New Literacy Project Reflection!

1.) Conceptual Understanding
Literacy is a huge part of the classroom! I have always loved literacy and held it to huge importance but after doing this project and taking this class, I see how it connects even further inside and outside the classroom. When we were able to select a type of literacy I didn't think it was actually "applying" to what I already knew. Emotional Literacy I thought would be about something a bit different than I thought but I was surprised and happy to see I knew somewhat about it! That made me feel like I was taking something about from my education and my experience in my field placement. Choosing a technology I thought was fun and educational! I think technology is very important to use in the classroom. I was always iffy about it because from taking a technology class before, I heard many school even Elementary grades were switching to just online education. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that was was scared and disappointed. I started to not agree with technology and wanted to apply my thinking to made a personal difference in the classroom. After picking weebly and exploring other colleagues options I found that this type of technology and how we thought about using it was appropriate and helpful for a classroom. The weebly was fun to use and allowed me to select main areas of Emotional Literacy to focus my thinking on. I was able to define it, think of its importance, design lesson plans, and provide helpful strategies for other colleagues! The weebly I think is a great way to connect to other teachers and make a profile/portfolio that you will always have! I am now aware of how Emotional Literacy effects the classroom and especially children. It was amazing to do research and see how it effects children outside of school. That is part of our job to stop and think about outside life and how we want to help children grow outside the classroom as well. I can see from my old post on Feb 27th that I have a different opinion that is more knowledgeable about technology and the different literacy out there. I believe I thought of literacy in a general way before doing this project. I thought of it being one thing "reading and writing" compared to WHAT concepts it holds such as emotional, environmental, cultural etc. I knew these were seen in books and important but now see how they are all separate forms of literacy....but also how they COME TOGETHER! I love that part about literacy...that everything effects one another and connects and make huge meaning to a child's education. I believe I started having a simple focus and now have a more open and educated mind at how literacy is important,  what different forms it takes on, and how it can be used not just through reading and writing but extending all over the classroom!

2.) Effective Literacy Instruction
"Effective Literacy Instruction" I believe means to plan out, think, and prepared what is important! Effective means in my eyes to make a difference. Therefore, through planning literacy it is important to make it meaningful through HOW you teach it. Teachers need to plan out how to explain the literacy being taught-thinking about vocabulary to define, and ways to make the literacy topic connect to actual life experiences. Looking at my concept map now, it seems so simple and not exactly thought out. I believe I could add so more much meaning to it now and prepare a lesson plan on Emotional Literacy that is effective! When looking over my lesson plan my grade level expectations were :
R.NT.01.05
respond to individual and multiple texts by finding evidence, discussing, illustrating, and/or writing to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show understanding.  R.CM.01.03 compare and contrast relationships among characters, events, and key ideas within and across texts to create a deeper understanding by mapping story elements, graphically representing key ideas and details, and asking questions as they read.
 
These expectations can be thought about toward my literacy of Emotional Literacy and then applied to technology use. I am able to see how children can make a deeper connection and relate to the text. Their emotions, experiences and every day life can be added into this lesson and only help make the text that more meaningful. When looking at K-8 learners for learning about Emotional Literacy and using a weebly, they would need to think about different aspects.
Reading-Children would need to understand the text and be at the books grade level to comprehend what they are reading. Emotional literacy comes in many forms of books therefore it could be provided through simple pictures for younger grades and have more text for higher grades.
Writing-Children would need to make a personal connection. Depending on the grade writing/ideas can be expressed through pictures or words. Emotional Literacy would be a fun activity to write about and allow children to create an imagine of what emotion they would identify with and reflect (deeper thinking) on when they felt that way and why!
Speaking-Children would need to be able to express specific emotions and say why they feel that way. Students would need to be able to connect it to exactly how they're feeling and make sense of it. "I feel ____ when you ____." "I feel frustrated when I can't zip my coat." etc.
Listening & Viewing- Listening and viewing are key for Emotional Literacy. It is important to understand how a personal feels or why a text has that connection with someone. This allows them to think about why that emotion happens and apply it to their reaction, a peers/adults, or the text as a whole.
From using the weebly children would need a model or example of that digital literacy. They would need to be familiar with the Internet, photo using, web sources, and how to combine them all together. Based on my field experience my age group of 1st graders would need direct instructions and slowly be exposed to the different types of technology it incorporates. By slowing infusing the different technology it would give children more a variety and more meaningful lessons.

3.) Lesson Plan
Topic and Technology/ Emotional Literacy using Weebly
Target area & Rationale: Emotional Literacy is about understanding, expressing, and recognizing ones own emotions. This would be beneficial to children because it allows them to self-regulate and understand who they're as an individual and gain self-esteem. While learning about Emotional Literacy they can learn about technology and how to express themselves using that type of technology. A weebly would be beneficial because they would be able to explore different parts of Emotional Literacy and also use different ways to show they understand them, such as: pictures, Internet research and photos, slide shows, you tube videos, etc. There skills will be strengthened and increase into higher development and deeper thinking.
Objective: Students will learn about positive and negative emotions by selecting the emotion they feel today and choosing a emotion that reflects opposite characteristics to write personal experiences on. The students will use weebly to present the information.
Materials needed:
-sheet to brainstorm
-computer
-Internet
-weebly
-accessible classroom photos
-The Way I Feel book
-The Way I Feel Today board
Outline of Key Events:
-Before the lesson begins hold a discussion on emotions/Emotional Literacy. Explain what it is, define vocabulary terms, talk about other words children are unfamiliar with that express emotions. Explain the difference between positive and negative emotions-make sure to say its OK to feel negative emotions and we ALL feel them.
-Allow children to discuss times they felt certain emotions you bring up. Make all children feel included and supported by asking if other children have felt that same emotion or through a similar experience.
-Tell/Explain to students what a weebly is. Show an explain of your personal weebly and how you completed the task your asking of them. Relate the weebly to the text/Emotional Literacy that will be taking place that day.
-Read the book: The Way I Feel to introduce emotions! (Stimulate discussion through the book) Use an Elmo to read the story.
-Have children come up by tables and choose the emotion they are feeling today. (These emotions should be more complex than happy, sad, mad, etc.) Such as: Frustrated, Excited, Proud, Bored...have them think about that emotion. They can move their name tag under the emotion they feel that day.
-Pull the weebly back up and show how it represents similar features the book does. Explain how it can be used like a journal or informative journal for your personal self and other students in the class to view.
Closing Summary:
-Create an open discussion about the board! Have children say what they picked that feeling.
-Go back and talk about positive and negative emotions (compare and contrast) write these examples on the smart board. Then have children look at the emotion they picked and choose an opposite emotion they have felt before.
On-Going Assessment:
-Exposed different aspect of weebly each day. First have the children make a page on the two opposite emotions (introduce boxes to write about those feelings and show them how to add pictures from the Internet).
-Show how to add videos
-Take classroom pictures of children showing emotions on their face, show them how to upload from the computer and put on their weebly page.
(Etc. slowly add in different elements of the weebly. Children won't feel overwhelmed and all be on the same page in terms of understanding the technology.)
*The emotions board will always be up throughout the day. During an appropriate time students can move their name to a different emotion-they will then be able to say why if you or another child notice and also this build self-confidence to feeling comfortable expressing how your emotions change. (Change up the board to different emotions weekly).