Reflection
This week in Teaching Children's Literature we analyzed Historical Fiction. Historical fiction is a balance of fact and imagination that engages students while allowing them to make connections to the past. In that way, children are able to better understand important historical events, as well as make emotional connections to the struggles that have characterized the human condition for centuries. Human interdependence is highlighted in the universality of historical fiction themes. Historical fiction also encourages higher-level thinking as students consider the conflicting views of life before their existence while considering and making judgments on past mistakes. Proper historical fiction is accurate and authentic with the cultural norms and settings of the stories. The spirit and values of the time should also be reflected. Language should be given particular attention. Historical fiction allows for integration of social studies, humanities and history into the language arts curriculum. I fell in love with the picturebook Wagons Ho! for its' proper historical context and connection to modern life. I believe the novel would be of great benefit to be used in the classroom, and students would enjoy seeing the similarities between the past and present. Particularly, the book could help students who are experiencing anxiety about moving. The use of historical fiction in the classroom is a vital part of a well-rounded education, and a brilliant way to engage students in history.
Resources
Kiefer, B., & Tyson, C. (2014). Picturebooks. In Charlotte Huck's children's literature: A brief guide (Second ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hallowell, G., & Holub, J. (2011). Wagons ho! Chicago, IL: Albert Whitman.
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An effective teacher is constantly applying inquiry by analyzing data and differentiating instruction to meet the needs of students in the room, applying data-driven decision making.
"Data-driven decision making is embedded in teacher inquiry as teachers use assessment data and background information to inform decisions related to planning and implementing instructional strategies at the school, classroom or individual student levels." (Dana, 2014) During my observation, I saw data being analyzed to inform instruction decisions at multiple levels. For the past two weeks, all of the kindergarten teachers meet with the Principal in the morning for a conference. I was able to listen in on the meetings. The teachers discussed their students' assessment results and enacted data-driven decision making to create a school-wide response. In response to low Kindergarten Reading Test scores, they created focus groups based on specific problem areas students were struggling in. Intervention teachers were assigned groups of five or less to focus on skills for a few weeks, then students will be tested for mastery and the data will be reexamined to consider placing students in different focus groups. Later in the day, while going over the class' scores on their Position Words Test, Ms. J and I noticed trends in the students' scores. Seven of the 15 students did not obtain a perfect 8/8 on their tests. After analyzing individual student responses, it was clear that the concepts of Left and Right need to be clarified. Ms. J noted that she will include further practice on those key aspects of math in her later lessons. At an individual level, I developed instructional decisions that will help Lucy in her literacy education. Based on her results from the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey, and additional follow up questions, I brainstormed three options for enhancing her academic achievement. In previous research, book-centered activities involving family participation have shown great gain for low-achieving students who began with low language skills and strong home literacy support. (Jordan, Snow, Porche 2011). With pre-established consistent parental involvement at home and low initial reading scores, Lucy is an ideal candidate to benefit from a family literacy initiative that involves her parents in meaningful ways to support her literacy development. Also, Lucy prefers spending time outdoors. In order to involve her environmental preferences, academic activities outside will engage her and increase her willingness to learn. Finally, Lucy revealed that Art is her favorite subject in school. Incorporating art in literacy responses, as well as other curricular areas will allow further connection and engagement in the learning process. By collecting data through assessment and interviews, analyzing the results and applying instructional alterations students are given the resources and support they need to achieve academically. These data-driven decisions are made at all levels that impact a student's education. During letter study in my internship classroom, aspects of constructivism were at play. While learning the process of writing new letters, students were reminded of letters they could already construct. They were able to make sense of new information, like how to write a proper P, by organizing and integrating it with other, prior knowledge. Also, Ms. J applied Vygotsky's technique of scaffolding in instruction. First, children learned about the letters and how to write them in a whole class discussion by Ms. J's demonstration. Then, they moved to their small groups and practiced in individual books with peer support. Finally, in the process of fading, students were able to write the letters on their own without teacher or peer assistance. In science, students were given tools like a magnifying glass and forceps to provide hands-on learning. They used their tools to examine beads and feathers, then journaled their experience. This process of active exploration of their physical environment by interacting with the objects around them holds true to part of Jean Piaget's theory in children's thinking, The well-known tale of Cinderella has been retold through various cultural perspectives. The Native American version of the classic story, as told by Aaron Shephard, transforms into a legend known as "The Hidden One". Below, I have retold the story from the perspective of one of the minor characters, the Hidden One's sister.
“My brother comes,” I told her. “Do you see him?” The young woman gazed along the shore. “I’m not sure . . . .” As my disappointment began to rise, suddenly the scarred girl's eyes lit like bugs in the night. “Yes, I see him! But how can there be such a one?” Curiously, I questioned the strange young woman's perception. “What is his shoulder strap?” “His shoulder strap is . . . is the Rainbow!” My eyes grew wide as the moon at it's fullest. “And his bowstring?” “His bowstring is . . . the Milky Way!” I smiled, finally The Hidden One has found the wife he deserves. “Let us return.” Finally, the Woman had come that would make a suitable wife for my brother. I used the water I had blessed with our mother's love, gathered with the cleansing power of an entire universe from the sacred stream. After removing her birch clothing, she was bathed in my special water. Her scars disappeared, revealing the skin smooth and shining underneath. Finally, a comb made from the trees from which my Father's roots grew brushed through the hair of the young woman. Her hair was now long to the young woman's waist, shining and thick. Lastly, the young woman dressed in a wedding outfit I had made from the sacred beads I had gathered from the lake's shore. For the first, and final time, I was able to greet my brother cheerfully: "You are discovered!" The Hidden One walked over to the young, no londer scarred woman and took her hands in his. “For years I have waited to find a woman of pure heart and brave spirit. Only such a one could see me. And now you shall be my bride.” The strangely scarred woman was no longer plagued by shame in her appearance. She was then known as The Lovely One, and finally, my brother was no longer alone. ReflectionIn Teaching Children's Literature we examined traditional literature like folktales, mythology, legends, fairy tales and fables. Folktales are enjoyed by readers of all ages, but are especially impactful in developing children's imaginations and morality. The oral stories have simple, quickly developed plots, engaging repetition, vague settings, basic characters, a variety of language, moral themes and motifs. There are various methods of engaging children in traditional literature, even integrating technology to support children's own creative connections to classic tales, like in Heather Lotherington's multiliteracy approach. (Lotherington, 2006) For my class' analysis of traditional and classic literature, we were asked to retell a familiar story through a different character's point of view. While researching folktales, I stumbled upon three fascinating variants of Cinderella. The Native American version, The Hidden One, the Chinese version, Yeh-Shen, and the Egyptian tale, Rhodopis. All three had similar motifs to the Western Cinderella folktale, but with the influence of their cultural beliefs and environment. Rhodipus included Egyptian Gods, Yeh-Shen considered Chinese lifestyle in the story's development and The Hidden One stole my heart with the beautiful style and reflection of Native American culture. In order to provide multicultural literature while studying literacy aspects of traditional literature, including different variants of familiar tales from other areas reveals emotionally engaging connections and thought provoking differences. ResourcesKiefer, B., & Tyson, C. (2014). Picturebooks. In Charlotte Huck's children's literature: A brief guide (Second ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lotherington, H., & Chow, S. (2006). Rewriting “Goldilocks” in the urban, multicultural elementary school. The Reading Teacher, 60(3), 242-252. |
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