Course Synthesis

This literacy class has not only taught me about literacy instruction, but exactly how to use and incorporate it into lesson plans. Out of all the things that we learned, I think that learning about the different strategies and activities to teach literacy helped me the most. For example, when I’m teaching vocabulary, I now have a variety of useful activities (semantic feature analysis, analogy charts, word webs, Frayer charter) and helpful guidelines (help students explicitly compare the meanings of the words, only choose 5-7 at a time, activate background knowledge about the words), which will help the students learn vocabulary at a much deeper level. Learning the effective principles of vocabulary, comprehension, writing, critical literacy, etc. gave me guidelines and helped me develop my own teaching pedagogy. For example, the principles of effective writing instruction (“Before, During, After”, building students’ metacognition, explicitly teaching specific comprehension strategies, etc.) will help me plan lessons and help me figure out how I can best teach comprehension. This class really helped me figure out what kind of teacher I want to become, and how I can achieve that. The activities that were demonstrated in this class also helped me see effective principles be put into action. I think a lot of times, in the classes of the Secondary Education Program, principles and theory are talked about, but the actual application is not taught. I feel like this class prepared me for student teaching the most because of this. For example, in another Secondary Education class, we talked extensively about critical literacy. I understood the concept well, but I had no idea exactly how to teach it to my students. The examples of lessons and activities in this class helped me understand the principles in more depth and made me realize just how important it is to teach critical literacy at all ages and in all content areas. 

Connecting School and Home Experiences

When I was younger, I remember curling up on the couch in awkward, uncomfortable positions, and reading for hours. I went from reading the Barbie Adventure books to Harry Potter, all on that ugly, almost guppie green couch that our cats went to town on with their claws. I remember crying on that couch after finishing the last Harry Potter book (I know I'm a total nerd). While thinking about the experiences I had with my discipline at home, I asked myself: why that green couch? Why not my bedroom or the rocking chair or the comfy recliner? As I reflected, I remembered another image, almost identical to the first picture I described. 

My dad. My serious, hard-working, intelligent, police officer dad, would lie on the couch with his nose stuck in a book. I don't know why I didn't think about it first, but now that I remember, he was always on that green couch, too. I can also picture the shear volume of books stacked next to his bed, getting higher and higher after each book was completed. And now that I think of this, I also had a large collection of books stacked in my room. I think this is what first influenced me to read and really connect with English. I was not just encouraged to read books as a child, but my dad set an example for me. Reading was something worth spending time on, a hobby that gave you all kinds of knowledge. I think this shaped my feelings about reading and my opinion that reading is an investment. 

English teachers can demonstrate the value of reading by reading themselves. You practice what you preach. If your students see you reading, see your collection of books, hear you talking about the novel you are reading, this gives them an example what a passion for reading can look like. English teachers can also draw from students' backgrounds and connect them to the literature, without even knowing it sometimes. Students can connect their own experiences (whether known or unknown by the teacher) to the literature in valuable ways, just by discussing themes, character development and motivations, plots lines, metaphors, etc. (which are the core curriculum standards). That is why literature is so great. It is about connecting the human experience. 

Affective Dimensions of Writing

My grandmother, "Grandma Sherrill" is what we call her, is a poet and writer. She published her own book of poetry. I was always inspired by her effort and motivation and tried to follow in her footsteps. Having someone who you look up to and someone who is passionate about something can really spark an interest in anything. She is the one I would share my short stories and poems with. I liked to listen to music and imagine montages that usually turned into some kind of elaborate narrative. I remember talking to her about my wild, weird imagined stories that I came up with and her listening to every bit. 

When asked the question, "Do you think of yourself as a writer?", my first answer would be no. I don't write that much anymore, probably because of the lack of time. I try to write in a journal occasionally and write in it when there is a big event in my life. I also occasionally write poetry to sort out strong emotions. And of course the occasional, pretty much seldom, Facebook post creeps up. Occasionally, occasionally, occasionally... But when reflecting on the kinds of writing I've done in the past, I remembered all the things I used to write. Maybe I do consider myself a writer.

As for school writing assignments, I don't think I pushed myself as much as I did recreationally. I only remember a couple writing assignments, and most of them were from AP English. I do remember my freshmen year writing a letter to Juliet about her decisions with Romeo. I remember really trying to be creative and put effort into that assignment because it was from me and was my opinion. I was very proud of the end product and showed it to my parents. When it comes down to it, I think students remember writing assignments where they can insert a little bit of themselves. Personal narratives, letters, and short stories are great for that very reason, but I don't remember doing that kind of writing in school too much. If students are encouraged to be creative and to branch out, I think those are the assignments that they remember and show to their parents. Even analytical and persuasive essays be creative and personal if you let them choose a topic they are interested in and encourage them to write their opinion. Lastly, I feel that journals for English classes are great tools, especially if you used them right. As long as it doesn't turn into busy work and the questions you ask them are genuine and complex, you may end up with very reflective journal entries. 

Affective Dimensions of Reading

All throughout my elementary and secondary education, I was a struggling reader. I was always one or two grade levels behind. However, I loved to read in my spare time. The Magic Treehouse books, the Harry Potter series, Boxcar Children books, you name it and I read it. I also loved sports. I lived and breathed soccer and basketball. But when it came to school, I struggled. I had to put great effort into everything I did, and I still do. I first became passionate about English during my senior year of high school. I was going through some tough times with my family and my English teacher assigned two books that were very influential to me at the time. This teacher challenged me and helped me become the reader and writer that I am today. My first year of college, I started taking literature and writing classes and my passion for English grew. I completed my minor in Psychology and found a passion there.  I loved learning about why individuals think and act the way they do. Although many of these English and Psychology classes were very demanding and difficult for me, I tried my very best to learn the material because I was passionate about the subject.

A couple years ago, my younger brother was in elementary school. He was also struggling with reading and didn't enjoy it. He was discouraged with school and had to work very hard to get good grades (homework lasted 3-4 hours a night for him). I'm not sure how it all started but we both started exchanging books. I'd give him books that I thought he would like and he gave me books that he liked reading (that's how I read Diary of a Wimpy Kid). I think this personal reading helped him realize that reading wasn't all that bad and that he could get better, and he did. We still exchange books to this day. We both actually enjoy reading, even though it doesn't always come easy to us. 

I hope to inspire a passion for reading and for learning in my students. Especially if the student is a struggling reader like my brother was, I hope to help them improve their reading skills and instill a love for reading. Confucius said, “You cannot open a book without learning something”.  I’d like to think that this is true. I have found that even though I didn’t like an assigned book, I still learned at least something from it. I would love to be able to have a good rapport with my students where I could suggest books they would enjoy to them, and maybe have them give me books to read. I think this kind of open, pro-learning environment will encourage students to feel comfortable with me, their classmates, and their own learning.  Hopefully, I can learn how to best help students acquire skills to become successful in their schooling and in life, and skills that will help them evolve into someone who loves to read.

Introduction

Welcome to Live Love Literacy!
I am creating this blog for an education class of mine, but I aim to continue this blog as I student teach in the spring to document my journey to becoming a professional. My name is Victoria Tonnemacher. I am student at Utah State University studying English in the Secondary Education Program. In my spare time, I love to read, spend time with my husband and family, watch and quote movies, and "take long, luxurious bubble baths" (Name that movie!). I'm excited for this class, "Language, Literacy, and Learning in the Content Areas" and feel like I have already learned better teaching strategies. Hopefully I can explore and share with my readers some new perspectives and ways of thinking about literacy, both in the classroom and out in the real world.