What I learned

Over the semester i have learned how to be a better writer, I have said in the past that i am not a good writer but over the course of the semester i have came to see that if i work harder i can be better. I am taking away with me the idea of using different techniques that can further my writing skills like the writing process. I do think that i have become a better writer, but i know that i will not be the greatest writer in the world. I have learned to be proud of what i can do and work on what i can do and i want to be a good writing and reading teacher. I have learned that students learn well from cooperation with each other and the teacher and that it is important to have in the classroom. I had fun doing the blog and being in the class and i will take away a lot from the class in hopes that it makes me a good teacher.

Poetry

My favorite poem is The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I enjoy this poem very much and I could see using it in the classroom. Younger children might not understand it all but it would make a good activity to interpret what it means to each child and it could lead to start writing poetry, since it does not have a lot of rhyming words it would be a good poem to show children that not all poems have to rhyme. I just really like this poem because to me it shows something I want to do and that is travel the least traveled road. I think that it is important for me to make my own path in life, no matter how hard it gets.

freedom writers

What i thought was funny was the fact that i watched this movie over the weekend. The clip that we watched in class is one of my favorites of the movie. It is the first time that she is really getting through to the students and it is Revelation to her that she is going about her teaching all the wrong way. I think that as future teachers that sometimes we will have these moments. When we realize that we need to switch things up to get through to some of our students. Maybe not this harshly that she had to go to get the students to see something. I love that movie because I want to be able to make a difference in a student's life like that one day.

peer conferencing

Peer Conferencing was very helpful for me because they helped me find all of my mistakes and errors in my paper. It is not a common practice for me to let others read my work because I do not like people to judge my work other then my teacher. Pros to using it is students get to see their mistakes that they might not have found by themselves. It gives students a chance to practice their skills of editing and proof reading their papers and other classmates papers. It also gives students a chance to get ideas from others, and techniques to write with from other students. Cons to peer conferencing: One is some students might feel embarrassed by their writing and having another peer see it might bother them. A peer might suggest something in the paper and it be wrong and the other student changes it. I do think it is good to use in the classroom but not the only thing to use in the classroom.

Workshops....etc.

My experience with writers workshops and etc. have been limited to when I was in elementary school and i have not yet been able to teach one or participate in one since i have been college. I really do not like writer workshop because as a kid and now as an adult I am not a good writer and a lot of times things to do with writing, I do not understand it most of the time. I do think that they are definitely needed in the classroom and are a good thing but i think that something that teachers have to take in mind is the fact that some children are not going to be able to focus during these and some students do not work well with others. I do think that they give the "meat" to a student's learning. I have observed the 5th grade class that I am watching participating in writer workshops and readers workshop. The students do not really enjoy the process or from what I saw they seemed to not to pay attention and really did not care. I think that if you use these workshops and units, as a teacher you need to make them fun for the students.

Sahara's Special in my classroom

I would really like to use Sahara's Special in my classroom after reading it so far. The theme of the book is being labeled special. I think that characters play a big part in the story because the interactions of the characters make the story. I think that you could use this book to talk about differences and that it is okay to have differences from other classmates. I think that you could use this book to get children thinking about what they want to do in the future and to tell them nothing can hold you back from your dream, other than yourself. This could lead into a writing assignment to get the students to write about what they want to be when they grow up and what might they have to do to achieve it. It could be used during disability month, that many people do not know about which happens to be October. It could be a start that could lead into using journals in the classroom and encouraging the students to write what they want in there journals. I could have a big class discussion about what things that are different about people that they like. I could bring in other books that talk about writing or differences in learning. Just use the book to show that it is okay to learn differently.

half semester

I really like blogging when I remember to do it. I like to get my thoughts down so that other people can see and know them. I hope to continue wth the blogging after I get done with the class. I do think that there should be more blogs, if it is used in the classroom, but it is a good idea.