At first I was very surprised that viewing and visual representing were considered a part of language arts. I have always associated language arts with the proper use and understanding of the English language. However once I thought about it for a few minutes, viewing and visual representing are a huge part of our society today. I think that by adding viewing and visual representing to the list of language arts we are not condoning these influences in the children's lives so much as embracing it. If the only way to get a child involved enough to learn language arts is by including technology in his or her curriculum then by all means should we show them a video or a computer game that teaches it. Childrens lives are already molded by what they see on televison or read on the internet; I believe as teachers we can benefit from this by not ingnoring it.
None of the six language arts really stand out to me in particular. I learn the best when a mix of all of them is used. I have realized that when only one of the language arts is present I learn far less than if I both read and listened to the matierial. My learning needs have been the same since I was a child and I do not expect them to change.
On another note I really enjoyed the first chapter of Sahara Special. I can relate to Sahara's character somewhat. I understand the feeling that school is unimportant when something bigger is going on in your life. I'm not very good at predictions but I do hope that Sarhara thrives in her regular classroom and her file gets thrown away!
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I really like this statement from your post; "Childrens lives are already molded by what they see on television or read on the internet; I believe as teachers we can benefit from this by not ignoring it." Keeping this motto at the forefront of your teaching will serve you well. I'm glad you enjoyed Sahara's adventures so far. You did indeed make a prediction though- be confident in your abilities!!
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