Learning Outcome #2: Possess an in-depth knowledge of the subject area taught
I do not know the answer to everything, and truly who does? There is always something new that can be learned. However, in order to teach it is required to become master learners of what is being taught. It is my job, to not only teach the students reading and writing skills, but also speaking, listening, and language skills (3.1.2). This goes back to the significance of complex texts. Reading helps one become a better writer, and when discussing, language acquisition ties into these key concepts.
The students at Tully High School had vocabulary quizzes almost every week. They were very difficult words, but each list had a specific significance to that week’s lessons. (3.1.1, 3.1.7) For example, list 17 tied in with the novel, The Things They Carried, which we were reading at the time. Not all the words were seen in the text; however every quiz was different, whether it was a crossword puzzle, word and definitions, or word and sentences. For this particular vocabulary quiz, I developed sentences that cooperated with the focal text. Not only did the students have to take a quiz, but they also were instructed to hand in a paragraph with a topic of choice and an integration of the vocabulary words. I found throughout my placement, that these words stuck. The students were using these words in future essays and discussions that I was convinced they would forget after only memorizing for a quiz. My students’ language acquisition was developing before my eyes, proving that their learning was being enhanced. I think that I will deal with vocabulary a little differently though when I begin teaching for my own classroom because engagement is just as important as learning the skills themselves.
Grammar, like language has been known to alter from time to time. And like my students, I have to learn numerous ways of working with grammar (3.1.6). I have to become my own master learner, and I expect my students to as well. Grammar is tricky because I try to make it fun, but it has a bad reputation; as soon as the students hear the word, they instantly moan and groan. Grammar is tough to teach to a whole class because many students are at different levels of understanding. As I taught my lesson on sentence structure, it occurred to me that planning a conference after a writing assignment in order to point out the grammar issues to the individual is much more beneficial for everyone. Although, if there is something a majority of the students don’t understand, then I would have a class lesson on grammar. But, I did notice from their pre-assessment, to their post-assessment that they took my feedback, and my lesson, and responded effectively in their most recent writing assignment empowering them with the skills of understanding grammar.
Throughout the novel, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, it was profound enough to see that the language in the novel was predominantly different than how we speak in the classroom, to our parents, and with our friends (3.1.3). The students were able to see the impact that cultural, economic, political, and social environments have on language. At the end of the unit, I asked the students to reflect on what knowledge they gained throughout the unit and support with examples from the text. Many students incorporated things likes, “I didn’t like it because it was about war, and I hated how much they swore and cursed; it was on every page,” or “I loved how much they swore because that shows that they didn’t censor what kinds of things were said or talked about just because it is a book.” These two comments reveal the understanding of the change in language. We ended up having a very deep discussion on this topic leading to questions like: Why do they speak like that? Why aren’t we allowed to speak like that? How come language changes from place to place, or time to time? Etc. This opened up a plethora of ideas, but they realized, with me as a facilitator of the conversation that language varies from group to group and environment to environment.
During one of my last days, I introduced their next unit based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Throughout my lesson, language was my main target for the students to comprehend how and why language varies and changes in different regions, across different cultural groups, and different time periods (3.1.4). I also focused on the importance and impact of evolution of language because it is always transforming (3.1.5). I emphasized the concepts because they are so clear to see from Tim O’Brien’s novel to Chaucer to our environment in the classroom. I gave them a little background of the Middle-English language, which led to a discussion about Beowulf (the students’ had read previously in the year), and the differences between Old English, Middle English, Shakespeare’s language: Early Modern English, and of course our Modern English now. They were fascinated by the way language varies from time period to time period; we ended with an open-ended question: Where will our language be in another 300 years? This was a powerful lesson that I was so glad to end with because it really obtained the students into thinking about the diverse discourses of language.
I have been in love with English ever since I could speak, even more when I could read, and even more when I could write. The ELA skills have developed and progressed for me since day one. And I can’t help but want to pass those skills onto my students. Becoming a master learner doesn’t mean I know everything, because that would be a lie; however I call myself a master learner because I am always learning. I learn something new everyday, and a majority of that learning comes from my students. Teaching is about bettering my students’ lives with the rich skills of education, and as I continue on this path, my ideas and ways of following this through will only become richer.
Vocabulary Quiz 17
Vocabulary Lists
Lesson on Q and A/Grammar
The students at Tully High School had vocabulary quizzes almost every week. They were very difficult words, but each list had a specific significance to that week’s lessons. (3.1.1, 3.1.7) For example, list 17 tied in with the novel, The Things They Carried, which we were reading at the time. Not all the words were seen in the text; however every quiz was different, whether it was a crossword puzzle, word and definitions, or word and sentences. For this particular vocabulary quiz, I developed sentences that cooperated with the focal text. Not only did the students have to take a quiz, but they also were instructed to hand in a paragraph with a topic of choice and an integration of the vocabulary words. I found throughout my placement, that these words stuck. The students were using these words in future essays and discussions that I was convinced they would forget after only memorizing for a quiz. My students’ language acquisition was developing before my eyes, proving that their learning was being enhanced. I think that I will deal with vocabulary a little differently though when I begin teaching for my own classroom because engagement is just as important as learning the skills themselves.
Grammar, like language has been known to alter from time to time. And like my students, I have to learn numerous ways of working with grammar (3.1.6). I have to become my own master learner, and I expect my students to as well. Grammar is tricky because I try to make it fun, but it has a bad reputation; as soon as the students hear the word, they instantly moan and groan. Grammar is tough to teach to a whole class because many students are at different levels of understanding. As I taught my lesson on sentence structure, it occurred to me that planning a conference after a writing assignment in order to point out the grammar issues to the individual is much more beneficial for everyone. Although, if there is something a majority of the students don’t understand, then I would have a class lesson on grammar. But, I did notice from their pre-assessment, to their post-assessment that they took my feedback, and my lesson, and responded effectively in their most recent writing assignment empowering them with the skills of understanding grammar.
Throughout the novel, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, it was profound enough to see that the language in the novel was predominantly different than how we speak in the classroom, to our parents, and with our friends (3.1.3). The students were able to see the impact that cultural, economic, political, and social environments have on language. At the end of the unit, I asked the students to reflect on what knowledge they gained throughout the unit and support with examples from the text. Many students incorporated things likes, “I didn’t like it because it was about war, and I hated how much they swore and cursed; it was on every page,” or “I loved how much they swore because that shows that they didn’t censor what kinds of things were said or talked about just because it is a book.” These two comments reveal the understanding of the change in language. We ended up having a very deep discussion on this topic leading to questions like: Why do they speak like that? Why aren’t we allowed to speak like that? How come language changes from place to place, or time to time? Etc. This opened up a plethora of ideas, but they realized, with me as a facilitator of the conversation that language varies from group to group and environment to environment.
During one of my last days, I introduced their next unit based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Throughout my lesson, language was my main target for the students to comprehend how and why language varies and changes in different regions, across different cultural groups, and different time periods (3.1.4). I also focused on the importance and impact of evolution of language because it is always transforming (3.1.5). I emphasized the concepts because they are so clear to see from Tim O’Brien’s novel to Chaucer to our environment in the classroom. I gave them a little background of the Middle-English language, which led to a discussion about Beowulf (the students’ had read previously in the year), and the differences between Old English, Middle English, Shakespeare’s language: Early Modern English, and of course our Modern English now. They were fascinated by the way language varies from time period to time period; we ended with an open-ended question: Where will our language be in another 300 years? This was a powerful lesson that I was so glad to end with because it really obtained the students into thinking about the diverse discourses of language.
I have been in love with English ever since I could speak, even more when I could read, and even more when I could write. The ELA skills have developed and progressed for me since day one. And I can’t help but want to pass those skills onto my students. Becoming a master learner doesn’t mean I know everything, because that would be a lie; however I call myself a master learner because I am always learning. I learn something new everyday, and a majority of that learning comes from my students. Teaching is about bettering my students’ lives with the rich skills of education, and as I continue on this path, my ideas and ways of following this through will only become richer.
Vocabulary Quiz 17
Vocabulary Lists
Lesson on Q and A/Grammar