1) How have your notions of literacy expanded this semester? What counts as content area literacy that you have not previously considered? Coming into this class, I had a one-dimensional, traditional view of literacy. Literacy, at the time, meant reading books, particularly novels. I did not consider multimodal texts as literacy. Nor, did I consider other forms of literacy, such as blog posts or podcasts.

2) What have you learned about adolescents as literature beings? What do you know about how and what they read, write, watch, listen to, consume and create that you didn’t know before? Being in field has expanded my understanding of adolescents as literature beings. I found out that they really enjoy reading graphic novels and anime. I previously did not consider these genres as educational, but that has changed after taking this class and my field experiences. I found that a lot of the students will not read a traditional novel. Or, if they do read it, they will not really engage in the reading other than to do the assignments that go along with the reading. However, whenever we found a graphic novel version of the novels we wanted them to read, they were very engaged. The majority of the students in my class like to listen to rap music, particularly XXXTentacion, and consume social media, particularly Snapchat.

1) What have you noticed about ELLs that you have encountered in schools? In general, what do these students do well in math/social studies/science/language arts class? I love working with ELL students because it requires me to really put my all into the teaching. I have noticed, while working with ELL students, that they do well in math and science. I surveyed my students and I asked them which subjects they like and math and science were the top answers. At first, I was surprised by these answers, but I have found that it holds true because many of my students were able to grasp the concepts taught in these courses quicker than the concepts learned in language arts.

2) With which tasks do they tend to struggle? The ELL students in my class really struggled with figurative language. They could identify the figurative language, but could not explain the effectiveness. Another concept they struggled with was writing objective summaries of what they have just read. They wanted to re-tell what they had just read, giving extraneous details. I also noticed that they struggled with explaining how key details in a story impact the overall plot. They could identify the elements of plot (exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action), but they could not explain how certain events in the plot impacted the overall story. When asked how the addition or elimination of certain details would impact the overall plot, they wanted to give vague answers instead of critically thinking about their responses.

3) What are some instructional strategies for supporting ELLs in your content area classroom? What works? In what context? To help students with figurative language, I believe that if we would have annotated a popular song, paying close attention to the lyrics and the effectiveness of the figurative language within the song that this would have been helpful. I believe that part of the reason they struggled with this concept is because they did not connect with the reading material. I would have liked to model how to analyze the effectiveness of the figurative language in songs by using a think-aloud method while annotating the lyrics for the class. Then, I would have asked them to choose one of their favorite, school-appropriate songs to analyze for figurative language and effectiveness. To help them understand the difference between a re-tell and an objective summary, we really relied on the SWBST (Somebody Wanted But So Then) strategy for writing summaries. Once we introduced this strategy, they really grasped the concept of objective summaries and I noticed improvement in the summaries they created. To help the students understand how certain events in a story effect the overall plot, I would have liked to give them a simple recipe, such as a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I would have certain key details missing from the recipe (such as key ingredients, baking times, etc.) and have them discuss how this would affect the overall process of baking the cookies.

4) Do you know/speak/understand another language other than English? If so, what have you learned from your professional experience with acquiring a second language that might help you as a teacher of ELLs?Unfortunately, I am no bilingual. I have taken a few Spanish courses, but I am nowhere near fluent in speaking, reading, or writing in Spanish.

5) How can you use culturally responsive teaching practices to support your ELLs? I would have liked for us to have read more stories written from the cultural perspective of our students.

1. What should students write/say? There are so many possibilities and options for ELA students to write about. I believe that in ELA classes, students should have opportunities to free-write and opportunities to showcase their writing abilities every single day. These writing activities can range from low-stakes writing, such as responding to journal prompts to high-stakes writing, such as essays and reports. The reasoning behind having some kind of writing component to my daily lesson plans is to provide students with ample opportunities to engage in the writing process. I want students to see that writing is a process and that no work is ever truly “finished”. Some of the things that I would like for my future students to write are personal narratives, book responses/reviews, letters, essays, opinion pieces, non-fiction reports, and short stories.

2. Why these genres and not others? A personal narrative gives the students opportunities to be the expert on what they are asked to write. With a personal narrative, students are sharing a life-changing aspect of their own lives. There are no right or wrong details because the students are the experts of their own lives. Also, with a personal narrative, it will allow for me to connect with my students, as I will be the only one reading each students’ writing. I would like for students to write book responses/reviews because I want them to understand that when we read, we do more than just read the words on the page. If they are asked to respond to the novels that we read together, or to write a review for a book that they choose for personal reading, it will help them engage in both the reading and writing process.

3. What should students design/create? Why are multimodal texts important? I love digital projects because they help make collaboration and sharing much easier. I believe that students also enjoy doing digital projects because so much of their lives are centered around what they can do digitally. I would want my future ELA students to create podcasts and FlipGrid videos. I would also like to include Inkle in my lesson plans. Inkle is a digital storytelling tool that allows students to create digital books. One way that I can use this in the classroom is to have students collaborate and write their own stories where each student adds to the overall plot. Multimodal texts are important because they allow for students to express their creativity using a medium that is comfortable and familiar to them.

4. What should students “do” with the texts they write/create in your content area? One thing that I do not want students to do is turn in assignments just for a grade. I know that there will be some students who will do this, but I want them to have a deeper connection with the assignments that I am going to ask them to complete other than “I have to get a good grade on this”. I want them to be able to make some sort of personal, cultural, or interrelated connection with the assignments. For example, if we are working on an persuasive writing unit, I would want the students to do more than just write an essay based on a pre-selected persuasive prompt. Firstly, I would have to grade multiple student essays about the same prompt. Also, students would have the possibility to cheat and use ideas from their classmates if they know they are writing on the same prompt. Instead, I would want them to think about certain issues and problems within their communities (i.e. their neighborhood, the school, any sports clubs or extracurricular activities in which they participate, etc.) and write a persuasive letter to the person in charge to persuade them to resolve the issue.

5. How might you support students as they write/say/design/ create? Students need to see me as a writer. I have always wanted to write a book. So, I believe that letting students in on my own personal writing goals and keeping them updated on the process will intrigue them. I do not want my future students to limit writing to something that is only done in a classroom setting.

Have you ever heard students say “I do not like to read” whenever you have asked them about their reading habits? While this may be a common answer, chances are that students actually mean that they do not like to read the material that teachers are routinely presenting to them. Whether they realize it, or not, students actually read every single day. The list of reading material ranges from captions on Instagram to reading blog posts or articles about topics that interest them. So, how do we encourage and motivate “struggling” or “reluctant” readers? Here are a few strategies to accomplish this goal:

1. Use incentives to encourage extrinsic motivation – Getting a good grade is no longer enough to motivate students’ success. While there are those students who are motivated by the grade that they will receive on their assignment, there are those students who will turn in anything, even if it is not their best work, just to be done with the assignment. Using rewards that are desirable to the students can be an extrinsic motivational strategy. For example, a teacher who has “reluctant” readers could implement a reading log where students have to track their reading and submit a produceable/project in order to be included in an end of quarter movie and popcorn party.
2. Give students personal choice in what they read – Some students will read once the limitations on what they can read are removed. The reading material that we ask students to read and engage must be interesting to them in some way or another. Otherwise, they will either skim through the material or choose not to read it at all. Giving students personal choice in what they can read will also motivate them to actually engage in the reading process. Allow students to read things such as graphic novels, magazines, video game manuals, and audiobooks just to name a few options.
3. Allow students in-class opportunities to read – Set aside 5-10 minutes during the daily activities for students to engage in reading. Again, do not put a limit on what they can choose to read during this time. The focus is for them to have the opportunity to participate in uninterrupted, engaged reading. At the end of the reading time, students should be able to summarize what they have just read, using the GIST method or Somebody Wanted But So Then (SWBST) method if asked.
4. Let our students in on our reading life – If we are going to ask students to be lifelong readers, we must be examples of lifelong readers. Some students have a preconceived notion that reading is only to take place in a school setting, or that only a certain age group actually engages in reading. If students see their teacher as a lifelong reader, they will realize that reading is a hobby and won’t be so quick to associate reading as a chore. Teachers can do this in multiple ways, such as keeping a list of the books that you have read in your personal time in a central location in your classroom so that students can see it. A cool idea would be to challenge students to beat you in developing a longer accomplished reading list than yours.

Most students associate reading with something that they have to do because they know that they will have to answer questions about what they have just read. We have to do a better job at teaching students that reading is a hobby and not a chore. We have to do a better job at allowing students to have a choice in what they are asked to read. We have to engage students in reading in better ways other than answering multiple choice or short-answer questions about the reading material. Otherwise, we will be partly responsible for developing students who hate to read.

1. I used to be an avid reader when I was younger, but now I do not have as much time as I would like to devote to reading for pleasure as opposed to reading for school. I have traded reading books for reading blogs, especially celebrity gossip blogs and Buzzfeed articles. The thing is, I have so many books at home that I would like to read, but I have not made time to do such. I tried getting these books via e-book versions and reading them that way, but I prefer having a physical book in my hands rather than reading from a screen. I frequent social media often, so I am always reading various status updates, image captions, and tweets throughout the day. I am the type of person who prefers to text others rather than talk to them on the phone, so I am always sending and reading text messages throughout my day as well.
2. When I have had a stressful day, I like to unwind by watching Hulu, YouTube, or Netflix. Between these three streaming platforms, I like to watch various TV shows and different videos depending on what I am interested in watching. For example, I just finished binge-watching all of Nailed It on Netflix during the winter break. It is a baking competition amongst amateur bakers. On Hulu, I am currently binge-watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta. I love reality TV because, by watching other people’s drama and problems, it helps me not to focus on my own. On YouTube, I watch a lot of urban exploration videos – particularly ones where people access abandoned malls and film the deterioration process. Also on YouTube, I watch commentary videos based on the reality TV shows that I watch. Some of my favorite YouTube commentators are FunkyDineva, Miss PTV, MuchLoveFromKY, Lynn Spirit, and GotDamnZo.
3. and 4. I used to keep a blog for ministry purposes, but I have not written a new blog post for that particular blog in such a LONG time. I started it a couple of summers ago when I did not have to worry about school or work. Currently, I write a lot of inspirational status updates on Facebook and I have created my own page on there to share inspirational, religious posts. For my job, I am constantly reading price tags, sales tags, planograms, UPC codes, PLU codes, WIC vouchers, and various other retail related literature.

1. What I mostly remember about learning to read was the little bedtime stories that my mom would read to my brother and I before we went to sleep each night. I enjoyed anything by Dr. Seuss because of the rhyming pattern and the characters. She would read to us and do the different character voices and that always made the stories come alive. As we grew older, we would repeat after her as she read the books to us so that we could become familiar with the words on the pages. Reading was instilled in me and my brother at an early age by our mom and was further developed in school. Due to our mom exposing us to reading at an early age, the skill came easy for both my brother and I.
2. I was the kind of kid who would take my old workbooks from school home with me during the summer break and work through them. I used to try to “teach” my brother how to write because I learned the skill before he did. I would play the role of the teacher and the workbook pages would be my worksheets that I would give to him. Once my mom found out that this is what I was doing, she would go out and purchase additional materials for my brother and I to work through during our summers off.
3. As a child, I loved reading anything by Dr. Seuss, particularly How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Cat In The Hat, There’s A Wocket In My Pocket, Horton Hears a Who, and Oh, The Places You’ll Go. I enjoyed reading these books because they were the easiest for me to read and comprehend. I eventually started reading the Captain Underpants series because I liked the characters of George and Harold. As I started middle school, I began reading the Nancy Drew series because I found the mysterious plots to be intriguing.
4. and 5. I remember having to do Hooked on Phonics during elementary school. I used to hate it because it was boring to me and it felt more like a chore than a pleasure. I preferred to learn from my mom or on my own. In middle school, I still enjoyed reading, but writing became more of a chore to me because of the subjects I had to write about; they were not that interesting.