In my Kindergarten classroom, literature is included in many different aspects of the student's day. They start out the day reading books of their choice. The books in my classroom are all separated in different bins by topic and then in the bookshelf are a selection of books that go along with the season (right now there are winter books out, along with Holiday books that are still out). Multiple times throughout the day, the students are read a story by the teacher (and me too!) that comes off the bookshelf. For example, on Tuesday the students were read a fictional story about a President because Obama had been inaugurated the day before. In the middle of the day, the students also participate in a Read Aloud where their teacher reads a story and has questions already written to ask the students. Whenever the students finish their work early they also are given the opportunity to read. Lastly, my students have been practicing reading with a partner where they have to sit with a partner and read for an allotted amount of time, when they do this they read every other page. After their partner reads, they have to do a check for understanding where they say, "I heard you read...".
In the article Out of the Box: Critical Literacy in a First-Grade Classroom by Christine H. Leland and Jerome C. Harste, the idea of reading students critical literacy is addressed. A first-grade teacher named Kim Huber does a trial run of this idea in her classroom which ended up working great. In most first-grade classrooms, happy ending books are read, books that don't bring up any controversy or much to talk about. This article challenged that idea that younger students couldn't handle critical literacy, and at first, even their teacher wasn't sure if she wanted to discuss controversial topics with her students. Throughout the article, readers are able to see what a difference it made in her classroom. The students in her classroom became more aware of social issues but on top of that they began treating each other in a better way, with sympathy and understanding. The students put a lot more time and thought into their written work and also the drawings they did along with that work. Over time, the students also were able to make intertextual connections when they were reading the books, connecting to a different book that they had read in class that had a similar issue brought up.
I learned so much from reading this article. When I first starting reading, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to agree with this additional way of incorporating literature into the classroom. I though that young students wouldn't be able to understand literature that was discussing issues like homelessness and race. What I realized was what an impact reading these books had on the students and how it not only helped them in their school work but also helped them become better people, more giving and understanding of people that were different than them and of their own peers. I would do something like this in my own classroom, I don't think I'd totally cut out those happy stories, but it would be interesting to see how my student's minds opened up to new perspectives through reading critical literature. I think a lot of teachers get stuck in a rut just doing what is easiest in their classroom when really there are so many different, interesting, and beneficial ways to incorporate literacy in the classroom. I look forward to learning about other new ways of incorporating literacy and also look forward using them in my classroom in the future!
According to the information on the “Digital Denizens” website, I would consider myself to be a “Digital native”. I have grown up with technology and own many different forms of technology (iPhone, iPod, MacBook, Kindle, etc.). I enjoy using technology and adapt well to the changes that are made.
ReplyDeleteLeanne, you raise an important question, “Should we read controversial texts to our students?” While I was reading your post I kept asking myself, “Would I read these types of books to my students?” However, my initial thoughts were not if the students would understand, but rather if I felt comfortable enough discussing these issues afterwards. I was a little worried of what kinds of questions the books would raise and how I would answer appropriately. I was also skeptical at first because I thought of how parents may respond negatively to me reading and discussing these texts in my classroom. I think if parents were not on board with your curriculum or support this aspect of your teaching; it would be very difficult to teach something like this effectively. I would want to send home a letter to parents before diving right in to these books with my students.
I was thrilled to hear the results of this article. I am so happy that the students put more time and effort into their written work and even began treating each other with more respect. I thought it was especially important that students were also able to make intertexual connections with previous books they have read. The positivity of this article and the benefits that it had on students encourages me to read controversial texts in my future classroom. I think if done correctly, it can be very powerful and educational. I already knew that I would read books that cover a large range of genres, and now controversial books will be added to my classroom bookshelf. I think it is very important not to limit your students to those happily ever after books. Although, I find them to be entertaining, I think students need realistic books to choose and learn from as well.
I think including technology or the amount of technology that you choose in your classroom could also be viewed as controversial. Parents of your students may not have grown up with technology or be viewed as a “Digital native”, and students in your classroom may not be exposed to the same amount of technology you are. However, I do think it is very important for our students to use technology in the classroom. Because a lot of students are comfortable with technology and enjoy using it in their free time, it can be a very powerful tool. From prior classes, I learned that there are many ways to incorporate technology into your classroom that is both beneficial and fun for your students. I plan to use technology in my future classroom frequently and am excited to start to think about how I will cover controversial issues when they arise.
Amanda
When reading these articles I had similar thoughts about controversial texts and technology use in the classroom. These are two topics in which parents usually have quite a bit to say, this is mostly because of how they raise their children at home, what they were exposed to, and what they want their children to be exposed to. This is an issue that teachers regularly face, but it is all about how the situation is handled and in what manner that makes integrating controversial material and technology beneficial for the students. There are many do's and don't's that are important to be aware of to ensure the least conflict to the teacher's ability.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to controversial texts, it is important that the controversial topic is expressed in an appropriate manner. Teaching a classroom about controversial issues such as race, religion, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation can be very beneficial for students to see the differences between them and their classmates. In these circumstances however, depending on the grade in which the discusion is targeting, less information may be best, for many differences can be established by stating them at face value and not delving into feelings, etc. Not to say this is not important, however, but just to keep the controversial discusion clean. Before reading a controversial piece to my students in the future I will make the decision to notify the parents about what we will be talking about and to voice their concerns to me as I want to make the experience the most beneficial for the student without upsetting his or her parent(s).
When it comes to integrating technology into literacy, I think it is very beneficial to the students, for they are able to work with literacy on the most advanced technological systems. There may be some parents who are weary of this because of their beliefs, etc. but it is important to do what is thought to be best for the student. Technology was not as available to the extent it is today, and there are many positive aspects of using technology, such as showing students different ways to learn to read and write. Technology is used to help benefit both the students and teachers and to aid them in learning something in a different and understandable manner.