As I think back on my semester in English 341 only positive thoughts come to mind. I have never experienced a class that has such an online element to it without being an online class. I am used to just going through the motions of going to class taking notes, going home and studying that I think I started to turn into a robot. This class really shook me out of that state. It has opened my eyes to the possibilities one can create with an online element to their teaching and also has given me more than enough understanding of how I can create a community of readers in my class and really encourage my students to learn to love to read. I remembering thinking at the beginning of the semester, when asked to reflect of our thought of school and our habits of reading, that I used to love to read then I just lost that desire as I was forced to read more textual books throughout my schooling. I can honestly say today that I have rekindled that love to read and I am truly excited for this summer to catch up on all that I have missed out on. I have you to thank for that Kim Jaxon!!

We have gone through so many different styles of books this semester and although some of them were more enjoyable than other’s I can definitely say each book choice I made has given me the knowledge of how I could present that book genre or specific book to a child that might want to read it. I believe this class has really shown me the importance of reading books that your students might be reading themselves. If you can’t truly recommend a book to a child they probably aren’t going to have a real close connection to wanting to read that book overall. I have never read a graphic novel in my life, until now and I am actually glad I did, not so much because I enjoyed it myself but because I could definitively see how that type of book could inspire a child who might not love to read. Maybe they’re afraid of the “chapter book” layout and think reading has to be presented in the same monotonous layout. Well these books will really show them the diversity of books and that not everything has to have a bunch of words to it when reading. I work at an afterschool program and I know this type of book would really benefit certain children I have in my homework group. I also loved the fairytale books we read in class and I have come out with creative ideas on how to use this theme in a future class of mine. For instance, reading the story “kissing the witch” and showing how the fairytale characters are all connected could be a great prompt into having the children get creative and make their own stories on how the characters might be connected. Another book I know I could bring into my future classroom is the Weenies series. Those book also show that books don’t have to be “chapter books” and that short stories can also be fun to read. I would have benefited from a book like this when I was little because it provides gratification that “yes, you have finished a whole story.” It might not have been a whole book but it was something! This book selection also gave me some great ideas of how future students could create their own short stories and present them in fun ways like we did in our gallery walks.

Another thing I think was awesome that we can take away from this class is the wix site. Although it has taken me a lot to figure certain things out and it hasn’t been easy, it has provided me with a professional way to showcase my teacher resources and link with different sites that have creative lesson ideas. I know even after I turn in this wix site I will be making corrections and adding things as I go because I have actually learned to like the idea of having such a readily accessible resource for when I become a teacher. I personally loved every aspect of this class and although sometimes, “specifically these last two”, I have forgot to do a blog, I have always gone to class and come out with great ideas and creative ways to help my future students to love to read. I now don’t feel overwhelmed to become a teacher but more so excited to share my knowledge and work with my students to help them keep or obtain their love for reading in the future! Thank you for such a wonderful semester everyone and I wish everyone the best on their journeys to becoming the talented teachers I know we all are!

In the book Counting by Seven’s I believe they want its readers to talk about being a unique individual and being able to truly feel comfortable being themselves. I also think this book provides a setting for individuals who have been through similar situations such as loosing a parent, to relate to the text more. It also provides a text that can get children who haven’t experienced something tragic like this to understand what someone who has been through this might feel like. The book clearly prompts some good discussions about creating or finding your identity and being able to have a support system in life. I was able to connect to the fact that this book talked about a student who was going through a rough time in middle school. I personally was a very shy person while growing up so when she is experiencing some of those reserved moments I could really relate. This helped me feel more of a connection to the text and make it easier to read in the end.

In the book Counting by Seven’s it seems to assume that every child has been through a period in their life when they are going through that awkward stage of trying to truly find your own identity. I think this is definitely true in most children and even most adults’ lives today. Although this is put in a specific state of loosing a parent/parents, the overall theme of finding your self can relate to many children’s lives. There were parts of the book I didn’t agree with like when it seems to want to group children into groups of “who’s who”. I think every person is unique and grouping people into bubbles is the worst thing we can start to do. I believe this text mirrors the overall hardships of the middle school reality. Everyone is growing through changes and whether it is relating to bullying or having a family value system or once again creating your own identity, this book can really help a student maneuver through this period in their life by seeing how the main character did it.

I personally can’t think of a specific book title that would directly relate to Counting by Seven’s, but I do know there are several out there that cover this same topic of a child going through life and encountering some type of major speed bumps and obstacle s along the way. This book definitely shows how having a support system while going through tough times can really help out and how you might have to go through some stuff to get there but as long as you stay positive there’s always a light at the end of those hard times in life. Overall this book seems to fit under the category of realist rather than fantasy because of all of the real life events that could actually occur to any one of your students. It seems to create somewhat of a guide for a student to help cope with an event like this happening to them. Also it could serve to help others understand what it might feel like to actually go through an event such as the one in the book.

I believe that both the article and ted talk were very interesting and had some great points on why comics are important to incorporate into our reading. It was interesting to hear McCloud’s talk about how comics contain pictures that incorporate many of our senses. We visualize the scenes and let the various different pictures on the page help us understand the time line of the story. The words also help us understand the effects and conversations going on as well. I think the last part of the Ted talk was interesting as well and showing comics in a more continuous way than the way we are now can help evolve different aspects of comics in themselves.

 

I really enjoyed reading the graphic novel “Anya’s Ghost”. I have never read a graphic novel before so it was definitely something I had to get used to. At first I found it hard to get through because I found myself really looking at every detail of the book. After I got farther into the read my attention was drawn more to the story and the plot really dragged me in! I definitely see how these books could help different readers and I plan on incorporating them into my future class in many different ways. One of these would just to introduce this type of book to my students and let them experience a different type of book and the other way would be to have them write a graphic novel themselves and really understand the different aspects that go into making a book like this.

1)   I believe Williams is describing the scene of a farm or maybe a house in countryside that has chickens one the land. I believe the things he mentions in the poem have some relative importance to him or to one another. Maybe this is a scene he often sees in the morning time or used to see as a child. Maybe so much depends on the wheel barrow next to the white chickens because they some how are intertwined into a memory he has of a certain day that started with him seeing this image.

 

2)   So much depends upon

Catching

that flight

Butterflies

in your stomach

Thoughts

running wild

Finally

you see that smile

It warms your heart

Makes any day better

Finally

feeling whole once again