Midterm Checklist for: Kayla Reagan

Speak paper with comments from me and subsequent drafts with revisions: Yes
(attached)

Critical Theory papers (if you have more than one draft include them all with
comments): I have not yet started a Critical Theory paper, besides the Speak essay
as I have not had time to work ahead on future assignments.

Book Rationale: Yes (attached)

Evidence for portfolio:

Choose two pieces of work one from your daybook and one from Canvas that
demonstrate the ways you are figuring out ways to not only teach YA Lit, but ways to
teach students HOW to read. Please annotate your work and explain what Im seeing.
Use Deeper Reading and the chapters from Kyleene Beers as support. Do NOT tear
anything out of your Daybookscan it and print off a hardcopy.

Canvas: Week 6 Discussion Post (copied from canvas)

In this discussion post, I will be analyzing the first section of Kiely and Reynolds
novel All American Boys, by using Kelly Gallagher's strategy mentioned in
chapter 5, "What does it say?, What does it mean?, What does it matter?".

All American Boys:

What does it say? In the first section of All American Boys, we are introduced to
Rashad, who is one of the main character's of the novel. In the first section, we
learn that Rashad has been a victim of police brutality. In the novel, Rashad
states: "But before I could even get my fingers on the money, the cop had me
knotted up in a submission hold, my arms twisted behind me, pain searing up to
my shoulders. He shoved me through the door and slammed me to the ground.
Face-first... a crunching sound in my ear as bones in my nose cracked... I caught
another blow. A fist in the kidney. A knee in the back. A forearm to the back of the
neck." (Kiely, Reynolds 22). In this instance, the text specifically illustrates the
abuse that Rashad is experiencing.

What does it mean? The fact that Rashad is a victim of police brutality means that
there are still racial issues we need to face in our society. Rashad, who did
nothing wrong and was not going to steal the bag of chips, was presumed guilty
because of his race. Furthermore, not only was he accused of stealing, but it was
also assumed that he had hurt the woman in the gas station as well. Through this
event within the text, we can see that author's want to bring awareness of the
injustices that take place against people of color within our society. Rashad,
therefore symbolizes the struggles people of color still face today and force us to
realize that racism is still an issue that we are dealing with.

What does it matter? The topic of police brutality matters because it is a problem
that we are still facing at this very moment. All American Boys, is not just about
one instance of police brutality in a novel, but about the inequality that still takes
place in America today. People of color are still treated unequally and racism is
still an issue that was never erased with any movement or bill that was passed or
law that was put into place. This novel, and the topic of police brutality matters
because it brings awareness not just to police brutality specifically, but to the fact
that systemic racism is a reality in our society and without awareness, this will
never change!

In this discussion post, I am using Gallaghers reading comprehension strategy

What does it say? What does it mean? What does it matter? to analyze the
novel All American Boys. In this post, you are seeing me attempt to think
critically about the novel and the differences between say, mean, and matter.
Through answering Gallaghers questions, I gained a better understanding of the
novel and its message regarding police brutality. I think this strategy would also
be helpful to my future students and their comprehension of texts, as it goes
deeper than just surface level questions.

Daybook:

In the daybook entry seen below, I am reading My Papas Waltz for the first time
and writing down my interpretation of the poem. Then, I go back and reread in
order to better understand what is happening so I can either confirm or change
my first impression of the poem. By doing this, I am illustrating the importance of
rereading and how it helps readers comprehension as mentioned in Beers text.
Questions:

How many times I have been absent from class 0 late to class 0

How many times have you posted to Canvas? 6 out of 6

If you have been the discussion leaderwhat went well? What could have been better?
How do you intend to address it as a teacher?

I have not yet been the discussion leader, but I intend to make a PowerPoint
because I have noticed that students, including myself, have a hard time fully
processing a question after only hearing it one time. I think it would be helpful to
have the question displayed through a Powerpoint so that it can be reread
multiple times!

What significant contributions have you made to our class either on Canvas or face to
facebe specific?

I think one significant contribution I have made is writing discussion boards that
are genuine and thought-out. In my discussion board postings, I always write
about topics that actually interest me or that I have questions about; I do not
write just for the sake of getting a grade, but because I am genuinely interested in
the topic. I think that this is a contribution because I always enjoy reading things
that I can tell someone had an actual interest in and not something that they
threw together last minute. I would never want someone to read something and
think this was a waste of time, so I try to make my postings both interesting
and authentic.

In what ways have you been an active participant? I have been an active participant by:

1. Completing all the assigned readings

2. Completing a ll of my assignments on time
3. Participating i n classroom discussion, though not as frequently as I
should.
4. Writing in my Daybook inside and outside of class
5. Being in class on time
6. Not missing any classes
7. Asking questions when confused or concerned
8. Talking to fellow classmates about assigned readings both inside and
outside of class
What grade do you anticipate having at this point in the class? Please explain your
reasoning.

I anticipate to have between a B to a B+ at this point in the semester. I anticipate

that I have a B because I have been present for every class period and have
completed all of my assignment on time, however I know that I could participate
in class discussions more often. I find myself not speaking in every class period
and this is something I would like to improve on while still focusing on quality
input versus quantity input. I also feel as though I could put more time and effort
into the assignments as I often rush to be able to check things off of my to-do
lists. Overall, though I think that I have done what is required, I need to go beyond
requirements and engage more with discussions, assignments, and readings.