Literacy Moves On Chapters 6-10

Chapter 6:

Beanie Babies:

I think it is interesting that children can understand the aim behind the producers of beanie babies action. I remember that when I was younger I was obsessed with beanie babies. I have no idea if I ever questioned why I liked them so much, or if the producer was in fact ripping me off. I am guessing that never crossed my mind. However, I think that having this conversation would lead children to think more deeply and think like adults. I think we take for granted how much children can understand. This reading proves otherwise and shows how smart children are. We can help them become critical thinkers in the classroom by talking about situations that relate to them (ex: beanie babies). This way they are knowledgeable on the subject and give some great insight.

 Chapter 7:

Neighborhoods:

I like the idea in this chapter that children learn by doing something. Children can put themselves in someone else’s shoes, or explain their own perspective of something they are thinking. This way they will think in a different way and imagining something new. When children know whom their audience is they will write to that audience. For example, when they are writing books for students from another country, they may include a lot of details or explain things that they wouldn’t to their peers in the classroom. It shows that they know their “place” in society. That they can think critically of who may be reading their story.

Chapter 8:

Curiosity Kits:

I like the idea of using these kits to get children to engage in literacy. I have learned that children are more apt. To participate in something if they are engaged in the activity. This kit provides this for them. Although some children still saw the kits as “work” and did not want to participate with them as much. It really did help some children. Even if this is only helping some students with literature, it is important to find different activities that work for everyone.

Chapter 9:

Heroes and Villains:

I have always been a person that has found more interest in fairy tales than real life events. I like being able to use my imagination and put myself in the unreal situation and compare what I would do.  In my own school experience I have read many books that I did not want to read. However, I have also read books that I really enjoyed. It seemed like when I read the books I really wanted to read I picked them out myself. My teacher would give us a variety to choose from and I would choose it myself. As a teacher I think it will be a great idea to understand the type of stories my children are interested in. I will do this by having them create stories and work of their own. I like the idea of using movies they are interested in to explore the evil characters and perhaps traits they have in common. This again is using material they find interesting.

Chapter 10:

Getting it Right For Children:

 I think that it is important for teachers to relate the curriculum of the classroom to their student’s interests in lives. Since each year will bring a new class of students, teachers may have to adapt their lesson plans annually. This will make more work for the teacher but provide a better learning experience for the students. Just as literacy has changed to include computers, technology, media, and toys, the teaching of the subject must change as well. 

Literacy Moves On ch1-5

Chapter 1:

Multimodal texts-

~Texts need to change to the way children are experiencing them in the twenty first century. I think that incorporating images in reading is important and can represent ideas. They can also serve as a resource for meaning. When I work with children who are just starting to read, they use pictures to figure out words. In chapter 1 of Janet Evens, Literacy Moves On, she talks about a boy who uses multimodal texts in his description of the rain forest. Since he is a young student, his writing is still in the primary stages. With the use of pictures he is able to give a great description of his knowledge. It is clear that if he were only able to write what he knew, he would not be able to give as much information. This is why I think in younger grades, it is important to understand and use multimodal reading/ writing. Since it is clear that reading texts does not just mean reading words, teachers need to incorporate innovative ways to read and express ideas.  

Chapter 2:

Moving Stories

I thought this chapter was very interesting and brought up some great points. However, when Evans mentions that the need for media education is urgent in early years, I disagree. I think that our technology in the new world is changing and therefore, we need to shift what we are teaching in schools. I also think that before we start teaching new technology, the primary school grades still need to teach basic skills. It is important to introduce new activities such as, moving stories, sometime throughout schooling. However, k-2 may be a little too early. I would be worried about keeping a child’s attention long enough to teach them to use the new technology, especially if they have never been introduced to it before. Creating a story and making a movie out of it seems like it would be a little tough for children who are just learning letters and sounds. I do think that we could slowly introduce this new technology every year and eventually build up to creating stories.

Chapter 3:

Children Reading and Interpreting Stories in Print, Film, and Computer Games

I love the fact that this chapter brings up the positive side of what children engage in. She states that, “readers were able to make sense of different kinds of writing in part because photography trained them in new ways of doing so (51).” I can relate to this in the way that I view writing. When I read a book that has an “olden day” feel to the picture, I predict that the style of writing will portray something written in the past. She goes on to state that the video games kids play actually serve as learning opportunities.  When playing these games people use immersion and engagement. They have to be immersed inside the world of the game to understand it and can also be engaged with other activities such as talking about strategies.

Chapter 4:

The Dagger of Doom and the Mighty Handbag:

This chapter shows me how important it is for children to explore their writing identity in more ways than just paper pencil writing. With online or digital texts children explore the way people interact in the real world. For example, in a professional e-mail children will want to present a “coded persona” of themselves. I think it is essential that children practice this so they are prepared to do so later in life. However, children can participate in a chat room can find another way of identifying themselves in a less formal manner. Doing this will engage them in another type of writing giving them more experience with literacy.  Evans brings up offers a dilemma when she states that, “those who are less fortunate will certainly need access to the new practices involved if they are to participate fully in society (64)” This explores the idea that not everyone has access to innovative technology. School is one place where they can access and have experience using these different tools. Since society is changing to rely more on new technology, it is essential that children know how to use it. I had a class where we used everyday technology in relation to our daily assignments. For example, we used our cell phones to poll the class. We would send a text with our answer to the question. I loved using technology, and it helped me to be more engaged with the material. These points demonstrate a variety of situations where using technology can be beneficial. I will constantly be thinking of way to use technology within my classroom that will benefit children in the real world.

Chapter 5:

Creating Opportunities for Critical Literacy With Young Children

I think the story Evans presents in this chapter is very interesting. I am so impressed that a seven year old was able to make a business deal like that. He was obviously using some knowledge that he had learned in school towards a topic he was interested in. This demonstrates how important it is to use what children are interested in within the curriculum. I think this can be done by teaching basic concepts and then applying them to engaging activities. Evans also points how that you can use the material that children are interested in and pose critical literacy questions. It seems that by using items they are already interested and exposed to they will be more incline to think about it and better able to relate.