Final Learning Letter

Dear Dr. Sean,

 

            After reading your syllabus in January, I was apprehensive in going forward with your class. I knew that I was going to be very busy, and would have to forego my social life for ten weeks. While it was very difficult to do, looking back, I am extremely proud of what I’ve accomplished, and experienced in your class.

            I loved the book talks. My Amazon wish list is now gigantic! It was so great hearing bout so many different kinds of novels. I will need to be well-read in a variety of genres so I may recommend appropriate books for my different student’s interests. I was introduced to all kinds of new books. So many, in fact, that I will be devouring young adult novels all spring and summer long, and will still not have made it through my wish list. What I loved most about the book talks was the in depth summaries. I can always read about best-selling novels online, but the blurbs only give a bare bones summary. You don’t get a sense of the book and the author’s writing style in those five sentences online. It was nice to get detailed descriptions of books so I knew which ones I really wanted to read.

            The mini-lessons were fun as well. It was interesting to teach such a short lesson on a novel. There were so many options and challenges to think about. It made lesson planning a bit more stressful, but I enjoyed the challenge. I feel spoiled because my practicum is at a school where the English language arts class is a block period, five days a week. I get so used to having to fill up so much time, that I do not realize how much more effort it takes to plan a good, yet short lesson plan. The mini-lessons really helped me think about how I would want to teach a novel to my whole class. My practicum placement was just finishing up their class-read novel when I arrived. They haven’t done one since, so it was helpful to see so many different lesson types.

            The three week unit plan is my second child. I literally worked all quarter on that binder. Obviously, it was a struggle, and more difficult for me because I am still learning how to plan and think like an effective teacher. But I have never had a class, during my time in the education program that has forced me too really plan, like certified teachers must do on a daily basis. I’ve gotten some very helpful information, and training over the past two years, but this class has filled some teaching gaps for me. I have written dozens of TPAs, although it feels like hundreds, and created assessments; however, I have not had to create lesson plans with effective summative assessments. Everything has always been in chunks, TPAs in one class, tests in another, and management strategies in yet another, but having a class that asked me to put all of that together helped make me finally feel ready to lead my own classroom.

            I have been building my own teaching philosophy over the past few years. I have been trying to decide what types of behaviors and expectations I want to be part of my classroom norms, and the types of teaching methods I want use with my students. It was great to be exposed to more teaching strategies from Kelly Gallagher and Chris Tovani. I like both of their teaching styles, and the fact that they both work with students who are considered at-risk. To read about their successes, with students who struggle in English classes no less, makes me feel more confident about using their management strategies in my own class. Gallagher’s Readicide may not have been my favorite book of his, but I appreciate his view on teaching novels in the classroom. I have definitely been a part of a class that over-taught the novel. Forced to complete an insane amount of worksheets, any interest I had in the novel, died. So when I was writing my unit plan, I tried to follow guidelines Gallagher suggested. His novel helped me think about I could teach, using a novel, without killing the very essence of the story.

            Overall, I am thoroughly excited to be completing winter quarter in one piece. It has been a long ten weeks. I have been forced to work hard, all quarter long. I know that sounds bad to say, and I really do try to do my best in every class, but I really had to battle this quarter. And, I am finally beginning to feel like a professional educator. I feel like I have come in to my own during my practicum. I am more confident, and I feel ready to be a teacher. I am excited to continue down this path, and I have you to thank. So thank you for preparing me to be a better teacher.

 

Nicky Jones

In the Name of God

            Paula Jolin’s In the Name of God is a powerful book. I like how she wrote the story from the perspective of a devout Muslim. It is no secret that in this day and age, it is difficult to be Muslim. There are a lot of prejudices against that religion, and I appreciate her bravery to tell the other side of the battle against the United States. Obviously Muslims are as passionate about their beliefs as Americans, otherwise there would not be this war. It was very interesting to read how Nadia progressed from simply being devout in her religion, to being an extremist. I feel like that is how most extremists are created, by charismatic people taking advantage of naïve people. Jolin’s novel is a great way to show young readers the danger of getting caught up in your own opinion, without allowing yourself to see other points of view, to be willing to understand others. Nadia ends up pushing her family away, and almost commits the worst mortal sin. Thankfully, her brother’s appearance at the hotel shocks Nadia enough to make her open her eyes, and realize the horror of her situation.

            I think this book could be a difficult sell to my young readers. While the message is good, it is not the most exciting story. The story is full of uncertainty, angst, confusion, and anger, which all of my seventh graders experience, but the plot is slow. There are a few scenes, like when Fowzi gets taken, that are suspenseful and intriguing, but for the most part, this is a story about Nadia’s battle with herself. The ending, while very happy, seems so unfinished. Nadia is being led out of a hotel with a bomb strapped to her body, wouldn’t her brother feel that? And what exactly did she do with the bomb? Considering that I felt jilted at the end, I know my seventh graders would throw a fit.

Maus

            Art Spiegelman’s Maus is amazing. His choice to create a graphic novel to tell his father’s survival story is perfect for reaching younger audiences. Almost every seventh grader in all of my classes has read this story, and they all enjoyed it as well! I think Spiegelman made a very clever choice using mice and cats to portray the Jews and Nazis. By distinguishing the difference between the two groups of people in such an obvious way, younger readers can more easily comprehend the complexity of the issues that lead to World War II. In our culture, cats and mice fighting, is a well-known feud. We don’t think anything of it, we are just reminded of Tom and Jerry, and their crazy hijinks. That makes it easier for students to translate the ingrained hate between those animals, to the hate that Hitler inspired in his Nazis. The cartoons also make it easier to accept the violence that occurred. The content of Spiegelman’s comic is hard to face, but it is something that can’t be ignored either. Spiegelman’s delivery of his father’s harrowing escape from death is perfect to introduce facts of World War II.

            I would teach this novel in English, social studies, or history class. There are endless possibilities for teaching this graphic novel. In English, it would be great to analyze his style and have students create their own mini-graphic novel. It would also be beneficial to discuss with students why Spiegelman chose to portray his father’s story in this style, especially during a narrative unit. Style, point of view, and framing are just a few of the techniques that Spiegelman uses in Maus. Social studies classes could analyze the impact of World War II on the economy in Germany, and areas where there were large Jewish communities. I think the fact that this graphic novel is about a Jewish man surviving the Holocaust, is reason enough to use it for a history unit. Plus, it is a graphic novel, and a nice supplemental text for any class to use.

Edgar Allan Poe

            When it comes to Edgar Allan Poe, I am fan. His stories are wonderfully, and terrifyingly fantastic. He is a truly entertaining writer, who makes murder and mayhem exciting. I appreciate his eloquent writing style. He is loquacious, almost to a fault. His short stories and poems are ideal for teaching sensory/imagery writing. While students may not always appreciate the wordiness of Poe’s writings, his ability to create a climactic event around a crack in a mansion, is impressive. It would be so easy to have students draw or paint a scene from one of Poe’s writings. He describes his settings in such detail, that you almost feel as if you are walking with the main characters through the gloomy scenes. “The Raven” has such a natural rhythm, whenever you read it aloud, that it makes it helpful in teaching students about meter and rhyme. Poe’s use of writing devices makes studying his work, especially for middle and high school students, ideal. The bonus of using Poe is his dark subject matter that he writes about. I do believe students appreciate being given something to read that is about a person going insane, or committing murder. It’s a nice change from the majority of the edited, or mild or “safe” content that students are given. I know my middle school students appreciate when I use Poe to teach narrative or poetic techniques.

            As mentioned previously, I am a fan of Poe. Every time I re-read one of his stories or poems, I end up noticing something I did not when I previously read his writing. “The Fall of The House of Usher” and “The Tell Tale Heart” both have such climactic endings, that I tend to focus and remember the most details from the end of those stories. I never paid much attenti0n to the build-up of the crack in the mansion, but it is a vital part of the story. I guess, as I become a proficient reader, and better at analyzing his work, I find I appreciate his creativity even more.

Book Talk: Harris and Me

Harris and Me

By Gary Paulsen, Presented by Nicky Jones

 

Summary

 

This novel is based off a summer in Gary Paulsen’s life when he was young. Coming from a troubled home, the narrator (who is never named) has bounced around from home to home of distant relatives. He never forms relationships with his relatives, and he never stays in one home for long. It is 13 chapters of anecdotes chronicling his first experience on a farm dealing with animals and heavy machinery. Staying with Harris and the rest of the Larson family is a wildly hilarious adventure full of farm yard mischief and mayhem. This is a really fun story, and it’s not full of complex material. This is a great story to help get students into reading since it’s full of laugh-out-loud moments.

 

 

Rationale

 

I chose this novel because it’s such a light-hearted story. Even though the narrator is dealing with serious issues in his life, he finds real happiness with the Larson family. Paulsen writes from the heart in this novel and you can feel the narrator slowly let down his guard and allow himself to want to be a part of a family. On top of all of that, this novel is hilarious. Every time I read it, I laugh out loud. Harris and Me never gets old. This novel is great for any middle or high school student, especially one who is reluctant to read outside of school requirements.         

3 Ways to Utilize Harris and Me

 

1.      Engage reluctant readers: American Library Association Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult readers. This is a good novel to entice students to read for pleasure.

2.      Study narrative styles: Paulsen’s style is very unique in this novel since he never once mentions his name or any name for the narrator. You could use one short chapter from the novel to analyze with students during a narrative unit, especially since if they are going to write a personal narrative.

3.      Character Development: The narrator changes significantly over the summer at the Larson’s farm. They aren’t obvious or instant changes either. His attitude and confidence slowly builds, and that becomes apparent in the way he handles situations and thinks about his choices with Harris as the summer progresses.

 

Obstacles

1.      Language: Harris is nine and the narrator is probably only a few years older, though his age is never specified. They both use explicit language, especially Harris. I believe this would be the biggest obstacle that would come up with this book.

2.      Content: There is nothing overly inappropriate in this book. However, there is a chapter where Harris fries his penis on an electric fence, and the narrator has naked photos of women that are always a topic of conversation for Harris and him. I don’t believe this novel has anything in it that would be considered offensive, but more conservative parents might not like the way Harris speaks and behaves.

 

Readicide

            Let me preface this with, I love Kelly Gallagher. I enjoy his books. I find them to be incredibly helpful and always appreciate his ideas for effectively teaching students. I’ve read four of his books now and I actively use two of them to help me with lesson planning or strategies for working with struggling students. Gallagher’s philosophy about teaching and the way it should be done has definitely influenced my own philosophy. To me, Gallagher is an educational guru that I will defer to throughout my career.

That being said, I am not a fan of Readicide. I do not know what it is about the book, but I struggled reading it. It took me three weeks to force my through this, and even then I had to go back and re-read most of what I’d done because none of it stayed with me. Maybe I didn’t like this because I feel like I’ve read everything in this book in other books written by Gallagher. I didn’t feel like I got anything new out of it. To me, of four chapters, the third one was the most interesting. I enjoyed his take on “avoiding the tsunami” of academic reading that our students will inevitably face. I think focusing on one main factor within an academic novel is a great idea. I know there have been times when I’m asked to analyze so many different things in one essay that I don’t know where to begin. I like focusing on one thing at a time and digging into that one thing as deep as possible, making as many connections to real life and literature alike, and truly understanding that aspect of the novel. I think concentrated focus like that gets left out of the classroom because there’s so little time to cover so much. That’s why I also appreciate Gallagher’s “One-pagers” in appendix c. It’s a great way to keep students focused on one event or character, their purpose, and the intent and audience of it. In three questions, Gallagher has a way to effectively focus students to one analytical skill at a time.

I may not like this book, but I always appreciate Gallagher's worksheets, and this book is no different. I probably won't ever read this book again, but I will definitely us it.

I Read It, But I Don't Get It

            I never realized how much of a difference graphic organizers can make to a student’s comprehension while reading. When I first began my practicum, I didn’t have students take notes of any kind while reading, they just used annotations in the text to mark items that stand out. After reading this, as well as a few Gallagher books, I have begun introducing graphic organizers as the norm to use while reading. Students are no longer just reiterating parts from whatever we are reading, but actually making connections and conclusions. After reading about how Tovani implemented graphic organizers to change the way her at-risk students viewed reading, I became completely sold on their necessity with seventh graders.

            I loved how Tovani described “fake reading.” I’ve wondered about some of my students who read very well by never seem to recall anything from what we read in class. It gets kind of frustrating at times to know they are so close to making great connections, but are just not quite getting it. I now have a term for that as well as a few great ideas to help students overcome “fake reading.” I especially like Tovani’s idea of helping students make connections from new reading to their everyday life. Connections are made to the student’s life, or movies they’ve seen, or music they’ve heard. Personalizing texts really seems to help students understand or want to understand more than just reading the words on the page. I feel like when I was in school, teachers wanted to see more text-to-text connections, but that’s hard to do for most students because they aren’t “well-read” yet. The act of making those types of connections strengthens the mind. It’s not as important what the connections are being made between.

            My favorite of Tovani’s graphic organizers are the ones in appendix B. Right now my students are beginning to go through sources to start formulating their own opinion about endangering wolves. My students will then write an essay about how they believe wolves should be handled in our state. Using the graphic organizers to help students connect the issue to their own lives has really helped students get on one side or the other of the issue. It’s been great to see the discussions my students are now having, and the tactics they are using to try and persuade the other side into agreeing with them.

Social Justice

            If we define social justice as promoting a just society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity. It exists when all people share a common humanity and therefore have a right to equitable treatment, support for their human rights, and a fair allocation of community resources, as Dr. Matthew Robinson from Appalachian State University does, then it is clear that social justice is lacking in our educational system. There is an unlimited amount of articles, blogs, and research theories on why social justice is such an issue, and the effects the lack of has on our society. One interesting thing I found is a book titled Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching about Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word, by Linda Christensen. While I have only been able to read through the introduction into the book, I find her position on social justice to be very interesting. Christensen is inspired by writers like Fredrick Douglass and published educators like Paulo Freire. She wholeheartedly believes that by educating the poorest members of society a change can occur that fixes more than the “achievement gap.” Christensen claims that reading and writing are ultimately political acts and that writing should be an emancipatory act. After reading the last article on critical pedagogy and a chapter from one of Freire’s books, it seems that this is the kind of attitude schools need their teachers to have. Maybe talk of a “mute revolution” as Christensen calls it is enough to inspire those failing in today’s school system to fight back. I honestly thought Freire’s words were a bit extreme, and there are still parts of Freire’s philosophy that I’m not on board with; however, I’m beginning to see the need for an extreme change in our schools. I guess that means extreme words need to be written and read by everyone, but especially students in poor schools and form low SES backgounds. I’ve been in the education program for two years now and I don’t think social justice has been discussed enough. I find myself more and more agreeing that we need a “mute revolution.”

Critical Pedagogy in an Urban High School English Classroom

           I really enjoyed reading this article. I love how all the scholars incorporated current and relevant issues. The skills that the scholars taught are critical to the success of every student’s future, but just telling them that isn’t enough to make them want to learn. The skills can seem boring or unimportant, and sometimes I wonder how I will teach my students in a way that will interest and engage them. I vividly remember poetry units where we connected song lyrics to poems. They were some of my favorite English classes. I definitely plan on doing that during a poetry unit, but I really like the way they used a more recent movie to help frame a classic text. I’ve often wondered how I could make my students actually want to read classic novels. I think this is a smart way to connect all the eras since issues today are quite similar to issues a hundred plus years ago. I like how they were able to inspire their students to think so critically in every unit by making past to present connections. The scholars truly inspired their students like I hope to one day.

            The only concern I have with this is that it’s definitely designed for high school students. The connections that have to be made are difficult to comprehend and execute properly. The scholars even admit that they have to wait until near the end of the school year before attempting to teach some of their units because otherwise the students wouldn’t handle it properly. I know I definitely couldn’t use something so controversial with my seventh graders. I almost feel like the motivation to engage their students was to use sensitive materials. I wonder if they could get the same engagement out of watching Bride and Prejudice before reading a classic novel like Pride and Prejudice. I love their approach to teaching. My philosophy very much aligns with theirs, but I’d like to know how they motivate their students to want to read other genres of classic novels.

Pedagogy of The Oppressed

            Wow. After reading the second chapter from Pedagogy of the Oppressed my thoughts about education have been altered. I have never been a fan of the generalized, fill in the bubble style of tests mandated by states and the government, but Freire’s view is definitely extreme. I don’t think I would go so far as to say that our education was created to oppress upcoming generations into submission. I see the bank education approach as antiquated, not oppressive. Educational needs were far different, even just ten years ago, than they are today. Technology has changed the way the world works, and more critical thinking and creative problem solving are required for students to become successful in the working world. Our world has become, in a sense, flat. People travel around the world for work, but that used to not be the case. Students needed to know more hands on skills to function in their towns. Traveling to a different country for work was rare. As that option has become more and more available, the way we teach has had to change to prepare students to compete with the world for jobs instead of just the people in their town. I see this as the evolution of education. Education today is still evolving to meet our students’ needs and will continue to evolve with each generation. It’s progress. I like the overall message that Freire is sending with his writing, but I don’t completely agree. The way he describes banking education makes it seem like teachers are evil and out crush creativity and the very soul of their students. Thinking about my least favorite teachers when I was in school, I wouldn’t say they were evil. They were just uneducated on various methods that could benefit their students. If Freire is making his extreme statements to help make a point, then I can appreciate his style. His words definitely made me think about testing and my philosophy about education. Education needs to evolve, but not just for students. It needs to be developed and evolved for teachers and their professional development too. Old-school teachers aren’t oppressors, they just lacking support to grow.

Assessing and Evaluating Students' Learning

            Assessing students is one of the more difficult aspects of teaching that I am encountering. It’s hard to know if I am creating tests that are too easy or too difficult for students. With actually teaching, I can adapt my lesson to fit my student’s needs, but once I hand them their tests, that’s it. There is no adapting the test until after a group of students have had to experience it. Reading these articles were helpful in reminding me that the way I set up my tests will determine the success of my students taking them. I recently got to sit in with a group of English language arts teachers at my school who were participating in a mini-training session to score Smarter Balance practice tests that the students took earlier in the week. The questions the students had to answer were very specific but the grading rubric was vague. It seemed weird to me that the rubric didn’t match the questions being asked. It made attempting to grade the essays very difficult. The teachers disagreed on two thirds of the questions. It was challenging and it felt unfair to have to put the response up to a vote to get a grade. That should never be the case, especially on a state mandated test. That is why I appreciated the section about creating effective scoring rubrics in the handout “Assessing and Evaluating Students’ Learning.” I like the idea of setting a standard for what is exceptional work and what is unacceptable work. I think that if the people who created the state tests did that, then there wouldn’t have been so much ambiguity between what constitutes and perfect 3 and a 2. I think that using that strategy will also help me make my assessment goals and grading rubric more clear to students as

Reading Rhetorically

     I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. I am finding I have far more appreciation for educational articles and books now that I am getting a complete understanding of the impact of Common Core standards on the education system. Finding ways to get students to achieve the base skill sets established can seem daunting, especially since I still want to teach fun and classic literature in my room. Articles like this are give wonderful examples of how to get students into the correct mindset for deeper and critical thinking. I love that this article's examples can be used for really any literature piece that requires more than just a cursory glance from my students.
     Initially, I didn't like the entire pre-reading section. I understand the importance of framing any literature piece that my students will read; however, I felt there were so many steps that it would take half a unit to just work up to reading the article, novel, poem, etc. Even though California State University describes so many detailed steps for the pre-reading section, a lot of it is easily combined. I've discovered that before I introduced an environmental article about wolves in Alaska to my students, I had them go through the whole article and write for five minutes about what they thought it would be about and what they already knew about wolves and Alaska. In framing the article first, I saved lots of time for the during and post reading sections because my students were already thinking critically about the subject and were more engaged with the reading and retaining the material. I think I need to keep reminding myself that being an English Language Arts teacher may require a lot of work, but it will be worth it. As I develop and grow as a teacher, this framing of reading, asking questions during, re-reading the piece, and reflecting will become second nature and help me make my students proficient in all standards pertaining to secondary English classes.

Team Teaching

     I have to admit that I love the idea of team teaching. When I first hear of the concept, I thought it was a way for teachers to really lighten their individual work load. I just assumed that it was like two teachers split the work down the middle or one teacher took advanced students and one teacher took struggling students. I enjoyed finding out that team teaching is about way more than minimizing teacher work, and that team teaching means more work for teachers. It is about developing more effective teaching styles and allowing teachers to experiment with new methods to find what works best for students. Team teaching is about collaborating with colleagues and making sure all teachers within a content area are on the same page.
     My favorite thing about reading the articles on team teaching is realizing that my master teacher is using those methods with me. He rarely calls me his student teacher. Tim lets his students know that I am a teacher and a huge resource for his students to use whenever I am in the classroom. I like that I am extra support for his students while he is teaching. This has cut down on questions during lessons and allows the flow of the lesson to be uninterrupted. I also really like when we do alternative teaching. Differentiating instruction is one of the more difficult aspects of teaching. It's hard to create one lesson to challenge every student in the class. Invariably, the advanced students are done early with the assignments and having them always silent read seems ineffective. I like that Tim and I alternate between diving deeper into the lesson with the advanced students and making sure the rest of the students fully understand the objectives of the initial lesson. Team teaching makes me wish that every classroom could have two teachers.

Common Core Standards

     There is no doubt that controversy follows the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) wherever it is set into effect. Parents and teaches alike push back, but are they pushing against the standards being set in place by the government or is it just change that they want to avoid? Reading the first chapter of Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards opened my eyes. My time at Eastern and has made me a bit apprehensive with teaching to the CCSSs when I get into a classroom. Reading this has definitely calmed those concerns. I appreciated how up front Beach, Thein, and Webb are in their writing. They understand that the CCSSs are not perfect, and they aren't afraid to publicly voice the issues and research done to support concerns like poverty and lack of privilege that affect students from exceeding these standards, or forcing curriculum on teachers who already have established an effective unit plan for their classes. But having standards established in a state's school systems does not mean teaching completely changes. They are the ultimate goal, standards are meant to be the bare minimum of what students are able to do by the end of their school year. Reading through the English Language Arts standards, nothing seems unreasonable or unattainable. There is an infinite amount of room for creativity with lesson planning and teaching styles. It makes me feel like teachers who push back and hate the CCSSs do so just because they don't want to update or change their teaching methods or styles. But with our shrinking world, change is unavoidable. If we do not strive for more, we will stagnant and fall further behind in the education of our developing generations. Parents who are completely against the CCSSs must ill informed because setting a bare minimum goal for your child is never a bad thing. Children learn better when they are provided with a structure that challenges them as well. Flexibility is key and teachers and parents alike need to change their thoughts on how education should occur to provide a better education for future generations.

Discussion in A Democrratic Society

     I really enjoyed reading this chapter. At first I thought it was going to be full of obvious common sense knowledge, and in a way, this chapter was. However, remembering that I am working with 7th graders who still need lots of personal and academic development, this chapter is awesome. My favorite part, which I will certainly be using in my classrooms, is the section about defining differences between conversations, discussions, and dialogues. I have never heard of this concept, but I can see how it would be effective in trying to help primary school students distinguish the difference between just talking with their peers and having an engaged discussion. I know that my students need clearly defined guidelines to accomplish any assignment or task, so of course they need clear guidelines in order to understand how to participate in whole class discussions, which are complex tasks even if students spend most of the time just sitting and listening. Defining these types of verbal communication is so simple, and yet it is a small revelation for me as I begin to establish myself as a teacher. This reading is a good example of how setting standards and guidelines for any and all tasks in the classroom is vital.
     I also enjoyed reading about how teachers are becoming more accustomed to using small groups within the class to help encourage students to speak. I was most certainly the quiet student who understood the material, but absolutely refused to be the only student speaking. It may be a common fear, but having 30 pairs of eyes staring intently and judging is hard to overcome. I appreciate that teachers realize more and more that forcing students to speak in front of everyone will not build that student's confidence. Currently in my class when I lead whole class discussions or and having students share, I never make anyone speak. If a student is not comfortable, I'm not going to be the teacher that tells them to suck it up and deal with being uncomfortable. Just like in the reading, I wholeheartedly believe that part of my job is going to be to create an environment where my students learn to be comfortable to share their thoughts or opinions. In time, if I am able to foster the proper environment, students will be willing to share and discuss on their own terms.