Reading is a process!

Reading is a 5-step process, that involves:

Pre-writing Ex) writing webs, lists or outlines
Drafting Ex) writing a composition that gets your ideas onto paper in essay form, but is not graded
Revising Ex) improving your draft by adding or deleting words, elaborating or re-organizing ideas
Editing- Ex) correcing punctuation, and other conventions/mechanics
Publishing Ex) post the writing in the hall, send it off to someone important. DO SOMETHING with the work!

I think the revising stage is especially important. It is key that students take this time to consider how their essay or other writing is organized!

A paragraph consists of a topic sentence, a "grabber," 2-3 important details, and a concluding sentence.

EX) Writing is a very important skill for students and adults alike. A good writer has the power of persuasion and effective expression among other things. Writers should learn a five-step process in order to write most effectively. The five steps include: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. The next you write, take the time to write right!

Thursday Sept 23--Good Readers

What makes a good reader? Am I? Why or Why not?

A good reader is able to read a text, understand it, and get something out of it which they can apply to their own lives or store away as knowledge. The video that Mrs. Harris showed in class could not have done a better job illustrating the way we should teach reading! And it has made me realize something about myslef. I've never considered myself a very good reader, but I'm going to adjust that belief a little now. I AM a good reader in certain subject areas that I know well. In english class, I am a strong reader. I have a lot of knowledge about how to analyze characters, and make connections to the text. This allows me to get a lot of out reading an english-related text. However, in science, history, or math class, I am not a good reader. This is because I know little about science, math or social studies except for that I am requried to know to get around in everyday life. Because I have little background knowledge or understanding of higher math, science and history vocabulary, I must read these texts several times in order to infer the meaning of them.

So, how can I teach students to become better readers?
I can teach and explore other content areas (math science and history) in the context of my reading lessons. For example, I can find a history story, and get my vocabulary words from that story. Or, I can have students read a science article and summarize it, rather than summarizing a short story, etc.

Games in the Classroom

While designing and dreaming up games that supplement the concepts we are teaching, may require a littl extra creativity and time, games are a lot of fun for students in a classroom.

I plan to use games, specifically games that are technology-based. A few semesters ago one of my teachers had "Who wants to Be A Millionare" test reviews, which was a powerpoint template that she edited with her own questions and answers. I've done something similar before, and it was very time consuming. On the way to the computer lab I was thinking that it would be a good idea to assign students to create games like these using technology. They could create one, save it, and bring the teacher a printed copy. That teacher could then read over the student's proposed Q & A's and edit the game if it needs it. The student could then fix it and bring it in to class.

Playing educational games are a great way to motivate your students and get them involved. And it's also true that students will learn from creating Q&A's in a game, just as much as they will from playing the game. This makes incorporating games in the classroom very simple and easy, and the students will LOVE it!

BLOG 2--Motivation

Motivation is a reason to do something. If we have no motivation for X, then X won't seem worth it.

Motivation affects my life in many ways, EVERY way really. I've found that as I've gotten older, I am more intrinsically motivated than I am extrinsically motivated. However, both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are present in my life. My extrinisic motivations include: working for money, nice clothes, my truck, expensive steaks, fun things for my daughter to play with. Some things that I am motivated to attain for myself: happiness, pride, a sense of knowing that I've done the right thing. Living a Christian life is my biggest intrinsic motivation.

Blog 1 Thursday Sept 1

What is the connection between culture and learning?

There is an endless of amount of connections between someone's culture(s) and what they learn from them?

For example, when I was in high school I participated in Sports (volleyball) and in the Journalism department. In each group, we had our own little culture. As a part of the varsity volleyball team, I felt like some sort of school leader. We were a part of the peprally, our pictures were on the rosters, our names were painted on spirit signs that were posted throughout the parking lot. Another way that sports affected my education, is "NO PASS NO PLAY." In order to participate in sports, we had to keep our grades up. i wanted to play. So, slacking off wasn't an option for me.

In my journalism courses, we had a completely different atomosphere, more professionally-minded. It was a professional enviroment that fostered possible career oppportunities. I learned how to write and create a proffesional resume, how to work as an advertising representative. As a part of this professional-like culture, I was introduced to and became part of the "business world." I now work part-time as a journalist at a weekly newspaper.

And as we discussed in class, when we become teachers we will have our own culture in our classrooms. In my classroom we will value open-mindedness, respect for others, and good behavior. The atomosphere will foster inquiry and we will work in a team-like manner. This will all be apart of my classroom culture.