After reading these Collins chapters, I feel that I have a better handle on the big picture of literacy instruction over the course of a school year. Going to my placement every Wednesday has allowed me to see what a mini-lesson is like and how to plan related activities for the students, but I was struggling to see where it was all going or how it all fits together. The Collins book gave me the big picture I was looking for. I like the mixture of broad explanations for teaching each unit and specific mini-lesson ideas. I think that using this book as a mentor text will be helpful in developing my unit (although the task still seems a little overwhelming). Perhaps using this format will go well and I will use it in the future. I know for sure that I will hold onto this book and use some of her bends in the road and mini-lesson in the future, if not whole units.
And then I read the Edmondson Article…The ending really caught my attention – “Coupled with this dreaming is a call to action. The alternative is intolerable.” I want to be apart of positive change for my students. I do not want to settle for things that I do not believe are right. Right now creating political change seems like a huge task to take on, but hopefully some day I will be up to the challenge.
I also really liked the mini lessons that Collins suggested and did with her class. It felt like she had an abundance of lessons. I am also overwhelmed with creating a unit like this because her’s is in story telling format I feel like and that is going to be hard having not taught them yet.
By: eshrop on December 6, 2009
at 11:40 am