Literacy Portfolio : Component One

The vocabulary lesson for my EDU 363 (Literacy Across the Curriculum) was co-taught and co-created with two of my classmates. Our lesson demonstrates that standard 5 has been met. The standard says, “Teachers create instructional opportunities to encourage all students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, performance skills, and literacy across content areas.” This means that teachers must create materials that encourage students to fully analyze and evaluate material to form their own ideas and opinions. Teachers must understand which role they need to take at what time, and to allow students to actually practice what they are being taught, rather than to just witness it. Our lesson particularly applies to standard 5.3 that says, “[teachers] make instructional

In Sponsors of Literacy, Brandt argues that individual and group literacy stem directly from sponsors in the form of role models, educators, media, and many more sources of language and communication acquisition. Brandt claims that sponsors, through intentional or unintentional actions, influence an individual’s ideologies and relationship with literacy. Through the interviews which Brandt conducted in the 1990s with people of varying literary and sponsorship experiences, Brandt discovered that an individual’s access to literacy opportunities: libraries, computers, or traditional education, had a monumental impact on their career, ability weather political or economic upheavals, and capacity to function profitably in society. Sponsors distribute

The rooms were inviting, and the students were engaged in learning. I quickly noticed that having a positive, and inviting classroom environment is of upmost importance for successful student learning. As the students walked through the second grade classroom they were greeted with a hug. When the students’ finished their morning work, the chimes signaled the students to line up, and transition to their first class of the day which is Science. This is where I was able to observe both Mrs. Stanford, and Mrs. Taylor

I completed my literacy field experience at Isanti Intermediate School/School for all Seasons in Isanti, MN. I was able to complete my 20 hour observation in a 1st grade classroom (primary), a 3rd grade classroom (intermediate), and conducted fluency tests in a 5th grade classroom. Each class had approximately 22 to 25 students. Also during this literacy class, I was also able to spend a few days observing a 3rd/4th grade classroom and a kindergarten classroom through a couple of sub jobs I completed. I need to note that my understanding was that 3rd grade was part of the intermediate program so I completed half my observation and assessment time with a 3rd grade classroom and completed a 3rd grader assessment. I am happy to say

Since a child going up, literacy was not my strong suit. Literacy throughout my life seem not to cope with me. Later as I grew up, literacy meant to me that it is one’s ability to read, write, and speak. More importantly there is a more meaning of literacy, meaning that not only writing, reading, and speaking, but able to understand, analyze, and communicate with other peoples’ ideas. Soon enough literacy has made an impact on my life, it has been and will be a lifelong process. Literacy will always be with me, starting from my past and ending in my future.

In Deborah Brandt’s article, Sponsors of Literacy, she defines sponsors as, “… any agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy—and gain advantage by it in some way” (pp 166). There have been a few people in my life who have done exactly that; they helped me gain knowledge on many topics in hopes that I would find it informative and be able to better the world around me.

Professor Deborah Brandt’s research article “Sponsors of Literacy” is about the importance of the sponsors. According to her, sponsors are the ones that provide the sponsored the access to literacy. Brandt interviews about 100 people and through those interviews, Brandt makes three main points regarding sponsors. The first one is about how different kinds of sponsors can produce different kinds of performances. The example that Brandt shows to the readers is the difference in the background of Raymond Branch and Dora Lopez. Branch is able to be exposed to the more powerful sponsors, while Lopez cannot. The second main point in this article is that economic and political can cause a rise in literacy

One of the most eye opening experiences of my life occurred in the second grade. I would have never thought that doing one simple assignment in elementary school could change my whole perspective on literacy. My understanding of literacy was sparked when I had read my first real book. I remember sitting down on the vividly colorful carpet day dreaming about playing Mario Cart on my Nintendo 64 while everyone was obediently listening to the teacher read a book out loud. It wasn’t that I did not know how to read or listen, I just didn’t care. Reading to me used to be tedious because I did not understand the purpose of it. I did not grow up with the luxury of my parents reading to me because they weren’t literate in English, so I had to figure out for myself why literacy is vital in everyday life. My ongoing learning experience with literacy can be traced back to one simple visit to library.

What does it mean knowing how to read and write. I take literacy skill very seriosly that will help me in the future. I know such skills don't come easy, it requires hard work, sleepless night. The reason why I go to school is to make mistakes, correct them and not to repeat them again. I always improve my skills through curiosity to learn something new, not being able to read and write would keep me in a darkness without seeing beautiful things that surround me.

Fernando Cardenal, serving as the National Literacy Crusade Coordinator, and Valerie Miller, a CNA advisor, outlined that the literacy campaign would not just eradicate illiteracy, but create an identity of a “new man [and a] new woman” for Nicaraguans. Through the CNA, the Sandinistas hoped to introduce young Nicaraguans to the difficulties and hardship endured by Nicaragua’s poor rural population. For many of the brigadistas who volunteered, the 1980 literacy campaign served as their first experience with the other side of Nicaragua’s population, a side that remained unseen and not thought of by many under the Somoza regime. The life that brigadistas lived in during the CNA significantly altered their perspectives on society, both politically and culturally. The Sandinistas did in fact succeed at redefining the concept of the Nicaraguan experience for its youth.

My literacy path has a lot of exciting events that happened during my childhood. At that time I was inspired by my mother who was my literary guardian, and encourage me at that path. She was the closest person to me at that time. She has been teaching fine art for more than thirty years at one of reputable schools back home. She didn’t settle for that job only. She was cooperating with many other artist running exhibitions that won awards. Five years ago, my mother was promoted to be a supervisor at the ministry of education of all the art instructors over the region. As child whose literary guardian is an artist, I spent most of my time trying to imitate my mother’s painting.

The most useful event for my learning was the literacy activity, where students learned how to create an alliteration poem. When I assisted with the activity, I provided a definition for the students to grasp a further understanding of the concept. An alliteration is a sentence or line of a poem that has at least two or more words starting with the same sound or letter. For example: Marlon makes a marmalade with mangoes.

BIM's "Extra Point Academy" summer literacy project is designed to improve the academic achievement of at-risk boys attending low-performing Title I, Metro Nashville Public Schools. The summer project will improve the literacy skills of low-performing students and bridge the gap in language, literacy, and achievement of minority boys prior to entering the ninth grade. Ninth graders have the lowest grade point average, the most missed classes, the majority of failing grades, and more misbehavior referrals than any other high-school grade level.

A classroom far away from my own, listening to a robot abbreviate. My life as a young student always seemed to confuse me because I felt that I did well enough in school, that I didn't need to go and do that. So my question as a child was, why once, sometimes every two, weeks need to go to a different to a classroom to help me read/write? This was my mindset through all of my beginning years of school.

My literacy experience What does it mean knowing how to read and write? I take literacy skills very seriously that will help me in the future with my career. I know that such skills don't come easy, it requires hard work, sleepless nights and a lot of sweat. I am not the best reader and writer and I’m not afraid to admit that.