Mischief Managed

So our group is finally done planning!  that being said, the frightning part has yet to come.  Tomorrow we will finally get to present our group teach and there is a lot to think about.  What if something goes wrong?  I know it's a learning experience but it would be awful to work so hard on something and see it fall apart (which I know will be the case with lessons in our own classroom).  Through the planning period there was a lot to learn and a lot to be said.  First of all, timing was the hardest part of it all.  We all had different schedules so communication was crucial.  In the end, it worked out and everything got done in time.  Personally, I don't think I could have had a better group..not to get sappy.  Everyone was so open-minded and great to be around that we had a positive atmosphere at all times.  On the other hand, we did get off topic at some points but what group doesn't?  If we did something on the internet...by habit we would end up on someone's facebook looking at something....but we ended up getting back on track. It was really nice to see everything come together at the end.  The packet ended up being nicely done and Nicole assembled it perfectly.  I am really glad we got this over before Thanksgiving because those few days we can relax.  I hope everyone can tell the effort that was put in to it and that they learn something from our lesson because we definitely learned a lot by doing it.  I think the best thing about the whole experience was actually doing the things that teachers do.  I was in charge of making the rubric and that was really hard to do.  I thought it was going to be easy but it was actually pretty difficult.  I had to grade things that were tangible and concrete.  I couldn't grade on things like effort or creativity very much because you cannot really measure that when it comes down to it.  That being said, any student could argue a grade on something that is abstract but if it is something that is definite...then it is easier for you as a teacher to justify why you graded the student as you did.  The worst part about the packet was trying to create the time duration of each activity.  We had to cut some time and think of the best and worst case scenarios in order for us to get the timing just right.  I am sure the timing is not going to be perfect but hopefully it is somewhat similar.  I also liked getting to know what kind of teachers my peers are going to be.  I don't meant oto pinpoint people but this is what I assume.  Nicole is going to be the organized, clever, and abstract teacher.  Arlen is going to be the scholarly, masters his lesson well kind of teacher, Bethany is going to be the down to earth and creative teacher, and Heather is going to be the motherly caring and a very intellectual teacher.  These are all amazing different types of teachers and it was great to see how different everyone was when it came to the lesson and how similar we all were.  Based on the peers in my group, I can tell the future of education is going to be in good hands.  I think it is also interesting that we are the "dumbest" generation but it was in fact technology that really saved us.  Between emails, texts, facebook posts, and etc. we would never have been able to meet up or express ideas.  These tools definitely helped us and kept everyone in the loop.  Overall, I think our lesson will be effective and I think it is something that will truly engage the other groups and keep them interested.  Hopefully all goes well tomorrow and that we can leave being satisfied with what we produced.

9th Blog...Group Teach!?

As I have said in many classes before, I believe that group dynamics either make or break a group's progress when it comes to getting work done and doing things effectively.  Luckily, I have an amazing group with different personalities but one goal...To make an effective group teach.  At first I was a little apprehensive.  Not because I didn't like the group members, I think they are all fantastic, but because we all have strong personalities, we all like to talk, and because we all like to be leaders in groups.  However, it was nice that it worked out this way because it gave us a chance to play different but various roles in our group.  It is really hard being the first group to go because everything was thrown at us so fast.  Among the packet and the lessons and the actual presentation, it feels like a complete whirlwind.  I am happy, however, with how much progress our group has made over the short period we got to work together so far.  The first time we met up was in the Reading Room in Horton Hall.  It was a peaceful place with a lot of inspirational books.  There we brought food and started to let things unfold as we talked away. We went through countless ideas and still our lesson isn't set in stone.  In Horton Hall we decided we wanted to do multiculturalism and identity but take it in a new direction.  We wanted to do something completely different so we decided to focus on self-identity through perspectives.  It is important for high schoolers to learn about self identity and perspectives because it is during those adolescent years when people try to figure out who they are and when it is important to accept all different kinds of people.  We also wantd to choose only one classic literature piece while focusing on new and modern textst that come from different sources.  We are doing an online story, a children's book, a graphic novel, and a piece of literature.  That way, we cover a wide range of different material and hopefully appeal to everyone in some way. 
     One way that I think our group is succeeding is that we all seem to agree on things we need to keep and things we need to get rid of.  For example, I wanted to do a book that was told in the perspective of someone who had autism.  Although this book is really effective and a really good read, we decided it would be best to ditch the idea because not everyone knew the story.  I was completely fine with it because I know that it is for the best.  Another way our group is working effectively is that everyone is doing their part and showing up to group meetings.  Poor Arlen commutes a long way and still makes it to our meetings on time without a grumble or any objection.  Nicole, who babysits all the live long day, always makes it as well.  To sum it up, we all have lives and other priorities but we put our lives on hold so that we can get the group teach done and effectively.  We also distributed the work fairly and proportionally.  We all have individual lessons to plan and we all have a portion of the syllabus to write.
      Just like every group, we did have so blockades when it comes to the actual planning.  Some things worked out while other things did not.  I am not going to talk about all the things that went well and that we are using because you will all see them next Wednesday.  Some blockades we had were the transitions between lessons, activating strategies, and just time management.  I believe we wrinkled out the problems but we still have a lot of work to do.  Yet, I am thankful that we haven't hit too many problems during the completion of the group teach.
      Overall, our group experience has been effective and one that I don't mind doing.  We all get along well and our lessons seem to be coming together slowly but surely.  We always make a point to meet up when we can, even if it's after our class on Wednesday.  We are using technology, group work, stations, and a lot of other tools that this class has taught us through the weeks.  It is bittersweet that the group teach is coming to an end but it's something that hopefully we can reflect on and learn from it whether it ends up good or bad.

8th Blog: Technology and The Hunger Games!!!

"Moving My English Class To The Computer Lab"

I found this article to be very useful and overall very informative.  I think that the use of technology is crucial to the society that we live in today.  Among students (whether high school, middle school, or college), students constantly have access to so much information involving technology and it consumes much of our time.  If you look at smart phones for example, the smart phone can be used for almost anything and the phrase "There's an App for that" has become part of daily language.  Is that a bad thing?  I guess it depends on what it's being used for.  Some people use their smart phones to play games to use as a time waster in the classroom while others can do scholarly things with theirs.  I think implementing out of school tools in to school could only entice a student more.  The author proves the point by talking about Robert and his love for youtube.  Although youtube may not get proper credit, it still is a form of communication and expression that should be encouraged.  Robert obviously finds great pleasure in it and putting it in to the classroom would do amazing things for the students.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to technology and these students need to prepare for the real world.  The real world is full of technology and the more up to date and the more use they get out of it the better.  There are a lot of activities teachers could do with technology and students would be more excited about it then the traditional paper and pencil method.  For example, why not let students create an "App" that might useful for a character.  This allows students to be creative but yet make connections to the text and a specific character.  One example might be Mississippi River map for Huck Finn so that he could navigate his journey down the river.  Although that is superficial in respect to the text, it still allows students to take something old and combine it with something relatively new.  I also, like how the class used wiki pages for books that they read in class.  I think this is a good way for students to use the internet and it allows them to communicate with people who share that same book interest and they can bounch off each others editing notes on the page.  They also probably feel that they need to do well because they know that other people can view the page.  I'm sure a lot students don't care about papers they write because they know that the only eyes seeing it are the eyes of the teacher.  However, with a Wiki they know that the world can see and it definitely arouses an interest.  I also think it creates a sense of class unity.  The class works individally but the final result is one of the whole class.  This is a great way to see how the students take the book and what they can create as whole.  I definitely think I will use computer technology in my classroom.  I remember when powerpoint was a big deal in the class.  Now, it is simply overused and redundant.  I think teachers need to keep up with technology in order to understand their students and their students needs.  Student A may not be the best in the class but could tell you all the gossip of the class by using Facebook.  Use that to your advantage and allow her to create a facebook page for a character and keep up with it.  Not only are her skills being put to use but she is also learning more about characters and shows she is keeping up with her reading.  Term papers are not for everyone so technology can help open doors to different but exciting assessments.  I also think it's interesting that Robert's standardized test scores went up after technology was implemented.  I think if you understand a student and build a class around them then learning becomes a better experience and is more natural.  Students want to learn but don't even realize that their learning.  I think technology is the most useful tool in the world right now and it would be foolish to let it go without being used in the classroom.  The youtube book trailers is a really good idea to use too.  Students can use their theatrical skills, production skills, english class skills, and group skills in order to complete a task and video for assessment.  It brings different elements in different kids comes out and they can truly experience a book at a new level.  Instead of assessing one student through a paper, you can test a bunch of students by using their talents and what they learned in a book combined in to one small package that can reveal a lot.  I think the classroom was set up so that technology played a large role then the students would feel that they can relate and that it useful to them.  It is our jobs as teachers to come to the students instead of them coming to us.  In the end, the teachers may learn just as much as the students do.

"Why Johnny Won't Read"

I felt that this article had some good and some bad points in its content.  I DO believe that english class is geared towards girls but I don't believe it has anything to do with book choice.  I mean take a look at our teaching Ad. Lit course, there are only two boys in the whole class.  However, I don't think its because boys don't like to read or that english classes aren't based around their interests.  I simply think it just happens to be a coincidence and a sort of left brain right brain thing.  Most of the stories that we read have male characters and they are often triumphant at the end.  Books like The Great Gatsby and Harry Potter have a lot of male characters and are geared towards adolescents as a whole.  I don't think it would matter what literature was introduced in the classroom.  I think boys typically are math/science students while girls are more english/history savvy.  I still think it's important to have a variety of genres, themes, characters, and concepts delivered in a classroom.  I think using a variety appeals to different people but NOT to different genders.  If you think about it, girls (particularly young girls) read books in a series that follow around high school girls who share similar problems to them.  However, that is what they read for leisure.  In the classroom I can't think of any books that appeal to girls over boys.  I think it is a matter of people picking a book they like to read and discovering reading as an interst.  I think anyone can like to read but I think girls tend to get hooked on a book more easily.  I think once a boy is, however, that he can be a lifelong reader as well.  I think it's interesting that the author claims that "there is no evidence" to this or that and that is basically based off of assumption and standardized test scores.  Personally, I think that girls stereptyically like to read more but I think that it is bold to say that boys don't based on observations.  I believe anyone can like to read and develop excellent reading skills but they just need to find a good book they like to read.  I don't believe that curriculums favor one over the other or neglect boys' interestsI just think that boys like to do things like math because there is one right answer and involves a lot of activity and repetition of formulas and such.  I think certain genders may have a knack for certain subjects but that does not mean they can't enjoy others or stray away from the "norms".

The Hunger Games

I could honestly write on and on about how much I love this book but I will try and keep it short.  I think this book is appealing to so many different kinds of people because of how many different themes there are in the book.  There is action, there is relationship buliding, there is excitement, it is futuristic, and it has its own set of rules.  Going back to the previous article I read, I think this book shows a female protagonist can also appeal to guy readers.  Katniss is independent, a good hunter, and a strong character.  She is a female but I know a lot of boys who can relate to her.  This book is by far one of my favorites and I cannot wait to read the other two.  I think it is amazing how the author created this fantasized America and how well it feels like it could happen.  The characters are ones you definitely have to love and I know I had myself rooting for Katniss the whole time.  For me, I don't think there was a dull moment and I could never put it down.  It was written so nicely and in a way that everything seemed real and had a careful method.  Even the fictional history of the districts and The Hunger Games selection process was done so meticulously that I could not help being in awe over how good the book was.  I think my favorite element was how corrupt the Capitol was.  I mean it takes a look at politics and really shows what goes on in politics.  I feel that it takes elements of today and shows how things could be many years later.  I definitely cannot wait for the movie to come out now that I have read the book.  I think the class should go to the midnight premiere!

Blog #7

"The Ripple Effect of Censorship"
The idea of censorship has always made me uneasy and is certainly one of my fears with teaching. I think now a days it is risky to choose books because students, their families, and administrators are often quick to point the finger and are sensitive towards certain issues being raised in a classroom. My thought on censorship is much like the author and the majority of teachers that were talked about in the article. Personally, I don't see banning books or getting rid of them as solving any kind of a problem. I think that's the problem with America today anyway. When something raises a concern or someone is opposed to it we automatically get rid of it to prevent conflict. However, I think it is quite the disservice to our students if we get rid of books that clearly have its place in the classroom. I think it's insane that the idea of censorship is sneaking its way in to the classroom more often and that teachers are afraid and getting fired over texts they teach. As for me, I think I am going to teach what I think should be taught but I don't think I am going to disregard the fact that I may have some backlash. I think it comes down to compromise. I bend a little and you bend a little and hopefully we get somewhere from there. The thing that surprised me the most was the story about the teacher who was forced to resign AFTER she got the approval to use the text. I think that is completely unneccessary and I feel like it was too harsh for something that she got the approval of. In a way that scares me as a future teacher. It would be awful to think that you were trying to helpful for students' learning and you turn around and get canned for reading a book they may be banned. I was also surprised as the drama and gossip teachers have with each other. They warn new teachers what they should read and what they shouldn't. In that respect, I don't think any other teacher has the right to try and dictate another teacher's reading choice..even if they are trying to be helpful.  I feel like every teacher should make up their own mind and decide for themselves.  It is easy for a new teacher to feel frightened by the books they choose so an older teacher should let them pick books themselves instead of from experience.  After all, each teacher is different and may be the new teacher would be able to pull off using a frowned up on text.  However, I do think it's important to build relationships with the people involves with the education process because the more people you have on your side and understand the better. Keeping the communication and book selecting process open to parents may help in the long run because concerns are taken care of before you are halfway through a text.
     Personally, I find the fear that teachers and myself have as unavoidable yet unneccessary. Some teachers aren't afraid to teach certain things but others are. It depends on the situation I suppose but I think a learning environment should not be run off of fear but off what the teacher (who is in fact the expert!) thinks is best. I think censorship is an old-fashioned and definitely an Un-American idea. Adolescents are exposed to material every day that may be explicit or uncomfortable but that is the fact of the real world. How are our students supposed to grow and understand the world if we take away opportunities? These books aren't going to go away and us pro-longing their reading of the material is just sort of wrong. Students should be exposed and read anything that they want. going back to my one reflection as I stated before, I read Stephen King in third grade. Naturally my teacher was concerned and almost called me parents. What good would that have done? A) Taking away a good book is just going to make me want to read it more. B) It would prevent my growth of a reader and C) The themes and lessons in a Stephen King book is just as important as those in Dr. Seuss just at a more mature level. By censoring I think we are preventing our students from becoming mature readers. Obviously the real concern is getting our students to be lifelong readers and we can't possibly do that if we live in fear or if our book choices are going to be limited to those who do not understand the importance of the material.

Fact: I was surprised to find out that Shakespeare's works have been banned. I never really thought of those themes being questioned but now I see why.


Chapter 6

Huckleberry Finn has been taught for so long and when I think of censorship this is definitely the first piece that comes to mind. I remember reading it in my eleventh grade American literature course and I don't remember anyone being offended or my teacher saying anything regarding it being banned. I do agree, however, that some African American parents my be concerned but I don't think it's okay to take it out of the curriculum. Racism was a part of America's past and it's important to show that if we are talking about a certain time period. However, I do not feel comfortable using "the word". I still have no idea what I am going to do in by classroom in regards to that. I thought it was interesting when the author talked about the incident where parents threw a fit over it and all these people and the media got involved. I was thinking, "How could any book get this much publicity for something like that?!". I do think it is important for teachers to talk to parents and students about it and help get rid of any concerns. I think it is an uncomfortable topic, but I think the book is relevant to American history. Perhaps we should have the parents read it first? I do think there is a way that it needs to be brought about and I don't think we should thrust the book in our students' faces. Personally, I am unsure about how I would teach this piece or how to approach it. I don't want to offend anyone but I do like the book as a piece of literature. Perhaps you could invite an African American of the community in to the classroom and have them talk about it. Maybe if someone who could understand the concerns talked to the students then maybe the school, students, and parents would feel more at ease. I also think a history lesson would need to be introduced first before presenting the text. One thing that really does get on my nerves is when the book gets dumbed down and elements get taken out to make it more user friendly. I think that is completely foolish and it takes away so much from the book. Overall, I understand why is raises concern but I think it is possible to be taught without offending anyone. The statistics of the books use is astronomical and it surprised me that that many schools use/used it. It obviously has relavence in a classroom and has a place there. I do plan on teaching it (hopefully!) but I am not comfortable on how to approach it.

Blog, The Sixth

Personal Experience:

I remember being in my 5th grade class when my teacher told us that we would be learning about the Civil War.  I was rather nonchalant about it and felt that it was just another pointless lesson involving overhead transparansies, a textbook, and a reason to go to the bathroom just to get out of class.  At first, I was right with what I thought.  We did the stereotypical things and it made no sense to me why this war was covered so much more then the Revolutionary War.  However, things changed whenever we went to Gettysburg Battlefield and got to experience things first hand.  We got to go up Big Roundtop, reinvent Pickett's Charge, and got to go to the farms that were once used as hospitals during this battle.  This opened my eyes to how important this battle really is.  Not only did I take for granted the closeness of Gettysburg to my home, but also it is different to learn about a way then to be standing where many people have died.  I think this relates really well to the article "A Lesson from the Holocaust: From Bystander to Advocate in the Classroom".  Before this trip to Gettysburg I was not interested in the Civil War and I didn't really understand its significange.  However, once being brought to the scene I new perspective took over.  It really made me sentimental and I felt a wide range of emotions that I did not receive in a textbook.  This trip was a good way to get everyone to participate and to experience a battle by going to where it actually happened.

"A Lesson from the Holocaust: From Bystander to Advocate in the Classroom":

I thought this article was really interesting and made a lot of good points throughout it.  The first thing that stuck out in my mind was the fact that this teacher was teaching at a military academy.  Although that sounds easier and less stressful then a public school, it has its share of cons as well.  All of the students have similar mindsets and are often taught obedience, respect, and not to open their mouths and state how they feel.  Therefore, I think this teacher had it a lot more rough then most of us will have it.  Yet, the idea of "apathy" in the classroom is fearful for any teacher I think.  Silence in the classroom is far from expected but how do we pull students in to a subject and be able to talk about it?  For example, just today I had to give a presentation in one of my classes.  Naturally, I had discussion questions in which little or nobody raised their hand to answer.  It was discouraging to me, as a teacher, because I was wondering what I was doing wrong.  Was my topic THAT boring?  Were my questions irrelevant?  Then I realized it happens all the time.  A student needs to be able to say something in the class and be able to take their opinions and voice them.  After all, that is what discussion is all about.  I agree that too many students are in their "comfort zones" and just swim on by by just sitting in their seat and nodding their head.  I think making students uncomfortable is a good idea but also a dangerous idea.  Bringing up sensitive and personal information can either make or break a learning experience.  However, I find it the best way to envoke feelings with a student.  I particularly liked the beginning of the article with the man explaining his duties as a reporter and then how he ended up rescuing a soldier (84).  It is a good anaology to what needs to happen in the classroom.  It is the students job to learn and play their role as a student; yet, they also need to take some part in the discussion because it creates something better in the learning environment. So what do we do as teachers for assignments that are heavy and how we need to get a reaction out of them without using only a text.  Do we take them to historical sights?  Do we watch an educational movie?   I think it should be about a personal experience and how it changed them as a person and a learner.  Just don't make it in to a therapy session.  Most importantly, a teacher definitely needs to open themselves up before students will.  I think as future educators we need to share personal experiences and emotions with students so they can learn from example.  The classroom should be like an open book where students can share ideas and be able to interact with the material.  If they just sit there and not participate or even take interest then the learning experience simply diminishes.

"Beyond Tolerance"

This article is a real deep and definitely not what I expected when I read the title.  I was surprised when I learned that the teacher was in the World Trade Center during the attacks and had friends die during and after this awful tragedy.  I expected the article to talk about how a teacher who experienced first-hand the attack would have to teach it and how painful it would be for her and the kids to talk about it.  However, it took a turn for something I did not expect.  I really like the whole World Literature aspect and how she took each student to the country to learn customs and their history in order to understand them as people.  I think too often that people look at certain people and think stereotypes and know very little about these people, nor do they care if they know anything about them.  This teacher seemed very passionate about the course and really had them get involved.  it wasn't just simply reading books by authors of this country or that.  It was about learning from experiences and breaking down berriers in order to understand a culture.  I think the title also says a lot about the article and what our jobs as teacher entails.  we need to get students to think "Beyond Tolerance".  As college students and future teachers it is easy to tolerate certain things and beliefs.  We tolerate our professors point of view because it is out of respect.  We tolerate the construction on campus because we know it is more important to go to class then to skip due to your path of travel being blocked. Instead, it is our job not to simply accept things as they are but to question them and to take things with us from them.  If we do that to our students then they will grow up to be more cultured human beings, stereotypes would diminish, people would be accepting of others, and the world would be generally a better place.

BlOg FiVe!

Literature Circles

     My first experience with literature circles was in my senior year.  We had to read Lord of the Flies and discuss the assigned chapters everyday with our "lit circle".  At first I was a little hesitant.  I mean who wants to awkwardly talk about the book with a small group of people staring at you waiting for some good insight to a book that half the kids didn't read.  I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the class went and how much I learned from what others had to say.  As the book also states, we had jobs to do within our group and it switched every time.  They were jobs with lame but witty titles such as "Artistic Adventurer", and "Vocabulary Voice".  Although these names were in fact lame, they were really helpful when discussing.  It made sure that everyone had a voice and that everyone was talking about something different.  The only problem I had was the play these discussions were graded.  I remember one time I had to draw a picture of a scene and I got points off because I drew stick figures.  Last time I checked I was in English class and by the time I drew an adequate human the class would've been over.
     Anyway, the book had a lot of insightful things to say about literature circles that I have heard and have not heard before.  The one idea that I particularly liked was assigning literature groups based on books that one wants to read.  I never understood why classes made kids read the same books, I just thought it mattered that they were reading for the same concepts.  I think breaking a griup up by book leads to better discussions because students are more likely to talk about something they are familiar with then something they resent.  For example, I would so much rather talk about Harry Potter then Lord of the Rings.  I would have a lot more to say and would definitely enjoy it more.  I also thought it was interesting to learn that other countries appreciated these practices and that reading is enhanced by this activity.  I think linterature circles are a fun way to make sure kids participate and it is good way to see who is reading the material and who is getting by by just reading summaries.  I also see it as a good way to get away from the lectures that we are so used to as students.  For some reason, students seem to like it better when their peers teach but I assume it's because they can relate a lot better.  I am not going to lie, my favorite part was talking about Oprah's reading circle.  I did not know she started one but I think it is awesome that she did.  I may now appreciate the fact that she has her own network now.
     The one thing that I think is also interesting is how much we use literature circles in college.  THIS, I am not a fan of.  Having five english classes drives me insane anyways let alone doing the same thing in every class.  I don't think it is the literature circles I have a problem with as much as it is making the WHOLE class one literature circle.  This to me screams boredom and you have a chance to say one thing in an hour and fifteen minute period.  I also think we spend too much time talking about summaries of the books rather then what we think about them and how they make us feel.  However, I do think literature circles are effective if they are used properly and in moderation.

"Standard English"

This article is my favorite of the ones we read so far.  As a quick story, I work at a grocery store and there is a woman who works there that speaks very "unstandard" english.  As an example, she says "I throwed it away yesterday".  Now it never bothered me much until a year or two ago and now I can't take it.    I think it is because as english majors we are supposed to know how to speak and get annoyed very easily ar incorrect grammar.  However, this article had really nice things to say about those who speak in a way that isn't what we are used to.  I think it is important that students write what they want to write even if it is grammatical mess or is a stream of consciousness piece.  I feel that students.  Rules of grammar can be difficult but it should not stop anyone from saying how they feel. I like the part when the author describes how when they students write in a way that is familiar to them then they express themselves a lot better.  I also liked how they used writing as almost a therapy session.  A lot of students have no one they can trust in their lives and maybe now they see writing as a way to relieve their stress and find trust in their peers who suffer from things themselves.  I feel like english classes would be a lot more welcoming if students did not have so much fear from what teachers and other students are going to say about the way that they speak and they way that they write.  However, someone's dialect tells us so much about them in a good way.  Look at American literature, the dialogue in that tells us so much about history and makes the literature we read so much more powerful.

"Tracking"

In my old school district, we would start getting tracked in sixth grade.  From then on, you had to fit certain preequisites and grades in order to take certain classes.  That being said, if you had a bad year (let's say 7th grade) then the rest of your school career would be done for because you wouldn't have made the cut for honors classes after 7th grade.  I think tracking is an awful thing that is ultimately like segregation.  I graduated with about 700 students in my class.  I could tell you that I probably knew 200 of them pretty well because I had the same classes with the same kids that I never got to know anymore then the ones I was placed with.  The kids in the lower levels have expectations in classrooms and their teachers treat them so much worse then they teach their honors students.  Teachers tend to make these awful assumptions that these students don't want to go to college or have nothing to share which is completely not true.  By 7th grade the schools want us to know exactly what we want with our life when some adults still don't know what they want with their life.  Tracking is like a bubble that they place you in.  You can't get out of it and you're cut off from others because of this bubble.  Being tracked leaves you no room for you to be unique but shows how much you are the same as others in the same track.  I think tracking is just ultimately degrading.  Tracking tells you what you have done because you are forced but not what you are capable of.  I think everyone should be in classes together because that is what society is like.  You are forced to be with people different from you so should get use to it in class.  In the world you are going to have to work in groups with different people who have different experiences but still have to accomplish the same goal.  Humans are meant to rely on each other and no one should be deprived an education that they want.  Once tracked, students feel that they have a label on them and that they aren't worth anything above that.  I think tracking needs to be done with and that everyone should learn together and learn to help each other.  The article had a lot to say about tracking and I completely agree with the author.  I like how the author desribes the two levels of tracking and how they want different things out of their classes.  This just goes to show that the lower tracked students still want something out of their education.  I think, as does this author, that honor classes are predictable.  I don't know why all kids can't get together and read materials that fits all of their needs.  I think learning would be so much better that way.

Blog #4-- Multiculturalism

Harper Lee and To Kill A Mockingbird

So like most people in this class, I have read To Kill A Mockingbird in high school during my American Literature course.  I have always been a fan of the book but this time I concentrated a lot harder on the themes then I did in high school.  I still think the book is a fun read; however, now I see that there are a lot of things that could be up for discussion.  First of all, I think gender roles are present in this story that I never saw in high school.  For the first couple of pages I thought Scout was a boy (Lee 3-8).  She tended to do a lot of stereotypical boy things and hung out with her older brother and neighbor boy (Lee 8).  Also, Scout is not really a name for a boy or girl.  I don't know if Harper Lee planned it out that way but it struck me when I read this again.  Scout is kind of fearless and she is a little rough around the edges.  Is this a bad thing?  I don't think so but it definitely breaks away from social norms.  Also, there is of course a lot of racial issues.  We are talking about the deep south during a time when racism was in your face.  I think this book does a good job at addressing the issues of racism and I think it teaches students a lot about judging and about standing your ground on issues, or more importantly, doing what is right in regards to Atticus.  The thing that I most enjoy about this book is that it combines a lot of lessons in to a nicely binded story.  I mean you see the importance of family, how judging is wrong, racial issues, and it kind of depicts an accurate picture of the south during that time.  I definitely think this is a book that I will read to my classes if I get the chance to.  I know that this book is so stereotypical and overused but I can't help but love the book.  I think a lot of students like the book because the narrator is a kid and is someone that can explain the story in simple terms.  So there you have it, a good book with good lessons that kids really enjoy.  I think this would be great if it were to be combined with The American Born Chinese....which it is for the group teach.  They both take serious issues and turn them in to enjoyable books.  Besides, you can't help but love the characters in both books.  The characters in To Kill A Mockingbird are so developed and are just interesting to the reader which is important when reading a story.  To Kill A Mockingbird gets two thumbs up in my book and I liked reading it again.

The Video "A Class Divided"The first thing that I would like to point out is that the link would not work when I clicked on it so I had to find it elsewhere, so I hope I watched the right one.  Anyway, I think that the experiment was awesome and scary at the same time.  I think the best way to get someone to understand something is for them to become it or relate to it.  Jane Elliot is obviously very intelligent and it is amazing how the adults took a lesson that they learned in third grade and applied to their life when they got older.  I think the class really felt the pain and the ridicule and were really bothered by it.  Yet, like I said, it is scary at the same time.  I mean you give a group of people a little power and all of the sudden they become monsters.  Is this how white Americans act?  Do we feel like we have power?  It is crazy that these kids turned on each other and how chaotic the classroom got.  However, the students still learned from it and I think people in and outside of a classroom should get a taste of what it is like to be treated as though they were inferior.  The first thing that came to my mind though was that teachers could never get away with that now.  Kids would go home crying and angry and parents would be calling and an even bigger mess would stir up.  Therefore, is it too late to teach kids lessons like that because the parents weren't taught those lessons?  I mean sure, we all say we know racism is wrong but do people still show signs of it regardless?  I think it is safe to say that in Franklin and Cumberland county there is a lot of ignorance in people and a lot of them are set in their ways and there is no way to change them.  I do think it was great that Jane Elliot took it to an even bigger scale at the jail.  I thought perhaps that adults would behave differently but in turned out they reacted the same.  It is awful how influences people can be and how ignorant they are until they are put in a situation.  I think this lesson works really well and leaves a huge impact on people.  I know I was surprised when I saw the video and found what it had to offer as very valuable.

"Reading Multiculturally" by Daniel HadeI am going to be honest, out of all the assignments this week I felt that I was least impressed by this one.  I think he had a lot of good things to say but I felt like he was getting repetitive and was saying things I think we already know.  He kept bringing up different authors and books and talking about them in regards to issues involving multiculturalism, which I think is important.  However, he was going in a lot of directions and I felt sort of lost.  I think as teachers we do need to shed the light on novels and use world literature as a backbone in teaching but I don't think every book we read needs to have it.  I do like the part when Hade talks about how students react when they read certain culturally diverse books (Hade 4).  I know I still get uncomfortable reading some material that is unusual or may seem inappropriate.  However, I do not know how we can change that.  I mean exposure to these books may help, but I think it would take every American to get rid of those stigmas and make the way we read muticultural books comfortable.  I do think that we can make students feel a little better and comfortable when reading but it will always feel sort of awkward to us and our students.  Another thing I particularly enjoyed was his Lion King analogy (Hade 1-2).  It really drew me in and emphasized a good point at first. I also never really thought about the movie the way he had because I just always watched it for pleasure. I personally think that it is important to expose kids to all sorts of literature and themes so they are aware and not ignorant of the matters, but this article got a little too over the top and made me feel like I was reading the same things over and over.

Blog #3 Graphic Novels

So, I was going to write my blog on You Gotta Be the Book; however, I found that the articles and The American Born Chinese had a lot more to offer for this week's blog.  To be honest, I was a little apprehensive when I read the syllabus and found that this week was going to revolve around graphic novels.  I have never been the one to read that kind of stuff and I use to think it was because I THOUGHT that genre was a little immature and kind of pointless.  However, looking back on what I have read I realize that that is not the case.  First of all, when I read The American Born Chinese I was a bit lost and could not keep up with three story lines. I still do not think that I fully get the point, but I do think that it was a great book.  It was not this pointless comic that had some basic story but had many storylines and fun characters that made the book interesting and I even ended up finishing it within an hour. 
      The American Born Chinese would be a great addition to any classroom.  It had some deep concepts involving God or a superior being and dealt with issues such as isolation and racism.  Wouldn't it be a great idea to read this graphic novel with Huckleberry Finn?  Both stories deal with similar issues and could be great parallels in a classroom.  What makes one book better then the other? Absolutely nothing.  Students would be way more willing to read something different like a graphic novel then to read the same stuff students have been reading for decades.  Racism is a serious issue but that does not mean the message has to be in a serious format.  The only problem I see with the graphic novel is the idea of character development.  As I states in my first blog, I love to find connections with characters and The American Born Chinese did not allow me to do that.  I have not read many graphic novels to make  a general assumption; however, I think character development is important.  Nonetheless, I felt that this graphic novel really opened my eyes to a new genre and I will definitely not shy away from them again.  I think they make nice supplements in a classroom and could really appeal to readers.  I was also shocked at how complex the plot actually was. I thought it would be very basic but it was actually harder then some classic literature that I have read.  It was really interesting to see how all the plots tied together at the end.  I feel like most students would definitely like this kind of book and could definitely think critically about it.  Plus, there are so many activities then can go with it.  One thing that I think would be fun to do would be to create yearbook entries for each character since school was the main setting.  It would be like a journal but with a picture to depict a character and an entry that kind of sums up the plot.
      Moreover, the article that we read "Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban High School" put some things in to perspective.  I think that a lot of people think that there is no possible way that a graphic novel could be helpful in a classroom, but this article proved different.  I thought it was great to see the progress that the students made and to see how creative that they got.  These students seemed to come from all over the world in race, but they found a common ground when they were able to depict image pannels.  However, they each had their own input and emotions put with each picture.  They could think critically and create a story of their own.  My favorite scenario was Sanjit's story (Fisher, Frey 20).  His own history helped create a story and you could see that he found some similar ground within the pictures.  I also, liked the paint strip idea (Fisher, Frey 21).  It is important for students to use new vocabulary and I think this method works very well.  When I was in school we had vocabulary books that we needed to do every week.  It was boring, repetitive, and I rarely used those words.  This, however, is completely different.  Overall, this article really proved what graphic novels can do and how relatable they can be to students.  These students obviously improved and seemed to get a lot out of the projects and writing.  I think they even learned a little more about themselves.
      The last piece I wish to discuss is "The Conventions of Comics" that Dr. Mortimore posted for us to read.  I had no idea that there were so many parts to a comic and how it kind of has a language and set up of their own.  They have their own set of rules and takes time to create one.  I particularly was interested in the speech part (Mortimore 1).  I knew that different bubbles represented different communications, but I was never aware of which went with what. I think all teachers need to be more informed with this set up because they might become more open to using this genre in class. I Think this document really sums up what I think and what I want to say about graphic novels or comics. This week lesson really made me do a transformation. I was completely against graphic novels because I was ignorant to them. I now see how cool they can be and what they have to offer. I now understand what they can do to students and how helpful they are in the classroom. I also realized how complex they can be and how much goes in to the development of them. However, the most important thing I read was the article. It really moved me and I see graphic novels as the next big advancement in literature..and let's be honest..there needs to be an advanceme

Blog #2...Chapters 1,2, and 3

     As I was reading You Gotta BE the Book I started to look at myself as the teacher in that scenario.  Is it true that I would get a group of students who hated school (Wilhelm 19)? Who hated reading?! I guess I had always thought that all my students would come to class with smiles on their faces, hungry brains for reading, and a number two pencil...naturally.  I never really thought of the worst case scenario and never really thought that I might be sitting in a general english class teaching disconnected students.  Mr. Wilhelm, however, seems to really understand kids and really care about their future (Wilhelm 2).  That is the kind of teacher that I want to be.  I, however, do not think that I will be focusing all the time on Rosenblatt's theories (Wilhelm 27).  He makes a good point when he tries to decide what makes some students understand deeper meaning of texts when some do not (Wilhelm 8).  I have always thought of that too.  I find reading pretty simple and that the meaning comes sort of naturally.  As a teacher, I feel like I need to try and make meaning come more natural to all my students by trying different methods. I think it is difficult as a teacher to try and find a remedy or reason to something that may or may not have a right answer. Wilhelm had the right idea when he wanted to know "how kids read" (Wilhelm 11).  I think his surveys and case studies lead to some important data and shows what is going on behind the scenes of students' minds.  If you're going to fix a problem you have to go to the root of the problem.  Each kid is going to be different and each kid is going to have different interests.  Just like we learned in class the other day, some students are in to online gaming.  As a teacher how am I supposed to know that without digging deeper inside my students' minds?  If you can figure out where a student stands in reading then you may be able to come up with some great ideas for lesson plans.  I really liked how Wilhelm broke down his strategies/plans and how the students reacted to reading in to different sections (Wilhelm 40-118).  The one that I was always fond of was how characters and the reader connect (Wilhelm 79).  I find it a lot easier to enjoy a book where I can look at a character and find something about them that sparks an interest in me.  Wilhelm's research seemed to prove the same (Wilhelm 80-81).  The kids had a really interesting things to say about particular characters (Wilhelm 80-81). 
     I particularly enjoyed the interaction that he had with the readers who were considered "good" or "avid" (Wilhelm 43).  These students (Cora, Ron, and Joanne) seemed to hit the nail on the head with their responses (Wilhelm 43-52).  They enjoy reading and they loved reading for how it affected them (Wilhelm 45-53). However, they seem to think that reading for english is a chore because teachers try and make it concrete (Wilhelm 45).  Does taking english and trying to find a solid answer bothersome?  The answer is simply yes.  I remember being a student and reading War of the Worlds.  I read it for leisure the first time I read and really enjoyed it.  However, when I read it in my twelfth grade class, I hated it. Why did I have to take four quizzes on some old book that got the future completely wrong...at least as we know it?  Why did I have to write an alternate ending...it already had an ending!  If you take something and push it down peoples' throats then of course they are going to resent it. I agree with the notion that the importance of reading is to enjoy reading forever, not to write literary criticism
      Another point that I wish to discuss was the part where Wilhelm talks about his daughter reading The Scarlet Letter (Wilhelm 34).  He starts to wonder why we read what we read and why we teach what we teach (Wilhelm 34).  He goes on to list the life-long messages that this story offers but then realizes that other books can offer the same (Wilhelm 34).  Students know exactly what to expect when they see the book list for their english class.  Yet, do they need to be boring?  I think that it is time to reform the english class and make it a place that is enjoyable. It is important for students to like reading and school should embrace it...not turn them away from reading.  One of the most useful ideas I read about in the book so far is whenever Mr.Wilhelm talks about getting students to piece events in a story together and tie loose ends or make the novel more clear (Wilhelm 90-91).  This technique is good for students to be creative and be more aware of what they have read (Wilhelm 90-91).  This strategy seems like it can be far from boring and really make students think without them being irritated.  It is almost like a mystery; however, solving the mystery shows that the students understood what they read and can make sense of it (Wilhelm 90-91).  There are so many ways that this can work and so many different activities to do with it.  They basically create links within the novel and construct their own conclusion.  I think it is great that Wilhelm has gone above and beyond to try and make his classroom idealistic for students.  He really did a lot of analyzing and questioning, which I think a lot more teachers need to do.  You need to know your students as people and what they come from.  I believe every student can be a reader but it needs to be handled differently then a spoon-fed literature classic that exhausts kids to the point that they make an excuse to go to the nurse's office.

My Literacy Profile

     I believe that reading is the most important skill when it comes to life. If you can't read then you can't travel, cook, fix things, learn new things, or even get a job. However; to me, reading is not just something that is essential to a successful life. It is also a pasttime and one of my favorite hobbies. Ever since the first grade I was an avid reader and liked to sink my teeth in to new genres and new authors. As a class we would march to the library once a week and rummage through books until we found the perfect one. Yet, some kids did not find the joy in reading and the rummaging as I did. Some kids in my class would pretend to find a book while others simply let their books sit in their bookbags for a week to gather dust and peanut butter and jelly residue. These kids made me realize that reading was not something that I was being forced to do, after all they were not reading their books, but something that I wanted to do.  Therefore, reading started out as something that I had to do for school but turned in to something I enjoyed. Reading is a way for me to relax and leave my worries in the real world. Instead, I get to see in to someone else's life and see how they work through their worries and situations. I also love how you are introduced to new places and people that you only wish were real...that feel real. I remember when I turned eleven that I just knew I was going to get my letter to Hogwarts. Although I never physically saw Hogwarts, I knew it was an amazing place where awesome things happened. To be honest, I still have lingering hopes that owl-post is slow these days and that my Hogwarts letter is still going to arrive. Overall, reading is a way for me to escape and to live an adventure without leaving my bed. I even have a book on the night stand by my bed where I write down my favorite quotes from my favorite books.
     The books that I read when I was younger are books that I still love today. Roald Dahl was my favorite author as I was going through elementary school. I loved James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Twits, The Witches, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Other books that I enjoyed were The Mixed-Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler, The Giver, Holes, Beverly Cleary books, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and ESPECIALLY the Harry Potter series. I guess looking back I could say I was a fan of fiction and books where kids stand up and are the protagonists. Now I love to read Stephen King and classic literature.  I also like to ready mysteries and horror novels when I can. Let's be honest, I do not have time to read what I want to read that much during the semester! I can honestly say that in middle school through high school I did not read for pleasure much. School and a social life kept me pretty busy, but I still read for my english classes. Books that I read in high school include: To Kill a Mockingbird, A Separate Peace, Shakespeare, Frankenstein, War of the Worlds, Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby, A Scarlet Letter, and my favorite....The Crucible.. I remember either really loving or really hating the literature we read in school. I found that it was hard trying to care about Huckleberry Finn. I was not in to the plot and themes and the dialect was a pain to get through. However, The Great Gatsby was interesting and I found myself really loving the characters. I think that is a very important aspect to reading fiction. You have to fall in love with the characters to be able to enjoy a book. Whether it is Scout or Albus Dumbledore, I found myself rooting for the people that I felt I knew personally. On the other hand, Hester Prynne, was a character that I did not care for. Therefore, I like literature where the characters are people I am truly interested in.  Regardless, I still enjoyed the literature we read in school.  After all, these books are classics for a reason.  I just wish my teachers were better at teaching the literature then they were.  I could tell that the lesson plans they used were from a workbook and that they did not plan an activity themselves.  If a teacher does not care to be creative enough to make their own lessons then how can I care about the lessons they are presenting?
     Luckily, college spun me around and helped me enjoy reading for pleasure more. I feel that I am motivated to read because there are always things to explore.  I like reading now for the same reasons I liked reading as a child.  I want to know more about the world and the literature that shaped it. On the other hand, I still feel like I need to become a better reader. I need to broaden my range of books and read things that I would not expect myself to like. I kind of want to surprise myself with a book like The Da Vinci Code. Basically, I want to be more open-minded when it comes to reading.  As a teacher, I want my students to discover that they love reading.  I believe that there is a book out there for everyone and that you just need to find it.  I do not care if my students can tell me different literature terms.  I want them to be able to tell me why the book was important.  What was the author saying?  What does this say about the time period?  What is the effect of this novel?   I do not expect my students to love every book we read; however, I do want to inspire them to appreciate the books that we read.  I want them to understand why they have to take my class in order to graduate.  By the end of the year, my goal for them is to have read a book for pleasure and enjoy it.  I want a book to change their outlook on something or spark a new interest.  As for literacy, I do see it as more then being able to read the words on a page.  It is one thing to read but another to read and think critically.  After all, what is the point of reading if you do not understand what you read?  Therefore, I think literacy is a lot more then what you pick up in a classroom and being able to make out words.  I think it is important for everyone to take the words, create thoughts, and come up with an analysis or a better understanding of a topic.  Therefore, I think that literacy is more then reading a book.  It is reading a book and being able to reflect on it.