Resource Blog 1- Literacy in Math

http://www.wismath.org/Resources/Documents/Annual%20Conference/322EHoyer-Connecting%20Math%20to%20Literacy%20PP.pdf

Before this course, I recognized that it was important to combine literacy into content areas other than language arts; however, I did not understand how to do this well. The resource I found is a PowerPoint created by two individuals explaining how to use literacy skills to test the mathematic understanding of students. The PowerPoint provides practical ways to connect literacy and math while explaining the importance of both subjects. The content areas seem as though they are opposites, but the two are connected to help students fully grasp and understand the information. Some examples provided in the resource included math journals, writing out processes for math projects, and creating math portfolios. Math connects to literacy, as students unpack word problems and problem-solving to arrive at a solution. These examples provide illustrations and ideas to incorporate writing into mathematics. I think these tools could be an excellent way to check-in with students to see their understanding and ability to explain mathematical concepts. The resource provides two student writing samples about the importance of writing in math. Both students explain that writing and literacy in mathematics allow them to better explain concepts and encourages the student to learn the information.

While this resource is specific to math, I think that it could be applied in various content areas because it provides a framework on how to incorporate new thoughts and ideas into a given subject. The PowerPoint teaches how to create efficient and organized discussion throughout a class, projects, and activities to implement in the classroom, and ways to better lead your classroom as a teacher. Literacy in non-content language arts classes can ensure that students are explaining what they are learning and provide a way for teachers to see their student's thought process.

Word Count: 293

Synthesis Blog 1- "How Smart Readers Think"

Throughout the chapter, I read different paragraphs about topics like cricket and science. Each paragraph made me think about what I was reading and the ways that I needed to try to comprehend the material. I struggled when reading the cricket paragraph because I am not familiar with the game of cricket; therefore, I had no context of what I was reading. As a result, I struggled to comprehend the information. As I continued reading the chapter, I was challenged by the idea that as a reader, we must form ideas about what we are reading to then come up with a strategy to comprehend the reading (Subject Matters, 30). I thought that the information provided from the list of thinking strategies of effective readers was extremely beneficial (Subject Matters, 30). At a young age, I always struggled with reading comprehension and could not come up with main ideas and key takeaways from books or passages I read.

However, as time progressed, I began to pick up on strategies and tools to help me better comprehend what I was reading. Therefore, I think it is important that we keep reading comprehension in mind when teaching students. Often times, students do not have an understanding about reading comprehension and the purpose of reading comprehension. I feel that we, as future teachers, need to teach or remind students how to effectively read about a topic as it pertains to a specific subject. Reading is a necessity in all subjects. As a teacher, I want to promote and encourage students to ask questions when they do not understand, in order to assist in reading comprehension. When students learn strategies for effective reading, they begin to better understand what they are reading and will typically take greater interest in the material as a result.


Word Count: 300

Reading a Children's Book

Hey everyone! This is a video of me reading the book, "Peter Pan- An Adventure Primer". The book introduces Peter Pan and his friends and what they are doing around the island. For example, the lost boys are climbing around in trees. I enjoyed reading this book because I used to read books about Tinker Bell and Peter Pan when I was younger.

Word Count: 63