Entry #8: Bless my Classmates!

     I find it interesting to read my classmates blog entries because they sometimes have different understandings, ideas, and perspectives than my own. Examining my classmates blog posts is something that is beneficial to me because it enables me to gain a broader view of the topics covered in the assigned readings. 

BLESS

    There have been times where I have read others’ blogs where they have caused me to reflect and change my own opinions on topics such as phonics. For example, in Thalia’s blog entry #7, she discusses the importance of embedding phonics instruction into all content areas. I was once someone who believed that having a particular time set aside for phonics instruction was essential. However, after reading Thalia’s blog, I think it can also be beneficial to embed phonics instruction into all types of curricula. Tompkins believes “the best way to teach phonics is through a combination of explicit instruction and authentic application activities” (Tompkins, 2017, p. 157). There must be a balance in all things in terms of children’s education and this includes the way that teachers present phonics to their students (through a segmented time specifically dedicated to phonics instruction and throughout all instruction)! 

    Additionally, Thalia showed that she understood the readings (for session 9) by defining how she uses phonemic awareness in her everyday life and how she teaches phonics by sounding out words for her students.  

ADDRESS 

    I wonder what age group Thalia is thinking about when she talks about embedding phonics instruction into curriculum as a whole. I assume that she is talking about embedding phonics into grades 1-3 as students in these grades have typically established phonemic awareness and have moved on to focus on developing their phonics skills (before they are able to move onto spelling). Also, for older students who are focusing on spelling, should their spelling curriculum be embedded into the who curriculum or remain separate? 

Press

    It seems like Thalia is really caught in the middle between the two viewpoints of embedding phonics into all curricula or following a strict phonics reading program in schools. I would urge her to dive deeper into her beliefs on the topic. It seems that Thalia mentioned that she still has some confusion about the difference in phonics reading programs and embedded phonics. Perhaps it would require Tompkins to define what they mean by “reading program” for Thalia to gain a deeper understanding and propose a defined viewpoint. If I am being honest, I require more explanation from Tompkins as well. As it turns out, teaching phonics is much more complicated than we had previously thought. It seems that we are both in the process of making sense of teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling. 

Tompkins, G.E. (2017). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (7th ed.). Boston, MA: 

     Pearson

Entry #7: Teaching Phonics

    I have previously learned about phonology while I was enrolled in a speech pathology class that I took during my undergraduate studies at the University at Buffalo. Sadly, I did not enjoy this class and thought that I did not enjoy phonics. This week’s readings have clarified the significance of phonology for me, especially in the early primary grades. After reading Tompkins and Everything You Wanted to Know About Phonics (but were too afraid to ask) by Steven A. Stahl, Ann M. Duffy-Hester, and Katherine Anne Dougherty Stahl, I am shocked to learn the difference between phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling along with their importance. 

    An important quote that stuck out to me while I was reading this week’s assigned article highlighted the importance of balance in phonics instruction. Stahl et al. said, “at the same time, children will not enjoy reading if the only reading they do is sounding out words. Good reading instruction contains a balance of activities around these different goals” (Stahl et al., 1998, p. 344). I wanted to pay special attention to this quote because I am extremely interested in cultivating a love for reading in all of my future students. Love for reading is something that took work to acquire in myself. I have come to develop some unique lesson ideas about teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling. However, I now know that I will need to pair these skills lessons with some real application for my students as well. The instruction must be balanced to be effective and genuine.

    Tompkins confirms and expands on these ideas when he says, “Reading is a complex process, and the phonological system works in conjunction with the semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic systems, not in isolation” (Tompkins, 2017, p. 166). Tompkins draws on the concept that there are other systems involved in reading and writing that require different types of attention from teachers. Multimodal instruction is necessary to successfully teach these systems. For example, direct and indirect instructional approaches must be used by teachers. They must explicitly teach sounds and letters, but also balance read alouds, peer dialogue, whole group conversations, and more. This can seem like a daunting task, but these texts help guide teachers in strategies to teach students important concepts.  

    These texts align with Muhammad’s ideas in Cultivating Genius because without looking inward at what you are doing as a teacher and what your students need, you cannot adequately teach phonemic awareness, phonics, or spelling. Additionally, students should practice reading words that they come across in their daily routine in their everyday lives. The texts that teachers choose to expose their students to matters. The vocabulary and the cultural representation matters. 

    Honestly, phonology is still something that intimidates me as a teacher. I know that I will need to continue to research phonology and will definitely browse over the additional readings offered for this topic. However, the readings from this week have dramatically improved my perceptions on phonology and how I will tackle the topic in my future classroom. 

Muhammad, G. (2020).  Cultivating genius:  An equity framework for culturally and 

     historically responsive literacy.  New York, NY:  Scholastic. 

Stahl, S.A., Duffy-Hester, A.M., & Stahl, K.A.D. (1998). Everything you wanted to know about phonics 

     (but were afraid to ask). Reading Research Quarterly, 33(3), 338-355. 

     https://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.33.3.5

Tompkins, G.E. (2017). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (7th ed.). Boston, MA: 

     Pearson

Entry #6

    After reading Building Preschool Children’s Language and Literacy One Storybook at a Time by Beauchat et al. and Gholdy Muhammad’s Cultivating Genius, I am intrigued about developing lessons that follow both approaches to teaching literacy. Additionally, Tompkins chapter on The Youngest Readers and Writers aligns closely with these texts as well. Constructing social justice literacy lesson plans is something that I am extremely interested in developing as I advance through my education as I know that this well benefit my students. 

    Initially, I read about the Innovation Configuration (IC) and loved the practicality that it offered to teachers. The IC acknowledges that teachers will carry out shared storybook reading on a scale from least effective to most effective. The IC is quite comprehensive, and it is never expected that a teacher targets all parts of the IC in one lesson. Beauchat et al. says, “it provides a powerful context for a teacher to engage in reflective practice; this is an essential component of teacher change” (Beauchat et al, 2009, p.38). The IC prompts teachers to think about the best practices to engage children in storybook reading while also allowing teachers to self-monitor their own progress in the classroom. It seems that Beauchat et al. and Tompkins have come to a consensus that Shared storybook reading is one of the most beneficial practices that early childhood teachers can do for their students. However, I noticed that the IC does not have space to integrate culturally relevant teaching practices. I know that there is a lot for students to gain from culturally relevant and historically responsive lessons. For this reason, I know that when I use this tool in my future classroom, I will pair it alongside Gholdy Muhammad’s Historically Responsive Literacy (HRL) framework. When these two tools are used in conjunction, the possibilities of learning are improved. 

    I have begun thinking about literacy lessons that I could use in my future classroom by using the Innovation Configuration and the Historically Responsive Literacy framework together. For example, when reading a children’s book aloud to a class of third graders about skin color, students will be encouraged to interact with the text during the read aloud. They will be introduced to new vocabulary words. Immediately after the read aloud, Students are given mirrors and are prompted to look within and observe themselves by looking closely at their features such as the texture and color of their skin. They can discuss and write different words that describe their skin color. For example, I might use the words porcelain, linen, and spotted to describe my skin. This lesson would force students to develop their speaking and writing skills, as well as develop their identity and sense of self. It would be a great start to a unit plan that goes more in depth about identity, intellect, and criticality. 

    I look forward to learning about other approaches to developing literacy in young minds as the semester progresses. For now, I will use what I know from Beauchat et al., Muhammad, and Tompkins. 

Beauchat, K. A., Blamey, K. L., & Walpole, S. (2009). Building preschool children's language and 

     literacy one storybook at a time. The Reading Teacher.

Muhammad, G. (2020).  Cultivating genius:  An equity framework for culturally and historically responsive literacy.  

     New York, NY:  Scholastic.   

Entry #5: Letter to Dr. Jones

Dear Dr. Jones, 

    I am shocked at how far my knowledge of literacy has advanced since the first day of class. I am happy that I was prompted to write down what I thought literacy was on the first day of class because it is astounding to compare it to my ideas about literacy now. Literacy has so many aspects and components that are a part of it that reach beyond just reading and writing. 

    I love the way that I am able interact with my peers in this class. It seems that a classroom community of learners was formed naturally. I value my peers’ opinions and appreciate them challenging the ways that I currently think. 

    I am looking forward to the rest of this class and the ways in which the class material and my classmates will contribute to refining my thinking about the next topics. I am looking forward to expanding on the knowledge I already have and learning more about being an effective and equitable teacher of language and literacy. I am also looking forward to presenting my deeper dive discussion topic during week 8. I have worked hard on the assignment so far and am stepping slightly outside of my comfort zone by leading the class discussion. I know that this will benefit my learning as a future teacher. 

    Learning about the SQ4R and close reading strategies have made me more aware of my own tendencies when I read. Before learning about these comprehension strategies, I was not actively engaging with the texts I was reading. I have learned that it helps with my comprehension if I leave post it notes in the texts with my thoughts on that passage. Through making predictions before I read, questioning the text, and reflecting on what I just read I have been able to gain deeper understandings of concepts presented through the texts. 

    I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Liz Kleinrock presentation. She shared so many raw and authentic realities of being a teacher in today’s world. I think it is worth mentioning that it is extremely difficult to teach through a global pandemic. I was most moved by the fact that Liz was able to share with us (aspiring teachers) that she does encounter feelings of being burnt out, struggling with mental health and depression, and being on medication. I appreciate her for being so honest and vulnerable. This meant a lot to me as these are topics that are not talked about enough which creates greater stigma. These topics are considered Taboo, as Liz would say. I felt that her ideas were something that I can do in my future classroom because she said that I can take one step at a time (and that is better than doing nothing). Additionally, I was enlightened when Liz showed the audience a slide that included books that celebrated underrepresented populations versus books that told stories of struggle and hardship of those populations. She coined the words Representation and Affirmation to describe what was happening with these books. Storybooks about the slave trade may inflict a feel of representation on an African American student, but they do not bestow the feeling or affirmation. I will keep this in mind when choosing books for all my students. 

LTED601 has been a great experience for me so far—thank you Dr. Jones!