My students are loving the bellringers that we are doing on Tuesdays that are centered around the question stem, "Would you rather..." It truly shows that students are more engaged and excited when the curriculum is meaningful and fun. Our district recently adopted a new curriculum so we cannot change much of it. The prompts … Continue reading Self-Study: Update #2
English Language Learners
Self-Study: Update #1
My students are pretty engaged when I'm modeling and explicitly teaching. When it comes to them generating their own ideas though it can be like pulling teeth. I am making sure to use prompts and am giving them "think" time but I'm only having a couple of students participate. I wonder if it's because they … Continue reading Self-Study: Update #1
Professional History
I'm getting ready to conduct a self-study on my own teaching for a research paper. However, I thought it would be fitting to give a little background information before I begin. I have always wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. Not because I have teachers in the family, because … Continue reading Professional History
The Culmination of Our Multimodal Book Review
As the last blog post for my Issues and Trends in Curriculum class, we were asked to reflect on our book study and the multimodal book review we were tasked to create. Here's my post: During these four weeks of Issues and Trends in Curriculum, I have had the opportunity to expand my knowledge about … Continue reading The Culmination of Our Multimodal Book Review
ILA 2018 Report- What’s Hot in Literacy?
Amanda Coan_Commentary #3 Each year the International Literacy Association puts out a What's Hot in Literacy Report. This report compares the topics literacy professionals deem as important along with "hot" topics, which are topics that are currently receiving the most attention from educators. This list changes each year it comes out because our … Continue reading ILA 2018 Report- What’s Hot in Literacy?
Thesis Decided
Even though I have about a year left in my graduate program, I am seeing the finish line. I have decided I am going to write a thesis for my final paper. It will be a self-study focusing on my writing instruction for my ELL students. I have my thesis committee members lined up and … Continue reading Thesis Decided
Iowa Culture and Language Conference
Last month I had the opportunity to attend a two-day conference to help me improve my instruction for ELL students. I found the Iowa Culture and Language Conference to be a motivating and eye-opening experience. One of the keynote speakers was Dr. Danny Brassell. He discussed the importance of engaging students through humor and visuals. … Continue reading Iowa Culture and Language Conference
Passionately Curious about Literacy Education 