Week 14 - Literacy Moves Ch. 6-10

I thought it was really neat to see all the students perspective on the Beanie Babies. They were able to do group discussions, draw different diagrams, give their insights, and most of all they were collaborating in groups that showed their opinions. This helped the students organize their thoughts and tell everyone in the group how they felt about the Beanie Babies. The Beanie Babies initially brought out a good discussion on marketing and other tools. This activity gave students the opportunity to respond to important issues, introduce popular culture, and encouraged students to be critical consumers.
In chapter nine they talked about villains and heroes. I think its important for students to get a good taste of fiction and fantasy. This allows the students to see creative writing and different techniques of writing. I did not start reading books until Harry Potter came out. I thought this book was so interesting and I just kept reading. From this book, I started reading more and more because I finally liked reading. I think that Fantasy can do that for children in many ways. It can open their mind and their imagination.

Week 13 Children Reading Stories In Print, Film, and Computer Games

Many people argue whether computer games and media can affect learning negatively or positively. Throughout this chapter the author discusses ways on how computer games can help children in their learning. Some computer games enable students to use critical thinking and problem solving. Although I don't suggest students work on computers all the time, I think there is a time and a place for students to have the opportunity to work on computers and do different games. Students are going to be intrigued if they are able to work on computers. One huge plus to all of this is that students can play games and not even realize they are doing work and learning. It

It is also very important for children to become immersed and engaged in the text. The author states that immersion is being "fully committed to the world inside the text" and engaged means "moving inside and outside the text world." When students are reading they need to have both of these in order to fully understand the text. With immersion the reader can pick a single schema and can interpret all sorts of things in the text. When a reader is engaged they can relate from world and the text and make connections. I feel that this is very important in a student's reading and comprehension.

Week 12

During our class we have been discussing many types of genres. Yesterday we had our fair and had the opportunity to see everyone's genre pieces. I enjoyed it very much. It helps to see different ways of incorporating these ideas into the classroom. There were so many ideas and as a teacher we can give ideas to our students to do the same. This way they can express their views on their topic of their paper and do it in a creative way. Creativity is a component that I always want used in my classroom. I want every student to have the opportunity to show their creative side. Some topics in school can get so repetitive and boring that students just don't have fun with learning. These genre pieces would be a great opportunity to have fun and learn. We also worked with our puppets which was hilarious. I can only imagine how much fun the students would have with these puppets and presenting different books they have read.

The Multigenre Research Paper Ch. 5 Week 11

In this chapter, the author reveals ways to "show, not tell." I have talked about this subject once or twice but I find it so important in the classroom daily. Writing is in everyday life. What better way to enjoy life and school by writing with meaning, clarity, and description. Students often tell things in a story, not show them. There are many ways to write, but the best way of writing is to use description words, story telling methods, and by simply showing emotion through writing. When a writer can do that, the story/paper will be more exciting and intriguing to read. I still have trouble doing that to this day. Kids are going to struggle sometimes with this but once they get the hang of it, it will come easier and easier each time they write. Humor is often a great way to entertain in a story. The story could be even better when its mixed with humor and sadness such as the story mentioned at the beginning of the chapter. Creating characters in the story is one of more important factors. The characters must be introduced in a way that the reader can almost visualize exactly what they are like. If the reader is able to do this, the character description was written well. The list of questions mentioned in this chapter were great. This is a great strategy for students to use to show, not tell, about the character. I think if a teacher would to use these all their students, the students would develop quicker in their writing and eventually do great.

Van Sluys Setting Up Invitations Week 9

In this article, the author talks about making time in the classroom for invitations. The time required for these invitations is 45 minutes to two hours. How can we find time for this? I think it is very important as a school to find time for these. These invitations allow students to communicate with one another, pose problems, read, write, think, and challenge meanings. These factors in learning are vital in a child's learning. Students should have the right to make time for their own learning and learn to take responsibility in their learning. That way, they know their learning strategies and what they need to do as a learner. The article also talks about finding a place for these workshops. If the media center is organized well, then this would be a great space for it. Computer labs are also a great idea. This will enable students to use internet and gather ideas for the problems or issues they may be working out. The folders that the author mentions that will store the invitations and keep things organized was also a very important thing to look at in the classroom. If the students invitations are not neat and are hard to find, then that creates problems. One issue that was brought up in the invitations was the gender roles. This creates a great debate and brings up several issues that the students can talk about. Invitations such as these welcomes all sorts of learners seeking to talk about issues that arise today.

Chapters 10-11

One of the things that I liked about the reading was the page about decorating the student's notebooks. Writing can be such a difficult thing to get into as an elementary student. It's not something that just comes natural and is done well quickly. It takes time and effort. For a student to really want to write, it's up to the teacher to make it interesting. Decorating a notebook might seem small to a teacher or an adult, but I think it can get the student excited about writing. They can have a craft day and do different things to make learning more fun. The writing spot was also really neat. Just like a place to read, there should be a place to write in the classroom. I am 21 years old and I still have trouble finding that special place to sit and write. Writing can be so hard if its not quiet or if I don't feel comfortable. How can we make the students feel comfortable and make sure the place its "just right?" I think the best way is to ask the students where they like to write most, or where they feel most at ease. This will bring up a discussion and then can elaborate to an even deeper discussion on strategies to write. What are some strategies that students could do to brain storm ideas about what to write?

Crafting Writers: Ch. 7-9

One thing I hope to use in my classroom quite a bit is what Elizabeth hale talks about, "Turn and Talk." This is where the teacher gives a prompt or question and then turns to the class for a few minutes while they reflect. They then share their ideas with the class. I think this can be very effective in the classroom but I also think it has its' downfalls. How do you make sure that the students are staying on task and talking about the subject at hand? One way I thought would be a great way would be to pair them up instead of larger groups. That way it's not as easy to get off task. The students can talk to one another and then once they have done that the teacher can bring them together as a whole.
Another great technique I liked was the "Writing Try-Its." This reminds me of when I was younger and made note cards of different facts and ways the teacher was teaching a subject. It made me write it down and read it more and more so that I embedded the concept in my head. What better way to do this then to have the students write down in their writers notebooks the same way the teacher has taught them to. Then they are seeing the importance in the way the teacher is teaching. Once a teacher has a conference with a student she/he can go back to this notebook and look to see what they are having troubles in or if they got the lesson.
One of my biggest fears in teaching is getting the student's to reach their full potential. Sometimes you will get a student who is extremely creative and intelligent and has great writing but like Elizabeth Hale states, every writer can be better. How do you help that student make an even better attempt at their writing when all the mechanics/spelling and so on are correct?