Read Write project

This is a link to a podcast on authentic engagement for my readers writers project:

http://authenticengagement.podomatic.com/

Content Area Writing

In regards to the reading from the Content Area Writing book, I was intrigued mainly by one of the strategies. Being an English teacher, most of the strategies that were presented were familiar to me. The one that seemed new to me was the idea of the teacher-student journal. This idea is appealing to me because it is a strategy that works on different levels. It works to keep an open dialogue with your students, gives a voice to shy students, and gives the teacher an opportunity to individualize instruction.

Adolescent Literarcy chapter 13

I really do not have much to say about this chapter that Linda Rief hasn't already said better. I feel that for content teaches, Rief has been able to condense what other writers have done in complete books in one chapter. When reading, I was immediately reminding of Nancy Atwell and while there are a lot to argue with in Rief and Atwell (who was found in Rief's suggested reading), I would remind content teachers that one can look at this not like a process but a series of strategies that one use and adapt for one's own use. When considering this chapter, I would suggest that one also read Lisa Delpit's "Other People's Children" which is curiously abscent from the suggested readings.


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Adolescent Literacy Chapter 11

In response to the writing in chapter 11, I get the sense of some nice overarching ideals. The idea of teacher as writing may be disconcerting to a lot of teachers, but for an English teacher, it seems to be quite natural. I think that the teacher as a writer allows the teachers to have, as Romano states, an empathy for what all writers go through. As for his idea of multiple genres, I feel that this is important because as a teacher, we never know what genre or what approach is going to be the one that will spark a students writing.

This I Believe...

...That writing can be taught. When I make this statement, I am mainly thinking of academic writing. I believe that students can be taught to formulate an opinion (thesis), and work through that opinion by giving clear thoughts and supporting evidence. I believe that once teachers are able to help students internalize what writing is, that they can do it. I believe that grammar can be taught within the teaching of writing. Although I find it harder to do, I believe that a teacher can also teach creative writing. Creative writing is taught of the university level and there is creative writing in the KY writing portfolio.

Mr. Woehlcke’s class blog

I really don't have much to elucidate on about this blog. However, I have surprised and impressed with how Mr. Woehlcke has used blogs in his classroom. I never really considered the variety of uses that could be found for the podcast in the classroom. On a personal note, I was very impressed that the high school class had read "The Handmaid's Tale."

Adolescent Literacy chapter 17

"Wow." That is the first thing that comes to mind. When reading this chapter, I couldn't help but to feel a little overwhelmed. Before, assessment seemed to be a pretty straightforward concept and I thought that understood where I stood. But as I read through the chapter, the concept started to become overwhelming and daunting. I was glad to get to the end of the chapter when David Pearson put some earth back under my feet. He stated that assessment is "both the easiest and hardest job we have as educators." I then realize that what they where debating was exactly what we have been learning to do throughout this program. Being a new teacher, I am in the position to establish good habit and build an effective and authentic assessment system.