Video Analysis

This assignment really took me out of my comfort zone. I'd much rather explain myself in an essay than orally through speaking. It took me about five tries to finally produce a video that I was somewhat satisfied with. This is definitely not my best work. Although this assignment took me a good bit of time and I didn't really like it, I felt that it was beneficial. By having to turn my thoughts into words, I was able to see what I understood from the articles and what I was confused about. In other words, by having to orally discuss the articles, I was able to pinpoint exactly what I was sure of and which things I needed to go back and read further. I just wish I had more background knowledge on the Common Core State Standards before participating in this activity. I felt it hard to talk about things that I wasn't necessarily familiar with in the first place.

Children's Literature and the Common Core

The implementation of the Common Core State Standards brought with it advocates as well as opponents, neither of which are shy in voicing their opinions. Jaclyn DeForge and Kathleen Porter-Magee are two of these people who openly share their thoughts on specific literacy aspects of the Common Core.

Although never explicitly stated by DeForge, it seems that both her and Porter-Magee support the use of complex texts in the classroom. However, DeForge has a problem with the list of titles the authors of the Common Core have recommended for utilization in the classroom. In "A More Diverse Appendix B," she states that many of the titles are old books, and by or about white people. In order to meet the criteria of the Common Core, teachers are using those books from the list in their classroom libraries and instruction, meaning that their classrooms focus little on diversity. When constructing a classroom library and selecting books for instruction, DeForge writes that "(1) Students should have an opportunity to to be exposed to both classic and contemporary literature as well as nonfiction texts, and (2) All students should have the opportunity to see themselves reflected back, as well as to be exposed to cultures that may differ from their own, in the literature and nonfiction texts we study." As a result, she constructed her own list of complex texts which reflect her thinking.

As an inhabitant of the United States, I support DeForge in what she has done. Our society is becoming more and more diverse as I write this sentence. School classrooms are filled with children of many races and backgrounds. In order for children to become accepting of people different than them, books should be introduced that celebrate the many races, cultures, religions, etc. Early intervention in this sense may limit ignorance and stereotyping in the future.

Unlike DeForge, Porter-Magee explicitly states she is pro-Common Core literacy standards because of three things: "(1) The emphasis on building knowledge to improve comprehension, (2) The focus on close reading and using evidence to support answers and analysis, and (3) The push to give all students regular practice with complex texts." It is this third piece about complex texts that Porter-Magee focuses on in "Implementing the Common Core with Struggling Readers." By attending a literacy training workshop, she learned from Doug Lemov that it is not necessary to provide struggling readers with easier, less complex texts. Rather, teachers just need to provide more help to these students in terms of analyzing complex texts. Teachers should create lessons about skills and strategies that are necessary to know when reading a specific text. Additionally, teachers should construct text-dependent questions, while taking into account the barriers these students may face, that guide the struggling readers as they are reading and enhance their understanding.

By analyzing the claims Porter-Magee has presented in her blog post, I have come to the conclusion that any student, no matter how poor they are at reading, can read the same books as the average student; all they need is a little extra help from the teacher. This means that all students in a particular grade could be reading the same book at the same time. The struggling readers would just be more dependent on the teacher than the average or above average readers.

Original Poetry

Below is a poem that I wrote for my Honors 231 class last spring. We were given specific instructions to include an aspect of Native American life in the poem, so I chose to focus on the Native American belief of reciprocity. In terms of health, this means respecting the universe. If you were to do something like cut down a tree (nature was a huge part of Native American beliefs), the universe would retaliate by making you sick.


The Key to Staying Healthy

I woke up as early as the sun one winter morning

And knew right away the day would be boring.

So much for the exciting plans that I had made

To go with my friends to Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

While they would be out having fun,

I’d be lying in my bed having none.

With no energy to move, all I could do is sleep,

And dream about leprechauns and cloverleafs.

After a week of bed rest and meds, I still felt the same

And wondered how much longer it would take me to get back in the game.

I thought I had been doing everything right,

But this sickness was putting up a damn good fight.

I then finally remembered what the Native Americans once said:

Reciprocity is key; no need for meds.

In this sacred world, respect all things,

And you will not catch what sickness brings.

Now I know I will never forget

To treat everything like you would want to be treated,

And sickness will always be defeated.

Tracing a Literature Standard

ANCHOR STANDARD CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
GRADE	CCSS	INSTRUCTIONAL SHIFT 2) Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational.
Grade 1	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. Children in first grade should be able to use what they have read in a particular text to ask and answer questions. Questions should be rooted in the text, or text-dependent.	In first grade, students are working towards using what they have read in a particular text to ask and answer questions. They are moving away from random questions unrelated to the text to questions rooted in the text. This can be taught by moving away from questions such as, “When is one time you displayed an act of kindness? And more towards questions like, “What was the result of *character’s name* act of kindness?”
Grade 2	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. Children in second grade should be able to use what they have read in a particular text to ask and answer more specific questions. This is more challenging than in first grade because the questions are more specific. Again, the questions should be rooted in the text/text-dependent.	In second grade, students are moving into more specific text-dependent questions. Questions asked about the text will most likely begin with who, what where, when, why or how. Just like in first grade, this can be taught by moving away from those questions that ask how a situation relates to a student’s life or that require an opinionated answer. The answers to questions should be found in the text.
Grade 5	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. Children in fifth grade should be able to specifically cite information from the text when asking and answering questions from the text. They should be able to use direct quotes from the text to support their questions/answers.	In fifth grade, students are now using the text to cite specific sentences or passages in which answers to questions are found. They are making logical inferences and citing specific textual evidence, which moves them even closer to achieving the goals of the anchor standard. To teach this, teachers should show students how to back up their answers with specific textual evidence by going back in their text and finding the specific sentence/passage on the specific page in which the answer is explicitly stated.

For this assignment, we were instructed to trace a literature standard from the Common Core State Standards. I focused on anchor standard R.1, which says, "Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text." I chose grades 1, 2, and 5 because those are three of the grades that I want to teach in the future. In the chart above, I wrote and explained the literacy standard in reading for each of the three grades. Then, I explained how the differences in the standards for each grade are affected by the second instructional shift, and how this can be taught addressing the second instructional shift. For me, the part dealing with the instructional shift was the most difficult. It was hard to relate the shift to the literacy standards, and I felt as if I didn't really know what I was doing, which I think is because this was one of my first encounters with the Common Core.

The Writing Process: Step #4

"Whew!" I smile to myself and take a huge sigh of relief as I look down at my checklist, realizing that the final draft is the only step I have left to do in this particular writing assignment. What seemed so overwhelming in the beginning looks like a piece of cake now! The last step in my writing process is writing the final draft. If I have completed steps one, two, and three thoroughly, this part should be the easiest and least time-consuming out of the four.

When beginning to make changes from my rough draft to transform it into my final draft, I sit in front of my computer with the rough draft on the screen and the marked up hard copy of my rough draft at my side. I use the paper copy as a reference when typing the information I edited. This makes it easy for me to see the before and after stages of my paper. When I am making the changes in order to create my final draft, I make the spelling and grammar corrections first because those are the least difficult. Then, I go back and fix my errors in content. Once I have made all the changes, I read over my paper out loud to myself as well as in my head. If I don't catch any errors after reading it both of those times, I happily hit the "save" button on Microsoft Word, and print out my paper.

The whole process normally takes me at least a week to complete, which is why I like to start my assignments early. However, sometimes procrastination gets the best of me, and I'm left with only a couple of days to complete an assignment. In those cases, I'm forced to combine the steps together. For instance, I often don't take the time to prewrite; I just begin writing the rough draft.  Often, my revisions are only edits in structure, and not content. I have to rush through the assignment. All in all, start your papers early, and you won't regret it in the end.

The Writing Process: Step #3

The third step in my writing process involves revising. By this point, I think that the hardest parts of the writing process have already been completed because, personally, I love revising. It is my favorite part of the writing process. At the very least, I take the time to edit my own paper. If I have enough time, though, I make sure to have one (or maybe two or three) of my peers read it and comment on it. It's always good to have an extra pair of eyes look for errors and provide suggestions.

Before I begin revising, I print out the rough draft on my paper. I'm old fashioned and like to mark up my paper with red pen instead of editing it on the computer. I feel like I catch more errors that way than I would when I edit on the computer. I look for errors in content and structure. I make sure I have addressed all of the major points the assignment requires. I look for unclear sentences and ask myself if I have stayed on topic. Revising is more than just correcting spelling and grammar mistakes; it's really being critical of your writing and asking yourself how you can make it better.

When revising, I make sure to read through my paper more than once. It's always possible that I could've missed some crucial mistake the first time around. Normally, I look for errors only in the structure of my paper the first time, unless there are content errors that really jump out at me. The second, third, fourth, etc. times, I focus on the content, asking myself various questions: (1) Did I explain my topic thoroughly enough? (2) Did I provide enough evidence to back up my argument? (3) Will my readers understand what I'm saying, or do I need to elaborate more?

After I have stained my rough draft with red pen, I put the paper aside again for a short break. Because the writing assignment is now almost completed, I normally start making those changes on the computer to create my final draft quickly after I have finished revising. I've made it so far through the assignment, so I am eager to be done with it. Stay tuned to hear how my writing process concludes!

The Writing Process: Step #2

After a hopefully long, relaxing break from a writing assignment, it's time to get back on the grind and proceed forward through the writing process. My next step involves me writing the rough draft. If I include as much detail as possible in my outline, this step should take only a short amount of time.

When writing a paper, no matter what kind of paper it is, I always have to begin with the introduction. I can't jump from one part of the paper to another, and I couldn't tell you why. I guess I'm just such a structured and orderly person that I can't go out of order doing anything.


For me, the introduction typically takes the longest amount of time to write. I think and think about how to craft it in a way that is both interesting and engaging. I don't want my readers to want to put down my paper after reading the introduction; I want them to want to read more. The body paragraphs are fairly easy because I have already written down in my outline all the information I want to include. Like the introduction, the conclusion is also difficult for me. I have to find a way to sum up what I've elaborated on in my body paragraphs without restating what I've already said. I also try to end with a question or statement that gets my readers thinking.

Once I type the punctuation mark that ends the last sentence of my conclusion, I save and close the document, and take a break before I come back to it to revise it. When you take a break after writing your rough draft, it's likely you'll open it later with new ideas that you wouldn't have had if you revised it right away. Additionally, taking a break also gives you time to have your peers edit it if you so wish. These people can contribute even more ideas. All in all, I believe that the sooner you start a paper, the better it will be.

The Writing Process: Step #1

8:00 a.m. on a Tuesday morning. I sit at my desk, staring at my computer, then back at the writing assignment. What lies ahead of me seems daunting. But I've learned that when I break up the process into four parts, it becomes much more bearable. These parts include pre-writing, the rough draft, revising, and the final draft.

I believe that pre-writing, if done right, is the longest part of the writing process. If the paper I am soon writing requires research, I would begin by looking up articles that I could use as sources. When I have found an article that contains useful information, I make bullet pointed notes, in my own words, as I read. This makes my life easier once I actually begin writing because I don't have to take the time to think about how I would say something in my own words. I've already done it for me! So, save yourself the time later, and paraphrase in the beginning.

After I find a substantial number of sources, I take a short break, and then begin outlining. This is where I would start if I didn't have to look up any outside information. During this sub-step of step #1, I write, in bullet point format, what information I want to include in my introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. This often takes me quite a bit of time because I include as many details as possible. But, by spending the time on essentially constructing my paper now, I give myself more free time later.

Once I am finally pleased with the outline I have created, I take a break from the assignment for a few hours, or even a whole day, time permitting. It's important to let your mind rest before proceeding to the next step. However, sometimes procrastination gets the best of me, and I'm left panicking about how in the world I'm going to get my paper done in time. In those cases, it's best to stay calm and trust that you'll manage to get it done.

What I Read and Why

In all honesty, I've hated reading for more years than I've enjoyed it. The endless amounts of books my teachers required me to read throughout elementary, middle, and high school pushed me away from reading. Just knowing I had to annotate a book or write an essay after reading it made me not want to read it. Along with the demands of school, my always crazy gymnastics schedule never allowed me the time to pick up a book I wanted to read. I had just enough time to read the required books, and that was it. Even in college, that statement still rings true. Being a college athlete, full-time student, and part-time worker gives me no time during the school year to read anything I truly enjoy. However, now that I'm in college and required summer reading isn't a thing, I find myself picking up books to read for fun during that time.

A majority of the books I tend to read are those that have become movies. More often than not, I refuse to see a move until I have read the book. For instance, when I heard that The Great Gatsby was going to be released, I immediately found my copy and began reading. (I had already read it in high school, but didn't really enjoy it because of all the annotations/writing assignments I was required to do.) I have done the same with The Hunger Games and, most recently, The Maze Runner. I like to be able to compare what goes on in the book to the movie.

In terms of a specific genre, I don't really have one that I enjoy more than others, and I couldn't tell you why that is. I have no idea myself. I do know I prefer fiction to nonfiction, though, because I enjoy the creative, imaginative side of fiction. I completely and utterly despise poetry. I'll admit that it sounds nice, but more than half the time I can't interpret what the author is trying to say.

I also really enjoy reading motivational quotes, which I think has a large part to do with me being a gymnast. Day in and day out in the gym, I have to be motivated to reach my goals. Whenever I have a bad day, I find myself reading over and over again ones I've found to be most motivating for me.

All in all, I read for my own enjoyment, but only when I'm bored of browsing the internet or scrolling down my Instagram feed. As bad as it sounds, it's probably the last thing I choose to do when I'm bored. The endless amounts of reading requirements my teachers assigned repulsed me from reading. I hope I can be a teacher who inspires my students to read.

From the Mat to the Classroom

Since I was four years old, my life has revolved around gymnastics. What started out as a tumbling class at a rec center turned into an college scholarship at Southern Connecticut State University. The journey was long and hard, but I accomplished my main goal, which was to earn a gymnastics scholarship, and I am forever grateful. All the years of sweat, tears, adversity, and answers of "No, sorry. I have practice." from the "Hey, can you hang out tonight?" texts from my friends were completely worth it.

By this point, you're probably saying to yourself, "Oh, that's cool. She does gymnastics. But what does that have to do with teaching?" And to answer your question, a lot does, actually. The abundance of skills gymnastics has taught me throughout the sixteen years I've been involved in the sport are, I think, important skills that teachers should have. Here is a list of the ten, in no specific order, that I think will be the most beneficial as a teacher: 

Time management. Wake up, school, gymnastics practice, homework, sleep. Repeat. Training 20+ hours a week since I was 10 years old has made for very little time to do anything besides school, gymnastics, and homework. By having such a tight schedule for so many years, I've learned that I have to manage my time well in order to get sleep or do anything fun. As a teacher, you have to learn how to manage time during the school day in terms of how much time you want to spend on a certain subject or activity. If you do this well, your students will be successful. 

Perseverance. "Tough times don't last, but tough people do." I cannot tell you how many times I've wanted to quit gymnastics because of an injury or other difficult time. Sometimes, the stress was just too much. Other times, I wasn't having fun anymore. But, I stuck with it, and looking back, I'm so glad I did. As a teacher, there will inevitably be times you'll want to give up. Maybe you can't get this one student to do his homework, and you think you've tried everything. Keep looking for solutions, and believe that things will eventually get better. They always do. 

Patience. Accomplishing new skills in gymnastics does not come easy. Or it never did for me, anyways. There were always those girls who were more talented than me, and it sucked watching them get a skill in one day that I had been working on for months. But for me, I learned I had to be patient and that my time would come. In the teaching profession, working with kids always requires patience. Your students will push your buttons all the time in more ways than one, and you have to know how to cope with that in a positive way. Parents may also be a pain at times. Communicate and work with them if they have a problem.

Work ethic. "The only time success comes before hard work is in the dictionary." Gymnastics taught me that day in and day out, I had to work my butt off to see the results I wanted to see. All gymnasts know that in the sport, nothing is ever given to you. Everything you accomplish is because of the work you have put into it. As a teacher, the work you put in for your students directly influences their success. If you do not take the time to create developmentally appropriate lesson plans, for example, your students will not learn.

Determination. In gymnastics, I've undoubtedly failed more times than I've succeeded. But every time I've fallen down, I've gotten back up, because mistakes are inevitable and I know I'll reach my goals if I continue to work hard. As a teacher, you're going to mess up, and more times than once. What separates a good teacher from a great teacher is the ability to bounce back from those failures. Don't let the mistakes define you.

Social skills/communication. Although gymnastics isn't necessarily a team sport, I was with the same girls every day in the gym. Some of my closest friends are from gymnastics. We understood the demands of the sport and what it took to become the best. Our coaches knew that, too. They pushed us to our breaking points, but stressed the importance of letting them know if something was wrong. As a teacher, you have to know how to communicate with your students, the parents of your students, and the other teachers/professionals in your school. Lack of communication can lead to problems that could have been avoided.

Teamwork. Yes, I did just say gymnastics is highly individual, but most people don't realize there is a team side to it, as well, especially at the collegiate level. The average of a set of team scores throughout the regular season determines whether or not your team qualifies to the National Championships. As a teacher, you must know how to work together with your students, parents of students, and other teachers/professionals. For example, in order for a specific student in your class with an IEP to be successful, you have to communicate with each of his or her teachers, parents, and other professionals.

Leadership. As I grew older and continued to get better in gymnastics, I became a role model for the little girls in the gym. There was no better feeling than looking over at them and seeing them watching you. Knowing they were always watching, I had to be a good example. As a teacher, you need to be a good example for your students. Kids are going to copy what you do, whether it is good or bad. To avoid the bad, show them what a responsible adult looks like.

Love what you do. This goes for anything, but for gymnastics' sake, it taught me that if I had a passion for it, I would work hard and ultimately do well. The same can be said for teaching, or any other profession. If you don't love what you're doing, you're not going to put much effort into it, which means you will not be the best you can be.

Don't take any moment for granted. I started gymnastics sixteen years ago, and in two short years it will all be over. Everything I've known my whole life will suddenly be gone. So, I've learned to cherish every day, even the hard ones when I want to give up, because I know when I'm done with gymnastics, I'm going to want it all back. As a teacher, especially a new one, you have so many years ahead of you. Before you know it, though, the many years will have passed and you'll be on the path to retirement. Live in the moment and don't wish the time away.

From this list, as well as many other skills I didn't mention, I truly believe gymnastics is the best sport in the world. Sure, it's dangerous and injuries are bound to happen, but that's part of any sport. The lessons and skills I've learned from it will take me far in life. I'm who I am because of it, and I hope you at least consider putting your children in the sport.