Literacy in Politics

This weekend I attended a march and rally in support of the rights of immigrants where I observed many different examples of literacy.

I was impressed, and a little overwhelmed, with the variety of political interests and organizations present. Organizers carried signs, chanted, sang songs, passed out literature, and gave soap box speeches on the street. There were signs in English, Spanish, and various Asian characters. Literacy was everywhere.

It made me think about the role of literacy in democracy. In the U.S. we no longer are required to take literacy tests in order to vote -- some were in the past. However, can you imagine participating without your literacy skills? Many of us read about various political opinions and candidates every day in newspapers, on blogs and bumper stickers, etc. Certain times of the year it may feel like we can't escape it. It can be difficult to sort fact from fiction.

Most of us are equipped with the knowledge to think critically and analytically. We are educated on how to read for signs of biases. At political events and in daily life it is important to think critically about the information you're exposed and decide what you support and what you may not. A responsible citizen is informed about the issues and doesn't blindly follow based merely on ideology.

It is important to pass that information along to future generations, so they can be responsible citizens. In the future I hope to teach students how to find information about the many different sides of controversial issues and think critically about their world so they can get out and support the causes that may be important to them.

Lyrical Literacy

Ok, so this doesn't necessarily have to do with lyrics, but I liked the alliteration. This is me and my friend, Ashley. The picture above is of her boyfriend, Troy's band, JackLaugh. (They're pretty good! You should check them out at http://www.myspace.com/jacklaugh or http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49545262001.) The other night I went out to see JackLaugh playing at a local bar. I thought they sounded pretty good, but it was kind of hard to understand the lyrics over the music. When the band was done with their first set, Troy came over to talk to Ashley. Naturally, one of the first things he asked her was "how did we sound?" Despite the fact that I have gone to shows for friends and I know it is of no help, my response would have been something along the lines of "you sounded good!" Ashley however started talking to Troy in a much more technical way, detailing how the quality wasn't very good in the corner where we were sitting, but it was better towards the back of the room. They went on to discuss how they had sounded much better at the bar where the band performed last weekend. While Ashley and Troy were talking, I just sat and listened to them with nothing to contribute myself.

Last week I went to visit the ELL classroom at Highland Park to talk to the ELL teacher, Mr. Farstad. We talked about his students and how quickly they end up being mainstreamed after only 4 years in the ELL program. I asked him how well they did in the mainstreamed classes and we talked a little about how ELL students tend to be more quiet in the classroom because they don't always feel comfortable talking around native speakers. It can be hard to jump into a discussion with people when you are not confident that you can keep up in the conversation. Whether it has to do with fluency in the language or knowledge of the content, literacy is important to having confidence in any conversation.

Literacy in anything whether a school subject, a new language, or even understanding how differences in settings can effect how music sounds, is something that takes time and experience to gain. Just as ELL students should have around 7 years before they are mainstreamed, I just need to get more experience by going to more shows so that I can some day join in a conversation about how a band sounds in a particular venue. I'm sure JackLaugh would appreciate more fans, too, so maybe the next time I go to a show some of you can join me and we can all expand our musical literacy! 

Literacy is Everywhere

These are a couple pictures from my vocabulary lesson. While you did the activity, if you were to walk into my gym class and see this on the wall, you would know that the kids are learning vocabulary of various sports. The way I went about teaching the vocabulary incorporated literacy as well because the students would have to read the word and then work together by communicating about where the vocabulary word fit. I have been viewing literacy in physical education more about demonstration and physical doing, but reading and writing is also very important in the physical education class. Students need to be able to read about a sport to help them learn the rules and strategies of the game. It is also important that they can write about what they are doing and use the vocabulary from the unit to have success during the game. One of the tools I plan to use on a regular basis in my classroom will be a study guide that students will be required to read and understand.

When I started this class, I was one of those physical education people who was bothered by the idea that I would have to teach literacy in the my gym class. I have really changed my opinion because of my understanding of literacy. Literacy is everywhere including physical education class. There is a time and place for reading and writing in phy ed but I think that finding a way to balance everything is going to be the key to a quality classroom. I never realize how much I can incorporate literacy into my classroom while being in motion. After doing this lesson, I know that in my gym I want lots on the walls that encourages students to read without even realizing they are reading. I plan on having not only word walls, but inspirational sayings and rules of various activities posted so there is never any question as to what the expectation in my class is.

City Streets

This is a picture of my adorable little house, here in St. Paul. As I was walking home from class today, it occurred to me how different city streets look here versus city streets in Paris or France in general. In both situations, I lived in a metropolitan city. Paris, however, has a larger population in a smaller area. Despite it's large population, Paris is a small city.
Anyway, when teaching a foreign language, almost everything has to do with literacy. In most foreign language settings, students will learn vocabulary having to do with cities. They will not only learn words for specific things, like grocery stores and towers and houses and school, etc. But they will also learn how to describe the city: the closeness of the houses or buildings, the traffic, the business of the streets. Students also learn vocabulary to give directions: north, south, east, west, right, left, etc. This also seems like a clear way to incorporate culture into the vocabulary. One of the ACTFL national standards is about Comparisons. Why not use the new vocabulary that you're teaching your students to discuss how an American city is organized versus how a French (or even just European) cities are organized? This would make the vocabulary have a real life purpose. In foreign languages, teaching the vocabulary doesn't mean that the students will remember it. If you give them a real life situation or a connection to their own lives, your students are much more likely to remember what they learned. This can also help with getting your students to talk in class and use the speaking part of language learning. Plus, such comparisons are fun.

I just can't win.

I went camping this weekend with a few friends. We stayed up near Duluth at Tettegouche State Park, right on the Lake Superior shoreline.

I am currently in a class called, simply, "Color". Being in this class has afforded me a heightened awareness of color and what it is doing to the world around me. It is hard to paint you a picture with words of what I saw while camping...Two colors that I felt flooded my world this weekend were green and violet. What kind of colors are they? Everyone, in unison now: COOL colors. Very calming. My friend pointed out something as we were driving up north. Perhaps this is something that all of you have noted before, but I didn't really realize how we were stepping back in time as we headed north, in a way, to an earlier time in spring. I thought this was a lovely thought. Perhaps if we kept driving, we would never need to say goodbye to the sweet time of spring, when the colors are so fresh and bold. The yellow-green of the birch trees, with their white trunks gave way to a sky filled with chromatic violets...and then you walk near a birch tree, and you see the pealing bark that reveals a soft sunrise of colors. I greedily spent my weekend looking for these bits of bark along the path, the smooth driftwood that washed up on the shore, and memories of the colors that surrounded me. My mind swam with dreams of using these things in my art. Nature is, without a doubt, one of the most important sources of inspiration for my art. I have to admit, however, that sometimes this thing that I am studying (art) seems terribly and absolutely redundant. Art? Why on earth would I think I have any right to speak for nature, to translate, or take ownership of it in my artwork? Doesn't it speak for itself on a level that I will never be able to speak without stumbling terribly over my words?

The picture I have posted was taken by my mother a few days ago. Robin eggs sit nestled in her empty flower pot...their blue not even done justice by Crayola's Robin Egg's Blue. Sigh...

Literature and Music

Like literature I believe music "speaks" to the listener. Music has a profound way of evoking the listeners emotions just as literature does. Music often tells a story sometimes with words - sometimes without. When I saw this violinist serenely strumming his instrument on the streets of Las Vegas, I could not help but stop and see if his music told a story. I did not recognize the song, but what I did realize was that his music carried meaning for him. His facial expression was one of solemnity and grace. How he felt about the music was unclear. What I did perceive from his stature was that this was the way he made his living. Perhaps his song told the story of his life catering to those that love music. Listening to the soft and beautiful sounds of the violin induced memories of a sad time in my life and carried for me, an entirely different meaning. The music told a different story.

In this way music and language arts are delicately intertwined in the sense that the person who receives the message is the one who interprets its meaning. The artist (author, poet, musician etc) often cannot control how their message is perceived. That is part of the beauty and adventure of reading a great work of literature or listening to a breathtaking piece of music. Individual interpretation is key to the experience.

Los chiles

Los chiles--chili peppers. Who knew there were so many kinds? You can learn the general term in Spanish, but then there are all the varieties: mulato, guajillo, chipotle, japones, pasilla...In this case, well-rounded literacy is achieved when the student of Spanish knows not only their names, but also when and how to cook with them.

These chili peppers tell another story as well. Did I go to a specialty shop to find all these chilis? I may have had to twenty years ago, but yesterday I found them at Cub Foods in West Saint Paul. They also had rows and rows of imported salsas and Mexican pastries, and the aisle signs were in both Spanish and English. There were not many people shopping at that hour, but the evidence was clear that this particular grocery store reaches out and caters to a Latino clientele that is significant in size. Literacy in Spanish means not only studying the foreign countries where Spanish is spoken, but also being aware of the Hispanic presence and influence in our midst.

Finally, there is the literacy involved in deciphering the packaging. The label colors are the same as the Mexican flag, and the brand name is "Lindo y Querido," or"Beautiful and Dear," which evokes not only these vibrant chilis, but also the Mexican homeland. As anyone who has lived abroad knows, seeing something that reminds you of home is comforting. For a Mexican living in Minnesota, finding "Lindo y Querido" chilis at the local Cub Foods might make those long, cold winter nights a little more bearable.