Levels of Comprehension

After reading the Applegate article, I thought it was funny how it went over all the types of comprehension. I never thought about how I comprehend material. I knew I was different and sometimes I twist words up and make my own understanding of the question or the reading. That would make me an author in comprehension. Not only do I twist the answer around I also add my own story to it. For example I always relate things back to myself. I create examples that could be related to the question. I will also pull information out of thin air to make it lengthy and educational, that description makes me a minimalist. I will elaborate on issue that are unnecessary to the answer.

On the other hand, my children are left field and fuzzy thinkers. Since my class is a kindergarten, if that get asked a question without it being modeled, they will answer with a story. Their stories consist of what they like, what they did, or what they will be doing after school. For my fuzzy thinkers they pick up on the question, but are not able to give a concert answer. They are learning make-believe and real as of right now. As they continue to grow they will become more experienced critical thinkers.

I previously stated that my students learn by modeling. Their comprehension level becomes higher when given an example or a visual. For example the other day in class my CT had a question that was what job would you like when you get older. First answer a car wash and second was taking care of dogs. My CT chimed in and said well car washes don’t make much money and a person that cares for dogs and animals is called a vet. The children then began to think of the jobs their parents have and established a higher comprehension. This activity was meant to be open-ended but my CT had to simplify it for the children to become more aware of the topic. In the future visuals, charts,, and modeling is an extremely important strategy in teaching young children.

Literacy in Homeless Shelters

I read the article, Supporting the Literacy Development of Children Living in Homeless Shelters. I found this article particularly interesting in how effective literacy can be for someone of poverty. Last year was the first time that I had experienced having a student in my classroom that was living in a homeless shelter. He was a seventh grade student who has spent most of his life in and out of homeless shelters. What was most interesting about this student was that he was illiterate. This article shows how powerful literacy can be to someone who doesn't have much money. I often wonder how different this students life would be if he would have learned how to read. This article shows many ways in which a teacher can help a student who is living in shelters. Literacy can be a great outlet for students who are struggling with matters outside of the classroom. Something as simple as reading a book will help educate the children who have to live in homeless shelters giving them a better chance at making a better life when they grow older.

I liked how this article took you through five basic ways to help bring literacy into the homeless shelters. I think the most important point they made was to work with the director of the homeless shelter. If you want to implement any sort of literacy inside the shelter you must run it by the director first. You will need to explain to them how this will be a great way to help educate the students who are living in the shelters and also how it is inexpensive. There was a sentence in the article that stood out to me it was, "as educators, we must all first recognize the potential and possibility even in the most seemingly unlikely places." This shows that teachers need to be aware of all of there students backgrounds and understand that just because they may not have the most ideal living situation they are still fully capable of being a great student they just may need a little different teaching methods or in this case more resources. I dont see a reason not to bring literacy into the shelters as it will only help educate more people in this world.

ELL in Literacy

Having had access to a computer throughout the majority of my life, and being instructed to use it as a tool in classrooms from a very young age, I would consider myself a digital native but by no means a digital explorer, innovator, or addict. I use technology as a tool to function in this technological world, but I have no particular understanding about how it works. The majority of my family, however, would be classed as digital immigrants. My grandparents, for instance, use technology regularly in order to communicate with others. However, they must explicitly learn how to use everything that comes naturally to a digital native. I find myself comparing this relationship to the digital world much like English language learners.

Like the English language, technology is a means to an end; it gets us information, allows us to write, create, and read. The English language is very much a similar thing. In a classroom, English allows students to access information and acts as a means of communication. Without this tool, one cannot get the same information. Therefore, the "digital immigrant" is much like the ELL in that they need to explicitly learn both the tool and the information that it provides at the same time.

The Mohr article addresses this difficulty when it highlights the fact that ELL are frequently taken from their classes to a ESOL teacher where the explicitly learn the tool, but are in the meantime missing out on the information that the tools accesses. In both of these cases, the students need several things to allow them the best possible chance at success. One point that the Mohr article suggests is increasing "talk time." Similarly, digital immigrants need to have time to practice using technology as a tool so that it becomes more natural. Explicit lessons in both English and technology will be beneficial for their respective "immigrants."