Entry #12 Constantly in the Process of Becoming Literate

As I reflect upon this semester, I truly believe my knowledge of the genres of writing has been transformed. Through engaging in reading Tompkins' text, Teaching Writing and diving deep into each genre through Genre Expert presentations, I have only expanded my own understanding. I specifically believe the genres of Biography and Poetry were where I gained the newest knowledge and had the most 'aha' moments. Throughout this experience mentor texts have been a vital tool in supporting my own writing development. Dorfman and Cappelli (2007) emphasize that writers “need to hear and appreciate the story…as well as the rhythms, words, and message. Only then can they return to a well-loved book and examine it through the eyes of a writer” (p. 8). Mentor texts support writers in developing their own genre pieces as they acquire and are exposed to the genre in context. Mentor texts guided my own literacy journey this semester, as I acquired new appreciation for biographies and poetry.

Prior to engaging with my classmate's presentation, I believed Biographies to simply be a retold story of someone's life, often associating this with 'important' figures in history. When I first started looking for mentor texts to bring in for class, I remember instantly looking for the series 'I am____' in the library. I ended up choosing the mentor text, I am Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer. I originally selected this text, as I believed it was easily defined as a biography because it was a retelling of an important figure in time. However, through engaging in my classmate's presentation I had several 'aha' moments. One 'aha' moment I had, was actually in preparing for the writing workshop. Prior to class, I was asked to complete a "Me" Quilt. This activity effectively guided my own journey in reading the mentor text I am Abraham Lincoln. I was asked to select eight significant events to sum up the President Lincoln's life. This challenged me to pick only the most important ideas I wanted my viewers to take away from the biography. As a future educator, I am constantly asking myself how I could incorporate engaging activities that support my students understanding a genre such as, biographies. Before this class, I had never heard of "Me Quilts" however, through reading Tompkins' text and creating my own I was able to acquire a new tool to consider using in my classroom one day (p. 234). While engaging in the writing workshop, one specific 'aha' moment I had was at the end of the presentation. My classmate Maddie challenged me to think critically about whose stories are and are not being told. My own understanding of biographies was challenged, as I once believed them to be associated with only the 'most' important figures in our history. However, I now recognize this is not always the case. As a future educator, I now recognize that it is important to showcase a variety of figures biographies, including famous and ordinary people. No person's story is less worthy than another's to be read and learned about. The power of biographies comes from the life stories they tell, not necessarily 'who' they are to the world. I question

why my teachers typically focused on the biographies of the 'great' individuals of our history? Did this play an impact in why biographies were not my favorite genre to read? 

Poetry has never been my favorite genre to read or learn about because I always found it challenging to interpret in high school. I find that poetry, at times, can be interpreted differently by its reader. I have always been a reader who wants to be told the ins and outs of what I am reading about. Therefore, I do believe this played a role in my own perception towards poetry. However, my classmates workshop reshaped my viewpoint and supported me in building confidence in teaching this genre with my future students. As I walked in the room on Tuesday, April 19th, 2022, I was instantly provided comfort with the dimming of the lights and the set-up of the room. Pause, and take a moment to picture the scenery, a coffee shop, with soft exposed bulbs lighting the dark room. Ferguson (2017) states that “A poetry coffee house is an engaging way for students to explore writing poetry or to perform poetry as a culminating or summative task” (p.209). I believe this scenery adds a calming tone to the classroom that allows writers to build confidence in performing their work in a safe environment. As I reflect upon my own education, I wish that my educators would have adapted their learning environments to something like this. I believe it could have had a positive impact on reducing my anxiety in reading and producing poems. I now understand that poetry is a form of expression that allows a writer to explore and convey their own emotions through writing.

As I reflect upon this semester, I am grateful to have been able to experience aspects of the 'writer's workshop'. Through engaging in writing workshops each week, I have gained new understanding and resources for each of the genre's explored. I am very proud of the extraordinary work my classmates have created this semester as it has only aided my own literacy development. I am leaving humbled by the journey we have all been on and look forward to implementing these elements into my own classroom one day.

Reference

Dorfman, L.R., & Cappelli, R. (2007). Mentor texts: Teaching writing through children’s literature, K–

            6. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Ferguson, K. (2017). A Poetry Coffee House: Creating a Cool Community of Writers. Reading Teacher,

            71(2), 209-213.