ELAAnn

1. Write a bibliographical entry for the book using APA format. Burke, J. (2008). //The english teacher's companion//. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

2. What is the author’s background in education? He teaches high school English and has authored numerous books.

3. Skim through the Introduction: Teaching English in the Twenty-First Century. What are 2 key insights that you gained?

- Media is very important in teaching and communicating in a 21rst century classroom -

4. Looking at the Table of Contents, what are the 4 main sections of the book? 1. Foundations 2. New directions in teaching English: Implications 3. Issues in teaching English 4. From becoming to being an English teacher

5. Which chapter should you definitely read before you begin the unit project? Chapter Ten

6. Which chapter will be particularly helpful with planning assessments? Chapter 11

7. Look through the Appendices. Which 2 appendices do you think you will find most helpful during student teaching? Why?

New Teacher checklist – because we’ve never taught a class before and sometimes it’s scary going into a new environment without a plan

Classroom self-evaluation checklist – reflection is important as a teacher. Modifying what isn’t working in the classroom and noting what is working.

8. In Chapter 2, Four Components of Effective Teaching are explained. What are they? Give an example of each.

1. Construction – understanding root words and the meanings of suffixes and prefixes

2. Occupation – explaining to students the relevancy of the material and how it relates to real life. Writing for professionals or understanding plot elements in order to develop a screen play.

3. Negotiation – allowing students to create their classroom norms or to give them choice in a variety of assignments. Building community in your classroom.

4. Conversation – circle at the beginning of class in order to provide an environment for students and teacher to get to know one another.

9. Of all the chapters in the book, which one interests you the most? Why?

- Ann – Dear New Teacher - Jordan – Ch 14, Integrating English projects and exhibitions into the curriculum

10. Of all the chapters in the book, which one will you probably not read during this course? Why?

Jordan and Ann – A modern profile of adult literacy (we’re adults and we know how to read)

11. What is one section in particular that you would like to discuss further with your content advisor? Ann – measuring student progress Jordan – Getting a job teaching english

Three Current Trends and/or Best Practices in the English Classroom 1. Vocab strategies 2. Young adult vs. Classics 3. Read alouds

In the article, “In Defense of the Five-Paragraph ﻿Essay,” Kerri Smith explains why it’s vital that the five-paragraph essay format is taught and practiced at the high school level. As an English professor, she has many students who don’t know the basics of essay writing and therefore struggle with college-level writing. Smith strongly believes that high school students need to learn the five-paragraph essay format.

Smith supports her arguments convincingly by using the same format she’s defending to show its efficiency. She also emphasizes that high school students should be given the opportunity to learn and master the basics of writing.

It’s important as an English teacher to expose students to all types of writing and to show their different formats and presentations. I personally like the five-paragraph essay format because it’s great for people who struggle with organization and structure when writing. The format is a very useful model for students who are beginning to develop their composition skills.

Thesis Statement:

Teaching young adult literature in the English curriculum has been proven vital for adolescent readers in the 21st century because this genre deals with important issues that reflect adolescents’ interests and concerns, offers diverse subgenres and multicultural books that represent the different cultures found in the world, and increases reading for pleasure among young people.


 * 1) **Introduction** – (Brief summary on YA lit and thesis statement on the importance of YA lit in the classroom.)
 * 2) **The relevance of YA books**
 * 3) Young people can relate to It themes, plots, language, and characters.
 * 4) It can help adolescents overcome life’s problems.
 * 5) **Diversity in YA lit**
 * 6) It offers choice to students.
 * 7) It presents different viewpoints.
 * 8) **Promotes reading for enjoyment**
 * 9) YA lit books are entertaining.
 * 10) It makes adolescents lifelong readers.
 * 11) **Conclusion**
 * 12) Summary and restate thesis statement.

Two insights about assessment from content advisor:


 * Grading content rather than behavior--teachers must be fair and grade on content rather than behavior. Although a student maybe late to class or turn in late work, teachers should avoid giving a bad grade as a punishment.


 * Allowing students revise a graded paper with comments on it--English teachers must remember that writing's an ongoing process and that we should permit students to revise a paper if they want to be proficient in writing.

My late-work policy would consist of accepting late work on a descending scale. There has to be consequences with turning in late work or students will always turn in things late. Students need to learn to turn in assignments on time because it teaches them responsibility; it's an invaluable life skill to have. Also there would be a cut-off date. I agree with what Lisa said in class that if we're on a new unit, it doesn't make any sense to accept late work from the previous unit. Of course, there are exceptions. Perhaps I'd allow students one "free pass" where they can turn in their assignment late without penalty. I think my policy is fair because it still allows students to get some credit for their late work, which encourages them to do the homework.

Unit Plan

Topic: The Harlem Renaissance

Learning Objectives: Students will define and discuss about the people who were part of the Harlem Renaissance. Students will interpret the art of the Harlem Renaissance. Students will evaluate the cultural, political, and social influences that impacted the Harlem Renaissance.

Essential Questions: How did literature and the arts reflect the African American experience during the Harlem Renaissance? What social barriers were there between black Americans and white Americans in the early 1900's?

Three Insights from Tracy

Tracy has provided us with some useful insights and tips in the English classroom. She always gives us plenty of hand outs that we may possibly use in our teaching careers. Tracy's lenient attitude on late work has definitely made me realize that being a relaxed teacher isn't necessarily a bad thing. Being a new teacher, I'm so caught up on not being seen as weak and a pushover that sometimes I forget to put myself in my students' shoes--sometimes we all need an extension on our homework. Another interesting insight from Tracy is that sometimes as teachers we may make too big of a deal on something that really shouldn't be. For example, making a big announcement that we're reading a multicultural book or a book written by a woman. It's a good reminder that we must be mindful of what attitudes we're bringing into the classroom; it's a double-edge sword. Finally, the last thing I took away from Tracy was to have a sense a humor and shrug off the small stuff. As English teachers, we'll need to laugh a lot to keep our insanity from all the crazy shit we see, hear, and read.

Scenarios

The easiest scenario to adapt to is the impromptu student assembly on the fourth day of my unit plan. I think this occurs frequently because I saw this many times in both my placements. This is where teachers have to be quick and flexible. My adjustments would include giving a work day or catch up day for the two sections that had class. Therefore the one class that didn't have meet because of the assembly can catch up.

The hardest scenario to adapt to is the lack of availability of computers. In my unit, many of my assignments require students to be on computers with Internet access. I really don't know what I would do if I found last minute that we couldn't use the computer lab. The only thing I can think of is if it was my WebQuest assignment, maybe the class could work together as a whole unit in the classroom.

Grading Issues

To be frank, I'm not confident at all when it comes to grading. I haven't been really exposed to grading. I hope that I can be consistent and fair. I'll have the hardest time grading essays. Besides being time-consuming because I'll want to fix very little thing, I haven't read many high school student essays recently and therefore I don't really have a point of reference. I'll definitely check out the student writing samples at the WI DPI site.