Excitement In My Classroom

This Literacy focused class has been extremely beneficial for me as an intern next year and a future teacher. I have truly valued everything we have discussed not only from class readings and scholarly articles but especially from discussions with my classmates. I feel that their experiences which are none like mine all bring something new to the table. Each one has their own individual and unique way of teaching and having their own viewpoint on literacy and education. I value their diversity and feel we are all going to bring something different to our classrooms but have gained the central knowledge as a foundation to build on so much more we will learn. This is very important as future teachers to take what we have learned and build on that in our classroom. This also hits on the idea of excitement in my classroom. I know my objective of a teacher is to teach, but how can I do it in a way that is exciting and meaningful to the students. I want my students to be engaged in what they are doing and excited. I do not want them to be bored or to have an attitude of this is pointless, stupid, not fun, ect. I know I have had many teachers who have made my learning very fun and exciting. I think it is important that we look back on what they might have done to engage us as learners. I know one big issue in the classroom is worksheets. Every student seems to hate worksheets and feels they are busy work and a waste of time. I do agree to some extent but feel that at some point they may be necessary and we as teachers need to use that as an exciting and engaging tool for our students. We cannot let one piece of paper hinder our student's ability to learn and be excited to learn. I also feel that classroom management and the classroom environment is a start of how to get your students excited about learning in the classroom. Also, I strongly feel that technology is not an important part of the classroom for students excitement but crucial. As noted in various blogs, classroom discussion, and presentations we are in a world of emerging technology. Everything is technological and as a student immersed and having the privillege of being involved with technology I feel I need to use this blessing to teach my students and use it in the classroom. We have learned so many skills and ways to use literacy and technology. I know I will take these skills learned and definitely use them.
I will take all of these skills learned and use them!

Book Clubs

For a final project/presentation our TE 402 class is participating in Book Clubs. We will explore a book as a teacher planning for a literature unit. Each book club group has received information and sources of various instructional models for literature exploration.
When given book club group time, my group members Erika and Sarah decided to use a well known children's literature book by Roald Dahl called, Matilda. As a group we all enjoyed reading it when we were younger and especially loved the movie that was based on Roald Dahl's book. We all agreed that the book was entertaining, happy, sad, and other various emotions that students in grades 4/5 would enjoy and be able to relate too. Also the book holds many themes from personal struggle, educational value one holds, parental power, teacher power, ect.
We thought doing the instructional model of reading workshops would be best for our book. Here is also what are main ideas for doing our phase 2: Thinking Like a Teacher may look like:

Book: Matilda Roald Dahl
Grade Level: 4th Grade
Instructional Model: Reading and Writing Workshops
(2 week unit)
p.414 Tompkins

Possible activities:
1. Start off as a classroom read to get students started in the book
2. Read two chapters a night for homework.
3. Set time during the day
4. Reading Logs for homework everyday
5. Time to discuss in class
6. (Books on tape/books on CD for differentiation of all learners)
7. Movie at end of unit
8. Mini lessons within unit
9. Opposites Project (Expansion project) various interpretations of opposites. Easy for kids who do not speak English, not all literary.


Mini Lessons: (Ideas..)
1. Predict and Confirm
2. Identify with characters
3. Connect to ones’ own life and world
4. Identify unfamiliar words
5. Notice opposites (Quote: “I’m smart you’re dumb, I’m big you’re small, ect…”)

Various Expansion Project: Options (can make a newsletters, poster, write a letter to administrator (activist approach), write a song, make a play, poem, ect…

We obviously are putting it together still but I am exited and eager to address various ideas for students using this book and our instructional model. I do believe our classmates will be engaged and will take a way knowledgeable information they they may use in their future classroom.

Cambourne Article

I really liked the Cambourne article, "Toward an educationally relevant theory of literacy learning: Twenty years of inquiry". I thought it was very informational and really enjoyed our class discussion on the articles. When breaking into small groups our group chatted a lot about the concept of literacy and praise, literacy immersion, and the idea of engagement of literacy in the classroom. We felt like the article covered extremely well all of these things and gave a lot of applicable stories. My main point was the idea of literacy immersion. I think that literacy needs to be all around the classroom and students need to be experienced to literacy. This is is important because it is not one particular subject but a lifestyle of language and learning that each child needs to be immersed in.

New Literacies Exploration Reflection

In doing my New Literacies Exploration project I chose to research social literacy. For my new technology I chose to do blogs. I chose social literacy because it is something I am very passionate about. I am a very social person and any means of communication and expressing and sharing of ideas I am for. I felt that because I had only a handful of experiences on blogging (which come from blogging in this class) had lead me to make my own blog and display its importance of social literacy.
In my blog I created a visual display of the importance of social literacy and provided various examples of various technologies you can add to your blog. I can honestly say I enjoyed doing this project.
Even in the beginning of the year when making our Literacy Concept Maps, I had no idea about the numerous types of literacies that there are. I was so focused that literacy only consisted of reading and writing that I was enthralled after reading the article, "Literacy for the 21st Century Language Learner". I learned so much from that article and my knowledge grew even more after looking at my classmates' exploration projects. (Which were all so informational and well thought out!)
But, in doing this project it made me realize the importance of social literacy. That we all have ideas and feelings and for one to express them why not use technology. This class is a great example of incorporating blogs and social literacy. As students and future teachers we are able to post our knowledge, thoughts, feelings, ideas, ect on a page that not only our classmates can view but people around the globe. We are learning and creating valuable knowledge from other's blog posts. Plus, you are not only limited to reading such a blog post but you have the opportunity to add comments. I think this is a great way to start conversation with one another and extends the social literacy aspect again.
Thinking ahead as a future I know I will want to incorporate blogs in my classroom. Although younger elementary studens may not grasp the concept of blogging and of course the idea of typing comes first I could always have a blog as an informational Classroom Page. It could be News from Miss.Brewer's Class or something like that. Just adding information about what is going on and letting not only the students have access to read and maybe add something but being able to keep the social part/communication alive between the teacher and parents.
Also, if I am wanting to do high school special education I could definitely use this as another classroom news page or have the students work with blogging and sharing their own ideas and feelings. Options are not limited with blogging and voicing one's ideas.

Overall, I think this has been a great exploration. I have learned a lot from classmate's ideas and their projects. I am very happy with the new knowledge I now have and will definitely incorporate these new literacies in my classroom. Also, it is important not to lose focus on the various technologies that we have explored. Doing this project has shown how crucial it is to incorporate technology into everyday learning. With technology and literacy emerging it is our job as future teachers to stay on the rise and use what we know and learn to teach our students.

Vocabulary In My Classroom

How Vocabulary is Taught and Used in Third Grade

How do you utilize Vocab
• Notebook with adult writings
• Word Wall
• Individual word list
• Before spelling tests does vocabulary activities (similarities between words)
• During spelling tests teacher will say a word and one student will come up with a sentence using that word (ownership)
• Tests (Matching, word banks, ect)
• Vocabulary words with object in the classroom
• Ring with vocabulary and picture for ELL students
• Mini lessons
• Work sheets
• When reading a novel and when they come across a word they don’t understand they will write it in a reading log or writing journal and have time to look up the vocabulary word

I really enjoyed the classroom discussion on vocabulary. How I feel it is so important to teach and display vocabulary. Especially at my school with a majority of the students being ESL and ELLs.
I also enjoyed the grade group discussions beacuse I was able to see various ways different grade levels encounter vocabulary.

Finally Taught Lesson!

On March 12 I was able to teach my literature based discussion lesson. I used a book called Thunder Cake which was suggested to read and use by my CT. But, after reading through it and thinking about my lesson and a literature discussion I thought this book would be perfect for my class. (A majority of my students have come from a different country and are now living in Michigan because of their family's jobs, school, ect. Thunder Cake is about a grandmother who came from Russia but is now living in Michigan where her granddaughter is visiting and fears thunder storms. Like all kids and most all humans have fears. I thought this was another connection to my students that they could relate to the characters in the book.)
Overall, I thought my lesson went great. I believe the students held a great literature based discussion. They are always so eager to answer questions and participate in class discussions. They enjoyed sharing their fears not only with a small group but in a whole group discussion.
At the end of the lesson I brought cookies for the students. It was a way of saying thank you for sharing your fears and having the courage to share them with me, too. They really liked the cookies and I was really encouraged with again their eagerness to learn.
My students are amazing and I am so happy they were such a great set of students participating and sharing.

Lesson Plans

I just wanted to let you all know that I have not strayed away from my Literature Discussion Based Lesson Plans but I will not be teaching it till after Spring Break. I am very anxious to teach them though because I think the students will enjoy what I have planned. I am excited to hear what they will have to say in response to my questions and also their thoughts on the book. I feel like the book relates to many of the students in my class in the way they are not from the United States and living in Michigan for various reasons. It also has the theme of "fear" which is a popular theme for students young and old. I can't wait to tell you more after I do indeed teach the lesson.
I will definitely keep you posted!!

Lesson Plan Thinking...again...

So after discussing my Language Arts literature piece I would be using for my lesson plan, my CT gave me a Literature-Based Map Skills book. This book contains various children's literature that relate to the Middle West of the United States. My CT selected three children's book found in the Literature-Based Map Skills book which were Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner, Dakota Dugout by Ann Turner, and Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco. After reading through these three books I found that Thunder Cake would be the most fun, informational, educational, and practical to use in a forty minute literature based discussion. A majority of the initial literature-based map skills book it focuses on various questions concerning map skills and application. My question though is the thought of integration of subjects. I think it is a great book especially because it is about a girl living on her Grandma's farm in Michigan. The story also focuses on the little girl's fear of thunderstorms and her grandmother helps her realize just how brave she really is. But, I am questioning the thought of the focus of using such map skills in my lesson. My CT said she loves using literature and children's books for integration of subjects. I too agree that it is important for teachers to integrate such subjects for students but when i am teaching my lesson how do I stay focuses on a literature based discussion than a social studies lesson? I have a lot of thoughts and want to know from you what I should do with this book that my CT said I should use.

Digital Native or Immigrant

When asked to take this digital natives quiz, I felt pretty confident in that I am a digital native over a digital immigrant. Looking over the website (http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/digitalnatives/index.htm) I found myself nodding and agreeing with the various digital technologies that they were labeling students and young workers as being a digital native. I can recall all the way back to elementary school and having my first experience on an old Apple IIe. They were located in our computer room and we had various typing lessons and were able to play games (Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego). I than moved to a public school in 5th grade where I found myself in a classroom with two computers, library with computers, and its own separate computer lab. Playing various typing games and being able to browse the internet for educational purposes I was quickly enthralled with the computer. I remember my dad and mom finally purchased our first family computer when I was in 5th grade. It was such a joyous occasion and all I could think about was being able to IM my friends from school. At that point I feel is when I truly started my journey on becoming a digital native. I was able to experience various aspects of using my own home computer to sift through the web and do fun educational games. I continued on my digital native walk experiencing technologies in the classroom and grew in knowledge on doing those various things. I continued my growth with the amazing piece of technology of a cellular phone. I honestly would not know where I would be without my cell phone. Even as a student I have used my cell phone for educational purposes and using the technology of the internet and text messaging for one of my classes. Starting college I was able to have my own desktop computer and could use my iPod, and in the last year I got an Apple MacBook laptop. Being able to use my computer via wireless has put a spin on technology and the various ways of communication. I think this is an important aspect to consider for future students (not only at the college level but even elementary through high school students) will technology grow so much that students will not have to write with pencils/pens and paper but can use their laptop to do everything.
I feel this class has opened my eyes even more to being a digital native. Using blogs and our e-notebooks to journal our thoughts and opinions has enabled myself to become more technological advanced. I have read some of my friends various blogs but have never activated one and posted myself. I am in full support of doing both of these tasks and give credit to this course of enabling us to take part in these. As technology is advancing we as future teachers need to be aware of what is actually advancing and we need to take that and try to incorporate into our classroom. The younger generations are going to be at their prime in what they know about technology and it is our duty to be able to use that in our teachings.
As my digital journey is still continuing I want to learn as much as I can about various ways to use technology in the classroom. Although I was confident in referring to myself as a digital native, I still am learning and want to take in as much as I can to further myself and my students knowledge. I know that I am able to use a computer, IM, blogging, internet games and sites, but who knows what new digital media and technology will bring tomorrow.

Lesson Plan Thinking

Unfortunately, I have not finalized a specific book to use for my lesson plans. I was thinking the children's literature book, The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I thought personally that this book was going to be good for the third grade reading level. I am still in the process of finding a book though to fit my CT's literacy unit. I will further update you with what book I will be doing for my lesson plans and the careful consideration upon making this decision.

Differentiation

Differentiation is a very important issue that not only I as a Special Education teacher face, but all General Education teachers. Differentiation is the recognition of someone or something that is different. There are so many factors that can accompany differentiation. Some factors may include: race, gender, socioeconomic status, learning disabilities, giftedness, ect. A variety of factors contribute to differentiation and need to be utilized in our teaching.
As a student and future teacher I have seen and will utilize differentiation in my classroom to the students. Each student has their own individual learning style and that needs to be supported. I hope that through this specific course I will learn ways to utilize differentiation in my classroom, because I am anxious to learn and grow to be able to teach my students and give them the best opportunities for learning I can.

Here I go...

Hi everyone! I am extremely excited to begin my first blog and cannot wait to share and discuss various literacy issues and concepts. As future teachers and colleges I am anxious to have you gain knowledge from my experiences, thoughts, and beliefs and also gain knowledge from your experiences, thoughts, and beliefs!