Entry #6

As I completed the Language vs. Acquisition activity, there were a few activities that I felt could be seen from both views.  Traci and I shared our ideas about each activity, which helped because often I would feel as if an activity was acquisition based, but she would offer an argument for why it could also be a learning view activity.  It seemed as if we could create a scenario for each activity to fit our opinions! 

For example, under the student category it stated, “make a Venn diagram to compare two stories”.  If directly taught by the teacher with a focus on using correct language, organization, and systematic instruction on what type of information to include in the diagram, then this could be a learning view exercise.  By extending this strategy in an acquisition classroom, students could choose their own focus of the diagram (actions, appearances, beliefs, etc.) and/or internalize the important elements from the reading to include in the diagram.

I think that many students benefit from both a learning and acquisition view.  Students often need direct and systematic instruction but also need to understand the importance of making meaning when reading and writing.

Entry #2

When I was in school, I was taught in very traditional writing classes.  As Freeman & Freeman (2004) state, "in many traditional classes, the form of the writing becomes much more important than the content".  I definitely think this is the view a majority of my teachers took towards teaching writing.

In elementary school, I was given a weekly spelling list and would memorize the words, but did not really learn about the patterns of words until I had to teach them to my students.  This also happened with grammar lessons when I was given worksheets covering a variety of grammar topics.  These worksheets didn't work very well because to this day I am continually learning the why and how for grammar techniques instead of just relying on the old adage, "because it sounds correct".  Handwriting lessons were also part of my traditional writing classroom experience.  We would continually practice forming the letters and I even received a grade on my report card for handwriting.  

I mainly remember my high school writing classes where the teacher would provide the prompts or assignments that we were to respond to in class.  Five paragraph essays were the norm, but I don't remember specifically being taught how to organize the paper, other than information about writing an introduction and the conclusion. I don't remember being allowed to choose my topics or the medium for writing (for example: create a newspaper article, cartoon, advertisement, etc.) to convey my ideas, which would have been such a welcomed departure from the traditional essay.

Entry #5

The first book I chose was Dogku by Andre Clements.  This book is about a stray dog that shows up on a family's doorstep and falls in love with them.  The dog is worried he will be sent to the pound, but finds out the family will adopt him. 

Some cultural aspects that could pose comprehension problems are:
1.  There is talk of the "pound".  Students would need to have help creating background knowledge about the way a pound works and how this word has more than one meaning.

2.  The dog is bathed, spoiled with treats and a doggie bed, etc.  This may be confusing because some cultures do not treat animals as nicely as we do in the USA.  Depending on the cultural background of the student, some schema may need to be created to help them understand how American families often view animals as an extension of the family.  One way this could be done with a small group sharing photos of their family pets and sharing how they treat their animals.  A field trip to Petsmart or the Dumb Friends League could also show students the value placed on pets in America.

3.  There is a scene where the author writes about a "family meeting" to decide what to do with the dog.  Again, background knowledge of a family meeting would be important to provide so students understand the significance of having family members share their opinions, regardless of age.  Some cultures do not allow children or women to take part in these types of decision making so this may be a new idea for some.  Students could share examples of family meetings they have been a part of and reasons for these meetings.

4.  This book is written entirely in haiku which I thought was a wonderfully creative idea, but after looking at the book from the perspective of an ELL learner I realized how difficult it would be to understand the writing.  There are many parts that are written in short, fragmented sentences to fit the haiku format, but would be confusing if you did not have a solid understanding of English and may reinforce incorrect grammar (e.g. "Squirrel sits in tree").  The teacher could teach the haiku syllable pattern to students.


The second book I chose was Keeper of the Swamp by Ann Garrett.  This book is about a boy and his grandfather who live in the swamp.  The grandfather is passing along his knowledge about protecting the alligators from poachers.

Some cultural aspects that could pose comprehension problems are:
1.  The illustrations are beautiful and support the text's references to animals, insects, trees, etc. that live in the swamp, but real life photos or videos of a swamp would help further explain this different environment to students.

2.  The name of the main alligator is Old Boots.  Some discussion around the relevance of this name and how alligator hides can be made into boots would be important for students to understand why poachers would want to kill the gator.  Pictures could also be provided to support this topic. Vocabulary front-loading of a poacher would also be important. 

3.  There is a scene in the book when the grandfather teaches the boy how to hold chicken on a stick and feed it to the alligator, when suddenly the alligator rears its whole body out of the water.  Many students may not be familiar with an alligator or how they can lift their bodies out of the water to reach food.  A short study about alligators and their behaviors could be important to build schema.  If possible, students could visit the alligator farm in southern Colorado or go to the zoo to see a real alligator, or could watch a video to learn about their behaviors.

4.  The grandfather is getting old and will soon die so he is showing the grandson how to care for the alligator's nest of eggs.  The author refers to the boy as the new "keeper of the swamp".  Students may need support in understanding why a human would need to care for the wild and the importance of protecting the environment for future generations, which could be a new idea for students who come from areas where environmental concerns are not a focus.  Students could work in small groups to share and listen to ideas on why it is important to protect the environment and animals. 

Entry #4

At first, I was attempting to make meaning of an adult novel written in French, but could not understand the book.  I used text features/structures to figure out the book was probably a play because it was written like a script.  There were only a couple of pictures of people in old-fashioned clothing so I knew the story must have taken place in the past.

Next, I tried reading a Russian magazine.  It had many pictures that I looked at in an attempt to make meaning. The magazine seemed to be geared towards children because the pictures were of children and animals. The magazine seemed like an anthology of different types of genres.  One article looked like a poem because the organization of writing was in four stanzas, just like many of the English language poems.  Another article had a labeled map.  I used my background knowledge to recognize the map as Europe so I then knew the Russian writing of EBPOп meant Europe.  Another page looked like a bible story because it had an illustration of a page that closely looked like a page from an English language bible.  


It was very difficult to make meaning of the text because my background knowledge of text features could only help me a little bit. In addition, the Cyrillic script kept me from finding any cognates to help make meaning.  Even though I was giving the assignment my full effort, I could not understand any of the articles.  Sometimes I hear teachers saying their ESL kids just need to put in more effort, but this activity reflects how "giving it your all" can still result in limited or no understanding.

Entry #3

I feel there is a strong link between oral language and the reading process. Just as a child progresses through learning stages when speaking, a learner also progresses through stages when reading.  Children who are surrounded by rich, complex conversations have an advantage in their vocabulary development.  It is vital for parents to speak with their children and expose them to language before they enter school.  Parents who talk with their children encourage vocabulary development and help build background knowledge, which can translate into strong reading comprehension skills.  Students who have this early exposure will have a higher readiness level than those who are not given this exposure to language.

Children can listen and understand at a higher language level than they can read; so hearing oral language (whether through read aloud or conversation) provides the opportunity to access ideas which are more complex and students are exposed to vocabulary which is not part of their everyday use.  This then helps students comprehend better when independently reading.

Reading is a process of thinking and interpreting so it is challenging for children to attach meaning to a printed symbol when they do not have adequate oral language background.  As children learn new words and how to use them, they strengthen their background knowledge, which helps to strengthen their reading comprehension.

Entry #1

This week I shared a conversation with a colleague concerning her philosophy on teaching literacy. She strongly feels that reading and writing need to be linked together and taught across the curriculum so students recognize how literacy skills impact and affect numerous aspects in our lives. 

She also believes it is vital to model for students when she uses literacy skills in her own life to help students see how these skills are applied in the "real world".  She shared a classroom example from the past week where she brought in her water bill that had a graph of water usage, a tiered chart reflecting water rates based on amount used, a brief paragraph detailing how water rates will be changing in the coming months, and a short survey on the back asking about customer satisfaction (which if completed, would result in a coupon to reduce a future bill payment). She shared that this type of literacy integration is vital to show students the numerous ways in which literacy skills are utilized in our lives.

She shared that she feels it is important to provide choice for her students when selecting reading and writing content, but that it is not always feasible due to school/district curriculum requirements.  She shared that her philosophy has recently changed to incorporate the importance of using technology for our digital natives as a medium for learning and practicing literacy skills.  As she prepares students to be successful literate learners, she is frustrated with the lack of sufficient technology to help support her belief in this important area.

At the end of our conversation, my colleague shared how her philosophy continues to change, especially as she sees more and more students coming to school without any literacy background.  She feels that more resources need to be directed at early intervention literacy programs and more community outreach to stress the importance of starting literacy skills at an early age.