3321 PRESENTATION: ????

The last presentation - was not clear at all. I don't even know what it was about much less what the name of it was. It was very poorly presented.

3321 PRESENATATION: AMELIA EARHEART

The Amelia Earheart presentation was based on a true story. I like that it started with Amelia's interview on a talk show. The power point pictures were vivid and informative. I liked that much of her childhood was covered in the interview because that is usually left out and we do not really get to know the person's way of life. This presentation was cute, well prepared as well as presented.

3321 PRESENTATION: ESPERANZA RISING

Esperanza Rising was presented very nicely. It was about a rich girl who had to learn to transition her lifestyle and be able to live in the blue collar way of life. After her father died, she and her mother were robbed from their rightful inheritance by an uncle. Her mother refused to marry him and Esperanza agreed with her mother. Thus causing them to run into a world they had never known before.

I believe that is what is occuring to alot of people today due to the economy. Esperanza had to adjust in not having the finer things in life and go to work as well as her mother; but through it all Esperanza became strong and rose above all she thought was the worst thing that could have happed to her and her mother. The activity was cute as well.

3321 PRESENTSTION: THE DIARY OF ANN FRANK

The Diary of Ann Frank was very, very interesting and informational. The Power Point that showed the pictures of the concentration camp were horrid, but that is good because that is what it was meant to do. I liked the presentation because it was based on a true story. Ann Frank lived, suffered, dreamed, and died not fulfilling her dreams like so many people. The horrible thing is that Ann Frank died at a very young age; in her early to mid teens. But through her diary she will live for generations to come.

The activity was to the point and made a person think of what Ann Frank and others went through to stay alive. It felt like being boxed in alive in a coffin. I believe that the dreams Ann Frank had are what kept her alive even if it was for those few years. I think the presentation was very well prepared and presented.

3321 PRESENTATION "LA LLORONA"

I have heard of the "La Llorona" since childhood, but I never new the history of the story until now. The presentation was done beautifully. It really brought out the details of this story and how it originally started. The costumes and the background art work really enhanced the setting and heritage of the people involved in the original story.

I liked the activities because they involved the audience. Another thing that I liked was the reading of the PowerPoint information; it elaborated so much regarding the entire story. It also related this story to myths, folktails, and legends very well. Similar events that have occurred in this century were related to this story which really causes us to think that perhaps this is not just a story, myth, or legend. I think the whole presentation was very well done.

3321 MON. NIGHT ARTICLE: WHAT IS SHARED READING?

Shared reading is when the teacher and the students have the opportunity to unit in the reading and re-reading of a great story, discussing the pictures, and connecting the context with the meaning of the story. It consists of a careful choosen large book and story that the students really like so they will be excited about reading and enjoy it as well. In this time of shared reading a large group of students follow along with the teacher as she models good reading skills, behaviors, strategies, and engages the students to use theirs as well.

This article has helped me to truly realize how important shared reading is and how important the teacher's part is; not only in the class room, but at home as well. A child's first class room is their home and their very first teacher is the person at home that reads to them. Making the shared reading a fun experience is what helps to ground a child in becoming a reader for life and possibly a writer also. In my past experience, I recall a student retelling a story he heard me read to the class. He retold parts of it to himself as he played during free time. I noticed it, but never really connected it to shared reading since I did not know what it was called.

One thing that really caught my eye in this article was the Respecting & Responding to Learners Section. The little girl "Sarah" in the article was never told to be quite, to stop acting silly while her mother read to her, to be still, nor corrected in a negative tone of voice. Unfortunately this is what happens all too often in class rooms today. Children are not permitted to express their individuality, their interpretation of a word or phrase they are simply told to be quite, or wait. This can cause a child to be turned off from the story, get mad, or feel that his or her opinion or comment is not of any value. In shared reading is how children learn to pronounce words, and follow the story without loosing interest and get bored. It is how the students relate the reading to thier own life, as well as increase in thier involvement in future reading of that same story. Learning while having fun in reading should the number one key factor. I believe this will keep children interested in reading for a life time.

3321 MON. NIGHT CHAPTER 11

Shared reading is one of my favorite things to do as a teacher. I feel it gives the teacher and students that one-on-one opportunity to develop a closer relationship. I particularly like to do the voices of the characters in the story. I feel this makes the characters come alive and the students enjoy the story more and pay attention even more so. I never had someone read to me as child at home, nor do I recall being read to at school in my early years in elementary, but I'm so glad I can read to my students and that is why I want to make it memorable to them.

Shared reading is a great asset to a curriculum; it gives the students opportunity to develop their language skills by reading and re-reading along with a the teacher. Using the Big books (I think) is the best way to do this because the students can see the letters and words better and can be stimulated to participate as they see the huge pictures in relation to the story. They also wont get frustrated so quickly as with smaller books because the visuals are larger and easier to see.

I believe shared reading is great for the special needs students since they need a routine of repetition; reading and re-reading a story will help them remember the characters, places, what happened, who did what, and the conclusion. The teacher decides how much to read and where to stop and ask questions to see if they are really catching on to the story. Activities relating to the story helps them to repeat the story format and re-tell it to themselves. Having the students work in small groups would be great because a lot of autistic children live in their own world and need this contact with their peers. This also gives those with speech difficulty an opportunity to develop their language skills.

There are different ways the shared reading can be brought forth. A teacher could us the computer and screen, big books, as well as small books, and the overhead projector. I would say whatever works best for your class use it. There are so many features a teacher can use to get the students involved in shared reading. The section on Focusing on Text Features and Reading Strategies is great; this section alone has given me ideas I want to implement in my future class. The Typical Shared Reading Lessons and the Critical Components of Typical Shared Reading Lesson Series sections are a great help in planning lessons to fit the needs of students.