I have absolutely loved this course. There is so much more to teaching than meets the eye. One thing I've thought a lot about, is how I'm going to help encourage oral language in my mathematics classrooms. Being able to orally speak math and understand it can be very complicated for students. From this class, I learned how important it is for a teacher to model oral language skills, and then provide the students multiple opportunities to use oral language. I also realized that you don't have to "go out of your way" to teach comprehension and literacy to your students. It's something that goes hand-in-hand with teaching the required content.

I also realized how vital it is to teach vocabulary words. In mathematics, it's so obvious to me that 'and' means 'addition,' and 'or' means 'multiplication.' However, students might not grasp that concept as easy as I do. There are so many Mathematical and FACS terms out there that I take for granted. Same as oral language, it helps the students immensely as teachers give them multiple encounters with specific terminology. If we don't take the time to help our students understand our content vocabulary, we will be thinking...

while our students are thinking...

Overall, I have loved this course. There are many strategies I've learned that I'm excited to incorporate into my future teaching career. This course has opened my eyes to a whole new level and world of education.

One of the hardest things for most of my piano students to master, is how to "read" sheet music. As y'all know, I absolutely love playing the piano. My favorite thing to read is piano sheet music, and it has been my favorite ever since I can remember. When it comes to piano, I think of myself as one stellar reader! I'm sure that many of you have heard of the term "sight reading." I used to be very horrible at it. Sight reading is where you attempt to play a song for the very first time without ever seeing the sheet music before. It can be a struggle for a lot of people. However, throughout the years, I have become better and better at sight reading. Some other things I really enjoy reading are comics, newspapers, my cousin's blog (which is super hilarious! Check it out! It Just Gets Stranger), The Book of Mormon (My favorite book ever!!!), and fiction novels.

I haven't always enjoyed reading. I remember one instance when I was in Elementary School. I was cramming to get a book report done, and I really wanted to finish reading my 500 page book in one night to do it. Now, my mother, being the smart woman she is, found me a book that was 100 pages and had lots of pictures! It worked perfect for the time constraint that I had, but I didn't enjoy the read one bit. I felt completely and 100% forced to read it. Their was no voluntary action in the matter, and it was all homework based. I don't even remember what book I read, or what I learned from it. I also remember many times in classes where we would be assigned a lot of reading, and I would spend forever on it because I have to read every thing super slow to be able to comprehend it. I remember communicating with my classmates and being frustrated and jealous when they told me the reading only took them about 20 minutes or so. Throughout my middle school years, I built up a dislike of reading whenever it had to do with classwork, homework, or a grade. I didn't like the idea of not being able to read what I wanted to read, on my own, and at my own pace. Since then, I've had to come to terms with accepting that it takes me longer than most students to make it through assigned readings.

I can't say that there was anyone that ever really discouraged me from reading. I've always seen my mom with a new book each month growing up. I think she's actually the one that really helped me begin to have the desire to read. I also had a friend that would give me a new book each year for Christmas, and I was always excited to read it! I have always loved reading my scriptures! They are one thing that I've never disliked reading! I read from them every single day and never get sick of it.

As I think more and more about my future students, I want to be able to help them open up a new world through reading. One thing that I really liked from a previous teacher was that she had a wide variety of reading texts that addressed the same topic area. As students, we were able to choose which reading we wanted to do, and reflect on it. It was perfect for me! I didn't feel like I was being completely forced to read something. I had some say in the matter. Also, I was able to choose something that wasn't too long or strenuous for me. There was also such a wide variety, that practically all of the students' interest was sparked! We all were excited about the reading!

It takes time to become a reader (just as it took time for me to develop good sight reading skills). As we allow our students multiple times to "read" texts within our content areas, their confidence will increase as they understand more and more. I also think it's important to help students realize that reading isn't just about reading words from books or articles. For example, in mathematics, students read 3D objects, graphs, charts, etc. There are so many dimensions to reading that we can open up to our students. We can learn how to read nature, other people, different situations, etc. Reading is comprehending, analyzing, comparing, contrasting, etc. It's not just opening up a book and reading page after page after page after page. It's about discovery! I hope that when I am a teacher, I can help my students experience the excitement that "reading" can bring.

My whole life I have loved music - particularly playing the piano! I love the flowing feeling of running my fingers up and down the long stretch of piano keys. The many songs I play have been a huge way of how I express my feelings and personality. There are so many different ways we can express our feelings, personality, and ideas to others. If you ever meet my family, one of the first things you may learn about us is that we completely consider ourselves the worst writers in the world. We love to laugh and joke about it all the time. While I was on my mission in North Carolina, I actually wrote a poem. When my mom read it, she declared, "I finally have a child that is a writer!!!" I will admit that I do enjoy writing poems. I don't know much about poem structure, or anything like that, I just "follow my heart" per se. I also love, love, LOVE to take pictures - especially of the things that I cherish (nature, family, music, friends, etc.)

I always wish that I could take a photography class, but alas, I don't have the funds to purchase a high-tech camera. To me, taking pictures and playing the piano are, for sure, a 'form' of writing. Like they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." It's how I express myself. It is how I share my "voice" with others. I have also loved writing in a journal. It's so fun to take time to look back at the things I thought were important in my youth, and compare them to what is important to me now. So, I can say that throughout my life, I have loved "writing" more than I actually realized. I even enjoyed writing assignments in school - well, that was until I had to start writing research papers. BLECH!!! This has ultimately been my reaction to research papers! Until . . . I took English 2010 my first semester in College. Now that was a blast! I came to love writing research papers! (It could be due to the fact that our professor allowed us to choose our own topic). It was wonderful to study and learn about something that I truly cared about. I have also really enjoyed this writing assignment of blogging. It's been so fun to be able to put my own voice into this writing, and include various forms of literature that help me express my ideas. I realize that when I am a teacher, my students will have multiple 'writing assignments' to accomplish. As I do this, I want to make sure that each student has a chance to express their ideas as well as their personality. I loved the idea of having students choose for themselves (or even from a list of topics) of what they want to 'write' about. Since I love music so much, I think it would be fun to allow students to even write songs with lyrics to express their understandings of certain content that has been discussed in class. For example:

There are so many different forms of writing that teachers can open up to their students (facebook, blogging, music, photography, poems, oral language, skits, etc.). I guess what I'm saying is that I don't want to be known as the teacher that makes my students write page after page after page. I believe that the more fun the learning process is for the students, the more likely they will be to understand, retain, and apply the content. This will also help with diversity in the classroom. Students don't all learn the same way, and they don't all express themselves the same way. This could help create a classroom environment where students feel comfortable sharing their ideas, understandings, and personalities.

As I near graduation, I think a lot about my future classroom and students. What do I want the climate of my classroom to be? How do I wish my future students will feel about the discipline I teach? What do I hope for my students? These are questions that I would love to answer for myself as well as my future students. I want to welcome them into a world of Mathematics and Family Consumer Sciences: A world that is filled with intrigue, design, creativity, expanding horizons, and many other domains. Now, some of my future students may think some things along the following lines:

• Math is boring!
• Family Consumer Science is for girls!
• Why do I need to learn this?
• When will this ever help me in my future?
• What is the importance of this material?

In response, I would love to compare Math to reading, or being outdoors, or even learning a language. Now, how neat would it be to learn a different language? Seriously! I've always wanted to learn one, and I have! Mathematics. I have learned yet another form of communication that is used by everyone around the world! In regards to either reading or going on nature hikes, the end doesn't come all at once. Fiction novels open up a whole new world to the reader. However, you can't experience the grand ending until you've unraveled pages and pages of captivating events that lead up to the grand finale. Being outdoors . . . well, what can I say? Nature, for sure, has it's own way of communication. There's always more we can experience through nature. The same is with Math. It's so glorious and beautiful as you put forth the effort and take the time to unravel it's mysteries. As you do so, you will come to more so understand the important role that Math plays in everyday life. We use is as we budget money, bake, train for sports events, play musical instruments, and so on. Without the knowledge and application of Mathematics, we wouldn't have all the wonderful historical structures around the world. Vacationing would be boring! What do you think about that? For those of you who like Science, Math is utilized all the time to balance solutions, etc. Math is everywhere, and, of course, there are a lot of good laughs that come from Mathematics:

Now, Family Consumer Sciences, what does that entail? Many things such as: food and nutrition (who doesn't love food?), human development, finances, life management, etc. To me, it's pretty obvious to see that all of these are pretty important factors that guide and govern our lives. We need money to provide for ourselves, food is essential for health and living, etc. I could go on and on about the importance of this discipline. So what makes it so fun?! How many of you enjoy going on your first date, getting your first kiss, earning money, building long-lasting relationships, getting a new outfit, running a marathon, winning a sports game? I know I enjoy many of these things! How we grow and develop has multiple impacts on all of these things. As we learn how to keep ourselves physically healthy, build good relationships, work hard for what we earn, etc., we will be able to live a very productive life. And not only that, we will be able to enjoy all the little things we love to do everyday. You will also be prepared for this future day in your life:

If any of you may be struggling in these areas, here are some very helpful resources:

• Cool Math
• Math Dictionary
• Eat Right
• Recipes

So, to all my future students out there: Take full advantage of all the opportunities you have to learn and apply the wonderful elements of these disciplines in your life. They are concepts that will carry on throughout your future, and will help you progress to your highest potential.

Well hello there! I am very excited to be starting a blog for the first time. It's intriguing to experience the various different means whereby we may communicate and learn together. Technology can, at times, seem to be a bit of a challenge for me. This could be due to the amount of time I spend outdoors. I love to go hiking, camping, biking, skiing, or pretty much anything that involves being in nature. In fact, I am laying on the grass underneath a tree and listening to the birds sing as I am blogging. :) Ahhhhhh, singing, I wish I had a better voice, however, I love to play the piano, and have been ever since the third grade. Music has it's own language that brings the world to life. I like to express myself through my music. Now, you may be wondering, what is it that I don't like? Well, here comes a very random fact about me: I am deathly afraid of apple cores, believe it or not. I'm not even exactly sure why. It could be because my dad told me that apples would grow out of my ears if I ate the seeds. My parents taught, and raised me well! :)

Where did my interest in teaching come from, you may wonder? Ever since I was young, I fell in love with . . . you'll never guess . . . Math! Oh yes, how I love experiencing the "A-ha" moments that come after hundreds of pencil scratches followed by frantic erasing sessions. If you've never felt the joy that comes from Mathematics, I invite you to watch one or more of the following videos:

Because of my interest in math, I thought I wanted to be an engineer - but who really wants to do the exact same thing as their older brother. Seriously? Well, there has always been one obvious difference between me and my siblings: I am a wonderful cook! My brothers just like to eat the food. My sister, on the other hand, tries time and time again to prove herself in the culinary, needlework, and other "mother-oriented" venues. There have been many evenings where me and my siblings sit around laughing at my sister's attempted concoctions. "I got it!" I thought. I love baking, children, nutrition, and I'm working on the sewing thing. :) It was when I arrived in High School that I seriously considered being a teacher. I had many teachers that became my mentors. I remember many class period filled with interactive activities. We were in and out of our seats multiple times throughout class. This made learning fun. I could tell that my teachers had true passion for what they taught. The didn't just want us, as students, to pass tests, they wanted us to actually internalize what we were learning. I entered college with the intention of graduating with a bachelors in Family and Consumer Science Education (FCSE). After one semester of college, I felt like something was missing in my life. After giving it a good deal of thought, I realized that it was math!!! What was I thinking taking zero math classes?! That's when I decided to tack on the Mathematics Education major as well. So, I am now a proud undergraduate with a double major, and I love it! You may be thinking, "That's completely two different ends of the spectrum!" No worries, I get that all the time. :)

Now that you understand that there are actually people out there who enjoy math, you may be wondering, what is it's importance? What is it's meaning in life? Math has always followed me wherever I go, whether it be counting a stack of newspapers to deliver in the morning, working a cash register, or even working through disagreements. Math is it's own language (just like music) that, not only helps with simple computations, but also enhances communication skills, problem solving skills, and so on. Even music uses mathematics. So, for those of you out there that sing, dance, or play instruments, you already have a small place for math in your heart! :) Now, on the flip side, what is Family and Consumer Science? To me, it's happiness and diversity. It encompasses so many elements: cooking, sewing, adult roles, family finance, child development, nutrition, etc. Yes - it's the UMM!!!! (Ultimate Mom Major)! :) It brings so many different sensations such as: tastes, smells, laughter, knowledge, relationships, feelings, etc. They all build upon one another and enrich life. For example, learning how to cook and sew are wonderful ways to help children learn by trial and error and increase their understanding about various elements and procedures.

Isn't that kind of what literacy is? Being able to add to the previous knowledge you already have? And not just that, but to actually apply it to various things in life? Literacy, not only relates to FCSE, but also to Mathematics. Most of my life, I have always thought that literacy was just reading comprehension. However, as I'm taking this class (Language, Literacy, and Learning in the Content Areas), my understanding of literacy is slowly changing. We talked about how literacy is building upon previous knowledge. Math does exactly that! For example, if you don't know how to do Algebra, you can't learn Calculus. It constantly builds upon itself, and there's always more to learn and experiment with that helps facilitate learning.  I am so excited to continue to learn more about what literacy really is, and how it better relates to these content areas.