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Literacy Biography Timeline
A lifetime of progression in literacy. -
Preschool Years: Picture Books and Early Readers
My earliest exposures to reading were through picture books and early readers. My parents would read things to me like Dr. Suess, namely "Green Eggs and Ham," and P.D. Eastman's "Are You My Mother?," a personal favorite. -
Kindergarten: The Kid's Place
I had my first formal experiences with reading, primarily in the form of read-alouds by the teacher, Mrs. Larkinder. Also, I was taught alphabet lessons and basic word/sound formations. I learned to spell high frequency, one and two-syllable words. *Connection to course: Read-aloud and think-aloud. Mrs. Larkinder would read out loud to the class and think through the stories with her students, pausing to allow for questions and clarification. -
Elementary Years: Swarthmore-Rutledge School
First grade: I progressed to reading and writing on my own, and particularly enjoyed "The Berenstain Bears" series by Stan and Jan Berenstain. There was a "reading buddies" program between first and fifth-graders, where students were paired and the fifth-graders mentored the first-graders once a week in an hour-long reading session. I still remember my reading buddy, Ben. *Connection to course: Reader apprenticeship program, ie modeling good reading strategies. -
Early Oral Literacy Experiences
It was around first or second grade that I have my earliest memories of my grandfather telling stories to me and my sister. Generally, he improvised and incorporated themes we were currently interested in into the stories, particularly dinosaurs for me and Disney princesses and whatnot for my sister. *Connection to course: Visualization.
*Connection to personal pedagogy: The voice-over approach makes sense when I think of how my grandfather used it in his stories. -
Third Grade: SSR and Cursive
Mrs. Bourbeau: My earliest recollection of silent sustained reading, which took place at least once a day for about twenty minutes. I usually opted to read "Calvin and Hobbes" by Bill Watterson, although many of the jokes and allusions went over my head. We were taught to write in cursive and were asked to do writing drills on the chalkboard. *Connection to course: SSR.
*Connection to personal pedagogy: I fail to see the utility of teaching children cursive and will never do so. -
Fourth Grade: More oral literacy and poetry
Outside of school, I developed an interest in music. I purchased Green Day's "Dookie," Nirvana's "Nevermind," and Smashing Pumpkins' "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," and began a habit of reading liner notes. In class, Mrs. Andrechak introduced us to the elements of poetry. We each produced a collection of poetry as one of the major assignments for the year. *Connection to personal pedagogy: I would like to impart the value of writing in unconventional, non-academic forms. -
Fifth Grade: Modeling in Practice
Mrs. Jones assigned what I remember being my first book report. I experienced the "reading buddies" program from the position of mentor and still remember my partner, Izzy. *Connection to personal pedagogy: Although I was an unwitting participant, this was my first experience with modeling reading practices. I assume I was not mindful enough or confident enough to be an effective instructor, but in retrospect the situation demonstrates the potential of modeling to help students progress. -
Middle School Years: Strath Haven Middle School
It was around sixth grade that the school district began required summer reading. I was not particularly motivated, but enjoyed the "Redwall" series by Brian Jacques. -
Seventh Grade: "The Hobbit" and The Five-Paragraph Essay
We read "The Hobbit" and were assigned reading comprehension sheets throughout the book. We engaged in many group activities for "The Hobbit" and were asked to read passages aloud in front of the class. It was around this time we were taught the format of the five-paragraph essay and were expected to use this format in all subjects. *Connection to course: Collaborative learning, think-aloud, read-aloud, voice-over. -
High School Years: SHHS
Ninth grade: Public Speaking with Mrs. Cornish. I learned lessons about oral literacy in a formal setting for the first time. *Connection to personal pedagogy: This class taught me the importance of public speaking skills, which are particularly critical to teachers. Strong public speaking helps clarify information and hold the attention of students. -
10th Grade: Creative Writing
Mrs. Farrell proved to be one of the biggest influences on my evolution in literacy. She stressed grammar and sentence structure variation, and insisted on concise or "economioal" writing. In her view, more is said with less. She also taught the finer points of every form of writing, and required us to write in all of them. *Connection to personal pedagogy: Once a student has mastered the rules of standard English, they are free to develop their unique writing style. -
12th Grade: Trade Books
In Comparative Government with Mr. Adams, we used "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" by Thomas Friedman as a supplementary text. This was the first instance of using a trade book in one of my classes. *Connection to course: disciplinary literacy (Pytash article). -
Undergraduate Years: George Washington University
Freshman: I was required to take one course in the University Writing program, a writing-intensive set of courses. Music was the topic of my UW course. The professor made use of multiple trade books, including "A Love Supreme" by Ashley Kahn (about John Coltrane), and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by Charles Granata (about the Beach Boys). Prior knowledge was key in this course, as we had to write about music in the guise of a critic. *Connection to course: activating prior knowledge. -
Sophomore Year
In Philosophy of Race and Gender, my professor encouraged us to doggedly question and challenge both her ideas and the ideas of the authors we read. She insisted our essays reflected this discourse. *Connection to course: Questioning the author, reciprocal teaching, reading to learn.
*Connection to personal pedagogy: I never want my students to view my opinions and the content of their texts as the gospel. They must always think critically while reading and engaging in discussion. -
Graduate Years
Spring 2015 semester: In ED 537: Teaching Grammar, I revisited many of the technical aspects of the English language I was taught by Mrs. Farrell, while also encountering components of grammar and syntax I had yet to learn. In ED 524: Teaching Reading in the Content Areas, I was introduced to a few of the instructional strategies we have begun to expand upon in this course. *Connection to course: Instructional strategies shared with ED 524, such as KWL, reciprocal teaching, and scaffolding. -
Present Day
Apart from the reading and writing I do for school, I read and write for pleasure on a daily basis. I mostly read novels, but try to read several non-fiction books a year, mostly about history and social sciences. *Connection to personal pedagogy: As a teacher, I believe my greatest challenge will be to encourage students to read and write voluntarily. I hope to impart my passion for such by exposing students to though-provoking material that is relevant to their interests and daily lives.
