Strategy Set

ONE
      A strategy that I think would be highly effective in my classroom for students struggling with reading comprehension would be the Writing Break.  The writing break is a quick comprehension check every 10-15 minutes through a lesson or reading.  This check would take the form of a 4-6 minute writing break during which students restate what they've just learned in their own words, ask any questions, highlight important concepts, etc.  This strategy would be most appropriate for use during long periods of note taking, particularly when the notes are stemming from something read, like a powerpoint or a textbook chapter.  

        This strategy should be used because it gives students an applicitive brain break.  It lets students check their own comprehension, and gives them immediate purpose in learning.  Additionally, it breaks up what may be a longer chunk of notes into smaller, more manageble sections for those who struggle with comprehension.  Specifically, I could be lecturing students about organelles of the cell though an interesting and engaging PowerPoint coupled with small activities.  After every new organelle we cover, students would take a Writing Break to answer the following questions:

           "What is the most important function of the organelle?"

           "What is the weirdest/most confusing thing about the organelle?"

           "Is there anything about this organelle that made you think about something else?"

     As we did this throughout the lesson, it would create a series of breaks in notes and learning to permit students to check what they have learned and summarize the key components of their notes.  However, as students generally don't like the word "summarize" the question series is asked instead in an effort to weed out excess information.  




TWO

The Clustering strategy would be useful for struggling readers, who are often struggling writers.  The strategy creates an overgrown bubble map filled with concepts, definitions, examples, and thoughts, physically linked together by lines.  It works by clustering relative information together in bunches.  It is best used when trying to get students to make connections between concepts, and ideas.  Again, the strategy is used to make connections!  However, the connections aren't in depth, they aren't taxing for an ESL student or a struggling writer.  Additionally, most answers are correct, as long as the connecting line can be defended by a thought process.  This lets students generate connections in a not-stressful or graded situation.  

        This situation sounds like it would be incredibly helpful for large concepts like evolution.  After looking at a chapter, or even a whole unit, I could prompt students by giving them the center bubble, "Evolution".  As a class, we could create a few primary branches leading to Darwin and Mendelian genetics.  The students would each be able to add onto their map the key ideas pertaining to the different points by drawing connections instead of writing out ideas.  The clustering activities could be compared in groups, and then the groups could be compared within the class to create a giant cluster map!  This map, with any tweaking needed, would make a wonderful study guide.  


THREE
I found a Critical literacy strategy that calls for the use of supplementary text.  It's called "reading supplementary texts".  The strategy is used by reading material related to the content currently being covered by class.  This can be done by reading texts that give examples of an idea or theory, simple texts that break a concept down further than the original text, or by showing how an idea may have changed.  This strategy should be used to expand upon an idea, either by restating content that must be known, or by building upon content to peak student interest.  This is most appropriate when a subject may have changed, as it would be in the science field. 

      For example, epigenetics is a hot subject in science right now.  The idea that things a person does NOW, that affect their offspring.  This goes against all popular theories of Mendellian genetics.  It's almost Lamarkian in nature.  In textbooks, Lamark is used as a popular but incorrect theory... but epigenetics has proved Lamark to be correct in certain situations.  Because textbooks do not yet have this information (in high schools any way) a supplementary text on rudimentary epigenetics could be introduced to the students to expand upon the required genetic knowledge into something current and interesting.  This also makes Lamark more memorable, seeing as many students forget about him on their tests because he had been proven incorrect.   


FOUR

PLAN stands for Predict, Locate, Add, and Note.  This strategy is used for reading comprehension.  This strategy is most appropriate for textbook readings, and is used to highlight the important parts of a textbook chapter.  This strategy works by letting students flip through the chapter and look at titles, subtitles, pictures, etc.  and predicting the contents of the chapter.  The student then creates a concept map using these titles and subtitles.  As the student read, he/she Locates the information on the concept map and adds more information to the concept map.  At the chapter's conclusion, the student notes any changes that need to be made to the map due to new understanding, and makes these changes.  

This may be used with homework assignments dealing with textbook chapters within my classroom.  Science textbooks can be confusing, and later components often solve earlier questions.  The PLAN strategy specifically lists out a step for students to modify their notes based on later comprehension, alleviating later confusion caused by strange writing within the textbook.  


FIVE

Making inferences.  This strategy is to make inferences, deductions made while reading text.  Specifically on providing explanations or ideas that are presented in the text.  This strategy is most appropriate for critical reading and comprehension when students are reading academic texts or high level texts.  This strategy ties in personal knowledge to the text and makes students re-explain the text in such a way that they fully understand what they are reading.  This is proved by their re-statement in their own words accompanied by a personal explanation. This strategy works by explaining things that they read, either to themselves or to others, using a different set of words than the text.  

An interesting way to encourage students to do this would be to have them explain things to someone of less scientific knowledge.  For example, if students had a brief article to read for homework, part of the assignment would be to read the article aloud to someone else, and ensure their audience's comprehension.  This way, the student has to slow down and explain "why" to a lay person.  Students could also do this in pairs in the classroom, where their partner has to try to ask as many questions about the article as possible while remaining relevant to the topic.  The prompting from questions would force a student to come up with answers and explanations, or seek out knowledge when they are unable to answer questions.

SIX

Metacognition.  The metacognition strategy is the idea of thinking about one's thinking, becoming aware of the thought process.  This strategy s most appropriate when used to  help struggling readers identify where exactly they are having issues in a text .  This strategy is used to prevent blanket "I don't get it" statements from students, ad can help both teacher and student to resolve the underylying problem in a text.  In order to use the strategy, students recognize that they are having an issue, and then slowly begin to zoom in on the problem.  "I don't understand page 2.  I don't understand the third paragraph on page two.  I don't understand what the word ______ means, and I don't see any context clues."  Once the problem is clearly identified, they can seek a solution within the text, followed by seeking assistance if it is still required.  

This strategy would be useful when looking at a multi-layered scientific concept within a text, such as photosynthesis.  When doing any sort of explanatory reading in dealing with photosynthesis, it's easy for students to become confused if they are confused about any of the components within photosynthesis.  Students could read a text, and write down specific points that confuse them  (what is NaDPh?).  When students complete the text, they will take 3 minutes to look for solutions to their difficulties.  They will then form groups of five and help one another.

SEVEN

Concept Maps.  The concept map is a diverse tool used by students to draw connections or distinguish between ideas.  The concept map isolates individual terms or concepts in boxes or bubbles, and draw lines between these bubbles to draw connections.  These boxes can serve specific purposes (such an antonym to a word or definition) or may merely follow the train of thought.  This strategy is most useful when linear thinking or notetaking would be confusing to students, or when connections between ideas is central to an idea.  This strategy should be used because it's simple, flexible, and yields visual results that readers/writers of all skill levels can appreciate.  Additionally, it can marshal overall concepts used to supplement usual notes.
This strategy would be hugely helpful for layered concepts, like the Cell cycle.  There are three overlying phases in the cycle, two of which have three or more subphases.  A circular concept map could be drawn, showing the three overlying phases, and branching out to the subphases.  The subphase bubbles could include transitory cues, definitions, and diagrams.  Concept maps could also be used as a review of the previous day's information, drawing quick conclusions from memory instead of agonizing over the details.

EIGHT

Roots and Affixes.  This strategy focuses on a teaching/learning components of words so as to increase future reading comprehension.  This is particularly useful idea for biology, as scientific words are often latin based and dissectable.  This would also be helpful for ESL students whose original language is Latin based.  This teaching strategy could then be paired with context clues, as context clues within the word itself.  This is most appropriate for scientific terms.  The idea is to break down the word to its most basic components and then decipher the word's meaning from there.
In the classroom, this could be an early semester unit for students, where they learn to break down biology into bio- life, and -ology - the study of.  This makes words like "photosynthesis" understandable for struggling readers

Text Set

ONE

     This video provides an overview of cellular respiration and its basic steps.  It goes over the importance of ATP  (which is very necessary to life), and the function of the mitochondria.  It goes over glycolysis, the Kreb's Cycle and electron transport chain of respiration.  As it does this, it shows each different kind of molecule as a different cartoon.  The video also explains the relationship between cellular respiration and photosynthesis, how the two complement one another by creating a large circle.  Additionally, the video discusses fermentation, including why it's necessary and why it is not a long term solution for multicellular organisms. 

       This text is incredibly educational, with enough humor to be engaging without being distracting from the content.  The text of the video is simple enough that struggling readers should be able to keep up with the pace of the video while listening to the words.  However, the words involved are essential to science without using more jargon than needed.  For an ESL student, this video may prove to be a touch difficult, but the illustrations and animations paired with labels alone would be EXTREMELY helpful to students learning about cellular respiration.  This is a traditionally difficult concept of biology, and the visual cartoonish elements could be valuable if used consistantly.  If we had a lesson on an overview of cellular respiration, this video/text could be used to clarify components of the process.  Additionally, the cartoons could be used in notes to create more distinctions than alphabet soup. 

"Cellular Respiration and the Mighty Mitochondria." WatchKnowLearn - Free K-12 Educational Videos. The Amoeba Sisters, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2016.

TWO

 

This  article tells the story of Indian Olympian Santhi Soundararajan, who failed her gender test after taking silver at the 2006 Olympics.  Officials revoked her medal.  The article does not say how she failed her test, but mentions the kinds of officials present from her test.  It should be kept in mind that this occured in 2006, and that general opinions and standards for gender have changed since then.   

This article and its accompanying case could provide a topic of debate about the various forms of sex detemination, and would give modern purpose to a lesson.  Methods of sex determination include anatomy, physiology, and karotyping of chromosomes. The lesson could lead off with a picture of the athlete.  What are students' first impressions of the athlete's gender?  Why?  

The article could then be introduced, and accompanied by a discussion of anatomical sex determination, followed by physiological determination.  At this point in the lesson, what would the students (in small groups, consitute as guidelines for being male?  for being female?).

We could use the case as a springboard and then begin to look at karotypes.  We may not have Soundararajan's, but this case introduces genetic conditions in which a person may not be blatantly one gender or another in terms of a molecular karotype.  Traditionally, the presence of a Y chromosome is the single indication (chromosomewise) of being male, but what about people with Turner Syndrome or XXY?  All of these are major concepts in biology, accompanied by modern topics and schools of thought in a time when gender identity is becoming more and more fluid.  

Bibliography:

"Indian Athlete Fails Gender Test." BBC News. BBC, 18 Dec. 2006. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.

Knabb, Maureen, and Joan Sharp09. "Cross-Dressing or Crossing-Over?" - National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science. N.p., 09 Sept. 2008. Web. 09 Feb. 2016. 

   

THREE

      This poem dedicates a stanza to each of the organelles of the cell, for all of the basic organelles. 

The poem was written by a student. He/she uses a metaphor to describe each of the organelles in a way more familiar to a student due to the use of familiar rather than academic language.  This language also isn't of an incredibly high level, so students who struggle with literacy or English would have little to no difficulty comprehending the text. 

   This poem would be a wonderful review for students before a unit test on the cell.  It provides examples used in daily life, like a traffic light, or a vending machine, to explain the mechanisms of the cell.  I could read the poem to students, or hand out the poem to groups after deleting the word in each stanza that gives away the answer, and the students could attempt to guess which organelle pertains to which stanza.  The students could then write their own stanzas in small groups, and could read them aloud and give others a chance to guess which organelle is being described.  Students would then have several metaphors to choose from when studying for their test.  This text would also assist students who struggle with jargon, or the dense nature of scientific texts.  

CalledtoServeHim. "Animal Cell Poem - This Is for School by CalledtoServeHim." Allpoetry.com. N.p., 2009. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

FOUR

      I have found a Cell Theory Rap!  This rap covers the three compoenents of the cell theory, and explains the discovery of each point.  The names of the scientists involved are listed in each verse.  So the verse talking about Hooke explains the discovery of the cell by observation of a cork slice.  The video accompanying the song is also a lyric video, so there is no question as to what the man is saying within the song.  This also provides a visual for students who may struggle with English, so that they aren't forced to rely on auditory skills alone. 

    The Cell Theory Rap is terribly catchy.  I do not doubt that it'll be stuck in my head for a week or two, and my hope is that it'll have the same effect on my students.  The song could be placed within a lecture or PowerPoint as a brain break for the class,and then used as a point of reference for the remainder of the unit.  So if the song were to be played as an introduction, a particular verse could be replayed later.  So we could talk about Hooke, and then listen to his verse again.    

Lewis, Zac. "The Cell Theory Rap." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

FIVE

This higher level text is about the applications of epigenetics in terms of diseases instead of offspring.  Specifically the text focuses on cancer, citing hypomethylation as encouraging tumor growth, while hypermethylation suppresses tumors.  These methylation patterns may be able to be tracked across the genome, giving people ideas on how to discourage cancerous growth.  

Within the classroom, this text is thought provoking.  Traditional epigenetics focuses on the future, what people do now that affects their future offspring.  This article could be used to expand student thinking beyond their paradigm.  Additionally, this is a hot topic in biology, and would be an interesting gateway to encouraging students to look into current topics in biology that interest them.

"Epigenetics: Fundamentals." Clinical Applications: Epigenetic Diseases. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.

SIX

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 

This true story follows the life, death, and immortality of Henrietta Lacks, specifically her cells.  This black woman had cells taken from her (in the Jim Crow era) without knowledge, and the cells reproduced to such an extent that they were able to be used as a standard for research.  Scientists made money from the reproduction of Lacks' cells, and her impoverished family never saw a cent.

The ethical implications of this book are immense, and the story components are compelling, showing the full scope of what this woman went through in her time.  In the classroom, this book would present opportunities to create ongoing debates every week, as the ethical dilemmas unfold.  This would create ethical platforms in a modern time through the lense of the 50's.  

Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Crown, 2010. Print.

SEVEN

This article explains photosynthesis.  It isn't an introductory material, but it does plainly explain how photosynthesis works.  The article also covers where photosynthesis occurs (specifically, not simply in the chloroplast).  The article also goes on to explain variations in photosynthesis, a topic not covered in detail by most textbooks.  The article talks about different kinds of CAM plants, and explains what chromatophores do within a bacteria.

This book could be used as a supplementary text with a photosyntheis unit.  The connections drawn at the end of the article are very useful for reminding students that not all photosynthesis is the same, and can link this knowledge all the way back to protists.  Additionally, as photosynthesis can be confusing, repition of the process in a variety of ways is often crucial to comprehension, making this article ideal for classroom use.

"Photosynthesis," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. © 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved

EIGHT

Osmosis Jones is an animated film about the adventures of Osmosis Jones, a leukocyte, within the body of Frank.  As a leukocyte, Jones is a cop within the body, and fights germs and bacteria.  However, Frank is not a healthy individual, and his poor diet and lack of excersise finally catch up with the man when a deadly virus invades his system.  Jones is the only one who believes the virus is real, and has 48 hours to stop him.  

While simple and humorous, Osmosis Jones creates a vivid imagery of the inner workings of the body, particuarly the nervous system and some of the immune responses.  Within a lesson the movie would serve as an interesting compare/contrast near the end of a unit during which students identify what has been correctly personified within the body, and what's scientifically inaccurate about the movie.  

Osmosis Jones. Dir. Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly. 2001. DVD

OP - On Evolution

                I’m currently enrolled in a 400 level Biology course called Biological Evolution.  This is a course for Biology major seniors, and it is an elective.  The department does not force students to take this course.  This means, everyone enrolled in this class with me has chosen to take a course on evolution. 

                On the first day of class, we were doing some preliminary clicker questions, things like “What year are you in?” and “Why did you choose to take this course?”  One of these questions was “On a scale of 1-5, how comfortable are you in discussing evolution?”  And of our 25 person class, 7-9 people were at a 3 or lower, with two students in the “not comfortable whatsoever” category.  Our professor immediately changed his direction, and began speaking about how he grew up Christian, and eventually settled on his own derived Christian/evolutionist perspective, and stressed the importance of arriving at one’s own conclusions on the spectrum.  Yet what floored me was this man’s tone of voice.  It softened and slowed down in a manner that reminded me of someone trying to soothe a small child or calm a frightened pet.  He did not want to offend these students (who had voluntarily signed up for a class on evolution), by speaking about evolution as if it were true.  And I couldn’t help thinking, “Why do we still have to do this?”

                As someone who in the future will be educating students on evolution I find the expected controversy that surrounds the subject to be exasperating.  Every unit I’ve ever covered on evolution has been prefaced by “I’m required to teach this, and I won’t give my opinions on it, but this must be done so let’s just do it quickly ok?”

                People differ in opinion, that’s the way the world works.  There are different religions, different countries, different political parties, and individual differences and preferences in food or entertainment.  Yet education goes on.  Children of Democrats are educated about Republicans, and students in English classes are told to read stories that somebody once deemed “classic”.  Yet The Great Gatsby isn’t introduced with the hurried assurance that you don’t have to consider the book a classic to read it.

                So, why then does evolution remain a subject that instills the fear of disagreement and offense?  I’m not saying that the students must believe it; I’m saying they must learn it.  If they want to look at it as an intriguing story instead of fact, that’s fine.  Reading contradictory material doesn’t force someone to change their belief.  If anything, it would likely make it stronger by looking into material to refute the material I have shown them to teach about evolution.

                I know that one of the most controversial points embedded within evolution is that of human evolution, including the inaccurate oversimplification of “man from monkey”.  Never have I been taught such a thing while learning evolution, because that isn’t actually a component of human evolutionary concept.  The way to counteract this ignorance is to teach the current theory about it, which will never occur while science teachers are expected to tiptoe around religious beliefs. 

                In short, people can get offended by many things, but walking into a situation and insisting that you have a right to be closed minded because you disagree is simply not how the world works on other platforms (presidential debate anyone?).  This same concept should apply to the classroom, where the students should see the word “evolution” on a syllabus or course description and know it is coming so as to prepare themselves to listen to the new information, even if they do not take it to heart. 

ELS – Español por un lenguaje segunda -- Literacy Autobiography 5

I took a class at UNCG called Hispanic Literature.  It was a requirement for my major, and I was incredibly excited about it.  At the 300 level, the whole class was in Spanish.  The professor stood up and spoke the first day about how what she expected could be a little challenging, but we would surely all be up to the task, and went on to say that she expected us to participate in class discussion at least once a week.  It all made sense.  I went home to do my homework, and turned to the poem we would be studying.  It was from the 9^th century.

                This poem, less than a page long, took me 2-3 hours to comprehend.  I went over it painstakingly, looking up every word I was unsure about on Google Translate.  I was prepared when I stepped into class and wedged myself behind the door to take my seat in the last row.  I could feel my cheeks flush as I waited for class to begin, my excitement a poor combination with my sweater in the intimately too-warm classroom.  The professor strode in and began class, asking if we had all done the reading.  I fervently nodded my head, practically bouncing in my seat.  She began by asking if anyone had any questions about the poem.  I didn’t but other people did.  When the first student asked his question, it took more than a minute to explain what he meant.  The professor nodded along with him, and when he finished, she told him his question was one posed by the author, and made perfect sense.

                … I froze, going over my memory of my classmate speaking.  I had no clue as to what he said, like most native speakers, he tumbled his words into each other (which is what people are supposed to do), and I couldn’t extract the separate words enough to comprehend him.  When the professor opened the floor to answer the student’s question, my heart sank.  I couldn’t understand any of the native speakers.  They were too fast, too fluent, and had a vocabulary 8 times the size of mine.  When another English speaker did finally pipe up, it was apparent (to the professor, not to me), that the girl had used Google Translate.  The professor looked disappointed, and spent the next few minutes lecturing us on the laziness of the site and recommended a different one to us, a Spanish dictionary.

                Over the next few months I tried when I could, but I couldn’t understand the new site because the definitions on the dictionary site were also in Spanish, and I couldn’t understand them.  In addition, the readings became longer and longer, until I could no longer complete even half of my readings with so many words I had to look up to comprehend the text.  It became painfully apparent that while I may have learned the Spanish words for “walk” and “run” authors tended to use the equivalent of “saunter”, “mosey”, and “meander”.

  I struggled to such a degree that I dropped my Spanish major rather than face a second literature course.  I quickly became discouraged about my ability to read and speak Spanish, and that confidence still hasn’t recovered.  I was terrified to make presentations, and would spend days on essays that were mere pages long.  It got to the point where I went over the study guide for tests in the class, and actually pre-wrote and memorized my written answers to test questions in an effort to raise my grade where I could.  This series of incidents crippled my use of the Spanish language, even if it didn’t affect my English literacy.

                This issue gave me incredible insight to an ESL student, even if the E stood for a different language.  It showed me the importance of peers participating in assisting a fellow classmate, and the importance of continuity in simplistic language whenever possible to assist in comprehension and weed out extra time taken to look up words unrelated to content.  This will shape my future teaching methods in that I will likely provide any struggling students with essay prompts ahead of time (though they may get an extra one in the spirit of fairness) so that they may prepare what they need to prove in advance by looking up words and checking grammar.  I also want to make a “highlights reel” for students who struggle with literacy.  Students on grade level may be able to read chapter 14, pages 210-240 for homework, and be expected to take notes on it.  But a struggling student doesn’t need the witty anecdote at the beginning, and there may be a section or two within the chapter that I know we will not be discussing in great detail, or it won’t be on the test.  Thus I could inform students to pay special attention to pages 215-217, 220-222, and 231-236.  This cuts the number of expected pages from 30 down to 12, a much more reasonable number for someone who struggles with literacy. 

Editors -- Literacy Autobiography 4

                In my sophomore year while in high school, I began to write.  I was working on a story, my story, and had started at the end of the book.  I filled a notebook with my work over the course of a few months, and began working on, and completed, an entirely different story over the course of a year or so.  But I kept the notebook with the original story with me all the time.  I made the mistake of placing it on my desk once.  The girl who sat in front of me snatched it up as she went by and opened it. 

                I froze.  I wanted it back, but didn’t want to let the girl know how much it meant to me.  I knew it wasn’t my best work.  I’d written it at 15 for heaven’s sake, and at 17… the work seemed pitiful. 

                The girl returned my notebook the next day.  It was full of red pen.

                “I love the story, but your writing needs work,” she said.  “Did you know you use the word ‘just’ in almost every sentence?  I might’ve gotten a bit carried away, but it was hurting my head after a while and your story deserves better than that.”

               

                This moment gave me the courage to continue writing.  It could have gone in the opposite direction.  If I had been judged by my writing at that moment, I would’ve quit.  Instead of being discouraged, I was told that while my words could use work, that the core of my story was sound.  This will likely affect how I teach literacy in that I do not want to crush anyone’s confidence in their writing, despite their skill level.  I want to assist young writers in becoming better without covering a page in red pen.  I want students to know that I will judge their content first, and then assist in the development of their writing.  I also want students to know that their work, is their own, and beyond content, they have the final say in their papers.  

Family Endeavors -- Literacy Autobiography 3

A more recent photo of my mom, myself,
and my brother Thane.

When I was 8, my mom bought the “Little House on the Prairie” Series for us to read together.  Almost every night we would turn on the softer lamp, sit on my bed together, and we would read.  We read the pages on our respective sides of the book, I on the right and she on the left.  My mom would explain what all of the strange things were (like a butterchurn, or why meat was salted) when I asked.  She made me feel as if it was not only ok, but expected that I didn’t know those things.  She would actually call me out if I skipped over something that she suspected I didn’t know.  She would ask me to define the term, and if I did so incorrectly, she would praise my effort but correct me. 

At some point, my brother began to join us.  At first he would just sit there and listen, for years he sat and listened, until he was ready to chime in.  His reading speed was so SLOW, and he never seemed to know what anything was, but it was cool to be able to do something with the three of us. 

               

                This moment has affected my future teaching philosophy because it shows different approaches to learning a single subject based on what an individual needs, on an individual level.  It creates the same results, listening or reading.  I want to instill a level of flexibility within assignments.  I’d rather focus on the core of the assignment, the content, instead of being a stickler to the rubric and its minute details.  

Pass It On -- Literacy Autobiography 2

                Two years ago, I was sitting in church, before service started, listening to the organ music and doing my best not to make eye contact with the many little old ladies whose names I do not know, that would inevitably ask me how college was going and inquire as to why I wasn’t married yet.  Through the babble of the other members of the congregation, I heard a pair of sisters discussing how difficult it was to find the fifth Harry Potter book.  I whipped around, and found the girls two pews behind my family.  I moved to get up, but the music changed and I sat back down to attend service.

Afterwards, I hunted the girls down by the donuts, and told them I had heard them mention the book.  The older girl, Hannah, nodded solemnly.  She explained that the public library had a single copy, and that her younger sister was fifth on the list.  The likelihood of both sisters being able to finish the book in two weeks was nonexistent, and it was there that the dilemma lies.

 Now, my mom’s hobby is rescuing and collecting children’s classics from yard sales for a quarter apiece, and as a result, we’ve created a small library downstairs over the years.  She had 3 copies of the book in question, in addition to her personal set.  I checked with her, and picked a new looking paperback from the shelf.

The next week I brought the book in to church with me, carrying it under my coat.  I waited until after the service, so the girls weren’t distracted during service.  I found Hannah and her sister after service (before they reached the donuts and had sticky fingers) and asked them if they knew how to treat a book.

The younger sister rattled off the rules she had learned in the library at school, you shouldn’t eat food with the book, get it wet, or fold the pages etc.  I then pulled the book out from under my folded coat, and presented it to the pair of them.  Hannah asked when I needed the book back.  I smiled, and shook my head. 

“This is your book, for you two, your parents, and your sister when she gets old enough to read it.  You can have it forever, or until you get tired of it and want to pass it along to another child who wants to read it.”

Hannah’s sister took the book and rushed off to tell her parents the news.  Hannah stayed behind for an additional moment, tilted her head to the side and said “Thank you, we’ll take good care of it”.

               

                This moment changed my outlook on literacy, and instilled the drive to encourage other’s reading abilities at young ages.  I appreciated my own literacy, and began to read again after 3-4 years of looking at reading as something for children and English class.  I re-discovered the joy to be found in books that I picked out, and the love of older classics. 

                This will change the way in which I teach literacy in a small but important way.  Particularly in high school, students tend to wander the halls when they’re free to, and seek out teachers for various reasons.  It doesn’t matter if the teacher is planning, eating lunch, or grading papers, students have the tendency to wander in.  I want to keep a visible book on my desk that I’m reading for the thrill of it, something that has nothing to do with work or teaching.  I want to lead by example and re-kindle the love of reading that children have, the voluntary choices that encourage daily literacy beyond the content area.  

Life Savings --Literacy Autobiography 1

The sun streamed in through the bay window as I sat on the floor of the living room with my mom and sorted coins.  They never seemed to slide into the brown paper rolls from the bank that they allegedly fit into.  When I finished a roll, I tried to tape it closed, and usually ended up dumping half of the roll back onto the carpet when I accidentally squeezed the tube to fold it closed.  I was excited and nervous, with a touch of what I now recognize of apprehension.  I was going to buy the fifth Harry Potter book.  I’d never bought anything before, and was literally counting out my life’s savings of coins in front of me on the carpet.  What if I didn’t have enough?  What if I was going to have to wait a month for the library to buy the book and then I was too far down the waiting list? 

                I asked my mom to take me to Target as the store opened.  I carried a purse for this very special occasion.  It was heavy with the rolls and jingled as I walked along, torn between walking a half a step behind my mother and wanting to dash ahead in case Target sold out of books.  I picked my copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix from the display and clutched it to my chest.  I smelled it, and rather than smelling “old book smell” as I expected, I experienced the beauty of “new book smell” for the first time.  I remember the cashier looking confused as when she called out the price of the book to mom, my mom shook her head and looked to me.  I pulled out my two paper dollars, and then began pulling out my rolls of coins, adding the money up out loud until I ran out of rolls and began making stacks of coins on the conveyor belt.  I did, in fact, have enough.

                I still own that copy of the book.

                See, I’d always loved to read.  I was looking at pictures and making up stories before I could read, going through stacks of cardboard books in one sitting.  The above moment gave me a direction in my reading, and let me choose to acquire a book that I knew I’d cherish forever, and not enjoy for a single read-through.  It was a moment in which I chose to become a reader, because that was what I wanted to do.  I didn’t buy toys with that money; I bought a book, and would later defend that decision to my friends. 

                This moment contributes to how I plan on teaching literacy in terms of simple respect.  Some students will love to read, and be highly literate, some may dislike reading but love science, while some students will always see reading as a chore.  As an educator I have to respect these differences, especially when they do not align with my wishes.  The trick is to find alternatives to traditional reading/writing assignments, things that resonate with students as fun instead of work.  

About me

Hey all, my name is Tori S.

I'm a biology major, spanish minor, at the undergraduate level.  When all is said and done and I graduate, I hope to be certified to teach both science and spanish at the high school level.  For program's sake, I'm slated to teach science, particularly biology.

Personally, I like nerdy fandom things, reading, and sports.  I'm the captain of UNCG's quidditch team, and my ultimate goal as a future teacher would be to start a team at whatever high school I work at.  I love the beach, and the heat of the summer.  I do not fare well in the winter, and would prefer to wrap myself up like a burrito and watch Netflix until all of the white stuff on the ground is gone.  I've been to Australia, and learned about the quokka, which rivals the hedgehog in its adorable asthetic.  However, I still firmly believe that Lenore, my own prickleball, is the cutest angry thing to exist.