Writing

On page 246 in MCM point number 4 says that" while the bulk of teacher feedback on errors should occur in the later stages of writing process ,teachers can alert students to area of concern in early drafts also, so that all the attention in lnagauge errors does not need to be given in the last draft, when many students find that they do not have sufficent time.

My question is why is this a good idea?

I think that spelling errors should be indicated in some way agreed upon by the class as soon as they are recognized. Why repeat these errors over and over again with each draft?

The same with out errors -- Within reason.

Sentence combining

My friend is fun to be with.
She has good ideas.
She always chews bubble gum.
She always wears a blue ribbon.

My friend is fun to be with, has good ideas, chews bubble gum, and always wears a blue ribbon.

My bubble gum chewing friend Sally who always wears a blue ribbon in her hair has good ideas and is fun to be with.

Activities: hace students write four short sentences and pass their paper to the right for the next student to combine the sentences.

Clusters - graghic display

Poem patterns
take a passage from a great writer, substitute words that are the same part of speech, follow the pattern

Journal


describe a mural or picture

free writing
10 minutes of writing
teacher provides prompt to stimulate thoughts

show and not tell

divide students and have them
desribe the pictures
use adjectives and adverbs
be specific as possible

have other students draw the picture describes
compare pictures
-------------------
write one sentence and pass paper

Good writers :
focus on a writing goal ( main idea)
balance process and product
connect reading and writing
allow for cultural and literary background
do authentic writing ( content- write what you know)
organize their thoughts
fit discourse form to what they are trying to express
are familar with writing conventions
have a wide vocabulary (they can say exactly what they mean)
know mechanics of writing
are able to step outside the box
do pre writing
do drafting,
obtain feedback from peers
revise( rewrite, rewrite)
think of the ART of writing as well as the Science
read other writers work
vary sentence length
___________________
have a professional editor

We looked at a clip of a teacher introducing a chapter book. During pre reading they
looked at pictures on book cover,read the book title and imagin what the book will be about,
connect new book to old knowledge.
During reading they used sticky notes for new vocab. The teacher told them to pick the most difficult word

Did she check for understanding?

Did they have a previously established routine?

Could she sit closer to the students?

Could she have had questions that guide students' purpose for reading.?

Could she have given the homework in written as well as oral language?

What is her style and what could be improved upon? Each of us perfects a style that works for us. This important to remember when we are evaluating others and ourselves.

Readings

HDB Teaching Reading

bottom up: data driven

top down: conceptually driven

schema schemata
content
format

extensive reading

intensive reading

oral reading

silent reading


SQ3R
Survey
Question
Read
Recite
Review


adult literacy training:
cognition
automaticity
conscious strategies
techniques pre reading, during reading, after reading
relationship of reading and writing

genres each one requires different skills

There is so much more than just knowing the words!!

I think that there is value to reading aloud to students. This can be a way to model reading skills.

Skill study often does not make it to actual reading because students do not understand how and when to apply techniques learned.

Reading passages together in class also has value for this reason.


MCM p171 - 186

Literacy what is it?

Prose literacy

Document literacy

Quantitive literacy

-------------------------------
Access
get a job
survive on a job
thrive on a job



Workplace or work force education??

Information

Voice
Express opinions and make decisions
Independent action
Solve problems and make decisions independently
Bridge to the future
keeping abreast of a changing world

Directions
Inquiring stnace

Balance skills and structures with meaning-making and knowledge creation

Develop vision making muscles

Demand mutual accountability

Create communities of learners and communities of teachers.

Adult ESL is one place where students work together to help each other. Being in touch with other teachers helps teachers keep up with what is happening in the field as well as gives them new ideas to try out in the classroom.

Class Reflection

Marya started her presentation by posing two questions of choice: accuracy and fluency; segmentals and suprasegmentals.

It is not easy for language teachers to separate these concepts when it comes actual classroom work. One flows back and forth between them as the needs of the students and the type of activity done in class are many and varied.

It was useful to discuss and bring to mind the imortance of each.

We spent time in the computer lab doing an exercise to help us realize the riches that the Internet provides at the touch of a button. We did not really touch upon the difficulties of the computer. The down side of the Internet is that one is never entirely sure that the technology in the classroom and the technology of the Internet, along with the coming and going of sites and resources. One hopes that they will always work in the way that one intends for them to, when one plans. - but often that does not happen.

I still find it an awkward resourse at best. As I have had hours of my class time wasted by presenters at MNSU Mankato who also were not able to utilize technology as they had planned, I wonder how really useful these resources are.

Or maybe teachers just need to becoame more familar with the technology.

We spent the remainder of our time going over our portfolios. It was good to do this this early in the semester. It gives us plenty of time to get ready for the end when they need to be turned in.

Speaking

Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.

First comes love,
Then comes marriage.
Then comes ________ with a baby carriage.

She had a boy
playing with a toy.
Then his hair began to curl,
Now she has a baby girl.
Soon her hair is straight as pins
Now she has a pair of twins.

I remember these jump rope chants from fifty years ago.

They are good for getting accents .....

The first can go on a valentine card or a card to a loved one.

This can be creative break from the normal routine.

Whoever is home watching the kids will be glad to be appreciated.

These "children's things" can make an adult class more enjoyable for the students.

Speaking is the major way that we express ourselves.

Not having the right word to desribe a feeling exactly in a first language can be annoying - in a second language it can be fustrating or worse.

In a first language you can give the "kind of sort of" and get your point across.

In a second langauage this is much more difficult. Skill at charades can come in handy in these situations.

I never really thought about how important fillers are in speech or how to convey their use to a person from another culture. This is the part of the reading that I found most interesting,

I think role play is important because it takes away the need to talk about yourself and gives you the feeling that you must participate for the sake of the group.

It also makes sure that everyone gets a turn.

Listening

This week's reading were about listening.

I went to a play called Love Letters on Sunday. It had two actors. They sat at desks facing the audience and read the letters that they had written each other starting with notes in the second grade and ending with the death of one of them in old age. It was a very graphic example of the difference between written and spoken communication. The expressions of the actor being written to, often conveyed to the audience exactly what they were thinking, without saying a word. The reading of their written answer confirmed their body langauge.

It is more difficult to understand someone you cannot see.

Listening practice that is just listening to the radio or responding to the telephone is important in really learning a language.

Vocabulary and Grammar are both key elements of language. I am more interested in vocabulary.

I think that technology and the ease of cultural sharing has changed both vocabulary and grammar.

We have books, movies, television, radio.... from around the world. There is more mixing of "English language culture". Addtion of new words and retiring of old words happens much more quickly. Also word already in use take on new meanings. Langauage is a living thing. Growth and change are happening more quickly than ever before.

Texting has made language at once more abbreviated and more verbose. Words and phrases are shortened but there seems to be more words exchanged.

This of course makes it more important for us to keep ourselves updated with both technology and how the langauage is changing

This makes more for the teen to learn. He wants to be in with his peers and perhaps on top of his or her academic work as well. It is a challenge for them as students and us as teachers.

Learning about culture

What to say? when to say it? How to say it? and to whom?

Context

Formal? Informal?

Ms ? Mrs. ? Miss ?

Professor?

Doctor?

First name?

Last name?

Nick name?

Humor? sarcasm?

Rude? Polite? Kiss ass disgusting?

Brown nose?

It is one thing to know how to say something in theory - but the actual play by play can be much more challenging

People on the autism spectrum have trouble with making good decisions about interactions with others.
Doctor Melvin Levin wrote this book called Jarvis Clutch - Social Spy which is about how to get along socially.

Jarvis observes people and he and the doc talk aboutwhat actions get what results and what is appropriate

It makes very explicit things that are usually implict and seldom discussed.

it is probably a lot more than most college grad students need to know but it would be very helpful for younger students trying to figure out the american social scene
It talks about code switching.

The doc defines this as adjusting the words that you use and the way that you speak depending on whim you are speaking to.

Jarvis says it is fitting the stiff you say with the people you are around.