Chapter 3 in Content Area Writing had many fantastic ideas on ways to move ideas from the mind onto paper.

These included:
Writing Breaks: Students get a chance to do just dump everything out on paper that a teacher might have just covered. This lets the students see how much they have absorbed and gives them a chance to play around with ideas and engage in higher level thinking.

Exit Slips: Students write for the last several minutes of class based on a prompt given. This is a great way to summarize the lesson and gives the teacher valuable feedback for next class. I think I will be using this strategy alot. By this time students are fed up with listening to the teacher and even doing group work. Its a nice way to just unwind and reflect on the lesson.

Admit Slips: I have never really thought about admit slips. I think they are similar to what the Rochester City School District refers to as the ”essential question” of the lesson. The think I like is that the admit slips can focus on more than one important topic as a way of opening up the lesson and getting students thinking about the content. I do not think I will be using both admit slips and exit slips together every day. I think it would be too much and might get boring quickly.

Brainstorming: As I was writing this I began to think about the actual word. It implies that you are storming the brain. I like that image. It is almost as if there is a wirl wind of ideas and you are trying to catch some and confine them through writing.

Drawing and Illustrating: I love to draw. I never really use this method to learn because I am not used to thinking about learning like that. I think it is a very powerful tool to turn words into pictures. Images stick in the mind alot longer than paragraphs of text. Even something as simple as cutting and pasting images from the internet to illustrate a timeline can be very useful.

Clustering: I never really understood clustering. I like having a right and wrong way of doing something. After reading I realized that this is just one more way of brainstorming except that it is more focused.

Mapping: Mapping sounds like a ton of fun. I think the most important thing to remember is that maps can be wild and out there. Most students do not realize that and just copy the map that the teacher presented. I will try to come up with a neat map to show my students as a way of getting their creativity flowing.

I haven’t realized how much writing I actually do until I read the chapters from Content-Area Writing by Harvey Daniels, Steven Zememlman and Nancy Steineke. I like to make lists, sketch out ideas and just free write. I also kept a journal before when I had extra time. Things become clearer after writing about them. I definitely think that we should incorporate more informal writing pieces into our teaching practices. I especially like the free writing idea. I look forward to reading about other strategies previewed in first chapter.

      I loved being read to when I was little. Yet I never stopped to ask why as I got older almost no one read to me anymore. What happened? Did my love of listening to stories diminish? No, I still love it. I completely agree with Daniels and Zemmelmen when they write about how read alouds foster a love for reading.
         To my surprise, this semester one of my professors started off the day with a read aloud. Mind you this is a six hour course that meets at eight in the morning but once she started reading she had my full attention. I just knew this course could not be so bad if this teacher actually read to us. It is so great to just sit back, relax and listen to a good story. I will definitly make it a priority to read out loud in my classes. 
        Reading about all these different strategies on how to promote literacy puts my own educational history in perspective. When I was learning English my ESOL teacher had me read and record books. As a first grader I thought this was great fun. I got to use the fancy recorder machine and read funny books. On the days that I read aloud I was allowed to bring any friend with me to read along. I did not really think about this in terms of strategies but now I see that it is actually a great one.
        Another one of my teachers had us read aloud while he criticized our “performance.” We had to have long enough pauses for commas and complete stops for periods. It was tedious and nerve wrecking and I personally thought he was kinda nuts. Once I had to read in front of a huge group of people. I was very nervous but the training I recieved in the class kicked in and I got compliaments on my reading style.
        Another thing that stuck out from this reading is Harvey’s reading history. He talked about how he felt like he could only read curriculum papers and other various professional writings during the year and wait to read fun materials during the summer. I can relate to this scenario. I feel guilty reading for fun when I know that I have volumes to read for class.
     When I stop to think about being able to choose what to read for class I realize that I have alot less choice now that I am in college than I did in high school. I guess since I had the choice of which classes to pick, I also chose the reading by default. Anyways its just something to think about.

The web quest was very informative. I was able to explore websites I would not have otherwise explored. I knew that alot of information was out there but now I have a better sense of where to go to find it.

     The Four Freedoms Week was different. I attended the Sexual Violence Prevention Presentation and the Utopian Art Exhibit. I really did not learn all that much at the Sexual Violence Presentation. I have attended similar presentations before. All this presenter talked about was acceptable and unacceptable behaviors and how those are different depending on who you ask. What might be acceptable for one person is unacceptable for another. She did not really give any safety tips on how to avoid sexual violence. I thought it would be more of that type of presentation. Instead we talked about all the different names that you can call a sexually active male and a sexually active female and came to the conclusion that is already widely known, that if a male has multiple partners he is viewed as a stud or hero but if a female does the same thing it is something to be ashamed of.

      I enjoyed the art presentation a bit more. It was interesting to learn that Sir Thomas Moore and John Fisher both had their heads chopped off for their radical ideas. The Brave New Poetry  segment by Dee Hogan was a bit strange. She read poems called “Touch Stone”, “Power Lines”, “A Fox”, and “Is Man a Jelly Doughnut?” I was not sure what her poems really had to do with the mural presentations or Utopia. I wish that the students from School Without Walls had more time to talk about their work. All the murals were really really good. I think that it was great that this was not just an art project. They had to read “The Giver,” they learned about different societies that were considered good and some that were considered bad. Examples of these are Holocaust and the Iroquois. They had to come up with imaginary worlds of their own and write constitutions and laws for their worlds. Than they had to compromise to represnt all their ideas on a mural.

The males typically centered their ideal world around sports and food. The females centered their ideal world around mall and material things. Some murals focused on good versus evil and how like people could exist together.

The presentation on pirates was interesting but I felt that he was rushed. I can associate with the fascination with pirates. I think that sort of lifestyle is attractive in a fantasy sort of way. I know that in actuality it would not be anything like how it is portrayed in books and movies. Still its fun to imagine that sort of freedom.

       The reading this week focused on the importance for pedagogues to help develop and support multiliteracies. In order to do this it is necessary to explore and use literacy and literate practices in a balance of known and unknown, authentic and simulated contexts. It is also important to focus on metalanguage (thinking about language). Other ways to promote multiliteracy pedagogy include higher order thinking, substantive conversation, and problem-based curriculum. Diversity needs to be addressed in the classroom as well. I think that these are all very good ideas. In order to promote multiliteracy skills, the pedagogy used in the class needs to support the outcomes.

      I found the reading on The New Literacies and Children’s Literaturevery interesting. It has been awhile since I have read any children’s books. I did not realize that they have gotten so complex. Many of the modern picture books are constructed so that all texts have a particular social, cultural, political and economic purpose. Text comes in a variety of forms, the reader may have to draw on many grammar skills. New technology also makes different ideas possible. “There is a need to consider the possible meanings of a text and how it is constructing the reader and the world of the reader” (Anstey, Bull pg 82). Shirley Come Away from the Water sounds like a very good book and I will definitely find it and read it. I never thought that picture books could be so complex.

     The article for this week would have probably fit in better for last week. It is about a girl that was born with an extra set of arms and legs. These belonged to her twin that stopped growing in the womb. Many people in her home town in India view her as a goddess reincarnated. A circus even offered to buy her from her parents. I think that is very creepy that someone would offer to buy a child. Anyways, this girl underwent a 24 hour long surgery to remove the extra limbs and other parts of her conjoined twin. The surgery was sucessful. The full story can be found at  http://in.news.yahoo.com/071106/139/6mwph.html.

     I found the lecture on Congenital Malformations by Dr. Stephanie Brown Clark, informative and somewhat interesting.  She used three famous case studies to illustrate the history of how people viewed congenital malformations. I personally cannot believe that the Bunker twins, the original Siamese twins had 22 children! Wow. Dr. Clark also talked about a famous belief that was held throughout the early 19th century.  Most people believed that a pregnant woman’s imagination can cause all sorts of things to happen to her unborn child. In the famous case of elephant man, he said that his mother was frightened by an elephant before he was born and that is why he looks the way that he does. I do not find this concept too hard to believe, after all women back than were viewed as weak so it is not surprising that pregnant women would appear even more weaker and suggestible. I enjoyed the lecture but wish that she had spent more time talking about Frankenstein.

    In the news this week is a sad story. I like Oprah and have alot of admiration and respect for her. I was pleased that she opened a school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa. Imagine my surprise when reading about the terrible scandal that took place. The full article can be found at http://tv.yahoo.com/contributor/30579/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20071105:people_winfrey_school__ER

 The article says that one of the dorm matrons harassed the students in inappropriate sexual ways. Oprah, given her own history of abuse was very upset about this to say the least. I am proud of her for talking such strong and immediate action against the perpetrator. I also commend her decision to get rid of the headmaster as well. As a person in charge, the headmaster should have known what was going on. I just think that it is very sad that Oprah’s attempt at a good deed could backfire in such a tragic way.

    Hi everyone, not really sure what we are suppose to be writing about this week. I will focus on news stories that have caught my attention. First of all, bees are still in the news. The news story that I watched was featured on 60 minutes. In it a beekeeper talks about how he had over 400 bees just disapper. It is not like they are dying either, there was no signs of dead bees. Bees have a very good tracking system. They can travel for up to 2 miles and still make it back to their hives. The full story can be found at http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/105/bees.

     Another story worthy of attention is that about the super bug. Since most of us are planning on being in an educational setting or already are, illness is a big deal for us. I am afraid of bring something deadly home to my family. According to the news story, a New York student and a Virginia student died from antibiotic resistant strep. 12 more students in New York are sick and now there are 2 cases in Vermont. I think it is kind of scary. I guess it is just one more thing to be on the look out as a teacher. The full news story can be found at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071028/ap_on_he_me/schools_staph;_ylt=AreFHgK1hnZXYMRT9enpsLXq188F

“Across the country, sexual misconduct allegations led states to take action against the licenses of 2,570 educators during the five-year period. That figure includes licenses that were revoked, denied and surrendered. ”

         This week I read a very disturbing article. The article was originally put out by the associated press and than picked up by local news media. I saw a similar version of the article in the Democrat and Chronicle. The article that I am providing the link to is also slightly different but contains the same shocking information. It can be accessed at http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/240907/

The article talks about teachers that bring porn into school and watch it during the school day. Some teachers have been caught with inappropriate magazines, bad content on school issued ipods, and using the Internet to find inappropriate websites on line. Here is a section of the article, “There’s the guy who had girls jump up and down before he would give them their homework back,” said board attorney and chief investigator Jean Hill.” I cannot imagine being in a class like that. Whenever I have heard similar stories in the news I have always figured that it was a rare occurrence, that this could not happen at the local school, but it can and it does. In the article the solution is to impose tougher penalties for teachers that do inappropriate sexually related things. I definitely agree with that.

      I know that the common phrase is that teachers are suppose to like working with students but I cannot believe how many teachers pervert that idea by abusing their power. In one of the other articles I read it talked about how the victim was ostracized by the community for pressing charges against a popular teacher. Even today administrators are more likely to believe the teacher over the student. I think that is terrible, especially after all the press that so many of these cases have received. Many districts still choose to settle behind close doors. Often these abusers are quietly let go only to go on to another unsuspecting school district and reek the same havoc. It is very sad that someone who is suppose to educate the mind and help the student grow would hurt the students in such life crippling ways. I just cannot comprehend that.

       There needs to be more legislation and monitoring put into place so that our children will not get hurt like this. School is suppose to be a safe place, but it seems like that between the shootings and sexual abuse it is becoming one of the most dangerous places to send our children to. Knowing the extent of this tragic situation will make me be on the lookout for such violations when I teach. Hopefully I never come across anything like that.

      In other news, I had alot of fun doing our self assessment writing assignment. I cannot believe how much I have already learned. I look forward to learning more.

    I Stand here Ironing,  is a very touching story. I feel sorry both for the mom and her daughter. It is understandable that the oldest child got overlooked due to the demands of the other younger children. I noticed that there really is no mention of a father figure. The story paints a vivid picture of the hardships many children that live in poverty have to overcome. No wonder school work is the farthest thing from their minds.
     “Rigor+Support=Sucess” seems like its a great idea that works. Many poor students are underestimated. Intelligence is not based on socio-economic class. All students should have meaningful, rigorous content. Support for that content goes hand in hand to make the rigorous possible. I did not know that one in six kids live in poverty. The statistics were shocking.
       The video was eye-opening. The link is http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour.htm. $20,000 seems like alot of money but that is not enough to support a family of four for a year. Even though the minimum wage has been raised from $5.15 to $7.15, that still is not enough to keep up with the raising cost of living. It seems to be so hard to move up in the socio-economic class but moving down takes one unfortunate event.
      The Darling-Hammonded also deals with poverty and inequality in education. The researchers found that minority students do just as well academically as their white counterparts, when they have acess to the same resources and great teachers. It is hard to dispute the fact that schools are not equally funded. I am not sure how America would go about equalizing education. For example, people who live in say Brighton or Fairport, pay about $5,000- $6,000 a year in taxes. People who live in parts of Henrietta or Rochester pay about $2,000-$3,000 a year in taxes. If New York state decides to take all the school tax money, mix it up, and distribute it evenly to all the schools, Brighton and Fairport residents would probably not be very happy. I guess you could say that if you pay more you expect to get more back. If the government steps in and evens out the funding, residents will refuse to pay high taxes since they are not getting anything out of it. Would the government be able to pay for the entire educational system? Maybe it would be better to do away with taxing for schools at the state level and just have equal taxing for schools at the federal level? Regardless, this article makes it clear that something has to be done in order for all students to recieve an equal education.
       The news article I read this week also has to do with disadvantages that minorities face. With the recent trouble of growing bank foreclosures, morgages and rates have been in the news alot. This particular article really caught my attention because it talks about inequality in morgage rates between whites and minority home buyers. Minority home owners are more likely to have subprime rates and be paying more for their morgage. The owners of both groups make about the same amount, only the location varies. It seems like minority people are getting the short end of the stick in all aspects of life. It is a horrible picture. The news article can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/nyregion/15subprime.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

      After reading my section, pages 183-231, of Teacher Man, by Frank McCourt, I wanted to find out more. There were many things that I found puzzling about his narrative. The text hinted that Mr. McCourt had a hard childhood, he did not really expand on it though. I also did not understand why he doubted his ability as a teacher so much. Some of the activities he had his students do sounded educationally sound as well as fun. One example of such an activity was reading recipes out loud. Recipes have a similar cadence as some non rhyming poems. The students really got into it and even came up with musical accompaniment. I thought that was a great idea. The students seemed to get more out of it then sitting through a lecture on poems. Anyways, I looked up some background information on Mr. McCourt just to help me understand where he was coming from. The information can be found at http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/mcc1bio-1 if interested. I learned that he won a Pulitzer Prize for Biography which reinforced my feeling that he was a great teacher inspite of his insecurities.

      Reading the passage was kind of neat because I got to go into the head of a teacher. I have always wondered what is behind the usually cool composure mask that most teachers present. Mr. McCourt came across as a real person with his genuine desires, doubts and sarcasm. He cared about what his students thought of him. He worried if he graded papers too high. This is another thing that surprised me. I have always figured that most teachers are very assured about the grade they assigned. They sure act that way when students confront them about why they gave them the grade they did. It makes me wonder how I will approach grades when I teach.

     This week I have chosen an article that I am personally very interested in. It deals with the legality of file sharing online. Truthfully, I am a big fan of sharing music and software. I am a poor college student after all. It helps alot to be able to go online and get something that I need for free. I see it as a public library of sorts.  Technically you do not have to pay to borrow books, dvds, and movies from the library. Why should you have to pay online? People still buy music records so that artists still get paid. As long as people aren’t borrowing stuff and then selling it, I do not see it as a problem. The article that I read told a different story. Various record labels filed a lawsuit against Jammie Thomas of Brainerd, of Minnesota and won. She was accused of illegally sharing 1,000 songs that were protected by copyright. The full story can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/business/media/05music.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
It is just a scary idea that if I share alot of files maybe somewhere down the line it might be me in her shoes. I certainly hope not. There are multiple perspectives in this debate, it is some interesting food for thought.

       I also listened to the podcast of the Diane R. Show where Dan Brown & Jonathon Kozol discuss their new books about teaching and No Child Left Behind. The podcast can be found here: http://wamu.org/programs/dr/07/08/23.php This podcast did not change my mind about standards based education. I think that they are not the best idea and I agree with alot of what Mr. Kozol said. The representative from the education department always skirted the issue and did not give a straight answer as to how the law has improved education. He just claimed that it did.