Introduction to Language Arts

1. Introduction to Language Arts EDUC4214 Junior/Intermediate Language Arts Anna-Marie Aquino

2. Email Introductions Purpose To give students the opportunity to meet one person and get to know him/her on a deeper level. To have students make use of their laptops in a meaningful manner. To introduce the idea that laptops will be integrated as frequently as possible.

3. Process Each student will write his or her email address on a slip of paper. There will have to be 2 pieces of twenty easily identifiable pieces of paper so that 2 people get each others email address. Whatever color and shape a student puts in, they take out.

4. Paragraph Compose a four paragraph description of yourself 1. Some sort of physical description that will allow another student to easily identify you in a crowd. It could be a physical characteristic, something you are wearing, doing etc. 2. Who are you? List here where you are from, family details, educational experience, work experience� 3. Why are you here? List any details about why you chose Nipissing, why are you pursuing a degree in education, what you hope to teach� 4. 3 facts, fears, concerns, exciting, scary experiences here so far.

5. Select one of the email addresses from the container. Make sure that you choose the same colour as the one you put into the bucket. Send the email description you wrote to the person you selected. Take a few minutes to thoroughly read the email description you receive. Based on the first paragraph, try to locate the person that sent you the email. Once you have located each other, take 5 minutes each to describe and explain in further detail, the contents of the email you composed. We will then gather as a large group and each person will introduce and tell the rest of the class about their email partner.

6. Think-Pair-Share Cooperative learning strategy Students think alone for a specified amount of time (wait time) in response to a question posed by the teacher. Students form pairs to discuss their ideas, and then share responses with the class. Think/pair/share is used to help students check their understanding during a learning experience and provide opportunities for practice or rehearsal. It provides a simple structure within a short time frame for all students in the class to think and talk (to pose questions, to respond to an issue, to summarize or synthesize ideas).

7. Read Aloud When was the last time someone read to you? Recall any experiences being read to as a child? Did you enjoy it? Who read to you? When/where were you read to? Do you think there is any value in reading aloud to children?

8. Read Aloud Think about: -what grade level would you use this text for? -what strategies does one use when reading aloud?

9. The Widow�s BroomChris Van Alsberg

10. Round Table Information-sharing strategy To generate multiple answers to a question posed by the teacher. Students respond in writing to a question that requires factual answers rather than conceptual or controversial responses. In sequential round table, one piece of paper is circulated and students add information that answers the question as it comes to them. In a simultaneous round table, each student responds on a separate piece of paper. At the end of both writing activities, the students present their answers to the class. This strategy encourages students to take turns, listen actively to peers, and add information to build on the ideas of others. In the next step in the strategy, students can develop categories about the topic and organize their answers into the appropriate categories.

11. Baseline Data What do you know about language arts? What don�t you know about language arts? What scares you/makes you nervous about language arts? What do you like? What do you dislike? What do you hope to get out of this course? (Please list something here-I will use this info to guide future planning so it is really important)

12. What is/are Language Arts? Brainstorming Group process for generating questions, ideas, and examples and is used to illustrate, expand, or explore a central idea or topic. Involves students sharing whatever material comes to mind and recording every idea, without making judgments about the material being generated. When introducing a topic, brainstorming can be used for assessing what students already know or wish to learn and for providing direction for learning and reflection. Brainstorming stimulates fluent and flexible thinking and

13. Course Outline Course Description This course will examine the psychological and sociological factors influencing language and literacy learning. Specifically the course will examine the language and literacy processes (listening, speaking, reading, writing viewing and visually representing); language and literacy usage as functions of children�s communication needs; current theories of reading and writing instruction: current junior and intermediate literature; the issues surrounding developmental programs in listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and visually representing; as well as integrating drama as an expressive art which enhances language and literacy learning.

14. Course Expectations The students will: Develop a personal philosophy of language and literacy education to guide practice in the Junior/Intermediate classroom Value the role of language in Junior/Intermediate student learning (personally, socially and across all curriculum areas) Establish a knowledge base of and appreciation for youth literature and its role in the school program Understand factors (e.g., cultural, environmental, gender) that influence language learning and the application of these in the classroom Develop understandings of the six language arts (listening, speaking, reading writing, viewing and representing) and the connections among them Connect knowledge of language arts and literacy to the four roles or families of practices that Junior/Intermediate learners need in order to make meaning from texts of many types ( Ontario of Education(2004) Become familiar with language and literacy strategies that reflect a balanced, comprehensive and multifaceted approach to language and literacy (e.g., oral language, group process, drama, storytelling, poetry) Become familiar with contemporary strategies in language arts and literacy that reflect a full continuum of support (modeled, shared, guided, independent) and gradual release of responsibility. These include, but are not limited to: Read alouds; text structure; comprehension of texts; critical literacy; reader response; literature circles; collaborative discussion groups; reader�s workshop; reading assessment; running records; conferencing Writing process; writer�s workshop; text forms; writing assessment; rubrics; exemplars; conferencing; word study; conventions: grammar, punctuation, spelling become familiar with strategies to teach language for learning across the curriculum areas (expository and transactional reading and writing in the content areas) Become familiar with curriculum documents and planning methods related to language learning (Ontario Ministry of Education)

15. Course Topics 1. A Model of the Junior/Intermediate Language Learner 1.1 The role of Language in learning 1.2 The Language systems 1.3 The Language Arts 1.4 The Four Roles of the Junior/Intermediate Language learner 1.5 Diversity among learners 2. Developing Understanding of the Language Processes for Effective Teaching 3.1 Reading, listening and viewing as comprehending processes 3.2 Writing, speaking and representing as composing processes 3.3 Integration of the processes in teaching 3.4 Implications for instruction 3. Designing a Language Arts Lesson in the Junior/Intermediate Division 2.1 Components of an effective Language Arts lesson 2.2 Curriculum guidelines; planning processes 2.3 Motivation in Language instruction 2.4 Effective instructional strategies 2.5 Assessment strategies 4. Developing a Balanced Language/Literacy Program 4.1 Planning a Balanced program 4.2 Organizing for instruction 4.3 Evaluation and Assessment

16. 5. Literature in the School Program 5.1 Fiction and Information genre 5.2 Contemporary resources in literature 5.3 The novel in the classroom 5.4 Integrating literature in the content areas 5.5 Literature based programming 6. Media Literacy 6.1 Importance of media literacy in language learning 7. Critical Literacy 7.1 Critical Literacy and Critical Thinking in learning 8. Drama 8.1 The role of Drama in Language and Literacy learning 8.2 Drama as expression and exploration

17. RESOURCES Required Texts Aquino, A.M. (compilation text).(2005). The language arts and literacy. Toronto: Pearson Inc. Ministry of Education. (2006). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8 language. Available on-line at: www.edu.gov.on.ca Ministry of Education. The Ontario curriculum grades 9 and 10 English. Available on-line at: www.edu.gov.ca Ministry of Education. The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8 The Arts. Available on-line at: www.edu.gov.on.ca Optional Texts It is not necessary that you purchase the following texts, but they are excellent resources. These books are available in the Library and you may find them useful in your practice teaching placements. Fountas, Irene C. & Pinnell, Gay S.(2001). Guiding readers and writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Robb, Laura. (2000). Teaching reading in the middle school. New York: Scholastic.

18. COURSE STRUCTURE and ASSUMPTIONS This is a course that covers all aspects of language arts, and you will be actively involved with various aspects of reading, writing, speaking, listening viewing and representing. The course has been constructed on the following assumptions: Learning is the active process of making sense of new information. Learning is a social process involving all aspects of language and communication. Learning more about language and literacy will occur when you interact with language learners than through being told �how to teach� by a textbook or an instructor. Everyone is a teacher. We learn by taking risks and we learn best in a �just try� setting, so you will be asked to take risks and �just try� many new things.

19. What these assumptions mean for you These assumptions will shape how we learn and grow together in this course. Talking together will become important learning during class time. Debate, challenges, questioning and critical thinking will be the norm; not sitting passively attempting to soak up the knowledge. Knowledge develops from within. We will explore things you don�t understand, clarify points in the readings and find out what others are thinking, and therefore, create cognitive dissonance among you. It is through this process that you will begin to develop the kind of teacher you want to be. You will come to understand how the individual teacher�s beliefs and attitudes shape how you will teach and interact with learners. Although what is learned in formal education classes is important, self-directed, independent and guided learning is essential in order to develop a broader repertoire of best practice. You will be responsible for the development of YOU as teacher. There are no prescriptions to be followed. I am challenging you to be vulnerable through the questions you ask to make sense of the course materials, the instructional format, the readings and your school experiences. You�ll all be expected to work in groups and support the learning of each other as you are all teachers now. You�ll be expected to use your other course experiences, your school experiences, your observations of language and literacy learners, and teachers in classrooms, to help you to learn and reflect on literacy and language theory and practices in action.

20. COURSE TOPIC WEEKLY READINGS You will see on the Readings September � March, a table outlining weekly course readings. Notice that certain chapters/articles are to be read for discussion for certain weeks, but please do not wait to be told when to read them. Go ahead and read any or all of them. Always come to class with the weekly readings done, otherwise you will not be able to participate professionally in the discussions.

23. Reflective Practice

24. Literacy Soul Stories This activity will engage you in the recall and construction of your own story as an independent literacy learner. It is our belief that uncovering our literate selves and our literate lives shapes who we are in the classroom and how we interact with our students. These stories become a kind of primary text in classes, enabling us to uncover our unspoken assumptions; examine the contradictions between our pedagogies and our experiences; complicate our understandings of literacy, learning and teaching; integrate our examined experiences into our working conceptions of literacy and learning; develop intimacy and build community. They also provide us with a sense of our own authority to resist and revise the powerful culture of schools. (Wilson & Ritchie, 1994, p. 185)

25. The journey towards developing your Literacy Soul Story begins with a critical analysis of who you are now as an independent literacy learner. Ask yourself: �What do I know about myself as a reader, a writer, a speaker, a listener, a viewer, and representer? What are my attitudes about myself as an independent literacy learner? What are my beliefs about literacy? How does all of this influence my ability to teach?� Once you have uncovered some beliefs and attitudes, it is time to explore the influences, the events, the objects and the people that helped shape the literacy learner that you are today (September, 2006) How did you arrive at this state? Where did the journey begin? Who was influential in this development? What are some of the significant memories or events that shaped what you believe today about literacy and yourself as an independent literacy learner?

26. The following prompts are designed to help trigger significant memories. You may wish to talk to a parent or significant person who would help shed light on long forgotten memories and events. Family and Friends: Recall your experiences, as a child and adolescent, of being spoken to, read to, listened to, written with, of actively viewing, and visually representing. What are your favourite memories? Which stories do you remember best from childhood? What is it that you remember about them? What opportunities were there for you to read, write, talk and discuss, view (TV, movies/videos, informational technologies) and visually represent (e.g., visual and dramatic arts, pretend games, role play)? How did these influence your reading and writing development? Were your experiences at home different from your experiences at school? If so, in what ways? Elementary School Can you detail your first memories of reading and writing instruction? Are your memories of reading and writing primarily positive, negative or neutral and why? Do you recall the type of instruction you received? Can you describe any instructional materials that were used? Do you recall reading and writing in any specific content areas? Can you detail early (or later) memories of speaking and listening, viewing and visually representing? What can you recall about specific instruction in speaking, listening, viewing and visually representing? What was your attitude about literacy (in particular reading and writing) in your intermediate or junior high years? How did you feel about required readings (novels) and designated writing topics in junior high or high school? Think about your experiences with literature: your favourite fiction or information book, �forbidden pleasures�, libraries, book stores, favourite genre, purposes for writing Awareness of Self What are you currently reading or writing? Do you read and write for personal pleasure or are these activities a means to an end? What do you currently like to listen to, talk about, view, visually represent? For what purposes? What contributions have your reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing abilities made to your life? How would you feel modelling these to your students? What impact might your literacy experiences have on your own developing sense of self as a literacy teacher and therefore the future literacy experiences of your students? (From: Parr & Campbell, 2007, Chapter 1)

27. Your Assignment With these questions in mind, each of you will construct your own Literacy Soul Story to be shared in class during our second week together. It is important that you be introspective and explore these early experiences and memories as it is these that shape who you are and what you think as you enter the world of teaching. Your current attitudes and beliefs have been shaped by your past experiences.

28. Please provide a written product consisting of no more than two pages, double-spaced. This can be embellished with visuals if desired. Your Soul Story will be a glimpse into your early literacy journey and will be the foundation for your continuing journey as �Becoming Teacher� during this year together. Have fun with it. Be as creative as you want. Take some risks as you journey back! Bring your Literacy Soul Story to your first CS1 class the week of September 18 for sharing. Be creative with your sharing if you wish ( Music, art, drama, poetry etc)

29. References Parr, M., and Campbell, T. (2007). Teaching the Language Arts: Engaging Literacy Practices. Toronto, ON: John Wiley & Sons. Wilson D.E., and Ritchie, J.S. (1994). Resistance, revision and representation: Narrative in teacher education, English Education, 26 (3), 177-188

30. Next Steps Reading for next class: Text Part 1 Chapter 1 page 2. While reading, use post it notes to: Ask questions about ideas, concepts to be clarified, expanded; Make statements that respond to information in the text; relate to your own knowledge, memories, experiences; suggest larger ideas or issues not directly mentioned in the text; and Make an emotional response to the information with some ideas as to its importance to you.

31. I will be in my office Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30-1:30. Please feel free to drop in. Email me for scheduled visits. HAVE A GREAT WEEK!