Thanks!

When I think back on this semester, I realize how much I have grown as a student and future teacher. Introduction to Language Arts taught me countless lessons that I will carry into all of my future endeavors. Learning about the six language arts will benefit me throughout my remaining classes as Meredith, and throughout teaching. Before this class, I was unaware of the skill of talking and listening. Until now, I was unaware of the “art” of talking and listening.

I also benefited a lot from our read aloud Sahara Special. After completing this, I learned how much both teachers and students bring to classroom. Without a doubt, I will have a student like Sahara, and Darryl for that matter, in my future classroom. Because of this certainty, it is so important that I value each student and look beyond the dreaded “file.”

Blogging also allowed me to try out a new method of reflection. By blogging, I was able to share my ideas with others, publish my thoughts, and learn from the members of my class. It was so helpful to try a new medium; I can foresee myself using a blog to keep students and parents up to date with classroom information.

Thanks to everyone for a successful semester!

Chalk it up!

During my Introduction to Language Arts class, we explored the concept of a Chalk Talk, or Magic Talk, as we preferred. In a Chalk Talk, a word or phrase is written on the board; students respond to the word/phrase by writing or drawing. Students may “tag” their responses to other students, raise questions, or answer questions. Through these tags and connections, a web of ideas forms. The only rule? No talking!

Before this class, I had never experienced a Chalk Talk. As I quickly learned, Chalk Talks offer students a valuable form of communication. Although this activity is non-verbal, it is still incredibly interactive. Students respond to their peers and teachers and make connections. Chalk Talks are also a great way to differentiate for a variety of learners. The teacher can increase depth and complexity by having the students ask/answer higher-level questions and comments.

Just as a football coach amps up his players with a Chalk Talk of game play, Chalk Talks are incredibly beneficial in the classroom. Teachers can use Chalk Talks for brainstorming, introducing new topics, and/or closing a unit. Chalk Talks are a great way for students to state what they already know, what questions they still have, and how they see connections.

Listen UP!!

I definitely think that listening is an art. All too often, if a person is silent, we believe that they are listening. However, as any college student can attest, this is simply not always the case. At any given moment, a person has a million and one things running through her mind, and listening is not always one of them. Because of this fact, it is very important that teachers focusing on listening in the classroom. It is often not enough that students are merely quiet while the teacher is talking, more so, students should be actively engaged. Through active-learning activities, listening is entirely possible.

Before reading Language Arts: Patterns of Practice, I did not know that there are four distinct types of listening: discriminative, aesthetic, efferent, and critical. Much like the different types of reading, the different types of listening each serves a unique purpose. People use discriminative listening to distinguish sounds (phonemic awareness). People listen aesthetically when they’re listening for enjoyment, such as to read-alouds or music. Critical listening occurs when people listen in order to understand a message and remember important information. Lastly, critical listening is used to evaluate a message. With all of this in mind, how can teachers be sure to incorporate all types of listening in the classroom?

On this note, I really liked the “Sketch to Stretch” idea. As the popular saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” By having students respond to an auditory stimulus by drawing, the possibilities are endless. In fact, I am incorporating a “Sketch to Stretch” activity into my unit plan for Methods. In my unit, the students will respond to music by sketching. In this way, sketching is a great form of reflection.

I also found the propaganda and persuasion topics to be very information. A person cannot turn on the radio or television without being bombarded with commercials urging you to take action or purchase a product. For students this onslaught is made worse by peer pressure. Activities about propaganda and persuasion can lend themselves to so many topics: a historical study of WWII propaganda posters, presidential campaigns, school student council campaigns, commercials, etc. I found that our activities in class really brought together many of the language arts: listening, viewing, and visually representing. It would be great for students to take the driver’s seat and design their own commercial/campaign using the various styles of propaganda.

Literature Circle Discussion on Nancie Atwell's "In the Middle"

I found the literature circle to be very beneficial to my understanding of Atwell's In the Middle. By discussing teaching strategies in depth with a classmate, I was able to get a deeper understanding of the material. It is always interesting to see how another person interprets a reading; the collaboration and conversation that results from discussion is extremely valuable. Atwell's text had an abundance of brilliant teaching strategies, and through literature circles we were able to come up with even more real world applications. By teaching or explaining a concept to another person, you are making an even stronger connection to the idea.

For next time, my literature circle goals are:
- To discuss the logisitics of Atwell's schedule
- To direct assume the role of "Discussion Director" or "Connector"

Chart your Course for Differentiation

"Different Ships, Same Sea"
(qtd. by Dr. Kelly Roberts, Meredith College)

Captain's Glossary

"All Aboard": Differentiation is for ALL students; the curriculum differs it is not different.

Anchor: Keep all lessons deeply rooted in substance.

Buoy: Stay afloat! Be prepared to keep with the ebbs and flows of student achievement.

Crew: In order for differentiation to be effective, teamwork must be employed.

Crow's Nest: Teachers should stay on top of student progress; look ahead for success and challenges.

Doubloon: Offer genuine praise; give credit where credit is deserved.

League: Establish differentiation with depth and complexity; increase depth not breadth.

Treasure: Each student and team member has something to offer; use this to your advantage in this differentiated classroom.

What are my influences in teaching writing?

Technology: with instant messaging, emailing, and texting within an arm's reach, technology will have a large impact on teaching writing. Because of this digital age, Standard English is sometimes put on the back burner to make way for quick slang and abbreviations.

Prior knowledge: students will come to my classroom with conceptions and misconceptions about writing. It will be extremely important to do diagnostic screenings of my students' writing ability.

My Personal experience: it is often found that teachers teach the way they learn. My personal experience with writing will have a large impact on the manner in which I present the writing process to my students. My interactions with teachers and professors have given me numerous ideas.


MUSTS:
-conferencing with students about papers
-Writing to learn activities
-Reflection
-Connection b/w writing and reading
-Focused freewrite

I had a Lynne Truss moment...

I took the advice from Eats, Shoots and Leaves and edited a sign about upcoming fall courses. Incorrectly, the sign said "This course will examine legal and legal drug use..."

Food for Thought - Observations

For the past few weeks, the students in Mrs. Shirley’s class have been working on an out-of-class project entitled, Breakfast For Your Head: Cereal Box Book Report. For those of you unfamiliar with the cereal box project, here is project description:

Front: Design a front cover for the novel. Include the name of the book, the authors, and an original illustration.

Back: The top portion of the back needs to contain a blurb, giving information to entice and/or interest a reader to want to read the novel. This must be at least six sentences, but not vie away the whole story. The lower portion of the back must be a puzzle, activity, word game, etc which incorporate information from the book.

Side One: Make a list of “ingredients” that includes the following story elements:
- Introduction
- Rising action
- Climax
- Falling action
- Resolution

Side Two: Create a “Nutritional Facts Chart” that rate the book by giving the percentage of the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) in several categories:
- Humor
- Drama
- Suspense
- Educational value
- Vocabulary

This week, the students presented their cereal box project to the class. It was such a great experience! As I have mentioned in class, I think sharing writing helps to give students a feeling of accomplishment and ownership. I came to observe Mrs. Shirley’s class when the students were presenting a cereal box project, and I could literally feel the excitement in the room as each child went up to present. I could tell the students were very proud of their projects and were eager to share with the class. Not only were the students presenting their project, they were also reading the summary of the novel. As an observer, this helped me to see how the students respond to reading: some students gave a brief overview; some students focused on one event and glazed over the rest; others incorporated quotes from the novel. Tompkins states, “Sharing writing is a social activity that helps students develop sensitivity to audiences and confidence in themselves as authors” (95). After hearing the students share their writing, I agree wholeheartedly with that comment. As I said before, written assignments can sometime feel like a secret exchange between student and teacher – student turns it in, teacher grades it, not a word is said. By sharing writing, students can bond with other students and enhance the impact of their writing.

The Graveyard Book: After a paideia seminar in my Methods class on this book, I would really like to incorporate this novel into my classroom. The Graveyard Book is a coming-of-age story of a boy, Bod, whose family is murdered when he’s just a toddler. The boy was to be killed as well, but he managed to escape by crawling into a graveyard. In this graveyard, the story of Bod’s life unfolds as he guarded and taught by a cast of dead people.

“The Necklace”: A short story which illuminates the literary device irony. I am currently working on a mini literature lesson for this story which uses the song “Ironic” by Alanis Morrisette to enforce the concept of irony.

Because I want students to be able to see “the big picture” I would tend to create thematic units. By creating lessons based on substantial themes, students can see how literature relates to the world around them.

My 5 Steps to Integration

Purpose:
- Objectives, objectives, objectives!
- The main purpose in an interdisciplinary unit is modeling and teaching students how to learn (Wild, Mayeaux & Edmonds 95).
-Teach students to communicate effectively, to work productively, to treat others respectfully, to read critically, to persist through difficulty, and to lead democratically.

Substance:
- Do not hide behind fluffy activities with vague intentions.
- Curriculum mapping: descriptions of content, descriptions of processes/skills, assessment
- Understand standards

Connection:
-“Interdisciplinary designs are best when sensible, no strained, integration is planned and that not all disciplines need to be involved in the lesson design of a unit. If we had forced the connections, we would have created artificial lessons to justify a contrived theme” (qtd. in Wild, Mayeaux & Edmonds 88).
-Rely on deeply rooted connections not superficial “integration”

Collaboration:
-Team: Work on identifying and reflecting the connected, global concepts during team planning (Wild, Mayeaux & Edmonds 95).
-Students: encourage collaboration through active learning.

Differentiation:
-“The best education for the best, is the best education for all”
-Teach to the students, not to the test; students can achieve mastery of standards through choice, active learning, and challenge.


Works Cited:
Wild, Monique D., Amanda S. Mayeaux, and Kathryn P. Edmonds. TeamWork: Setting the Standard for Collaborative Teaching, Grades 5-9. Portland: Stenhouse, 2008.

"The Best Education for the Best is the Best Education for All"

While I was in my English Methods class the other day, I was introduced to the quote “the best education for the best is the best education for all.” After thinking for a moment, I was struck by the importance of this sentiment. When students grace the doors of my future middle school Language Arts classroom, they may already be wearing a title of “low proficiency reader” or “advanced reader”. As a teacher, it will be my job to see past these unjust labels and provide all of my students with the same tools for success. If you do not present a lower-level reader with thought provoking, complex texts, how can we expect them to be able to think and read critically? Simple texts produce simple thoughts. If teachers never attempt to provide lower-level readers with complex texts, simple thoughts will continue to cycle. In all fairness, all students must be given cognitively demanding, classic works. This quote really helped to drive home the importance of differentiation. Differentiation is for all students; the curriculum differs, but is not different. As we have discussed in class, literature circles would really help to support differentiation because students have a choice when it coming to their book selection.

Tricks to Teaching Literature

A funny thing happened on the way out of my Lit. class... courteously of Dr. Kelly Roberts of the Meredith College English Department



10. Ignore the back of the book (“read; answer questions”)Avoiding reading and answering questions that can be done by anybody

9. Entice like there’s no tomorrow (because there will be lots of them!)
Make sure that you can entice students. Our job is 1. Give them the basics of how to read and comprehend 2. To keep them reading. Set their hearts and minds on fire.

8. Divide the pages and multiply the review.
Three weeks designated for a unit; steady stream of realistic reading. Cycling back will make it stick in their head (responsibility).
*It is discriminatory not hold students with the responsibility doing homework. Set homework expectations; life skill way beyond the skills.

7. Have respect; don’t dissect (esp. when it comes to assessment)

6. Read Alouds

5. Keep your bag of tricks handy
No dissecting! Keep a steady supply of active learning strategies

4. Remember how porcupines make love
Very carefully :
- Keeping the main idea, the main idea
- Scaffold: pre-reading, during-reading, post-reading activities

3. Everybody loves a book club; somebody always hates The Book
It's important to remember that uou will always have someone that will dislike The Book; encorporate choice in the classroom through activities such as literature circles and choice reading.

2. Consider integration – it is integral to the integrity
Incorporate writing, grammar AND literature. Why not tie in art? social studies? science? math?

1. Remember only one thing: Keep ‘em reading!!

Write Right

Throughout our mini-lessons it has be interesting to see how the stages of the writing process can be applied to writers of any skill or age. As a future middle grades Language Arts teacher, it is important to see how stages of the writing process can be applied to adolescents. In my academic career, I have found that I too tend to jump from the “brainstorming” stage to the “published” stage. I found this is particularly true in my college writing. I tend to jump right into the “finished product” paper forgoing the detrimental prewriting stages. This causes me to have to make large revisions later on. After relearning about the stages of the writing process, I have now attempted to start my papers at the very beginning – with brainstorming.

I have always found that personal writing was a release. As a child, I would put my "top secret" thoughts in a heart-shaped journal I would hide under my mattress. Even though I no longer have that heart-shaped journal, I still can appreciate journaling. Personal writing helps to organize your thoughts and emotions, and I can see how journaling will be very beneficially in the classroom. Journaling as a warm-up would help students to "check their emotions at the door" and have a productive class period.

What? Whole Language in ESL?

As a future Language Arts teacher, my courses in that content area at Meredith have focused on a lot on the differences between phonics and whole language. My EDU 300 class, Introduction to Language Arts, has explored this difference in great depth. As a result, for the native-English speaker, it seems as though phonics is more beneficial to learning. Because of this notion, I wanted to examine whole language when dealing with English Language Learners.

According to our textbook, Bilingual and ESL Classrooms Teaching in Multicultural Contexts, current ESL and bilingual approaches advocate a whole language philosophy. The whole language philosophy was originally developed for English speakers in English language arts classes. Specifically, “Whole language approaches focus on use of authentic language that is meaningful to students, proceeding from whole to part, integrating development of multiple language modes and domains” (Ovando 149). From what I gathered from the explanation, whole language works from general knowledge to specific knowledge: meaning first, then conventions. This is explained further, “Whole language focuses on using language, focusing on meaning first, getting students to write early and often, accepting invented spelling for beginners but expecting conventional spelling as students advance in the writing process, exposing students to high-quality literature and authentic texts from diverse writing genres, allowing students to make choices in reading, and encouraging all to be voracious readers” (qtd in Ovando 149).

In terms of the general Language Arts content classroom, this holistic approach to reading and writing is deemed as inadequate. In fact, many scholars in favor of the phonic approach have called the whole language philosophy the “crime of the century.” Those opposed to the whole language approach, feel that this approach does not give students the foundation on which to form a concept of spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. It has been thought that whole language is merely a memory device, and it ignores the phonic composition of words in the English language.

Overall, I found it interesting that the whole language approach is used in current English as a Second Language classroom despite the large debate surrounding this philosophy. It will be interesting to see which philosophy will be used in my future school.

Language Arts and Socialization

It goes without saying that communication is the foundation of one’s social life. If a student were to have trouble in reading or writing – two forms of communication – then that child runs the risk of stunting his/ her social life. For Sahara, her difficulty to make and keep friends may stem from her academic delay. From passing notes in the hallway, to sending instant messages online, reading and writing are integral parts of making and keeping friends.

Throughout my time at Meredith College, I have tutored ESL students around the Raleigh area. In working with these students, I can see the importance of reading and writing on their social skills. Ms. Savastano, a kindergarten teacher at Powell Elementary, stated that, ““the fostering of self-confidence and self-esteem is extremely important.” Ms. Savastano informed me that as Irbin began to speak and communicate in English (he knew none when he came to Powell Elementary in August), it was important that the teachers encouraged and praised him for everything he said and did. Even from the beginning, it was easy to see that Irbin was very eager and loves to learn. Today, Ms. Savastano can see that Irbin is gaining more confidence daily and speaking more. She said that it is important not to correct his mistakes in a harsh way so as not to discourage him. Through this example, we can see that language arts have a great deal to do with socialization.

Although this ESL student represents an extreme case, it helps to show that language delay or disability can have an impact on socialization. Students with less vocabulary or poor grammar may be reluctant to speak up in class in front of their peers.

As a teacher, I would encourage all of my students to keep a journal. In personal journals, students can write about events in their own lives and about other topics of special interest. Furthermore, I would encourage collective learning such as group work, and think-pair-share activities.

Phonics vs Whole Language

When I think about how I was taught language, it seems as though there was a strong emphasis on phonemic awareness. As a young girl, I remember learning playfully through Kids Songs and nursery rhymes. I would sing along to these rhyming children’s songs and stories. I remember being a big fan of the Dr. Seuss collection, and I would constantly ask to be read Shel Silverstein’s poetry. These silly stories and poems helped me to hear rhymes, experiment with sounds, and create nonsense words.

I do not remember ever using phonics as way to learn language. From a young age, I remember practicing spelling just as frequently and I practiced my reading and writing skills. However, as my younger sister (who’s five years younger) was growing up, the popularity of the program Hooked on Phonics was soaring.

As a future middle school teacher, it is important to recognize the variety of ways my students will have learned language. Language Arts: Patterns of Practice presents both sides of the issues of phonics. According to the text, “phonics instruction should focus on the most useful information for identifying words; it also should be systematic and intensive, and it should be completed by the third grade” (120).

Book Recommendation: Six Words You Never Knew Had Something to Do with Pigs

Six Words You Never Knew Had Something to Do with Pigs highlights intriguing facts about the development of a selection of 500 words in the English language. Written by Katherine Barber, editor in chief of the dictionary department at Oxford University Press in Toronto, Six Words…is a modern look at etymology.

The book features a concise history of the English language; it takes readers on a linguistic journey from 5th Century Anglo-Saxons, through the Norman Conquest, through Arabic influence, to modern-day usage.

The entries in Six Words… are categorized by season, allowing for both at-a-glance reference and in-depth study. Its organization would allow for etymology integration in the classroom through “Word a Day” activities or as a companion to the novel Frindle by Andrew Clements.
Six Words… is a must read for anyone interested in the English language. Because of its organization and readability it would be a great addition to any classroom library.

Six Words... Classroom Integration

Frindle by Andrew Clements
Nick Allen lets his imagination run wild when he learns about word origins from his dictionary-obsessed teacher, Mrs. Granger. This lesson sets the stage for Nick to create his word, and he begins calling a pen a frindle. In the words of Clements, “this quirky, imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of words will have readers inventing their own words.”

Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein
This “billy sook” is a collection of poetry by renowned poet, Shel Silverstein. With silly poems which phrases such as "Runny fad a hamily–/Matter of fact, he had/A sother and two bristers,/A dummy and a mad,” readers will laugh while they learn. Through hand-drawn illustrations and poetic context clues, learners will practice phonemic awareness.

Word of the Day
Using the thematic organization of the book Six Words… teachers can prepare a “Word of the Day” for students in relation to the season, topic of study, etc.

After-School Program at Daniels Middle

After observing Mr. Hubbard interact with the students involved with the Daniels Middle School after-school program, I immediately thought of the chapter “A Teacher on Our Side” in Kathleen Cushman and Laura Roger’s Fires in the Middle School Bathroom. Much like the students in Fires in the Middle School Bathroom, the students of Daniels Middle deal with issues such as strictness, fairness, and trust.
As I observed, it became clear that Mr. Hubbard had taken the time throughout the year to get to know each of his students on a personal level. He had a general knowledge of his students on a whole: the cliques that formed during the afterschool program, the groups of student who worked on math homework, etc. Even more impressively, Mr. Hubbard had a specific knowledge about each of his students. He asked students specific questions about their day: how a particular assignment turned out, about a sporting event or movie, or if a student returned a signed parent form. Because Mr. Hubbard was on the up and up with each student involved with the after school program, the students were able to trust him. Cushman and Rogers state that“by showing your respect for and interest in their individual situations, you send middle schoolers the message that they matter to you” (52).
It was clear that Mr. Hubbard also succeeded in terms of setting a tone of steady firmness. Although Mr. Hubbard has a playful personality, the students are well aware of the rules he has set in place. It is clear that there is a level of respect between Mr. Hubbard and his students; therefore, communication is clear. Mr. Hubbard is very proactive in terms of discipline. Mr. Hubbard clearly states his expectations when transitioning. For instance, before the students lined up to walk from the cafeteria to his classroom, he told them that he expected them to be respectful and quiet in the hallway. He did not open the door until the students were organized and ready to walk quietly. By taking control of a situation before it gets out of hand, Mr. Hubbard averted potential chaos and shows his respect and trust of the students.
Another important issue raised in Fires in the Middle School Bathroom is the topic of “learning our language.” Cushman and Rogers state that “by listening to your students, both formally and informally, you let them know that you care about their perspectives” (55). It would seem to be that an after school program might have the issue of dealing with more inappropriate “out of school” language, but this was not the case. By talking about music and the Superbowl, it was clear that Mr. Hubbard made a strong effort to communicate with his students in their language.
Although the nature of an afterschool program is not entirely academic, Mr. Hubbard enforced the importance of homework and study time. During the allotted hour for homework, Mr. Hubbard would walk around and monitor the students’ progress. He was never overbearing; Mr. Hubbard would casually spot-check assignments and ask the students questions about the task at hand. Mr. Hubbard was able to use his knowledge of the students’ strengths and weaknesses to assist them with their students. However, he did not solely focus on their academic skills. For example, for students who struggled with time management, he updated them on the time to keep them on task.
Overall, it was a great experience to have a firsthand look at the after school program at Daniels Middle School. After reading about the concept of “a teacher on our side,” it was rewarding and insightful to see this idea practiced in a real middle school. I cannot wait to see what more I can learn from Mr. Hubbard in future visits to Daniels Middle School

The Reading Process

Discuss the difference in aesthetic reading and efferent reading. Do you have a preference for one or the other? Which do you employ the most?
In their simplest terms, aesthetic reading is reading for enjoyment, and efferent reading is reading for information. In order to fully comprehend any text, I think a balance between aesthetic reading and efferent reading is crucial. When reading with an aesthetic lens, the reader will focus on images, feelings, and association. With efferent reading, the reader will concentrate on the information in the text and illustrations. I think that both forms of reading are necessary in order for readers to recognize and understand literary devices such as symbolism, metaphors, similes, imagery, etc.


Discuss the five stages of the reading process providing examples of each.
a. Prereading: Prereading involves the activation or building of background knowledge. In Prereading, the teacher sets the stage for reading. In doing so, the teacher may ask broad general questions about the topic at hand or have the student discusses their background knowledge in groups.
b. Reading: Reading occurs independently, with a buddy, using shared reading, using guided reading or listening to a read-aloud. Reading can occur in segments, or by reading through an entire work. While reading, it is important to recognize illustrations, charts and diagrams. Our read-aloud Sahara Special is a great example of reading.
c. Responding: Responding can occur both intrinsically and extrinsically. Reading logs provide a great method for reflection as do group discussions. The strategy of “think pair share” works well when responding to books.
d. Exploring: Exploring occurs when readers reread and think more deeply about the text. In doing so, the reader examines the author’s craft, learns vocabulary words, and participates in mini-lessons. Students can explore the text by creating plot diagrams, adding words to the classroom word wall, and answering context questions.
e. Applying: Applying is employed through the creation of a project, connection with related books, and valuing the reading experience. The stage of applying can highlight the six language arts (reading, writing, talking, listening, viewing, and visually representing) by the creation of skits, research, oral presentations, etc.


What factors are important in developing capable readers?
Capable readers showcase ability in four important areas: word identification, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. In terms of word identification, capable readers recognize site words or high frequency words and have a grasp on language phonics. Capable readers are also fluent with their reading; these readers are practiced in terms of reading speed, word recognition, and prosody. Capable readers also have a strong base vocabulary. Lastly, comprehension is a key element of capable readers.


Often, students participate in reading through different means. What ways are there to read and how could the students use the reading process in the classroom?
a. Shared reading: Teachers read aloud while students follow along using individual copies of a book, a class chart, or a big book. This form of reading would work well when using a book with advanced vocabulary; students could follow along in their copy to hear the pronunciation of new words.
b. Guided reading: Teacher support students as they read texts at their reading levels. With guided reading, students are groups homogenously. Guided reading would lend itself well to Literature Circles.
c. Independent reading: Students read a text by themselves. Independent reading is a good exercise and is often used in the classroom during D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time.
d. Buddy reading: Two students read/reread a text together. By heterogeneously pairing a fluent reader with a struggling reader (or non-native speaker), skills can be gained.
e. Reading aloud to students: Teachers or other fluent readers read aloud to students. A read aloud would be a great way to introduce a supplementary novel and increase classroom togetherness.

Digital Age and Language Arts

As technology becomes more and more essential in our every day lives, it seems crucial that both viewing and visually representing are considered Language Arts. As technology progresses, we see that books are not the sole medium for literature. Blogs, online forums, social networking sites, and personal web sites serve to help people share ideas. While Facebook will never replace Shakespeare, visual media is a valid frontier for language development. People of today aim to communicate instantly, and phrases such as "lol" and "brb" have developed. On a small scale, this mimicks the transition from Old English to Modern English. As the fields of viewing and visually representing grow larger, the subject Language Arts will continue to change and develop. By having viewing and visually representing two of the six Language Arts, scholars can take into account the future of these mediums and their impact.

Listening as a Language Art

lis⋅ten
 / Pronunciation [lis-uh n]
–verb
to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.

To begin with, in my experience, listening is a concept that is expected, not taught. It is assumed that as long as a student is quiet, settled in her seat, and facing the board she is listening. It seems as though quite the opposite would be true. Judging by my own personality, those things seem like the perfect recipe for daydreaming. It was interesting to the note the different types of listening: aesthetic, efferent, and critical. Aesthetic listening occurs when listening is done in order to provoke an emotional response. On the other hand, efferent listening focuses on information to be learned, and critical listening to differentiate fact from opinion.

In each of these cases, it is clear that listening is a process, an action. Listening is a process that unites teacher and student, information and learning. Without proper listening, communicate cannot occur: ideas cannot be shared and learning cannot take place. As a teacher, it is important to recognize the difference between quietness and actual listening. In order to keep students listening, they must be fully engaged at all times.

As a real world example, our class recently listened to the read aloud, Sahara Special. Already, I am intrigued by spunky Sahara. At such a young age, she is aware of the repercussions of the dreaded "permanent record" and the labeling that often results. Instead of falling prey to her negative superiors, Sahara maintains her true identity as a writer and daughter. I am looking forward to the future of Sahara and hearing about her story in her own words.