As I watched T.V. the other day, I noticed a lot of sports like golf, basketball, wrestling, etc. and realized that I don't know how to play any of them let alone understand how they are played. I took this picture at the Twin's home opener this year and it is the only sport that I understand completely. Literacy is crucial to the understanding of how a game is played. Without it, it would seem that a bunch a guys are just trying to hit a ball. Literacy is also needed in order to read the score of a game and to understand the statistics (in any sport).

This is a picture of my cat and puppy looking out of my bedroom window. They were watching my dad mow the lawn...they love to do this! It makes you wonder what animals really understand about the human world, and about each other. I often wonder whether how animals communicate with each other. It has always been known that cats and dogs are enemies but these two usually get along. (We'll forget that as soon as I took this picture Howie, the cat, leaned over and hit Aurora's nose!)

Spanish Literature

This is a picture of both a Spanish and English version of the same book. By being able to translate book and such from the original language to another, or just being able to read it in the original language, there are certain cultural aspects one can learn.

For my Spanish class at Macalaster, I have been reading Spanish texts from Cristobal Columbus to more modern day texts such as, El Amor en los tiempos del Colera. I have been able to "read" but more importantly, aquire information about different cultures and cultural norms. I think this is why I feel so strongly on having true texts in the classroom. For me, it would be books originally written in Spanish.

I think this reading between the lines is a very important lesson to learn how to do. When reading a book written in Cuba in the 1950's, one can gain a greater and deeper look into the lives of people at that time. When we are teaching, there are so many ways to personally bring our students into the lesson, and this is one of them.

Recipes

I am the worst cook ever, so I rely so much on recipes and reading them word for word so that I do not mess up the dish. I went to the Guiness factory in Ireland and I appreciated their step-by-step process of how they made the Guiness. This is a sign about what goes into a Guiness. It is important that the recipe directions are clear and straight forward otherwise someone might create an unhealthy meal or just a meal that does not taste good at all. I think that literacy can be found in recipes because of its readability.

Gardening

As I was thinking about literacy this week,I began to think of the things that I am illiterate in. One thing that came to mind was my lack of knowledge about the earth and how to grow things. My mom, however, is extremely literate in gardening. I look at her garden and cannot tell the difference between a plant that has not bloomed yet and a weed. I do not know how much to water a plant, when to water a plant, how much sunlight a plant needs, or how much shade. My mom, however, knows the importance of all these things and more. She works on her garden all spring and summer. She knows how much care each different flower needs. Some plants are harder to care for than others (apparently). There are also plants that are more suited to Minnesota weather than other climates. When I look at my mother's garden all I see are the pretty flowers, while she is able to see and read so much more because of her knowledge about plants and the hard work that goes into gardening.

This is a picture of a laser instrument we used in my Physical Chemistry class. This is an example of how both prior knowledge and practice are important aspects of literacy. When my partner and I began our experiment, we really did not know anything about this particular instrument. However, we previously had used several other instruments in our chemistry classes which used lasers as well, so we were able to think about how there might be similarities to this particular instrument. Therefore, our background knowledge assisted us in learning something new. Furthermore, as our experience with the instrument increased with each trial, we became more comfortable and were able to complete our tasks much faster than the first time we used the instrument. As a result, we were able to analyze three different proteins instead of only one or two, which made our experiment more credible and thorough.

My Art, Your Interpretation

This is a photograph that I took last semester and it makes me laugh every time I see it. I posted it because I thought about it in regards to literacy and a lot of things came to mind. First, because the fact that I set up the scene and shot photo it has a different meaning to me. I know how it was done and I know why I did it. Therefore, it has a different meaning to me than someone looking at it for the first time. Then it leads me to think of the different kinds of reactions I would receive from viewers because of the background knowledge they would bring to looking at it. There are different kinds of background knowledge one could bring to this photo. If the viewer knew me and the kind of art I have made in the past they will interpret it differently than someone that does not know me. There are so many ways someone could interpret this photo and as an artist I am constantly thinking and analyzing how my work will effect my viewers.

Team Work

Just like anyone who has played on a team before knows, communication is the key to succeeding. This picture is of a summer kickball league I was on last year right after we won our first game. We were so excited to win a game and we owe a lot of it to our communication skills. Not only did we need to speak and listen to each other, but we also needed to identify and interpret non-verbal cues like if someone was going to bunt or steal a base. Working as a team is difficult, but as long as everyone can “read” each other, your team will be communicating effectively (and hopefully winning games!).

Reading the Sand

I took this picture in Barcelona last spring break. Here a man is using sand to express himself. When talking about literacy, I am constantly returning to the four major categories:reading, writing, speaking, and listening. I like this picture because it tells me that I can "read" anything, even sand.

Mind the Gap

One of my biggest worries prior to leaving for London last year was how I would be able to navigate through the city. I knew that I would be using London's public transportation system, mainly the "Tube" as well as walking everywhere. The picture above is a Tube Map that I carried with me at all times. The first time I looked at the map I had no idea how to read it. I did not know what all the colors meant or the names of the stations. In order to go anywhere I needed to learn how to read the map. It took me about a week to figure out that each colored line represents a tube line- Picadilly Line is royal blue, Jubilee Line is silver, District Line is green, etc. Where the lines intersect with an unfilled circle is an interchange station to change from one tube line to another. It was not long before I was able to navigate London via the London Underground. All I needed to know was the Tube Stop and I would be able to arrive at my destination. Being able to read the Tube Map was vital to my being able to live in London

My Border Collie puppy is 4 months old now and everyday I am amazed at her literacy skills.  I know, a dog and literacy, yeah right, but you would be surprised.  According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, "'Literacy' is the ability to identify, understand, interpret ... communicate, [and] compute ..."  Lucky Lu does all of these and more; she is already able to identify all of her toys by name, understand and compute commands, interpret tones and communicate back to me her wants and needs.  I have learned that literacy is even broader than I can imagine and the ability to use language and communication can apply to anyone (or thing).  

I went home to my parents house last night for the weekend and we saw two of these baby eagles. My parents live on the lake and every spring and fall these gorgeous birds follow the migration of the other birds like geese, ducks, and coots. I was reminded that this was a for of literacy for two reasons. It is a kind of literacy for people who live out here because it is a regular occurrence out here that I do not see out in St. Paul. Also, the way that all animals live is a form of literacy a code or instinct that they follow to live. The smaller birds travel together from open water to open water on their way south and then back up north and the bigger "hunter" birds travel with them to ensure survival. As I look out of my parents window at these eagles soaring with such an air that you just cannot help but stop and watch. It is no mystery that they are out Nations bird and I am so lucky that I get to witness them with the change of the seasons.

The Celtic Cross

This past January I went on a J-term study abroad trip to Ireland. I took a Celtic Theology class and studied certain Celtic Spiritual symbols like this Celtic Cross. The Celtic Cross appears all over the whole country of Ireland and date back to as early as 900 B.C. This particular cross is carved from stone and has several Biblical images carved into it. The viewer of the cross is required to read the symbolic images on the cross and then figure out what Biblical story they represent. This relates to literacy because the viewer must read the images and make their own opinion about the image. This particular cross contains very detailed images about Christ's death and resurrection (which is very appropriate for the coming Easter holiday). The crosses are so beautiful and breathtaking that the viewer just gets an overwhelming spiritual feeling when touching them. I feel that symbolism is a great form of literacy because one is constantly finding a meaning behind the image. The cross itself and the ring around it also is a certain image appropriate to celtic spirituality. In my classroom, I might use this image as a segway way into a unit about Irish plays and playwrights.

This is a picture of a pair of tap shoes with Savion Glover's signature on the bottom. This picture represents two kinds of literacy, one would be knowledge about who Savion Glover is and why it would be special to have his signature on a pair of tap shoes. (One might remember Savion from his appearances on Sesame Street, or his show Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk that came to Minneapolis a few years ago). Or, tap dancing can also involve literacy in that there is a language associated with tap dancing. For example, if I were to write down a small combination such as, "shuffle ball change, shuffle hop step, slurpie" a person who had never taken a tap class before may read it and think of it as gibberish, but on the other hand, a person who had taken a few years of tap may be able to read the combination and perform the steps perfectly without a demonstration. Furthermore, as a dance instructor, I have had to become skilled in writing out choreography for my students in a clear and effective manner.

This is a picture I took of my two year old neice, Pepin Aune. I was amazed in class when I found out that you can also read a work of art. I have been critiquing and analyzing works of art my whole life, but I never thought about it in the terms of literacy. For the past year I have been doing weekly art activities with Pepin. When we are finished we always discuss what we have made and if we like it or not. It amazes me; teaching her new things and watching as she is listening, thinking, responding and watching my social cues.

Jugue sus bazas

Here is a picture of simple playing cards. In order to play any game of cards, one must understand the rules and understand how to "read" the cards. Literacy is necessary here.

I would use this to transition into cultural literacy, and discover with my class the types of games other cultures play.

Katelynn Costello

This is a picture I took in Playa del Carmen, Mexico in January. I thought this picture represented literacy in a very global way. Sam's Club is a very American-based company and seeing this company in another country, along with the Spanish language, is a clear example of globalization.

"What time is it?"

Being able to read a clock is a very important skill that is taught in elementary mathematics. It is so important that it is addressed in the MN academic standards under "Spatial Sense, Geometry and Measurement" in many grade levels. Our culture is so time oriented that being able to successfully read a clock is very crucial. For me, I struggled in attaining this skill due to my over-reliance of a digital clock that knowing how to read an analog clock came with great difficulty.

Photo Number One

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all able to see my photo. It is a little silly, but I thought it could be read as a type of theater literacy.

It is a picture of mimes. Mimes are a form of theater and since they do not speak, you have to read them by their actions which could be interpreted as a form of literacy.

Thanks,

Ashley

This is a picture of the bulletin board at the dance studio where I work. It is an example of how people can read to gain important information, such as, when the studio is open/closed and when tuition is due. It is also a place where people can learn about performers in the field who will be visiting the studio and giving master classes. The times of these events are listed on the board as well. I thought it was a easy and effective way to ensure that people are getting the information they need to. People also learn to read the bulletin board so they are up-to-date on the latest news at the studio.

literacy as an American English speaker

My boyfriend was in Hong Kong over j-term and he took this picture. This directly shows the literacy of what we as American English speakers interpret verses different cultures. We see "Hooker" to mean something else besides someones name or business name. Also, the slogan "nobody does it better" accompanied with an image of a little girl suggests something rather appauling to our culture.

Reading the World

Welcome to our Content Area Literacy 'blog. In this space, you will record photographic images of your evolving definition of literacy, along with written "musings" about your posted photos. At the end of the course, we will have a record of how your thinking about Literacy has been influenced by course readings, discussions, projects and field experiences.