Parent Realizations and Phonemic Awareness

I really enjoyed the article about educating family and community members about elementary children's writing. It brought up a lot of points that I have unknowingly experienced in the past. It also made me realize that I may have been guilty of being frustrated with children because of small errors that the article discussed.
One point that really caught my attention was the fact that "learning can progress rapidly if the child discovers and tests out the rules themselves instead of having them imposed without." (Cusumano 10) This made me realize that it is important to let children make mistakes, and, at times, not correct them. At this early stage in children's education, it is so important to fuel the love for literacy that they so badly need to succeed. By encouraging their ideas instead of pointing out their grammatical or spelling errors, they will see that we, as teachers and parents, have an appreciation for literacy and that we recognize their hard work. In this kind of nurturing setting, students are much more likely to enjoy writing and keep writing. The errors can be worked on later, and in many cases, will work themselves out simply with practice.
As an elementary teacher we are much more knowledgable about the stages that must be taken, by students, in order for them to get to a higher level of writing. We must inform parents who may not be aware in order to receive their support with our methods at home. It is just as, if not more, important for parents to support the idea of "writing is about making meaning" rather than correcting mistakes. I think a newsletter, or in these days of technology, a blog, could be really effective in giving pointers to parents and calming their fears about having dyslexic or struggling children. I think a bi-weekly or monthly blog with the suggestions discussed in the article would be a good amount, not overly invasive, and would really help parents to better understand the learning processes of their children.
This week's articles have really opened some doors for me. I will never again jump to correcting mistakes. Instead, I will make sure to look for the positive points and try to make meaning of students' writing first. I will foster the creativity of children and help them to learn while loving literacy at the same time.

Literacy Dig

Modeling our project after the project example in "The Donut House" article, our group thought it would be really engaging for students to go to Build-a-Bear and learn the ins and outs of the process of bear-making. This week we took our first step, and went on a trip to the store. Although there were no children in the store on my visit, I was still able to come away with some good research for the project. After creating a map of the store, it was clear to me that there are identifiable stations in which children can learn a new concept at each. In addition to the concepts, these stations are all clearly labeled, which helps with literacy. We also saw many other opportunities for children to brush up on their reading and writing skills. One of the coolest parts is a computer station in which children have to create a birth certificate for their bear. This whole station involves reading, spelling, and typing. It's a great learning experience as well as fun.
I think the rest of this project is going to be great. If I were a student in a classroom where we had our very own Build-a-Bear workshop, I would think it was pretty awesome!

What is Literacy?

Literacy is a key part of our survival in the every day world. But how do we define literacy? Is it being able to read words on a page, pass a test, or do you need to be able to communicate with others and understand what you are reading and doing. I would argue the last point. I think it is almost impossible to survive in a community where you cannot understand and interact with those around you.
This then raises another important question: What makes you smart? Does not being able to communicate make you stupid? It is important to consider, especially when dealing with ESL, students that just because they may be unable to communicate in English, this does not mean they cannot excel in other areas. As a teacher it is extremely important to consider the different needs of every child in your classroom. If a child is an ESL student, you may need to communicate with them in a way that is literate for them. For example, the Youtube video "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan, is a wordless video that clearly tells a story using the pictures. One is able to follow the story line of the man who leaves his family in a foreign country to deal with the hardships of finding a job and surviving in the United States. Someone does not have to be able to read at all to be able to follow this storyline. It can be spoken about and described in any language. The use of pictures might be a good example for a teacher with ESL students.
In conclusion, it seems that literacy can be defined in many different forms, and as a teacher, it is your job to decide what methods and definitions work best for the students in your classroom.