A book for my future classroom...

The novel that I would like to include in my future classroom is actually a series of novels. Growing up I loved the American Girl novel series (which was somewhat ironic considering I'm not an American girl!) and the dolls that accompanied them. The books are directed at roughly an 8-13 age range and incorporate both historical and personal issues into the plots. The series is broken down by character with each of the girls having around eight different stories chronically their various adventures. Each girl represents a different time period (For example, Felicity is a girl growing up during the Revolutionary War and facing issues regarding liberty and revolution, Addie is an African American girl in the late 1800s standing strong against slavery and race injustice, and Molly is a quick-witted girl growing up during WWII and dealing with a father who is away at war). To put it simply, the books make learning history fun and relatable! Because the stories are told from the point of view of the main character they are more relatable to children in that age range. They also highlight the important historical events and details of the time period without getting too gritty or incorporating too much technical lingo.
I believe these books would be an asset to the classroom because they are educational as well as an enjoyable read. Each one has a lot of suspense and action delivered in a historically accurate context. Students learn about historical events while seeing the issues through the lens of a fellow adolescent. Illustrations accompanying the text also help create visuals for the students. I loved reading about all the adventures of each of the American Girls and I still remember historical facts that I learned from them!
These novels are a great way to incorporate social studies into language arts and provide an excellent opportunity to blend the two subject areas. Students could write their own adventures from one of the characters, or compare and contrast some of the time periods described in the novels. In addition, students could identify challenges faced by whichever character they were reading about, and relate those challenges to ones faced by youth in America today.
I will definitely have a wide selection of the American Girl books available on my classroom bookshelf!


American Girl website

What makes writing worth reading?

Okay, I'll admit I'm guilty of being one of those "judge a book by its cover" types of people. When I'm at the library and looking for something to read I am waaay more inclined to pick up a book with an interesting cover or with some kind of witty title than the boring novel with the old-fashioned typeface and no cover art, which doesn't look like it's been opened since roughly the time that dinosaurs became extinct. But that one swift action- choosing the glitzy read over a dull looking book- is what we're warned against time and time again. The merit of a piece of writing has nothing to do with it's outward appearance- the "well-dressed" novel might turn out to be so predictable I could cry while the musty-looking story could be a first edition of a beloved classic. What makes writing worth reading is the true literary quality of the piece. A well written book is well structured, flowing and thoughtful; it takes the reader on a journey into the mind of the author. "Good" writing can be descriptive, persuasive. It serves as a transporter into other worlds, other times, and other possibilities. That being said the question also has a highly subjective side to it. What I personally might consider to be the best book ever written might be worth more to one of my friends as a coaster for a coffee table than any form of entertainment or enjoyment. Different people have different tastes in all forms of literature, whether it be a soft spot for romantic comedies, fantasies, or murder mysteries. One person may enjoy the morbid poetry of Poe while another prefers the non-traditional approach taken by E.E. Cummings. At the risk of sounding overly vague and broad writing worth reading is writing that attracts the reader as an individual. It plays to that person's own tastes and preferences. That's one of the main reasons literature is enjoyed by so many different people- it in itself is so diverse and limitless.

"Sticks and Stones May Break my Bones... "

"...but words can never hurt me." It's a popular saying that I heard over and over growing up. Whenever I would come home from school feeling down about a classmate's hurtful remark or when I'd hear one of my siblings lamenting about an insult he or she had received from a "friend" that day, my mom would always be quick to remind us that words were harmless. We were taught to "be the bigger person" and just ignore the snarky comments of our peers. However it was never that easy... and it still isn't that easy! I still get my feelings hurt from time to time when I overhear someone making fun of my outfit or criticizing the actions of one of my friends. The truth is that words can hurt. Sometimes a cutting remark can hurt even worse than a physical attack. This is especially true if the remark is coming from a friend or other trusted source. Oftentimes we don't think before we speak and our comments can have devastating effects. It's easy to take a person's words to heart, whether or not they are truthful or simply said in the heated moment of an argument or disagreement. I think part of the reason stems from the inherent human desire to be accepted by one's peers. No one wants to be the target of someone's barbed comments in the same way that no one wants to be isolated from the group. This is especially important to consider as a future teacher. I'm sure I will see many cases of children being verbally bullied or ostracized by their peers. It is important to bring children's attentions to the potentially harmful effects of their words and comments, and to offer support for those who get their feelings hurt.

How did I learn language?

That's a good question. I honestly had no idea how I learned language, so I called my mom to garner her two cents on the issue. As I had more or less expected, she credited the phonics approach for my excellent (...or at the very least satisfactory!) grasp of the English language. I guess that explains why I had very little knowledge of the whole language system before we discussed it in class on Wednesday. I've also always urged kids to "sound it out" when they hit a particularly tricky word. It's always worked for me, and what I use to this day if I happen to stumble across a word I'm not familiar with.

As a teacher I will most likely favor the phonetical approach in my teaching style simply because that was the way I was taught. However in a class of students from many different backgrounds and experiences it is important to consider alternative ways of teaching. If learners in my class would benefit more from a whole language approach I will definitely give it a shot in order to help them reach their full academic potential. I'm consistently told that teaching is a profession in which every year (and even every day!) presents constant change. In order to keep up with new and different students and situations, I will have to allow myself and my teaching strategies to remain flexible and open to anything!