1.
I think that right now I have all the reading, writing, and thinking strategies mastered. I do
feel like I need more structure for my book list because I don’t think I am doing very well self monitoring myself.
I like all the reflection and research we are doing for our web pages it is really stretching my limits and is making me develop
more with my writing skills.
2.
I did know something about genres, story structure, and reading/writing
workshops before beginning the class, but I feel like
I have already learned a ton about literature circles and more in
depth about genres. I think in the coming weeks I will get even more experience and will come out knowing a great deal about
children’s literature and how to use it in my own classroom. I think it will be very beneficial this semester working
with Penny Smith’s 6th graders because when we came in they knew very little if anything about literature
circles and we will get to watch the process of them learning and experiencing a lit circle. I am really excited.
3.
I think that in this course I have already learned and will continue to learn how to implement
different children’s literature activities across the curriculum. Already
I have taken the information presented by Uma Krishnaswami that you need to be sensitive to the cultural aspects in children’s
literature. I think that having the skills to pick out literature that will be sensitive to the children in my classrooms
will be a great help when I am in that position. So far this class has provided me with various skills and strategies that
I think I will use in my future classroom.
4.
I really didn’t have a lot of experience working with children’s literature before
this course. Like I said earlier I did know some things about genres and reading/writing workshops but that was the extent
of my experience. So far with the creation of my book list and the research I have done about my genre and elements, I have
learned a lot. I am anxious about hearing everyone else present what they have found out about their genre and elements.
5.
I have found that reflecting on the experiences we have had so far in this course have helped to
make things real for me. I do have a hard time reflecting about my book list because that has been the hardest thing for me
so far in this course, but I really enjoy reflecting about the experiences in Penny’s class. When I look back on the
reflections I am able to remember all the things we did and when we get into our lit circles more I intend to note things
I hope we can change the next time and that will be there as a reminder of that. I can also look back and see the progress
we’ve made when the semester is over.
When the semester began I was a little
scared because I didn’t know very much about children’s literature and was scared of doing the literature circle,
but the more we have done the better I feel about it. Now when I look at books I am noticing what genre they would fall into.
When we did the quiz at the beginning of the semester that really helped me to think about genres more critically. The one
thing I am struggling with is making time to work on my book list. It seems to me like I am the kind of person who needs more
structure and guidance because I am procrastinating. I do though fully intend on doing all the work needed to get it fully
completed. I really don’t have any suggestions that I can think of.
The grade I would like to receive for this
class is an A.
