Resource Blog #3: Literacy and a Deeper Understanding of Mathematics

Link to Blog: https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/10-ways-literacy-can-promote-a-deeper-understanding-of-math/

While researching math literacy, I came across a blog post by TeachThought Staff. In this blogpost, the author shared ten ways that math teachers can incorporate literacy into the classroom. I though this blogpost was an interesting read because most people think that literacy and math do not go together. However, the opposite is true-- literacy is interwoven all throughout mathematics!

The author shares from personal experience on how she connected literacy and math in her classroom. Most of her tactics include having the children verbally say things, such as explaining their mistakes or telling a friend how they solved a problem. I thought this was interesting because when we think of literacy, we don't always think about verbal communication. Other tactics included writing, online discussions, and asking questions. I think this is a great resource for middle school math teachers because it provides ten easy, practical ways to promote literacy in a mathematics classroom. As literacy in the classroom increases, the students will begin to have a deeper understanding of math!

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Synthesis Blog #3: How Should I Use a Textbook in My Class?

When reflecting on my experience in school, I remember that curriculum and learning were both heavily based on textbooks. In my classes, we read most of the textbook whether it was assigned for in class or outside of class. I find it particularly interesting that the author emphasizes to not assign the entire textbook, especially since this is the opposite of how I learned. Retrospectively speaking based on my classroom experience, it seems that there was a great amount of time wasted in trying to cover the whole textbook instead of focusing on if we as students grasped the concepts. As a future teacher, I understand that it is important to be very selective in how I use a textbook, but as I began this chapter, I wasn't sure how to implement that.

As I continued reading the chapter, I learned many things from the six activities listed. I really liked the idea of using the Jigsawing activity in my classroom. Since my content areas are math and science, most of my readings would probably consist of textbooks, articles, and texts similar to this. Because of this, the readings I use in my classroom could be very easily subdivided. Since kids would specialize in a smaller number of topics by using a Jigsaw activity, reading and understanding large texts would be far less overwhelming for them. Also, Jigsawing promotes students working together in groups and relying on peers.

At first, the idea of students relying so heavily on their peers signaled a red flag for me. However, as I began to think more about it, I realized that this may motivate the students even more to sufficiently understand and explain their text, especially in the middle grades. If a student values the approval of his or her teacher, how much more will that student value the approval of his or her friends and classmates? A lot. According to Daniels, "it's much harder to 'fake it' than it is to slide through a textbook assignment without understanding" (189). Also, working with other students provides the opportunity the the kids to actually think through and engage with the assigned reading, which will greatly influence their comprehension of the text. Overall, I like the idea of Jigsawing and cannot wait to use it in my classroom!

Word Count: 382

Resource Blog #2: Cell Structures Graphic Organizer

https://www.biologycorner.com/2018/06/21/cell-structures-a-graphic-organizer/

This resource is a layout for a concept map about cell structures. Kids will follow the arrows and fill out the terms that would best fill in the blanks. Some arrows define the words, while others may describe its function or connection with another term. This can be done in class as a group, or the students could work independently or with a partner. Not only does this serve as a great in-class activity for life science classes, but it is also a great study tool for students to use outside of class. Even after the activity is done, the students can keep it and go through the map to prepare and study for assessments. 

Science teachers should check out this resource because it is a great way to show the students how all of the terms about cell structures flow together and connect. It is also a good way to guide their thinking independently as they are completing the task. As they approach each term, they can think about what it means, how it fits with the previous term, and how it will lead to the next term. This causes the students to interact with the content in a unique way that they can comprehend, instead of just reading material from a book.

Word Count: 214

Synthesis Blog #2: How Do I Help Struggling Readers?

I believe it is easy for teachers to assume that reading comprehension is something only addressed in ELA classrooms. However, this assumption couldn’t be any further from the truth. The example in the beginning of Chapter 11 was a clear example of this. Since the students didn’t understand what the physics problem was asking, they did not know how to solve it.

As a future math teacher, it is crucial that my students understand math problems in order for them to determine what it is asking and how to solve it. Chapter 11 describes six helpful strategies for struggling readers. Although they are all great, “Creating supportive relationships” was the strategy that stuck out most to me.

I think that it is no coincidence that “Create supportive relationships” is the first strategy listed. Having a supportive relationship with each student is the foundation of creating a safe space in the classroom. Daniels states, “If students experiencing difficulty are going to take the risk and give math or science or a foreign language a new try, they need to know that you’ll be there to help, and that they’re in a safe place where they won’t suffer further hurt if they don’t succeed on the first attempt” (280). Creating a comfortable environment leaves room for trial and error for students; the more comfortable or safe they feel in a classroom, the more inclined they will be to try new things and take risks where they are experiencing difficulty.

Growing up in school, I was very shy. I hated answering questions out loud for fear of being wrong, so I mainly remained quiet, even when I didn’t fully understand a concept. I wasn’t comfortable with taking a risk or being wrong in the classroom, and I feel like it hindered my learning to an extent. Because of this experience growing up, I feel that it has made me more aware to similar situations that could potentially happen in my future classroom. This is why I feel like building supportive relationships with students is a key strategy for helping struggling readers.

Word Count: 348 

Resource Blog #1: Speaking and Listening in Content Area Learning

Resource: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/speaking-and-listening-content-area-learning

This resource is an article written by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, which discusses the importance of speaking and listening in the classroom in order to increase literacy. Research shows that children develop listening comprehension at a faster pace than reading comprehension. Fisher and Frey argue that if we as teachers increase speaking and listening comprehension in the classroom, then reading comprehension is sure to follow.

This article is a great resource for content-area teachers to check out because not only does it explain the importance of speaking and listening in the classroom, but it also provides anchor standards for speaking and listening in each grade level. In addition to that, it also lists examples to incorporate speaking and listening into the classroom, such as Readers' Theatre and Presentations. This article is informational and practical at the same time. Teachers can refer to this resource in order to increase reading comprehension in their classroom in a unique way.

(Word Count: 158)

Synthesis Blog #1: What is reading, anyway?

In Chapter 2 of Subjects Matter, I found the idea of schemata particularly interesting. As I reflect on my experience as a student in the classroom, I can recall several instances where my teachers used a passage from a textbook as a way of introducing new knowledge. It was no doubt that I struggled in those moments, because I had no prior knowledge to connect with the new information. I think this is especially important to analyze when thinking of the definition of reading. Before reading this chapter, I would define reading as being able to sound out words of a text and putting those together to understand the text. However, I learned that it is so much deeper than that. I learned that prior knowledge is key to learning the content of a text.

Understanding how schemata can contribute to comprehending a text is crucial for every teacher or teacher candidate to know. As mentioned in Subjects Matter, “by engaging learners in preparatory work, teachers help them move toward independence in their reading” (35). When we as teachers provide pre-reading activities to help our students develop schemata, they will begin to understand what they are reading more clearly and develop skills to interpret a text. As a result, will motivate them to read more independently.

However, with so much content needing to be taught in the classroom already, this doesn’t leave much time to devote to developing schema for students. On the other hand, since it is crucial to a child’s learning now and later in life, I believe it is worth the time spent in the classroom. Also, as mentioned in Subjects Matter, teachers can show the students strategies to help them understand the content better by using the content they need to learn anyway, so that they learn both and time is maximized in the classroom. (Word Count: 307)