Week Five Assignment

How does Ms. Wilson use a thematic and integrated approach to instruction? In what ways is literacy woven throughout center activities, and how do the different activities support early language and literacy learning? On your checklist, note the Essential Components of Literacy that are addressed.

Ms. Wilson attempts to use the children’s culture and background into her everyday lessons. Due to the fact that a lot of her students of Chinese descent, she created a lesson that embraced the celebration of the Chinese New Year. The book she read in the shared reading activity was about a rice cake that ran away so that it would not be eaten by the family. What I really liked about this lesson was how Ms. Wilson connected the Runaway Rice Cake with the Gingerbread Man. This helps the students see connections between their cultures and their beliefs with the cultures and beliefs of their classmates. The discussion of the book and poems that are read help children connect their thoughts with the everyday world problems we see and face. These early discussions help children see exactly what they are thinking and are able to express it verbally with their classmates.

Storytelling is an essential element of Ms. Wilson's curriculum. In this segment with Justin, a shy English language learner, she demonstrates how to link oral language and illustration to writing. Note the sequence of steps Ms. Wilson uses to elicit and scaffold Justin's language. How does Ms. Wilson validate Justin and help him realize he has a "story?" What does the teacher do? What does Justin do? How else might you approach this? Consider why Ms. Wilson chose Justin on this occasion. Which of your students might you choose and why?

Ms. Wilson first calls Justin to the front of the carpet and tells him to sit in a chair. After Justin sits in the chair she asks him what he did this weekend or what he does when he goes home. Ms. Wilson then has Justin illustrate what he does at home on a piece of white paper. After Justin draws his picture he is asked to write a sentence about his picture. This type of activity helps students see that they can express themselves in more than one way. The students are able to tell Ms. Wilson what they see in his picture and guess what his story would be about. If I were to do an activity like this I would have the same approach as Ms. Wilson. By having the students illustrate their thoughts and then placing their thoughts into a sentence, students are able to sound out their thoughts and write down their ideas with the picture in view.

I believe Ms. Wilson chose Justin because she wanted to show that just about anyone could do an activity like this. It is also another way for Justin to be the center of attention and his peers will recognize his story. Justin was able to spark ideas for his peers to be able to complete the same activity that he completed. By the end of this lesson, students were coming up to Justin and discussing his picture with him. This is a way for Justin to interact with his peers and hopefully come out of his shell.

In this class Ms. Wilson uses the easel to enhance Justin's ability to share with peers, and allow other children to study the illustration, and then the story. Ms. Wilson believes strongly that students who may be reticent because of shyness or language differences need to be seen and recognized for what they know. She comments that Justin understands much more than he can communicate. Pay particular attention to the students' response to Justin's picture story. How does Ms. Wilson encourage the students' use of language to describe what they notice? Think about how this reinforces the value of his story. On your Observational Checklist, note the Essential Components Ms. Wilson models and reinforces in this segment.

            Ms. Wilson encourages the students to notice the particular items in Justin’s drawing. She is happy to notice that a young girl notices Justin’s blue backpack in the picture. By having her students verbalize what they see it is validating that Justin is able to communicate effectively without the use of a verbal language. It is also correct when she states that Justin understands much more than he can communicate. This is common with English Language Learners and it is important for students and teachers to see that there is more than one way of communicating besides verbally.

What surprised or interested you?

                  I really enjoyed that the students had a morning task that they were to answer to. Whether it was writing down the question of the day, recording the novel that they read the day before or completing an independent reading activity the students were all responsible for something.

What did you find that affirmed what you already knew or had been doing?

                  When we read a book to children is it very important to discuss what we have read. Teachers should be asking questions pertaining to the story and spark new discussions about the children’s lives to include them in the story.

What new approaches or ideas will you try?

                  I will try to have my students illustrate their thoughts first. Then I will have my students try to write a sentence about what they drew. This type of approach will enable students to be creative with their writing and express themselves in multiple ways.

What questions do you have?

                  I am curious about how to handle students that come into my classroom already reading and having other students not experienced at all with reading or writing. I do not want to bore my students who are advanced and I do not want to give my students who struggle more than they can handle.

After watching the video, do you think differently about classroom practices you observed through field experience?

                  I have not had much experience with field experience. I was able to observe a few elementary school classrooms. As I have said in my introduction, I came in as a Mathematics 7-12 teacher study and switched drastically. I am excited to see what the elementary level has to offer.