First Assignment

1. I am teaching math (Algebra I). I am teaching math because I am a nerd and I like math, and also because I have a minor in math.

2. My students are mostly limited English proficient (ESL), so the first thing that I noticed was their trouble reading and writing in English. But as the year has progressed, I have noticed (mostly through my interception of their notes to each other) that most of them also have trouble reading and writing in their first language.

It is difficult to think of a strength of theirs... I would say that they are willing to try to read and write, which is the first step. They are good at circling words that they don't know.

3. I want to learn:
- strategies to teach vocabulary to students
- how to help students read and understand directions for problems
- how to use reading and writing to help students understand content (math in particular)
- how to help students comprehend what they read (for word problems etc)

See you Tuesday!
-Tamarah Shuer