Where I am From

Wednesday during class, I made sure to jot down the title, "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" in my notebook. I was pleased to be introduced to this laughable non-fiction book that helps make punctuation apparent, while emphasizing its importance in everyday writing. I thought the illustrations helped the words make more sense and I enjoyed playing around with my own voice inflation. While flipping through its picturesque pages, I couldn't help but giggle at the silly sentences and at the fact that I was actually learning more about punctuation than I thought!

I also thought it necessary to post this neat "Where I am From" template that one of my classmates raved about. I think that this poetic activity can help strengthen the community in the classroom, while giving the students an opportunity to learn more about one another.

Where I am From

I am from (specific ordinary item), from (product name) and (product name).

I am from the (home description, adjective, sensory detail).

I am from the (plant, flower or natural item), the (plant, flower or natural item).

I am from (family tradition) and (family trait), from (name of a family member), and (another family name), and (family name).

I am from (description of family tendency) and (another one).

From (something you were told as a child) and (another).

I am from (representation of religion or lack thereof it).

I'm from (place of birth and family ancestry), (food item representing your family), (another one).

From the (specific family story about a specific person), the (another detail) and the (another detail about another family member).

I am from (location of family pictures, mementos, archives).

2nd Grade Here I Come!

Last Wednesday was the first day of my field experience at University School, and I must say that now I am looking forward to teaching even more than before! Even though the first child that I saw when I walked in my assigned classroom was screaming and throwing a fit, I found the opportunity to work with such exuberant children refreshing. I was truly mesmerized by all of the action that was taking place in one diminutive classroom; there were students doing crosswords, reading independently, chatting with their neighbor, throwing pencils, but most importantly, they were learning. Even when they were being social butterflies, they were still learning from each other and engaging socially amongst their peers. I found the experience as a whole overwhelming, yet a challenge I can't wait to face. Looking back on my first day, I cannot believe that I learned so much about teaching in such a short amount of time. Just by observing the classroom I couldn't help but notice all the diverse personalities around me and I can't wait to get to know each and every one of them!

Week 2

After learning several methods of teaching spelling, there are specific sound and visual strategies that I could see myself using as a future teacher. I especially liked the Hen to Fox sound method, which involves giving students a starting word and then having them turn it into a different word by changing one letter. For instance, you give the child the starting word "cat" and then you would ask them how you would go about changing that word to the word "hat." You could then ask the student what letter you would change to get the word "hot," and so on. I believe this method can also help with more than just spelling; students will be able to expand their vocabulary, along with becoming more familiar with rhymes. The Elkonin Box method also stuck out to me because this scaffolding approach to teaching helps students figure out how many sounds a word has. As for external strategies, I will definitely incorporate a "Word Wall" into my future classroom. This helpful tool not only acts as a point of reference, but it also helps to expand vocabulary and makes students accountable for spelling words correctly in their everyday writing.

First Class for E339!

Alright, so last Wednesday was my first class for the course E339 : Methods of Teaching Language Arts. During class, we discussed all of the writing we will be doing for this class, which consists of keeping a 'reflection blog,' and a Writer's Notebook. This blog is where I will be making note of key events that happen in class, along with reflecting upon assigned readings. My personal goal is to accurately emulate the in-class experiences that take place during Wednesday discussions, while keeping my readers captivated and wanting more. This blog will allow me to pull out the aspects of class that I find especially useful and beneficial to my future career as a teacher, and will also assist in accelerating my ability as a learner.

I am also looking forward to keeping my first Writer's Notebook. This is where I will be jotting down personal ideas and blurbs of events and situations that spark my interest. The Writer's Notebook is the ideal place for making notes of certain aspects of life and daily encounters that trigger the child-esque curiosity in me. I will be expected to carry this sacred little notebook along with me wherever I go in hope that I find something in this chaotic world that fascinates me, or gives me an idea for my next big movie (not really, of course.) I just hope my writing will accurately capture the humor and fortitude that I believe I posses and portray in my everyday life. Stay tuned for my next post, as I'm sure it will be more thrilling than explaining a notebook that doesn't exist just quite yet. You just wait.