Nature of Literacy and Teaching for All

Sara Wieder  2/3/12                                                Assignment #1

Reflection of ELA Instruction

ELA instruction is divided into five essential components. They are; reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language. Reading is comprehension of text and writing is the ability to plan, revise, and edit usually connected to reading. Speaking and listening is the ability to express and listen to ideas and concepts. Last, language is the vocabulary and word usage. Each component are closely related and overlap the other.

Standards are vital to ELA instruction in that they are guidelines to what the students are expected to know and able to do. The standards highlight the importance ELA instruction is for student’s success in the future. ELA instruction educates citizens to be knowledgeable and participate in today’s high-tech society.

The standards are guidelines, but do not dictate how a teacher should teach. Therefore, it is imperative for a teacher to use creativity and different instructional approaches to ELA instruction.

I aspire that this course will educate me on ELA instruction so that I can prepare my students for success in the future!

Sara Wieder  2/5/12                                                                                                                                                   Assignment #2

Reflection on the Video

The video Becoming Readers and Writers gave insight to positive ELA instruction. Watching Sheila Owen teach and cater to the needs of the diverse student body of her class was a real eye-opener. The first aspect was that she gave the students confidence by showing them that she believes they can read. She stressed that, “we don’t wait for someone to be ready to read”. However, she portrayed to her students that she believes they can read from the first day of school. I believe that this is one of the fundamental reasons for her success. For this reason, all students in her class are readers and writers from day one.

Furthermore, Sheila Owen builds the classroom based on the students’ needs and interests. Her goal is to impact all of her students’ lives and change it for the better. In addition, she addressed the needs of the English Language Learners (ELL’s) and truly gave each child an equal opportunity for success. She gave her students a love for reading and writing by making learning exciting. She involved all students in learning, connected the subject to their interests, and implemented flexible grouping and discussions.

Moreover, the point that I internalized from this video is the learning process that Sheila Owen integrated to help her students become independent readers. She began with read aloud, then shared reading, guided reading, and finally independent reading. This gave her students the independence to read on their own. She taught them, guided them and gave each child a greater chance for success in the future. I truly aspire to be like Sheila Owen and impact my student’s lives in a positive way!

Sara Wieder 2/5/12

Assignment #3

Lesson Plan

The lesson plan on found poetry was a well-planned and developed. It connected student’s interests by using favorite books such as The Bernstein Bears. The lesson addressed the standards and involved all students in the learning process. I liked the idea of presenting the poem to family and friends. This gave every child an opportunity to show what they learnt and know.

However, the lesson didn’t seem to address the needs of the weaker students. A teacher must address the needs and abilities of all students in the classroom. In the lesson it was mentioned a few times, “the older students…” What about the weaker ones? Differentiated instruction is an approach to teaching that meets the needs of all students in a diverse class.