Week 7 / 8, Term 2

My Inquiry Question:

How can I effectively develop item knowledge to keep my group moving?

 

 

Being in new entrants my focus group is constantly changing so I wanted an inquiry question that I could apply to any new group of children coming through.

 

My group for now is:

Makalita (Tongan)

Xaviar (NZ European)

Lester (Filipino)

Joelina (Tongan)

 

 

Over the past few weeks I have been doing some professional reading on teaching / learning the alphabet.  Here is some of what I have found:

 

Reading in Junior Classes (Ministry of Education, 6th edition.  1996)

 

• "The learning of letter names is most effective when it is enjoyable and its purpose clear.  Teachers should use letter names naturally in the course of reading and writing...and show why a knowledge of the alphabet is useful" pg 44-45

I believe I do this in literacy, as well as other times of the day eg in the morning when finding out who is here we discuss the letter each person starts with.  Also in the afternoon I make handing out the fruit an alphabet game.

• "make their own alphabet books" pg 45

Each week we focus on two alphabet letters at the beginning of our reading block and we do different activities around those letters eg: cutting out of magazines, making a list of words we can think of that start with it, tracing over the letter to practice how to write it etc

 In regards to the letter-sound relationship:

• "when children find that they can't recognise a word...they often need to attend more closely to letters or letter clusters" pg 48
• "Children also need plenty of practice in listening, so that they can hear similarities and to discriminate between sounds" pg 49

Language experience:

• "helps to make sense of experience, and children need conversations with an interested adult to stretch their minds" pg 61

Oral language is very important in my classroom whether it is a discussion lead by myself or the students eg TPS.  I have generally encouraged the sharing of news daily so the kids get an opportunity to ask and respond to questions from their peers - doesn't always work successfully.

• "experience - spoken language - written language - reading - rereading.  This is the pattern of language experience work" pg 61.

I would say I follow this plan in writing, especially if it is an experience we have all had eg art, assembly, tree cutting.  If the kids are publishing their work they also need to read back to me their story before they start publishing.