6 Word Memoir

Love                       Laughter                    Young

              

              Friend                          Fun                       Life 

My Inspiration

My aunt, Mary Lou Cook, is someone who has inspired me. 

Her father was the Judge of Probate in the city of Shelton, Connecticut and her mother was a stay-at-home mom.  She graduated from Shelton High School and went to Southern in the 1950’s.  She graduated from Southern and become a special education teacher in the Shelton Public School System.

What I find so inspiring about her was that, not only was she a special education teacher when many special education children were hospitalized, she was the first principal of a school for children with special needs called Ripton School in Shelton.  She remained principal for about 10 years until she became the Director of Special Education for the city of Shelton.  She remained director for 15 years, and when she retired she took a job with the state of Connecticut as an advocate for students with special needs.

What is so inspirational is that it was not until she was diagnosed with lung cancer that she ended her career fighting for what was right for students with special needs.  I can remember going to visit her in the hospital, when I had to wear a mask and robe because her immune system was so low, and she would ask me question about my job tutoring students with autism.  Even though she must have been in so much pain, she was still interested in what was going on in the world of special education.  She really was an amazing woman, and I hope that I can be half the woman that she was someday. 

My Favorite Moment in History

Asking me what my favorite moment in history was is kind of a weird question.  One of my favorite topics to learn about in history was the Civil War.  I liked learning about the different wars that made up the Civil War, and I appreciate the outcome of the entire thing.  One of my favorite eras in history is the roaring 20’s.  I love the clothes, and the music, and the frivolity of like as depicted in The Great Gatsby. 

Both of those are very interesting, but I prefer talking about myself though. So, for this blog I’m going to write about my favorite moment in my history.  That moment lasted 4 years, but when I look back now it seems to be a blink of an eye.  That moment is my time in high school.

I was not an awkward kid growing up.  I played 2 sports, and had a lot of friends.  I had friends from every group; the jocks, the drama geeks, the science geeks, and a bunch of upper classmen too.  The people I ran with were all good kids.  I was actually more afraid to get into trouble.  I was so afraid to get in trouble that my friends now tell me that I was a Goodie-Two-Shoes (As Adam Ant sang, “Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?”).  I got good grades without really trying and my parents gave me just enough freedom to do what I wanted within reason.  I had my first steady boyfriend in high school, so I knew that I always had a date for any dance.    

Looking back, I think it was my favorite moment in history because I didn’t have a care in the world.  I understood that I wasn’t a grown up yet, but I was responsible.  I wanted to grow up and move out, and I’m happy that I did now, but I wish I had to careless life of a high school kid again.  I really do understand the statement, “If I knew then what I know now…”  It had been said to me so many times growing up, but it took becoming an actual adult to understand what it truly means.    

Adolescent Conflict

I know most people will probably write about bullying because it is a hot button topic in the lives of adolescents, but I’m not going to do that.  I’m going to write about divorce.  I think this is an important topic to write about because it affects so many families.

I do not come from a family of divorce.  I suppose because of this I am not writing on good authority, but I do know many people who come from a family of divorce or have gotten divorced themselves.

I couldn’t imagine what a child can go through when their parents are divorcing.  It must be so scary.  Listening to all the arguing, having one parent no longer live with you any more or to having to move completely must be frightening for a child to go through.   

Because parents are the ones who are experiencing it firsthand, the child may have to take a backseat.  This is where being a teacher, and understanding what the child is feeling is so important.  The child will need someone to talk to, someone who will listen and help them. 

I also think that the child will need someone to relate to what they are going through.  Because I have not experienced divorce in my own home, I can use realistic fiction books about divorce to help my students.  One of the key ideas in a piece of realistic fiction writing is to help the reader connect to what the characters are going through.  I know there are many books about divorce that I can use to help my students get through such a difficult and confusing time in their lives.

My Rambling Video on Valerie Strauss

If you are watching this video, I apologize for the rambling I did.  I was literally going through the screens for the first time.  I also am still dealing with a virus, so sorry about the pop-ups.

My Fictional Hero

I really didn’t have a fictional character that I looked up to as a child.  I have to admit that until 8^th grade, I really didn’t do much reading for pleasure.  And the books I read in 8^th grade were mostly Stephen King or V.C. Andrews novels, and for those of who aren’t familiar with that work there are no good heroes in those stories. 

A book that sticks out in my mind that I enjoyed as a child was Bridge to Terabithia.  I remember liking these 2 books as a kid, but not because I found any of the characters heroic.  I was drawn to books about make believe places.  My brother and I often played games where we would imagine ourselves in faraway lands that didn’t exist in reality.  Reading about them helped my imagination grow. 

I guess because I liked reading about magical make believe lands, you can say that those places were my heroes.  I loved that in Bridge to Terabithia Jesse and Leslie created Terabithia, a magical forest kingdom that they could escape to.  Terabithia grew to be my favorite character in the story, and was a hero to me because it was a place to hide from reality.  I was jealous of Jesse and Leslie for having a Terabithia.

Now I can say that I like strong female characters.  I would love to be Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games or Tris from Divergent.  I think the give girls growing up now someone to look up to and aspire to be.  These girls broke the mold of a hero being a man and show that girls can kick some ass too!  How can they not be my heroes?!?! 

Investigating Valarie Strauss's "Common Core's Odd Approach to Teaching the Gettysburg Address"

The article I chose to examine was Valarie Strauss's “Common Core's Odd Approach to Teaching the Gettysburg Address”.  I was originally drawn to the article because I really liked learning about the Civil War when I was younger, so I wanted to see how they want to teach it now.  Little did I know that they aren’t teaching about the Civil War at all and I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed! 

The idea of teaching the Gettysburg Address without giving students any background knowledge is insane to me!  Strauss writes, “The idea here is to plunge students into an independent encounter with this short text.”  But how can they have an independent encounter if they can’t connect with the text.  Not knowing or understanding exactly what it’s about will not help them gain any knowledge on what was going on in our country at that time. 

What also irritates me with this goal is that it expects students to get frustrated and struggle.  I know that when I had to read in school I would just give up if it was too difficult or uninteresting to me.  The article states, “Some students may be frustrated, but all students need practice in doing their best to stay with something they do not initially understand.”  Strauss goes on to write that the close reading approach levels the playing field because it does not give any background knowledge.  I understand the students need to persevere through difficult work, but not all students can cognitively handle a piece of writing like the Gettysburg Address without any additional information. 

What I find very interesting is that it seems that Strauss agrees with me.  She understands that giving students tasks such as this makes school “wildly boring”.  They are not expected to make any connections in what they are reading, just draw from the text itself without knowing any other information.  It also makes sense that she believes that this standard mimics standardized testing where students are expected to answer questions from a text that they have never seen before.   

Ultimately, what I really appreciate about this article is that Strauss understands the missed opportunity that we will have as teachers by not being able to help our students form a connection with this text.  This standard believes that asking students to make a connection will not bring them closer to understanding the Gettysburg Address, but I have to disagree.  The point of this speech was a memorial service to all the fallen soldiers of the war.  By asking students if they have attended a funeral before or experienced death, the teacher is helping their students make a critical connection to the text.  This connection breathes life into the speech and helps the reader gain a deeper understanding.

Common Core Standards and Shifts

Anchor Standard	Instructional Shift	How to Teach It
RL.2.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.	Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.	This can be taught by having the students read the stories Little Red Riding Hood and Little Red Cowboy Hat. Once they read the 2 stories they can fill out a Venn diagram to show how they compared and contrasted the central messages in each.  The students can draw pictures that show their comparisons.
RL 3.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.	Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.	This can be taught to students by having them read a fable, folktale, or myth of their choosing.  Once they determine the central theme of that story they will write a fable, myth, or folktale of their own with the same theme.  This will show that they understand how to identify the key details because they will have to include them in their own writing.
RL.4.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.	Determine the theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.	This lesson can be taught by choosing a featured poet.  Each student will choose a poem from this poet, determine the theme of the poem, summarize what the poem is about, and write their own poem using the same theme.

 

My thinking about this is to have the students engage in writing their own pieces of literature at every step. In second grade they can fill out a Venn diagram showing their comparisons and contrasts.  In third grade they can write their own fable, myth, or folktale to show the central theme and key details of a piece of writing.  For fourth grade the students will be introduced to poetry and can be asked to begin writing their own poetry. I think it's important to have them writing in every step of the way. 

I also find it interesting that the standard for 3rd grade expands on the goal from 2nd grade by having the students not only determine what the central theme of the fable, myth or folktale is, but also having them explain how it's conveyed in the story using key details.  I find this to be an interesting way to introduce students to identifying key details in a story.  I also like that from there they expand even further for 4th grade by introducing drama and poetry.  I can remember in my experience I didn't read a play until 6th grade, and I really enjoyed it!  I would've much preferred reading plays earlier in my education rather than some of the junk I was forced to read!

I Hate Poetry

I am going to preface this blog by saying that I really don’t like poetry and I’m only doing this because I have to.  Please don’t judge me too harshly! 

 

I Hate Poetry

I hate poetry

With the fiery blaze of one million suns

I hate poetry

          Alliteration, couplet, metaphors make me sicker than drinking Ipecac

I hate poetry

          I would rather shove needles under my fingernails

I hate poetry

          It is the WORST form of writing that was ever created

I hate poetry

          And I’m never going to write another poem again!

 

Again, please don’t judge my writing on this blog!

         

 

 

This Assignment Is Finally Over!

Writing my narrative essay was really fun, but ended up being really difficult.  I really loved my topic and was excited to be writing.  It was what went along in trying to write a children’s book that was so difficult. 

I really enjoyed the peer review when writing this assignment.  There was a lot of information that I wanted to include in this essay, so I found myself missing some key ideas that my peers pointed out to me.  It also helped to hear what was confusing to them, so I could reword it to make better sense.  I even had some friends not in our class read my essay and help me revise it.

What I found most difficult about writing this piece (that’s to say after the difficulty I had even choosing a topic) was “dumbing it down” so that it was at a lower grade level.  First of all, I didn’t realize that you can check the grade level of your writing in Microsoft.  Second, I had no idea that writing what I thought were simple sentences would come out to be at an 8.8 grade level!  It took more time trying to get my writing to a lower grade level than it did to write the piece to begin with!  With that being said, my essay is completely different than what I started with.  The only similarity is that it’s still about a boy with autism.

With all that being said, I did really enjoy the narrative writing assignment.  It was a lot of fun to do and I really liked being able to share it with people.  Who knows, maybe I can send it to a publisher…probably not.

Narrative Essays

Holy crap writing a narrative essay is tough!  First of all, coming up with a topic was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.  There are so many things to write about that picking just one is difficult.  Because I could think of a topic, I tried to choose a genre.  Yup, that was harder.

Needless to say, I finally decided on a topic, and (with the help of Dr. McVerry) chose to do a piece of realistic fiction.  I realized that I wanted to write a piece of work that could be used to introduce students with autism to a young class.  I wanted it to involve picture, so I was torn between realistic fiction and a picture book.  I wanted realistic fiction because I wanted my story to be realistic, but made up.  And I thought about a picture book because I think that kids are drawn to illustrations and they help them understand a story.  Little did I know that picture books are more picture than text, so that made my decision a little easier.

I really enjoyed writing my first draft.  It was fun to reminisce about the time I spent working with students with autism.  I liked being able to tell a story about how these students are just like everyone else and should be treated that way.  It is a topic that is very close to my heart having had been involved with this population for the past 12 years.

Peer Revisions

So I wrote a rough draft, and I have to say that I didn’t hate it.  Let me rephrase that, I wrote a rough draft and I actually enjoyed having it reviewed by a peer.  I didn’t really change my writing process at all.  I really wasn’t into the topic, so I waited until the day before it was to be reviewed to do it, I sat in front of the TV for background noise, and I typed and revised as I went.  That’s just the way I work, and you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

What I really enjoyed was having a peer review my work.  Other than the usual grammatical and spelling errors, it was interesting to hear what someone other than my teacher thought of my writing.  I liked that she had different ideas and thought about things differently, but was not necessarily on the same page about what needed to be changed or fixed.

I have to admit that some of the things I was forced to change because of the peer review I wasn’t happy about.  It was just an informational essay, so I felt that not a ton of it needed to be changed.  I was informing my audience about realistic fiction.  I also like the way I write, so it’s hard to admit to certain flaws.  But, as a whole I think it was a really good experience.

My Typical Writing Process

  

  

The writing assignment for the informational and narrative essays has forced me out of my writing box.  Up until this assignment, my writing process has always been the same.  I get topic assigned, wait until the day before (or that day sometimes), sit in front of the TV with my laptop, and type. 

Typically, I only write because I have a paper due and it's about a subject I could not care less about.  Because I couldn't care less about it, I procrastinate until it's due because I have no interest in writing about it.  Hello, my name is Stacey and I'm a procrastinator.  I also prefer writing in front of the TV because I need background noise.  I can't listen to music because I end up singing along and can't focus.   

I revise my paper while I type.  I'm not the kind of person who can sit down with a graphic organizer and plan a paper.  I type and feel a flow with my writing.  Once the flow stops, I stop and reread what I have written.  I like to type until I can't anymore because I can replace words, or move sentences around.  That's another reason why I prefer to type instead of write a rough draft; writing takes too long and ends up looking messy (it must be my OCD).

 



What and Why I Read

This is such an interesting question that I’ve never thought about before.  I’ve always just read.  I just love reading.  I read for enjoyment.  The only time I read for information is when I have a chapter to read in a text book for class.  Even when I read an article on the internet, it’s most likely something about a Real Housewife or Honey Boo Boo because that’s what’s entertaining to me (don’t you dare judge me). 

When I choose a book to read, I have a couple different criteria that I look for.  If a book is a movie that I want to see or have seen, I want to read it.  I love watching movies that are books because I can compare what I envisioned in my head to what Hollywood thought it should be.  I’m also a sucker for books that are series.  I hate when books come to an end.  I feel like the characters become my friends while I’m reading about them and I want to continue that friendship!  I can remember as a kid, my favorite books were “The Babysitter’s Club” and “Sweet Valley High” series.  I loved reading about all the characters I was familiar with and grown to love.  When I can’t find a book that’s part of a series or being turned into a movie, I absolutely judge a book by its cover.  Whether it is the title, the art, or the short blurb on the back of the book, if I like what I see, I buy it. 

I don’t know how to put it into words without just saying, I like to read.  I read because I like the escape into a world that isn’t my own.  I read as a form of entertainment.  I also like reading because I like to share books that I like with my friends.  Rather than having a specific book club, I have a couple friends who I trade books with when we’re done reading them.  We can talk about them when we’re all done, but we don’t read the same book at the same time. 

This wasn’t an easy blog to write.  I know why I read and what I read, but I’ve never had to put it into words.  Even if it’s just the nutritional facts on a package of food, I am always reading.  To me, reading is like breathing.  I have to do it.  I couldn’t imagine my life without words! 

A Blog About Blogs

I haven’t done a free write in about 16 years, so here goes nothing!  I’ve never done a blog before and I’m surprised to say that I actually like it.  I think it’s fun to be able to write a piece that is more relaxed than the formal papers I have to write for most of my classes.  Writing these blogs is a nice break from the stuffy writing I have to do, yet I know that I will still get a grade on this. 

This free write is kind of difficult, but the writing prompts that we have been assigned have been really interesting.  Some of them have been topics I’ve never even thought about.  I never thought about leveling books and how I feel about it.  I have seen many classrooms and even pictured my own in my head, but to have to write paragraphs about how my vision was tricky.  It made me think about how I wanted to word what I see in my mind.  Writing the reflection on our memories of language arts was a really fun blog for me to write.  I liked that I got to think back to what made me the reader and writer that I am today.  Plus, as you can see in this blog, I have no problem talking about myself.

Not knowing who my audience is exactly is really something I like about writing blogs.  I find myself writing as if I’m talking to myself, not necessarily for others to read.  It’s more like my blog is my personal journal.  I’ve always wanted to keep a journal.  I typically will start one and then crap out on it in a couple days.  Having to write a blog for a class, forces me to keep up with my writing.  Obviously, I wouldn’t choose some of these topics to write about, but I like that I can keep my blog as a journal of my education.

When we were assigned to write a blog, I have to admit that I rolled my eyes.  I thought it was going to be such a pain having to write a post twice a week on topics I really didn’t care about.  But, having written it for about a month now, this blog is one of my favorite assignments.         

The FInal Book Club

We just had out final book club and this actually a 2-parter.  I say it was in 2 parts because I lost my phone on Friday night and did not get a new one until Monday night.  In the time without a phone, my group had an impromptu meeting via text that I could not participate in.  It was not until I got to class on Monday that I found out they had it.  I apologized (of course) and told them about my situation.  Luckily, one of the girls saved the text conversation they had and I got to read it and respond (thank goodness we got to class early that day!). 

 

I'm happy that I got to participate in some way because there were some things that some girls were confused about that we got to discuss in person.  There were also things about the book that some didn't like.  I thought that was so interesting because I loved the book so much.  Two girls pointed out that they thought that the end of the book went too fast, but thought that it showed that the events happening were moving so fast.  To me, I felt that the book moving so fast helped me feel like I was with the characters, like I was part of the story.  I have to admit, that was one of my favorite things about reading The Maze Runner.  It was interesting to hear someone not appreciate something I liked so much.  During the entire book club I really liked hearing everyone's predictions and questions.  I had plenty of my own, but it was good to hear what other people had to say.  It helped point out events that I might not have paid attention to, or given me a new perspective about things. 

 

I liked doing this book club.  I really enjoyed the book and I appreciated that each member of my group was into it and participating as well.  I would love to start a book club of my own, but with all the school work I have, reading for pleasure has definitely taken a back seat to reading text books.  I hope that once I become a teacher I'll be able to tear myself away from lesson plans in order to sit down and enjoy reading again.  Maybe then I'll get a book club of my own! 

The Maze Runner--I can't wait to read the next one!

So I finished The Maze Runner and I LOVED IT!  I actually finished it before the rest of my group and it is killing me to not tell them what happens.  I know I can't ruin it for them, but I want someone to talk to about it!  I've never been in a book club before so this experience has been interesting for me.  I liked being able to discuss a book with people who have read it.  It was a little frustrating when someone in my group would ask a question that I knew the answer to because I finished to book, but couldn't tell them because I didn't want to ruin it for them.  I just kept telling them that I couldn't wait until they finished it!  I did like that during our discussions we would talk about certain events that happened and some of us would have different takes on what or why something happened.  When Alby began to choke himself when he was going to tell Thomas about The Flare some of us weren't sure why he would do that, and some thought The Creators were controlling him.  It was interesting to get that perspective from others reading the same book.  

 

At the end of each chapter there was one sentence that constantly kept me asking questions and wanting to know more.  The end of the book was exactly the same.  I felt that the epilogue was the part that really has me reeling.  I can't believe that this group of kids survived the Maze, are going to be given one night's rest, and have to begin the next journey in the experiment that WICKED is using them for.  I cannot wait to read The Scorch Trials to find out what happens next!     

Writing

I don't really know what to say about writing.  I don't hate it, but I only write because I have to for school.   I'm really not opposed to writing.  I will admit that I would much prefer having to write an essay or a paper instead of taking a test, mostly because I can BS my way through writing.  I am also the kind of person who loves the idea of a journal because I think it would be interesting to look back years from now and see what was going on in my life, how I felt about things, and ideas like that.  What always seems to happen, though, is I buy a pretty little journal, write in it once or twice, and then forget about it.  It comes to a point where it is more of a waste of money for me (Journals at Barnes and Noble aren't that cheap!). 

 

As a future teacher, I believe that writing is a valuable skill to teach our students.  I think that if we instill an appreciation of the written word in our class, they will be more interested in reading it.  Understanding how to write will also allow our students the ability to critique the work of themselves as well as their peers.  I find that all students expect that their teachers will provide them with a harsh critique, but hearing criticism from someone on their level could have more meaning. 

 

I do understand that, like it or not, writing is an important skill that all people need to learn.  Knowing how to write a proper email will help you look like a professional when in a workplace situation.  Even when we send a text, knowing how to write so our message gets across to the other person is important (One of my biggest pet peeves are people who put no punctuation in their texts, so the message reads like one long sentence).  Writing is something that we all do in everyday life, even if we don't realize it. 

The Pro's to Leveling Books

In doing research on leveling books, I have found many articles that argue both views.  The one that I prefer to side with, however, is that I am for leveling books.  Because I want to be a special education teaching working with primarily students with autism I can understand why giving a child a book that is on their level as opposed to a book that the entire class is reading would be helpful.  I recognize the amount of frustration a child feels when the work given to them is too difficult.  I have also seen a student’s face filled with disappointment when they do not grasp a concept, as well as the look of joy and pride when they do. 

In order to level a book, a teacher will listen to a student read a given piece of literature.  If the student makes 0-1 mistakes the book is too easy, 2-5 mistakes per 100 words, the piece is deemed “instructional”.  If the student makes 6 or more mistakes, this indicates that the book is in the frustration level for the student.  If a student reads a book that is in their frustration level, they would be offered a variety of books that are more in their instructional level instead.  I believe that by allowing a student to read a book at his or her instructional level will let them read independently and enjoy reading.  I think it will also allow the language of the student to grow and become more skillful.  In growing and becoming more skillful, the student will rise to a higher reading level.  If we lump all the students into one level, we will see frustration levels sky rocket.  I have seen students in classrooms who are not able to understand what they are reading.  Hell, I was one of those students.  I can remember reading H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine in 4^th grade and feeling so lost when asked a comprehension question.     

I believe that leveling books will not only help the typical population of students, but will also help the special education population.  As I wrote earlier, I want to be a special education teacher working primarily with students with autism.  For the past 12 years, I have been a tutor to this population and have seen pride and disappointment my students have felt.  I have also seen great frustration when a skill is not mastered.  If students are allowed to read books on their level, opportunities for inclusion will increase.  Special education students will have a more meaningful experience in the general education classroom.  These students will be able to spend more time with their typical peers and feel more a part of the classroom. 

I understand the good ideas that come with the Common Core, but I do not believe that getting rid of leveled books is one of them.  The benefits of keeping this idea are too great.  Students will be able to progress at their own level, and learn to enjoy reading.  They will also be able to feel a sense of pride when they can work independently and thrive at it.  I believe that by continuing the level books, the special education population can participate more and be part of the general education classroom.      

The Maze Runner Continued--Still Running

As I have continued to read The Maze Runner I find myself sitting closer and closer to the edge of my seat!  The chapters are so short and they always end with a phrase that leaves me wanting more.  Needless to say, I have a difficult time putting it down.  The book is so exciting and each page leaves me asking so many questions that I just want to keep reading.  I also find some of the characters interesting and relatable, so that draws me in as well. 

I cannot believe that Thomas ran in to the maze while the doors were closing!  I understand that he felt sympathy and wanted to help Alby and Minho, but it seems that running in there was the equivalent to committing suicide.  I also couldn’t get over Minho abandoning Thomas with a lifeless Alby when they first heard the Grievers.  I thought that when Thomas started to cry after dodging the Grievers at the cliff was very emotional.  I believe that it was all of his emotions about not remembering anything, feeling confused about why a place unknown to him was so familiar at the same time, and surviving the terrifying feat of avoiding the Grievers.  I believe this shows the human side to Thomas that makes him likeable.  I also believe that he showed that side when he spoke to Chuck about getting him back home.  I liked that the Keepers decided to punish Thomas, but also make him a Runner once he returned.  I think that punishing him in some way was necessary for them to keep order in their society, but he proved himself to be one the best Runners that they had and deserved the job.

Several questions have come up for me as I’ve been reading.  What is the significance of “Wicked”?  Why is it written on the beetle blades, why does Teresa have “Wicked is Good” written on her arm, and what is up with the sign “World in Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department” (WICKED)?  I believe that it has something to do with The Creators, maybe the company they work for.  I want to know why or how Thomas has a natural ability as a Runner.  It seems that he is familiar with the maze, but has never been there.  I also want to know why he was able to figure out how to escape from the Grievers so quickly.  What is with Gally?  Why does he hate Thomas so much?  I feel like he knows more than he is letting on.  He is just so angry!  What is The Flare and why is Alby so afraid to go back to their normal lives?  And what was making him choke himself when he was talking to Thomas about what he saw during the Changing?  I like that Thomas and Teresa have the power to speak to each other through their minds, but how does Teresa know that her and Thomas have something to do with the maze?  How did Teresa trigger the ending, and once she did why did the sky go gray and the doors to the maze not shut?  And why did Gally know that the Grievers would only kill one boy per night?  What kind of insight to he get when he ran off?  Hopefully all these questions will have answers as I continue reading.  There are so many of them, you can understand why I can’t put this book down!

I’m happy that this is the book that I chose for my book club selection.  I’m really drawn to these kinds of topics and with all the writing and text book reading that I have to do; it’s nice to be able to read for pleasure again.  I say again because I usually do not have the time for it unless it is summer.  The Maze Runner allows me to escape the monotony of reading factual information.  I hope that when I become a teacher I can give my students the same feeling of escapism.             

Learning Literacy Through Collaboration

Collaborative learning absolutely supports literacy.  By reading the same book with their peers, the class will be able to discuss themes surrounding the book while building their social skills.   While working in small groups, students use strategies to connect in dialogue and widen one another’s understanding of text.  I believe that many children feel that when a teacher is leading a lesson and they are called on to answer a question, they are put on the spot and may feel flustered to answer.  Having collaborative learning in literacy gives the class a sense of being comfortable because they are conversing with their peers.  In that kind of setting there may not be a feeling of a right or wrong answer. 

Collaborative learning also allows for students to contribute and take on leadership skills as they lead in their reading groups.  The students are able to teach each other without having the teacher lead the group.  When the teacher does not lead the group, the class feels a sense of independence.  As we saw in the video on reciprocal teaching, the students enjoyed not having the teacher lead the group for various reasons.  For one girl, it was fun to be the leader and call on her friends to answer questions.  For another boy, he enjoyed not having the teacher around because he was able to talk with his friends about what they were reading. Because the teacher does not need to facilitate, he or she is allowed to walk though the room, facilitate where necessary, but mostly allow the students to do all the talking.    

Learning literacy through collaboration also teaches the students the different goals (question, clarify, predict, summarize) while they take turns being the facilitator.  As we spoke about in class, if a student has mastered one of these goals, let’s say clarifying, he or she can go through the story and pick out ideas or words that may be difficult for other students.  This gives the student who understands the concept a sense of leadership, while allowing the student who does not grasp it to be taught by one of his peers. 

 

The Maze Runner

 

The book I chose to do for my book club book was The Maze Runner by James Dashner.  I've been wanting to see the movie and read the book, so this worked out perfectly.  Ever since The Hunger Games series I have been very interested in novels about dystopian societies, and believed that The Maze Runner would follow suit.  I was not wrong. 

 

As a group we have read and discussed up to Chapter 16.  So far, I have been introduced to several boys who live in a place called The Glade.  As a reader I have no idea where The Glade is, but I do know that it never rains, and it is surrounded by The Maze.  Every morning the doors of The Maze open and the Runners go out to explore.  Every night they come back because the walls of The Maze change at night and terrifying creatures called Grievers come out.  The boys have set up their own form of government and survive with large help from The Box.  Once a month The Box appears like an elevator out from below the ground.  In The Box are supplies that the boys will need to live (livestock, food, clothes, etc.).  Once a month, a new boy also rides up in The Box.  When each boy arrives the only memory they have is their name. 

 

The new boy in the beginning of the story was Thomas.  He seems like he will be the main character of the story.  Thomas is confused when he first gets there, but begins to have ideas that The Maze is familiar to him. Alby is another boy that is in The Glade.  He is the self-proclaimed leader and I believe that he is one of the boys who has been there the longest.  Alby's right-hand man is Newt.  Chuck is a boy who Alby and Newt assign to show Thomas around.  Chuck was the last "Greenie" before Thomas came.  I think Chuck is sweet, but reminds me of a little brother type.  Thomas is annoyed by Chuck's incessant talking, but I think, loves him deep down.  Gally is the jerk of The Glade so far.  He claims that he has seen Thomas before, but because of his memory loss cannot quite realize where.  I believe that is going to be an ongoing idea of this book, and also a main idea of the theme.  Minho has been introduced as the Keeper of the Runners.  He has not become a main character just yet, but I believe that he will be a key figure as the story goes on.  I also feel that way about Teresa.  She is the only girl to ever be brought into The Glade.  At her appearance, everything in The Glade begins to change and some boys believe that Thomas has something to do with it.

 

As I have read I have had a really difficult time putting this book down.  Each chapter seems to end with a cliffhanger that makes me want to read on.  I have some questions about what has happened and that leads me to make some predictions.  I understand that the boys call the people who sent them to The Glade are The Creators, but why have they been sent there?  What is going on in the outside world that these boys have been exiled to there.  I also wonder why Teresa is the first girl to enter The Glade.  What is special about her, and why is she going to be the last person sent there?  I believe that she somehow works with The Creators, but because she has lost her memory she cannot figure it all out just yet.  Why does Thomas have such an urge to become a Runner and why does The Maze seem familiar to him?  Also, why do all the boys who go through The Changing know him.  I believe that, like Teresa, Thomas was working with The Creators as well.  Maybe The Creators are doing something horrible to people and Thomas and Teresa rebelled.  Maybe they were exiled to The Glade because of their rebellion.

 

So far, I have really enjoyed reading this book.  I did have a difficult time getting into it when I first started, but as I continued I really enjoyed it.  It is very exciting and I really like the characters for the most part (except Gally, I want to punch him).  I can visual everything as the characters see it.  I cried along with Thomas at Ben's banishment.  I felt Ben's pain and fear as he pleaded for his life.  It reminded me a bit of The Lord of the Flies.  I also felt the fear from Thomas as he first caught a glimpse of a Griever.  I like the way Dashner describes that gruesome being.  I want to see the movie mostly because I want to see what they do with those creatures.  I look forward to continuing to read The Maze Runner and cannot wait to have my questions answered and compare my predictions.         

Reader's Workshop

I believe that reader's workshop is an important part of having a classroom.  It is how I will instill the joy of reading in my students.  During reader's workshop I will also work on Allington's 6 T's; time, text, talk, task, teach.  I would begin each reader's workshop with a mini-lesson.  During this lesson, I will read the class an easy, below grade level book.  By doing this I will make sure that we can finish the story faster and that the students will be able to grasp the concepts that I fins important.  In my mini lesson I will focus on a specific goal that I want the students to learn.  It will also be a goal that I reinforce while they are doing their independent reading and I confer with them.  In independent reading, they will enjoy reading their books. I understand that it is important for the students to choose their own books.  This will allow them to discover the kind of reader that they are.  While they read, I will walk around the room, holding conferences with them.  In these conferences I will talk to them about what they are reading, and have them work on goals or skills I have set for them (fluency, vocabulary, etc.).    It will also be time for me to reiterate what we have gone over as a class in our mini-lesson.  I look forward to taking advantage of some one-on-one time with my students.  One important aspect of conferencing to me would be that I will allow the students to do all the answering while I only ask the questions.  Once the students are done with their reading for that day, I will have them complete a reading log about how long and how much they read.  Once they are done with a chapter, I will ask the students to summarize what they read in that chapter and have them predict what they believe will happen next.  Finally, I will allow the students to have share time.  In this time, I will give them the opportunity to discuss their books with me and their fellow classmates.  During share time I can ask the probing questions to help the class discover challenging ideas and reinforce ideas that they have already been taught.  It will also be a good time to let the students talk amongst their friends.  Share time will let the class here about what their friends are reading, and maybe open their eyes to what else is out there in the literary world.       

Supporting Literacy

Supporting literacy in the classroom is a very important idea.  So many children are not interested in reading or writing enough to know how to enjoy it.  I, myself, was one of those kids that moaned at reading time because I hated the thought of being forced to read something that did not hold my interest.  I know in elementary school my reading comprehension was horrible because I did not care enough about what I was reading to pay attention.  In observing various classrooms I have seen many students still moan like me at the mention of reading time.  I also know that writing is not something that is nurtured in schools.  Mandatory writing prompts are forced on children even if they have no interest in what they are expected to write about.  Instead of making literacy fun or even functional, many classrooms are given mindless worksheet after worksheet.  These are all things I would like to change in my classroom.

            In order to make reading a point of interest a teacher must allow their students the ability to choose what interests them.  There is one classroom that I have worked in that had an incredible library.  The teacher collected books from all genres and on different levels.  Although the students were only allowed to borrow one book at a time, they were allowed to take them home in order to read them for their required 20 minutes of reading each night for homework.  Almost every student in that class tore through books as fast as I do as an adult.  What I think attributes to this teacher’s amazing library was the fact that she herself enjoys reading.  Like I plan to do, she understands the value of instilling that same pleasure in her students and supports reading in her classroom.  I believe that students are more likely to read what they have to, like textbooks, if they are also given a chance to also read what they enjoy.

            When it comes to writing, students today are given writing prompts to prepare them for standardized testing.  Although these prompts are a necessary evil, writing can still be made fun.  In order to support this idea, having students write about ideas that interest them, such as themselves, can show them how it is true.  Teach students effective writing strategies through writing about interesting topics.  I can remember the only writing I did as a child in school was book or research reports.  None of these things were of interest to me.  It was not until I was asked to write about a specific situation that happened to me did I find writing fun.  I looked forward to brainstorming ideas, writing a rough draft, sharing it with my peers, and then finalizing it in my last draft.  My teacher supported literacy by teaching us the writing process without even telling us directly that she was doing it.  All we knew was that we were having fun.      

            Another way we can support literacy in the classroom is to take away the boring worksheets and make learning fun.  Incorporate environmental text, play literacy games, and other ideas would help.  Environmental text makes learning literacy functional for students.  They can identify what they see in their everyday lives and compare it with what they see in the classroom.  Environmental print can also build confidence in young children and get them excited about reading.  When children are excited about reading and print holds meaning for them they will learn much faster and begin to make connections to the world around them.  Literacy games make learning fun as well.  Whether it is on the computer or a competition with the whole class, it is something that all students can enjoy.

            Supporting literacy is something that is extremely important in all classrooms.  In order to have a literate society it is crucial to start literacy at a young age.  Using age-appropriate and functional text with interesting topics and concepts, teachers can hold students’ attention in order to teach them.  Breaking away from the idea of teaching to test and, instead, using what interests students will still get the point across.         

My Perfect Classroom

For the past 10 years I have been working in the special education department of an urban public school.  Needless to say, I understand what it is like to scrounge for things for our classroom because we don’t have a budget.  I have done my share of rummaging through other teachers trashed items and finding a barely broken toy that my students would love.  I also have experience in many general education teachers’ rooms, so between that and hours of obsessing over Pintrest I have seen different setups and decorating ideas for my classroom. 

In a perfect world where I could have unlimited funds and take what I have seen in other classrooms and online, I believe I have a good idea of what my perfect classroom would look like.  In front of the room I would like to have a Smart board.  Around the Smart board I would have a poster of class expectations, a calendar of events, and our Specials schedule.  I would also like to have a behavior chart for the students as a visual reminder of how they are or should be behaving.  Rather than having inspirational posters and things like that hanging around the room, I would have the students’ work and drawings hanging up.  I think they would feel a sense of pride in having their work up for all to see.     

As I said earlier, this is my idea of a classroom in a perfect world.  In that world I would like to have my students’ desks set up in groups of 4.  I understand that normally I would run into students chatting, fooling around, or copying each other’s work, but I would like to have them in groups for several reasons.  One reason would be to allow the students to work in small groups on certain assignments.  Another reason would be because I want to incorporate center work into my day.  Having the desks set up in groups already would avoid having to have the class rearrange the room all the time.  My desk would be off to the side in the front of the room.  This would allow me to view the whole class while they are doing quiet work, and also let me have enough room in the front to move around and conduct my lessons.  In the back of the room I would have a smaller table to run my reading groups and do small group lessons. 

I would like to have a library in a corner with different levels of books from all genres.  I want it to be a comfy corner with a plush carpet and bean bag chairs for the students to relax and enjoy reading in.  I also want a small table with a few CD players for the students to listen to books on CD.  Instead of having computers in the room, I want tablets that the students can play phonics or math apps, read online books, or work for as a reinforcer.  In the opposite corner I would like shelves of math manipulatives.  I want these manipulatives accessible to the students so that they can use various methods to solve the problems they are assigned.               

My Language Arts Influence

I have several memories from a mixture of situations I have encountered in Language Arts classes.  Not all of them are ones I care to keep, in fact some are so mundane that I have forgotten them.  But, there are three memories that really stick out in my brain.  These are the ones that have really formed me as the reader and writer that I am today. 

In eighth grade, I found my love of reading.  It wasn’t in my Language Arts class, but in my Reading class.  My teacher had the most amazing library and allowed us to borrow her books.  I was introduced to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, all the books by Stephen King that she had, and then I found my Holy Grail of books; Flowers In the Attic by V.C. Andrews.  This was the first time I was reading adult topics.  I had grown up with “The Babysitter’s Club” and “Sweet Valley High” series.  V.C. Andrew’s was borderline pornography to a 13 year old!  I tore through her collection of the books about the Dollanger family, and moved on through each series that my teacher had.  I was reading a book a week, impressing my parents enough that they continued to buy me the books my teacher didn’t have, not knowing they were feeding my thirst for smut.  It’s funny that writing this blog now, I realize how I have come full circle.  At 13, I loved the smutty romance novels, but now I would not touch the stuff.  I believe that my hands would curl up in the Wicked Witch of the East fashion if I ever touched a copy of 50 Shades of Grey.  Now my preference has reverted back to teenage novels, like “The Hunger Games” and “The Heroes of Olympus” series.  I am also a sucker for books turned movies.  I know the movie will always be worse, but it’s fun for me to compare the movie version to the version I created in my head while reading.  With all that being said, no, I have never read Twilight.  I believe touching it would have the Wicked Witch effect on me as well.  

My memory of writing in Language Arts was actually a crushing one.  I was in seventh grade, and I loved Language Arts class.  My teacher was funny and knew how to hold my attention.  I was so inspired by him that I wrote a short story that I wanted to try to get published in Highlights Magazine.  I gave it to both my parents to read, and my mother suggested I give it to my Language Arts teacher to proofread.  I remember bringing my story to school that day (no, I don't remember what the story was about.  I think I blocked it out), and asking my teacher if I could meet with him instead of going to recess (I was that confident that I didn't even care about missing recess).  I walked into his room and already had a feeling that this wasn’t going to go well.  He had forgotten why I wanted to see him, snatched my beautiful paper from my hand, and read it in what felt like 2 seconds.  When he finished, he handed it back to me and said, “I wouldn’t publish this.  It’s not good.”  Wait, what?  At home I was used to being told that my work wasn’t good when it wasn’t good, so it wasn’t that.  It was the fact that I was dismissed so quickly without being helped in any sort of way.  Aren’t teachers supposed to help you get better?  Looking back now, I was invading his sacred prep time, and for all I know, he could’ve been having a bad day.  Whatever his problem was, it was the factor that stopped me from writing for fun, and made me despise him and Language Arts.

It was not until my senior year in high school that I rekindled my love for writing.  Again, this is not a memory from a Language Arts class, but from a Creative Writing one instead.  I took Creative Writing as an elective for a couple reasons; I loved the teacher, I wanted to decorate a giant art pad, and I thought it was be fun to keep it as a memory.  We were expected to do 2 specific assignments and 1 free choice assignment per week.  Each assignment I found myself falling deeper in love with writing, and I actually found my niche.  I was the sarcastic writer that wrote exactly the way I spoke, no matter what anyone would think about it.  My favorite assignment was to write an obituary about ourselves or someone else.  I opted to write mine about Winnie the Pooh because I really cannot stand him!  After I handed it in to be graded, my teacher ripped it out of my book and hung it in the office of my school for all to read.  I had finally had my redemption from seventh grade and got published in a way.  As a matter of fact, when I graduated, my mother had that assignment framed and I now have it hanging in my house.         

I believe that, good or bad, we are a mutation of all the teachers we have had over the years.  We take what we have learned, how we have been taught, and how we have been treated to become the teachers that we will eventually be.  These 3 situations really helped me become the person I am today, and have influenced what kind of teacher I want to be.