Double Journal Entry #10

1. At home, there are many stories that are being told. Also, vernacular language is used mostly.

2. Leona talks in stanzas. Her stanzas are full of complex repetition and parallelism. She uses "an" to start many of her sentences and also cuts the "g" out of "baking". When telling a story, her main goal isn't to cut straight to the point. The author of this book seems to think that there is meaning behind the way she tells the story. He says she is speaking in almost a poem. When reading Leona's story, all I hear is a little girl who can't get everything she wants to say condensed down to one paragraph.

3. This story would not be accepted in schools because it is too "poetic", as the author puts it. The teachers would rather here a "blow-by-blow" story which means step-by-step or event-by-event. Other students would not understand that she was speaking poetically and the teachers do not want children thinking that is how standard English is suppose to sound.

4. In the report by Snow et al, there is no difference between whites and blacks in their skills of reading and Americans seem to be doing very well in reading. Americans are even doing better in reading than in math or science. In the recommendation by Snow et al, students who live in areas of high poverty are falling further behind.

5. It is not only early skill training that makes or breaks good readers. It is a variety of other factors. Students need to feel a sense of belonging and are a valued part of the social group within where their learning takes place. This boosts their confidence and will help them branch out on their learning.

6. School language may be to complex and technical for the students. The "ways with words" in school may be uninteresting to them.