Chapter 3

Literacy has now surpassed just reading and writing. There are many who still believe literacy is synonymous with reading and writing. No! Reading and writing is only a part of literacy. This chapter focused on the fact that many of our students are advanced beyond their teachers in computer and cell phone literacy. They could do a lesson for us in how to text message. Also, this chapter talked about writing as a social practice--not just something we do in class during the writing workshop. We write grocery lists, memos, emails, letters and the list goes on. We write all of the time. I am writing write now on this blog. I believe we marginalize writing too much in addition to other subjects. Our students need to see and practice the connections in learning. If we don't speed up our knowledge of technological literacy (not just computer literacy), the kids will be teaching us how to communicate! :)

"The Very Best of Friends"

At first, I think Jesse was the type of person who chose to grieve in solitude. When someone is depressed, it is not good to spend prolonged periods of time alone. Sure it's healthy to need to spend time alone, but excessive amounts of time alone in grief are not good. If it was good for Jesse, why did everthing start piling up, she stopped feeding her pets including William, and her life was in utter disarray. It's when William scratched her that she began to "come to". His scratch was like a wakeup call. She then realized he had been neglected. She began to come to her senses and feed him again. At first he was reluctant to her affections but he soon came around and they both realized how much they needed each other. They still missed James of course but they were now "the very best of friends."

Ecologies of Learning Presentation

Wow. The presentation that Mr. Pete is giving is something else to behold. I think society as a whole has some ways to go until a solid web ecology can be fully developed. However, I think what we have learned today is critical to us as educators. It was a simple yet straightforward look into the growing world of the ecology of learning. It was interesting to learn that less than 50% of the net is in English. I will definitely look up Barbara Gandley and read her blog on writing. Innovation is a difficult thing to get across to others. Creating a new system is not easy either. Today's presentation was not only just for technology, it could apply to any educational innovation in general. The post-modernism theory is also something to look into. And even though I love the current school semesters, I didn't know that this system originated at Cambridge University around the 1100's. Okay, so we are a little slow to change :). Great presentation, great discussion afterwards.....SPASEEBA!!

Teacher Demonstration Lesson plan

Lesson Plan

Bluebonnet Writing Project
Teaching Demonstration

Title of the Book: Chicken Sunday
Author: Patricia Polacco
Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
Publishing Information: New York: The Putnam and Grosset Group
ISBN: 0-698-11615-1
Suggested Grade level: Intermediate elementary

Goal: Students will be able to identify not only the setting but the change of setting within the context of a story and how it can affect the plot. They will be able to convey their understanding of a setting within the context of writing and drawing.

Objectives: The student will be able to listen to the story, identify the various changes in setting, match the title of the scenes with the settings, identify individual examples of setting within groups, compose a writing piece about setting for a personal narrative and draw a literal setting map of the community using the setting from the story.

TEKS:
1a- Students recognize the way an author organizes information and engage in more sophisticated analysis such as characters, plots, and settings.
5.1a-determine the purpose for listening such as to gain information, to solve problems, or to enjoy and appreciate
5.9a-develop selections by listening to selections read aloud
5.12I-recognize and analyze story plot, setting, and problem resolution
5.15a-write to express, discover, record, develop, reflect, on ideas, and to problem solve

Research:
Read Alouds boost listening and reading comprehension skills and bring subjects to life in a way that textbooks cannot.
Auerbach, Barbara. Strangers in a Strange Land: Read Alouds Give Us Insight into Others’ Struggles. New York: School Library Journal, October 2006, Vol 52, No. 18, pages S18

A read aloud—or shared reading—is one of the most effective ways for young adults to hear fluent reading.
Allen, J. Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and guided paths to independent reading, 4-12. Portland, ME:Stenhouse, 2000

Reading comprehension can be significantly improved through utilization of LCD projector instructional technology in the elementary classroom.
Black, Narda, Brill, Ann, Eber, Debra, Suomala, Lisa. Using Technology to Compare the Instructional Effectiveness of Read Aloud and Read Along Materials in an Elementary Classroom. Michigan. July 2005.

Procedures:

1. See Powerpoint Presentation on Setting.
2. Pass out sticky notes.Guess the setting descriptions with your groups then share.
3. Read Chicken Sunday staying with Before, During and After Read Aloud format. During the story, count how many times the setting changes. It is important to be aware of when the setting changes because this can greatly affect your understanding of the plot! This can also affect your writing!
4. Preview text title and story. Make predictions.
5. Read Chicken Sunday .
6. After reading, discuss how many times the setting changed. If this entire story took place in Miss Eula’s living room would it be the same? Explain there is the big setting and there are little settings within the big setting.
Also discuss characters.
7. Pass out Chicken Sunday setting cards. Each student will either get a setting title, or setting description. Students will then move around the room and find their match. When all of the students have found their match, each partner group will share.
8. Is the community in Chicken Sunday a place you would like to live? What is it about the setting that would make you like or not like living here?
9. (If time permits) Draw a literal setting map of Patricia’s, Stewart’s and Winston’s community. Include streets, and all of the places within the setting of the story.

Reading/Writing/Drawing Connection:

1. Use a Read Aloud to discuss the literary element of setting, characters and plot.
2. Using word imagery samples to determine the setting of a story.
3. Writing about the possibilities of living in a community like the one in Chicken Sunday and whether or not you would like it.
4. Drawing a literal setting map of the community and labeling the various landmarks mentioned in Chicken Sunday.

Discussion Protocol:
What did you learn overall about setting from this lesson?
What did you like about this lesson?
Did you feel you received a better understanding of this story element through a read aloud?


Extensions:

1. Students can make a brochure inviting others to move into the community detailed in Chicken Sunday or another favorite destination place.
2. Students can find settings in their favorite movies.
3. Comparing and contrasting other literature to further emphasize setting.
4. Designing a set for an in class readers theater
5. Groups or individuals can write their own stories and design finger puppets and sets (for setting) highlighting not only setting but character development and plot.

Literature Analysis of Research

I. Title: Developing a Culture of Inquiry for Equity: One School’s Story

II. Author: Tanya Friedman

III. Author's Purpose for Writing: To show the effects of inquiry for equity

IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study? There was not much of any literature citations in this study. She did highlight what she had learned through trainings.
The focus of the inquiry
The locus of the inquiry—who decides the focus and where it happens
The length of time an individual or team stays with a specific topic

V. Author's Inquiry Question/s-- Through

VI. Author's Methodology—Whole school planned,

A. Who is being studied? Students who had not met the achievement gap.

B. Over what length of time? Nine years

C. What data is being collected? Teacher reflections and student outcomes

D. How is it being analyzed? Through peer reviews

E. Any other interesting or pertinent data? Not at this time

VII. How the author collected information? Classroom inquiry and Whole-school work.

VIII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications--In five years they were able to see the achievement gap close in writing achievement.

The author found three elements to be especially important in developing and sustaining a culture that supports inquiry for equity.

· Create structures and support for teachers to reflect on how issues of race, class, and culture play out in their own lives, in the school, and in the classroom

· Offer variety of structures and entry points for equity-driven inquiry

· Dedicate time, space, and support for both formal and informal inquiry.

River Legacy

Deprivation of Creation
Why do we walk around in the hustle and bustle of this world not noticing what is around us? Sure we may “Ooh and ah” with our neighbor at their newly planted rose bush. And, if we have time between stopping at the gas station and grabbing a cup of cappuccino before heading to a meeting, we may even smell the wildflowers next to the gas station bathroom. Is that a sweet, dainty purple flower or the smell of the grape flavored sucker the kid in front of me tried to throw in the store front trash can and missed? How have we come to this? Like the erosion of the river is unapparent over years and years, so is our plunge from the nostalgic, daily experience of nature. Nature was given to us as a gift, and it was us who chose to push it to the side in a quest for the “good” life. I beg many pardons, but sitting in traffic two hundred days a year is not exactly what I call “good” or even “ideal.” Today’s experience was nothing short of not only a visit to the joy and innocence of childhood, but a sharp realization that if you peer closely enough, that childlike spirit is still within us. Seeing grown women run around chasing insects, peering and asking about furry unidentifiable insects is nothing short of a miracle. Grabbing my camera and chasing after butterflies may not be the best way to spend a morning for “civilized” adults, but it was therapy, a spiritual realization that I need to come back to my senses and realize this life is much better than we could ever imagine. If those spiders have food and webs to stay safe in, if the butterflies fly freely, and if the birds can obtain food free from harm of predators, what am I worrying about? I didn’t dwell on the cell phone bill or what is on the agenda for next week in my day planner. The wonder of creation was enough for me to realize we focus too much on what does not matter. Below I have given descriptions of the pictures I have taken.
When I first started walking, one of the first things I thought was “how can I be missing this?” The beauty of sunlight shining through the aged leaves of the trees was simply breathtaking. As we started the path, a classmate said something to the effect of “Why don’t we do this more often?” This was not only the "Handwriting of God" as spoken by a classmate but truly it was an expression of "How Great Thou Art."

Response to Joyce Armstrong Carroll Article

This article was a great idea in that it talked about teaching students to code and decode their texts. This was not only a great way to help kids better identify their mistakes but it also puts them in the driver’s seat in terms of their writing. They are taking responsibility for their work. Kids will not always have teachers to check their writing. I do also agree with Joyce C. about the process of teaching this. This will not be something they can learn in a week. This will take time and skill and extensive modeling day after day by the teacher. I believe once students grasp the concept, this will be a powerhouse tool to use for writing and something they can realistically use for the long haul. What we want are life-long writers-- not 187 day writer’s workshop graduates. Kids love “codes” and by using a strategy of this type the teacher can “jazz up” this coding activity by making a fun code model for the kids to use and also can tailor their marks based on the writing conventions his/her students are struggling with. By starting small and ending big this can be a successful tool in improving writing for students.

Cowtown Weather Report

https://mavspace.uta.edu/ksg5146/cowtownweather.mp3

This is Stormy Weathers & Sunny Vine with the Cowtown weather forecast...Yesterday’s weather was a mixed bag. The day started out mostly sunny, but by midmorning the doplar radar showed an incoming localized tsunami threatening room 512 of the Central Library of UTA. Fortunately, it only hailed thoughtshots and snapshots briefly resulting in minor casualties.--We need to interrupt our forecast for late breaking news from the National Weather Service…ipods can cause severe burns when used during electrical storms. We asked Scott Massey, Director of Everything PC, for his opinion on the probability of such an occurrence. And I quote..."Oh sure. It's highly probable that anyone who owns a mac could end up looking like an old catchers mit...or worse. I never trusted them Mackeys anyway! Let that be a lesson to all you Apple fans and itunes addicts. You may think they're all fun and games with their slick image and superior performance, but it's like playing a dangerous round of Russian roulette...Yes, indeedy...Russian roulette."That's dangerous stuff. So today, folks, use caution with all electronic devices at area lakes and especially the DMS. We'll keep our eyes on any unexpected calamity threatening North Texas today, and we'll do our best to keep you informed. (Again...we're really sorry about that last tornado.) Back to you at the news desk

Critical Incident Essay

*Oliver, Oliver, what can I say. When he came to us, he was not exactly the model student however, he was a child with promise, short, beautiful smile, loved basketball, TV, and pizza . He enjoyed everything a child at his age should enjoy. He also understood something at his age that a child should never understand—life can be cold and parents can negatively alter their own child’s life by their poor choices. He learned a mother could be selfish. He learned his mother has other children—booze, maybe drugs. His mother probably did not plant roses outside of her window. She planted discord. His mother did not bake cookies for him, but she did cook his pride. She did not take the time to brush his hair, but she brushed any self worth he had out of him. Daily, along with the other kids, you could imagine him standing in the apartment complex, on the green grass, leaning up against the rusted metal fence looking at a world gone by…..
He was usually late to class due to being in the office or from just plain being in trouble. He never had his homework and when I called his home, I would hear, “He will have that tomorrow Ma’am.” This was the rundundant answer I heard all of the time. In class he would sleep, or sit back in his chair because he did not want to do anything. My grade level team members and I has ran out of options until one day we were in the science lab and noticed he was peeking in the science lab after school. The other teacher said, “What are you doing here!” He hesistantly asked “Can I please stay here and help you all?” He ended up being a big help. His assignments were still bad and he struggled with every subject-- there was no subject he did better or worse in. Then one day, we found out why he had been adamant about staying after school and not having his homework. His mother was in jail and his aunt and grandmother were doing the best they could raising him. The school nurse, who was a leader in a nursing organization, saw this frustrating him and appointed him along with several other students to be a junior member in her organization. We also found he responded to positive praise well. It was as if the child-like core of his broken spirit ignited at the precious, praise-filled words spoken by his teachers who wanted so badly to see him reach the finish line not just for the school year but a finish line that gave him the realization he knew he was worth teaching

If I could describe his growth during the school year, I would say he went through a metamorphosis like a butterfly. He first started out like a furry, wriggling, bitter-leaf eating caterpillar just waiting to be snatched up and eaten by a volatile insect. He then spun his cocoon—hiding who he was from everyone. Hiding his homework, hiding his answers in class because he felt he had nothing to offer. Yet, change was going on inside. He was changing for the better. Then slowly the cocoon began to crack. After wriggling again and again, one would have thought he was still a caterpillar because he was still forgetting homework from time to time. Then the moment of truth came. It was time to go to Houston on the intermediate field trip. He was officially coming out of this “cocoon.” Everyone was getting ready in the school gym at around 5:00 am. We were set to leave at 6:00 am to go to Houston for the intermediate trip. Where was Oliver? Why hadn't he come? He has not worked this hard for nothing! A sharp realization rose up within us. There was a possibility his grandmother would not let him go or she could not make it. Chances are someone overslept. I was so disappointed. We tried to call the house several times but no one answered. The “cocoon” may not have sustained him like we thought. The principal started roll call as my eyes nervously darted around the gym. “Hugo, Talisha , Manuel , James.” When Oliver’s name was called there was a dead silence. She paused, made a mark by his name and continued on with roll call. Then, who did we see walking through the door with his grandmother in tow? Oliver! Just as we were gathering things to load the bus, he came in right on time. He fell out of his cocoon, and like a butterfly, he emerged and he was wrinkly! His grandmother was trying to fix his clothes because they had rushed to school. If only he knew how happy his teachers were to see him. I wish you could see how much fun he had on that trip. His wings spread and soared in Houston. He fit in with the other boys and had a great time learning about space at NASA. He was a full butterfly, tried and true. He started the year like a caterpillar, but now he was a butterfly, going from flower to flower, opportunity to opportunity. Homework was being turned in on time and completed. Grades were going up, as well as his attention when questions were being asked.
Oliver will be in the seventh grade this year. He responded so well to positive attention. He genuinely needed love and support. Like many of our students today, he had many issues going on at home and it was a struggle just to walk through the doors of the school in the morning. It did not help that he was a struggling reader, writer and mathematician. When he was treated like somebody by the staff, he began to believe he was somebody—special.

Response to Article

In reponse to the article:
As teachers, we are active researchers. We want to take action then journal the results. I think educational research is vital to us as educators better understanding our students, however, many researchers do take the objective approach and choose to research from afar without building relationships. Further we must realize that researchers of this capacity do this because if they get too involved, they can't get the clear, objective picture they are trying to research thus skewing the accuracy of results. This becomes a significant limitation on the study which in turn leading others to question the validity of the study. I do see what she means when she talks about the research process. It does seem at times that no one is trying to discover an answer. Research only prods which leads to more questions and more research!

Daily journaling is a great idea for teachers. We become the researcher in our own classroom! Why is this good? Because we know our students better than anyone in the school. Does not every teacher desire to affect a change? Why not write daily. There is no end to the patterns, mistakes, etc we may see or catch in daily journaling which will in the end lead us to be better educators. Teachers are researchers.

The Art of Writing

To write or not to write? The answer is quite obvious--to write! Writing is more than something we learn as a means of communication. It is more than the writer's workshops we went through as kids in school. It is a catharsis; a way of expression and sharing. Writing can be an art. Just like an artist paints a picture of the Tuscan country side with his oil paints, someone can paint a picture with words. The painter sees the picture in his mind...so does the writer. The painter may research, explore and attempt to become a part of the world of which he is painting...and so does the writer.