JANUARY 12 - JANUARY 24, 2014
We have officially concluded our Term 1 media study! Students completed the planning, drafting, and publishing of their NED report aimed for the principals within our school board. You may have already heard about one of our writing mini-lessons that took place during the revision stage of our writing - the infamous 'underwear' lesson!
In academic and professional writing, transitions are used by writers to help connect sentences together so that information can be communicated clearly and concisely. In argument writing, these transitions become especially important as they allow the writer to help convert the reader to a particular way of thinking. Students were asked to take a closer look at the writing transitions found within claim/evidence writing. They soon discovered that some of their writing was missing transitions, while others could see their transitions so clearly that it became distracting to the reader.
For example:
Writing without transitions: Dogs are better than cats. Dogs can perform tricks and are easy to train. They can provide valuable services for humans with disabilities. Dogs provide comfort and companionship to their owners.
Writing with obvious transitions: Dogs are better than cats. Also, dogs can perform tricks and are easy to train. Also, they can provide valuable services for humans with disabilities. And dogs provide comfort and companionship to their owners.
Writing with effective transitions: Dogs are better than cats. One reason is that dogs can perform tricks and are easy to train. Furthermore, they can provide valuable services for humans with disabilities. In addition, dogs provide comfort and companionship to their owners.
We labelled these transitions the 'underwear' of our claim/evidence writing. You need them, they are important...but nobody needs to see them. We revisited an earlier exemplar I had written to show them the finished product we were aiming for. Together, we identified the transitions that I had used to help 'glue' my pieces of evidence together. Students were so engaged in this lesson, that they quickly took ownership for their learning and literally filled our whiteboard with other transitions that they had noticed or seen before. The finished pieces of NED writing have been made all the more convincing with this new writing secret weapon!
We have officially concluded our Term 1 media study! Students completed the planning, drafting, and publishing of their NED report aimed for the principals within our school board. You may have already heard about one of our writing mini-lessons that took place during the revision stage of our writing - the infamous 'underwear' lesson!
In academic and professional writing, transitions are used by writers to help connect sentences together so that information can be communicated clearly and concisely. In argument writing, these transitions become especially important as they allow the writer to help convert the reader to a particular way of thinking. Students were asked to take a closer look at the writing transitions found within claim/evidence writing. They soon discovered that some of their writing was missing transitions, while others could see their transitions so clearly that it became distracting to the reader.
For example:
Writing without transitions: Dogs are better than cats. Dogs can perform tricks and are easy to train. They can provide valuable services for humans with disabilities. Dogs provide comfort and companionship to their owners.
Writing with obvious transitions: Dogs are better than cats. Also, dogs can perform tricks and are easy to train. Also, they can provide valuable services for humans with disabilities. And dogs provide comfort and companionship to their owners.
Writing with effective transitions: Dogs are better than cats. One reason is that dogs can perform tricks and are easy to train. Furthermore, they can provide valuable services for humans with disabilities. In addition, dogs provide comfort and companionship to their owners.
We labelled these transitions the 'underwear' of our claim/evidence writing. You need them, they are important...but nobody needs to see them. We revisited an earlier exemplar I had written to show them the finished product we were aiming for. Together, we identified the transitions that I had used to help 'glue' my pieces of evidence together. Students were so engaged in this lesson, that they quickly took ownership for their learning and literally filled our whiteboard with other transitions that they had noticed or seen before. The finished pieces of NED writing have been made all the more convincing with this new writing secret weapon!
JANUARY 6 - JANUARY 9, 2014
We are in the final stages of our media study! This week, we explored the "Children's Code" section of the Broadcast Code developed by Advertising Standards Canada. Some of the areas we discussed were:
Our last activity in media involves a discussion we began back in November. An in-school assembly called the "NED Show" has been making its way through a variety of schools in our Board. On the surface, it appears as though this assembly is promoting positive educational messages. However, the students and I were troubled by the fact that the show requires a school to sell yo-yos (a product featured throughout the show) in order for the show to be performed for free. On behalf of the students, I filed a complaint with the ASC (Advertising Standards Canada). I shared their concerns that this performance appeared to be a 45 minute 'informercial' for a product, and was in violation of several guidelines of the Children's Code. Yesterday, I distributed the email reply I received from the National Standards Coordinator. Below is an excerpt from that email:
In light of your concern, ASC staff carefully reviewed the advertising. Based on the information you provided, it appears your concerns relate primarily to The NED Show itself, and the fact that it sells yo-yos to the students as part of its no-cost option. However, the Code is not designed to deal with concerns about the acceptability or value of specific performances or products.
This advertisement is directed to teachers and school administrators, as it is up to individual school administrators to determine whether The NED Show would provide sufficient value to their schools. After evaluation, we could not identify an issue under the Code.
While the students were disappointed that ASC could not action our complaint, they very quickly realized that ASC had given us an important tip on who to direct our concerns to - the administrators in our Board! Students are now in the process of analyzing the website and flyer for the 'positive claims' a principal/vice principal might make for having the NED show visit his/her school. For each of these claims, students are creating counter-claims with supporting evidence. Once the claims and counter-claims have been established, each student will select what they feel are the three most important claims and develop these into a written report. Our principal, Mrs. Cutler, is in full support of our 'NED Mission', and has graciously agreed to forward our findings to her administrator colleagues!
Stay tuned for our finalized reports!
We are in the final stages of our media study! This week, we explored the "Children's Code" section of the Broadcast Code developed by Advertising Standards Canada. Some of the areas we discussed were:
- Factual Presentation (e.g., sounds, words, and images may not exaggerate what a product can/can't do)
- Safety (e.g., advertisements may not show products being used in an unsafe or dangerous way)
- Cost (e.g., the cost of a product may not be minimized by the use of words like "just", "only", "bargain price", etc.)
- Pressure (e.g., advertisements must not directly urge children to purchase a product or to ask their parents to buy it for them)
Our last activity in media involves a discussion we began back in November. An in-school assembly called the "NED Show" has been making its way through a variety of schools in our Board. On the surface, it appears as though this assembly is promoting positive educational messages. However, the students and I were troubled by the fact that the show requires a school to sell yo-yos (a product featured throughout the show) in order for the show to be performed for free. On behalf of the students, I filed a complaint with the ASC (Advertising Standards Canada). I shared their concerns that this performance appeared to be a 45 minute 'informercial' for a product, and was in violation of several guidelines of the Children's Code. Yesterday, I distributed the email reply I received from the National Standards Coordinator. Below is an excerpt from that email:
In light of your concern, ASC staff carefully reviewed the advertising. Based on the information you provided, it appears your concerns relate primarily to The NED Show itself, and the fact that it sells yo-yos to the students as part of its no-cost option. However, the Code is not designed to deal with concerns about the acceptability or value of specific performances or products.
This advertisement is directed to teachers and school administrators, as it is up to individual school administrators to determine whether The NED Show would provide sufficient value to their schools. After evaluation, we could not identify an issue under the Code.
While the students were disappointed that ASC could not action our complaint, they very quickly realized that ASC had given us an important tip on who to direct our concerns to - the administrators in our Board! Students are now in the process of analyzing the website and flyer for the 'positive claims' a principal/vice principal might make for having the NED show visit his/her school. For each of these claims, students are creating counter-claims with supporting evidence. Once the claims and counter-claims have been established, each student will select what they feel are the three most important claims and develop these into a written report. Our principal, Mrs. Cutler, is in full support of our 'NED Mission', and has graciously agreed to forward our findings to her administrator colleagues!
Stay tuned for our finalized reports!
DECEMBER 9 - DECEMBER 14, 2013
This week we focussed our media lessons on the implied messaging in media texts. Students analyzed a series of popular toy commercials, and we worked together to create a list of possible persuasive techniques/messages used by advertisers. Some of our ideas were:
We also spent time analyzing another form of media text - a webpage. Our mission was to determine whether the persuasive features found within t.v. commercials are transferrable to other forms of media. Having invited both classes to share their learning for an hour, students used our school laptops to investigate the messages found within the webpage for The Ned Show (an in-school presentation currently being marketed to schools within our Board). Students discovered many of the same techniques at work, along with some new ones! Testimonials, graphics, dramatic claims, video clips, free giveaways, catchy titles, and slogans were just a few of the techniques that were added to our ever growing list.
Next week, we will discuss the Children's Advertising Code and its role in governing the use of broadcast media in advertising. We'll analyze how effective these guidelines are, and investigate how closely advertisers are following these rules. Students will express their opinions both orally and in writing, and will draw upon our previous claim/evidence work to help them develop their reasoning.
This week we focussed our media lessons on the implied messaging in media texts. Students analyzed a series of popular toy commercials, and we worked together to create a list of possible persuasive techniques/messages used by advertisers. Some of our ideas were:
- Humour
- Kids Having Fun
- Sound Effects/Special Effects
- Product Demonstration
- Catchy Music/Jingles/Repetition of Product Name
- Charitable Consumerism (giving a percentage/donation to a charity when a product purchased)
- Hype
We also spent time analyzing another form of media text - a webpage. Our mission was to determine whether the persuasive features found within t.v. commercials are transferrable to other forms of media. Having invited both classes to share their learning for an hour, students used our school laptops to investigate the messages found within the webpage for The Ned Show (an in-school presentation currently being marketed to schools within our Board). Students discovered many of the same techniques at work, along with some new ones! Testimonials, graphics, dramatic claims, video clips, free giveaways, catchy titles, and slogans were just a few of the techniques that were added to our ever growing list.
Next week, we will discuss the Children's Advertising Code and its role in governing the use of broadcast media in advertising. We'll analyze how effective these guidelines are, and investigate how closely advertisers are following these rules. Students will express their opinions both orally and in writing, and will draw upon our previous claim/evidence work to help them develop their reasoning.
DECEMBER 2 - DECEMBER 6, 2013
This week we explored the Nissan Leaf polar bear ad campaign as a mentor text for introducing us to the basic skills of media literacy. We are also using our media unit as an opportunity to strengthen and build upon our oral communication skills (i.e., speaking and listening).
Curriculum expectations addressed in this media unit are:
Media Literacy
Here are some of the highlights from this week's learning:
"I learned that we all think different things when we look at media texts."
"A media text sends a message to the audience."
"Media is not always just a poster. There are different types - like commercials."
"Some media texts sell products, and some sell messages."
"A picture can be worth a 1000 words."
"Commercials can't say things they can't prove."
"Without saying a word in the text, you can still get an idea of what the text is trying to tell you in your head."
"A lot of things are 'constructed' in commercials."
"Media texts don't always point out their messages clearly."
"You need to know who made the advertisement, why, and who they are targeting."
"Some media messages can be hidden in the pictures."
"Everything in a media text is there for a reason."
"Advertisements can make you develop brand loyalty."
"Storyboards are used to plan out a media text."
This week we explored the Nissan Leaf polar bear ad campaign as a mentor text for introducing us to the basic skills of media literacy. We are also using our media unit as an opportunity to strengthen and build upon our oral communication skills (i.e., speaking and listening).
Curriculum expectations addressed in this media unit are:
Media Literacy
- identify the purpose and audience for a variety of media texts
- use overt and implied messages to draw inferences and construct meaning in media texts
- express opinions about ideas, issues, and/or experiences presented in media texts, and give evidence to support their opinions
- explain why different audiences might respond differently to the same media text
- identify whose point of view is present in a media text, and identify whose may be missing
- identify who produces media texts, the reasons for their production, and how they are produced
- demonstrate an understanding of appropriate listening behaviour by adapting active listening strategies
- demonstrate an understanding of the information and ideas in oral texts by summarizing and citing supporting details
- make inferences about oral texts using stated and implied ideas as evidence
- extend understanding of oral texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own experience, other texts, and the world around them
Here are some of the highlights from this week's learning:
"I learned that we all think different things when we look at media texts."
"A media text sends a message to the audience."
"Media is not always just a poster. There are different types - like commercials."
"Some media texts sell products, and some sell messages."
"A picture can be worth a 1000 words."
"Commercials can't say things they can't prove."
"Without saying a word in the text, you can still get an idea of what the text is trying to tell you in your head."
"A lot of things are 'constructed' in commercials."
"Media texts don't always point out their messages clearly."
"You need to know who made the advertisement, why, and who they are targeting."
"Some media messages can be hidden in the pictures."
"Everything in a media text is there for a reason."
"Advertisements can make you develop brand loyalty."
"Storyboards are used to plan out a media text."
NOVEMBER 25 - NOVEMBER 29, 2013
Having noticed that many students seem to be enjoying the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series of books, I decided to take time to introduce them to some other series that they may not be familiar with. We used the strategy of a 'book pass' to help us with this task. Each student had 30 seconds to preview the cover, read the back, and check out the first page. They then had to make a decision about whether this might be a series that would interest them before 'passing' it on to the next person. By the end of our class, every student had previewed 20 new series! Be sure to ask your child what new series he/she might be reading next!
Having noticed that many students seem to be enjoying the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series of books, I decided to take time to introduce them to some other series that they may not be familiar with. We used the strategy of a 'book pass' to help us with this task. Each student had 30 seconds to preview the cover, read the back, and check out the first page. They then had to make a decision about whether this might be a series that would interest them before 'passing' it on to the next person. By the end of our class, every student had previewed 20 new series! Be sure to ask your child what new series he/she might be reading next!
NOVEMBER 11 - NOVEMBER 22, 2013
Our picture book study of claim and evidence has now wrapped up. Students were asked to come up with a text claim for the message of the story, as well as text and personal evidence to support their claim. Mid-way through their work, each student received a rubric detailing their 'strengths' and 'next steps' to let them know how they were progressing. Students also attended a specific 'feedback group' to help them fine tune their learning. Throughout our study, we learned to:
Next week, we will focus on the strand of Media Literacy in our Language curriculum. Students will learn strategies for analyzing and interpreting media texts through a mentor study of a commercial. In addition to media concepts, students will also be strengthening their oral reading skills through a series of in-class fluency lessons and practice sessions. These lessons will be sent home for additional home review, and to give your child an opportunity to show off his/her developing oral communication skills!
Our picture book study of claim and evidence has now wrapped up. Students were asked to come up with a text claim for the message of the story, as well as text and personal evidence to support their claim. Mid-way through their work, each student received a rubric detailing their 'strengths' and 'next steps' to let them know how they were progressing. Students also attended a specific 'feedback group' to help them fine tune their learning. Throughout our study, we learned to:
- expand claims beyond the obvious literal interpretation of a text
- use stronger wording in claims (e.g., 'Tell the truth even when it may disadvantage you' vs 'Don't lie')
- include both text evidence and our own thinking when supporting a claim
- use quotes as a powerful way to provide text evidence
- interpret the meaning of symbols as a way of understanding the deeper meaning of a text
Next week, we will focus on the strand of Media Literacy in our Language curriculum. Students will learn strategies for analyzing and interpreting media texts through a mentor study of a commercial. In addition to media concepts, students will also be strengthening their oral reading skills through a series of in-class fluency lessons and practice sessions. These lessons will be sent home for additional home review, and to give your child an opportunity to show off his/her developing oral communication skills!
NOVEMBER 4 - NOVEMBER 8, 2013
What an amazing week of learning we have had! The students were very engaged and eager to begin exploring the concept of symbolism, and how it relates to our ongoing investigation of claim/evidence. On Monday, we discussed how authors use symbols to make the 'intangible' become 'tangible'. Using Demi's book The Empty Pot, we discussed possible feelings, ideas, and concepts that could be represented by the empty pot. The next day, I shared the rubric I'd be using to assess their reading responses in our upcoming picture book study. I strongly believe that students must be given hands-on opportunities to experience and apply the criteria in a rubric if it is going to be a useful tool in not only assessing their learning, but also improving it. In partnerships, they first drafted a claim and evidence response to Shaun Tan's use of symbolism in the book The Red Tree. The following day, these same partnerships used the rubric to score four anonymous work samples from the other class. I was impressed and encouraged by their thoughtful conversations. We later played 'lift the flap assessment' as a kid friendly way of moderating the marking of these work samples. Throughout this conversation, we further defined the language of our rubric to help us better understand the difference between a claim that is 'logical' vs 'complex', and evidence that is 'specific' vs 'off topic', etc.
Students were handed back their original response and asked to apply the rubric to their own work. Both the students and I noticed that in many cases the evidence scores were actually preventing some of our claims from reaching a level 4 in complexity. We discovered that our use of evidence needed to be tightened, and that even though we thought we were providing clear and specific examples to the reader...we weren't. To address this area, I had the students provide the evidence for three of Shaun Tan's text claims. The added layer of thinking here was that students had to interpret the symbolism of his illustrations as a means for gathering this evidence. While the students worked in partnerships to create 'symbolic support' charts for the illustration of their choice, the accompanying write up of the response was done independently. The end result? Clearly articulated, reasoned responses to an author's use of symbolism!
What an amazing week of learning we have had! The students were very engaged and eager to begin exploring the concept of symbolism, and how it relates to our ongoing investigation of claim/evidence. On Monday, we discussed how authors use symbols to make the 'intangible' become 'tangible'. Using Demi's book The Empty Pot, we discussed possible feelings, ideas, and concepts that could be represented by the empty pot. The next day, I shared the rubric I'd be using to assess their reading responses in our upcoming picture book study. I strongly believe that students must be given hands-on opportunities to experience and apply the criteria in a rubric if it is going to be a useful tool in not only assessing their learning, but also improving it. In partnerships, they first drafted a claim and evidence response to Shaun Tan's use of symbolism in the book The Red Tree. The following day, these same partnerships used the rubric to score four anonymous work samples from the other class. I was impressed and encouraged by their thoughtful conversations. We later played 'lift the flap assessment' as a kid friendly way of moderating the marking of these work samples. Throughout this conversation, we further defined the language of our rubric to help us better understand the difference between a claim that is 'logical' vs 'complex', and evidence that is 'specific' vs 'off topic', etc.
Students were handed back their original response and asked to apply the rubric to their own work. Both the students and I noticed that in many cases the evidence scores were actually preventing some of our claims from reaching a level 4 in complexity. We discovered that our use of evidence needed to be tightened, and that even though we thought we were providing clear and specific examples to the reader...we weren't. To address this area, I had the students provide the evidence for three of Shaun Tan's text claims. The added layer of thinking here was that students had to interpret the symbolism of his illustrations as a means for gathering this evidence. While the students worked in partnerships to create 'symbolic support' charts for the illustration of their choice, the accompanying write up of the response was done independently. The end result? Clearly articulated, reasoned responses to an author's use of symbolism!
OCTOBER 21 - NOVEMBER 1, 2013
Over the last few class periods, I have continued to broaden our Claim/Evidence study so that students may see how this learning can strengthen their ability to write reasoned responses to fiction. We have moved from our study of non-fiction 'issue' articles, into a brief study of author Chris Van Allsburg. Using his books The Stranger, The Wretched Stone, and the Mysteries of Harris Burdick, students were challenged to gather evidence, and generate claims, as a means for interpreting Van Allsburg's use of symbolism and allegory. The students very much enjoyed working in partnerships as 'claim and evidence detectives', and we had rich class debates on which claims had the strongest base of evidence. One of the interesting side learnings that came out of this unit was the discovery that you can quite easily fall into the trap of providing additional claims instead of evidence when supporting your opinion. This makes it easy for others to question the strength of your argument, and find flaws in your reasoning! We also discovered that the same evidence can lead to different claims being made -it depends on how you interpret the evidence, and which evidence you choose to use (and which you ignore).
Students will now move into an independent learning phase to demonstrate what they know about claims and evidence. A variety of picture books with elements of symbolism/allegory will be provided for students to analyze. They will be expected to make inferences, and form opinions, as a means for unlocking the deeper meaning found within these stories. Students will also be required to cite the text evidence that supports these claims.
Curriculum expectations addressed during our upcoming study of symbolism/allegory are:
Reading
Over the last few class periods, I have continued to broaden our Claim/Evidence study so that students may see how this learning can strengthen their ability to write reasoned responses to fiction. We have moved from our study of non-fiction 'issue' articles, into a brief study of author Chris Van Allsburg. Using his books The Stranger, The Wretched Stone, and the Mysteries of Harris Burdick, students were challenged to gather evidence, and generate claims, as a means for interpreting Van Allsburg's use of symbolism and allegory. The students very much enjoyed working in partnerships as 'claim and evidence detectives', and we had rich class debates on which claims had the strongest base of evidence. One of the interesting side learnings that came out of this unit was the discovery that you can quite easily fall into the trap of providing additional claims instead of evidence when supporting your opinion. This makes it easy for others to question the strength of your argument, and find flaws in your reasoning! We also discovered that the same evidence can lead to different claims being made -it depends on how you interpret the evidence, and which evidence you choose to use (and which you ignore).
Students will now move into an independent learning phase to demonstrate what they know about claims and evidence. A variety of picture books with elements of symbolism/allegory will be provided for students to analyze. They will be expected to make inferences, and form opinions, as a means for unlocking the deeper meaning found within these stories. Students will also be required to cite the text evidence that supports these claims.
Curriculum expectations addressed during our upcoming study of symbolism/allegory are:
Reading
- Demonstrating Understanding (summarizing important ideas and citing supporting details)
- Making Inferences/Interpreting Texts (use stated and implied ideas from the texts as evidence)
- Extending Understanding (connect ideas in texts to their own knowledge, experience, insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them)
- Responding to and Evaluating Texts (express opinions about the ideas and information in texts and cite evidence to support their opinions)
- Point of View (identify and determine whether their information sufficiently supports their view)
- Sentence Fluency (use sentences of different lengths and structures)
- Word Choice (use specific words and phrases to convince and persuade)
OCTOBER 7 - OCTOBER 18, 2013
We are continuing to work on analyzing claims and evidence in argument writing.
The essential understandings (big ideas) that we have been discussing and exploring are:
Last week, we analyzed two non-fiction articles about teens Laura Dekker and Abby Sunderland. The issue we discussed was whether teenagers should be allowed to undertake a solo sailing journey around the world. Before reading, we worked as a whole group to formulate possible claims that might be found in the texts. Then, students worked with a partner to read the article to see if our claims were represented. They were also challenged to find supporting evidence that could be used to validate each of the claims.
This week, we practiced creating claims for the issue of school uniforms. I provided facts/evidence related to the issue, and as a class we worked to develop both 'For' and 'Against' claims that could use this evidence as support.
Next week, students will work in partnerships, and then independently, to analyze three issues of their choice. They will be asked to identify the 'For' and 'Against' claims made in the text, and then provide a piece of supporting evidence for each of the claims. As they work through these issues, they will receive individual and small group feedback from me on how well they are able to identify and support claims. This work will provide a strong foundation for them when they begin to craft their own written arguments.
We are continuing to work on analyzing claims and evidence in argument writing.
The essential understandings (big ideas) that we have been discussing and exploring are:
- A 'claim' is another word for your opinion on an issue
- Your claim may be 'for' an issue or 'against' an issue
- A claim uses evidence/facts as support
- The more facts/evidence you provide to support your claim, the stronger your claim is
- The same evidence may be used to support different claims
Last week, we analyzed two non-fiction articles about teens Laura Dekker and Abby Sunderland. The issue we discussed was whether teenagers should be allowed to undertake a solo sailing journey around the world. Before reading, we worked as a whole group to formulate possible claims that might be found in the texts. Then, students worked with a partner to read the article to see if our claims were represented. They were also challenged to find supporting evidence that could be used to validate each of the claims.
This week, we practiced creating claims for the issue of school uniforms. I provided facts/evidence related to the issue, and as a class we worked to develop both 'For' and 'Against' claims that could use this evidence as support.
Next week, students will work in partnerships, and then independently, to analyze three issues of their choice. They will be asked to identify the 'For' and 'Against' claims made in the text, and then provide a piece of supporting evidence for each of the claims. As they work through these issues, they will receive individual and small group feedback from me on how well they are able to identify and support claims. This work will provide a strong foundation for them when they begin to craft their own written arguments.
SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 4, 2013
It was a pleasure meeting so many families at Meet the Teacher this past Thursday! The students were very eager to share their abstract art and artist statements related to our Fox read aloud.
In preparation for our upcoming unit on argument writing, we previewed 15 'Hot Topic' articles from Owl magazine. These opinion pieces present arguments for questions such as 'Should e-books replace printed books?', 'How young is too young for Facebook?', and 'Is text messaging bad for you?'. Be sure to ask your child which 3 articles he/she chose to read and analyze next week! We will kick off our study of this type of text by also reading articles and editorials related to the recent decision surrounding the name change for the Nepean Redskins. Check out the photos from our preliminary class discussion on Friday!
It was a pleasure meeting so many families at Meet the Teacher this past Thursday! The students were very eager to share their abstract art and artist statements related to our Fox read aloud.
In preparation for our upcoming unit on argument writing, we previewed 15 'Hot Topic' articles from Owl magazine. These opinion pieces present arguments for questions such as 'Should e-books replace printed books?', 'How young is too young for Facebook?', and 'Is text messaging bad for you?'. Be sure to ask your child which 3 articles he/she chose to read and analyze next week! We will kick off our study of this type of text by also reading articles and editorials related to the recent decision surrounding the name change for the Nepean Redskins. Check out the photos from our preliminary class discussion on Friday!
SEPTEMBER 23 - 27, 2013
This week we explored our first read aloud together!
Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks is an allegorical tale that explores the emotional drama of love and belonging, temptation, risk and betrayal. Winner of the CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award (2001), Fox gave us the opportunity to explore some of the more critical thinking expectations in our Language curriculum.
Using a combination of interactive read aloud, illustration study, and Arts infused literacy experiences, your child will strengthen their ability to:
These student responses will form the basis of our feedback discussions next week, where we will begin to discuss the 'art of argument writing' (Marzano).
This week we explored our first read aloud together!
Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks is an allegorical tale that explores the emotional drama of love and belonging, temptation, risk and betrayal. Winner of the CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award (2001), Fox gave us the opportunity to explore some of the more critical thinking expectations in our Language curriculum.
Using a combination of interactive read aloud, illustration study, and Arts infused literacy experiences, your child will strengthen their ability to:
- use stated and implied ideas in texts to make inferences
- extend their understanding of a text by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights
- analyze texts and explain how various elements in them contribute to meaning
- make judgements and draw conclusions about the ideas and information in texts and provide evidence to support their views
These student responses will form the basis of our feedback discussions next week, where we will begin to discuss the 'art of argument writing' (Marzano).
SEPTEMBER 16 - 20, 2013
Students have been continuing their search of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. We have spent the week drafting, conferencing, and revising. Nearly all students now have at least one piece of final draft poetry inspired by our museum centres, and are ready to practice their skills with new material. We finished our week with a poetry walk through our school to see if we could find inspiration in the objects and places we walk by each day. Who knew the play structure could be so inspiring? Or that our school foyer, boiler room, and gym cupboard could hold so many poetic possibilities! Students have selected the ideas they feel hold the most potential, and will begin developing these new poems during our Writing period on Tuesday. Our plan is to anonymously spread our poems throughout the school in order to inspire others to see the creative possibilities around them. We are calling this our 'guerilla poetry' movement! Check out the pictures of us below as we practice seeing Berrigan through our poet's eyes!
Mining for 'diamonds'... SEPTEMBER 16 - 20, 2013
We have completed our travels through the different poetry museum centres, and have now selected a few ideas we feel are worth exploring. Students are discovering that not every idea is worth developing, and worked hard to find the 'diamonds' among the 'rocks' in their Writer's Notebooks today. Once an idea was selected, your child drafted phrases/lines related to both the real and imaginative item. For example, one student discovered that his scissors resembled an alligator and wrote phrases such as 'razor sharp teeth', 'swimming through the swamp', and 'cutting up its prey'. During this phase of our writing, we are playing with the power of word choice, experimenting with poetic imagery, and discovering the rhythm of free verse. Students are welcome to bring home their Writer's Notebook at any time to share their poetic journey with you. The pride and joy on their faces as they find their poetic voice is truly inspiring!
Opening our eyes SEPTEMBER 9 - 13, 2013
Your child is now the proud owner of his/her very own Writer’s Notebook! We ended our week with an interesting class discussion on what we felt were the most important skills a writer needs to have. Be sure to ask your child what he/she recorded as personal writing goals for our year!
The excitement continued to build when I introduced your child to the idea of seeing the world through poet’s eyes! Students were given the opportunity to travel to different poetry 'museums' to begin finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Scissors, marbles, shells, feathers, paper clips, and clothespins have never been so inspiring!
Throughout our poet's eyes unit, students will learn how to:
The excitement continued to build when I introduced your child to the idea of seeing the world through poet’s eyes! Students were given the opportunity to travel to different poetry 'museums' to begin finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Scissors, marbles, shells, feathers, paper clips, and clothespins have never been so inspiring!
Throughout our poet's eyes unit, students will learn how to:
- generate ideas about a potential topic and identify those most appropriate for the purpose
- use some vivid and/or figurative language and innovative expressions to add interest
- identify elements of their writing that need improvement, using feedback from the teacher and peers, with a focus on specific features
- make revisions to improve the content, clarity, and interest of their written work, using a variety of strategies
- produce revised, draft pieces of writing to meet identified criteria based on the expectations related to content, organization, style, and use of conventions
Time Well Spent SEPTEMBER 9 - 13, 2013
This week, your child completed a diagnostic reading assessment. Students read the true story of Alyssa Buecker and her award-winning filmmaking with guinea pigs in the text titled ‘Lights! Camera! Action!’. I listened to your child read a passage from this non-fiction text, and made anecdotal notes on his/her ability to read orally. I looked for whether students understood how to use punctuation marks (e.g., commas) to help with reading expression, determined the rate of their reading pace, and observed their ability to recognize/sound out both familiar and unfamiliar words. Students were also given written reading comprehension questions to answer independently. These assessments provided me with valuable information on the specific strengths and needs of each individual, and will assist me in planning our first few weeks of reading lessons and conferences.
Greatness doesn't need an Audience SEPTEMBER 3 - 6, 2013
We used two of the mini ads from the Nike "Greatness" campaign as inspiration for our first reading response. Students were introduced to the idea of writer's craft (a.k.a. 'swagger'), and were charged with the task of finding and highlighting the best parts from their personal responses. Once students had identified these gems, we set to work building a class poem by having each student contribute a line, word, or phrase. Ideas were shared only if it connected to the thought shared by the person before. Check out our finished poems below...
Greatness (5A)Greatness is personal (Charlotte)
Don’t blow a loud horn (Hephzibah) Greatness isn’t scary (Awo) ‘Cause you’re not sure what’s going to happen (Michael) You have to believe in yourself (Julia) Don’t worry (Sally) Just try your hardest (Stephen) Again (Jacob) Try it, and that’s what makes it great (Joanna) You have talent in something (Liam) You can find your greatness (Jenna) Keep trying and trying (Ioanna) You’ll always have greatness (Natasha) Greatness is a feeling (Afra) It’s just fun (Michael) You know that you have it (Julia) You just need to try (Esha) If people don't believe you, you don't need to show them (Ben) Don’t give up (Micaela) You don’t need people to tell you you’re great (Joanna) It may be risky, but you’ll know you’re great (Maathumai) You’ll see that there is some greatness in you (Ioanna) I think I’m going to make it (Dylan) In a different way (Teslin) |
Greatness (5B)You’ll never know yourself until you try (Caitlyn)
If you never try, you’ll never discover anything (Lainey) Push yourself to try something new (Julie) Go and do something amazing (Leah) Greatness doesn’t come naturally (Ethan) Greatness is inside you and nobody needs to see (Abhiram) No one has to see you, to mean that it’s greatness (Emily) No one needs an opinion on your greatness (Vaanu) The only person who has to tell you is you (Marwa) Greatness can be risky until you try it (Nick) Being scared can lead to greatness (Athena) Try things that scare you (Willem) Try something new (James) Don’t be afraid (Swetheeca) If you don’t try you’ll never get there (Muna) Concentrate (Abby) No one has to show off their greatness (Aaya) If you feel like quitting, that’s not greatness (Audrey) You need to earn greatness (Ethan) |
Talking the talk September 3 - 6, 2013
It is important for students to understand that their opinion is heard and valued in our classroom, and that we have a responsibility to listen carefully to each other when ideas are shared.
During our first few days together, we have worked on strengthening some of the foundational strategies that underpin this level of accountable conversation:
- adding on to an idea shared by a classmate (I can add to Jacob's thinking...)
- referring to each other by name during group conversations (I agree with Emily's idea...)
- appreciating that not everyone's opinion/idea can always be heard during a classroom discussion
- respecting the 'air time' of our classmates (lower your hand when others are speaking, refrain from side conversations)
#findyourgreatness SEPTEMBER 3 - 6, 2013
Using Nike's 2012 Summer Olympics marketing campaign, we will explore the concept of personal greatness. What does it mean to be 'great'? How will 'greatness' be allowed to flourish in our classroom? What are our responsibilities to ourselves, and each other, during our year long search for 'greatness'?
This unit will address expectations found in both the Oral Communication and Media Literacy sections of our Language curriculum.
Specifically, students will:
- respond to and evaluate media texts
- make inferences and interpretations
- provide personal responses explaining his/her point of view
- demonstrate appropriate listening/speaking behaviours by adapting strategies (e.g., accountable talk strategies)