52 Matching Annotations
  1. May 2016
    1. As the boys responded to the literature as a community of readers, they began to think about serious problems in their communities, and to make suggestions to address those problems. This evolved into preliminary enactments of personal, commu- nal, and civic social action.

      This is great to hear! By making the readings more realistic, students are able to more easily connect what they are reading to what is happening in their own life. I feel that this is especially useful to discuss issues that they may be unfamiliar with discussing.

    2. the use of contemporary realistic fiction, in which dilemmas in society are pivotal, have the potential to "open wide" the mouths of these African American male readers.

      I love this idea! Representation in literature is just as important as the content itself. Traditional fairy tales feature very few people of color, whether it be male or female. By updating these stories with more realistic fiction, people of all genders and ethnicities have the opportunity to be represented.

    3. This suggested to me a need for more con- temporary themes in reading material for some reader

      Even though fairy tales and other well-known stories have important themes and can aid in building the literacy skills of children, I don't think that there is anything wrong with updating stories so that they are more relevant to students lives today.

    4. Therefore the student's lack of engagement could lead to boredom at the very least, and aca- demic failure at worst

      This is what I fear most when teaching in a classroom. It is important to teach content that is engaging and relevant to students.

    1. Students may be able to recall facts, but how much do they really know about the people who helped shape history

      I feel that historical fiction and biographies can be more beneficial in helping students remember information, since it is told more in the way of a story, rather than just a parade of facts.

    2. Chil dren can distinguish fact from opin ion, determine whether an author has any bias, and draw inferences about historical climates, settings, or events

      Being able to distinguish fact from opinion is a great skill to learn though reading biographies, as this is a skill that is seen in the Common Core.

    3. For instance, in social stud ies, students may be able to pick out facts (names, places, events), but they often overlook the deeper aspects of such information

      I think that this is an important thing to point out. In Social Studies readings are more often than not just composed of strings of facts. Because of this, some information gets lost. I feel that fictionalized readings and biographies can give students a deeper understanding because they provide details that students may not get from regular textbooks.

  2. edu307class.networkedlearningcollaborative.com edu307class.networkedlearningcollaborative.com
    1. Some people have a clear religious objection to fantasy and science fi ction as genres

      This is an issue that I would not have expected to come up a classroom, but I suppose it is a fair point. Even though I may not understand it, as a teacher it is important that I respect the views of my students, and try to take them into consideration when planning what to teach.

    2. My students’ stories surface of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (GLBTQ) youth at their own high schools wanting to go to prom only to fi nd that the rules have suddenly changed (“No friends allowed”) when a student wants to bring a same-sex date. A scene about peer violence in the text calls another student to recount the way a senior boy was beaten after school because he was gay. Another student notices a strong connection to the Jim Crow era and the fear of the “living impaired” in the text’s Oakvale High

      I think that it is really great that the students are able to draw parallels from their fantasy books to issues that they are facing in their own lives.

    3. adolescents who might be otherwise reluctant to discuss historical and contemporary discrimination fi nd themselves able to more comfortably look at this issue and draw parallels between the text and their own world when reading

      I think this just shows how imperative fantasy literature can be to a classroom-it can get students to learn and discuss issues without even knowing they're doing it.

    4. I have found that often those issues that we fi nd the most diffi cult to discuss—issues that are perhaps a little too close to home—students can discuss more readily through literature that seems to distance the matter.

      This is a really interesting thought! I agree with this, some times it is easier to talk about difficult or uncomfortable topics when they are put in more abstract or unfamiliar territories.

    5. many elementary teachers were taught as young people to avoid fantasy and science fi ction

      I've never really considered this though before, but I believe that it is true. Science fiction and fantasy are for some reason thought of as genres more geared towards boys, but for what reason?

    6. nce we fi rst read the words E.B. White penned, “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” most of us understood the power of a great fantasy story. Instead of the terrible fate our small pink hero might have faced, he becomes recognized instead as “some pig” in the words of his dear friend Charlotte.

      It never occurred to me before that stories like "Charlotte's Web" are technically fantasy books. I remember reading it as a class in first grade and really enjoying it. I feel like there is a certain stigma against teaching fantasy books, but if there was a more open mind about how students could benefit from these types of stories, they may be more likely to be included in classrooms.

    1. This would consist of two phases: (1) an introductory unit on the ninth- or tenth-grade level illustrating promi- nent archetypes or themes through stories drawn from around the world; and (2) reacquaintance with these archetypes/themes on later levels by showing their appearance in varied works of liter- ature

      Addressing the archetypes in the story will most likely be very helpful for students who are visiting this genre for the first time! And re-visiting it later will really help solidify the information.

    2. more aware of cultures that have often been better educated about us than we have about them. Knowledge of other people's cultural bases increases both respect for others and an apprecia- tion of our own place in the world

      I agree with this statement completely! To respect other cultures, and to become a globally aware citizen we must first educate ourselves. Learning about other cultures usually helps us learn about our own as well.

    3. . An effective ap- proach to mythology should illustrate the connec- tion among international myths, folktales, and leg- ends that continue to be told in current literature and media, including films, songs, television, and cultural icons.

      I like the idea of approaching mythology in the sense of relating it to other cultures, folktales, and legends. Teaching it in such a way could really change the stigma of mythology in schools.

    4. That mythology is any- thing more than a group of long-dead stories does not occur to them

      I'm glad that this article points this out, because I do not know a lot about mythology, and would probably just think of it in relation to Greek tales, not knowing that it is such a vast and varied genre.

    1. Fables can be a great genre to teach children because they all become involved in the development of the story, and it can be fun for them to try and guess the moral of the story.

    2. I love the idea of reading both the original fable, and the modernized version. This will allow the students to see the similarities of the story, and possibly give students ideas on how to write their own fables.

    3. I think it was interesting that the teacher began the lesson with explaining what fables were and how each story had a moral lesson. I think that it could also be interesting to begin this lesson without explaining this to the students, and see if they were able to identify that on their own.

    1. n the context of the Big Book, word attack skills such as using phonetic cues, contextual cues, picture cues, and syntactic cues are taught.

      These are all important skills for students to learn as they will all be relevant in other reading they do as they get older and move on to higher learning. I also think that having all of these topics in one big book is probably very helpful for teachers.

    2. ur students should have read and re sponded to poetry. Thus, from the beginning of the school year and throughout the year, the daily routine in our first-grade classrooms al ways includes poetry. Immediately following writing workshop, the class sits in a circle on the floor to read a poem together.

      I like the idea that students will work together to understand poetry. As someone who did struggle with poetry, it can be frustrating to work on it by yourself, because it can be difficult to interpret and understand. By reading the poems together as a class, students will be more likely to share ideas with each other and perhaps understand it better and develop more of an interest in poetry.

    3. rst graders writing in their journals as soon as they arrive. The teacher gives a written response to each child's

      I like the idea that teachers will be giving feedback to student's work. I feel that often times students are encouraged to write as much as they can, but I can understand that writing so much without receiving any feedback or validation can be a bit frusturating.

    4. oetry is often neglected in classroom literacy experiences (De

      I agree with this statement. I think that the reason that so many students struggle and dislike poetry is because there is a certain neglect of it in the classroom. Personally, I feel like that is what happened to me.

  3. Mar 2016
    1. To enhance the short a letter-sound asso ciation, the teacher displays an apple and says, "You can remember the short a sound by thinking of this apple; /a/ is the first sound in apple

      I like how the teacher is presenting this phonics lesson in such a concrete way. I also like how not only is she showing that apple starts with A, but she is reenforcing the fact that it is a short A sound.

    2. planation and teacher modeling by saying, "Today you will learn one sound that the letter a may stand for. This will help you read many more words that contain the letter 0." Next, she prints on the chalkboard a portion of the story that contains examples of short a such as the following

      This is a great way to teach phonics. Not only is the teacher showing this in a visual way, but she is also explaining WHY she is teaching this.

    3. Williams, 1985). According to Chali (1987), "Research evidence over the past 70 years indicates over whelmingly that direct instruction in phonics is needed and contributes to better develop ment of decoding, word recognition, and com prehension

      Phonetics instruction is something that I think is very important for children to learn. Phonics are the building blocks of reading and should be taught and engrained in the minds of students so that they can master the art of reading.

    1. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

      This is a highly important skill that will be incredibly beneficial to students when reading, and will also help them become better writers. This will also be helpful for when they are taking standardized tests.

    2. With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1

      I think it is important that "prompting and support" is still recommended at this stage because poetry and prose is something that can be more complicated to children, and without prompting and support they may become discouraged and not want to continue working with poetry and prose.

    3. Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

      I am glad that this is included in the common core standards because I think that this is a skill that will be very beneficial to students as they grow older. This skill allows them to find the similar aspects of a story, even though everything may not be the same. This is a skill that students could carry with them all the way up to adulthood, where they could use it to interpret the news and current events.

    4. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text

      I think that it is important that the "key ideas and details" slowly build up as students get older. I think that the biggest thing here in this that students are able to ask and answer questions about the key details, because it shows that the students have full comprehension of the story. On the other hand, if students are not able to answer these questions, it is clear that they do not have full comprehension, and may need some scaffolding from the teacher to understand the story better.

  4. Feb 2016
    1. n another group, two students continued kick ing each other throughout the meeting, which caused both students to miss questions asked by other mem bers and impeded their ability to engage with the text, not to mention disrupted other members.

      This just shows how many distractions can arise when doing group work. In a situation like this, groups will have to be closely monitored and the teacher may need to explain to them that working in groups is a special treat, and if the children cannot show that they are able to handle working together in small groups, they will just have to sit at their desks with pencils and papers instead of doing the "fun" activity.

    2. y educators saw the need to move away from traditional teacher centered instruction in favor of creating more student centered opportunities for learning in their classrooms.

      I agree with this idea, and hope that this is something I can implement in my classroom once I become a teacher. I feel as though the less traditional (traditional being strictly paper and pencil based learning) the activities are, the more excited the students get to participate, and the more effective the lessons are overall.

    3. he boys in this group were supposed to be dis cussing their role sheets that they had prepared on Freak the Mighty. Instead, however, Evan used this op portunity to bully Dale about his shoes.

      Group work can be a really effective way to get students to share ideas with each other, but the biggest problem is how quickly and easily students can get distracted. In this situation, not only were the students getting off task, but some of the boys were also bullying another boy. If this is something that occurs often in a classroom, the teacher may need to take a little extra time to set up the groups before the lesson starts, so they can make sure everyone in the group works well together.

    1. illustrations: taking a "snapshot" of an event; drawing all the details of your "snapshot"; showing some action; putting people in the draw ing; when drawing animals pretend you are using clay; when drawing people make them "real," not stick figures; drawing a person's eyes at the center of the oval, not higher; drawing people with bent elbows and knees to show action;

      I like this lesson because it really allows students to take a "deep dive" into their work and focusing on the details. I feel as if this lesson would appeal to a majority of students, because it is a creative lesson that lets students use a different part of their brain. This could also encourage them to think outside of the box for future projects and assignments.

    2. lass members listen to each child read his or her writing,

      Children listening to each other's work is a great tool to utilize, as it helps the reader with their public speaking, and with understanding their own work, and to the children who are listening, because it may give them ideas on how to improve or change their writing as well.

    3. hildren write about their new or ongoing topics. Some children may do some revision of previous writing. They may talk to one anoth er about their writing, as

      I like the idea that students can choose what they want to write about (within reason). For some students who struggle with finding a topic to write about, they may want to continue with the same topic over a span of a few lessons. This could allow students to stay motivated as well, especially if they were working on a narrative or story in which they could really see their progress over time.

    4. ead the class in brainstorming pos sible topics for writing, and I add the ideas to the class topics list. The writ ten list helps jog children's thinking

      A teacher providing some guidance to their student's while they're working on a task is important. Sometimes the students may not need a reiteration of what they are to be doing, but certain groups of kids may need a spring board of possible writing topics.

    1. Why does seeing themselves in books matter to children? Rudine Sims Bishop, professor emerita of The Ohio State University, frames the problem with the metaphor of “mirror” and “window” books. All children need both. Too often children of color and the poor have window books into a mostly white and middle- and-upper-class world.

      Representation is so important! Personally I think it is unrealistic and unfair that we expect children to read books and hold them to standards that do not reflect them in any way.

    2. In July 2013, CELL presented SAP with a list of 150 multicultural titles, which were recommended by educators from across the country and by more than thirty award committees.

      This brings up an excellent point. The Common Core Standards have to excuse as to why they are not including more multicultural titles, as based on CELL's findings, there are plenty of them that are appropriate for children in schools to read. It is disturbing to me that the Common Core has not yet responded to CELL's presentation, especially since this change could impact so many children in so many ways.

    3. When the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were introduced in 2009—2010 , the literacy needs of half the children in the United States were neglected. Of 171 texts recommended for elementary children in Appendix B of the CCSS, there are only 18 by authors of color, and few books reflect the lives of children of color and the poor.

      Because the Common Core Standards have been adapted (pretty much) nationwide, shouldn't the readings in them reflect our country as a whole nation, 50% of which is African American, Hispanic, American Indian, or Asian American? It simply is foolish that standards that are supposed to impact everyone do not reflect everyone. Also, not only does this hinder the minority students, but white students are not going to be able to receive a proper multi-cultural education if they are only told to read books by and about white people.

    4. too much emphasis has been placed on non-fiction at the cost of literature.

      I do think that the Common Core places too much stress on non-fiction, and not enough on literature. I think that nourishing a child's love and exposure to literature is important, because that may cause them to harness a love for reading that they carry with them through the rest of their life. If they are forced to only read non-fiction books, it is possible that this might actually turn them away for reading for fun.

    1. Even at age 9 or 10, children can articulate, very clearly, the ways in which gender constrains and defines their experiences; even at age 9 or 10, children are aware that their genitals organize their lives.

      I like this point a lot, because I feel that often times children know exactly who they are, but are not taken seriously by their parents/community/society. It is important that we listen to children in many cases, but especially when it comes to their gender identity and how they see themselves.

    2. Appropriate cultural tools for interrogating gender include transmedia narratives and platforms, which can enable learners to develop an attunement to, appropriate, and reinscribe messages about gender in a personally and culturally meaningful way.

      I fully believe that appropriate cultural tools are important for children to be able to interrogate gender, but the key here is that there needs to be appropriate cultural tools at their disposal. If there is little to no LGBT or non-binary gender characters/narratives, how is anyone supposed to access them? Representation is incredibly important, especially for children.

    3. This cluster of social ills is rooted in what Garfinkel (1967) referred to as the “normals” view of gender: The belief that there are two, and only two, gender categories; that all people, with very few exceptions, fit neatly into one of those two gender categories; and that all people, with very few exceptions, fit neatly into the gender category they were assigned at birth.

      I think that it is a good thing that society is beginning to discard this thinking, and (although it may be slow) become more progressive in the belief that gender is not just a two-category, assigned from birth system.

    4. The project of this dissertation is to confront societal norms around gender, gender identity, and gender expression in order to open up spaces for children and adults to interrogate and explore their relationship to their own and others’ genders.

      I think the idea about "opening up spaces" for children (and adults) to explore their gender and sexuality is important. I feel that there is a great disparity in the amount of LGBT narratives in literature, and it is important that people who identify as such are able to be represented in literature.

    1. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently

      An example of this could be "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket. Not only is the story told in a slightly off-kilter way, but it has also been adapted into a stage version, maybe the class could read the book and then work on translating it into a drama that they could perform. The series also has aspects of poetry in it, which the 5th graders could work on analyzing and comprehending.

    2. Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

      This is a skill because it shows that students are able to recognize similarities and differences in a work, and also are able to interpret different mediums for the same work.

    3. Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text

      This could be considered both a skill, and an exemplar. 5th grade students are now able to use direct quotes from texts to support their statements, which show that not only would they be able to present an abstract argument about a narrative piece, but also may be ready to move on to writing research pieces based on non-fiction texts.

    4. Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

      I would consider this a skill. When students are able to read multiple versions of the same story and identify that although parts are different, the underlying plot and message is the same, it shows that they are ready to move on to more complex books. It also shows that they are able to use the text as evidence to an argument that they may have.

    5. Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

      I would consider this knowledge because children are being asked to explore something that they don't know, and are reaching an answer by drawing conclusions and making educated guesses themselves (with assistance). I think that this is an important part of knowledge because not only will asking and answering questions about words they are unfamiliar with help them understand the text they are reading more, but it will also help improve their vocabulary overall.

    6. Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

      This would be considered a skill because recounting and retelling a story is something that must be learned and crafted over time, mostly done through practice. I find it interesting that children make such a leap from going from "retelling familiar stories (with prompting" to mastering a far more abstract concept of retelling stories and fables from other cultures, while touching on their moral or message, just two years later.