Introduction to Language Arts Reflection

I definitely feel that I have changed over the course of this semester. With every education course I take, I feel I become more knowledgeable and prepared for my future. This course gave me a lot of great ideas that I am sure I will use in my classroom as a future teacher.

I felt that we did a lot of different activities this semester that will be very useful in the future. One of the first activities that we did was when we were broken up into groups, given a big sheet of paper, and had to teach the class one of the steps of the reading process. I thought this was a great way of teaching a topic, and having the whole class be involved. I noticed that by using this method of teaching I was better able to remember the steps and components of the reading process. I think students would really benefit from learning topics this ways.

We recently did the “chalk talk” activity. I really liked this too for a few different reasons. I think this is a great way for students to get their ideas out and not have to raise their hand and wait to be called on. I like how a student can write something down, but not be tied to those words in the same way as if they said them out loud. I think a chalk talk would work great for some groups, but may be more difficult for others. I know for me, I was caught up reading other peoples comments and never got around to writing anything myself. If I could do it again, now knowing how it works, I think I would be able to better participate.

The read aloud we had all semester of “Sahara Special” has been probably one of my favorite parts of the class and something I will DEFINITELY use in my future classrooms. Before coming into this class, if someone had asked what a “read aloud” meant to me, I would have probably of said, “its books that teachers read to students in elementary school.” I now know that read aloud can be done at any and all ages. Even at the college, I really enjoyed it. It was relaxing and also very entertaining. I had honestly forgotten how it was to have someone read to you. I think read aloud are great for students and invite them to use different types of listening and enjoy a new book with their teacher.

I have also enjoyed blogging this semester. Before coming into this class I would have said I would never be a blogger, but now I have done it and enjoyed it. I can see setting one up in my classroom for the students to participate in. I think blogs are great because technology is on the rise and students can relate to doing something on the computer and internet. I also thought the text your response activity was really cool and something students would love! Texting is so popular and students would think it is so neat that they can text something and it pop up on the screen. I would have seen texting as a negative thing at the beginning of the semester, but now I see how teachers can turn it into a positive thing.


Overall, I feel this semester through course discussions, and field experiences, I have become more open minded now different types of ideas can be incorporated into the classroom than I was at the beginning of the semester. I feel that I have learned so much, and when I am in my classroom I hope to remember all the things we have learned this semester and how I can effectively use them in my classroom. I have realized that for different groups of student’s ideas and lessons may have to be altered to fit their needs. I feel that the activities we have done in this Language Arts class have better prepared me for that and will have many ideas for how to differentiate for those students.

Favorite Poem...

My favorite poem is one I had to memorize in elementary school. We got to pick any poem we wanted to memorize so I chose to memorize “Sick” by Shel Silverstein...

"I cannot go to school today,"

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

"I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash and purple bumps.

My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I'm going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I've counted sixteen chicken pox

And there's one more--that's seventeen,

And don't you think my face looks green?

My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--

It might be instamatic flu.

I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,

I'm sure that my left leg is broke--

My hip hurts when I move my chin,

My belly button's caving in,

My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,

My 'pendix pains each time it rains.

My nose is cold, my toes are numb.

I have a sliver in my thumb.

My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,

I hardly whisper when I speak.

My tongue is filling up my mouth,

I think my hair is falling out.

My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There is a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?

What's that? What's that you say?

You say today is. . .Saturday?

G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

I loved this poem and really enjoyed memorizing it because of its flow and I always thought it was funny. I think in my future classroom I could incorporate a similar lesson by giving the children a chance to pick a poem of their choosing and memorize it. They could also take a poem and instead of memorizing it, maybe they would write “what the next part” of the poem could be. For example, with my poem “Sick” I would have to write the next stanzas about what happens to Peggy Ann McKay since she faked being sick because she thought she could stay home from school, or what she chose to do outside on her Saturday since she really didn’t have school. Another extension could be having the students write a poem on a time they faked sick or were really sick and what happened to them. Did they stay home from school? Where they really sick? What did they do on their “sick day?”

"Magic Talk"

In class we used the technique “magic talk.” This was a new experience for me that I had never heard of before and obviously had never done before either. I really liked this technique and can see why it would be so useful in the classroom. I liked it for a few different reasons. It is a great way to allow students to think about their reaction(s) to a statement and then write their response. It also means that this student will not only be tied to what he or she said because they have written it on the board. I also liked this method because ever student would get a chance to think up and write up their opinion without having to raise his or her hand and wait to be called on. This technique is also great for those who do not like to speak out very often or maybe can’t speak.

This activity was definitely challenging for me. I felt like there were at times multiple discussions and thoughts being put on the board. I see this as a positive aspect of the activity but it was challenging for me to keep up. I also was consumed with what everyone was writing and really thinking about what they were writing about and how it related to the statement on the board. I have always been a visual leaner and I thought this activity was great for those who are more visual. I can definitely see myself using this in my classroom. It is great because it can be used at all ages and grades!

Conferencing with Peers...

I felt that the conferencing session with my peers was overall helpful. I thought it was helpful because I was comfortable enough with my peers to allow them to read my paper and give me positive and negative feedback. I usually do not have anyone read or review papers that I write. I felt this experience will encourage me to do so in the future though for a couple different reasons. First of all, my peers were able to make suggestions that I myself would not have thought to do. Secondly, they were able to spot errors that I probably would not have caught and provide suggestions to make my paper stronger.

I remember doing peer editing and peer revising in the classroom in middle school and upper elementary school. I think it is a good practice for the classroom because it takes the child out of their comfort zone and allows the peer to provide the writer with a new perspective. I think a con of this practice would be the student not feeling comfortable having someone else read his or her work. I remember when I was in elementary and middle school always worrying that who ever was going to read my paper would think it was horrible! I feel that it is harder for some children to share their work but providing them with the opportunities to do so will allow them to become more comfortable over time and better readers and writers.

Writers Workshop, Readers Workshop, Literature Circles, Literature Focus Units, Thematic Units

I remember doing Literature Circles in elementary school. I remember very little about it but when we discussed it in class and we talked about the different roles each student plays that sparked my memory. I would not say that I did not enjoy literature circles but obviously I remember very little about them from school. I do not remember doing much with writer’s workshop or reader’s workshop. I do not have any similar memories of a writer’s workshop like the one we viewed in class. I can recall in elementary school a teacher would let us brainstorm and we would have to write for thirty minutes or so. However, there was not workshop leading up to this as I can remember.

I really like the idea of a writers workshop and would definitely like to implement it in my future classroom. It can be time consuming but I think there are many benefits to doing writers workshop. I also see the same benefits for having a reader’s workshop. I also can see myself doing literature circles but would hope to be able to make them fun and more memorable than my past experiences are.

What I really like about Literature Focus units is that it incorporates all five stages of the reading process. I think that Literature Focus units are very beneficial for students. They are being challenged by the text they can not read independently and also using all stages of the reading process over a span of 1 to 4 weeks. Also, I like the idea of Thematic Units because it wants more than just a text book learning and understanding style. It wants to incorporate all different types of text to develop an understanding. I do not think text books should ever be the only books in a classroom that the students have access to.

Books and Novels

After taking EDU 255 I became aware of all the different options for books and novels that could be used in a classroom. For a younger elementary classroom I would definitely want to not just use specific one or two books but have many options for the students of all different topics that will engage their interests. I think for the beginning of the school year I would like to have “first day of school” books out so that they children can relate to them. Also for holidays like Presidents day, Halloween/fall, Fourth of July, etc. I would like to base the books around that theme. I really like having a central theme but would also like to have a small “library” in the classroom of books of different interest and themes that get changed out throughout the year.

I feel by doing a holiday theme the options are endless for how to apply activities. For example, for Presidents day, if the students were read books about the past Presidents of the United States, they then could write a short story about what they would do if they were President for a day.

To Blog or Not to Blog...

I have enjoyed blogging so far this semester. I think it is a great way for us as a class to apply what we are learning in the classroom and reflect on our learning. I have really enjoyed it as a class activity because we can read and comment on our classmates and their opinions. I like the idea of blogging also because it is more like keeping a journal without the pen and paper. I really like how it is computer based.

One of the only downfalls I have found from blogging so far is that if you get behind on the responses it can be very hard to catch up! I like that we only do one blog a week. It makes it easier to put more thought into the response because I am not overwhelmed with having to do another post in a few days. Overall, I think blogging is a great way to get thoughts and ideas out there and to be open to others responses and new view points. I think bogging has helped me to become more open-minded especially when I read my classmate’s blogs and they have ideas and insights that I may not have even thought about before.