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On my literacy walk I heard a very familiar song, the song the ice cream truck plays. Once I heard it I immediately decided to get ice cream. The Orellana and Hernandez reading talks about how literacy is about reading the world using sounds, signs and other interactions with the world that communicate. This interaction reminded be how literacy isn’t just about decoding letters or even just visual cues, I couldn’t even see the truck but I knew I had to find it. That song also signals joy and summer for me, so I think it would be interesting to invite students to listen to familiar sounds from their neighborhoods and discuss what those kind of messages those sounds communicate and mean to them.

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During my literacy walk, I realized how everything was in English. I didn't come across anything in another language. I walked past several hospitals and medical centers, and none of their signs were in another language. This made me consider how inaccessible spaces and facilities are for those who are non-native English speakers. There weren't even many visuals to help guide non-English speakers. I noticed a diverse population as I walked, so I wonder how bi/multilingual students exist in this environment and what signs, storefronts, advertisements they take value in.

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Literacy Walk:

I stayed near the school to see what the students would experience when coming to school. It was interesting seeing all of the businesses surrounding the building and thinking about how that would help grow the community of students here. The fact that there are not many places advertising vapes or alcohol communicates that it is a child friendly neighborhood. In my town there are frequent alcohol or vaping advertisements that children definitely could see and maybe not make the best decisions since it is being deemed okay. I loved seeing all the families present with children helping to keep a friendly environment for students to be welcomed to.

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On my community walk, I was admiring the silence mixed with the laughter of children coming from their after-school activities. Literacy also involves feelings. I walked down Madison Avenue to 91st street and then walked by central park. I mostly saw children who were in private school uniforms. I actually saw a few children who go to the school that I work at with their parents and grandparents.

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For the literacy walk, Sam, Caroline, and I walked down 3rd Ave from 96th St to 100th St. The transition of features, languages, shops, and sounds between the 4 blocks was stark. Below 98th street, streets were full of doormen, flower beds, kids running around in preppy uniforms, and signs exclusively in English. Once we began walking past 98th street, a world of murals, Bluetooth music blaring from cars, signs in Spanish, and EBT bodegas. As we reflected on the distinct difference, we thought about transportation, specifically the location of the 96th st 6 train, and it created an ambiguous redlining between two neighborhoods.

Attached below is our route.

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The walk was really peaceful and calming, a nice break from any stressors. I enjoyed getting to just listen to the children playing or even the construction near by. It was definitely a change of pace from my constant state of worry while trying to get from one place to the other. It was nice to be able to take everything in and think about what is going on around me. The space was really familiar for me, as it is also the neighborhood of where I teach. I even saw some students and it was nice to see what their lives look like after school hours.

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I enjoyed walking around the Upper East Side and people-watching. We saw a lot of kids walking, biking, and scootering by Central Park. It made me think deeper about what students do after the school day is over. Just like in the McNamara reading, I started asking myself questions like "where are they going?" and "what are they doing?". It got me brainstorming about some places near the school where I work that would be beneficial field trip opportunities.

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As I walked, I took notice of what I saw and heard around me. On Madison Ave, there were different storefronts -- such as florists, cookie shops, small restaurants. I noticed a daycare that had a focus on the different languages. On 5th Ave/Museum Mile, I heard the sound of an ice cream truck. The benches of Central Park had dedications. Similar to the reading by Orellana and Hernandez, a literacy walk helped me get to know the neighborhood around me. Different neighborhoods will have a variety of surroundings. During this literacy walk, there were different points of connection that helped to describe the type of community and people that live here. The one place that showed the variety was Central Park, as different types of people and families were enjoying the area or walking through.

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When doing the neighborhood walk, I noticed a lot of things. I compared it to my neighborhood, my school's neighborhood, and the things discussed in the reading by Orellana Hernandez. As mentioned in the reading, the kids noticed a lot of advertising signs or graffiti. I didn't see any of that around here. It was predominantly residential with doormen outside every building. The streets were cleaned, I saw no trash anywhere, and there were not too many people walking around. I also noticed that there's a limited number of small businesses, whether it's restaurants or corner stores. My neighborhood and the neighborhood where I work are very family-oriented and very diverse with different cultures, and I didn't notice much of that around here.

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As I was walking around the neighborhood, I noticed many different food shops and buildings. I also noticed different parks and sitting areas along a few streets. Some blocks had more people than others walking past. I liked walking down the quiet streets with less people. It felt less hectic than the busy streets with lots of people. I also noticed multiple dessert spots. There was a cookie shop and an ice cream parlor. The parks had a lot of children in them. They were playing basketball, in the play area, and just running around having fun. I ended up walking further down and found a little row of benches next to another park. That area was even more secluded, with shade and lots of trees. There's so much going on in Manhattan but at the same time, I really enjoy finding those quiet spots with less people to reflect and take in the scenery. This was a peaceful reflective activity. I enjoyed spending the time walking around, also since I am from Queens so my neighborhood does not look the same as this one. It was interesting noting differences between this neighborhood and the things I was seeing here versus the things I see in my neighborhood in Queens. Similarities and differences between both. lots of signs and literacy embedded along the businesses and areas.

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Literacy Walk:

94th and Park north to 100, then east to 3rd and back to compete the square.

Lots of English language and signage around the start of the walk. Families moving around through afterschool activities, soccer practice. Around 99th 100 some Spanish signage and overheard language. Some music with Spanish lyrics. Larger, beautiful community garden attached to preschool/elementary. Walking east seeing a mosque, PS 198, PS109 art space. Signage around new affordable housing and rent controlled apartments. Back onto Lexington lots of food franchises, construction, scaffolding.

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While walking, I thought a lot about what Orelanna and Hernàndez (1999) wrote about most language in our word world being directed at other adults, in languages or physical positions not oriented to the children in our classrooms. As such, I surveyed the literacies that would have been within the purview of elementary-age children. These included, signs on taxi cabs, street food vendors, ice cream trucks, and graffiti, stickers, and flyers. This helped emphasize the legitimacy of these literacies, since they are significant in the lived experiences of our students. I noted, passing by a learning center for children, that the front door signs were placed low on the window, perfect for children to view. Lastly, as we walked through the park, I noted the plaques on the benches, about child height and thought about the names featured there. I thought about how much it might cost to engrave the name of someone there and of the difference between who most likely sat on the benches themselves.

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Literacy Walk Reflections:

First, Ella, Sam and I walked on Park Ave until 96th street, then walked south until 96th and 3rd. The street got noisier and there were more people around as we travelled east. As we turned to move north on 3rd Avenue we saw NYCHA housing as well as advertised "Affordable Housing" coming soon. While walking in this area we also noticed more bodegas with "EBT accepted" written on the windows. We also noticed some murals. As we started to travel west on East 100th street, we passed a person playing music from a speaker he was holding and we stopped and saw an MTA bus depot. We also saw more NYCHA housing, and a green thumb community garden that spanned almost the whole block from 99th to 98th street. On 97th and park we were able to see where the MetroNorth trains begin to run above ground, and saw preventative curved gates with locks put on from different people. As we got to Madison Avenue we noticed more people with scrubs and some popular chain restaurants and cafes. Through the walk we were able to see many different types of life in just a few blocks, it is interesting to see the way that inequality is designed into our city.