After reading this chapter extensively, I am surprised by some of the things I did not realize were going on in our children and in our schools! I am also confused and feeling conflicted about dialect and "exceptions" in phonics.
I will start with what I am amazed by. I never realized that when little ones make the connection of golden arches to McDonald's they are actually understanding literacy. It makes sense that they are using what they're familiar with to make connections, and eventually they will understand that the letters "McDonald's" actually spell out that word. I also never realized that the "messages" written on teacher's boards were used for teaching literacy and figuring out words. I had assumed they were just there as a discussion point to talk about during the morning meetings. The more I think back to elementary school, the more I realize how helpful my second grade teacher was in surrounding us with words. At our morning meetings, we had a question to answer that was how we took attendance. After we answered the question, we then talked about the word of the week (usually a life skill such as integrity, flexibility, trustworthy, etc.), after that we sang a few songs to help us transition and get our energy out. While we sang the songs, the teacher had handwritten the words on poster board that we would follow along with. I always thought the words were just there to help us sing, but I now realize that she probably wanted us to follow along to strengthen our phonics. It's amazing to me the handwork and strategic planning that goes into planning how to teach literacy that students and parents don't even pick up on. Does anyone else have something like this they can make a connection to?
I feel very conflicted about dialect. I understand that peoples' voices are different depending on where we live in the world, but isn't there a way to make sure we are all teaching proper English. The book really bothered me when it said a teacher from upstate New York would teach the wrong vowel sounds if she taught in South Carolina or Georgia. I think students are being cheated if they grow up not learning how to properly sound things out phonetically and correctly. The exceptions rule really bothers me. I know it isn't anyone's "fault" but how can we create rules for our language and then go back on them and say this is the "exception?" Do people understand how tricky it is for students to handle that stuff? What about when students follow the rules and get the words wrong? That is showing us that they do understand the rules of our language, it's just unfair that our language doesn't always follow those rules.
Under the "Published Materials for Literacy Instruction" heading, there were 11 things to consider when purchasing basal readers or anthologies. I have to laugh when the author is telling US what to consider to purchase. Usually, school districts purchase basal readers that are corporation wide, they do not vary from classroom to classroom. I think if teachers were in charge of choosing textbooks this section would be useful. However, that just isn't the case. In my school district the teachers were just given the textbooks to use. Does anyone have an example or a school corporation where this was different? Please let me know!
Sorry for the lengthy post, this chapter just seemed a little longer than the others!
I completely agree with your first topic! I am equally amazed by the connections children are able to make with little to no help by the parent or a teacher! Thinking back I can relate to your examples as well. It never crossed my mind that teachers were using the morning message to get their students minds flowing. I as well though they were there as an agenda, or something to look back at as the day went on. But teachers actually incorporate these activities to teach literacy as well as getting the school day started. I also agree that these opportunities were extremely helpful because it is just another way to immerse the students in literacy and phonics development. Many times children even see these activities as games, and things they enjoy. For example, the morning message we did today in class, many children would enjoy this type of activity because they are actively participating and helping the teacher. But thinking about this from a teacher’s point of view can be a bit overwhelming with all the planning that it must take!
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly is "proper" English and who gets to decide the proper way to pronounce letters and words? The way we speak in Indiana differs from the way people speak in New York and in Texas. To me, every dialect is proper English. Dialect is a important aspect to one's culture. Disowning and not accepting different dialects is similar to not accepting another language, such as Spanish. After all, dialect is a form of a language.
ReplyDeleteI am just curious as to how you feel about slang and African American dialect? Do you think that is something we should eliminate from schools? I have lots of articles based on African American dialect that I would love to share with you and the entire class.
I also find it amazing the connections that children make starting at such young ages. Last weekend I took care of my three year old cousin and I was amazed by the connections that she had already made. We went to the children’s museum and she saw the word Scooby-do and she immediately knew what it was with out even seeing a picture of him. I remember as a student my teachers using several of these strategies when teaching and I never thought of the amount of time and planning that goes into teaching literacy. I am not sure what you mean by proper English because in my mind this there is no such thing as “proper” English. Dialect is a form of language to me and every dialect is correct English. Rules are created to help students understand the basic concepts of knowledge and exceptions are just a part of the rules. It would be harder for students to learn English if they were not provided any rules then to teach them a few exceptions. I think as a teacher it is our job to not punish a child when they follow the rules with a word that is an exceptions because the student is sowing an understanding of English they just missed one word. It may be tricky for students to learn English with all of the exceptions but it is much easier then learning it without any rules. I also think as a teacher you may not have the opportunity to pick out the materials for literacy Instruction in your own classroom but you can help the school district. If a teacher is unhappy with the material that they are using having this knowledge will help them build a stronger case against the material.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher it is so vital that we are utilizing all of these connections that our students are making. As their brains are building knowledge so quickly, we can help to create a solid foundation by incorporating the world that they live in. The idea of learning to read and all the phonics and phonemic rules that go with it is absolutely fascinating to me. Actually thinking back, I really cannot remember that much about learning. It is so strange because it almost feels like I woke up an just knew how to read. While this is not the case, as talked about in the chapter and your posts, children learn through experiences such as songs and exposure to different kinds of texts. Similar to your experience with your second grade teacher, I think that we can all relate to a teacher that really made reading fun. I lucked out and had amazing teachers that made reading hands on and interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteAs for the discussion on dialects, I can understand where you are coming from. While it would be nice to have an "ideal" mode of speech, it is hard for that to happen. With so many dialects around the country technically we could be considered wrong in the way we learned when compared to others around the country. My goal as a teacher is to meet every student where they are at and accomodate for any exceptions.
I loved your comment about the basal reader! We pretty much have to have the mindset, "you get what you get". I am happy that many of the professors are teaching us how to teach creatively and expand on texts like basal readers by making them more interactive. Maybe in the future we will have more of a say when it comes down to actually picking out a basal text.
I absolutely agree with you katie. English is already a very difficult language to master when you are young. I mean even to this day i find some of our rules tricky. I agree with you and understand your frustration about dialect. I think no mater where you are from all students should be taught the same vowel sound, that only makes since.
ReplyDeleteI had a little practice using a basal reader last year and i agree, i think that teachers should be able to choose the book. All teacher have a different method of teaching and i feel that the basel puts restrictions. I think that basel can be helpful if you don't use them solely to teach from. Basel's provide appropriate stories, questions, vocabulary, and small activities which all are beneficial but teachers should incorporate their own teaching style. I agree though it would be most beneficial if teachers were to choose the book that best fits their school or classroom.