Take the Good and the Bad

      The research brief assignment is one of the assignments that I really didn't think would take a while but actually took a lot of thought.  It wasn't so much the research question but the data analysis and how to put forward my research.  Not to mention the encoding portion was confusing and I battled the textbook many times trying to make sense of it.  However, as an end result, I really like my research question and I think it is going to go over well in my classroom.  I think it is also manageable as I am student teaching and I could definitely benefit from its results.  My research question is essentially to have the students help create a behavioral management plan in hopes that they will be better behaved and follow the rules since they helped make them.  I think the students will enjoy this procedure because it will allow them to take a large role in what goes on in the classroom as well as be accountable for their actions.  I am really looking forward to the rules that they want to implement.  I wonder if they will create a long list or a short list or if they will try and create real bizarre rules.  Naturally, I have to have some control in this situation and that it what worries me the most.  What if this doesn't go according to plan?  What if they don't want to create rules?  I think I really need to find a way to ensure that this goes as smooth as possible, even if it is a list of rules for them to sort of rank so that they are forced to choose some.  As a whole, I am pretty confident in my research question and I think it is going to end up working out pretty well in the classroom.
       As for my reflection, I have to admit that I have learned a lot of valuable lessons during my time in methods.  For starters I learned that I cannot afford to be lazy! Teaching is a job that requires effort all of the time and that there is no room for slacking.  Getting my first "R" was a big slap in the face, well in a good way maybe? My first conceptual unit was sloppy and one of the worst assignments I ever turned in.  I am glad that I got the "R" because it proved to me that I needed to improve because this class was going to be rigorous and expect a lot.  If I had not received that "R" then who knows how long I would have continued slacking?  I have also learned that there are a lot of resources a teacher can use, and I have learned a lot of them from my peers! All of the mini teachers really provided me with good ideas and I can clearly see myself using a lot of them in my classroom. My favorite assignment was reading the Image Grammar by Noden.  I think the brushstrokes are an awesome idea and I really want to use them in my classroom.  It definitely helps create better writers, particuarly with creative writing.  Methods also allowed me to be satisfied with the grades and the work that I eventually turned in.  Being able to correct the assignments as many times as I wanted allowed me to work on things over and over until I feel I got it right.  Although it was frustrating during the time being, I realize now that it was only to make me better and to show what I am capable of creating.  For example, I look at my LFS map and I take great pride in it.  I think it is something I would really consider using in my class and I think it shows that I can be a good teacher.  I am eager to put it in my portfolio and that is a great feeling to have.  That is the one thing about methods, during the course you may feel weak and awful about your assignments.  You may even question whether or not you want to teach; however, at the end, you feel really good about yourself and admire the work that you put forth in the class.
      It terms of bad things, I learned that I really need to get more comfortable with my peers.  I am so much better at teaching to students then I am to my peers.  It makes me feel like I am talking down to them or that I am making things too simple.  Although it seems to be too late to fix this, I am glad that I realize it now so that I can work on it if I ever need to again. I also learned that I hate mornings...which is a terrible thing when going in to the teaching field.  I know I am going to need to get up every day early so I need to start getting in to that habit.  I know this sounds cliche, but I don't feel that I learned too many bad things about myself.  I only feel as though the bad things worked out in the end to make me end up feeling really good about things.
     Therefore, there were some good and some bad things I learned about myself through methods.  However, one of the most things I will cherish are the friendships that I have made.  There are a few people in this class that I feel I have a great bond with that I hope stays strong for a while.  We were able to cope with the stress of classes together, encourage each other when others put us down, and have good times together that helped get our minds off of the stress!  Although that is not teaching related, it really helped me get through methods because they were my rock.  I also really learned to value my education that I have been given.  I know a lot of times I complain about things that shouldn't matter or I get on my soap box, but I truly appreciate what I have gotten out of my educatio
      In the long run, methods was a very worthwhile class in my opinion.  I learned my weaknesses, my strengths, how I have improved, and what I still need to improve on.  This class allows me to feel comfortable going in to student teaching and has reassured me that teaching is the career that I want to be in.  I really hope that everyone has a good student teaching experience and wish you all good luck after graduation.

Image Grammar

As future teachers, it is interesting to see how traditional values are being changed, kept, or taken out of the classroom.  When I think of grammar, I think of mechanics and commas or perhaps types of sentences and dangling modifiers.  To my pleasant surprise, Image Grammar helped me to see grammar through a different and a better lens.  Of course, I think traditional grammar is important and is a keystone when it comes to English.  Grammar rules are implemented so that writing is effective and scholarly.  For example, in my placements I have read several papers where the grammar was correct and papers where the grammar was incorrect.  I may be a bit biased but I definitely found it very difficult to read through a paper when a student ended all of their sentences with prepositions or over used commas.  However, when I did see a paper that was grammatically correct I was very pleased.  When I think of my own grammar instruction during my schooling I remember very little about it.  To be honest, I don’t remember ever really engaging in grammar but approaching it as it came up in my writing or in a text.  Personally, my favorite memory of grammar was doing D.O.L or what people commonly refer to as daily oral language.  The teacher would put up a sentence or two that was filled with grammatical and spelling errors.  As a class we would go through the sentence and fix it so that it was correct.  Although it was not very engaging and got rather monotonous, I still liked the challenge or the puzzle of fixing a sentence to make it correct.  I do, however, think it sad how much of grammar is left on the back burner and not really approached in the classroom.  Once again, I may be making a bold statement but I honestly believe that grammar is overlooked because teachers do not fully understand grammar themselves.  After all, we are human and I know that there are plenty of times when my grammar isn’t the greatest.  As a matter of fact, it is safe to say that the grammar in the blog is incorrect.  As a result, I think teachers find it easy to get rid of grammar because they literally cannot practice what they preach. 

                On the other hand, I do find that Image Grammar offers a lot of new insight and approaches that make grammar fun and make more sense.  When I first heard about the five different brushstrokes I thought they were clever but very narrow.  I mean, adding description in an analytical paper is often frowned upon and considered filler.  Then I realized that writing papers with descriptions effectively can eventually lead to being a better writer analytically.  My absolute favorite thing that Harry Noden brings up is when he explains, “Specific details, like brush strokes, show instead of tell” (Noden 29).  I think this is a great metaphor when he explains that the brush strokes are like colors for a painter.  They are interchangeable and speak to the reader more than what dialogue does.  I like this idea a lot more than I like traditional grammar lessons; yet, they are still important. 

                Moreover, I also like when Harry Noden writes, In a reader’s imagination, nouns flash slide shows of still images, but verbs project motion pictures” (32). Through the different brushstroke teaches I learned a lot about what this quote actually means.  Each teach was very effective and I could tell a difference with the before lesson and the activity we had to do for each of them.  Verbs make sentences so vivid and really leave a lasting impression.  For example, Jon and I thought about this quote when we created our lesson and decided to implement it.  I immediately thought of the first time I read Harry Potter and the Socerer’s Stone.  When Harry first enters the Great Hall a swarm of emotions and images fluttered through my mind.  J.K. Rowling used such colorful descriptions that I had a concrete mindset of what this scene actually looked like.  Every book after that I perceived the Great Hall in the same way and it left a lasting impression.  When the movie came out, I was little concerned that Hollywood was going to damper my images Rowling’s wonderful world, particularly that scene that I held so close.  However, I was pleasantly surprised! The director, Chris Columbus, executed the scene exactly how I imagined in the book.  It was actually alarming at how well he captured that moment when Harry enters.  This is when it occurred to me that J.K. Rowling left little room to improvise and create something new.  Her passages were written with so many verbs and the brushstrokes that the script and the sets were already created from her original writing.  Luckily, I had the honor to actually see the set in person and it was breathtaking.  As for the lessons that the different pairs taught, they made so much sense and, personally, I think it was the best material I have learned when it comes to teaching.  These activities, so simple, are so important.  It makes a great deal of difference in your writing if you follow these simple tools that were presented in class. 

                So, I guess the question lies as to how I plan on teaching grammar in my class.  I suppose that I will teach it as a learning process.  I was thinking of having the students learn the brushstrokes as a lesson that occurs once a week, perhaps a set day of the week.  For instance, I would spend a whole class period dedicated to the different brushstrokes.  After that, I would do mini-lessons or writing samples of Fridays in order for the students to get practice.  I would put a sentence on the board and have the students build from it.  Have them write a paragraph based on once sentence that has appositives in it and another with absolutes and so on.  I think the mini assignments would change every week to mix things up and it would hopefully get the students motivated.  I would also have bigger writing assignments throughout the year as well.  I would have a rubric that includes conventions, content, spelling, and the traditional categories that are associated with grammar.  However, I would make one of the criteria usages of the brushstrokes.  Not only would that encourage my students to use them, it would allow them to see how important they are and it would even out the use of red pen for traditional grammar errors.  I think this ensures a happy medium between what people know as traditional grammar and the brushstrokes.

                Therefore, how does the “red pen” article make me feel after I learned about the brushstrokes?  I still feel that the red pen is very necessary and not meant to make people feel bad.  I still think students need to write papers that make sense and free from error.  However, I do realize that I value other things as well.  I feel like the red pen can only do so much.  Brushstrokes should be taught first, in my opinion, and then the traditional grammar should follow.  I even think that proper grammar would start to flow naturally if the brushstrokes were implemented first.  Overall, I really enjoyed Image Grammar, the teaches these past two weeks, and even the thought of teaching grammar.  I sincerely hope I can put the brushstrokes to use because they are great to use.

Writing Strategies

      In my opinion, writing is the most important skill that a person acquires as they progress through school and in to the real world.  Whether it is college papers, notices at work, emails, and even text messages, how you write says a lot about you.  Although I disagree a lot with Gallagher on this topic, I would like to bring up the few good points that I found true and useful in the classroom.  The one idea that I really enjoyed is Gallagher’s view on what students write.  I know that that sounds very simplistic  but it makes all the difference in the world! I do not know how many times I have been forced to write a paper that had the strictest of guidelines and a thesis that was already given to us on the prompt.  That is almost the equivalent of readicide…might we call it writicide??  Simply stated, you cannot force students to care about a topic.  Students have almost been treated like machines in the way that they write that it takes away EVERYTHING writing is supposed to be about.  A teacher gives a prompt about a specific element in literature that students must write about.  The student goes through their notes and through the book to write a paper that appeals to the teacher to ensure a good grade.  On the other hand, there are students who get the prompt and look at it with blank eyes and an uninteresting groan.  These students then wait until the last minute to write the paper and give minimum effort.  There are even students who may refuse to write it because they do not have a place to begin on a topic that they find pointless.  Gallagher makes it quite clear that choice is an essential key to make a good paper.  In particular, I loved his activity entitled “find the fib” (Gallagher 94).  I think that this is a great first paper for students to write and showcase how they can write a narrative or informative piece.  It also ensures that they are writing about something that is interesting and something that they want to write about.  Let’s be honest, people like to write about things that make them stand out.  This activity will likely invite students to use much detail and write everything that makes the story a great one to tell over others.
                In a nutshell, I also enjoyed how Gallagher encourages students to take a large role in the whole writing process.  For example I like when he addresses that students could help to create the rubric (Gallagher 155).  This allows students to be accountable for their grades and to decide what they value in their own writing.  It also eliminates a lot of discrepancies on grades.  He also allows them to discover on their own their flaws and their strengths while allowing them to hone their skills.  Students would really appreciate how much power and how fluid writing is.  I feel as though students would want to get better and try harder if they knew that they were accountable for their paper from the beginning to the end.

                Now I know this will probably make a lot of people a little upset; however, I am a big fan of the red pen and the grading process.  In class we talked about what we should correct and how much content should matter over grammar.  Personally, I think it is my duty, as a teacher, to correct their paper to the best I can (red pen or not).  I know it sounds discouraging but I want my students to be taken seriously in the real world.  I don’t see the point in sugarcoating grammatical errors if they are present in their paper.  Should they get the chance to improve their paper? Always.  Should I conference with them and give them positive feedback? Absolutely.  However, I feel like I would be doing a great disservice if I didn’t mark every little thing that is wrong.  Steven Zemelman and Harvey Daniels’ article entitled, “The English Teacher’s Red Pen: History of an Obsession” really bothered me as I read.  The quote that really angered me was “Indeed, that is essentially what we have done in the teaching of writing in this country; we have taken what is potentially the most personal, energizing, and richly meaningful subject in the whole curriculum and sucked the meaning out of it. We’ve degraded our subject and in so doing have created a nation of wounded, unconfident semi-writers” (3). I don’t think that correcting every error creates unconfident students.  I think that it should encourage them to accept the challenge of re-doing a paper better than the last one.  I agree, I think paper writing should be a process.  However, I don’t think that teachers have sucked the fun out of writing by correcting every mistake.  I think the fun out of writing gets sucked out when there is no choice and the students are forced to write about things that they do not want to.  In the real world, college or any job, people are scrutinized for everything that they do.  For example, at my job, my boss posts all sorts of messages on the breakroom board every day.  As I read them, I find several mistakes in his writing and naturally call him out on it.  As shallow as it seems, I do feel that he loses credentials by not being able to write with proper grammar.  Does it make him a bad boss? No.  It does, however, make him look like he cannot communicate effectively.

            On a brighter note, I do like the idea that Gallagher has on “funneling” (97).  Even now I have trouble taking a topic and making it small enough to write a solid paper on it.  I think this process allows students to really focus and become a better writer.  If you write on a topic that is really big than that your ideas are all over the place and you build your paper out, not up.  Once you narrow your topic than you can add details and really solidify your material.  It also allows you to put some depth in your paper and make it really strong. 

            The last piece of information that I enjoyed from Gallagher is the way that the revision process works.  I truly believe that students should not get one attempt at a paper.  I agree that they should work until becomes a solid paper.  I also agree that conferencing with the whole class is not a good idea.  Personally, I would not trust my peers (who have the same writing experience as I) with my paper and my revisions.  After all, what do they know? (I would be thinking in high school).  I would like a one-on-one conference with the teacher and maybe one other classmate.  I think it is important for someone to read your work because you get a different insight.  Also, the teacher is a good person to conference with because he or she knows what they are looking for over a peer.

            On the other hand, Smagorinsky brings up a few good points I would like to address.  Smagorinsky writes, “Postpone grammar instruction to the point where it can really become useful to the student” (Smagorinsky 165).  I have had and seen English classes where a teacher will go over grammar one week out of a school year.  It is usually at a random time where they are not working on papers and they cram it all in to one week.  I think Smagorinsky is right in that grammar should come up as a supplement when they write their papers.  Talking about predicate nominatives is not important when they just get done reading a novel.  Instead, a teacher should wait until the trouble with them occurs in many papers or whenever students have questions about it.  Why bother with grammar lessons on things that students already know and keep piling on lesson after lesson?  Grammar is also a process and should be treated in a systematic and procedural way.  Too much grammar can make students very confused and it probably wouldn’t make sense unless it was USEFUL.  Therefore, I agree with Smagorinsky: Don’t waste their time, wait until it is crucial.

      I also like how Smagorinsky states, “Don’t teach grammar in isolation” (165).  Once again, this goes back to those high school days where we would spend a week on grammar.  There would be worksheets with sentences that needed to be fixed based on the day’s lesson, for example, commas. Grammar should be approached when writing papers and as errors occur.  Giving a student a random sentence to fix is not going to make the grammatical rule stick in their head.  If you give them a sentence in their own paper to fix then they will care a lot more.  Not only will they be more receptive, they will also be able to see where they went wrong and how it affects a whole paper or paragraph.  Grammar is not something that can be taught out of a textbook.  It needs to be applicable and show students its benefits.  Grammar is everywhere and in every text; thus, it should be taught as such.  Grammar being taught just as grammar is confusing and it does not allow students to connect with their own writing.

            I feel as though writing strategies need to change but keep some traditional values.  Obviously, I find the red pen effective and that correcting every error is beneficial.  However, I like these new ideas that the scholars bring up about what is important in writing and how to get students to enjoy writing.  I think the easiest way to sum up what I learned is that writing is a process between a student, their work, and the teacher.  Students should be given opportunities, given choices, and be able to correct their work frequently.  However, teachers should still be a critic because that is how students will learn what they are doing wrong. I can't imagine letting errors go and simply reading it as though I was just a typical reader.  I think that content is very important; however, I think that grammar and content should be evaluated 50/50.  If I can read the paper and get something out if it then that's great. I don't think that's enough though.  The one thing that I don't agree with in regard to the red pen is to mark the same error throughout the paper and lower the grade because of that.  I think once or twice is enough to address the issue.  How can a student get a bad grade if they are not aware they are making the same mistake in a paper?  Overall, I think the scholars make valid and solid points.  I am still not sure how I feel about the "red pen" article but I understand what they are saying.  I am definitely considering using their approaches.

Text Satellite

     
http://prezi.com/j5zv_0hb647m/the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower/
    

                First of all, this text satellite was actually a lot of fun and exciting to create.  With that being said, it was still a lot of work (particularly because I do not play well with prezi).  I decided to go for something very modern and fresh for my primary text.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower jumped out at me instantaneously because that is a book that students are interested in and want to read.  Ironically, the movie was also just released which gives it that appeal to students.  Not only is this book genuinely a good read, it is also full of themes and lessons that some students go through in their own lives.  That huge connection between them and the story is what I felt would lure them in to the other traditional texts that I chose to go with it.  These other texts include The Lovely Bones, A Separate Peace, and The Catcher of the Rye.  These stories share most of the themes that envelope The Perks of Being a Wallflower and have main characters who are all adolescents.  Each of the texts is very unique; however, they are all very similar and relevant to the age group who is reading them.  For example, The Lovely Bones is very much about coping with change, changing of relationships, sexuality, and young love.  On the other hand, it is told as the main character is dead viewing her family and friends from heaven which is completely different from the other texts.   The Perks of Being a Wallflower also shares those themes listed above; yet, it also has the theme of teenage pressure implemented in it.  In a sense, all of those traditional texts overlap to an extent but still bring forth other themes and connections that are important to discuss.

      In addition, I added a tv show, movies, and a musical to the list of texts that are discussed within this unit.  Glee is a tv show that is very popular amongst teenagers and adults alike.  It deals with issues such as pressure, sexuality, building of relationships, and etc.  I felt like this was appropriate to implement because students are familiar with this and it is relevant to their lives and to the traditional texts.  Each character in the show is relatable and students can compare or contrast them to the characters in the traditional texts.  It is also a show that can lead to great discussions and be connector between the students and the traditional texts.  The movies, such as Grease, Mean Girls, and the Finding Nemo clip are also familiar and films that are popular in our culture today.  Each movie sets forth elements that are important and allow students to see the greater picture.  For example, in Grease, Sandy’s character makes a drastic change in appearance from start to finish.  She is pressured from her peers and her relationship changes with them as she dives deeper in to the in crowd.  In a sense, her and Charlie’s character from The Perks of Being a Wallflower could be compared and students could decide who makes a greater change and who does it for the better reason.  The musical is something I added because theater is something that I feel is important.  I do not think students appreciate it enough and feel as though it is too old-fashioned or too boring for them.  I used the musical Spring Awakening to prove otherwise and to show how closely it touches upon the themes for this unit.

                Other texts I implemented include a sonnet by William Shakespeare and quotes by Marilyn Monroe and Ron Taffel.  Although these texts are not very long they are still very powerful.  The quotes ultimately sum up each text and give the students something to reflect on and even journal about.  The sonnet is a text that I think challenges students by having them dissect it and make meaning based on the texts they previously read.  Personally, I do not care if they analyze the sonnet differently than me.  I want them to be able to make sense out of it on their own and build bridge between it and other texts. 

                The news article was something I decided to include to show real world application and relevance.  It is one that can lead a great discussion or debate which would be useful in a classroom setting.  Also, it breaks the silence and allows the students to talk and make meaningful conversations that might not come out in a traditional text.  It also mentions relationships with friends which is a theme within the unit.  The songs I chose were picked simply because they tie the themes together.  Ultimately, these themes work together to create the life of an adolescent.  The song “Send Me On My Way” by Rusted Root has moving lyrics about letting loose and moving on with your life.  I feel as though each student can relate to those lyrics and so can the characters in the stories they read.  It would be a great way for students to look at lyrics and apply them to different passages or to the ending of each novel they read.  Surprisingly, the artwork was my favorite thing to add to this unit.  Both pictures directly link to a specific theme within the unit.  It is up for the student to decide which one (without them knowing the title) and why they feel that it represents that theme.  I would like them to justify their answer and to be able to tell me how it makes them feel and why. 

     The graphic novel was added because it is a different kind of text and some of students will be interested in graphic novels or comic books.  It depicts the themes as well; however, it is delivered in a different manner.  It is important to expose students to different type of texts and show them that they are just as valuable as tv shows.  I also want to show them that they are also relevant.  Lastly, The Sims was included because it is simply about life.  Each sim has emotions and forms different types of relationships with different people.  I want my students to play this game so that they can make decisions and see what the consequences are.  Students would never take this risks in real life so it would be interesting to see what they would do if they know it did not cost them anything in their real life.  For example, what would happen if they wanted their sim to kiss another sim it barely knew?  What kind of relationship would they have?  It is a way for them to toy around with characters and sort of make their own story with their own characters.  Some of them may have happy endings while others might not get so lucky.

                Overall, I feel as though my texts work very well in sync with one another.  They are all very similar but the content is delivered very differently.  Each text brings forth something new with a connection to something in an older text.  I think my students would understand the themes a lot better and with much more enthusiasm if these texts were taught together.  I think this unit is relevant to them because of the messages and because most of the texts are familiar to them.

Assessments

     The first idea I contemplated when I was brainstorming for my conceptual unit and concept map was how to assess my students.  Sure, it is a lot easier to make a test that asks the facts and details from a student but I knew that was not my goal for either of these assignments.  For example, with the conceptual unit I decided that I was going to give my students choices that mirrored multiple learning styles.  One of these projects consisted of a radio broadcast for those who wanted to be creative, and were in to using different types of technology such as vlogs and other audio tools online. Another assessment was a CD case and analysis for those who associate themselves with music or learn better with a musical learning style.  On the other hand, I offered a very conventional assigment they could choose from which was a compare and contrast paper.  I was pretty happy with the way these assessments turned out and it took me awhile to figure out why. Then it became apparant that it was not neccessarily the assessments I offered but that I simply allowed them have a choice.
      With assessments I think it is very important to allow more than one way to answer the unit essential question.  Not only does it allow the students some freedom but it also allows them to do something they actually want to do.  What is the point in forcing all of your students to have their understanding measured the same way? To me it makes more sense to have students pick assessments that interest them.  People tend to try harder at things that enjoy because it becomes less of a task and more of an enjoyable experience. For example, in high school we all had to create a pop-up book of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and present them to the class.  This was a terrible assessment for me because I can't draw, I'm not crafty, and to me it wasn't proving anything.  Other students felt the same way and resorted to not doing it at all because some students didn't want to speak in front of the class or be teased because of their drawing skills.  I think the teacher had good intentions; it was creative, it appealed to those who liked to be crafty, but it did not allow everyone a fair chance to show that they knew the material.
      Another thing about assessments that I learned was that they have to serve a pupose and make that students feel like it is not simply busy work.  I know that it sounds pretty obvious; however, it took me some time to realize that.  These assessments need to link back to the unit question and the lesson questions. After all, the point of these questions is to make sure that the students can answer these after each lesson and the end of the unit. If these assessments are not geared to that then how can we make sure that the students CAN answer those questions?  I think that is one of the reasons that multiple choice tests fail.  One cannot possibly see if a student learned material by asking them to remember details of a story.  Naturally, that can show that they read it; however, just because they read it does not mean they understand it or are making connections.  The more a student can construct on ther own the better.  Clearly multiple choice tests do not allow that to happen.
      As for making my own multiple choice test for the concept map, I feel like it was a blessing and a curse.  It made me realize how ineffective they are, but it made the assignment take a lot longer and made it more challenging.  It took me probably three hours collectively to come up with questions for this test.  As I look back, I still feel that my questions were not that great because it left me with two battles:

1)  First one being making questions that ask details from the story.  As we have previously talked about, is it that important if a student can recall what color something was?  Not really.

2) Another breing the questions that were multiple choice but could be interpreted different ways.  You can't ask open-ended mutliple choice questions that are effective.  Not all students may have read the story the way that you the teacher have.  Therefore, how can you mark an answer wrong just because a student may not have drawn the same conclusions as you?

     I feel like both of these types of questions ended up in my objective test one way or another.  I tried to create good questions but it was very difficult to do.  I ended up re-wording my questions, taking out questions, figuring out ways to combine questions, etc.  It became frustrating and very time consuming.  Overall, I think it was a good idea that we had to do this objective test because it made me realize that these types of tests are not always beneficial.  It also made me realize how hard it can be to even create one.  Gallagher makes a valid point when he writes, "A curriculum steeped in multiple-choice test preparation drives shallow teaching and learning" (Gallagher 8).  I completely agree this, particularly as I was in the middle of creating my objective test.  I kept thinking to myself that this quiz was very easy and that anyone could pass this test because a multiple choice test allows for students to guess and get credit by picking a random letter if they don't know the answer.  Students are not forced to think critically but remember facts.  These tests are manageable at a very superficial level.  The students read, memorize, and prove that they memorized.  To me, that is not what tests are about and Gallagher proves that point.
          On a happier note, I feel as though my alternative assessment was good and a breath of fresh air after creating the objective test.  The first thing that I did was ask myself what my goal was.  Naturally, I looked back at the unit essential question and went from there and worked backwards.  I decided to do a writing assignment with different choices to choose from.  All of them included a rewrite of "Tell-Tale Heart", but each prompt allowed students to do different things with the story.  The most important thing, however, was that the end product of each prompt was relatively the same.  Not only did I enjoy creating this assessment but also creating the rubric.  The rubric made me feel at ease and made me feel very comfortable with the assessment itself.  Students need to know what is expected of them and why they are receiving the grade they did.  I remember getting papers back in high school with simply a letter grade.  There was no red pen slashing through sentences or words.  There was no rubric with a score out of one hundred.  All that stood in that corner was a B+ in red ink.  It always bothered me that I didn't know why I received what I got.  I wanted to know what I needed to improve on and what separated me from an A- or just a B.  Honestly, it was really discouraging and made me feel like they just picked a grade out of thin air.
     Therefore, rubrics are SO SO SO SO important.  They help students understand why they received that grade and gets rid of confusion.  Students can't argue that their C paper is an A paper if you have a rubric with scoring on it.  It solidifies your grading and tells the students what you expect as well as what you saw or didn't see in their paper.
      On the other hand, I believe that even alternative assessments can be just an ineffective as the traditional multiple choice objective tests.  In Readicide, Gallagher makes a valid point on assessments when he writes, "In teaching academic texts, students are drowning in a sea of sticky notes, worksheets, and quizzes" (Gallagher 76).  Naturally, assessments are neccessary to measure progress and to check understanding; however, sometimes it is nice to just have students read for pleasure.  I believe that Readicide stems from assessments just as much as stems from other factors.  Students feel the pressure of tests and they tend to focus on that rather than what they are actually reading.  If a teacher can take away that pressue then students are likely to enjoy reading.  Personally, I think students enjoy and learn more from having  literature circles to discuss a book then to formally assess them on a it.  Overall, I think we need to keep assessments but limit the amount of assessments given.  Perhaps even make assessments that are geared toward discussion and opinions rather then on paper.
     All in all, I have a learned a lot about assessments within the past two weeks.  I find that I like being creative with my assessments by having choices and by constructing different projects for them to do.  I particularly like assessments where students can write and explore different aspects of literature.  Also, I think the two biggest things I learned was that objective tests tend to be pretty terrible and that your assessments should connect back to your unit and essential questions.  I think it is also safe to say that creating assessments can be very difficult and can be very time consuming.

Methods Blog #1 Readicide

     Kelly Gallagher's Readicide is a text that I think we can all relate to whether it was as a student or as a future teacher.  I thought that every conclusion that Gallagher made was spot on and made perfect sense.  As I looked back on my high school and middle experiences I couldn't help but realize that readicide was heppening right in front of my eyes.  One point that he made that I took interest in was when Gallagher wrote, "Teaching to the test is not the problem.  The problem occurs when we spend most of our time teaching to a shallow test" (Gallagher 12).  I think this is aboslutely true as we see it in classes all of the time.  It typically involves a story where the teacher force feeds you information and you spit back out in order to ace an exam.  However, just touching the surface of a story is not the way to get students to think critically about any text that they encounter.  Any more it is quite easy for a student to slip through the cracks and take a test, ace it, and not really no much about the text at a deeper level.  I feel like this causes a lot of problems all across the board.  It allows teachers to get away with doing the bare minimum and not testing students in a way that they can compete globally with critical thinking skills.  In my high school, it was clear to students what they needed to exceed in a class.  In an honors english 11 class, one teacher read  aloud The Great Gatsby.  In doing so, she would pause after certain paragraphs and tell the students what information was important and what they should write down in order to do well on the test at the end of the book.  According to Bloom's Taxonomy, this teacher was barely touching the surface of the knowledge or comprehension category. This also pushes students away from wanting to read and not an effective teaching strategy.  Instead of reading to them she should have allowed these students to explore for themselves and not be tested on facts or the teacher's opinion.  It is no wonder that students tend to despise reading after taking english classes like that.  They are not allowed to form an opinion and these multiple choice test leaves students with no way to interpret and enjoy a text the way that they want to. If they read the way they want to then the teacher would be "promoting literacy" without saying so.
      Personally, I found that Chapter 2 was eye-opening and my favorite between the two chapters.  With that being said, I would like to take a closer look and express my opinion on a few of the bigger points that he makes.  The first point that he makes is when he states, "Unfortunately, putting good books in front of our students has not been the focus in many of our nation's schools" (Gallagher 30).  Once again, I completely agree with Gallagher and how books are few and far in between.  Even in Chambersburg, where I live, there are no bookstores anywhere to be found.  Therefore, students are not going out and exploring what types of books they might want to read.  Instead, they are being confined to the literature that teachers have on the shelves.  However, even if we did have bookstores there is the case that students wouldn't go because they have such a bitter taste in their mouths about reading.  That is why it is neccessary for teachers to have an array of books in their classroom and it is important for students to see their options as well as for teachers to encourage and promote books just like Gallagher did.  They are often forced to read the literature that is on the shelf in the classroom but is that enough? I don't think so.  Books in the curriculum have been accessible to students but how are we to create lifelong readers if they don't have options of their own to choose?  It is a great disservice to students if with our budget we cannot use it on what is important.  Of course, it all has to go with what teachers find a priority and I think that a lot of people need to step back and see what is really important. The more options students have the more likely they are to find something they like to read.  It also allows teachers to work with many different genres and to see what students like to read and how they're reading.  That way, teachers can tailor their teaching to what they are observing.  That, to me, helps create a good teacher.
     Another thing that really stood out to me that I have taken notice to is how students as well as adults are not spending their time reading things that pertain to real-world events.  I like Gallagher's idea on implementing this when he writes, "These are real-world writings taken straight from news stories, essays, editorials, blogs, and speeches.  I cull them from newspapers, magazines, and websites.  Sometimes the articles are related to the unit we are currently studying and sometimes they are completely unrelated, but all the articles have one purpose-to broaden my students' knowledge of the world" (Gallagher 47). It is disturbing how much about America, and our government, and our history that students do not know.  I think it is just as important to discuss the bigger picture when teaching just as it is to teach the text.  Not only is the article idea a good one to add, but it is also important to talk about these events if they correlate with a text.  When teaching texts like The Hunger Games it is crucial that teachers make students understand how it relates to the world today and the events that are occuring.  Once again, how are people supposed to compete globally when they do not know critical things about where they live? It is really concerning and our job as teachers to make sure that we have them read not only literature but texts that directly relate to the world we live in.  Connecting concepts of the world to concepts in a text is a great way to get students more interested in reading and a good way to use unconditional texts to teach (basically anything else other than a book).
    One concept that Gallagher brings up that I don't agree with fully is that of SSR and its importance.  Personally, I loved SSR when I was in school; however, it is easy for SSR to become a waste in the classroom.  When I was in school there were times when students would simply sit there and stare at the page.  Ever so often they would flip the page to make it seem like they were reading.  Also, kids would often pick a book that they read before so that if they had to reflect on it they would have something to say or something to write about.  I think it is crucial that students read for pleasure but I think there has to be a more effective to do this.  I have been pondering to solution but I simply cannot find an assuring way that they are reading.  The only thing zi could come up with is that students should start book clubs when they SSR. Give the students a few different choices of books to read; however, make the choices plentiful.  Then once they are done reading for the day have them get in a book circle once a week to discuss the book that they are SSRing.  That way, as a teacher, you can walk around and make sure everyone is sharing something and it is a way to make students read the books.
     One of the most important, if not the biggest point he brings up that I agree with is when he writes, "Many schools have removed novels and other challenging works to provide teachers and students with more test preparation time" (Gallagher 56).  This is sad but very true statement.  With the pressure of standardized tests it seems as though a lot of schools are making school a place where there is one focus (standardized tests) instead of many scopes of focus that make a student well-rounded.  How are students supposed to learn texts if the focus is not on the texts?  It seems as though more and more teachers are supposed to rely on the literature books alone and not texts such as Jane Eyre.  Obviously, is the length of the pieces and what they want students to know.  For example, in a short story in a literature book there may be a story where there may conflict similar as to one in Jane Eyre.  However, schools may find it wise to choose the shorter story in that the concept still gets covered but in a shorter amount of time.  Once again, this is a disservice to students.  Long novels are not long because these authors choose for them to be.  It is because they contain substance and validity that pushes students deeper.  It is VERY important that students are exposed to these texts because they are tools in english that are important.  I am not saying that all novels are just as important or that shorter texts are not.  I just think it is sad that longer books are being cut because standardized tests have consumed a classroom.  In order for students to be effective readers they need to think critically and search far in the text.  The playing field is not level and it seems that it is becoming even more off balance now that important texts are being removed.
     I guess the biggest question is how ELSE should "we teach literacy".  We should teach it with an open-mind and in consideration of the students.  To practice literacy students need to be engaged and it needs to capture their focus.  For example, Gallagher makes this claim when he introduces students to I Know What You Did last Summer (Gallagher 52).  You need a way to entice them to read without any catches.  Not to focus on tests or to spill out information back to the teacher.  They also need to be engaged in real-world news that can be reached in a text (Gallagher 46-47).  Basically, in order to get students back in to reading they need to shift what is important for students.
    I guess a big question would be. How do I plan on teaching literacy?  I think the answers go back to what Gallagher has been saying in his book.  Naturally, I will be expected to teach towards standards because that is unavoidable.  However, I still want to make sure that students do not resent reading.  I want to give them options.  I think that is the key.  Give them plenty of options.  I also want them to understand that reading is more than knowing the facts or rehashing what people have been saying since a piece has been written.  I want them to form their own opinions and be able to express their opinions effectively and back them up.  I also don't want to bog them down with tests in class and stress them out even further.  Their assessments should be more about what they want to tell me..not what I want them to tell me.  I want them to be confident in what they say and know that I am not going to grade them on my beliefs.  I feel that it is important for them to think critically...as long as they do that then I would be happy.  I also want to show them that these traditional literary texts are important today.  As a whole, I do not want them to read, listen to me talk, and re-say what I say.  I want themt to read both things I find important and things they want to read, hear what they have to say, and have them present their ideas and theories.  I think students would be more apt to read if they knew that their opinions were valued and could be formed independently.
     Overall, Gallager is on key with what he says in this very engaging text.  Even if a person just read the first sentence they could realize how right Gallagher is in his claims.  His first sentence states, "When we consider what to do about readicide, we must start with the elephant in the room: how the overemphasis on testing is playing a major part in killing off readers in America's classrooms" (Gallagher 7). It is these tests that are giving the wrong impression to students about reading.  These tests are making students read things that they might not be interested in, it is consuming their classroom, and it is putting a lot of pressure on them as well as the teacher.  As english teachers it is our job to help students engage in texts, learn from them, connect with them, and be inspired by them. That is how one can "promote literacy".  Every day it seems as though those opportunities are more and more limited.  That being said, students are resenting the english class as well as books as whole.  I believe that America's Educational Gods have their heart in the right place; however, I do not think their mind is in the right place.  If they want to see improvement in schools why don't we go back to the basics? Back to where learning was about the students and teaching them in a way that would be beneficial.  English should be about a spectrum of things, not just one thing.

Side note: I am in a coffee shop writing this and someone asks me what I am writing about and I tell her.  She then decided to talk really loudly about what is wrong in American schools and pretty soon the whole coffee shop was in a huge discussion about schools. Awesome....

Discovering DC and The Boss Project

DC, for me, had its ups and downs like most things that are planned.  Some things went over pretty well while other things definitely did not.  However, the actual exhibit, in my opinion, was kind of disappointing.  I expected it to last an hour long like it stated but we moved through it pretty quickly.  One thing I did enjoy about it was the showcasing of old systems and the progression of graphics.  It was interesting to see how far games have actually come when you put them side by side.  Another thing I enjoyed were the quotes that were on the walls.  Although they weren't center of attention, they had a lot of good messages that pertained to our class particularly about discovering things yourself and immersing in to a new world.  To me it was as though the exhibit took the objective of our class and put it on the wall.  Yet, as I walked through the exhibit I couldn't help paralleling Video games to education.  If video games are evolving then why shouldn't education?  For instance, graphics for atarti were very popular and new back in the day when it was first released.  However, game designers found things that worked better and explored new ways to make games come to life.  I think that it the course that education needs to take.  The stuff being learned years ago are important because it got us where we are today, but I think we need to use the new knowledge we gained so that we can progress even further.  I feel like if we put lesson plans up side-by-side on wall from the past 20 years that they would be similar, unfortunately.  Some skills are neccessary for life that will never go away.  But just like technology is advancing so should the skills that we are teaching our students.  It is important for them to discover things and learn in a way that is effective for them.

Going along with education, Heather, Denny, Nicole, and I are working on our boss project that deals with education and how the framework for gaming can be used in schools.  I think we plan to create a curriculum and objectives that go along with the idea of discovery and gaining credit.  Once we have that shaped, each of us are going to create lessons or a syllabus that fit the curriculum we built, I, For example, plan to do Shakepeare.  I have been brainstorming ideas on what tasks I could have my students do including reading the graphic novel but I haven't had it all worked out yet.

Lesson Plan

Since I am going for Secondary English Ed., I thought it was important to take the useful information in this class and apply it to my classroom.  The first thought that popped into my head was the whole creation of the avatar.  Too often on the first day of school teachers ask the students to tell the class things about them.  But why limit them to what they are when they can talk about what they want to be.  Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to have the students create their own avatar and explain why they did what they did.  For example, I would give them different characteristics, classes, and goals to choose from.  Or maybe I would let them make it up.  Either way, I would want them to create their ideal self or how they see themselves.  Although it is interesting to find out their hobbies, interests, and facts, I think it is even more important to see them through a lens that they create for you.  If a 8th grade boy creates an avatar that has the ability to be invisible because he likes to be alone, this shows me that he likes to be independent and that he is more of an introvert.  Everything they choose is for a reason and I think it would be exciting to see what exactly they choose.  Another thing I would like to try as a lesson plan is for each student to read a novel of their choice independently.  Instead of writing a paper on each book, why not let them create a graphic novel in 10 pages or less.  It would be a nice way to get students to summarize and give them boundaries and freedom at the same time.  They would pick out important quotes to use, they would create the mood and tone through their drawings, and they would be able to tell the story by effectively summarizing.  I don't think I would make this the only choice as a project; but I think it would definitely be a choice among several.  The last lesson that I thought of was doing video game journals that are similar to these blogs.  Those students who play video games would be asked to make journal entries when they play at home and hand them in every so often.  It is a good way to break up regular homework and it would be a good way to get them to become better writers.  I think it is important for teachers to look at their subject in different ways.  The most important thing that I learned in this class is to not be afraid to do something different.  I think that is sort of a life long lesson and hopefully I will not be afraid to try new lesson plans and techniques in my future classroom.

Final Fantasy X...Again! Planning the DC trip

      Final Fantasy X has been an absolute horrible experience in terms of almost everything. At first I was doing okay besides the fact I didn't know how to save. Now, I am just awful at fighting things (big surprise I'm sure). I spent a total of 6 hours just figuring out what I needed to do to get off this boat that I have been traveling on. I talked to Dr. Mortimore and she told me to use a walkthrough. I would've done that sooner but I felt a little guilty using that as a supplement. I wanted to try and figure all of this stuff out on my own. However, I caved in and looked up one that has been sort of helpful. All I needed to do to get off the boat was to go up on deck and talk to the one girl again. I did that once but I didn't realize I had to do it again. So I finally did and then came a lonnnnnnnggggg cut scene revealing some information about the main character's father. Finally, I thought, I can get off this stupid boat. Of course not! This huge shark/whale/dolphin starts coming at my neck and is taking the boat with it. Here I am playing another hour or two trying to kill it. It kept telling me to target its fin which took me forever to figure out how to do. Then I killed it! I was triumphant and accomplished. I thought I could finally save my game...but no. Another octopus and its sidekick dolphins comes and attacks me. So this is where I stand. I can't kill it, I can't save my game because there are no spheres, and I feel defeated. How am I supposed to progress in this game if I can't save and kill boss's?!
        Moreover, planning the DC trip has been fun but stressful. As a future teacher I thought it would always be nice to plan a field trip; however, now I know that it is not so easy. I think that it is hard because you can never get a feel at who is going to actually go, who wants to go, and who says they aren't going to go but then shows up. I tried making the event page but only so many people responded to it. Finally, I resorted to a class email. That way I know everyone read it. I feel bad annoying people but I really want this trip to work out. I also learned that you can't get everyone to be excited about something. I suppose with a class of thirty it is impossible that everyone will want to go. The actual planning wasn't too bad. I didn't have to do much but go on the website and use my background knowledge of DC. As for the actual exhibit, I am a bit skeptical of it. I hope it keeps me interested and that I learn a lot of new things. I don't have a clue as to what it is all about even though I caught a glimpse the other week.
      The last thing I am going to mention is my overall feelings toward the class. At first I was not about it at all. As much as I ended up liking it I still find that it is pretty difficult. It is not a class where you can do work and receive a grade for the work you do. It is a hit or miss which is actually scarier. An A or an F on an assignment is a huge deal and these video games are killing me (literally). I hope I start to do better in these games because I really want myself to enjoy the class to the full extent.

Evan and Heather to the Rescue...and Indy Game update

So once again I found myself stuck, dead, and frustrated as I stared blankly at the WoW screen.  I might as well just stare there since everytime I become alive I die 10 seconds later.  Luckily for me, Evan and Heather were playing that night as well.  After much guild talking and me complaining we decided that we should team up and that they would help me on my quests that I kept failing to complete.  Heather, who was a few levels up from me, would help kill a lot of these monsters as I would try and get what I needed from them.  Evan, who had a million more levels than me, would constantly change his form, kill things with just one hit, and taught me things that I never knew.  Still, it was really hard trying to understand what they were saying, particularly about trading, so we decided to skype.  This was a good idea and a lot got accomplished after that.  I think I leveled up twice that evening and they both stopped what they were doing just to help me.  Finally, WoW started to actually become fun and my frustration lessened.  That night we ended up on WoW for 5 hours and didn't get off of Skype until around 4 in the morning.  WoW is starting to become a lot more clear and I learned more that night than I have throughout the gaming portion of the class.  Being able to actually talk and be together on the game was an easy way to communicate and get tasks done.  Heather and Evan were a big help that night and I am glad that they could teach me.
      As for my Indy game, I absolutely hate it.  First of all, I had the hardest time learning how to save on the PS2.  Here I was spending hour after hour on this game and then once I quit, I would have to start all over from the beginning the next time.  I am not blaiming this on the game because this was user error and stupidity.  How could I forget to get a memory card!?  I used PS2 before but I forgot that these were essential to saving.  However, the actually game itself is a pain to play.  First of all, there are too many cut scenes.  Every 3 seconds I would walk 2 feet and then the cut scenes would start and go on for about 5 minutes each.  My patience is running dry at this point and I am pretty bored waiting for this to end.  Then there is the whole story line.  How are there so many final fantasy games when the first one was called FINAL FANTASY?! Obviously, it is not final!  Nonetheless, the story line is confusing and the battling technique just seems terrible.  You just stand there and keep picking an attack and hope that hits gets your opponent to lost points.  Once again, not impressed. Also, I feel like the creators expect you to know so much more than a beginner does.  I am not sure why you have to switch characters, why some use magic, why you might need to use a creature, what are these nodes they teach you about, why you need to stand by sometimes during a fight.  Honestly, I had to use google and find some answers in order for me to complete tasks.  I am definitely having a better experience on WoW then I am on FF

WoW...now that's intersting.

So there I was... taking the time to create a character.  Oh! the possibilities.  I was a little overwhelmed.  After all, each character is unique and so is each job.  I suppose I kind of followed the trend.  A blood elf.  I thought to myself, "I don't even know what that is!".  Then I picked a warrior.  Let's be honest, that is definitely not in my element.  Once I created my character I was ready to go in to Maelstrom.  The first thing I noticed before I started was the menu screen had this dragon on it.  I thought to myself again, "There is no way in hell that I am going to be able to move let alone fight that thing".  Luckily when I entered I found that everything was kind of bright and and kind of harmless.  I was still nervous though.  Then all of the sudden I found myself starting a quest.  I had to kill these floating, what looked like stingrays?  I had a hard time trying to figure out how to initiate a fight.  It took me forever but now I can somewhat battle.  That is not to say that I don't die every 10 seconds.  Honestly, I die so much that every time I load the screen I am pretty much a ghost in search of body.  That is another struggle.  Where is my body?  Follow the tombstone, really?  Talk about crushing your motivation.  Regardless, I find my body and continue on my way and explore the world around me.  Luckily, Nicole and Dr. Mortimore are in game sometimes are I would never know what to do.  Particularly this last time because I had to cut this thing's head off and I attempted at least 10 times.  Sure enough Nicole came and took it down with one shot.  Or perhaps her animal did it?  I don't really remember.  To be honest, I'm sick of being in the same location.  Evan told me that once I get to level 5 then I should be moving around more.  Thankfully! Only 16 levels to go...or maybe even more if i get addicted.  I do find myself on it a lot more than I thought I would. 

Graphics and gaming #1

      When signing up for this class I though to myself, "This is a good way to get out of my comfort zone."  Sure enough, I was right.  Not only is the material not something I am use to but there is new group of people that I didn't know. I do not typically "game" and although I find graphic novels appealing, I still needed to read more of them to completely understand.  So far, I have been pleasantly surprised.  First of all, the graphic novels that we have read so far have been really interesting and cover a lot of concepts and themes that I have been so use to in a Norton Anthology.  We have learned about the Holocaust, choosing love over religion, and now V for Vendetta has a lot of good themes too.  The only difference is that graphic novels display them in a different way.  With regular novels or texrbooks we get the words and have to use our mind to interpret the rest.  However, with graphic novels we have to focus on words, pictures, and other elements that we have covered in class so far.  Last year at this time I would have never even bothered to look at the pictures or look at the shapes of the speech bubbles.  I would have simply read the words and thought to myself "so what?"  I believe that this semester, as well as last, has helped me become less of a skeptic and more of an advocate for the graphic novel.  To be honest, I went to a book store last week and caught myself in the graphic novel section.  This is the first time I ever stepped foot in that section and I actually looked through quite a few of them.  Clearly, this class has opened me up to this new genre and I really like it!
     Moreover, I really like the way that this class is set up.  It is a kind of work at your own pace and explore things that are meaningful to you.  This approach is effective because it gives students control over what they want to do as long as they stick within certain guidelines.  It also gives the class a variety and makes it a lot more interesting than a midterm, a term paper, a final exam, and participation.  It gives a lot of opportunity for points and you either pass or fail each assignment that you choose to do.  As for the class, I am also happy with people in it.  I am so use to having the same people in all of my classes that this new mix of students made me uneasy.  However, everyone is really nice and have different experiences and personalities that mesh really well.  I don't dread going in to random groups and I appreciate what others have to say.  I think that this change in my peers is a good thing and I am not just  learning about graphic novels and games but more about different groups of people that I never would have met if it wasn't for this class.
    Lastly, I would like to express my anxiety and concern over the gaming portion.  I am still a little uneasy but excited at the same time.  When we were looking at trailers for the game and talking about the elements of it I was a little overwhelmed.  I still am; however, I think I am really going to like it when I get started.  Luckily, my partner is Nicole so I am sure she will be a great help to me and keep me on track.  I am also glad that there are others in the class that are familiar with the games so that if I am stuck, someone will surely know how to help.