Seedfolks & Characters

I recommend to anyone reading this blog who has not done the assigned readings for class to definitely do the Allen readings before the Seedfolks book.  The things that Allen discusses and clarifies in these two chapters became very apart and alive to me in Seedfolks.  The first aspect was about creating a character by "showing, not telling" (Allen, 2001).  Too many times in writings, especially writings done by nonprofessional authors, there is a common theme for the writer to directly tell the reader what the character is doing, how he or she looks, what clothes they are wearing in every scene, whether they like their coffee with cream or sugar, whether they are left handed or right handed, the list goes on and on.  A skilled writer will use aspects of language and scenery for the reader to feel connected to the character and form their own thoughts and conclusions about their lives not mentioned by the author.  It is a fine line authors walk when creating a character of giving just enough information away so that the reader sees aspects of this character as the author wants him or her to, but also not to put so much in the writing that the reader does not feel a sense of being connected to the character based on their own inferences.

This leads me to Seedfolks.  After reading the back cover and receiving out assignment today in class (being given a character to focus on with quotes he or she says), I jumped to the conclusion that there were, indeed, thirteen characters, but that the characters would not tell one story and be done, I thought I would hear their voice later in the book.  Yes, they sometimes showed up in other characters/voices sections, but their point of view was only given once.  When I was finished with the book I felt a connection to a number of the characters through people in my current life.  For instance, after reading Leona's story, I immediately connected some of her tactics with my mother's persistence of getting things done.  Even though my mom does not "... have two kids in a high school that has more guns than books...", she does know about getting things done and talking to the right people to make it happen (Fleischman, 2002).  And she is SO persistent.  I used to be extremely embarrassed about this as a child, but now I find myself doing it sometimes.  Furthermore, I think we all know someone like Virgil's dad: wanting to get rich quick and won't stop at anything to provide something better for his family.  This reminds me of so many dad's in America who would do anything to promote a better life for their family and children. Finally, my favorite character was Curtis, but then again, I think I am just a sucker for a good love story =)

My point is that through the readings of these characters, Fleischman did such a good job of leading me with just enough information that I could connect with each character while forming a relationship with them and someone in my own life.  In Allen's terms, he has mastered showing, without telling.        

Invitations to Literacy

How is it that in my sixteen years of school I had never heard of an Invitation, and within the past week I have done two assignments on it?! I am currently taking a class on trade books and this past week I had to read the same article that was assigned for this week by Katie Van Sluys and create my own invitation.  I am in love with Invitations! They are great because they allow kids to be guided by a topic that the teacher might help them decide about, but from there, the students are encouraged to let their curiousities take them to new places with research and ideas. 

The biggest clarification that was made for me about Invitations is that they are not anything like "stations".  There are nine aspects of an Invitation that define it as such.  The ones that really stuck out to me was "Value alternative responses" and "Represent our best current understandings."  I particularly liked when Van Sluys mentions "...complex problems are rarely paired with simple solutions." 

On a different note, if any one is interested in seeing an example of an Invitation I would be more than happy to email you the one I created.  Just let me know!

Benefits of The Multigenre Research Paper

I have to admit that before taking this course I had never heard of a multigenre research paper (mgrp).  When I saw it on the syllabus as one of our major writing assignments for the semester, I thought it was just like any other assignment professors put in the syllabus.  I did not really think about the meaning behind it or even what the title referred to.  Since reading chapters 1, 2, 3, and 6 in Allen's book and "The Donut House..." article, my information on the mgrp has grown immensely.  I now understand the many benefits behind it; the benefits are for elementary-aged students and not just graduate level adults.

One thing that really stuck out to me in Allen's piece was on page 1 when she states, "When given the chance to select their own topics to research, decide which genres to write in, and determine how they want to present their findings to an audience, students change.  They become empowered.  They assume ownership of their learning and display pride in showing off their accomplishments."  This quote embodies everything that I was having trouble with in the assignment of doing a mgrp.  Our professor gave us such freedom in picking a topic and also in picking the types of genres to present our topic in that I felt lost.  I was so frustrated that I did not have more guidelines as to what kind of topic to look for.  I became very pessimistic about the whole thing.  However, I learned that the reason she was doing this was to not limit our creativity and our imaginations; for almost two decades I am so used to having teachers assign me a topic and tell me in which format to write it in that I was thrown for a curve ball when our professor gave us free range.  However, I understand how for a child having free range is the way to go because it enables them to take ownership of their writing and feel a sense of pride and passion. 

I remember on the first day of class when Karen made us write a list of pieces of literacy we had made in the past couple of days.  The lists ranged from things like grocery lists, homework labels, balancing checkbooks, thank you cards, text messages, e-mails, etc.  This activity really made me realize that literacy is all around us and it does not have to come in the form of a book or magazine to be considered literacy.  In Powell and Davidson's piece entitled "The Donut House..." the authors claim that "[i]t is one of the paradoxes of schooling that the kinds of texts most privileged in schools are the ones least likely to be pursued once people leave schooling" (page 249).  This quote really resonated with me.  As a society we tend to value certain types of literacy more than others.  In schools, we think a research paper has more credibility than a narrative.  We often think comics have little credibility compared to classic novels.  However, I can not name one adult who has ever written a research paper after he or she has graduated from college.  And I know adults who read the comics every day in the newspaper but claim they do not have time to read a book.  So, to me, the mgrp makes sense by letting children choose their topic, the format of their research, as well as the genres of their presentation. 

Competing to Read

For my multi-genre research paper I am taking a look at reading incentive programs such as Pizza Hut's Book It! program and Accelerated reader.  I want to see how these programs promote reading compared to more standard approaches like read alouds in class, reader's workshop, and being read to as a child by an adult figure.  I have a personal attachment to this topic because as a child I loved these reading incentive programs mentioned above.  I was a very active reader when I was in elementary school.  I was also very tall and clumsy with my long limbs.  It is because of this that I was not very athletic until junior high so the one thing I did excel in was reading.  I loved the incentive programs because it was finally something I was good at and these programs gave me something I could show for it.  Now, the question is, was I good at reading and excelled in these programs because my parents always made reading a very important aspect of growing up?  I was always read to as a child and it was usually one of my favorite activities.  Of course, there are going to be some students who do not excel in these programs and may not like reading because of it.  But with that being said, there are some students who do not excel in P.E. or music, but the school district does not do away with those programs.  I am not sure what my personal stance is on keeping these programs in schools (I am constantly going back and forth with arguments), but I am hoping my research will form a clear path for me.  I am excited to see how my paper comes together!   

Teaching the Conference

I felt like I really connected with Chapter 10 this week out of Hale's Crafting Writers K-6.  When I was in elementary school I loved to have conferences with the teacher.  I always wanted the personal feedback about how good I was doing at something, or even if I needed to work on a specific technique in a subject.  Whatever it might have been I just think I longed for the personal attention.  Today, even with the ever-growing large classroom sizes, it is still equally as important to have conferences with students about their writing.  Having conferences allows not only for praise, but it allows the teachers to be more specific in their instruction than they can be with written comments on homework or while walking around observing students' work.

In Hale's section about conferences there are two points that really stuck out to me: saying why it's good, and having the student repeat the technique.  In the section about saying why it's good, there was so much information that really hit home with me that I know I need to work on while being in the classroom.  I sometimes get in the habit of using general terms like "good job" or "this is nice" or "great work" when complimenting a child or a student.  And even though I really mean what I am saying, it can seem dull or mundane or not meaningful to the child especially if he or she has no idea what I am commenting on.  By specifically saying what I like about a child's work I am able to praise him or her by helping the students "understand the value of the craft or mechanics skill that already exists in their writing" (Hale, 167).  Hale continues to point out that students might often be aware of the words they chose to reflect their ideas, but they might not know there is a specific craft that can be taught in a lesson through this writing.  I would not want to miss an opportunity to do this with a student.

The second technique of having a student repeat the skill is something I have done and have been asked to do throughout my educational career.  I think that by asking a student to repeat a lesson, or directions, or in this case a craft, it allows the student to take ownership of the craft and put it in his or her own words for better understanding.  It is not just a foreign idea that the teacher is preaching about.  This can eliminate using questions such as "Does this make sense?" or "Do you see what I mean?" and puts the responsibility on the student to actually show me that they understand (Hale, 169).  I hope the be able to use these two techniques in my field experiences this semester.