Month: January 2024

The last three weeks I have had the opportunity to participate in three diffrent grade 2 english lessons with the same class. Through these lessons I have learned the importance of moving students and changing activities all the time to keep students participating. I have also finally got to see a UFLI lesson and learn more about this program.

WEEK 1

The first lesson, I got to participate in a station lesson I was in charge of the journal area but their were also more stations focused on writing and reading. In my station I asked the students to write about a winter sport/activity they do. I helped them focus on one area of topic and would help them sound out their words and awnser their questions. The students also went through morning meeting with the teacher, reading the board, and discussing the day.

Big Idea: Language and text can be a source of creativity and joy

Curricular competency: Communicate in writing using paragraphs, grammar, and punctuation.

Content: Language features, structures, and conventions.

WEEK 2

In week 2 the students started off by completing morning work on a sheet like this one. Students are required to write and preform simple calculations to warm-up for the day. After this the students particpated in morning meeting like last time, reading out the message of the day and filling in empty letter spots. The students then were asked to write a descriptive passage about their or a dog. The students were encouraged to use descriptive words and their personal dictionaries (a great idea) to help them in their writing. During this time I helped by walking around the classroom and sounding out words and discussing what their writing is about. I was able to connect with the students and better able to help them in their learning during this class.

Big Idea: Stories and other texts connect us to ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Curricular competency: Plan and create a variety of communication forms for different purposes and audiences.

Content: Writting processes

WEEK 3

This week the students again started with morning work and morning meeting practicing their writing, reading, and math skills to get ready. Afterwards the teacher took the stduents through a section of UFLI. I was very excited about this as i havent got to see this program in action yet. The program looked great and easy to use, all the students were involved and practicing their skills.

After the teacher had the students practice the diffrent letter sounds she had them all grab a whiteboard and begin with one word, asking them to change the word and read it out. Some stduents wrote the whole next word and some just erased the letter and replaced them. During this time I was directly helping one student who was falling behind due to his eraser not working, together we worked together to get a new marker, erase the board and catch up with the teacher. I can imagine this program being sometimes hard for students who need more time as it can go fast. However I really liked how the students were practicing so many essential skills in such a short amount of time. she then finished the work period by reading with the students, having them discuss their predictions and what they though about the story.

Big Idea: Playing with language helps us discover how language works.

Curricular competency: Engage actively as listeners, viewers, and readers, as appropriate, to develop understanding of self, identity, and community

Content: This lesson hit many content areas including diffrent oral, reading, and writing processes, as well as looking a language features, structures, and conventions

Book talk

Most children literature for centuries has been focused on white cis individuals, today representation of all people has become an important issue. By representing diffrent cultures, ideas, and perspectives in childrens literature, our students will be able to build compassion and empathy for others. Without this representation certain students may begin to feel isolated, like no one understands them, by having books written for and by others in their same shoes, the student will be able to feel like they are not the only one.

My classroom

Our classrooms are more diverse then ever, to make sure each of my students are represented I will have to seek books from local communities and around the world. My classroom will be filled with books that are from the point of view of Indiginious, immigrants, Bipoc, and 2SLGBTQIA+ folk. While having stories about these communities is great I must ensure I use authentic sources, many are taking art and stories from others cultures and passing them off as their own. If I do not use authentic sources then these communities will not be emporewed, they will not recieve monetary value, and their voices and cultures will be drowned out by others. In our community a voice has been drowned out by others for so long, and now to practice reconciliation I will work with and use authentic sources from the Ktunaxa nation to ensure I am emporing young students and not drowning out their voices for longer.

Resources

To help me fill my classroom with representitiv books from authentic sources I have compilled a list of resources which can help me in discovering these important books for students.

Strong Nations

Ktunaxa Books

Classic books wriiten by queer folk

Immigrants and refugees

Black Canadian Picture Books

1. How do you feel about reading? Tell me about it.

When I was young, I loved to read but throughout grade school like many kids I began to read less and less. Throughout my last year of high school and during college the only books I read were assigned in the class, while most were dry textbooks, multiple of these books were amazing novels and writings that have grown to be some of my favorites. While I have not read much through my teenage, surprisingly after my first practicum last year the first thing I wanted to do after finishing was to go to the bookstore and start reading more. So throughout the summer I have regained my love of reading and now am an avid reader who loves to learn new stories and facts.  

2. What types of books do you like to read?

I read all different types of books, and this sometimes makes it hard to decide on a book to read as there are so many options. Throughout the summer and fall I read books from multiple genres such as: classic novels, memoires, feminist theory, queer theory, sport books, education, environmentalism and animal/plant/fungal lives, music books, journalism/history, and an array of science books.

3. List some hobbies and things you like to do outside of school.

Outside of school I like to try and stay active, to do this I enjoy climbing, skiing, hockey, skateboarding, and tennis. While I read, participate in these activities, or during my daily life activities I love to have some noise in my ear, whether it is some good music, a podcast, or an audiobook. Other then this I love photography and videography and try to use the activities I love to follow these passions as well.

4. Who are your favourite authors?

So far through my reading journey I have not read many books from the same author twice, however there are a few authors in which I have or am excited to read another work from them. Fyodor Dostoyevsky born in Russia in the 1820 and is a famed novelist from his time, while I have only read one of his books so far, I am super excited to start another. I originally found my next favorite author through a short story I had to read for my first university English class, Haruki Murakami is a contemporary novelist from Japan who has since had is work adapted into a movie. The movie “Burning” is based on the original short story I read in class “Barn Burning”. The last author I will mention is Hunter S Thompson, Hunter was a prized journalist from the USA who coined the term “gonzo journalism” and has written some of the most in-depth and interesting stories of recent times.

5. Tell me a bit about the last book you read that you really enjoyed.

The last book I read was about the lives of fungi and mushroom, this book was wildly entertaining and changed my view of how I see plant and animal life. Through the book I learned how important fungus is to our ecosystems, they allow nutrients under the soil to travel from plant to plant ensuring the success of all life. Mushrooms, fungus, and the building blocks of these organisms, mycelium and hyphae create 100 of kilometers and 1000 of year olds “cellular highways” which are the foundation for the survival of the forests.

6. Tell me a bit about what you have been doing since last semester during your winter break. How have you been spending your time?

My winter break was not spent with a lot of reading, instead I spent time with my family and friends. My family and I spent a lovely Christmas together and I was able to see my old friends from high school. With them I went on hikes, skiing, and skateboarding. Other then this I went to some live music in town, worked, and relaxed while watching the hockey junior world championships.

7. What subjects or topics do you like learning about?

I like to learn about many different subjects in my free time. I like to learn about political and economic theory, psychology and sociology, the environment, and the organisms within it, how the human body and brain works, history, and current affairs. While I have not been able to find a book I would like to read on all these subjects yet I listen to podcasts, read articles, and participate in conversations that allow me to learn new things in these topics.

8. If you could read a book about one thing, what would that be?

There are so many books I would love to read on a specific subject, and I am sure there are some out there I just have to find them. At the moment if I could find a book on one specific topic or question, I think it would be on how our current agriculture practices are unsustainable and how switching to a plant-based diet based on legumes, beans, mushrooms and grain can be healthier for you and the environment. While I appreciate the books on how to create a plant based diet I would want to find one on the science of this topic, addressing how it would be possible, what changes it would make, and the larger socio-economic effect.

In-Situ Classroom

For this in-situ experince I was in a grade 2 classroom, when looking around the classroom I felt like there was not many items on the walls promoting literacy. The classroom had very little words around except for an area about the fall and the calender/morning metting area with a message, schedule and dates. However even though their was not much on the walls all the containers and items were labled getting students to read when grabbing their supplies. The classroom was also filled with books of many diffrent genres and levels. Students all had books in their own cubbies and most were excited to be reading for this reason.

Literacy in my classroom

In my future classroom I will like to include many diffrent posters and things such as word walls to encourage reading in my students. This will allow students to always be reading something and learning new strategies for reading or other skills in school. My classroom will also be filled with books which i am already starting to slowley collect. This will allow me the ability to have every student excited to read about something. Each student will be able to look through the classroom library and find a book which suits their skill level and intrests them. If i am able to achieve that, promote literacy through posters, and through actively expressing my joy for reading the students will gain the motivation to pick up a book and get sucked in.

Another way I want to promote literacy in my classroom is by having a reading corner. I want this corner to be filled with a variety of seating options. I plan to layout my class in a way that gives every student a comftroble way to sit. I am hopping with this the students will be more willing to get comfy and relax and enjoy their book. If students dont feel comfortbale and safe they will be too distracted with other things to enjoy their book, by trying to build this space of comfortability I hope I can deminish this problem.