Warm Up 9/17/08

#1.What kinds of reading and writing did you see students doing in school? Why do you think Rose choose these assignments?

Rose had kids write about particular pictures from magazines that he chose. He also had students bring in their favorite books. Rose choose these assignments because it was a way for them to connect in a more open environment. They could write whatever they wanted and it wouldn't be graded. Before, these students were constantly worried about being graded on what they wrote, whereas Rose made it so they didn't have to worry about that and could just freely write.

3. What did you notice about the language schools used to refer to the students Rose featured in this chapter? How did this language mark students as “insiders” or “outsiders” to school? How do you think these labels might have influenced students’ literacy development later on?

The schools referred to the students has having less of an ability to read, labeling them illiterate and not on track with all the other students. These students that were being labeled felt as if they couldn't participate, they were scared to engage or even just followed along with their label because they didn't want to go against the label that was given to them. Instead of doing better they just fell farther behind because they had this so called label of being dumb. At first many of the students when meeting with Rose didn't want to open up or write because of what there label was. I think when students are placed with a label it leaves them feeling like they have to be that label, almost as if they are incapable of doing better than that. Once again they are scared to do better or think that they can't do better because they have this particular label engraved to them. No matter what anyone says, they will always have this label displayed on them, which can affect how others think of them and how they think of themselves.