Reflective Fieldnote Blog Entry # 5- Personal Reflection on My Journey

Coursework

I have found most of the coursework to be very beneficial to my career. I have learned a lot about how to implement an ESL program, how I can prepare for new incoming ESL students, methods for teaching these children, and the laws and regulations concerning my ESL students. I have also discovered numerous strategies that I have already applied in my ESL classroom. Overall, I believe the coursework in this program has made me a better ESL teacher.

Processes for obtaining licensure

I completed my ESL licensing coursework and took the Praxis summer 2009.

Experiences working with ESL students

I have been working with ESL students since August 2009. It has been interesting implementing an ESL program in the small town I live in, but it has been worth it. I have also found it very rewarding. I truly enjoy working with ESL students. I believe I have learned more than they have just by working with them and learning about their past and cultures. I hope I can continue to working with English Language Learners for many more years.

Application of your Wiki and related materials designed as part of specific classes

I have found that the literature circles, fluency activities, the action research project, and student interviews are an integral part of not only teaching students, but also learning about their personal and educational needs. I have implemented these strategies into the classroom and have found them to be successful.

I have to admit, when I first learned I had to create a Wiki, I did not understand the point of doing so. However, after continuing to build upon the Wiki, I eventually realized the value of it. I found myself referring to websites on the Wiki for my students to utilize, retrieving information I needed for other classes, and using lesson plans and projects I had previously created. In the end, I believe that the Wiki has a crucial purpose in my classroom and in this master's program.

What advice do you have for others who intend to pursue the add-on and who hope to work with second language learners in the future?

I have talked to a few people in the past who have expressed interest in working with ESL students. I always encourage them to do it, and I enjoy sharing my personal experiences. As long as I knew the person had a heart for students and teaching, I would encourage anyone to seek the add-on licensure.

Reflective Fieldnote Blog Entry # 5- Literature Circles

What are your overall impressions of implementation?

Overall, I was very satisfied with the literature circles. I found that the students also seemed to enjoy the discussion.

How did the students react to the literature?

The story that we read as a group was The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. We discussed vocabulary words prior to reading the story. The students also completed the chart of prior reading questions, during reading questions, and after reading questions. I think that this chart set a purpose for reading because the students wanted to seek answers to their questions. My students also asked multiple questions during the story which showed me that they were totally engrossed in the literature.

How did the students react to discussing the selected texts?

I gave prediction questions for my students to answer before reading selected parts of the text. Although the students' predictions, were not always correct, I still appreciated their efforts into answering my questions. I found that my students already had some prior knowledge to bull fights, which made it easier for discussing the story. All students asked good questions and tried to find a way to answer them.

How appropriate is the Literature Circle Technique for second language learners?

I believe the literature circle technique is very appropriate for ESL students. This method keeps students engaged in the story and is more hands-on as apposed to just reading a story and answering questions on a worksheet. It also helps ESL students learn new vocabulary words, and it gives the English language learner the opportunity to discover what words they do not know on their own.

What changes would you make if you were to repeat this?

Although I was proud of my students for asking so many questions and recording them during the story, it greatly hindered me from finishing the story in a timely manner. The students wanted to stop every few pages to write a question down, and it made us behind on time. If I were to repeat this literature circle, I would allow each student to contribute 1-2 questions, so time would not be such an issue.

I also let the students make the choice of writing their "during reading" questions down on sticky notes or on the chart. The students chose the sticky notes. Next time, I will have the students write their questions down on the chart because I found they would waste the notes.

What suggestions do you have for the other ESL professionals considering implementing literature circles?

I pull out only 1-2 students at a time. Only two students participated in this activity as opposed to the suggested 4. Although, I would consider the literature circle session successful, it would be more meaningful with more students in order to enhance and enrich discussion.

My original plan was for the students to write on sticky notes words they did not understand. This would work well if the students could have their own copy of the book. However, I had to read the story to them, so I did not find this method very beneficial. I would suggest to teachers that if they could obtain the appropriate amount of copies of the book so each child could have a copy, then sticky notes would be a great tool for students to record unfamiliar words. But, I would not suggest this method if the teacher had to read the only copy aloud.

Elena Heath-- SPSE 6712 Final Fieldwork Log 2

Name: Elena Heath
School or Learning Environment Location: Waverly Elementary School (WES)
Primary Language/s of Students: Spanish
Age Span of Students: 4- 9
Grade Level/s of Students: Pre-k, 2, and 3
Date	Time Minutes/Hours	Description of Activities
9/5/11	30 min	Phonics skills Reading
9/6/11	30 min	Phonics skills Reading
9/8/11	30 min	Phonics skills Reading
9/12/11	30 min	Phonics skills Reading
9/13/11	30 min	Phonics skills Reading
9/15/11	30 min	Phonics skills Reading
9/19/11	30 min	Review
9/20/11	30 min	Testing
9/22/11	30 min	Testing
9/26/11/	30 min	Phonics skills Reading
9/27/11	30 min	Writing
9/27/11	30 min	Letter M
10/18/11	30 min	Speaking Fluency
10/19/11	30 min	Reading Comprehension
10/20/11	30 min	Speaking Fluency
10/21/11	30 min	Speaking Fluency
11/14/11	30 min	KWL Chart on fruit bats Reading Stellaluna
11/15/11	30 min	Fact/Fantasy T-Chart Reading Stellaluna
11/16/11	30 min	KWL Chart on fruit bats Reading Stellaluna
11/17/11	30 min	Venn Diagram comparing fruit bats to birds
11/21/11	30 min	Phonics games
11/22/11	30 min	Phonics games Reading comprehension
Comments: Because I teach different students in various grade levels, some of the logged observations will not be from one single class.

Elena Heath-- SPSE 6712 Final Fieldwork Log

Name: Elena Heath
School or Learning Environment Location: Waverly Elementary School (WES)
Primary Language/s of Students: Spanish
Age Span of Students: 4- 9
Grade Level/s of Students: Pre-k, 2, and 3
Date	Time Minutes/Hours	Description of Activities
9/5/11	30 min	Learning phonics skills and reading words in context
9/6/11	30 min	Learning phonics skills and reading words in context
9/8/11	30 min	Learning phonics skills and reading words in context
9/12/11	30 min	Learning phonics skills and reading words in context
9/13/11	30 min	Learning phonics skills and reading words in context
9/15/11	30 min	Learning phonics skills and reading words in context
9/19/11	30 min	Reviewing for reading test
9/20/11	30 min	Testing
9/22/11	30 min	Testing
9/26/11/	30 min	Learning phonics skills and reading words in context
9/27/11	30 min	Write about fall using graphic organizer
9/27/11	30 min	Learning how to write the letter M, learning the sound, and vocabulary
10/18/11	30 min	Learning the songs “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “One, Two, Tie My Shoe”—Vocabulary and Speaking Fluency
10/19/11	30 min	Reading Comprehension
10/20/11	30 min	Learning the songs “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “One, Two, Tie My Shoe”—Vocabulary and Speaking Fluency
10/21/11	30 min	Learning the songs “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “One, Two, Tie My Shoe”—Vocabulary and Speaking Fluency
11/14/11	30 min	KWL Chart on fruit bats—reading Stellaluna
11/15/11	30 min	Doing T-Chart on fact and fantasy on Stellaluna
11/16/11	30 min	KWL Chart on fruit bats—reading Stellaluna
11/17/11	30 min	Read Stellaluna and complete Venn Diagram comparing fruit bats to birds
11/21/11	30 min	Christmas activities/phonics games
11/22/11	30 min	Computer phonics activities and reading comprehension
Comments: Because I teach different students in various grade levels, some of the logged observations will not be from one single class.