#7 Prompt

 For my deeper dive next week, I focused on learning to spell. One area in this topic of controversy is spelling instruction. In Tompkins (2022), it states that: "Many teachers question the usefulness of spelling tests because research on invented spelling suggests that spelling is best learned through reading and writing. In addition, teachers complain that lists of spelling words are unrelated to the words students are reading and writing and that the 30 minutes of valuable instructional time spent each day in completing spelling activities is excessive." I found this statement interesting because the students in my class complete spelling activities throughout the week and I have noticed that in their writing, they have had less errors since the beginning of the year. For my ELA block, I have three centers. One is for guided reading, one is a technology center, and the third one is a word work center, where the students are given a word list from Words Their Way each week and a word work packet with various activities to complete using their word list. Before they start their word work packet, they are given a mini lesson on the word sorts that they are working on. At the end of the week the students take a spelling test, and based on their score, they are given a different list of words for the next week. I believe these activities are helpful in getting the students engaged in the work to begin with, as well as recognizing the words and being able to spell them correctly. With the student population that I have, it isn't always easy to get the students motivated to do spelling work. Therefore, engaging activities with their word lists are very helpful. Some of the activities that the students do are roll and write, rainbow words, stamp words, silly sentences, and tic tac toe words, just to name a few, and I have seen some more "buy in" since I updated the activities. The book also states that the number of misspellings increases in grades 1 through 4. It doesn't mention 5th grade which is what I teach. I would be interested to see the research with fifth graders on this. I also have students participating in daily reading and writing activities, which Tompkins says will make them conventional spellers. I just found it interesting that the text wants the students to use only the study strategy. I wonder if the researchers considered this strategy as the only option regarding students with disabilities or severe emotional disturbances like the ones I work with. It would be difficult to only use this strategy for my students. 

#6 Phonemic Awareness

 Learning about phonemic awareness this week was very informative to me because I have to start using some of the instruction during my ELA centers. For one of my ELA centers, the students get a word list for the week and a word work packet where they complete multiple activities with their words throughout the week. Then, at the end of the week, they have to take a spelling test on those words. After meeting with the literacy specialist at my school, he informed me that I need to be sure to do some phonemic awareness mini lessons with the students before they start working on their word lists. He did give me some resources to explore for teaching the students the difference in sounds, such as the short and long /i/ sound. 

The Yopp article came at the perfect time, as it gives examples of phonemic awareness instruction. To be honest, since I have started teaching this school year, this was the first time I was given any direction in regard to teaching phonemic awareness. One quote that I thought was important from the Yopp article was: "phonemic awareness activities will not be helpful unless they can be placed in a context of real reading and writing. Furthermore, teachers must recognize that while sensitivity to the sound basis of language supports literacy development, it is also an outcome of literacy experiences." (Yopp & Yopp, 2000). I thought this was informative given that I am learning how to teach phonemic awareness in my classroom. I also wonder how often teachers are doing this kind of instruction. I think it is true that it is only one part of a bigger concept of literacy. One thing that I feel is disappointing as a new teacher is that I haven't been given many resources up until now on how to teach phonemic awareness. Most of the teachers I work with do ELA centers that consist of word work, guided reading, and a technology station. I definitely will start incorporating mini lessons of phonemic awareness into my ELA centers moving forward. 

According to the Yopp article, a good amount of time should be spent on teaching phonemic awareness. While the article did not recommend how much time exactly should be spent on this, they do mention how it can vary among different types of learners. Also, it is the quality that should be focused on. 

Midpoint check in

 Dear Dr. Jones,

So far, I think this semester is going well. I was somewhat surprised by the format of our classes, but I do enjoy our deeper dive discussions. I think our conversations about culturally responsive teaching is so informative. I didn't realize that our literacy class would be based on the culturally responsive framework, but I am glad it is. I am very familiar with Goldie Muhammad's book and am happy to read more articles regarding the same topic. One thing I am worried about is when I do my deeper dive and lead the discussion. I think I am capable; I am just worried about the sheet we have to create the week before we present. 

One thing that I struggled with was the literacy autobiography. I had a hard time remembering many events from such a young age and tried to use what I could remember, which was not much. So, I pulled from the few moments I could recall and tried to connect that with the readings. I think this class is a lot like some of my other graduate classes in that we are connecting our practice to being culturally responsive. I really like how we learn about culturally relevant texts because I can use this information and apply it when building my classroom library. 

I am looking forward to the second half of the semester and the rest of our small group discussions. I really enjoy our group and look forward to class each week.

Amanda

3-2-1

 After doing the reading and the short webinar this week there were a few things I was left pondering. How can we expand and build our students literary character in the classroom? According to Muhammad, "literary character is a personal and academic characteristic a person developed as a result of their engagement in literary pursuits." (Muhammad, 2020, p. 28) She also talks about how literary pursuits can build character, as well as build student's confidence in reading, writing, and sharing their ideas. She gives the idea of honoring people's work within the community. Does she mean that we should publish and show praise to our students in order to build their confidence and leave them wanting to share more of their ideas? What are some more ways to get students to participate in these literary pursuits that lead to liberation?

Another thought I had was regarding the Zretta Hammond video. She talks about how to get students connected to help them to not have the stress response of trauma. What specifically can teachers do to help the students connect? Does she mean finding areas of interest so that they can connect to those things instead of having that trauma response? She also talked about knowing our students Aces score and how it can help us to be proactive. What are some ways we can reduce stress for students with trauma in our classroom. I have many students who come from various backgrounds that have many trauma responses to different situations. I would like to be more knowledgeable on how to avoid the trauma response and instead be proactive and get them connected to something else.

After reading the Yoon article I am still left wondering why aren't the skills in the home considered relevant literacy skills? In what ways can these skills every become considered important? Given the stories from the Yoon article, I find it interesting that individuals can have these great literacy skills that they developed before entering school and that they are not acknowledged. If children can learn to speak, read and write before they enter school, then I think it is important to give credit to the learning that takes place in the home. Many times children come from homes that do not include many books and anyone reading to them but they still develop these literacy skills from their family telling stories or learning traditions they might have. I wonder if at home skills will every be deemed important?

One quote from Goldie Muhammad's book that I found inspiring was: "Our correspondents are too few, when there are so many who ought to write and so much to write about, upon, a case too, so urgent in itself. We call upon our old correspondents who have been silent too long, to wake up, let us hear from you...Brethren let us hear from you, it will make the paper interesting, and interest the people, and do good..." (Muhammad, 2020, p. 28) I thought this quote was inspiring because it honors the work that black people do and lets them know that their voices are being heard.

Another statement that I really liked was: "Through their reading and writing, they still practiced joy and cultivated love." (Muhammed, 2020, p. 33) I really like how this quote explains how literacy was tied to love and joy. The author explains how black people engaged in practices to improve their hears and their aesthetic sensibility. I found this important because our content that we teach doesn't often include relating it to joy and love.

One commitment I will make to my students is to find out as much as I can about them in order to be authentic in their learning and also be able to connect to them. I want my student to feel comfortable in sharing their ideas with me as much as possible.

Literacy Collage

 Conaway Literacy Blog #3 - Google Slides

How does the SQ4R help?

 After learning how to use the SQ4R strategy to comprehend informational texts, I have found it very useful. This was beneficial to me, especially when we had to read Kucer's article because it helped me to recognize things that I was looking for in the text. By writing little notes and questions in the side margins, I am able to remember things and see what I have written in my side notes and comprehend the subject better. Many of these dense and lengthy articles make it hard for me to understand what I am reading. So, when I learned the SQ4R code strategy, it helped me to understand the key points. When completing the Moodle posts for this course, the SQ4R strategy decreased the time it took me to find the information that I was looking for. Without these side notes and questions, I would have been searching and flipping through pages to find the answers I was looking for. Sometimes, when I read a lengthy article, I lose track of what I am reading, cannot stay focused, and have to go back and read the paragraph again. This strategy helps me to recognize what I have read and remember where to find the information. 

One area I think I could improve on is to take more notes than just simple questions about the heading. When we first learned the SQ4R strategy, I just looked at the headings of each section of the article and asked a basic question about it. However, when completing my discussion posts for last week, I realized that I needed to take more notes in the margins so that I could recall information quicker. Once I went back to the Kucer article and did this, it made answering discussion posts much easier. Looking at my more in depth notes helped me to remember information during the reading and even comprehend it better. Moving forward, I will definitely use this strategy, but make sure to not just write down one quick question from the heading, but to jot down some more in depth notes to help me remember what I am reading. This is a perfect strategy that I can use in my other classes when I have readings to do. There are often lengthy chapters that we get assigned and after so many pages, I tend to lose focus and not really comprehend what I have read. 

Entry 1. What does it mean to be literate?

Literacy means being able to communicate using reading, writing, listening or speaking.  A literate person is able to express themselves and communicate their needs to others. I first developed these ideas learning at a young age what it meant to be literate. I always heard that it meant that you could read and write. Teachers in my childhood often stressed the importance of reading and writing in my classes as well. However, since I have been working in education I have learned that there are more components involved in literacy. Some of these components involve listening skills, being able to have a discussion, and comprehension, etc.

 One thing I learned from working in special education is that not all students who are literate can read, write, speak and listen. Some can only perform some of these components. Some literate individuals can read and write but are unable to speak. One way  I learned this is from raising my son Leo who is nonverbal, but can read some sight words and is able to communicate using a device instead of speaking. He has known his alphabet since he was one and a half years old and has known his letter sounds since he was two years old. This shows that he is developing the foundations of literacy, but at a different rate than his peers. He is ahead in reading, but has a delay in speaking. Also, I have worked with many students that have influenced my ideas because they used other ways to communicate and comprehend ideas that do not always include speaking and writing, but they are often able to read and listen. 

I believe that I am a literate person because I am able to engage in the four components of literacy and can comprehend ideas from others. I am able to listen to others and respond, as well as participate in a discussion. I can also write my ideas down and form sentences that have meaning. I believe that these are some the the important skills I have developed that make me a literate person. As long as I am able to communicate my needs, wants, and ideas, read, listen and produce work that has meaning, I think I am a literate person.