Portfolio

Language Arts & Writing

March 26, 2012

By: Kellie Ball

Activities

Because the Form of Words Matter

Language Awareness

Varieties of English

Reading as a Writer

Overview

The activity I found the most challenging was “Because the Form of Words Matter”. This activity took me the longest to complete because I had to take prose and try to fit that prose into a specific poetical form. The activity I enjoyed the most was “Varieties of English”. I thought it was interesting to see how multiple translations can convey the same overall meaning but be structured and worded so differently. The last activity, “Reading as a Writer”, made me think about literacy, especially writing and language. This activity made me think about what I need to learn or improve on so that I can be a better teacher. I do not want to ask my students to complete assignments that I am not comfortable completing myself.

Because the Form of Words MatterA lighter is a small device that creates a flame. The lighter stores gas in its container and the user rolls the thumb wheel to ignite it. When you strike the lighter, it ignites a spark that creates the flame.

The Hot LighterO lighter, thou art hot!

The pretty flameThat glows in the night

In the starry skyHas out shown thy radiance

Of brilliant sparkle,And his dark secret shadow

Does thy life destroy.

Because the Form of Words Matter (cont.)

My prose and poetry versions are very different. My prose is in proper sentence structure, while my poetry is in poetical form. My prose is descriptive and straight forward while my poetry is wordy and the meaning is not clear. The sound of the words in my poetry version were intended to sound pretty and have a flow to them, while the sound of the words in my prose was not considered because my focus was on meaning. The poetry version says less than the prose version. You could read the poetry version numerous times and not take away the correct meaning from it. I think the prose is way more effective because it is easily understood and the words are clear and direct.

Language Awareness

If language is a web, then I am a spider rather than a web. I am a spider because spiders not only take in the food that gets caught in their web, but they leave the web and bring in new food that they catch themselves. I am constantly processing vocabulary and language skills that get caught in my daily interactions, but I am also going out and purposefully acquiring new skills and information.

Varieties of English

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”

– King James version of the Hebrew Bible

You should not lie to other people. – Standard English translation created by me

U shouldnt lie bout ur neighbor- Text message translation created by me

Varieties of English (cont.)The meaning does not really change in each translation. The only thing that may be different is my personal interpretation from the original of what “bear false witness” means. Some people may think it means do not lie about your neighbors and others might think it means do not lie to you neighbors. Either way, the main theme is still the same, it is just a matter of wording. Although the meaning does not change, the style and power behind the statement changes. The original is very formal, the second translation is very direct, and the last translation is very abbreviated. The text message translation does not really convey the power or authority behind the command like the first two translations convey. The different styles of the three translations will appear to different types of audiences. The original statement will appeal to older generations of people and to people who speak very proper or old English. The second translation will appeal to most people to today. It is less wordy and clear cut so that everyone can understand exactly what is being commanded. The third one may appeal to the younger generations of people who grew up texting because it is written in shorthand.

Reading as a WriterThe greatest improvement I could make to my writing is incorporating more imagination and creativity. I have a difficult time creating fictional work. I feel silly making up dialogue and I struggle to come up with original ideas. I love reading fictional books and I respect the author’s ability to make them seem real, but I am far from comfortable doing so myself. I am a very straight forward person, and I tend to write directly to the point which is not creative or interesting to read. The reason I think my choice would be such a great improvement is because as I teacher I want to teach and allow my students to write creatively and to write fictional stories. I want to be a good example to my students. I want to be able to make effective suggestions and revisions for my students pieces of writing. The best way for me to be able to do this is to become a better writer myself.