Literacy Dig

Doing a literacy dig is a great way for students in your classroom to remember important literacy events that impacted them throughout their lives. Students may remember inspiring people, places, or things that helped them engage in literacy. On the other hand, they may also remember not so inspiring things that led them to feel less than excited about literacy. For me, doing a literacy dig from when I was a child up until the present helped me to remember wonderful teachers, and fun activities that I did in school that helped me with literacy. I also remember less engaging assignments that teachers gave me, or books that I was forced to read. As a future teacher, I think it is important to figure out your students past literacy experiences and the strengths and challenges that they have. By doing so, you can see what their interests are and what will grab your students attention and focus. Forcing students to do activities or read books that do not interest them will not help them in the long run. As educators we should inspire children to love literacy not dread it.

Language Learners in the Classroom

Sometimes it is hard for us to place ourselves in the shoes of others. It is difficult for us to know how they feel and what exactly they are going through. In class today during our Spanish section I got a little taste of what it is like for English Language Learners in the classroom. During this activity certain groups were given instructions on how to complete an assignment. Some groups were allowed to complete their project using both English and Spanish interchangeably. Other groups were only allowed to complete the assignment in Spanish. The task proved to be quite difficult for most students. Some students were not fluent in Spanish so it was hard for them to understand the directions of the assignment that were given to them in Spanish. Because they could not understand the instructions they did not know where to begin and became frustrated. Some group members could speak Spanish pretty well, while others could not. This made communication at tables very hard when you were only allowed to speak in Spanish. How are you supposed to complete an assignment and be a motivated student when you can not understand those around you? This is exactly what ELL students go through. Can you imagine what that must feel like on a daily basis, surrounded by your peers and teacher and not being able to communicate your needs? I learned first hand how frustrating this is. This experience was eye opening for me as a future teacher and made me realize that I need to make sure that the needs of my students are being met. I need to go that extra mile so that no child gets left behind in the learning process.

Teaching Real World Literacy

Promoting literacy in the classroom should be fun and engaging for children. Children should feel empowered. Teachers should help students recognize their potential in the world by providing them with authentic experiences that showcase their reading and writing schools. The Donut House: Real World Literacy in an Urban Kindergarten Classroom by Rebecca Powell and Nancy Davidson talks about the importance of showing students that literacy in children's daily experiences gives them opportunity for enhancing their literacy skills. In the article they talk about how children who feel forced to read and write will not enjoy it and will not benefit from it. Students who are looked at as blank canvases waiting to be filled with information will not participate in literacy activities. Children must be treated as equal participants in learning. Literacy activities must prove to be meaningful in their lives, and be relatable to daily situations that they find themselves in. In providing students with opportunities that they were passionate about they are less likely to resisting learning and are more inclined to embrace literacy as a way to get through their daily lives. This allows for a more rich and meaningful way to enhance their literacy skills and make the children feel more empowered to develop their reading and writing skills because they understand it's importance to their lives.