This unfortunately proves to be true within education, many institutions do not give students the opportunity to succeed, making the achievement gap even more significant

What a powerful statement, and the main reason many of us pre-service teachers decide to teach

This article provided me some significant insight towards the importance of Biographies. When students read these pieces of text, they become connected to the person and their achievements in life. If a person's biography involves an achievement a student is interested in, then that student not only feels connected to the person but sees the achievement as being realistic for them too.

This is an important part of the article to point out as many pre-service teachers are nervous about the control of their classroom. Much of the time the focus of the class is almost babysitting the students, so a level of control exists within the class. many students was to establish a dominate role in the class room so students respect the teachers authority. However when this occurs, much of the time controlling take up the time given for students to be learning. I believe that classroom management is important, however, learning should be the main focus

This portion of the article stuck out to me tremendously as many teachers do not respect their students. Education is about the relationship between the student and the teacher. In this relationship, it is fundamental that there is a level of respect between the teacher and the student so that the learning environment is a comfortable one.

Are teachers, administrators, etc afraid to involve fantasy into the curriculum because they are scared by its abstract and objective nature? Could going beyond the borders of what has been always taught, furnish a sense of creativity and innovation within students learning?

I highly agree with this statement, why not integrate a fantasy novel into the curriculum that will engage students while providing historical context.

Utilizing this type of novel in schools could align with the curriculum of history while engaging students into an interesting, fantastical novel.

Isn't this some indication as to how to get students engaged in a text relationship? Reading informational texts can be all and well until a student checks out of the un-interesting book

This statement carries significance to my life, as I feel as if in my educational experience I have been told that I should have grown out of the the fictional genre by now. It seems to me that a world so fantastical with creatures, wizards etc seems much more interesting than a biography novel

The author provides an extremely powerful argument asserting that these stories are more than just leaning about Greek god's and goddesses. These stories can expose people into an expanded world of literacy and its connection to the roots of culture

I believe the notion that culture can be formed through the stories passed down is underappreciated. The beliefs that shape a culture can be formed through the words of ancestors and the way they are passed down. An examination into the world of Myths could provide students exposure into how these stories could have helped to shape their own cultures.

I believe the author has a very significant point to make here. Upon reading the assignment for this week, I really had to sit down and brainstorm what Myth's I actually knew. I can completely describe what fairy tales I learned about in school, however, I can barely remember learning about myths.

Teachers could utilize these forms of stories in order to expand upon a unit of diversity. I think it is interesting that the article notes that these forms of stories are apart of the multicultural world to which we live

This lesson sticks out to me because it does not contain, for a lack of better words, "A Cookie Cutter Moral". When I think fable, I think that the moral of the story generally pertains to friendship, hard work, or honestly. It is interesting to me to see a lesson in this sense about problem solving, considering this is a fundamental skill learned in elementary schools.

I never thought how many fables exist with similar lessons. When I read the the story and the lesson of "The crow and the Pitcher I automatically thought of the classic fable: "The Tortoise and the Hare". Despite the two fables containing contrasting plot lines, the two story's have the same underlying lesson the persistence will lead to achievement.

When examining the nature of a picture vs a text, one must look at the nature of what is being portray and how it is being portrayed. For example, it is one thing to read about the Holocaust. However, it is another thing to see visual images portrayed in a book. Pictures can generate numerous emotions and may make people uncomfortable. Is there a line that may be crossed when teaching sensitive subjects and utilizing picture books?

I highly agree with this statement. When I was in elementary school, particularly 3rd grade I remember briefly learning about poetry and creating poems. When I look back I remember being excited to learn, it was a creative outlet that had no rules, only suggestions. My teacher told us to rhyme words and come up with any topic we wanted to write about. for those artistically inclined such as myself, I saw this as an opportunity to express myself similarly to a price of artwork but through the way I arrange text. If more children were exposed to this creative form of writing, they could develop an interest in their writing at an early age.

Reinforcing a lesson by practicing it numerous times aids in the overall comprehension of the lesson. As a child growing up I really struggled with my reading skills. I knew that having a teacher reinforce a lesson through repetition really helped me develop my skills.

Working in pairs is an excellent way for students to establish the skill of working together. Moreover if is sometimes beneficial for students to receive help from their peers when learning a subject. The nature of reading in pairs creates an exciting edge to reading a book independently.

If students have trouble with comprehension skills, especially in their writing than they will really enjoy this tool. As they create a visual story for the one they have written, students who may struggle with connecting words in a text to the plot of the overall story will have a reinforcement to compare words of a text with images on a screen.

When learning these fundamental skills in learning such as r-controlled vowels and then pairing it with the creativity to design their own story, allows students to think creatively while learning skills needed to reach grade level standards in the common core.

I think that is an amazing instructional tool for teacher's to get their students to become interested and visualize their writing. Also, I think that teaching various writing skills, applying it to a writing workshop, and then allowing students to create their work digitally gives students incentive to learn.

I like the use of the words, "community of writers" as the word community to me, instills a sense of belonging. Being a member of a community allows an individual to grow and learn alongside their peers. Being in this community of writers allows children to feel apart of the larger scope as well as have other members to collaborate and ask questions to.

Initially, I never heard of what Mini Lesson's were, or how teachers utilized them to reenforce previous topics learned within a class. Upon examination, this type of instruction allows children to review topics in class as well as target students who may not have grasped the subject matter the first time. The students who may have struggled with these various topics, have the opportunity to engage within the lesson and ask questions that may not have initially.

It is imperative that students develop their own writers craft at an early age. When children understand this type of Minilesson they develop the ability to write clearly, while staying on topic, and developing a sense of clarity. This skill can be expanded upon in upcoming grades to eventually produce cohesive pieces of writing.

This is an excellent way for children to visually see what topics to write about. When struggling to brainstorm, they can look at this cart and expand upon the ideas written.

This seems to be a progressive teaching strategy, however, there are issues that may arise from the freedom within the groups. I feel as if the open nature of these groups can be problematic at their core, being that children have varying personalities when it comes to participation. As the "type a" children fully immerse themselves within the group, what happens to the children who are more reserved? As the more talkative children discuss their views on a given text, the children who may not contribute, lose the opportunity to share their voice. Perhaps a differentiated instruction targeting these particular children could engage every child within the text they are focusing on.

This allows children to read at their own pace within the given guidelines. When children set their own goals, the pressure to compete with their peer is eliminated. As a result, feelings of inadequacy are eliminated as children are not comparing their level of reading skills to one another. Moreover, students will develop at an early age a sense of internal motivaton i.e a Type A personality.

I distinctly remember this practice of grouping even as a child. When I was in first grade I was placed in a reading group known as "The Beavers". The Beavers were a group that always had extra time with the teacher, less pages within books, and a lower amount of words on a spelling test. Being a member of this group made me ashamed, like I was not good enough to be in the "panda group", who had the maximum amount of words on a spelling test and more advanced literature to read. Children are more intelligent than they seem, most begin to understand context at a very young age. If this method of teaching is making children feel less smart for being at a different pace than their peers, what is the point? I know going into the teaching field that I never want my students to feel as if they are inadequate due to their weaknesses in a subject Children should want to strive towards improvement not wish to be ignored.