for a way to communicate with your class, their parents, or your colleagues.

Wiki- Like blogs, I have just recently become familiar with Wiki as well. I use Wiki to submit my homework to my online class every week and therefore have become pretty familiar with it. However, besides for handing in work to a teacher I haven’t seen a real relevance to it.

Instant Messaging- This is a no-brainer. Anyone who is thirty years old or younger should be able to define Instant Messaging. I use AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) every day to keep up with my friends and or classmates. I have had an AOL account pretty much since it came out; I remember having to use a dial up modem just to connect to the internet.

Massive multiplayer online games- I have been familiar with this definition since my freshman year in college. I have used a program called Xbox Live which allows you to connect and play with people from around the world through the internet. It is kind of interesting; I have had one game where I’m playing with someone who speaks another language from across the world, and the next game I will be playing with another kid at Michigan State.

Andy Schiller 1/30/08 Group 6

In class on January 22, we worked in groups and discussed choral reading. The group that I was in was working with the book Chica Chica Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. The book is targeted at helping kids learn the alphabet. On each page new letters were introduced with a catchy verse that rhymed with one another. In class our group were suppose to work with one another and discuss how we should read the story out loud to the class while focusing on the tempo, rhythm, pitch, and juncture. This task was in coordination with the eighth grade level expectations of speaking discourse. For the activity we had to work with each other to decide the best method in reading and presenting the book we choose. The grade content expectation that this activity addressed is described as:

Speaking (Discourse)
Students will…
Engage in interactive, extended discourse to socially construct meaning
Plan and deliver an informal presentation

This activity required us to decide as a group how we wanted to emphasize and enunciate our story when we read it out loud to the class. My group worked together and everyone contributed their own ideas. As a group we decided that we should use the approach of Cumulative Reading. Cumulative Reading is when one person starts reading the first line of the reading and then one the next line another student starts reading along with the first person, and on and on.


The activity also required my group to decide how we were going to read the story out loud to our class. As a group we had to decide how we were going to read each page by focusing on how we use tempo, rhythm, pitch, and juncture while we read. This part of the activity required us to decide how we could make the reading of our book more authentic by either emphasizing and enunciating a particular word or phrase or not enunciating or emphasizing it. As a group we had to discuss and develop strategies which we believed would enhance meaning by emphasizing parts of the book that would increase the greatest to the overall interpretation of that we were trying to convey. This also goes along with the eighth grade content expectations for speaking conventions, which is described as:

Speaking (Conventions)
Students will…
Use enunciation and stress to emphasize key ideas and concepts when presenting
Use tone of voice and pace of speaking to enhance meaning and influence interpretation when presenting


When working in my group, all of my group members were very respectful. They listened when I had to say something and were respectful to and of the ideas I suggested. They actually went along with me when I was joking about enunciating the chica chica boom boom in the book with a silly voice. This really helped with the learning community in the classroom because I felt safe with offering my own suggestions and participating in the activity. Everyone in the classroom was very respectful when other groups were reading their books and when we were working in our groups.

This activity helped me understand myself more as a future teacher. It also helped me understand how book talks can be used to enhance a student’s understanding and motivation like the article that I read by Triplett. First, letting my students work with one another to decide how to present a book to their class helps both the students who are reading the book, and the classmates they are reading to the book to as well. The activity helps the students performing the activity to give meaning to the reading that they have worked with. This makes the learning more personal because it puts the learning and the instruction in the student’s hand. This activity also helps the other students in the class because they are hopefully able to interpret the book better, and enhance the message the book and the group is trying to convey.

As a teacher this activity has helped me understand my role in a Language Arts classroom. I first learned that the students in my classroom need to be in charge of their learning in the classroom. I also learned that my student’s interpretation and understanding of the material I am reading is greatly influenced by how I choose to read it. By changing the way I use the tempo, rhythm, pitch, and juncture when I present the material can have an influence on what they get out of the information I am reading. This activity also reinforced the importance of group work and student to student interaction in my future classroom. I think it is important to understand that adults don’t think like children, and so I don’t think a class should be dominated by a teacher lecturing the class. It is important for students to work with their classmates because kids think like and relate to other kids. As a teacher by stepping back and allowing group work, you are allowing your students to increase their level of understanding, help promote a classroom community, and preparing them with the appropriate social skills that they will need in life.

Noteblog (1/30) - Kelly Briggs

The choral reading activity I am going to write about is planning and performing my own choral reading. My group used small-group reading while working with Run Dog Run by Dr. Seuss. Specific grade level content expectations that this activity required me to use were:

Students will...

Speaking (Conventions)

• Use enunciation and stress to emphasize key ideas and concepts when presenting.

• Use tone of voice and pace of speaking to enhance meaning and influence interpretation when presenting.

Speaking (Discourse)

• Engage in interactive, extended discourse to socially construct meaning.

• Plan and deliver an informal presentation.

During our group reading we put stress on the rhyming words partially because it is easiest to pick out the rhyming words and partially because that is where the flow puts the emphasis. The rhyming words are the part of the book that are meant to have the focus on and so putting the stress on those words is natural. The tempo that we used was fast. When words were repeating or rhyming it forced the reader to speed up the words. It made the reading sound better and more exciting when the tempo was faster. While planning our reading, our group had to consider many aspects, such as tempo, pitch, juncture, etc, when deciding how we wanted our reading to sound. This included having really interactive discussions to decide how our reading would be received.

After reading the Triplett and Buchanan article about book talk discussions, I can see how that was applied to the choral reading activity. We as a group really worked together to have a successful book talk. We each put in our own ideas, listened carefully to each other and decided together how we wanted to present our book to the class. Our little learning community was very supportive of each other while working towards our finished product and towards the expectations.

I think that after doing this choral reading activity my role as a teacher has become clearer to me. I think that I will be a great listener as a teacher and will help to keep the discussions on topic and help to involve everyone in the group/class. The ideas will not always come from me, but I will help to draw the ideas out of everyone else involved. As I plan my language arts lesson I will have to remember to listen to my students and encourage participation. I will definitely use choral readings in my lesson. I enjoyed the activity and I think that everyone can benefit from an activity of this type.

(1/30) Erin "Choral Reading"

Although I wasn’t in class during the discussion on choral reading, I did some of my own research online about the topic. I found that choral reading is when a group of students read something together aloud in unison. Choral reading is most often done with short stories and poems. A website I found gives four recommendations when choosing short stories or poems to use. First, the selection should be short. It shouldn’t so long that students are unable to pay attention or remain focused. Second, the material selected should be simple enough for students to read. From what I gather, the focus seems to be more on attending to the dramatics aspect of the reading selection. Third, try finding something with a catchy title. That will draw students in and get their imaginations going. Finally, the website recommended to select a piece of literature that will “come alive” when read aloud. The selection should foster different dramatic elements of choral reading. (Choral Reading Method)

A second website I found listed several benefits of choral reading. They are the following: improved sight vocabulary, development of effective read aloud skills and development in ability to sight read aloud (Choral Reading). From researching a little, I feel like I’ve learned other benefits from choral reading as well. Students may be excited to play with the dramatics aspect of choral reading. If students are interested, then they’re more engaged which ultimately means that the reading taking place is more meaningful to them. This is very beneficial to learning!

When I was in elementary I remember doing choral reading for our poetry unit in third grade. We each made poetry books, and our teacher would hand out several poems by various children’s authors. We were then assigned a ‘chunk’ of the poem to read which we would highlight. Usually about three or four students were assigned to each ‘chunk.’ I remember practicing and practicing thinking of different unique and fun ways to read aloud the selection.

If there is anything you would like to comment on, or if you think I missed any key points about choral reading, please let me know :) I was absent for class the day we discussed this topic, and am interested to hear what I missed!

Works Referenced

“Choral Reading Method” - http://www.d21.k12.il.us/dept_instr/langarts/parentinfo/choral_rdg.html

“Choral Reading” - http://www.rocksforkids.com/FabFours/choral_reading.html

(1/23) - Erin "Discussion in the Classroom"

I focused on the article “A New View of Discussion” by Janice F. Almasi. I thought this article was very interesting. I never thought about the differences between discussion and recitation. I sort of thought they were one in the same. When I thought of the word discussion, I correlated it with the I-R-E approach that was mentioned in the text. I-R-E (Initiate-Respond-Evaluate) falls under the category of recitation mainly because it does not elicit any meaning. The teacher asks students summary questions, the students respond, and the teacher evaluates their answers. I feel this sort of approach is found in most classrooms. However, I feel it’s found in most classrooms because it is found on most standardized tests as well.

A new definition of discussion is given in this article. The author defines it as a “collaborative attempt to construct meaning” (Almasi 4). Students take on certain roles such as inquisitor, facilitator, respondent, and evaluator which allow them to take responsibility for their own learning. Students are more engaged because as a collaborative whole they assign different meanings to the text. Students take on more of an active role because they are learning from each other. The article discusses the cognitive, social, emotional, and affective growth that takes place during appropriate discussions.

In terms of discussion, one of the most important roles to recognize, however, is the teacher’s role. As we have learned throughout our teacher education courses, the teacher’s role is the facilitator. The teacher only asks groups minimal questions, just to keep them on track if necessary. They should encourage interaction amongst students; they should not be the center of interaction which is what takes place in recitation. While reading this, I thought the only problem found with this new definition of “discussion” would be assessment. I was confused as to how a teacher would assess small groups of students informally discussing text. After further reading, the author listed many ways to assess if students accurately displayed knowledge of the text. For example, knowledge can be displayed in students’ abilities to communicate ideas, initiate questions, challenge their peers, question their own way of thinking, respond to others, ability to make text to text connections, or connect events, characters, problems to those of their own lives. Overall I really liked this new view of “discussion” and feel it would be extremely beneficial to a classroom.

Noteblog (1/23) Andy Schiller

For class this week I read the Article, Book Talk: Continuing to Rouse Minds and Hearts to Life by Triplett and Buchanan. The book talks about the importance of book discussions in today’s classrooms. The authors claimed that there was a direct correlation to a struggling readers motivation and comprehension and the amount of cognitive activities. To think about the article on a personal measure, I first thought about the type of talk that occurs in my classroom.

There is an abundant amount of interaction in my classroom. The classroom seems to transform from a classroom into a theater throughout the day. The teacher has a very bright and outgoing personality and he encourages discussion in his classroom throughout the day. He also allows every student to give their input into the discussion. No matter how long the student speaks, or how many times he or she raises their hand, he will continue to call and listen to them. I also have noticed that he comments on every thought and perspective, even the ones that may be totally incorrect. Another thing that I think he does well is scaffolding the students to expand their thinking. If the students need help expanding their thoughts then he scaffolds them by giving the students ideas to guide them along or by giving them motivation that they can find the answer if they keep on trying. There are some students in my class who need more scaffolding then others. Some of these kids do not speak English very well, have attention problems, or tend to get off topic every time they talk. To scaffold these kids the teacher will guide them along with their thinking, or pick times which may be appropriate or fitting for their comments. There is no negativity in his classroom by him or the other students. I have never witnessed my teacher put down a kid for raising their hand or participating in an activity. This type of interaction between the students and the teacher has really created an environment where the kids feel safe. Students listen and comment to one another and all of their hands dart up towards the sky as soon as he asks a question. However, after reading the article this week I now realize it is much more than just scaffolding. The type of activities he does as well as the scaffolding really creates this feel-free environment.

There have been plenty of cognitive activities in my third grade classroom this year that I think have helped the students. I know that there are a few students who got in trouble and who tested below grade level the previous year who have since moved to the top of their class academically. According to our reading this may be credited to these types of cognitive activities that they now do in the third grade. The book says that, “Students reported book talks were the most important part of their motivation and comprehension.” The book also says that children who may be testing low may fully comprehend what they are reading, but if they are not allowed to work cognitively with it then they don’t understand it. These children are also the students who participate the most in class now. The fact that they may not have had as much cognitive activities in the previous classroom may be the reason for their low test scores. Now with cognitive activities apart of the everyday classroom, they have raised the academic standing.

The article really showed me how important cognitive activities are to the entire classroom, as well as individual students. Being a learner who learns cognitively it wasn’t a surprise that children learn better that way to me. However, it was surprising to see the other ways in which the authors described it being beneficial to a classroom. In the book they say that cognitive activities like book discussions can, “help lead to meaningful discussions about social issues, increase the amount of motivation and interest students have in the lesson, and can promote critical thinking when topics are related to children developing identities of race, gender, and class.” Cognitive activities are a valuable source that every classroom needs to practice. There are no excuses for teachers; these activities can be blended in with their curricular already. They will actually save time by increasing the level of understanding and thinking in their classroom.

Noteblog (1/23) - Kelly Briggs

The article that I focused on for this week's readings was Book Talk: Continuing to Rouse Minds and Hearts to Life by Triplett and Buchanan. I really enjoyed this article and I think that it made a lot of good points. I have always felt that knowing how the book makes you feel and how you relate to the story is more important than knowing exactly what character said what and did what. I understand that knowing the specific details of a book is an important factor of having the comprehension of the book, but you need to know how you personally feel about the book before you try to answer specific questions about the text. This is where the scaffolding comes into play. Students have to have ideas and feelings about what they are reading in order to grasp more advance ideas like comprehension and answering questions at the end of the book.

When I was in school I remember having a lot of ideas about books and loving to talk to my mom about the stories we read in school or at home, but I also remember being in class and not feeling like it was ok to talk about the ideas I personally had about the book. I knew that I was expected to know the characters names and some information about the plot of the story, but not about how the story made me feel, etc. In the kindergarten classroom that I am in right now, the teacher tries as much as she can to allow for my discussions about the books they read, but she also has to try and fit in the standards and rules that are set by the district. I know that my CT would enjoy book talks if she had the time to do them.

According to the Triplett and Buchanan article, “...discovered that book discussions can promote critical thinking when topics are related to children's developing identities, including race, gender, and class” (p. 65). I think that this is saying that when a child can relate a story they read to something that really happened to them, they are going to be more likely to remember that text and have stronger feelings for that text. Also according to the article, having book talks and allowing the students to express their ideas and feelings helped to get all students involved and participate in a situation where they normally would not have.

It is possible that because I did not read the other articles that were assigned to other groups that I have a biased look on this subject, but I think that the Triplett and Buchanan article did a really great job. Individual student accounts were used to prove that all students can benefit from book talks. By allowing each student to express their own ideas, teachers are helping students to build up their knowledge and help them to enjoy reading.

(1/16) Erin "Personal Learning Goals"

After reading the syllabus, I have begun to develop certain learning goals that I have for myself this semester. First off, I hope to learn how to establish a learning community in the classroom. Learning teaching strategies and behavioral management techniques will help me create a positive learning environment. From there, I hope to learn techniques that would help establish a collaborative community of language arts learners. I want students to be able to take responsibility and place value to their own learning.

I also hope to become more familiar with technology in the classroom. Technology can be such a vital resource to me as a future teacher. I can use it as a resource for information or as a tool to present information to my students. Learning how to integrate technology in the classroom will be extremely beneficial to them as well. Technology, especially this day of age, is an imperative resource of information for students. It also can allow them to use more create techniques to present and express what they have learned, making their learning more meaningful.

Lastly, I want to learn how to better acknowledge diversity and multiculturalism in the classroom. As a future teacher, I will respect my students as a group of diverse learners and hopefully learn how to better meet everyone’s needs. I hope to learn new teaching strategies that will be conducive to a diverse classroom culture.

Noteblog (1/16) - Kelly Briggs

After reading the syllabus carefully, I have decided on a few goals for my learning in this course. One of my goals is to understand myself as a learner and as a teacher. I know myself fairly well, but because I am not yet a "real" teacher, I do not know exactly how I will act as the leader of the classroom. I know that I like things to be controlled and organized, so I know that I will try to keep my classroom that way, but I also know that when it comes to working with children, organization can sometimes go out the window. I loved a lot of my teachers in elementary school, and so I wonder if I will be a teacher that is loved. I think that if I know what kind of learner I am, it will help me to see what kind of teacher I will be. I believe that the way you learn will be similar to the way you teach.

Another one of my goals for this semester is to learn how to get my future students to love literacy as much as I do. I have always loved to read and I know that reading will play a big part in my classroom. I want my students to enjoy reading aloud and also silently. I hope to have lots of different types of books in my future classroom. From this class I hope to learn and explore many different ways in which I can engage my students in literacy. I believe that reading and writing are very important building blocks necessary for all of subject areas. Knowing how to read and write will help you and be a part of you no matter where you go or what you do.

Another goal that I have is to actually practice teaching literacy in my field placement. Last semester I did not get very many chances to teach in my classroom. I am hoping that I will be able to teach multiple lessons to the students. I want to be able to do this mostly for the experience and practice of being in front of a class and having to prepare a lesson or unit that I actually use. I am in a kindergarten classroom and literacy is a big part of everything that they do, so I am hoping that there will be more chances for me to teach.

Week 1- Andy Schiller

My Main Goals


My main goal for this class is to learn how to better support literacy in my future classroom by gaining a better appreciation for the subject. Literacy is not, and never has been, one of my favorite subjects in school. To gain a better appreciation for literacy in this class I will learn to find new methods to use in my future classroom which will make my lesson more exciting by observing literacy in my field placement and I will also start to build up a classroom library by finding pieces of literature that I find interesting. By the end of this semester I hope to be more excited about literacy, because if I am not excited about literacy then how can my students?

Another one of my goals for this semester is to learn ways which will help me develop my ideal classroom community in my classroom someday. To do this I want to learn how to extend the learning they do in the classroom to their parents and their environment and to also develop an environment inside my classroom which is encouraging and supportive. I would like to learn how to make my classroom a place where my future students look forward to coming to. This means that learning in the class can and should be fun, and that each student are not afraid of offering their opinions, participating in class, or working with their other classmates.

Another one of my goals is to find out the type of teaching philosophy I want to have in my classroom. I want to make my teaching real to my kids. By this I mean that I want to use what my student already know or what they can relate with into what I am teaching. By using or relating what they already know to class material will help the students understand why they are leaning what they are, why it is important, and show them as a teacher that the material is both fascinating and important. I also want to be a very diverse teacher as far as the way I teach. I would like to develop strategies and advice on how to meet with every students learning style the best I can. This means having visual learning, group work, class work, kinesthetic work, etc… all incorporated into my lessons.

My last goals for this semester is to become a more professional and organized person. I am becoming a teacher because I love the energy and curiosity of children. However, I have to make the transition of being a ‘friend’ to being a teacher. I have to become more professional and make the transition from being Andy to Mr. Schiller. This means becoming more organized for this class, my other classes, and my classroom. It has been a fun ride while it lasted, but I think it is time I make the transition into who and what I thought I may be like as a future teacher, to actually becoming that teacher. That means for this class in particular meeting and exceeding the expectations of my teachers, my classmates, and my students to the best of my ability.