I believe that teaching writing does not always have to be taught in one specific manner. There are many different ways in which to teach students the art of writing. In my future classroom, I plan to incorporate journal writing along with on-demand writing prompts to assist the students to write faster when they are pushed for time. Along with having on-demand prompts, I also want to create a Writing Workshop where the students write a creative piece and share it with their classmates for critiquing. I really enjoyed doing this in my Teaching Writing and Composition Class and feel as though it would be an effective tool for the future.
Included with teaching writing is the teaching of grammar. My belief about the teaching of grammar is that it should not be forgotten or ignored. Students should learn the rules of grammar in high school so that they are prepared for college. To teach grammar, I want to execute it in an inclusive way that helps the students see their mistakes in their own writing. The problem with the standard way of teaching grammar is that most students do not apply the work they complete on the grammar worksheets to their own writing. To fix this error, I plan to hold workshops over various grammatical errors that I often notice occur in my students’ writing. This way the entire class can benefit from the given exercise. I also hope to teach Harry Noden’s Image Grammar because it helps the students vary their sentence structures and create more descriptive and effective sentences.
Lastly, I believe that grading students’ writing can be extremely subjective. For this reason, I plan to utilize Holistic, Analytic, and Narrative techniques to grade my students’ writing. I also plan to hand out a rubric for each writing assignment so that my students will know exactly what I want for each prompt or assignment. This way there will be no unknowns in my class and every student will have the opportunity to succeed. Finally, I want to create a learning environment in my future writing classroom that inspires every student to believe that what they have to say in their writing does matter because I truly do care.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Final Reflection
I feel as though I am reflecting on the reflections on which I have already reflected, but here goes another reflection. If that sentence is confusing to you, it's meant to be because we have written a great deal too many reflections in both the Practicum and Teaching Writing and Composition Class. Though I see the good in reflecting upon what one has learned, if it is done too often, the reflector can begin to sound a bit repetitive. Not that I'm complaining, but constantly reflecting about oneself can get quite tiresome. For the future classes, I think the reflections should be cut down or re-considered into maybe a different form such as oral reflection in class. I believe that the reflector can gain a more positive experience from reflecting upon what one has learned with his or her peers.
Now onto a different aspect of Teaching Writing and Composition Class. Overall, this class has provided me with a plethora of teaching ideas that can be tweaked to fit almost any writing lesson I create in the future! This will definitely help me out a great deal! In addition, I enjoyed the Writing Workshop because it inspired and forced me to work on a writing of which I have been wanting to start for a long time: My Firenze piece. I also feel that the Writing Workshop would be an effective tool to use in the classroom because it gives each student the opportunity to showcase their piece and fix it according to their classmates' suggestions. Students can actually learn a great deal from their classmates because I know that I have this semester! In addition to the Writing Workshop, I thoroughly enjoyed that we created writing wikis. This will be an effective tool in the future as well.
One problem I had with the class besides the amount of reflections was the two-week unit. I felt so completely unprepared to write and teach this unit. I feel as though we need to be taught how to write and create units before we actually created one on our own. Maybe during the junior and sophormore year the INLA students can create mini-units and lessons to work up toward creating the dreaded two-week unit. It just was a really stressful process, and I honestly did not know where to start. Luckily I had a great cooperating teacher that helped me with it all, or else I probably would have crashed and burned! In addition, I feel it would assist the future INLA students to have some experience teaching, maybe only even a one day lesson to high school students. Throwing us out into the classroom and expecting us to teach a two-week unit for the first time in our lives was extremely stressful. I felt like I was being thrown into the water with weights on my feet (my other content classes) and with no floaties (previous experience) and expected by my superiors to swim. It was really tough. I just feel that the amount of stress can be lessened for future INLA students by giving them the chance to experience teaching high school students earlier in their college experience. Overall, though, my experience in Teaching Writing and Composition Class has turned out positive, and I feel that I have truly learned how to think like and become an Integrated Language Arts teacher.
Now onto a different aspect of Teaching Writing and Composition Class. Overall, this class has provided me with a plethora of teaching ideas that can be tweaked to fit almost any writing lesson I create in the future! This will definitely help me out a great deal! In addition, I enjoyed the Writing Workshop because it inspired and forced me to work on a writing of which I have been wanting to start for a long time: My Firenze piece. I also feel that the Writing Workshop would be an effective tool to use in the classroom because it gives each student the opportunity to showcase their piece and fix it according to their classmates' suggestions. Students can actually learn a great deal from their classmates because I know that I have this semester! In addition to the Writing Workshop, I thoroughly enjoyed that we created writing wikis. This will be an effective tool in the future as well.
One problem I had with the class besides the amount of reflections was the two-week unit. I felt so completely unprepared to write and teach this unit. I feel as though we need to be taught how to write and create units before we actually created one on our own. Maybe during the junior and sophormore year the INLA students can create mini-units and lessons to work up toward creating the dreaded two-week unit. It just was a really stressful process, and I honestly did not know where to start. Luckily I had a great cooperating teacher that helped me with it all, or else I probably would have crashed and burned! In addition, I feel it would assist the future INLA students to have some experience teaching, maybe only even a one day lesson to high school students. Throwing us out into the classroom and expecting us to teach a two-week unit for the first time in our lives was extremely stressful. I felt like I was being thrown into the water with weights on my feet (my other content classes) and with no floaties (previous experience) and expected by my superiors to swim. It was really tough. I just feel that the amount of stress can be lessened for future INLA students by giving them the chance to experience teaching high school students earlier in their college experience. Overall, though, my experience in Teaching Writing and Composition Class has turned out positive, and I feel that I have truly learned how to think like and become an Integrated Language Arts teacher.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Reading, Reading, Reading...Oh, and Winter Break
Many people cannot wait for the semester to be over. I, on the other hand, wish it would not end. The end of the semester only means more work for me. Over break I have to read the plethora (and by plethora, I mean plethora) of novels that I will be teaching next semester. In addition, I have to start to create, and hopefully finish, most of the units I will be teaching. I also have to study for the Praxis: PLT that I will be taking January 9 at Kent. Oh, and I have to work 40 hours a week to be able to not work during the 12 weeks of basically having a full-time teaching job and not getting paid for it (aka student teaching). Fun! So, please semester, do not end!
Now that I am done ranting about the next four weeks of my life, (don't even get me started about the next 12 weeks or else I may have a nervous breakdown) I will showcase the books I will be reading over break. The first on my list is The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
Now that I am done ranting about the next four weeks of my life, (don't even get me started about the next 12 weeks or else I may have a nervous breakdown) I will showcase the books I will be reading over break. The first on my list is The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
I am only 20 pages into this book. And, though it has hopes for maybe becoming interesting, I really feel that all they do is walk...a lot. If anyone has read this before, please give me hope for later in the novel! I also saw that there is a movie of The Road, so after reading it, I plan to see the movie to compare. The trailor looks interesting, so hopefully the book will become interesting later.
The next book on my list is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. :)
Having read this in high school, I will only be re-reading this novel. I am excited to re-read it, though, because I remember really enjoying it in high school. This is also the first unit I will be teaching to College Prep English 12, so I will have to really analyze this text when I read it.
After The Great Gatsby, I plan to read Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts.
Because I already watched the movie, I'm wondering if the book will be as interesting to me. I will see soon enough. Quite honestly, I'm not looking forward to reading this because I already know what is going to happen. 500 pages of reading something that I already know the plot to does not seem that thrilling to me.
Another book I have to re-read over break is The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
I really enjoyed reading this book in the past, so I cannot wait to start the unit for it. Because we are currently in a time of war now, I feel as though the students will really be able to relate to the themes of this novel.
Now that I have overviewed a few of the books I will be reading over break, I will simply list the rest of the books I have to re-read or read.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult
I will be teaching all of these books during my 12 week student teaching experience, in addition to teaching writing units. I have a great deal of work to do over the next few weeks, thus why I REALLY do not want this semester to end! I hope everyone else has a more exciting break planned that I do! Happy break, everyone!
Making Comics
At first upon glancing at the Making Comics book by Scott McCloud, I felt completely overwhelmed. There were pictures everywhere, and I did not know where to start. When I grab a text based book to read, I like to overview the chapter titles and skim through the similar looking pages. In this book, everything seemed crazy because no pages looked the same. It made me feel as though I have Attention Deficit Disorder and cannot concentrate on one particular item. Finally getting over my overwhelming feeling, I glanced at the first chapter "Writing with Pictures" and found it to be extremely interesting how the text stories we read come to life through pictures. On page 16, it explains, "The cartoonist only picks one moment per action, so each panel helps further the plot and keep the pace brisk." The written words in books become pictures in comics in order to advance the plot. Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was the creation of emotions. Seeing the author's emotional faces on page 96 was quite humorous. It is interesting how comics convey such complex ideals as emotions through their pictured characters. A line that also proved to be powerful was, "Symbolic expressions are closer to the written word in the sense that their meaning is fixed regardless of how they're rendered.--Just as a word means the same thing regardless of handwriting or font choice" (McCloud 96). So, whether the comic character is drawn expertly and with a frightened face, or drawn quite simple and with a frightened face, it means the same thing. That fact intrigued me as did most of the book. Too bad I cannnot draw or else I'd consider creating my own comic!
Using the Making Comics book in my student teaching classroom would actually be quite effective because I had a student create a heroic journey movie presentation through the use of comics. Many of the students in my class found this student's unique idea to be interesting, so I will definitely show her this book while student teaching next semester. I am also thinking about creating a final assessment that gives the students the option of creating their own graphic novel story. There are many talented and bright students in my Honors English 12 class, and I think that many of them would respond positively to this sort of assignment. Now, I can't wait to implement it!
Using the Making Comics book in my student teaching classroom would actually be quite effective because I had a student create a heroic journey movie presentation through the use of comics. Many of the students in my class found this student's unique idea to be interesting, so I will definitely show her this book while student teaching next semester. I am also thinking about creating a final assessment that gives the students the option of creating their own graphic novel story. There are many talented and bright students in my Honors English 12 class, and I think that many of them would respond positively to this sort of assignment. Now, I can't wait to implement it!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Professor and the Madman
What does it say about the English language when more than 1,000 definitions and words were created by a mass murderer and resident in an insane asylum? Hmmm....well, my guess is that portions of the English language are completely arbitrary. I think this aspect is important for our future students to realize because no one single person has all of the answers. Language is a constantly growing thing where new words and new meanings to old words are constantly added to dictionaries. English teachers need to keep up-to-date on their definitions of words and make sure they are using terms in the right context. Because I read this story, my view of the English language being arbitrary was only confirmed.
On another note, the storyline about the character of Minor completely intrigued me. Here was this genius who contributed more than 1,000 words to the Oxford English Dictionary, the most valid dictionary in today's time, who turned out to be too smart for his own good, which in turn made him become insane and start murdering people. To me, that is pure craziness. I guess it goes to show you that sometimes there is a downfall to being too intelligent. In high school, I heard somewhere that anyone with an IQ above 175 would be considered partially insane. Taking this in and analyzing my own IQ, I realized I'm clear and not insane. Whew. It is just interesting how the human brain, a three ounce object, can lead to such greatness, harm, and insanity.
On another note, the storyline about the character of Minor completely intrigued me. Here was this genius who contributed more than 1,000 words to the Oxford English Dictionary, the most valid dictionary in today's time, who turned out to be too smart for his own good, which in turn made him become insane and start murdering people. To me, that is pure craziness. I guess it goes to show you that sometimes there is a downfall to being too intelligent. In high school, I heard somewhere that anyone with an IQ above 175 would be considered partially insane. Taking this in and analyzing my own IQ, I realized I'm clear and not insane. Whew. It is just interesting how the human brain, a three ounce object, can lead to such greatness, harm, and insanity.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Image Grammar
As I read through portions of Harry Noden's Image Grammar book and recalled his class last semester, I realized that I wrote a research paper over Image Grammar in my sophomore year before I even had the faintest idea who Harry Noden was. In my research paper, I explained how Image Grammar was a good tool to use to help developing writers learn how to deviate from the usual "subject, verb, object" sentences. It also shows the students how professional and famous authors use their writing to create images in their readers' minds, and then instructs the students on how to write in the same way. Writing a research paper about this book, I definitely feel as though I learned a great deal on how to teach and use Image Grammar.
Because the Image Grammar book is an effective teaching tool to assist students in deviating from their usual sentence structures, I feel as though it is important for me to use this in my classroom. The grades I feel would benefit the most from lessons in Image Grammar would be grades seven through nine. Any grade after ninth, I feel would possibly be bored and disinterested in a lesson over Imager Grammar. I could be wrong though. By teaching seventh through ninth graders Image Grammar, I feel as though the students would start to see their writing in a different light. Instead of viewing it as a forced assignment where all the facts must be written directly on paper, maybe the students would start to view writing as a fun assignment where they could use their words to excite their audience and put detailed pictures in their readers' minds.
Because the Image Grammar book is an effective teaching tool to assist students in deviating from their usual sentence structures, I feel as though it is important for me to use this in my classroom. The grades I feel would benefit the most from lessons in Image Grammar would be grades seven through nine. Any grade after ninth, I feel would possibly be bored and disinterested in a lesson over Imager Grammar. I could be wrong though. By teaching seventh through ninth graders Image Grammar, I feel as though the students would start to see their writing in a different light. Instead of viewing it as a forced assignment where all the facts must be written directly on paper, maybe the students would start to view writing as a fun assignment where they could use their words to excite their audience and put detailed pictures in their readers' minds.
Pleasure Reading: Ghost World
Recently I decided to venture from my usual text novel reading to read Daniel Clowes' graphic novel Ghost World. I have to say that at first, I found it to be extremely vulgar. The characters used the "F" word on many occasions and there were various sexual references. Looking past the vulgarity of the text though, I could see how these two female main characters could relate to teenagers today. The major theme of the novel was finding one's identity and dealing with change. In the end, Enid, the main character who hates everything about herself and life, decided to attend college and get out of her small town to become a new person. It seemed like a depressing ending, but when she came into the last scene of the comic, the reader could tell Enid was happier.
The movie turned out to have a different motive than the graphic novel. Enid once again was trying to find herself amongst all of her cynical ideas toward the world, but she did so through another, slightly creepy man named Seymore. I did not like how the Director interpreted the story in this way. Also, Enid denied a scholarship to attend college in order to stay at home in her cynical life that she hated. The Director definitely changed the entire idea and moral of the novel by changing the story in this way and it thoroughly disappointed me. Though it was disappointing and different, it still turned out to be interesting and both stories related to young adults, which in turn would relate to our future students.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Unit Day Ten
My unit is over! I asked the students who really wanted and needed to show their film to the class, and I let those students present first. It ended up that the two students who were unable to present to the class were the two who did not have the technology to finish the project and wrote their hero's journey story instead of created a film about it. It was interesting to grade those projects, but somehow I made it work by analyzing the writing and story. This was another instance that reminded me of the teddy graham added to Dr. Kist's cookie rubric. Though those two students did not use technology to create a hero's journey movie, their stories still were exceptional and I could tell they understood the concepts in which I taught. Because they did not have the technology and told me of this prior, I could not take of points for them not creating a hero's journey movie. In the end, their stories ended up fulfilling the rubric I created, and thus graded themselves.
Also, I added the de-briefing after each student's film and had them pick out the hero, villain, and problem the hero faced. This worked well because they all were able to analyze these aspects. I am so completely relieved right now because I was able to grade all nine of the presentations. Now that everything is done, I don't have to come in on Monday! My unit is over and every one of my students seemed to grasp the concept of the hero's journey in relation to Beowulf and their own lives!
Also, I added the de-briefing after each student's film and had them pick out the hero, villain, and problem the hero faced. This worked well because they all were able to analyze these aspects. I am so completely relieved right now because I was able to grade all nine of the presentations. Now that everything is done, I don't have to come in on Monday! My unit is over and every one of my students seemed to grasp the concept of the hero's journey in relation to Beowulf and their own lives!
Unit Day Nine
Hero's Journey Movies were due today, and only two of nine students were able to present! This completely stressed me out because that meant that I would have to get through seven students presentations tomorrow in the shortened period of class in order to grade them because tomorrow was the last day of the nine weeks. Oh, and my teacher really did not want me to spill over my lessons onto Monday because she had to start The Canterbury Tales. And, to top it off, I really had no idea how to grade the movies because the two that I saw were completely different. This reminded me of the cookie rubric we created when Dr. Kist threw in the teddy graham, which threw us all off. Plus, I honestly wanted to give them all 100 percent A's because I knew they all worked really hard on them. Though I wanted to give 100 percent A's, I knew that was not the best policy.
Analyzing the two movies we watched in class today, I could see that both students used the hero's journey theme and created excellent movies with unique hero's they invented. This made me realize that the students were able to apply the concept and theme to their own lives and not just to Beowulf. Realizing this made me happy because I felt as though I actually taught them something. Also, because Dr. Kist came to observe my lesson today, he brought up a few pointers that I definitely realized I should adjust. After watching the two students' films in class, instead of de-briefing and relating their films to the hero's journey and having the students pick out the hero, villain, damsel in distress, and hero's problem, I just asked what the students thought of the film and went onto the next film. Bringing this up, I decided to change my lesson for the next day and add this aspect to my de-briefing of the students' films. This way, I would further push the point of heroes and their difficult journeys, and the students would be able to relate that to their movies.
On the aspect of grading, I am still completely and utterly terrified! I'm afraid to take off points for a project in which I know they worked really hard! Discussing this with my cooperating teacher, I asked if she would look over my grades to see if I gave them what she would have. Immediately after I mentioned this she told me she trusted me and whatever I gave them was fine. This made me more nervous. The entire night, I kept asking my roommates what I should do to the point where they became annoyed with me! Finally, I just sat down and graded the two I saw in class, and realized that once I looked over my rubric, they really did not achieve 100 percents according to my rubric. This made me happy because basically, my rubric graded their movies for me. Now, I'm excited and nervous to see and grade the rest of the movies tomorrow and add the hero de-briefing aspect to the end of each student's film. This should be interesting because I really have no idea how I'm going to get through seven movies tomorrow. My cooperating teacher told me that I should ask the students who really wants and needs to present their film to the class and have them present first. Then, the rest of the students can be graded on my own time. This idea appeals to me because then the grades will be finished and I will not have to come in on Monday. Hopefully all will work out well tomorrow because I am a bit nervous, and I'm ready for this to be over!
Analyzing the two movies we watched in class today, I could see that both students used the hero's journey theme and created excellent movies with unique hero's they invented. This made me realize that the students were able to apply the concept and theme to their own lives and not just to Beowulf. Realizing this made me happy because I felt as though I actually taught them something. Also, because Dr. Kist came to observe my lesson today, he brought up a few pointers that I definitely realized I should adjust. After watching the two students' films in class, instead of de-briefing and relating their films to the hero's journey and having the students pick out the hero, villain, damsel in distress, and hero's problem, I just asked what the students thought of the film and went onto the next film. Bringing this up, I decided to change my lesson for the next day and add this aspect to my de-briefing of the students' films. This way, I would further push the point of heroes and their difficult journeys, and the students would be able to relate that to their movies.
On the aspect of grading, I am still completely and utterly terrified! I'm afraid to take off points for a project in which I know they worked really hard! Discussing this with my cooperating teacher, I asked if she would look over my grades to see if I gave them what she would have. Immediately after I mentioned this she told me she trusted me and whatever I gave them was fine. This made me more nervous. The entire night, I kept asking my roommates what I should do to the point where they became annoyed with me! Finally, I just sat down and graded the two I saw in class, and realized that once I looked over my rubric, they really did not achieve 100 percents according to my rubric. This made me happy because basically, my rubric graded their movies for me. Now, I'm excited and nervous to see and grade the rest of the movies tomorrow and add the hero de-briefing aspect to the end of each student's film. This should be interesting because I really have no idea how I'm going to get through seven movies tomorrow. My cooperating teacher told me that I should ask the students who really wants and needs to present their film to the class and have them present first. Then, the rest of the students can be graded on my own time. This idea appeals to me because then the grades will be finished and I will not have to come in on Monday. Hopefully all will work out well tomorrow because I am a bit nervous, and I'm ready for this to be over!
Unit Day Eight
Luckily, we were able to finish the Beowulf film today, which worked out perfectly! I really thought that because of the technological difficulties of the day before, we wouldn't be able to finish it. All worked out well, though, and we even had enough time at the end for a mini-discussion. Through this discussion, my students brought up the aspect of temptation and the human condition of how all humans must face their temptations because no one is perfect. We also discussed how Beowulf comes through his temptation by facing it and defeating it, which makes him a hero. From listening to their discussion responses, I saw that they grasped the concept of analyzing a text and film for deeper meaning than plot as I had hoped. For this reason, I am confident that their Hero's Journey Presentations due tomorrow will be excellent and follow along with what I assigned. I'm excited to see their movies!
Unit Day Seven
Today my technology failed me! For the first time, I finally experienced this and it was not pleasant! Because Mrs. Harris, my cooperating teacher had trouble with a student in one of her earlier periods, she had to talk to the Assistant Principal about that student during my lesson. For this reason,she left me by myself in the classroom. On any other day, this would have been an absolutely beautiful thing because I feel confident enough to teach on my own. Today, though, I needed her assistance in using the technology, and she was not there. Luckily, I thought quick on my feet and used the Snowball Activity as a time filler. Not only did my students enjoy the activity, but I also was able to see their reactions to the text and film. Right after the activity was completed, Mrs. Harris entered the room and assisted me with the technology so that we were able to watch 20 minute of the film. From performing the Snowball Activity, I gleaned that my students really were having thought provoking reactions to the text and movie. For this reason, I wanted to be able to finish the movie the next day even though there were technological difficulties today. In planning my lesson plan for tomorrow, I'm going to have to set aside extra time for the completion of the film because we weren't able to watch as much today.
Unit Day Six
Today we started out watching the Beowulf film unto which the students enjoyed seeing the Director's take on the story. The boys in the class found the battle scenes to be interesting, while the girls thought they were gory. After 30 minutes of watching the movie, I had the students circle their desks around mine so that we could have a discussion. From this discusion I found that my students really grasped the theme of the human condition. They found that although Beowulf held superhuman attributes, he still gave into temptation and created lies about how many monsters he killed in order to sound stronger. All in all, because my students seemed to be grasping these concepts from the film, I decided that my lesson planned for tomorrow would work effectively. Also, they were excited to see how Hollywood depicted Grendel's mother in watching the film tomorrow.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Unit Day Five
Because today the students had their Vocabulary Week Four Quiz, we did not have that much time for Beowulf. Though, in the time we did have, I made sure to have an interesting activity for the students. The activity I created was the Beowulf Boast. Because Beowulf and the other characters of the text are often times boasting about their great achievements, I felt as though my students should create boasts similar to Beowulf's about their own achievements. Considering they are seniors and soon to be applying to colleges, this gives them an opportunity to really talk about themselves. Upon completing this activity in class, many of the students created boasts very similar to the form of the Beowulf text, while also having interesting things to say about themselves. As a teacher, I found it fun to listen to the boasts they created in order to get to know them better. Overall, my students seemed to get the assignment and definitely enjoyed talking about themselves for the few minutes of their Beowulf Boast.
On another note, after grading the Vocabulary Quizzes, I found that none of my students received 100 percent on the test. This fact is perfectly fine, but it slightly disappointed me. Though there were no perfect quizzes, the majority only missed one or two, which made me realize that my students really grasped the vocabulary review from the previous day. Overall, today's lesson was executed smoothly and caught the attention of my students by relating to them.
On another note, after grading the Vocabulary Quizzes, I found that none of my students received 100 percent on the test. This fact is perfectly fine, but it slightly disappointed me. Though there were no perfect quizzes, the majority only missed one or two, which made me realize that my students really grasped the vocabulary review from the previous day. Overall, today's lesson was executed smoothly and caught the attention of my students by relating to them.
Unit Day Four
We finished reading Beowulf today and discussed the themes in the novel. Many of the students were able to pick out the good versus evil theme and The Hero's Journey theme because of their Hero's Journey Charts. This made me realize that my lessons actually had my students analyzing the text for deeper meaning than just plot. Thank Goodness! Though I was able to see that they could grasp the concepts of the text, after being asked how they felt about Beowulf, many students responded that they hated it! When asked why, they said it was boring and not very exciting. My response to this was how could a man battling two monsters and a dragon not be exciting? They said they wanted some sort of love story. Hearing this, I informed them that on Monday we would be watching the Beowulf movie that adds a love story to Beowulf's life. Many of the students seemed more excited upon hearing this. It will be interesting to see what they think of the story after watching the film.
On another note, after spending half the period doing vocabulay review for the quiz tomorrow, many of the students participated actively in the "Around the World" Vocabulary Style Game. They seemed to enjoy the game and know their vocabulary words. Seeing this, I feel confident that they will do well on the test tomorrow! All in all, today went smoothly and I'm interested to see how the quizzes turn out tomorrow.
On another note, after spending half the period doing vocabulay review for the quiz tomorrow, many of the students participated actively in the "Around the World" Vocabulary Style Game. They seemed to enjoy the game and know their vocabulary words. Seeing this, I feel confident that they will do well on the test tomorrow! All in all, today went smoothly and I'm interested to see how the quizzes turn out tomorrow.
Unit Day Three
Finally, today I felt like an English teacher. Everyday, I've been growing more and more comfortable in front of the classroom. Also, the fact that my students respected me and knew what we were going to do today made me realize that I actually affected their lives and taught them something.
My students really seemed to grasp the concept of the Hero's Journey today because they were able to adequately analyze the steps of Beowulf's heroic journey on the Hero's Journey Chart. What I felt they had difficulty grasping was the Vocabulary Review Game. They really were not into playing it and some of them did not know the meanings of the vocabulary words. Considering they have a vocabulary test on Friday, I need to make sure I review this more effectively. Tomorrow, I plan to spend half the period on vocablary review so that they are ready for thir quiz Friday. Overall, I can tell that I am becoming more comfortable in the classroom, which makes me feel better about teaching Language Arts.
My students really seemed to grasp the concept of the Hero's Journey today because they were able to adequately analyze the steps of Beowulf's heroic journey on the Hero's Journey Chart. What I felt they had difficulty grasping was the Vocabulary Review Game. They really were not into playing it and some of them did not know the meanings of the vocabulary words. Considering they have a vocabulary test on Friday, I need to make sure I review this more effectively. Tomorrow, I plan to spend half the period on vocablary review so that they are ready for thir quiz Friday. Overall, I can tell that I am becoming more comfortable in the classroom, which makes me feel better about teaching Language Arts.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Unit Day Two
Today's lesson was 100 times better than yesterday's! First of all, I no longer had these crazy, ridiculous nightmares about how I would fail my students and be completely unprepared. Second, because my first day was over, I felt more confident to teach today. Third, my students actually related to the hero's journey theme and understood what they were reading! It was seriously the best feeling ever and I am so completely content right now! At least I'm not a totally failure as an English teacher...
I'm really glad I decided to completely change my lesson I had planned for today. The students responded really well to the mini-lesson over the hero's and "Grendel's" in their own lives. It was interesting to listen to my students' problems they must battle with in their lives. I feel as though through this assignment, I was better able to understand and relate to my students as well. In addition, when I asked why I had them perform that assignment, they all were able to relate the hero's to Beowulf, and their problem's to Grendel. It was beautiful! Finally, I had my students relating their lives to Beowulf! After this activity, we read aloud and stopped every so often to discuss concepts from the text. In doing this, my students responded very well and seemed to understand what they were reading. Once again, I asked my students how they wanted to read the text the next day and they stated aloud. My students said the text was easier to understand when we read it aloud as a class. Though I had not originally planned to read the text aloud on my third day of teaching, I definitely will change my lesson plan for tomorrow in order to accomodate my students' needs. I'm excited to see how my plan for tomorrow will turn out! I'm really glad today went so smoothly because I felt extremely discouraged my first day of teaching.
I'm really glad I decided to completely change my lesson I had planned for today. The students responded really well to the mini-lesson over the hero's and "Grendel's" in their own lives. It was interesting to listen to my students' problems they must battle with in their lives. I feel as though through this assignment, I was better able to understand and relate to my students as well. In addition, when I asked why I had them perform that assignment, they all were able to relate the hero's to Beowulf, and their problem's to Grendel. It was beautiful! Finally, I had my students relating their lives to Beowulf! After this activity, we read aloud and stopped every so often to discuss concepts from the text. In doing this, my students responded very well and seemed to understand what they were reading. Once again, I asked my students how they wanted to read the text the next day and they stated aloud. My students said the text was easier to understand when we read it aloud as a class. Though I had not originally planned to read the text aloud on my third day of teaching, I definitely will change my lesson plan for tomorrow in order to accomodate my students' needs. I'm excited to see how my plan for tomorrow will turn out! I'm really glad today went so smoothly because I felt extremely discouraged my first day of teaching.
Beowulf: The Hero's Journey Unit Day One
My first day of teaching my Beowulf: The Hero's Journey Unit proved to be one of the most nerve wracking things I have had to do in my life thus far. For two nights before I taught the unit, I had horror nightmares about everything that could possibly go wrong on that day. Considering it would be my first day of teaching, along with the fact that my supervisor would be observing, and my teacher would be video taping me, I was extremely stressed! Because I had never taught a lesson that I actually created before in my life, I felt as though I would be completely unprepared and my students would totally think I was crazy!
Luckily, none of my nightmares came true. I executed the lesson exactly according to how I had written it, which according to my supervisor Ron Lukart was a bad thing. He said that I needed to leave more time for open ended discussion where the students could relate their lives to the story of Beowulf. He also would have liked to see more information about the background material of Beowulf. Basically, he told me that I should have lectured that entire day over the background material of the Anglo-Saxons and Beowulf. For some reason, I have this huge and riduculous fear of lecturing. First of all, even to this day, I completely zone out any teacher or person who lectures me about five to ten minutes into the lecture. I honestly just cannot pay attention that long! Secondly, I just have this fear of standing in front of my students lecturing them about this subject in which they might not be interested and having to watch their bored faces. I told this to Ron Lukart, who opposingly said that lecturing is neccessary sometimes. While I agree that sometimes it is perfectly necessary to lecture, I will never in my teaching career lecture for an entire class period. In my opinion, that is just putting my students through hell. Though I felt discouraged from what Ron Lukart discussed with me, I realized the criticism could help me in future lessons. Now, I plan to intersperse background information throughout my teaching of Beowulf. In the future, for the next unit I plan, I definitely will make sure I create some way of informing the students about the background material.
Through the criticism I received from my Student Teaching Supervisor, I was able to understand more of how to relate to my students and get them to really appreciate Beowulf. On my first day of teaching, some of the students did not seem to grasp the hero's journey theme or what was really going on in the text. Many of them were confused by the language of the epic poem and disinterested in the plot. This bothered me because I actually enjoyed reading Beowulf! Upon realizing that my students were not grasping this concept, I knew I had to change something about my lessons. Because I had them reading silently on the first day and then discussing the questions afterward with me, I decided that I would ask them how they felt about reading silently. Every single student said they would rather read aloud as a class and discuss the plot and themes as we went. Hearing this, I knew I had to change my lesson for the next day.
In changing my lesson, I quickly adapted it to include reading in a circle aloud with me. Another major concept that my students did not seem to grasp was the theme of the hero's epic journey and how it could relate to their own lives. In order to assist them in understanding this concept, I quickly created a mini-lesson over the hero's and "Grendel's" in their lives. In this mini-lesson, I will have the students name one hero who affects their lives or who they admire. After naming this hero, I will have them describe the qualities and attributes of this person that makes them a hero. Then, farther down on their paper, I will have them describe a "Grendel" they must face and battle in their own lives. This "Grendel" can be a problem or person that they must deal with and battle in their daily lives. After I have all of them write their hero's and "Grendel's," I will have the students state each to the group. I will state my hero and "Grendel" as well to show that I have difficulties in my life too. Then, I will ask them why I had them discuss these concepts with the class? After giving the appropriate wait time, and listening to their responses, I will say that Beowulf is a hero just like the hero's in your life, or the hero of yourself. In the story, Beowulf had to battle and face Grendel similar to how you (the students) battle and face your problems and difficulties in life. Then, because we will be reading the battle with Grendel on that day, I will explain to the students that we now get to see Beowulf battle his Grendel. Overall, my first day did not turn out as terribly as I feared, there was just a lot I needed to learn and think about in planning my lessons and relating to my students.
Luckily, none of my nightmares came true. I executed the lesson exactly according to how I had written it, which according to my supervisor Ron Lukart was a bad thing. He said that I needed to leave more time for open ended discussion where the students could relate their lives to the story of Beowulf. He also would have liked to see more information about the background material of Beowulf. Basically, he told me that I should have lectured that entire day over the background material of the Anglo-Saxons and Beowulf. For some reason, I have this huge and riduculous fear of lecturing. First of all, even to this day, I completely zone out any teacher or person who lectures me about five to ten minutes into the lecture. I honestly just cannot pay attention that long! Secondly, I just have this fear of standing in front of my students lecturing them about this subject in which they might not be interested and having to watch their bored faces. I told this to Ron Lukart, who opposingly said that lecturing is neccessary sometimes. While I agree that sometimes it is perfectly necessary to lecture, I will never in my teaching career lecture for an entire class period. In my opinion, that is just putting my students through hell. Though I felt discouraged from what Ron Lukart discussed with me, I realized the criticism could help me in future lessons. Now, I plan to intersperse background information throughout my teaching of Beowulf. In the future, for the next unit I plan, I definitely will make sure I create some way of informing the students about the background material.
Through the criticism I received from my Student Teaching Supervisor, I was able to understand more of how to relate to my students and get them to really appreciate Beowulf. On my first day of teaching, some of the students did not seem to grasp the hero's journey theme or what was really going on in the text. Many of them were confused by the language of the epic poem and disinterested in the plot. This bothered me because I actually enjoyed reading Beowulf! Upon realizing that my students were not grasping this concept, I knew I had to change something about my lessons. Because I had them reading silently on the first day and then discussing the questions afterward with me, I decided that I would ask them how they felt about reading silently. Every single student said they would rather read aloud as a class and discuss the plot and themes as we went. Hearing this, I knew I had to change my lesson for the next day.
In changing my lesson, I quickly adapted it to include reading in a circle aloud with me. Another major concept that my students did not seem to grasp was the theme of the hero's epic journey and how it could relate to their own lives. In order to assist them in understanding this concept, I quickly created a mini-lesson over the hero's and "Grendel's" in their lives. In this mini-lesson, I will have the students name one hero who affects their lives or who they admire. After naming this hero, I will have them describe the qualities and attributes of this person that makes them a hero. Then, farther down on their paper, I will have them describe a "Grendel" they must face and battle in their own lives. This "Grendel" can be a problem or person that they must deal with and battle in their daily lives. After I have all of them write their hero's and "Grendel's," I will have the students state each to the group. I will state my hero and "Grendel" as well to show that I have difficulties in my life too. Then, I will ask them why I had them discuss these concepts with the class? After giving the appropriate wait time, and listening to their responses, I will say that Beowulf is a hero just like the hero's in your life, or the hero of yourself. In the story, Beowulf had to battle and face Grendel similar to how you (the students) battle and face your problems and difficulties in life. Then, because we will be reading the battle with Grendel on that day, I will explain to the students that we now get to see Beowulf battle his Grendel. Overall, my first day did not turn out as terribly as I feared, there was just a lot I needed to learn and think about in planning my lessons and relating to my students.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Beowulf: The Hero's Journey Unit
Tomorrow I start teaching my Beowulf: The Hero's Journey Unit to my nine Honors English 12 students at Ravenna High School. I am extremely nervous right now and even had a nightmare about it last night! As a final assessment in my Unit, I have the students creating their own Hero's Journey movies about a hero they create. In order for them to understand what I want, I am beginning the Unit by playing an example movie from a previous year. Not only will this prove as an excellent example, but it will also get them excited about learning about hero's such as Beowulf. After showing the movie, I plan to then pass out the Rubric for the project and explain more about it. Then, I will begin the teaching of Beowulf by giving a mini-lecture over the background of the Anglo-Saxons and having the students break up into groups of three and begin reading the first part of the text.
Even though I have what I am teaching tomorrow memorized completely in my head, I am still extremely nervous! I think part of it is because my supervisor Ron Lukart will be coming in to observe me and evaluate my teaching. So, not only will tomorrow be my first day in the classroom, but I will also be evaluated by my supervisor on my first day of teaching! Oh, yeah, in addition to that, my teacher decided that tomorrow would be a good day for me to video tape myself as well! Wow, I basically have a bunch of things happening in one day! I can't wait for tomorrow to be over! I hope it will not be as bad as my nightmares envision it...
Even though I have what I am teaching tomorrow memorized completely in my head, I am still extremely nervous! I think part of it is because my supervisor Ron Lukart will be coming in to observe me and evaluate my teaching. So, not only will tomorrow be my first day in the classroom, but I will also be evaluated by my supervisor on my first day of teaching! Oh, yeah, in addition to that, my teacher decided that tomorrow would be a good day for me to video tape myself as well! Wow, I basically have a bunch of things happening in one day! I can't wait for tomorrow to be over! I hope it will not be as bad as my nightmares envision it...
Modern Library Writer's Workshop
Upon reading The Modern Library Writer's Workshop by Stephen Koch, I immediately became inspired to begin writing a short story. The first line stated, "The only way to begin is to begin, and begin right now" (Koch 3). Reading this made me want to stop everything else, and start working on the short story I have mapped out in my brain. Alas, though this thought sounds beautiful and I would love to begin writing a short story, I really do not have time at the moment. Though I am short for time, if it were the summer, reading that statement would have definitely caused me to stop doing absolutely nothing and start writing my story. From even the very beginning, Koch gave the reader insight into the craft of writing exceptional fictional stories.
A chapter I found interesting was "Chapter 4: Making Characters Live." A line that stuck with me was the quote, " In the end, stories are what their characters do, and characters are what they do in stories" (Koch 84). Though this may seem like a simple statement, when one thinks about it, it is true. A character is nothing without a story to tell, and a story is nothing without an interesting character. Realizing this, I will have to create a character to live out my story. In addition, Koch stated that what makes characters "live" is their actions and interactions with other characters. Basically, this means that the author of the story will have to create a mini-universe in which the author will act as God and create these human beings, also known as characters, and make them interact and do things. Koch's chapter on "Making Characters Live" definitely brought up some valuable points that will assist me in writing a fictional short story.
A chapter I found interesting was "Chapter 4: Making Characters Live." A line that stuck with me was the quote, " In the end, stories are what their characters do, and characters are what they do in stories" (Koch 84). Though this may seem like a simple statement, when one thinks about it, it is true. A character is nothing without a story to tell, and a story is nothing without an interesting character. Realizing this, I will have to create a character to live out my story. In addition, Koch stated that what makes characters "live" is their actions and interactions with other characters. Basically, this means that the author of the story will have to create a mini-universe in which the author will act as God and create these human beings, also known as characters, and make them interact and do things. Koch's chapter on "Making Characters Live" definitely brought up some valuable points that will assist me in writing a fictional short story.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Pleasure Reading: Dangerous Angels
Recently, I've been reading Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block, and I have not been able to put it down! At first, I found this text to be quite simple on the surface, but delving deeper, I realized that the characters dealt with some major young adult issues. One issue that was outwardly apparent in Book Three, “Horns” on pages 205 to 220 showed how the teenagers Witch Baby, Cherokee, Raphael, and Angel Juan acted without parental supervision. Their parents traveled to South America to film a movie, completely leaving their still developing teenagers at home to fend for themselves. Throughout this chapter, the four teens started to go down the wrong path, beginning with skipping school and having sex. Eventually their late night band gigs with the Goat Guys became so out of hand that Cherokee could not take it anymore and sent a letter to her family asking them to come home. On page 225, she stated, “I know the film is very important but sometimes I wish you were home.” Because of this lack of parental care and support, these teenagers lost their way in the world and started traveling down the path of destruction.
Another major young adult issue addressed in this novel was the theme of identity. Witch Baby struggled with her identity because she did not feel belonging in her family. After realizing My Secret Agent Lover Man was her real father, Witch Baby forged a connection to her family and built her identity upon this. Through this identity, she decided to become the black sheep of the family, seen in this passage, “…black sheeps express everyone else’s anger and pain” (Block 149). I really enjoyed this line because I felt as though it truly could relate to every human being on earth. Every family has that one member who just does not go along with what everybody else is doing. This member is ostracized because of their inability to work with the family unit as a core, though every other family member feels the same way as this “black sheep.” People can feel very cynical about the world at times, but they usually repress it or learn to live and deal with it. Witch Baby lives in this cynical and ambiguous world by outwardly showing her feelings toward it, making the world a more livable place for those that repress their cynical feelings toward the world. For this reason, Witch Baby forges her identity by becoming the black sheep of her family.
Through reading this young adult novel, I have really been able to find some timeless young adult themes that would definitely relate to my students. I highly recommend any high school English teacher to read this book in order to assist in understanding how their teenaged students may be feeling. In addition, it would be a great book to read in class that would get the students to really ponder these themes and relate them to their own lives.
Another major young adult issue addressed in this novel was the theme of identity. Witch Baby struggled with her identity because she did not feel belonging in her family. After realizing My Secret Agent Lover Man was her real father, Witch Baby forged a connection to her family and built her identity upon this. Through this identity, she decided to become the black sheep of the family, seen in this passage, “…black sheeps express everyone else’s anger and pain” (Block 149). I really enjoyed this line because I felt as though it truly could relate to every human being on earth. Every family has that one member who just does not go along with what everybody else is doing. This member is ostracized because of their inability to work with the family unit as a core, though every other family member feels the same way as this “black sheep.” People can feel very cynical about the world at times, but they usually repress it or learn to live and deal with it. Witch Baby lives in this cynical and ambiguous world by outwardly showing her feelings toward it, making the world a more livable place for those that repress their cynical feelings toward the world. For this reason, Witch Baby forges her identity by becoming the black sheep of her family.
Through reading this young adult novel, I have really been able to find some timeless young adult themes that would definitely relate to my students. I highly recommend any high school English teacher to read this book in order to assist in understanding how their teenaged students may be feeling. In addition, it would be a great book to read in class that would get the students to really ponder these themes and relate them to their own lives.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Hungry Minds: Tales from a Chelsea Soup Kitchen
After reading "Hungry Minds: Tales from a Chelsea Soup Kitchen" by Ian Frazier, I at first did not know why we were assigned this article because it seemed to be about homeless people in New York City. Reading further, I quickly found that the author of the article, Ian Frazier, utilized these soup kitchens in New York City to get homeless people to participate in a Writers' Workshop. On this idea, he stated, "There are so many hungers out there; the soup kitchen deals, efficiently and satisfyingly, with the most basic kind. I consider it, in its own fashion, a work of art" (Frazier 1). Basically, he wanted to satisfy the desires of those who wished to express themselves artistically through writing.
Utilizing this outlet for others' expressions, his idea to encourage these tired and hungry homeless people to participate in a Writers' Workshop seemed like a very inspiring one. He wanted them to tell their story so that others could understand. The examples he gave of his Writers' Workshop participants proved to be interesting and funny at times. I especially enjoyed the story about "Jeff, who disappeared one year and returned the next saying that he had been travelling internationally as a player on a homeless men’s soccer team (a claim that turned out to be true)" (Frazier 2). The fact that Jeff's story turned out to be true made it even better! Frazier definitely worked with his participants to encourage and inspire them to write out their stories, and I feel that every teacher should follow his lead.
Another part of the article that I felt exemplified an excellent way of writing was in Frazier's talk with another homeless man who came into contact with the Workshop Approach previously. He stated, "'When he wrote something, he always had two things going on at a time. He told us, when you writin’, you got this surface thing, you understan’, goin’ on up here'—he moved his left hand in a circle with his fingers spread apart, as if rubbing a flat surface—'an’ then once you get that goin’ on, now you got to come under it'—he brought his right hand under his left, as if throwing an uppercut—'come under this thing here that’s goin’ on up here, you understan’. That was how John Cheever said you write'" (Frazier 2). John Cheever's description of how to write a powerful piece is absolutely true. The works of literature that are considered to be classics all have a plot on the surface, but when one delves deeper into the text, the true meaning of the story shines through. For this reason, I felt this part really touched me as a teacher and writer. Overall, I really enjoyed Ian Frazier's article about his Writers' Workshop because it inspired and intrigued me to do the same in my classroom and community!
Utilizing this outlet for others' expressions, his idea to encourage these tired and hungry homeless people to participate in a Writers' Workshop seemed like a very inspiring one. He wanted them to tell their story so that others could understand. The examples he gave of his Writers' Workshop participants proved to be interesting and funny at times. I especially enjoyed the story about "Jeff, who disappeared one year and returned the next saying that he had been travelling internationally as a player on a homeless men’s soccer team (a claim that turned out to be true)" (Frazier 2). The fact that Jeff's story turned out to be true made it even better! Frazier definitely worked with his participants to encourage and inspire them to write out their stories, and I feel that every teacher should follow his lead.
Another part of the article that I felt exemplified an excellent way of writing was in Frazier's talk with another homeless man who came into contact with the Workshop Approach previously. He stated, "'When he wrote something, he always had two things going on at a time. He told us, when you writin’, you got this surface thing, you understan’, goin’ on up here'—he moved his left hand in a circle with his fingers spread apart, as if rubbing a flat surface—'an’ then once you get that goin’ on, now you got to come under it'—he brought his right hand under his left, as if throwing an uppercut—'come under this thing here that’s goin’ on up here, you understan’. That was how John Cheever said you write'" (Frazier 2). John Cheever's description of how to write a powerful piece is absolutely true. The works of literature that are considered to be classics all have a plot on the surface, but when one delves deeper into the text, the true meaning of the story shines through. For this reason, I felt this part really touched me as a teacher and writer. Overall, I really enjoyed Ian Frazier's article about his Writers' Workshop because it inspired and intrigued me to do the same in my classroom and community!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Freedom Writer Teachers
Listening to Ms. Pyles discuss her experience at the Juvenile Detention Center opened me up to various teaching options that I usually overlooked. For example, before hearing her talk, I immediately held the bias against urban schools and wanted to get a job in suburban America. After listening to how she cared for her students and showed them they love they did not get at home, I realized that I wanted to become a teacher in an urban school district. The story she told about the boy whose grandfather shot his dog at a young age brought tears to my eyes. Some students just do not get the support from their home lives as other students. In most urban schools and detention centers, I am sure it is easier to see the impact one has on a student's life; I want to be that impact.
Another part of her presentation I liked was the peanut mini-lesson. At first, seeing that I was hungry, I just wanted to eat the peanut. After learning the lesson in the peanut game though, I realized how important it was for all students to know. It's easy to judge someone from the outside, but the inside is what is hard. I hope to utilize that lesson in all of my classes at the very beginning of the year to attempt to lower bullying in my classes.
The last idea of the Freedom Writer Teachers presentation that appealed to me was the aspect of journal writing. I enjoy journaling in my own free time, and I feel that having my students keep a journal that I only privately read would be beneficial to them as well. Adolescence can be a difficult time and writing can help these adolescents focus their thoughts. Through it all, I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Pyles presentation and think that all future teachers should witness a speaker such as this.
Another part of her presentation I liked was the peanut mini-lesson. At first, seeing that I was hungry, I just wanted to eat the peanut. After learning the lesson in the peanut game though, I realized how important it was for all students to know. It's easy to judge someone from the outside, but the inside is what is hard. I hope to utilize that lesson in all of my classes at the very beginning of the year to attempt to lower bullying in my classes.
The last idea of the Freedom Writer Teachers presentation that appealed to me was the aspect of journal writing. I enjoy journaling in my own free time, and I feel that having my students keep a journal that I only privately read would be beneficial to them as well. Adolescence can be a difficult time and writing can help these adolescents focus their thoughts. Through it all, I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Pyles presentation and think that all future teachers should witness a speaker such as this.
In the Middle
Reading Nancie Atwell's In the Midde seemed like an extremely daunting task at the beginning of the semester and definitely served as one of those items of schoolwork sitting at the back of my mind bugging me when I was not working on it. This being said, the chapter I enjoyed the most was "Chapter 3: Making the Best of Adolescence." As a teenager, I know I caused my parents a great deal of trouble; now, watching my brother progress through his adolescent years, it is interesting to be on the other side of the spectrum. Adolescence can be an incredibly rough time where the body is changing, the hormones are raging, and the mind is ready to become independent. No longer do these teenagers want to be under their parents rule. I know this was my problem in high school. The quote that stayed with me from this chapter was, "Surviving adolescence is no small matter; neither is surviving adolescents" (Atwell 53). I liked the play on words and realized the quote was, without a doubt, true. Stating this, teachers need to utilize lessons that relate to their students and the rough time they are going through. They need to understand that adolescence can be hard and need to listen to their students' problems. I remember a teacher in high school who allowed us to write an essay about any topic that related to our lives. I wrote about my boyfriend, which may seem incredibly unrelated to English class, but in writing that I worked hard because I was interested in the subject.
Another aspect of In the Middle that I found interesting was the section on mini-lessons. I think that mini-lessons are effective in teaching students important aspects about English. They also break up the 50 minute period into smaller increments, making it easier for students to pay attention the entire time. Because during my two week unit I have to teach ACT Vocabulary along with Beowulf, I plan to utilize a different ten minute vocabulary mini-lesson every other day. In addition to the vocabulary mini-lessons, I plan to add a mini-lesson about the Anglo-Saxons as well. This way the students will be able to pay attention the entire time during class, and get more out of class time. Overall, I feel as though Nancie Atwell presented some excellent teaching ideas that all English teachers should utilize.
Another aspect of In the Middle that I found interesting was the section on mini-lessons. I think that mini-lessons are effective in teaching students important aspects about English. They also break up the 50 minute period into smaller increments, making it easier for students to pay attention the entire time. Because during my two week unit I have to teach ACT Vocabulary along with Beowulf, I plan to utilize a different ten minute vocabulary mini-lesson every other day. In addition to the vocabulary mini-lessons, I plan to add a mini-lesson about the Anglo-Saxons as well. This way the students will be able to pay attention the entire time during class, and get more out of class time. Overall, I feel as though Nancie Atwell presented some excellent teaching ideas that all English teachers should utilize.
"Changing Our Minds: Negotiating English and Literacy"
Reading this article, I immediately became interested in how religion had such a play in education in the 1700's. Another aspect I found that would be quite boring as a student was the recitation learning. According to the article, "Critics of the schools complained about the general meaninglessness of recitations of preannounced, familiar materials, and they began to call for a level of literacy in which citizens could read unfamiliar, unanounced materials using a new 'scientific' approach" (Myers 77). Basically, students were not learning from recitations and another approach to learning needed to be established. Though the earlier methods of the compulsory English classroom seemed boring, it worked for them because according to the text, "For a society desiring to establish national cohesion and to introduce the young to printed materials, the English class became a place for reporting and defining cultural traditions." (Myers 69). During the time period from 1600 to 1916, the student held the place as mostly the listener and copier, not really teaching the student to think on his or her own.
From 1916 to present day, the student gained the ability to think and reason in the English classroom, where he or she became the analyzer, decoder, translator, and interpreter. No longer were teachers using recitations as a means of learning (thank goodness!). They were having the students decode and reconstruct the text. Today, a large goal of the English classroom is the theory of equity. According to the text, "This theory says that proof of an equal educational opportunity in schools should be necessary to enter the world as a functioning citizen, thinker, and worker" (Myers 116). For this reason, the Academic Content Standards were created so that people from all different schools can have the opportunity to receive the same quality education. Through it all, it was interesting to read how the English classroom changed throughout the years.
On another note, I am currently reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon about a 12-year-old boy who has autism and is trying to figure out who murdered a neighbor's dog. It is interesting to read a book in the mind of someone who has autism. The writing definitely intriques me and opens my mind to what it is like to have a disability. I have not finished reading it yet, but I highly recommend anyone interested in special education to read this book! It is quite powerful, and I'm excited to find out the end!
From 1916 to present day, the student gained the ability to think and reason in the English classroom, where he or she became the analyzer, decoder, translator, and interpreter. No longer were teachers using recitations as a means of learning (thank goodness!). They were having the students decode and reconstruct the text. Today, a large goal of the English classroom is the theory of equity. According to the text, "This theory says that proof of an equal educational opportunity in schools should be necessary to enter the world as a functioning citizen, thinker, and worker" (Myers 116). For this reason, the Academic Content Standards were created so that people from all different schools can have the opportunity to receive the same quality education. Through it all, it was interesting to read how the English classroom changed throughout the years.
On another note, I am currently reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon about a 12-year-old boy who has autism and is trying to figure out who murdered a neighbor's dog. It is interesting to read a book in the mind of someone who has autism. The writing definitely intriques me and opens my mind to what it is like to have a disability. I have not finished reading it yet, but I highly recommend anyone interested in special education to read this book! It is quite powerful, and I'm excited to find out the end!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
"A New Assignment: Pick the Books You Like"
Upon first reading this article, my mind instantly sided with the schools who have strict curriculums and reading schedules. I fully believe that children should be able to read books they are interested in, but what about the classics? If I would not have been introduced to some of the classic pieces of literature in high school, I do not think I would have ever known about them, dumb as that sounds. I fully believe that students are in school to be educated on timeless works of art such as Shakespeare and the Romantics. Where else are they going to learn about that stuff? One part of the article that somewhat swayed my decision to letting the students pick their own books stated, "Letting students choose their own books, they say, can help to build a lifelong love of reading"(page 1). In addition to teaching students about the timeles world of literature, I feel that Engish class should instill in its students a deep love for reading. Could not there be a class that utilizes both methods?
Reading further into the article, I noticed the author attended a professional seminar led by Nancie Atwell, the author of one of our assigned books, about this same topic. What I liked about that seminar was according to the article, "She acknowledged that certain children needed to be nudged into books by allowing them to read popular titles like the “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyer" (page 2). In her reading workshops, she allowed the students to pick the books they liked as long as they were not "crap," but she aknowledged that some students needed to be led into the harder titles. By introducing students to various titles, they became excited about reading the books on their own.
In my own English class, I hope to incorporate both types of learning, the traditional classical literature approach and the workshop approach. Students need to be introduced to the classics in a high school English class because they are timeless works of literature that need to be learned. In addition, they will have the opportunity to become lifelong readers by choosing their own books to discuss with the class. Overall, I like the idea of incorporating both into my future classroom.
On a different note, I recently finished reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. After hearing good reviews and finally seeing the movie trailer, I decided to finally read it, and was not disappointed. I could not put it down for two days until I finished it! The Lovely Bones enlivened me to a different perspective of murder and rape that one does not usually think about: the family's healing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast, entertaining read! Now, I am excited to see the movie coming out December 11, 2009.
Reading further into the article, I noticed the author attended a professional seminar led by Nancie Atwell, the author of one of our assigned books, about this same topic. What I liked about that seminar was according to the article, "She acknowledged that certain children needed to be nudged into books by allowing them to read popular titles like the “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyer" (page 2). In her reading workshops, she allowed the students to pick the books they liked as long as they were not "crap," but she aknowledged that some students needed to be led into the harder titles. By introducing students to various titles, they became excited about reading the books on their own.
In my own English class, I hope to incorporate both types of learning, the traditional classical literature approach and the workshop approach. Students need to be introduced to the classics in a high school English class because they are timeless works of literature that need to be learned. In addition, they will have the opportunity to become lifelong readers by choosing their own books to discuss with the class. Overall, I like the idea of incorporating both into my future classroom.
On a different note, I recently finished reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. After hearing good reviews and finally seeing the movie trailer, I decided to finally read it, and was not disappointed. I could not put it down for two days until I finished it! The Lovely Bones enlivened me to a different perspective of murder and rape that one does not usually think about: the family's healing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast, entertaining read! Now, I am excited to see the movie coming out December 11, 2009.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Multi Modal Class Reflection
Upon reflecting what I learned in Multi Modal class this semester, I realized that I was introduced to many new ideas of which I had never been acquainted. For instance, blogs and wikis. I never knew how to create a blog before, or even cared to, but now I find it to be an interesting and engaging activity that truly reflects how much I've learned in this course. Reading through my blogs, I realized that many multi modal literacies have affected my life on a daily basis. I've also realized how much I have learned in this class. In addition to what I've learned through blogging, I feel that blogs would be a great tool to use in the English classroom because they promote students' writing and also allow them to reflect on what they've learned. In addition to that, it allows the teacher to see and evaluate what the students have learned. Along with blogs, being introduced to wikis definitely took my interest. The wiki pages my classmates created will be a great tool next year in student teaching. Also, I feel that having students create wiki pages would be great way to have them reflect on class readings. Many of the activities we learned in this class will assist me in my future teaching.
Another assignment I enjoyed was the Film Festival. I had never been to a Film Festival before, or even knew about them, but after experiencing it, I felt that it was a worthwhile experience. I would definitely like to take my students to the high school part after I am a teacher!
Lastly, I really enjoyed reading the graphic novels for this class. At first, I thought they were a waste of time, but after buckling down and reading them, I realized that students can truly derive literary meaning from them. A teacher can instruct students on literary elements from graphic novels, which made me realize that they can be an important part of my future English classroom.
Through my experience in this class, I feel that I will become a more open-minded teacher that will use various literacies in order to enhance student learning. I am really thankful to be opened up to these new ideas and cannot wait to use them in the future, and plan to attempt to use them in student teaching! Thank you, Dr. Kist!
Another assignment I enjoyed was the Film Festival. I had never been to a Film Festival before, or even knew about them, but after experiencing it, I felt that it was a worthwhile experience. I would definitely like to take my students to the high school part after I am a teacher!
Lastly, I really enjoyed reading the graphic novels for this class. At first, I thought they were a waste of time, but after buckling down and reading them, I realized that students can truly derive literary meaning from them. A teacher can instruct students on literary elements from graphic novels, which made me realize that they can be an important part of my future English classroom.
Through my experience in this class, I feel that I will become a more open-minded teacher that will use various literacies in order to enhance student learning. I am really thankful to be opened up to these new ideas and cannot wait to use them in the future, and plan to attempt to use them in student teaching! Thank you, Dr. Kist!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Summer for Movies
Because I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly Magazine, I get all of the updates on new movies, television shows, music, and even books weekly; it's quite nice and enjoyable! Last week, when Hugh Jackman's ribbed body as Wolverine came on the cover, I knew it would be a good issue. As it turns out, it was a double issue that was meant to inform the reader of all the new movies coming out this summer. Reading through this magazine, I realized there were many that I plan to see. The first one of course that came out on May 1st was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. (I have plans to see it tonight, so I will blog about it later). On May 8th, I plan to see Star Trek. I find it interesting that they are still making Star Trek movies; I hope this one will be better than the last one at least. Angels & Demons comes out May 15th, which will not be as good as the book, but I will still see it nonetheless. On May 21st, Terminator Salvation will be released. I am a HUGE Terminator fan, but the third movie absolutely sucked! I'm really hoping this one will be better...we'll see. In addition, Sasha Baron Cohen is in a movie this summer, released on July 10th, called Bruno. From what I've read and watched, it seems to be a more graphic Borat...if that's possible. The last movie I plan to see, since I will only update you to July, is, of course, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, which will come out July 15th. It will most definitely not be as good as the book, but it will still be exciting to see the Director's take on J.K. Rowling's novels. Because I have been waiting for this film to release since last November, the fact that it is finally coming out is absolutely thrilling to me! You can bet that I will definitely be at the midnight showing for that movie!
From my experience and love for movies, I can reflect that some of my students will also have this same love. It will be important to stay updated on new movies, music, and books in the classroom setting so that I, as a teacher, can relate to my students and utilize this love in the classroom.
From my experience and love for movies, I can reflect that some of my students will also have this same love. It will be important to stay updated on new movies, music, and books in the classroom setting so that I, as a teacher, can relate to my students and utilize this love in the classroom.
New Literacies in the Classroom
After reading "Chapter 3: Designing Space in a Rural Classroom" of Dr. Kist's book New Literacies in Action, I found it interesting that Clarence Fisher was able to bring technology into the classroom of the remote, ghost town of Snow Lake, Manitoba, Canada. The way the students were engaged in his class showed that they actually found it interesting and fun. Although the students did not seem to understand the lesson Fisher wanted them to learn about the manipulation of advertising, from their actual projects, one could see that they actually understood a great deal about this subject. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this chapter and found it exciting that students were so technologically advanced in such a remote and rural location.
Upon finishing "Chapter 3," and glancing at "Chapter 4: A Dot-Com with Salsa," I decided that I definitely had to read this chapter; the title did it in for me. Reading more about the classroom Marco Torres and Veronica Marek set up at San Fernando High School showed me that the use of multi-literacies in a setting where there may be a language barrier is extremely helpful! A quote that greatly affected me from this chapter was when Torres stated, "In a poor school, the teachers rule; in a rich school, the parents rule." I thought about this statement for a bit and realized what he stated was absolutely true. For this reason, the teachers want to do all they can to help the community and students. Another interesting point I found in this chapter was the fact that these students lived so near to Hollywood and all of those magnificent sights and famous people, yet they did not care about the fame of those people. They wanted to use what they learned to somehow greater their community rather than be concerned with meeting famous people. I also enjoyed the part where they put on their ican Film Festival. The students basically did all of the work with little help from the instructors. It was amazing how tech savvy these students appeared to be. From reading this chapter, I would love to put on a film festival similar to this one in my classroom because I think it helps the students showcase what they learned. In a way, their film festival will be similar to the one we will have during finals week. (I wonder why? lol)
Upon finishing "Chapter 3," and glancing at "Chapter 4: A Dot-Com with Salsa," I decided that I definitely had to read this chapter; the title did it in for me. Reading more about the classroom Marco Torres and Veronica Marek set up at San Fernando High School showed me that the use of multi-literacies in a setting where there may be a language barrier is extremely helpful! A quote that greatly affected me from this chapter was when Torres stated, "In a poor school, the teachers rule; in a rich school, the parents rule." I thought about this statement for a bit and realized what he stated was absolutely true. For this reason, the teachers want to do all they can to help the community and students. Another interesting point I found in this chapter was the fact that these students lived so near to Hollywood and all of those magnificent sights and famous people, yet they did not care about the fame of those people. They wanted to use what they learned to somehow greater their community rather than be concerned with meeting famous people. I also enjoyed the part where they put on their ican Film Festival. The students basically did all of the work with little help from the instructors. It was amazing how tech savvy these students appeared to be. From reading this chapter, I would love to put on a film festival similar to this one in my classroom because I think it helps the students showcase what they learned. In a way, their film festival will be similar to the one we will have during finals week. (I wonder why? lol)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Persepolis and Naruto
Upon first being assigned to read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, I thought it was going to be a very annoying assignment. I never had any experience reading graphic novels other than the Sunday Comics. After the first few pages though, I was hooked. I found it interesting how deep the novel actually was. At first, I imagined this comic book to only contain surface stories, but it was actually about topics of which I have never been familiar. By reading this graphic novel, I was able to see that aspects of plot and theme can be taught through this form. Using this novel as an example, I will definitely plan to use graphic novels in my classroom because they bring an interesting and new aspect to the English Classroom.
About Naruto, I felt differently. This form of comic book definitely proved to be an exciting read, but I did not see as much literary merit in it as I did Persepolis. In addition, I felt that aspects of the novel were extremely sexist. Every portrayal of women in the text was either as an aspect of sexual desire, or as being obsessed with men. None of the women were concerned with their own well-being and empowerment. This aspect angered me a bit and caused for my dislike of the book.
All in all, through reading both comics, I found myself quite caught up in the story lines. My only experience with reading graphic novels or comics before was in the Sunday’s Comics. By having this new experience with comic books, I was able to change my view of graphic novels and see that they can be discussed and analyzed just as text novels can. After finishing Persepolis and Naruto, I found both works to be quite different. Persepolis was a deep memoir about a women’s life growing up in Iran, while Naruto was about a ninja attempting to become a great Shinobi in his village. Both texts were in the form of a graphic novel and contained aspects of which I was unfamiliar. Overall, though both works were in the comic book form, they were still very intriguing and definitely portrayed interesting stories that caught the reader’s attention.
About Naruto, I felt differently. This form of comic book definitely proved to be an exciting read, but I did not see as much literary merit in it as I did Persepolis. In addition, I felt that aspects of the novel were extremely sexist. Every portrayal of women in the text was either as an aspect of sexual desire, or as being obsessed with men. None of the women were concerned with their own well-being and empowerment. This aspect angered me a bit and caused for my dislike of the book.
All in all, through reading both comics, I found myself quite caught up in the story lines. My only experience with reading graphic novels or comics before was in the Sunday’s Comics. By having this new experience with comic books, I was able to change my view of graphic novels and see that they can be discussed and analyzed just as text novels can. After finishing Persepolis and Naruto, I found both works to be quite different. Persepolis was a deep memoir about a women’s life growing up in Iran, while Naruto was about a ninja attempting to become a great Shinobi in his village. Both texts were in the form of a graphic novel and contained aspects of which I was unfamiliar. Overall, though both works were in the comic book form, they were still very intriguing and definitely portrayed interesting stories that caught the reader’s attention.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Film Festival
My friend and I went to the film festival last Thursday to see a foreign film named Honey, I'm in Love. It was a Canadian film in French with English subtitles. At first, I wasn't too sure how I would like the film, but it turned out to be pretty cute. It was about this 53-year-old man who fell out of love with his 48-year-old wife and their humdrum life. While at an art show, he met this 28-year-old woman who he fell in love with. Throughout the film, it questions the aspect of a man with a family leaving his wife for a younger woman. At first, I absolutely loathed what the man did to his wife and children. I probably felt that way because I would not want a man, who I planned to be married to for life, to just up and walk out on me one day. As the film progressed, I started to feel for the man's situation and understand further why he left. I don't want to ruin the ending, but overall, it turned out positive! :) I would definitely recommend others to see this film because it holds a very strong message about age and marriage that I feel would be applicable to today's time.
While at the film festival, I was completely overwhelmed. There were people everywhere, and at first I did not know where to go. Next thing I knew somebody asked for my ticket and I went into the theater. I was impressed with the amount of people that actually went to see the film. The next aspect of the film festival that I enjoyed was the introduction to the movie. It definitely proved its uniqueness and represented everyone who decides to see film festival movies. I had a positive experience at the Film Festival and was very glad it was a requirement for this class because I probably would not have known about it otherwise. I definitely plan to see Film Festival movies in the future and would like to have my future class participate in this event.
While at the film festival, I was completely overwhelmed. There were people everywhere, and at first I did not know where to go. Next thing I knew somebody asked for my ticket and I went into the theater. I was impressed with the amount of people that actually went to see the film. The next aspect of the film festival that I enjoyed was the introduction to the movie. It definitely proved its uniqueness and represented everyone who decides to see film festival movies. I had a positive experience at the Film Festival and was very glad it was a requirement for this class because I probably would not have known about it otherwise. I definitely plan to see Film Festival movies in the future and would like to have my future class participate in this event.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Film and Romeo and Juliet
Because Shakespeare is meant to be seen and not read, it is more than likely that ninth grade students will be watching the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet, whether in class or at home. Being an owner of this film, I feel that it is an amazing representation of Shakespeare's tragic love story. I feel that English teachers should utilize this film in the classroom in order to assist in the reading of the play. This way a classic is being mixed with a multi-modal form of literature.
Because there is a new, more modern film version of the play, starring Leonardi DiCaprio as Romeo, I think that it would be interesting to show both films in the classroom. An assignment could be to have the students compare and contrast the films, stating which version they liked better. Showing the more modern version of the film shows the students how Shakespeare's plays are timeless and the themes embedded in the plays are still applicable in today's society. Though in the two films the language is exactly the same, the two films are quite different, and the students could elaborate on the differences. Overall, I think this would be an interesting assignment that incorporates multi-modal literature into the classroom and really gets the students thinking about Shakespeare and the timelessness of the themes in his plays.
Because there is a new, more modern film version of the play, starring Leonardi DiCaprio as Romeo, I think that it would be interesting to show both films in the classroom. An assignment could be to have the students compare and contrast the films, stating which version they liked better. Showing the more modern version of the film shows the students how Shakespeare's plays are timeless and the themes embedded in the plays are still applicable in today's society. Though in the two films the language is exactly the same, the two films are quite different, and the students could elaborate on the differences. Overall, I think this would be an interesting assignment that incorporates multi-modal literature into the classroom and really gets the students thinking about Shakespeare and the timelessness of the themes in his plays.
Popular Young Adult Literature
Recently I finished the final book in the Twilight Series, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. Seeing as it is quite a long text, I managed to finish it in two days because I could not put it down! Every page came with a new surprise, so I kept reading on to find out more. I will not give any of it away for those who have not read it yet, but it is definitely worth reading! Edward is my ideal man :) and it makes me happy that Bella has brown hair and brown eyes like me! :)
From reading the Twilight Series, I realize that it is important to keep up with the young adult literature my students may be reading. Maybe I could incorporate it into the classroom somehow by creating a writing assignment for the students to describe their favorite character or aspect of the novel. I know if I were in high school and my teacher assigned a project such as that, I would be totally pumped because the teacher took something I was interested in and made it an assignment for a grade. Not that the students would not be interested in the required readings for class, but it is always plus having the teacher take interest in something a student may be reading on the side.
From reading the Twilight Series, I realize that it is important to keep up with the young adult literature my students may be reading. Maybe I could incorporate it into the classroom somehow by creating a writing assignment for the students to describe their favorite character or aspect of the novel. I know if I were in high school and my teacher assigned a project such as that, I would be totally pumped because the teacher took something I was interested in and made it an assignment for a grade. Not that the students would not be interested in the required readings for class, but it is always plus having the teacher take interest in something a student may be reading on the side.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Academy Awards
I know this post is a little late by about three days, but who all watched the Academy Awards? I know I did! I love the Oscars! I am a HUGE film fan and always try to see the movies nominated for best picture. I was very excited to see Slum Dog Millionaire win Best Picture; it definitely deserved it. The story line was beautiful and definitely enlightened me about life in the slums of India. Also, I think Kate Winslet deserved to win Best Actress. Her work is always so deep and makes the viewer think further into her character. You can tell she is extremely talented, and after five nominations, she deserved this! I never saw Milk, but after seeing clips and watching Sean Penn win the Oscar, I plan to see it soon. He is also talented because he went from playing a person with mental retardation, to a father whose daughter was killed, and now to a gay man. Go Kate and Sean!
I think the Academy Awards are a great form of multi-modal literature because they show everyone, including students, how that original piece of writing, the script, can lead into this amazing work of art that can win awards at this incredibly famous awards ceremony. I think it is important for students and teachers to keep up with movies and Academy Awards because it honors talented work. I love the movie business, and though it can be a bit much and not stick to the original book fully, it is still interesting to see the Director's vision of the work. Imagining the text one reads is one thing, but then creating an entire film about it is a complete other thing. It must be extremely difficult to envision these words on a page and make them into this sight on the screen. Film is an amazing work of art and I am extremely grateful to be able to live in a generation with such amazing films. Now that I'm on a tangent about film, I'll bring it back to my original topic: the Academy Awards. The Oscars are a night of glitz and glamor that honor these truly talented people, and students and teachers should keep up with this business. I only wish I was talented enough to win an Oscar! (Maybe in my dreams!).
I think the Academy Awards are a great form of multi-modal literature because they show everyone, including students, how that original piece of writing, the script, can lead into this amazing work of art that can win awards at this incredibly famous awards ceremony. I think it is important for students and teachers to keep up with movies and Academy Awards because it honors talented work. I love the movie business, and though it can be a bit much and not stick to the original book fully, it is still interesting to see the Director's vision of the work. Imagining the text one reads is one thing, but then creating an entire film about it is a complete other thing. It must be extremely difficult to envision these words on a page and make them into this sight on the screen. Film is an amazing work of art and I am extremely grateful to be able to live in a generation with such amazing films. Now that I'm on a tangent about film, I'll bring it back to my original topic: the Academy Awards. The Oscars are a night of glitz and glamor that honor these truly talented people, and students and teachers should keep up with this business. I only wish I was talented enough to win an Oscar! (Maybe in my dreams!).
Multi Genre Autobiography
Creating this multi genre autobiography really made me realize how much these multi-modal literatures have affected my life. It was quite enjoyable remembering my past and finding out what had an impact on me. It definitely helped me realize how much these forms of literature were present in my life. This would be an awesome assignment to do with high school students toward the beginning of the semester because it could help them realize that these popular forms of multi-modal literature are actually English class, in a way. I would then explain to them how I would like to incorporate these various forms into our English class, making it more exciting for the students.
After enjoying everyone's presentations on Monday, I realized how much we all have in common. Many of us listed Dr. Seuss books as our favorites when we were little. In addition, almost everyone had some Nickelodeon show listed. It was as though Nickelodeon and Disney took over our lives as children. (For those of us who had cable, of course). I also enjoyed learning so much about each classmate and felt as though I could bond with them because of our similarities. In fact, many of us shouted in excitement when another peer had the same interest. This factor makes the multi genre assignment that much more positive to use in a high school setting. Not only would the students see the impact these forms have on them, but they would also learn more about their peers, assisting in creating community in the classroom. Overall, I definitely plan to use this assignment in the future!
After enjoying everyone's presentations on Monday, I realized how much we all have in common. Many of us listed Dr. Seuss books as our favorites when we were little. In addition, almost everyone had some Nickelodeon show listed. It was as though Nickelodeon and Disney took over our lives as children. (For those of us who had cable, of course). I also enjoyed learning so much about each classmate and felt as though I could bond with them because of our similarities. In fact, many of us shouted in excitement when another peer had the same interest. This factor makes the multi genre assignment that much more positive to use in a high school setting. Not only would the students see the impact these forms have on them, but they would also learn more about their peers, assisting in creating community in the classroom. Overall, I definitely plan to use this assignment in the future!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Technology is...distracting
Thinking about what to blog about took me a long time. What do I find important enough for others to openly read about me? This whole bl0g thing scared me a bit because I do not like the idea of having myself open to other people on the internet. In addition, technology and I do not get along. I know this is sad because as my parents tell me I'm supposed to come from the technology generation. Well, yes, I know how to use technology and will use it if need be, but when it comes to writing papers, all I do is stare at the screen. I cannot get anything productive done with a computer screen in front of me. For that reason, I ended up hand writing this blog before typing it. There are entirely too many distractions with a computer in front of me, which I am sure my future students may experience as well.
The internet is like a hyped-up person with A.D.H.D. One link leads you here and then another there and that one's boring, so I'm going to click this one, and wow look at that! I am sure you get the point and have experienced it at some time. I guess that is why I made links out of each of those, so that you can see what distracts me on the internet. (I created the links after hand writing this and then typing it. I actually got distracted creating the links). Technology in general is full of distractions, so I can completely understand why students would rather play simulation games, watch television, or surf the internet than read the classic novel I will assign in class. Being that I myself am distracted by such things, even though I am horrible at them, I want to somehow incorporate these multi-modal literacies into my classroom. This way my students can get more out of my class rather than just being bored. Altogether, I am excited for this class and definitely plan to utilize what I learn in my own classroom!
The internet is like a hyped-up person with A.D.H.D. One link leads you here and then another there and that one's boring, so I'm going to click this one, and wow look at that! I am sure you get the point and have experienced it at some time. I guess that is why I made links out of each of those, so that you can see what distracts me on the internet. (I created the links after hand writing this and then typing it. I actually got distracted creating the links). Technology in general is full of distractions, so I can completely understand why students would rather play simulation games, watch television, or surf the internet than read the classic novel I will assign in class. Being that I myself am distracted by such things, even though I am horrible at them, I want to somehow incorporate these multi-modal literacies into my classroom. This way my students can get more out of my class rather than just being bored. Altogether, I am excited for this class and definitely plan to utilize what I learn in my own classroom!
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