Final Synthesis Blog

Coming into this course I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. By the looks of the book, Subjects Matter, I just thought we were going to talk about how every subject matters and has a purpose. While we did talk about that, more importantly the book discussed how to incorporate reading in every subject and why that matters. One of my favorite things we learned about were all the reading strategies. They are all so different and so intriguing. They are portrayed in such a way that kind of makes students want to participate. For example, frontloading with images can almost be looked at as a game to students. They are trying to guess what these different pictures are and then they try and tie them all together to see what the topic is that is going to be discussed. Sketching my way through the text is one that could easily get our creative students interested and wanting to read so they can sketch something out about the reading. Turn and talk gives students a chance to talk to their neighbor about what they just read. Letting students talk to one another is a good way for them to get some of their energy out. They don’t feel like they have to sit and be quiet the entire time. Tweeting the text allows students to get on Twitter, a popular social media site, and tweet about what they read. Students will enjoy this just because they get to get on social media and tweet. How cool?! There are so many other reading strategies that are just as exciting as the ones listed here.

            In Christopher Emdin’s Ted Talk, “Teach Teachers how to Create Magic”, he discusses that we need to bring the excitement back into the classrooms. We need to do the things that will keep our students engaged the entire time, and I think that some of these reading strategies will help us do that. Not only can they be fun, but they are also teaching our students how to become better readers. At the beginning of the video, he states that there are aspiring teachers listening to their professors go on and on about engagement in the most disengaging way possible. He also states that there are first year teachers who are telling themselves over and over not to smile until November because that is what they were taught in their program. How is that engaging? How can you build relationships with your students if you are waiting to shoot them a smile until November? We have to show emotion for ourselves, for our subject, and for our students. We need to do that to keep them engaged with the learning. One story that our professor told us about his own experience sticks out very clearly to me. To open a new topic in his classroom he had a student pick an argument with him which resulted in the student shoving him (I think I am remembering correctly). The whole argument was staged but the rest of his class had no idea. Can you imagine how engaged that class was watching just what went down? I thought that was spectacular and such a neat idea. An idea that brings “magic” to the classroom. 545 words

Where Do You Stand?

I really enjoyed this strategy lesson. Personally, I always loved a good debate in school. It was a chance for me to take a side and really present to someone how I felt and what I knew about the topic. I think this lesson is good way for students to develop their own opinions, and even stray away from what they believe and try taking a stand on the opposite end. It allows students to get up and move which can keep them more involved in the activity. It also allows them to be sociable. I would definitely use this in my classroom because it allows for the students who tend to keep quiet to have a voice. Everyone has to participate and share their position. What I also like about this lesson, is that it involves other reading strategies as well, such as annotating the text and activating prior knowledge that they’ve already learned on the topic. One thing that was brought up in class today that I really liked was teaching the students beforehand how to debate appropriately or respectfully. I think that is really important so students don’t get out of hand while participating in the lesson.

200 words

Help For Struggling Readers

In one of my classes I am currently taking, we have a lot of different print outs that we have to read. However, these readings are not easy to understand. For that matter, our professor has us mark all over it as we read, make comments, ask questions, underline important details, etc. then, when we come to class, he goes over it with us again so he can answer any questions we have or give us feedback on our thoughts as we read it. He also, if he feels like the reading is way too hard, condenses the readings and shortens it into his own words so we can understand it better. I can express how much this has helped me in that class, and it’s exactly what I thought about while I was reading this chapter. He gives us materials that we can successfully read so we do not feel defeated afterward, or so we don’t feel like we just read that for nothing because we didn’t understand anything. It also helps using reading strategies such as text-marking, and then coming to class and having discussions about the reading. I feel like this chapter is very helpful to us in helping students who struggle with reading.

207 words

Inquiry Units

I really like the idea of incorporating inquiry units in the classroom. I feel like the students would enjoy doing them. In Vanessa’s classroom inquiry unit project, she let her students choose the country they wanted to do research on. Her students thoroughly enjoyed it because they had a say. They were able to choose something they had interest in and they got creative with it. I think it is a good way to incorporate two subjects together in a creative way and it’s useful in all subjects. It also teaches them how to research and use different sources. They can gather information about their project through articles on the internet, newspapers, books, etc. The sources are unlimited.

There are also many different types; Mini-inquiries, curricular inquiries, book club inquiries, and open inquiries. All of these go through the same steps of research; immerse, investigate, coalesce, and go public. During these steps students build background knowledge on the topic, develop research questions and search for information, narrow their topic and dig deeper, and most importantly, they share what they have found and learned to an audience. I especially like this because students get to present all their hard work to the peers around them. I think for this reason that they will want their presentation to be the best.

All in all I would love to do an inquiry unit in my classroom. It gives students a chance to have class discussions, it can boost their confidence when going in front of a classroom to speak, and it gives them a chance to show their creativity.

266 words

Midnight Rising Podcast Discussion

Every Kid Needs a Champion

This TED Talk, in my opinion, directly corresponds to chapter 7 "Building a Community of Learners". Rita Pierson specifically talks about the four bullet points on the first page of this chapter when she states that students need to tell themselves that they deserve this education and they can succeed. This is my all time favorite TED for many reasons. The way she approaches situations with her students is absolutely incredible. The 20 question quiz she gave her class and one of her students missed 18 of those questions. She gave him a +2 and a :) on his paper because she said, "-18 sucks all the life out of you, but a +2 says I ain't all bad." She told this student that once they review and take another one he will do better and he said, "yes ma'am I can do better!" She inspires her students and is a positive influence on them because she realized that not all students receive that support. Mrs. Pierson talks about relationships and how important it is to have significant relationships with our students. Just like in the chapter it says, "Accomplished teachers understand how students develop and learn. They...are aware of the influence of context and culture on behavior." To know these things teachers have to develop relationships with their students, and the approach that Rita Pierson takes is inspiring.

"Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our world be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think and who had a champion. Every child deserves a champion. An adult who will never give up on them and who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possible be. Is this job tough? You betcha. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We're educators. We're born to make a difference." -Rita Pierson

321 Words

Book Pitch

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

283 pages

Lexile: 1080L

This book corresponds to the 5th grade standard SS5H6 which states that the student will explain the reasons for America's involvement in World War II.

In this book you will find the experiences that Anne and her Jewish family faced during the time that the Nazis occupied Holland. They fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. Anne's diary describes the events that took place and the fear that they faced on a daily basis.

If you're interested in the horrors of war and what life was like during this time, this book is the one for you!

Content-Area Book Clubs

I really like the idea of content-area book clubs. This activity not only gives students a chance to read about something they are interested in, but it also gives them responsibility. During these book clubs students are to read a certain number of pages, chapters, etc. and then come to class with notes on the sections they read. These notes could include passages that stood out while they were reading, questions that arose, or just something that the student might think is important. What I really enjoyed reading about in this chapter are the jobs that are assigned to students in their groups. These jobs include; The connector who is to find connections between the material their group is reading and the outside world. The questioner who is to write down a few questions that they had about the selection they chose. The passage master who is to locate key sentences or paragraphs that the group should look back on. The vocabulary enricher who is to be on the lookout for important words. The illustrator who is to draw some kind of picture related to the reading. And the researcher who is to dig up some background information on any topic related to the reading they chose. I liked these jobs because it holds students accountable and they all have to play a part in making things run smoothly in their group. It also ensures that students have to read the selection they chose so they are able to play an ample role in their group. Content-area book clubs give students a chance to engage in a material of his or her choice all the while gaining important thoughts and understanding from the reading.

284 words

Do your part!

Independent Reading Workshop in Content Areas

I can remember very vividly those students who had no patience while waiting for a teacher to help them. They would either be out of their seats, waving their hand in the air, or calling out the teacher’s name over and over again. I really liked how a part of this chapter gave ideas of what students can be doing while waiting on the teacher’s assistance. This keeps them from distracting other students from their work.                                              

Billy Madison was always a distraction in the classroom!

I always hear my mom talk about reading workshop and I’ve gotten to see some of her notes that she has on some of her students. Some of them are not as advanced as others in their reading. In this chapter it talks about how we should conduct a one-on-one conference during reading time. I think this is very important for us, as teachers, and for our students. This way we can see how well they are doing with the workshop and asses their progress and needs. I remember when I was in elementary school and we were reading the teacher would meet with some of the same students multiple times. I always wondered why I never met with my teacher as much as they did, but now I know why. I was more advanced in reading than they were. I also talk with my mom about she helps her students who struggle with reading during this time. It is stressful to her at times because sometimes there is not enough time in the day to help the students how we would like to. However, I like the idea of debriefing at the end of each reading time or giving the mini lesson at the end. This way we can give students a chance to ask questions if they have any and hopefully get them to have a better understanding of what they just did.

311 words

Building a Community of Learners

I truly believe that a student’s will to do good starts from inside the home. However, some students do not have that parent involvement that encourages and motivates them to do good. We, as educators, have and need to be that positive influence in the lives of our students. The first page of this chapter caught my attention because it really talks about the way that we can help our students. It talks about four mind-sets that directly relates to the kind of atmosphere teachers establish in the classroom. They include the following: I belong in this academic community. I can succeed at this. My ability and competence grow with my effort. This work has value to me. I love these mind-sets, but not all of our students are going to think this. It is our job to make them feel comfortable enough so that they KNOW they belong in this academic community. It is our job to help them, support them, and motivate them so they know that they CAN succeed. It is our job to show them that when they truly try and put forth the effort, that their ability and competence WILL grow. It is our job to prove to them that their work DOES have value and that everything we strive to do for them in the classroom with hopefully help them now and for the long-run. This chapter describes multiple ways to show students that their teachers care. Some of these include, making the classroom a place where students trust their teachers, organize in a way that lets students work together and help one another, provide students with ways to take responsibility in the classroom, connect learning with the lives of our students, etc. I really enjoyed reading about each of these because it allows our students to become more involved in our classrooms and hopefully will make them feel like this is a safe place to learn and grow with their peers.

328 words

How to Use A Textbook

I have never had a teacher have a lesson on how to use a text book. However, I think it would be a good thing to have and very useful for our students. I think a lot of students are overwhelmed by the amount of material that textbooks provide. If they knew what all the information was and where or how to find certain information, it could become more useful to them and less overwhelming. I also think the reading strategies used during this chapter would be very helpful. Students do not want to read every text book front to back. I really liked the jigsawing strategy. This gives students a chance to really engage in a certain part of the text. Also, since they have to explain the part that they read to the other groups, they have to dig in and really understand it so that they are able to give a good explanation to other groups. This way they will get a good understanding of the text and in return, the other groups will also get a good understanding of the text. It is hard to get students excited and involved when using textbooks and these strategies could really help them start to enjoy it slightly more. In the chapter it mentioned that teachers don’t take the time to have a lesson on how to use a text book because the first few days of school are really busy and there is a lot of paper. However, if they took a chance on it, they feel that it was useful for them and their students in the long run.

272 words

Lisa Bu and the Importance of Reading

https://www.ted.com/talks/lisa_bu_how_books_can_open_your_mind?utm_source=tedcomshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=tedspread

The importance of reading really struck me in Subjects Matter. In this Ted talk, Lisa Bu explains how she adjusted to her life in the United States through books. She used them to expand her mind. Lisa Bu had an interesting way to approach books. She would read a book and then compare it to another book in a different culture. She would explore books in different ways. This is a good way for our students to learn. Reading is so important and it does help them expand their thoughts and outlook on topics. There are so many different ways to explore books and compare them. In comparing books, students can make deep connections between the two. Sometimes answering the questions: How are they different? How are they similar? Students can also pick books out that interest them. When they are practicing their reading skills, it is important that they are choosing books that they want to read. Hopefully in this way, they won’t get frustrated when they get stuck on a word or struggle to read a sentence. They will keep trying because they actually want to read the book they picked out. Practice makes perfect and that is what is going to help these students in all of their subjects, reading.

215 words

Toward a Balanced Diet of Reading

During my high school classes of reading and writing, my teachers started making us get our sources from two or three different types of sources. For example, we could have gotten our sources from the internet, a magazine article, a book, etc. During the time I had to write these papers I thought it was annoying and inconvenient to have to have to find information from different sources when I already found all the information I needed in one source. Now, I understand why my teachers wanted us to venture out and read different sources. Students are so use to only needing to understand their textbook that they forget about all the other types of sources they can learn from and get information from. Not all are easy to read either which is another good reason why students need to try them out and see if they can analyze and understand the material. It may help them learn to take a part pieces of a writing and study it to realize what the words are saying. This will also teach them about the many different possibilities that can come from different sources. The range of views and the variety of ideas are endless. These sources give them a chance to look beyond the given text book. Maybe one of your students isn’t fully understanding what is going on in class or they are bored with the topic. This is a perfect opportunity to suggest them with an interesting novel about the same topic to keep them intrigued or to help them better understand. Students learn differently from one another so different sources will relate to different students in many ways. Either way, students are getting a wider range of resources to use to explore their curriculum.

Provide this student with another source!

303words

Text Book Controversies

During my elementary, middle, and high school years I truly relied on my text books. They were my go to when I was not sure whether or not I understood the curriculum correctly. I think they are helpful for students because it is another source of information. As teachers, we are a single source for our students. We provide them with the knowledge they need to know for each subject, and we add on to what the text books are missing. Essentially though, students should be able to refer to their text books when they are unsure about an assignment question or are trying to remember something that was talked about in class. If this is not possible, I think it would be important to insure that students are taking good notes in class and/or that the teacher is issuing handouts. Another good reason for this is that text books can sometimes be confusing and throw out a lot of information at one time, which can be a lot for a student to take in and comprehend.

I don’t think that textbooks are completely useless and I, for one, enjoy them. There were times in my math class where my teacher would tell us that the book does it one way but it is easier to do it another way. Or she would tell us that the book does not explain it well enough. She always gave us her own notes to refer to, however, the book was still helpful at times and all of our homework assignments came from the book.

I think another reason some people do not like text books is because they don’t like the common core material that they follow, or teaching to a test. However, I think teachers can put their own little spin on their lessons. If we have to “teach to a test” then we might as well make it more enjoyable for us and our students. This gives us a way to be creative in our classrooms, and in return hopefully keep the students more engaged while teaching to the standards.

352 words    

How Smart Readers Think

As I was taking the reading portion of the GACE exam, I remember reading the passage to each question over and over again. I spent an estimated time of five minutes on just one question just trying to understand what it was saying and what the question was asking. Frustrated and confused, I broke the passage a part and chose the answer I felt best fit. After reading this chapter on how smart readers think, all I could think about was the time that I took that test. I could also relate it to all the unwanted reading assignments I have had throughout my school years. It was hard to get through some of them and have a full understanding of what it was talking about when I gazed off half way through it. I get to the end of the passage and I think to myself, okay, what did I just read? Then I have to read over it again. This happens all the time in classrooms. If a student hates science, they will probably never enjoy a reading assignment for that subject, nor will they take the time to fully understand the material. I also find students who are really fast readers and they rush to get through the readings and then they don’t know anything about what they read because they didn’t take the time to read and understand. There is a difference between reading to get it done, and reading to understand. I worked with a fourth grader not too long ago and she struggled with reading. She would read the book but when I asked her questions afterwards she wouldn’t know the answers. Because she didn’t like to read she tried to finish the book quickly and did not get a full understanding. This happens in so many classrooms. It is important for all teachers to break down their reading assignments to their students. The more they understand reading strategies and the material, the more successful they will be.

 

Subjects matter. All subjects matter. Reading is an important aspect in all subjects. If a student cannot read, they cannot write, they cannot take in the knowledge they need from their science and social studies books or even their math books. That is what I found stuck out to me the most while reading Subjects Matter. I have experienced this student in my mom’s classroom. One of her students’ cannot read. My mom frequently tells me that her previous teachers should be ashamed of themselves because she should have never made it to third grade. She failed all of her classes except one and did not pass anything on the GMAS. For this reason, she is back in third grade again. Because she cannot read, she could never complete her work. She never understood her work and didn’t know what to do. For this reason exactly, I think it is important to enforce reading in every subject. Correct students if they mispronounce a word. Catch their mistakes early on so they do not continue to make the same mistakes later on in their school career. Teachers, this is also important for us. We should speak in correct grammar so our students don’t pick up on bad habits. We are examples for our students to follow. We help them learn and grow, we help them read, and we help them realize that all subjects matter.

234 words