Journal #1- M. Cylar

Refine – How will you use the information in your classroom?

      Chapters 5 and 26 outlined a number of strategies that I believe would assist me in helping my students to promote language and literacy development.  One particular strategy I would like to incorporate is the “literacy backpack/Cylar’s Backpack Leaners”.  By allowing at least two students to take home a special book, game or an activity to share with their parents/family would help to support learning, reinforce skills, build student confidence, and get parents involved. For example when a student gets the opportunity to take home a book that was previously read in class, for example “Goldilocks Rocks!” a fable.  He or she can read it to their parents and act it out.  Learners will also be able to act out parts and act as the teacher by asking questions like “Who were the main characters?” “How do the pictures show how a character feels” and “What was the lesson behind the story?” Students will also get the chance to share their experience with the class as well. 

      The language experience approach to writing and reading would be another way to enhance learning.  With this method students would be grouped with other students from various reading levels.  Higher leveled students would write lower leveled students dictation of short stories (rhymes) previously read on chart paper.  Thereafter, another student would read the story while another learner points to each word (Peregoy, & Boyle, pp. 201 - 202).  I believe this activity will benefit all leaners primarily because each student would get a chance to participate while learning from each other.         

     Technology is a part of our everyday lives. Within the classroom technology serves as a means where all students can take an active role in participating and achieving academic and social success. Enhancing the writing process through the means of students participating in acting out or putting on a skit to a familiar book or poem would be an activity that I would like my students to engage in.  As noted on page 361 (Zainuddin, Yahya, Jones, & Ariza), students would be involved in designing their costumes, taking pictures to show their creativity, and then use “audio-or videotape to write and record their work”. The enhancing writing idea is very similar to what one of my reading groups, the Butterflies are engaging in now (Social Studies Fable Readers Theater).  In this particular reading, students have been practicing their lines for a couple of days.  Next it will be time for them to tape their performance, and then present to the class.  My students are excited about performing the skit and I can’t wait to see them in action.  This activity in connection with each of the strategies outline in both chapters are  great for building vocabulary, reading/speaking and listening development, in addition to building confidence for all students in my classroom.