Writing
Writing is a skill used in all subject areas. The Program of studies stresses the importance of this skill because it is the main communication skill that students use to convey there learning. It is a skill used in a variety of context in the real world, and effects the everyday happenings in society.
Notes on teaching writing from Leah Fowler. Applicable to all grades. Includes prompts on how to compel and enable writing. Suggested activities and prompts for writing.
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Notes on teaching writing pedagogy from Leah Fowler. Includes information on teaching the differences between personal, literary, and expository writing.
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Takes from Nola Aitken, a few tips on how to assess writing, particularly at the High School level.
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Links:
- Web English Teacher has a variety of writing resources on all grade levels. Sample lessons and activities that you can do with your students. In addition to writing, they also offer resources on grammar and punctuation.
Reading
Reading is one of the most powerful communication tools because it allows students to access the ideas of others. The curriculum demands that students become proficient enough in reading to think critically about texts the higher they progress in the school system. Reading is one of the best ways to develop empathy and imagination, while also being a necessary communication tool for living in North America. It is applicable across all ages and subject areas.
Reading lists sorted by genre and age level. This resource includes large lists of reading titles.
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A resource on how to teach beginning readers, what to focus on and the various levels.
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What to focus on while teaching reading and tips on how to assess and evaluate reading progress.
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Links:
- Crash Course Literature offers a variety of videos on literature and novels, including The Great Gatsby, Frankenstein, and Romeo and Juliette, just to name a few.
- Read to live is a great resource for students and teachers. For teachers it offers tips and strategies for creating life long readers in the classroom. For students it offers online workshops and resources to encourage reading.
Listening
Effective listening allows students to better comprehend and learn across subject areas. It also improves the quality of their social relationships because they are better able to show empathy towards others. The ELA Program od studies identifies listening as a way to absorb and organize ideas on a basic level.
A documenting outlining strategies for effective listening strategies and ways of incorporating it in the classroom.
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Links:
- A website outlining a number of listening skills that teachers can mention to students
- 8 Tracks is a website with a collection of playlists. They would be useful for playing in the background while the class is in session. You could also have students create there own playlists, or add songs to a class playlist.
Speaking
Speaking is the foundation of human communication through time. The ELA Program of Studies identifies oral language at the basic way of communicating thoughts, feelings, information and opinions. It is important for students to learn effective ways of communicating their ideas orally because it is a lifelong skill used on a daily basis.
Links:
- Speak up! a guide to public speaking by Patricia Sternberg is a resource that addresses the emotional preparation in public speaking and suggests ways to deal with anxiety.
- Speaking rules! by Cathy Miyata is a book resource for teachers that lists a number of exercises and activities for students that allows them to improve on their public speaking skills. For an elementary level.
- NCLRC website that talks about the purpose behind speaking activities, what to look for and mentions a few ideas for speaking activities.
Viewing
The ELA Program of studies explores visual literacy as another method of comprehending and exploring a subject area. In English, students learn to critically explore viewing sources and the possible influences on the intending audiences. They learn to recognize bias and the representation of ideas and narratives in a visual format. By teaching viewing strategies, students become more aware of the media influences around them.
A document containing ideas on teaching media, including activities on newspapers, television, music, music videos and others.
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Links:
- Visual Literacy website is a great resource for explaining what visual literacy is and why it should be taught. It contains great videos discussing the subject and further links to teaching resources.
- Also from the visual literacy website this sub page discusses the 5 elements of art, what they are, and how to spot them.
- Book resources from the UofL Curriculum for teaching graphic novels in the classroom:
- Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels, By: Katie Monnin
- Teaching Graphic Novels in the Classroom: Building Literacy and Comprehension, By: Ryan J. Novak
Representing
The ELA Program of Studies suggests that representing allows students to show their knowledge in other methods besides writing, including the use of visuals, dioramas, videos, sculptures and other means. As a teacher it is important to allow students these different methods of displaying their learning so as to accomodate different learning styles. Exploring the different areas also challenges students to consider other methods of thinking and problem solving.
Links:
- "The Art and Science of Teaching/Representing Knowledge Non-Linguistically" An article that discusses how and why to teach representation to students. Offers some ways in which teachers can make this and interesting and effective learning process.
- National Geographic Kids is a great visual way to represent information
- "Visual Thinking: Symbolic Ways Of Representing Ideas" and article by Nancy Margulies on different ways of representing ideas and learning
Assessment Strategies
The main goal of assessment in the Program of Studies for English is to identify competencies and see a growth in the students' literacy over the course of the school year. As a teacher I will looking for students ability and fluency in reading, comprehension of information, ability to translate their ideas into a written or visual format. Accuracy in spelling, grammar and word usage is also a part of this effective communication. A large portion of the curriculum in ELA is also about the ability to collaborate and share ideas in a group setting.
Below is a general list of websites to aid in assessment in ELA as well as other subjects. Ideas for assessment in each of the strands can be found on the student resources webpage.
Below is a general list of websites to aid in assessment in ELA as well as other subjects. Ideas for assessment in each of the strands can be found on the student resources webpage.
ELA & More:
Literacy
- Alberta Assessment Consortium: a thorough website on assessment strategies for all subject areas in Alberta
- A resource from Manitoba Education on effective assessment strategies.
- Teaching with Purpose and Passion is a website that lists further resources for assessment strategies specifically in the English Language Arts.
Literacy
- A simple list of assessment strategies to use for formative assessment in literacy
- A document on "Supporting the Literacy Learner." Includes information on formative assessment techniques and ways to address issues that may come up.
- A research website from the University of Toronto specifically on assessing literacy effectively using a formative and summative method.