Final Reflection

It's hard to think that this is the last blog for this class! It's seems last week was the beginning of class. I can definitely say I have become so much more appreciative for language arts in elementary school. In the beginning of the semester, I had no clue how language arts is incorporated into every single subject. I would have never thought that writing in your science journal was a form of literacy. There are so many ways in which you can teach language arts it's amazing. I am going to try my hardest to use the writing process when writing papers in the future. I also learned a lot from the midterm. I can use other forms of assessments in my classroom. Sometimes it is fun to change up the typical way of doing things.
I am so glad I got to spend a semester observing such a great teacher. It has given me a chance to become familiar with ideas I may want to use in my classroom. I do know that I will certainly use the beanie baby approach in my class. I know I will really emphasize on using the writing process in my classroom. I found it important for me to use it when writing my story. If I'm using it, then my students should use it. I want to have a print rich environment. I want my students to be able to look up at the wall and be able to read what it means to be a good reader. I'm still debating on using the silent board writing approach!

Field Experience Reflecting

I could not have asked for a better placement this semester. The teacher and 2nd grade class that I observed was amazing. I knew from day one that this was going to be such a fun class to observe. Ms. Redman is amazing with her students. I have never seen a teacher be so engaged with her students. I could tell that her students were excited to learn. They were always looking forward to what was coming next. I want to hopefully have the enthusiasm and spunk that Ms. Redman has with her students.
I have learned so much about language arts through these past weeks of observations. The one thing I love is that she incorporates it into every single subject. It has made me want to keep learning. I would compare the things that she does to the things I would read in the book. I have certainly had a positive experience with the class and observations. Ms. Redman is a teacher that I plan on staying in touch. I can't wait to go back and observe other things!

Revisions & Edits!

I have experienced and participated in peer editing since middle school. I must say it's a process that I feel bittersweet about. I enjoy writing a lot (that's the sweet part). It's a way for me to express how I feel, but after the writing part comes the editing and revising (that's the bitter part). I guess editing and revising is an area in which I don't feel 100% confident doing. I always think I am going to miss errors or fix things that I thought were errors but were not.
The one thing I really enjoy about peer editing is I feel like they are very honest with me. If they don't like a certain sentence, they will tell me. I think constructive criticism is important. It's one of the ways I learn the best. It teaches me what I need to do better and I am thankful I have peers that will be forward with me. A lot of the times I think it depends on who is reading your paper too. I think that if you have a close friend, they may "sugar coat" a little more than a complete stranger.

I think peer editing is important for k-6 grades. I think with the younger grades you start off with a simple peer editing process. As in you would mainly be looking for punctuation and spelling errors. The older you get the more important I think it becomes. The one thing I wish I would have done more of in elementary school are these peer editing sessions. I am not strong in grammar and I think that if I had started at a younger grade, it may have helped me out a little more. I definitely think I will use peer editing in my classroom. It's a chance to allow students to talk to each other and not just listening to lecture all class. In the current classroom I am in now they peer edit a lot and the students really enjoy it.

You write in almost every subject, so you can incorporate peer editing in many subjects. Although you may not think it, if a student was writing a science report, you could pair two students up together and have them look at each others. This is a process that I think needs to be used starting at a young age. You can only become better at revising and editing when you practice a lot!