Fisher and Frey: Chapters 1 & 8

          Chapters 1 and 8 have a lot of useful information, some of which we have hit on before in previous classes and discussions.  They also stress about how writing to learn is vital to educational success.  It is our job as teachers to encourage and teach students how to learn independently.  We must also be ready to adapt our teaching in this fast-paced culture that we live in.  It seems to me that many students, as well as adults, simply do not want to take the time to sit down and read or write.  We have become accustomed to everything being at our fingertips with the click of a button, and we shut down even when it takes little effort to accomplish a task. 
          In chapter 1,  the authors focus on student responsibility.  We as teachers must guide students to make their own decisions and encourage them to be independent thinkers and learners.  In my opinion, kids learn so much more if they are free to find out for themselves.  This not only keeps them interested, but allows them to be less dependent on the teacher.  This chapter also discussed strategies that can be used in the classroom, regardless of the subject area.  One of my favorites is think-pair-share because it gives you a chance to hear others' opinions and learn something you might not have thought of before.  Jigsaw is another great strategy because the kids are researching and then teaching each other.  This gives them each an important role in the learning process. 
          Chapter 8 discusses "powerful pens" and the effects writing has on the classroom.  It states that we can use writing as a tool to monitor students' progress.  I agree, because as the year progresses, teachers can collect a variety of writing sample from all students so that the teacher as well as the student can see how they are progressing.  I believe that when a student views their own work they will feel a sense of accomplishment and be able to see how far they've come.  However, this chapter does not simply focus on writing in a language arts classroom.  It places emphasis on the fact that writing can be used throughout the curriculum and in a variety of ways.  For example,  I really hope to teach science someday, and I can incorporate writing into my classroom fairly easily with the use of quick writes, bell ringers, conclusions, and short essays, just to name a few. 
          I really believe that I can take the information from these two chapters and apply it in the classroom.  I do wonder how exactly to implement writing into subjects such as math and maybe even art and still be able to make it interesting (without simply doing an essay, etc.)?  I was talking to a fourth grader the other day who asked me a question.  When I told her that I didn't know, she told me, "Oh, well let me google it on your phone."  I was astounded that this little nine year old girl knew how to use google on a smartphone!  This brings me to my next question.  Because students have so many resources at their disposal, how can we better inspire then to write to learn and express their creativity without involving technology so much?

"Content Area Literacy in the Elementary Grades"

          After reading this article by Barbara Moss,  I now truly realize the importance of children reading things that they are interested in.  My parents, both being teachers, always encouraged me to read things that captured my interest.  However, when I was in elementary school, my teachers stuck stricly to what they had to teach.  Meaning, they only taught what we were going to be tested on.  This caused me to become frustrated and didn't want to read anything, especially an assignment out of my textbooks.  Barbara Moss stresses the importance of content area literacy and how it can be a great part of the classroom.  Instruction in the classroom is changing from being focused on just standardized testing performance to actually trying to heighten student interest in and outside of the classroom.  It is vital that students are interested and motivated to learn.  As teachers, it is our job to help the students along. 
          One very big change that is ongoing is the use of technology.  Now, there are so many different media sources.  It is important for students to stay current and up-to-date on all of their resources.  Even in the younger grades, technology is being vastly implemented in the classroom.  Students should always be given opportunities to use every resource available to them.  We have to help children realize that content area literacy goes beyond textbooks and includes other sources of information such as magazines, newspapers, the internet, etc. 
          Another important aspect involving content area literacy is the fact that many students are not taught how to comprehend what they read.  This is one problem that I faced in elementary school and still have issues with now.  For example, it is important that teachers model strategies and read-alouds with a variety of texts, expository texts as well as fictional books.  Students should be exposed to content area literacy early on.  The sooner students learn how and why they are reading about a certain topic, the better off they will be.  They should also be allowed and exposed to topics that heighten their interests in order to increase their knowledge of the topic.  In the early grades, this can help the children learn new information while they are leaning to read.  Strategies can also be implemented to assist students in learning and comprehending the information that they need to know to benefit from it in the future. 
          There was a quote from the article that stood out to me that states, "Teaching young children about the internal and external features of informational text, for example, can pave the way for helping them increase their understanding of this genre at the upper elementary level."  I agree with this statement; because, I believe that when a student is taught and given the foundation, tools, and desire to learn, he or she can excel at anything.  One concern or question I have is this, in today's diverse classrooms, ability levels vary and not all students are on the same level.  How do you carefully implement content area literacy and strategies and not single out or exclude some students?