Final Blog Posting

Over the past semester, I have learned a great deal about language arts and how I can use it in my classroom one day. I think that language arts in extremely beneficial in the classroom and children need to learn it to be successful readers and writers. There are a few arguments that some methods are better than others but I think that maybe as teachers we should just see what is right for our students.

For our final project in the class, we had to write a book. I thought this was the best project because we experienced first hand the writing process. I am not going to lie, it was extremely difficult for me to use the writing process since I have not in a long time. Even though it was a challenge, I found I learned so much about it and can tell my future students that even I had to write a book using the writing process. After the project, I now realize that I will need to be patient with my students and help them in every way, because I am in college and it was a difficult task for me to accomplish. I am definitely going to use the writing process in my classroom and cannot wait to share with my students that I had to write a book!

Throughout this semester, I have had to observe in a 2nd grade classroom. I loved the teacher and the way she worked with her students. In class we learned about phonics and whole language and after learning about it, I was interested in seeing what teachers used in the classroom. The teacher that I observed used phonics, which seemed to be extremely beneficial for the students. They would still come up to her, asking her how to spell words but she would sit there with them and help them sound it out and the students always got the spelling right. After seeing this work, first hand, I will use this technique when I teach. I think it helps the students be able to spell words on their own and will continue to use phonics until they get older.

I learned a great deal in this class and cannot wait to take what I have learned and use it in the classroom! My junior year is coming to an end and a year from now I will have already done my student teaching. This class has helped me become more confident in language arts and hopefully my teaching, one day, will reflect that.

Talk is a valuable instructional tool.

In class Monday, we watched a clip from the movie Freedom Writers. I have seen this movie before, and I think it is wonderful and makes me realize why I want to teach each time I watch it. The clip that we watched was very intense. The teacher is talking to her students about how hate for another race just is not right. The students then tell her exactly how they feel about her and what happens in their lives and how people, even the school system, see and treat them. It makes her realize that no one has ever tried to believe in them. It makes me think about how there are many schools out there that do not believe in their students and that is why their students are not succeeding, in and outside of school. It helps one realize that listening is an essential part in the schools and can be used many different ways. She listened to them and to me that shows that she cared about her students and truly wanted to help them.

The Importance of Listening

After talking about listening in class, I definitely think that it is taken for granted. I think that listening is a huge part of being able to teach and learn. Lessons and discussions involve listening and it is an essential part in education. Teachers can use listening in order to see if students are understanding the material that they have been taught.

In class, we did an activity and had to find different types on propaganda used. I thought that this activity was so much fun and really eye opening. Propaganda takes advantage of listening because people listen to what these ads are influencing peoples opinions about certain things. It is used for political campaigns, in which, politicians say negative things about their opponents, even if these things are not true. It could influence the way someone votes or what they buy. I thought looking up ads was a great way to teach us the different types of propaganda.

Field Experiences

My field experience has taught me a lot over the past semester. It was interesting to see what we are learning in class in the classroom that I observing. After learning about phonics and whole language, I wondered what the teacher I was observing would use in her classroom. I quickly observed that she used phonics on a regular basis. It seemed to help the children spell out the words that they were struggling with.

I think my favorite visit was when they were writing about Abraham Lincoln. The students were so excited and jumped to the opportunity to learn more about him. They wanted to know everything and I just watched them sit there look through the books amazed and absorbed in the information.

During my visits, I noticed that the teacher did not give them prompts in which they had to write about a certain thing. They were able to write freely about things that they liked and enjoyed. I think that when students write about something they enjoy, their writings will come out much better.

Planning for Reading and Writing

In my Children's Literature class last semester we were put into Literature Circles and my group read "Esperanza Rising." I loved the book and can definitely see myself using it in my classroom one day. I would also use the Literature Circles with this book. I think that they give each student a chance to speak and give their thoughts and ideas about what they are reading. Each student plays a different role each time, so it will help them think about the book in different ways and perspectives. While reading "Esperanza Rising", I would use a Literature Focus Unit. I think since I have read the book and experienced being in a Literature Circle myself this would be a beneficial to my students.

Reflection

It was a week ago that I was coming back from the Florida Keys. Since I will be teaching next spring, my roommates and I decided to go somewhere where we could actually lay out and enjoy ourselves. We went to Key Largo for a week and we loved it. The weather was amazing and there were clear waters; it was perfect. When I got back home, I felt like summer had begun. When Monday morning arrived, I realized that I was no longer on break and I had two busy weeks ahead of me. I have enjoyed this semester, but I am ready for summer time to arrive.

Stages of Spelling, Writing Process, and Personal Writing

The writing process is something that every child must learn in school. I remember learning the process when I was younger. We learned how to do the bubble map; which we used for brainstorming and organizing our ideas. I honestly hated the writing process but realized that it always helped my papers turn out much better. After talking about the writing process again, I realize that it might help me organize my papers better. To this day I still dislike the editing process. I realize as a future educator that the writing process is essential for teaching children how to write, so from now on I am going to try my best to use it.

Writing has always been a difficult task for me, but lately I have learned to enjoy writing. Having a blog makes writing a little easier because I get to write down my feelings and reflect on what I am learning in my education class. I do have to use the writing process at times before I start writing a blog because I have to organize my thoughts and decide what I want to write about.

In my education class, we have to write a book. It can be any type of book but I think I am leaning towards a children's book. I want my book to help children and for it to be something that everyone can enjoy. I am still writing ideas down, trying to figure out what I want my book to be about.

Social Skills and Language Arts

When one has a disability in reading and writing, it make make them feel that something is wrong with them. Then they feel awkward around other people, as if they are being judged the entire time. It hurts their self-esteem, which is needed when trying to make friends or join in social occasions. One also may feel that they cannot achieve their goals because of their disability.

In school when someone has a reading or writing disability, they were extremely quiet and shy. They did not want to talk much in class or participate in class discussions. Once again this made it hard for them to make friends because they did not participate socially.

When I am a teacher, I am going to reassure my students that everyone learns at different paces and that no one is the same. I will encourage my students to speak out in class and that even if their answer is wrong because no one knows all the right answers. I want my students to know that they will not be looked down upon because of a writing or reading disability. As a teacher, I want to make my students realize that they can do anything they want to even with disability.

Phonics vs. Whole Language

When I was being taught to read, I used phonics. This was done by learning how to sound the letters out in the word. I first learned the consonants and vowels and how each of them sound. Then I learned how to combine them together. I think that this was a good way to learn how to read but I think there are many other useful ways to teach a child to read.

When I was younger, I remember my teachers using "round robin" as a way for us to practice reading and it was a way for her to make sure we were paying attention. Every time we had to read aloud, I was terrified. I spent the whole time trying to figure out what section I was going to read, and then I would sit there and read it over and over again so I would not embarrass myself in front of the whole class. After I was done reading I would stop paying attention, unless I had to read again and then the whole process would start over.

When I start teaching, I will not use this method. I do not want the children to be put on the spot and feel embarrassed. As a future educator I want them to enjoy reading and find it stress relieving instead of stress inducing.

The Reading Process

Aesthetic reading is when a reader is reading for enjoyment. The reader focuses more on the thoughts and feelings, while an efferent reader reads to get information about something. Most of the time someone would use efferent reading when reading for school work.

There are five stages of the reading process, which I thought was very interesting. The first stage is Prereading. This is before the reader even opens the book. The background and the plan for the book is set at this time. The second stage is Reading. Reading is when the reader can read by themselves, with a buddy, or a teacher reads aloud. The reader during this stage must read the book from start to finish and apply things that one has learned. The third stage is Responding. This is where the reader responds about how one feels about the book. The reader could discuss one's response with a classmate, as a class, or by writing a journal entry. The fourth stage is Exploring. During this stage the reader really thinks about the book and can pull new vocabulary from the book to learn. The fifth stage is Applying. In this stage the reader can create some sort of artwork.

There are many factors that are important in developing capable readers. Capable readers read the book and recognize words almost instantly. These readers have a large vocabulary and do not ponder on what the words mean. Capable readers must also be able to read fluently. The readers can read quickly and remember what they have read. Capable readers have a wide range of vocabulary and learn many new words a day. The last factor in capable readers is comprehension. Comprehension is extremely important because capable readers can use their own experiences to connect with while reading.

Children can read in many different ways. There are five ways children can read books. The first type is Shared Reading. Either the teacher can be reading from one's own copy while the children listen or the children can also have a copy of the book and follow along. The second type is Guided Reading. Guided reading is when the teacher puts the students in groups according to their reading levels. The third type is Independent Reading. This is when the student reads alone and can sometimes pick the book that they want to read. The fourth type is Buddy Reading. This is when a student reads with another student. The fifth type is Reading Aloud to Students. This is when the teacher reads aloud to the class.

The 6 Language Arts

After learning about the 6 language arts, it surprised me that viewing and visually representing were part of the six. I would have classified language arts by writing and reading.

I think viewing and visually representing should be apart of the six because technology is becoming increasingly more prevalent in the schools and in the real world. I think as a future educator, teachers need to let their students use visual media because it engages the students and helps them learn from different perspectives.

When I arrived at college, I did not realize how important language arts are. My education up until college lacked many of the 6 language arts. I am learning each year how important all of them are. I think the 6 language arts will change in the future. Things are changing in our world constantly which changes what is expected of educators and students.

I really like Sahara Special because I think that it can help me as a future educator. I'm also excited because I might be able to use the book one day in my classroom!