SDAIE Strategy

I have observed my CT implement various SDAIE strategies. One such strategy is the continuous use of graphic organizers, realia, and visual clues in the classroom. My CT gives his lessons via PowerPoint and students use their iPads to take notes and look up material on the Internet. The PowerPoint is filled with graphic organizers: diagrams, drawings, charts, and pictures. Students can either copy down the organizers to their notes by hand or use their iPads to download them off of the school's website. The students who do not speak English well are the main beneficiaries of these graphic organizers, though it should be noted that they are helpful to all students in the classroom. From what I can tell the strategy has been successful, many students seem to benefit from drawing the diagrams and synchronizing their knowledge using the graphic organizers.

Student Literacy Habit Survey

I created a digital survey to give to my students using Google Forms. The link to the survey can be found here and the link to the results can be found here. My students were told to take the survey as part of their participation. Since we have iPads for each student in our classroom, I decided to opt for a digital survey instead of a handwritten one so that both the students and I would enjoy a level of convienence.

Here is the embedded survey:


Reflection: The data gathered from this survey was quite interesting to me. I see that many students are exposed to Spanish or other languages at home and many are required to speak a language other than English in public settings. Also, many students have struggled in their English classes and almost all of the students who struggled felt uncomfortable in at least some of their classes just based on how they speak English. I plan to continue analyzing the data throughout the semester and keep an eye on the students who I feel need the most help.

Injustice at School

Not only were there not enough books for students, but the current books are in terrible condition and most look like rags. This injustice promotes an idea to students that books can be abused and misused and that the school cannot even fund enough books for all students.

My Name

My name is Richard James Hunsperger. There are three names within my name and each has its own purpose. My first name, Richard, was chosen by my mother and refers to her father’s first name. Her father died while my mother was pregnant with me and she felt it incredibly meaningful to name me after him. And so my first name was given to me in memory of my late grandfather. After he died, however, my mother’s mother (my grandmother) decided to remarry a man whose first name was James, though he liked to be called Jim. When I was born my parents decided to name my middle name after my grandfather James. And so my middle name refers to my mother’s stepfather (my grandfather). My last name comes from my father and from his father. The name itself can actually be traced to Europe quite awhile back. It was, however, an adopted last name for my grandfather as he was adopted in Germany when he was a teenager. There was a recession in Germany at the time and my grandfather’s parents gave him to an orphanage simply because they could not afford to feed and take care of him. My grandfather still holds a lot of anger for this. And so my last name originated from my grandfather, who was adopted and had a son many years later. As it turns out, I am the last person in my family with the opportunity to carry on this last name. The reason for this is that my father was the only boy in the family and I am his only son. Therefore, the name may die with me if I am unable or unwilling to have a son.