Reading Logs

Session 1--Chapter 1:

The portion of chapter 1 that stood out to me the most was Burke's discussion of literacy as a necessary skill not just in academics, but in life. English in particular is a subject that has the potential to bring literacy to life for students. I will bring this reality to my classroom by keeping the content we read as relevant as possible and always highlighting the importance of being deep, literate thinkers in our community.

Session 2--Chapter 5:

In reading the chapter, Teaching Reading, the topic that stood out to me the most was perhaps the most simple. On page 140, Burke begins discussing the importance of the way in which we portray reading to our own students. This seems obvious given that we teach English but personally, I have overlooked many opportunities in which I could share my love for reading with my students. This can be added to my classroom by simply adding more of my take on some of the readings we do in class and also sharing more about what readings across time have shaped my personal identity. Since our class has a large focus on culture and identity, this can really add a lot of depth and my personal take on why reading is important. If I make this a focus for next semester, I hope to see student investment in reading grow.

Session 3--Chapter 3:

Upon reading Chapter 3, How to Teach So Students Will Learn, Use and Remember--and Enjoy, I reflected on the structure Burke used to teach novels. This upcoming unit, I will be teaching the novel, Things Fall Apart, and have really been struggling to plan the unit given that I’ve never taught a novel before and the majority of my curriculum up to this point has been short, non fiction texts and articles. I appreciated the structure of starting with whole class notes, transitioning to partner and group discussions and finishing off with an individual writing assignment. I want to have my students write more before their final essay this upcoming unit and feel this structure would prepare them to be successful in that. Having students discuss in partners before returning whole class can serve as an opportunity for them to discuss and gather ideas from each other before needing to answer in a higher-stakes environment.

Session 4--Chapter 8:

Upon reading chapter 8, Assessing and Grading Student Learning and Work, the topic that stood out the most was discussing writing with students and where we put our energy in as teachers. During after school office hours, I often have students ask questions about what they need to do to get an A, instead of asking questions around how to become better writers or readers. This is because at our school, grades matter A LOT. Students are motivated and pressured to achieve well enough to earn As and Bs. Our charter school has a college preparatory purpose and therefore, students need strong grades to be able to follow this model and achieve “college readiness.” After office hours, I feel very tired and super low energy, this is because, as Burke discusses, these types of conversations “take energy” instead of giving it to me. I can improve this by introducing forms of formative assessments into my teaching, more often. This would allow students to be able to assess their own writing and turn their focus to improving the skill instead of just passing the class or getting an “A.”

Session 5--Chapter 5b:

In reviewing Chapter 5, Teaching Reading, another strategy I found useful was incorporating the “Expert Project” as a way of encouraging independent reading for students. As of now, students in my class are expected to read independently every single day but I haven’t found a way to systemize this for them or even figure out an effective tracking system for myself to make sure they’re being held accountable for this.

By implementing this year long project and making it accessible for students, they will be able to practice effective self time management. I will make sure they’re practicing this skill by providing them with due dates throughout the year to make sure they are on track. By having the requirement of also needing to do some sort of written analysis, I will be able to measure how much students actually got out of the books and they are given an opportunity to show their understanding through writing.

Session 6--Chapter 4:

Upon reading Chapter 4, Teaching Writing, the biggest topic that stood out was differentiating and supporting students in their writing. This can be done based on their level of interest and abilities in writing. For instance, dividing students into categories and offering them supports based on this can support an entire class in advancing. This can also inform the type of feedback I give students and can be helpful because if students can receive feedback that is actually helpful based on their level of comfort with writing, they are much more likely to improve. If a student is at a level 1 comfort with writing, giving immense amounts of feedback can be really overwhelming for them and they might do better with feedback that targets one aspect of their writing. For students who are much more comfortable with writing, giving them feedback that matches the level of rigor can really take their writing to the next level.

Session 7--Chapter 8b:

Upon reviewing chapter 8, Assessing and Grading Student Learning and Work, another strategy that stood out for me was teaching students to “read the language of tests.” This can range from teaching students what type of essay they will be writing based on the assigned prompt to teaching them how to break down multiple choice questions. Implementing this skill more directly and purposely into my lessons can allow students to have a stronger sense of direction when they are taking tests in class. This can be a strong support for students who have historically lower test scores because it teaches them to “play the game” of test taking and it can even expand to essay writing. This can serve students well as they move on to take standardized college tests in their upcoming high school years.

Session 8--Chapter 7:

Upon reading Chapter 7, Language Study, the topic that stood out the most was the importance and many arguments around teaching vocabulary. More specifically, teaching individual words and precisely words that have to do with the topics we cover in class can ensure that students actually learn them and will use them in their discussions. For example, teaching words at the beginning of the unit that students will be seeing over again in the unit will make sure they are provided with the definition and ways of using it early enough to have an understanding of them. One way I hope to incorporate this skill into my classroom is by allowing students to come up with their own sample sentences to show whether or not they have mastered the understanding of the word.

Session 9--Chapter 7b:

Upon reviewing Chapter 7, Language Study, another topic that stood out for me was using images to teach vocabulary in the classroom. All of my students have different ways of learning their best and some of those include learning through visuals. For students who struggle with auditory processing, being able to see images of whatever we are learning can make their their conceptualization of the term or phrase is solidified. Students will also be able to make connections between tangible objects and the abstract ideas we discuss in English II. Since it is many of their first times discussing cultural concepts, this can serve as a strong scaffold to make sure they are understanding and keeping up with concepts we discuss in class.

Session 10--Chapter 6:

Upon reading Chapter 6, Speaking and Listening, the topic I found the most helpful was the requirements needed to provide students with a safe space for discussions. For many of my students, speaking in front of a group of people is a huge phobia and can spur up a lot of anxiety for them. Nevertheless, public speaking is such an important skill to teach students in their high school years given the upcoming potential interviews they’ll have to prep for and such. According to Burke, providing students with clear objectives and criteria can help them better prepare for assignments involving oral presentations. Additionally, giving students ample time to prepare and get ready for their presentations can help ease the nerves since it’ll give them more time to practice. To conclude, there are steps I can take to both provide students with clear structures and practice time before any upcoming assignments that involve oral presentations.

Session 11--Chapter 6b:

Upon reviewing Chapter 6, Speaking and Listening, another topic I found intriguing was the discussion techniques provided for classrooms. Burke outlines many different types of discussions that take place in the classroom and offers sentence stems for each type. This can be super helpful as I attempt to incorporate more opportunities for students to strengthen this skill and also be able to practice it in the classroom. For example, we can have socratic seminars and debates around issues coming up in the coming units. Being able to teach students about the different skills that they will be using not just in their education, but in life situations such as job interviews, can really build investment in this topic. Similarly, being able to provide sentence stems for students can help ease a lot of the anxiety around discussions and support the students that need it the most. If a student is feeling stuck or without sometime to say, a sentence stem can go a long way.

Session 12--Chapter 4b:

Upon reviewing Chapter 4, Teaching Writing, another topic that stood out was differentiating and supporting students in their writing using sentence starters. This can be especially helpful during class periods in which we work to develop outlines and brainstorms that eventually become fully formed essays. Allowing students to have sentence starters can be helpful to English Language Learners and students with learning differences, this can serve as a useful scaffold for students. Allowing students to use sentence starters can support students who often experience writer’s block and can help kick start their essays. Offering a range of sentence starters can provide students with practice using different types of writing styles until they can remove their dependence on them can kick start strong essays on their own.