Features include: Children telling regular events as stories, parents reading to children, and children using clear language to answer questions.
2. What are the features of Leona's specialized form of language?
Leona groups her lines into stanzas where each line tends to have a parallel structure with other lines in the stanza to match them in content. Gee states that her stanzas are very complex because each one makes a pattern. All the features are reflections of Leona's home life.
3. Why is Leona's specialized form of language not accepted in school?
Leona's story was not accepted at school because it was written in a different way (not like a report) which is what most teachers expect. They do no not expect any type of poems.
4. Explain the contradiction between the research conducted by Snow et
al. (1998) and the recommendations made by Snow et al. (1998).
Snow states that the "Black-White Gap" in reading test scores was closing fast from the 1960's until the mid 1980's. Snow contradicts himself when he admits that this improvement was much greater than any progress that has been made as a result of the early phonemic awareness training that he recommends.
5. What other factors besides early skills training will make or break good readers?
Other factors besides early skills training that will make or break good readers is a sense of belonging, and the use if modern technology. If students do not feel supported because of their form of language they might give up. Modern technology has made it very easy for students to use their own language and not be tested or judged on what/how they are saying it.
6. Why do some children fail to identify with, or find alienating, the "ways with words" taught in school?
Students find school-based languages alienating because is they can't find a since of belonging at school when their home-based language is ignored.
I hope this chapter contribute to your understanding of why it is important for teachers to value and understand their students "ways with words"!
ReplyDelete