24th October, 2017

LIT REFLECTION # 5

Start writing no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.- Louise L'Amour

This week our session focused on descriptive writing. First of all, We were never fans of descriptive writing. Whenever we had to write an essay we would always avoid writing a descriptive piece. We found it difficult to write because we did not know the right sensory words to use that would make our writing interested and our vocabulary were very poor. This problem stemmed from not reading as much as we should, thus this reflected in our ability to write well.

During this session we learnt and were reinforced on certain things. We were reminded that Descriptive writing should appeal to the senses, and that we must avoid over used words, rather use colorful adjectives, vivid verbs, specific nouns, similes and metaphors for comparison and onomatopoeia for sounds. By doing this, the reader would be able to visualize what they are reading and have a mental picture of what the writing is trying to portray in his or her writing. In addition, these would give the descriptive piece more flavour and make it more interesting. Readers are able to make connections and inferences when they can have a mental image or perception of what is being described.

Furthermore, we learnt about the difficulties students encounter when writing descriptive pieces, due to their limited vocabulary. As a result students' pieces are dull and vague. As we mentioned before we had that same problem growing up, so we are able to relate. However, we are now aware of what descriptive writing is about and some strategies we should implement as teachers to help combat this problem.

This problem could be eliminated by introducing student to the thesaurus and teaching them how it should be used. With the thesaurus, students can find synonyms, antonyms, adjectives and adverbs. These words can be used in their writing for enhancement. We can set up word walls in our classroom to introduce our students to different words which would build their vocabulary. Additionally, when reading to our students we can point out interesting words. Everyday we need to ensure our students learn new words. It is not enough for us to let them continue with the few words they have in their vocabulary. This has implications for us as teachers since if our vocabulary is poor, then our students vocabulary would be poor. Therefore, we need to build our vocabulary and this can be done through reading a lot and learning new words each day. First we have to work on ourselves and the way we view the Language. Ensure we are solid and know what we are about so that we can effectively teach our students. Moreover, we learnt that when we are revising, we as teachers should help our students use and add descriptive words to their pieces. And, very important, never stop reading to our students and encourage them to do a lot of reading.

We Liked how the lecturer included some learning outcomes of writing from the curriculum into the session. This really helped us to realize that it is important for the students to learn how to write, and it is not just putting pencil to paper and write whatever comes to mind and submitting that as final piece. Rather, being able to properly construct all the different genres. Hence, we as teachers have to develop an appreciation for writing, since we are expected to teach it. If we are weak, it is not too late to work on our weaknesses and turn them into strengths. We believe our students will be a representation of us, therefore let us allow them to represent us well.

This week’s session was interesting and informative. However, for future session, we suggest that the lecturer brings a descriptive essay to read to the class. Additionally, she can assist us in writing one together as a class. In that way, we would be able to hear how a well writing piece of descriptive writing sounds and also see how to construct one. We would see the structure of how to write the essay and also the different elements in a descriptive piece.

Moreover, there should be more examples of sentences describing different things. For example, there should be sentences describing a person, their  physical and personality attributes. Sentences describing a scenery etc. These would provide a better understanding of how a descriptive piece should look and sound.  

17th October, 2017

LIT Reflection #4

During this week’s lecture, there was a lot learnt and discovered. The lecture was based on making connections through reading, writing and spelling. At the beginning of the class we were reminded that reading and writing are the two sides of a coin (Vacca &Vacca). What this is simply saying to us is that, the more you read, you will become a better writer. Therefore, students who are poor or apathetic readers more than likely would be poor writers. Also, we were told that children writing are children reading, and once they are doing both reading and writing they are exposed to language. As children read they expose themselves to the language, learning different vocabulary and sentence structures. They interact with the English language, thus being able to reproduce good writing. As teachers, is it our duty to help student develop both their reading and writing skills. First and foremost, it is wise that you introduce students to a variety of books. Allow them to hear what good literature sounds like by reading to them, and allow them to read different books, newspapers and other articles every day.

Moreover, we learnt that spelling is intrinsically bound up in both reading and writing. This means, when you read you are exposed to spelling and when write you now have to display the words you learnt. A child will learn to spell through reading and he or she will communicate that skill through writing. Prior to this lesson, we were unaware of the different stages of spelling. We learnt that there are five (5) stages a person undergoes as their spelling skill develops. These stages include the emergent stage (3-5 yrs), letter name alphabetic spelling(5-7 yrs), within word pattern and spelling ( 7-9 yrs), syllables and affixes spelling (9-11 yrs) and derivational relations spelling (11-14 yrs). What we liked about this lesson is that it provided the necessary information on all the stages and how students at that stage would spell. It also provided us with tips or activities as novice teachers can use to help students at a particular stage.

As prospective teachers, being aware of these stages would be beneficial. We would have an idea of what stage our student are supposed to be based on their age and grade and how to cater for each student. In addition, this would help in the planning of our lessons where we would employ teaching strategies, student activities and materials that would improve our student’s spelling skills which would result in an improvement of their writing. For example, if we are teaching grade two (2), then base on these stages we know our grade two students would most likely operate at stage three: Within Word Pattern Spelling. At this stage students are expected to be able to spell most one-syllable short-vowel word, and learn how to spell long-vowel patterns. They experiment with long-vowel patterns and learn that words such as come and bread are exceptions that do not fit the vowel pattern. At this stage and age they have a tendency to confuse spelling patterns and reverse the order of letters such as gril for girl. Students also learn about complex consonant sounds such as -tch (batch), and less frequent vowel patterns, such as aw (saw) and ow (now and cow). Students also become aware of homophones and compare long-and-short vowel combination (hope-hop) as they experiment with vowel patterns.

What stood out most for us is the earnest reminder the lecturer gave for us to make sure that we learn that which we are to teach the students. Moreover, we learnt that students at this stage learn spelling concepts such as: long-vowel spelling patterns, more-complex consonant patterns and diphthongs and other less common vowel patterns.

          With this in mind, as the grade two teacher, we would know what type of words to introduce at this stage and also the problems that a likely to occur as students learn to spell. In addition, if our student are not at this stage we would have to plan out lesson in a way that word improve their spelling skill. We would encourage our students to focus on patterns and to classify words. By doing this, they would get familiar with the different spelling patterns and know which rule goes with which word. Furthermore, we would have to teach students strategies for spelling new words. A strategy that we would employ in our classroom is LOOK, SAY, COVER, WRITE, CHECK. With this strategy, students would look at a word they do not know how to spell as yet and observe the letters and the sequence in which they come, say the word, cover the word, write the word and check to see if they spelt it correctly.

          Importantly, it does not matter what grade we are placed, we would ensure that we become familiar with the spelling stage associate to that grade level and students’ age. As teachers we have to make it our business to straighten students reading, writing and spelling skills.

Another aspect that stood out to us, is the earnest reminder the lecturer gave to make sure that we learn that which we are to teach the students. This shows us the importance of always reviewing lecture slides to ensure our understanding.

Additionally, we liked the self-monitoring activities that was provided to help students with their spelling. When students conduct this activity the will be exposed to new words and it will help broaden their vocabulary. Gone are the day when students will use words that is well known by others. As technology advances, so should our student’s knowledge.

For the next session, we would appreciate if the lecturer provide videos or images that would help up make the connection between the theory learn and real life situation. This would make the learning more concrete and we would get other teachers perception on these stages and see how it works for them in the teaching and learning process.

Additionally, the lecturer can give us the opportunity to recap what we did in the last class before we start a new session. By doing this she can assess our learning and clarify any misconception we might have.

LIT Reflection #3

10th October, 2017

“If you want to be a good writer, you must do two thing above all others: read alot and write alot.”- Stephen King

   This week of LIT 102 was enjoyable and enlightening. To begin with, we made our presentations. This little activity was geared towards assessing our understanding on the Six Traits of writing and the writing process. We had to place the appropriate stage in the writing process to that of the Six traits of writing. We all thought that this activity was a success, as each group was able to effectively meet the objective using a chart. However, the two groups that stood out the most for us was the third and fifth group (see pictures below).

    We liked the third group because it illustrated ideas and voice  which leads the way in writing. This shows that without ideas there would not be a purpose for writing since one would not have anything to write about. Likewise, without voice, the ideas presented will not be effective: there would not be any flavor to the writing. In addition, we liked the fifth group’s chart because they also illustrated how important voice is and that it is used throughout all the stages of the writing process. Voice is what allows an individual to personalize a piece of writing by giving it a person style, tone and flavor. One's writing is make unique through their voice.

    Furthermore, we were reinforced on the topic of expository writing. The lecture was clear and unambiguous, so we were able to understand the information presented. We were reminded that expository writing is used to provide information and explain a concept. Additionally, we learnt that expository writing is objective. It should not be personalize meaning there should not be any personal pronouns,such as; I, we, us, me, you, our. This is something we often forget when writing expository pieces. As prospective teachers  we may tend to allow our students to use these due to ignorance. Therefore, we all hope from this lesson this piece of information sticks with us.

We also learnt that expository writing can be done in a variety of forms or structures such as; compare and contrast, sequence and process,cause and effects, and classifications, all these aim at providing information.  As  prospective teachers we are now aware that when we enter our classrooms, we are not suppose to write a topic on the board and tell our students to write on it. Rather, we are required to introduce our students to the elements by showing them models. As we ponder, how would they know how to do something, if they do not know what it looks like and what it consist of? Additionally, we learnt that we have to teach our students how to use charts and graphic organizers to help organize their ideas before writing. We also learnt that when ideas are not organized before writing, the writing has no sequence and it is hard to understand. Therefore, in order for our students to organize their thoughts and present them effectively for their audience we should definitely introduce them to graphic organizers.

    We also learnt about writing strategies such as: POW, TREE and TAP  although these are not new to us. The repetition of these strategies in the last class was significant as it highlighted ways that  we can use to help our students develop in their writing. For example TREE would allow our students to pick a topic sentence stating what they believe. Next they would provide three or more reasons explaining why they have that believe. Then they wrap up their work and finally examine it to see if they have all the parts. This is an effective strategy to introduce to our students so that they would be able to monitor their writing in order to produce a well written piece.

Lastly, we appreciated the fact that the lecturer went over the literacy block lesson plan. Prior to this session, we did not quite understand how to plan a literacy block, however we now have a better understand of how it is done. To reinforce that, we were given additional practice where we have to create a block lesson plan for the lecturer. We can now better plan the literacy block lessons because it allows concepts to be taught based on how they are used. For example if we are teaching adjectives, students would read a passage that consists of adjectives. They will then be able to see how they are used while writing, rather than teaching adjectives in isolation and not having a piece of writing to relate it to.

However, for further sessions I would like to see the lecturer construct a literacy block lesson and teach it. Also, I would like her to teach it in a way that it would have to be continued in a next lesson. By doing this, she would model to us how it will be done when we go into the classroom and how we are to continue the lesson in the next session.

Pictures above show the third group's chart.

 Above pictures show fifth group's making their presentation. 

Above pictures are the other charts from the presentations.

3rd October, 2017

LIT 102 Reflection #2 (28th-29th September)

During this week of LIT 102, we learnt much about writing. To begin with, we were  reminded of the importance of teaching students how to write. And in order for us to teach students how to write, we must first know how to write. In other words, the writing success of our students depend on our writing abilities.

Furthermore, apart from using approach or format to teach writing, we are now aware that students need to get actively involved in the learning process. Allowing them the opportunity to do things such as choosing the topics they want to write about can significantly improve writing skills. They are able to write on things that interest them, they write more and are more engaged in the topic. They have the chance to express themselves more freely and personally. Nevertheless, as the teacher, this does not mean coming into the classroom and say take out a book and write. Rather, it means allowing them the opportunity to write on a topic of their choice based on a specific genre they learnt.

In addition we learnt that teachers have to talk through what they are doing as they write. When teaching writing teachers must model to students how to write in all genres as this gives way to students understanding and development. They are able to see the thought process that is involved when writing as the teacher models it to them. All in all, we learnt that writing is a process, therefore it must be taught and not just given to students without explaining HOW.

More so, we learnt no matter the approach we use in the teaching of writing, children will always need time to write. The more practice they get the stronger/better their writing becomes. In addition to that, we learnt that interaction enables students to understand what it means to write for an audience. It was said that when students shared their writing or talk about what they wrote, their writing improves.

Moreover, we liked the way questions were asked at the end of every slide. The question that was most appealing to us was the one which asked “ do you think you know enough to teach writing?” We must say that question had us thinking and planning. We realized we are not that competent in our writing, therefore we decided to use the information presented in this session to improve our writing so we can then help our students become competent writers. As prospective teachers we would allow our students to get engaged in their writing as much as possible so that they would not see it monotonous, rather fun and a form of self-expression. In addition, this session has opened our eyes to some best practices that would help us in becoming effective teachers.

Equally important, it was reinforced to us that students go through stages of writing development, which are the Random letter stage, Phonemic stage, Transitional stage, conventional stage and the Proficient stage.. As prospective teachers, we need to know the stages of writing development so that we would know what to expect from students at the various stages and how instructions should be given at all stages to enhance students writing.

Furthermore, we were exposed to The Six Traits of Writing, which is a way of teaching writing to students. It was always emphasized to us that writing should be taught as a process and not a product, hence, this is where the Six Traits Plus one of writing comes in. It instruct teachers as to what they should teach in the writing process.

To begin with, we would teach our students about ideas. Students would learn that when writing they have to incorporate details that are interesting, important and informative. Their ideas would have to be strong to provide clarity and relevance to the topic. Likewise, our students would be aware that they have to organise their ideas in sequence to fit the central idea. They would learn about topic sentences and the need for supporting details so that their writing would be strong and meaningful to readers. In the same fashion, our students would learn about voice. Voice is the heart and soul of the writing, therefore the writer needs to develop his or her own distinct voice.

Additionally, there is another trait called word choice. This would allow students to select precise language and words that give their writing flavour and richness to readers. Equally important, students must understand that writing must have sentence fluency. This means sentences must have rhythm and flow logically into each other. Furthermore, students need to know that their are mechanical correctness to writing. We would teach them about spelling, punctuation, grammar/usage, capitalization and paragraphing so that they would write for understanding. Finally, after students have employ these six traits and re-read their work, they would have to present it to an audience.

As prospective teachers, not only would we introduce our students to the six traits of writing but we would also employ it when we write. We liked that these writing strategies are unambiguous and can help us create strong, meaningful writing.

In conclude, this week was rather an interesting and meaningful one. However for future sessions, we suggest that we get ourselves prepared by reading the slide and get familiar with the information before class. By doing this, we would have an idea of what we are going to learn about and have questions ready to ask for clarification. Additionally, as a class we tend to go off on a tangent from the lecture and this can result in waste of instructional time. For future sessions, we suggest that we stay as focused as possible on the lesson so that we would cover more information and have time for short assessments. Furthermore, we would like the lecturer to provide questions that would allow us to think critically about the information provided in class, and little activities to challenge us.