PhyreBards

So instead of venting today, I've decided to post a (potentially) productive entry. So I went to my placement this morning and (nervously) approached my teacher about being more involved in the class. She told me that I could lead the exercise "I have... who has" that the students are very familiar with. Yay! So I led this activity and the students loved it! So I figured I'd share their game. At Western they have a set list of vocabulary words that the students are required to know and that the teachers are required to teach. So what my teacher did was create little cards that have a word on it and a request for a synonym for a different word. For example: One student reads, "I have Lumber. Who has a synonym for Mourning?" and another student responds, "I have Grieving. Who has a synonym for Apply?" and they continue until the synonym requested is the starting person's word. Maybe it's a little confusing to read about, but I thought it was a really great way for all students to get involved and to encourage vocab. word usage. The goal was to complete the circle/activity as quickly as possible. Once one round is over, students switch cards and you start over until you're ready to move to the next activity. So yeah. I thought it was a neat way to do the boring vocab reviews! :)

I am writing in response to the reading from "Making the Journey" on Chapter 6; Words, Words, Words. This chapter had some good ideas in terms of how to approach grammar and usage in the classroom because as a Middle Grades English teacher, so much of English is Language Arts. I had a small discussion with my cooperating teacher about this very topic last week because she was explaining to me that the school requires her to do these sentence corrections at the beginning of every class. "Caught Ya" is a 3 year long story broken up into short paragraphs that the students are supposed to correct for grammar and spelling on a daily basis. Mrs. Russell does not like doing these just because it is kind of monotonous for the students. She also considers herself more of a Literature teacher than Language Arts. So she is more inspired and feels that she is a better teacher when it comes to looking at Literature. She spends more time on literature in the classroom, which is better in my opinion anyways. But should teachers in the middle school focus more on the language side of English so that less time is wasted later when they are thinking critically on literature in the high school? Not that I want to teach grammar.. at all, because I don't, but would it help our students in the long run to clarify what language is ok to use in the home or on the playground versus in the classroom? I loved the section in the chapter that talked about the Student's Right to Their Own Language, because I totally believe that students should not be told that the way they speak is wrong but that there is a certain language that is expected in an academic and professional setting. "Their purpose will guide their language" (p. 202). While this gets complicated to explain I think it would be beneficial for the students to learn what kind of English is appropriate. If we give them the tools early and they feel more comfortable with the language being used, they will be more likely to have higher expectations for themselves.