My name is Kate, and this is my portfolio. It is a compilation of works exhibiting myself as a writer and my thoughts about teaching reading and writing in order to produce critically literate students.
English Language Arts is an art–not a science. There is no one way of teaching it, just as there is no one way of doing it. Like any art, it takes thought and inspiration. Too often, teachers expect students to be able to write on command, without providing any inspiration or helpful guidelines. What’s more, most teachers only exhibit finished pieces of writing, so that students believe perfect writing happens on the first try.
Of course perfect writing doesn’t happen on the first try! Any writer knows that the same sentence can be written 25 times and still not say what it needs to. At the same time, writing can pour out like water overflowing from a bathtub, with too many ideas trying to rush out that the pencil cannot keep up with the ideas. Students should not give up if the former is the case, nor should they expect the latter to always be the case.
This portfolio is but a small sample of the process of writing and of the teaching of literacy.
Turn to the pages of this portfolio to find:
- Abigail Anderson’s The Changing Face of Literacy
-Response to The Changing Face of Literacy
My thoughts and feelings about the article. - My Memoir
A memoir is a written piece describing a moment in time or a place in vivid detail. Sit back while I take you on a trip through my memories… - A Rainbow of Dreams
A fictional story inspired by some true and elaborated details of a photo from my grandfather’s childhood. - Freewrite: Myself as a Writer
Reflections on my writing history.
Freewrites are important in a classroom to reduce the stresses of writing and get the creative juices flowing! - All the News That’s Fit to Print
A Media Literacy lesson plan based on Shaun Tan’s Tales from outer suburbia. - Annotated Bibliography
A description of 10 books for students of various elementary ages as well as the details of how these books help students develop one or more of the seven reading strategies. - Five Elements of My Language Arts Classroom
Five elements that I will include in My language arts classroom. - A Word
A poem about words, written to show that poetry is not impossible–though it may often seem that way to students!