I wrote the following reflection while completing the Learning to Talk by Talking : A Developmental Approach to maximizing Language and Literacy Skills.
Photo by Aaron Mello on Unsplash
TASK TO APPLY:
I support literacy learning in Year 4 (Grade 3) at my school. Today, I facilitated a Speaking Group with a group of beginner and early intermediate English speakers. As we move towards a unit on expressing opinions, it was a great opportunity for open dialogue. We started off with a set of Would You Rather cards. They really enjoy these cards.
When one of the students pulled the card which read Would you rather ride a horse or ride a camel? Why? The students got so excited and engaged in a range of dialogue.
We talked all about what a camel was, what humps were, whether or not camels had one hump or two, why camels lived in the desert, why people usually ride horses, where in the world people ride camels, why Korean people don’t like camels and so so much more.
Needless to say ,it was a very successful learning experience for all. I wasn’t really surprised. I know well that this particular group of students really need speaking practice and thrive when animals are a topic of discussion. I will certainly be using these cards in future lessons.
More importantly, I will share/advocate for this learning experience with my co-teachers. I’ll encourage the use of this resource (and approach) in the mainstream class. Because this group of students has had a chance to work out their thinking and build a better understand of the topic, they will be much more confident (and likely) to engage with their peers in a larger homeroom class group discussion context.
- Be responsive to children’s communicative efforts-- even just babbling and pointing.
- Ask children open-ended, interesting, and discussable questions.
I support literacy learning in Year 4 (Grade 3) at my school. Today, I facilitated a Speaking Group with a group of beginner and early intermediate English speakers. As we move towards a unit on expressing opinions, it was a great opportunity for open dialogue. We started off with a set of Would You Rather cards. They really enjoy these cards.
When one of the students pulled the card which read Would you rather ride a horse or ride a camel? Why? The students got so excited and engaged in a range of dialogue.
We talked all about what a camel was, what humps were, whether or not camels had one hump or two, why camels lived in the desert, why people usually ride horses, where in the world people ride camels, why Korean people don’t like camels and so so much more.
Needless to say ,it was a very successful learning experience for all. I wasn’t really surprised. I know well that this particular group of students really need speaking practice and thrive when animals are a topic of discussion. I will certainly be using these cards in future lessons.
More importantly, I will share/advocate for this learning experience with my co-teachers. I’ll encourage the use of this resource (and approach) in the mainstream class. Because this group of students has had a chance to work out their thinking and build a better understand of the topic, they will be much more confident (and likely) to engage with their peers in a larger homeroom class group discussion context.
