Course Reflection

Before this class, I did not really know how to blog.  I feel like I have gained an important and useful skill.  I could set up my own blog when I teach so that my students and their parents can interact with me, asking me any questions or anything relating to my class.  Let me just say, it was refreshing to have an online class.  I don’t have the time for anything as it is, and by not having to physically go to class made life much easier.  However, I felt like I was confused some of the time because I did not have thay professor to student interaction.  It all worked out though.  I’m taking some valuable information away with me from this class.

There were many resources at my fingertips, such as lesson plans and articles.  I found those to be useful and will probably be using them in my teaching.  So many lesson plans can be found online.  All I have to do is click a button and I like that fact.

Lesson Plan 2 – Short Story Lesson

Title of Lesson:  Short Story Lesson for High-Interest, Low-Readability

Site:  LessonPlans Page

Link:  http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAOReadingComprehensionStoryaboutSexualHarrassment912.htm

Description:   This is a lesson to work with short stories.  It also tackles the issue of assault and harassment.  Students will have a “tea party.”  They will each have a strip of paper with a sentence or two from the story.  They have to share their information with as many people as they can and try to find out what they mean.  They will then go into a class discussion about how and why they came up with what they did.  The next thing they would do would be to read the short story and have a class discussion about it.

I liked this because of the content in the short story.  Assault and harassment happen every day and people always say that it can’t happen to me.  It can and it does.  This activity will not only teach the students about short stories, but it will raise awarness of assult and harassment.

Lesson Plan 1 – The Don’t Say Uh Game

Title of Lesson:  The Don’t Say ‘Uh’ Game

Site:  Lesson Plans Page

Link:  http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LADontSayUhGame69.htm

Discription:  This lesson plan is a great way to help students speak in front of the class.  Students will have many presentations in their education career that they will have to make in front of an audience, usually their classmates.  Teachers always hear the word ‘uh’ when students are talking.  This lesson is geared to stop students from doing that.

The students will use their vocabulary words to make an informal speech.  They cannot say the word ‘uh’ more than three times in their speech.  The teacher will demonstrate this to them beforehand.

I liked this because I am guilty of using ‘uh’ a lot in my presentations.  I think this would be a great, fun way to help students along without using the word.  This also breaks up the monotony of sitting at a desk reading or being lectured to.

Article 3

This was all about vocabulary.  Vocabulary and words are useful in every content area.  Having to state what I know before hand and see how my thoughts have changed was very interesting.  The article itself was a collaboration of ten teachers working to bring in vocabulary to a high school classroom.  There was vocabulary being taught even in a geometry classroom.  It is all intertwined.

I asked myself:

If vocabulary can move between content areas, what else can?

Do we put enough emphasis on vocabulary in high school?

How do we get all the content areas working toward the same goal?

This was my thought process before and after reading:

1. How can vocabulary instruction be useful in content areas other than English?	There are terms that are specific to other content areas that students may not know.	Everything is relatable. Other disciplines cross over and can be applied into anything else.
2. What is meant by “rich representation of words”?	I think this means that a word is represented in an over the top way.	This means that the students will see the words in different contexts and in different texts. Being exposed to the word more will gain knowledge about the word.
3. What is meant by “word features or how words work”?	This is just a breakdown of a word. It is how the word is used in the sentence and its significance.	Students will gain a deeper understanding of a word when they take a look at
4. Instruction: Definitions of words	This is pretty simple. The teacher usually goes over the words and definitions. Then the student will normally do some sort of worksheet or something about it. This is what I have observed.	My thoughts did not change.
5. Instruction: Synonyms and antonyms	Synonyms and antonyms are pretty easy. Students sometimes get confused when talking about words that mean the same and words that mean the opposite. I think it’s the terms synonyms and antonyms.	Nothing chaned.
6. Instruction: Visual representations & categories / associations	Visuals help students learn the words faster. It equates the word with something they can actually see and helps them understand it better.	My thoughts did not change.
7. Instruction: Situation/usage & context	This is important because students need to know the right contexts to use words in. This dips into coherency in speech.	Same as my earlier thought.
8. Instruction: Written and oral discourse	There has to be a good balance between written and oral. Words are passed down through both and both need to be examined and used.	There are differences in the same information when spoken and written.
9. Instruction: Etymology & roots, prefix, suffix	This is important because it will show the student where the words actually come from.	The relationship between words will be understood and strengthened through this.
10. Instruction: Part of speech & form of words	This breaks down the word into where it goes and how it fits into the sentence, helping students understand sentence structure.	Nothing changed.
11. Instruction: Related words	Many words are related and students need to be able to recognize this in their speech and writing. This way, they do not repeat themselves in terms of words or content.	Some words are related but do not have the same connections.
12. Literature Circles	Literature circles are a great way to get students deeper into the text. They can break the text down and each look at different things, then come together in their groups to share with each other.	My thoughts did not change.
13. Instruction: Multigenre reading & writings	It is important that students are exposed to different genres. There is more than one way to get a point across in writing form and to see it while reading.	My thoughts did not change.
14. Instruction: Poems in content areas	Poems are good in every content area because they are a break from the usual text book. It can show the content in a different way.	My thoughts did not change.

Multigenre paper and questions

There has been a lot of criticism regarding research papers, which has prompted many teachers to change it to have more relevance to students’ lives.  Others have used the I-search paper.  Students research topics that interest them and use print and non-print materials.  One student said “I never knew writing could be so much fun!”  Writing should be geared toward what interests the student so they will have a better writing experience.  Their writing will probably be better as well.  They will get to work with different types of genres and modes.

How do we get research papers geared more toward what interests students?

Do state mandated writing tests have any bearing on this process?

What would the diversity in writing be like with student interest based papers?

“I” Poems Summary and Questions

The “I” poem is a good way to get students to write poetry and look at specifics.  They will be able to express themselves and their own voices through this.  When students write in response to what they read, they will usually gain a deeper understanding of the piece.  An “I” poem can be written after reading in response.  It can also be used as the start of the background information before reading.  It is a necessity that teachers give background information on the book and author, as well as cultural before the book is read.

What other ways can they express their voices, other than an “I” poem?

How does it affect the student’s understanding of a piece if there is no background information given?

Should the students take more of a role in finding out about a story before they read and why?

Instructional Strategy V – Debating

Erik Johnson

Name of Strategy: Debating

Source (Where did this come from?): Instructional Strategies Online

Link to the Strategy: http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/debates/index.html

During a debate, students will be on opposing sides, defending their arguments. They will have to adhere to rules of debate, as established in the classroom.

This coincides with standard 3.01 Study argument by:

• examining relevant reasons and evidence.
• noting the progression of ideas that substantiate the proposal.
• analyzing style, tone, and use of language for a particular effect.
• identifying and analyzing personal, social, historical, or cultural influences contexts, or biases.
• identifying and analyzing rhetorical strategies that support proposals.

A debate will be a great outlet for opinionated people in the classroom. Also, it will get students to logically think about their position on an issue, backing their arguments up. To get the juices really flowing, a prize, such as my junior English teacher’s chocolate pie, could be offered to the winner of the debate.

Instructional Strategy IV – Discussion

Erik Johnson

Name of Strategy: Discussion

Source (Where did this come from?): Instructional Strategies Online

Link to the Strategy: http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/discussion/index.html

A discussion is nothing more than “an oral exploration of a topic, object, concept or experience.”

This coincides with standard 1.03 Demonstrate the ability to read, listen to and view a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print expressive texts appropriate to grade level and course literary focus

Discussion is a great way to give and receive knowledge of something that the class will read. There will be different opinions and thoughts, so a discussion will be a good outlet for people to talk things out.

Instructional Strategy III – Journal Writing

Erik Johnson

Name of Strategy: Journal Writing

Source (Where did this come from?): Instructional Strategies Online

Link to the Strategy: http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/journal/index.html

Journal writing is a strategy to get students to learn from writing. Most journal writing is personal. The students will have time in each class to write in their journals about what’s on their mind or what we talked about in class.

This coincides with standard 1.01: Narrate personal experiences that offer an audience:

• scenes and incidents located effectively in time and place.
• vivid impressions of being in a setting and a sense of engagement in the events occurring.
• appreciation for the significance of the account.
• a sense of the narrator’s personal voice.

Journal writing is good because it gives the students an outlet for their thoughts and feelings. When they feel as though they cannot tell something to anyone else, they can write it in their journal. This is a great way to get to know your students and know what they are looking for in the class and life. These journals can be solely theirs to look at, or the teacher can take them up and look trough them. If the teacher looks through them, the students should be told to fold down any page they do not want anyone to read.

Instructional Strategy II – Author’s Chair

Erik Johnson

Name of Strategy: Author’s Chair

Source (Where did this come from?): Instructional Strategies Online

Link to the Strategy: http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/author/index.html

Author’s Chair is a good way to showcase student work. After the student has revised and edited his or her piece, the Author’s Chair gives them the opportunity to read their final product aloud to the class. The class has the opportunity to discuss the piece, giving positive feedback.

This coincides with standard 1.02: Respond reflectively (individually and in groups) to a variety of expressive texts (e.g., memoirs, vignettes, narratives, diaries, monologues, personal responses) in a way that offers an audience:

• an understanding of the student’s personal reaction to the text.
• a sense of how the reaction results from a careful consideration of the text.
• an awareness of how personal and cultural influences affect the response.

I think this strategy would be a great thing in the English classroom as well. Many times, papers are written and read only by the teacher. If a student is proud of their writing, they should have the opportunity to share.