AT THE PLAYGROUND (Std 4 Language Arts)

Suggestions of learning activities for the poem ‘At the Playground’

1.    Listening to modeled reading by the teacher.

2.    Repeating after teacher line by line (for low proficiency pupils); selected reading alouds by pupils or reading in pairs (for higher proficiency pupils).

3.    Choral reading / jazz chants with rhythmic clapping (using syllable counts).

4.    Pronouncing words with the initial sounds of ‘sw’, ‘sl’ and the final sounds of ‘dle’. Matching words with the same initial and final sounds.

5.    Grammar in context: verb tense forms – talking about what one does at the playground and then what one did yesterday at the playground.

Swing – swung

Slide – slid

Hang – hung

Race – raced

Fall – fell

(for the higher proficient pupils- forming sentences in the present and the past simple)

6.    (for lower proficient pupils) drawing / colouring picture posters of a playground, naming/labeling things found and seen in a playground. (make it competitive)

7.    (For vocab reinforcement) completing a word search / crossword puzzle on things found in a playground / things one can do in a playground.

For weak students / with ICT

Go to http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/category/topics/playground

A COACH ...

... is an on-site professional developer who collaborates with educators to identify and assist with implementation of proven teaching methods.


… displays a compelling modesty, is self- effacing, understated

… displays a workman like diligence, is more plow horse than show horse

… attributes successes to factors other than herself

… looks in the mirror and blames herself when things go poorly

... knows that coaching involves learning conversations which should be mutually humanizing experiences.

... knows that talking about learning should be energizing, empowering, enjoyable, and fun, should bring
both parties alive


The Identity Conversation looks inward: it’s all about who we are and how we see ourselves. How does what happened affect our self-esteem, my image, my sense of who I am in the world? What impact will it have on my future? What self doubts do I harbor? In short… the identity conversation is about what I am saying to myself about me.
- Stone, Patton, Heen. (1999) Difficult Conversations


Develop a Teachable Point of View - A TPOV is a “cohesive set of ideas and concepts that a person is able to articulate clearly to others” (Tichy, 2002, p.74).


When you lead people, you often begin with a desire to contribute to an organization or community, to help people resolve important issues, to improve the quality of their lives. Your heart is not entirely innocent, but you begin with hope and concern for people. Along the way, however, it becomes difficult to sustain those feelings when many people reject your aspirations as too unrealistic, challenging or disruptive. Results arrive slowly. You become hardened to the discouraging reality. Your heart closes up.
- Heifetz & Linsky (2003) Leadership on the line.

READERS' THEATER: A VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

by Eric Carle

Readers (5)

1:  In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf.
2:  One Sunday morning the warm sun cam up...
3: and POP, out of the egg came a tiny, very hungry caterpillar.
1:  He started looking for some food.
5:  On Monday he ate through one apple.  But he was still hungry.
4:  On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.
2:  On Wednesday he ate through three plums, but he was still hungry.
3:  On Thursday he ate through four strawberries, but he was still hungry.
5:  On Friday he ate through five oranges, but he was still hungry.
1:  On Saturday he ate through  one piece of chocolate cake,
3.  One ice-cream cone,
4:  One pickle,
2: One slice of Swiss cheese,
5: One slice of salami,
3: One lollipop,
2: One piece of cherry pie,
4: One sausage,
1: One cupcake,
4:  And one slice of watermelon.
5: That night he had a stomach ache!
3: The next day was Sunday again.
2: The caterpillar ate through one nice leaf, and after that he felt better.
5: Now he wasn't hungry anymore--and he wasn't a little caterpillar anymore.
3: He was a big fat caterpillar.
1: He built a small house,
2: Called a cocoon,
1: Around himself.
3: He stayed inside for more than two weeks.
5: Then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed his way out and...
4: He became a beautiful butterfly!

I am going here next year. A must-visit before I too go to meet my Maker.

Stairway to the gas chamber

Gallows of the camp commandant 

Memorial

Gallows

Wall of Death

Why Teachers Should Read Children's Books

Teachers who read for pleasure have better book knowledge...thus are stress-free in the classroom. There is value in teachers becoming reading role models. Teachers' knowledge of children's literature contributes to a child's enjoyment of reading.
In order for reading to become"bibliotherapy" readers should identify with characters met in a strory and form emotional connections with them...via writing-in-role, hot-seating activities.
Reading can induce well-being and a sense of joy. But our teachers need support. They need knowledge on good books available, know how to access these books, have indepth knowledge of various reading skills and strategies, and informal sharing sessions via book clubs.
This is a movement that needs immediate attention by policy makers, educators and community members.

Adapted from Jo Bowers and Dr Susan Davis, 2013

Teaching of Phonics

Reflections on the training session attended at ELTC  on The Teaching of Phonics

Phonic Segmentation Skills
- ability to break words down into individual sounds
- an example of a phonological awareness skills
- supports the aqcuisition of literacy skills

Sample goal for phoneme segmentation skills
The learner will
- listen to a target sound (phoneme) presented orally
- determine the word that begins with the target phoneme
- indicate the word by saying it out loud, signing it, and selecting the appropriate picture.

Instructional Task

* The teacher says
                              the sound /m/ (only the sound)

* The learner
                      Listens to the sound
                      Looks at each picture / symbol
                      Segments the initial sound of the words
                      Determines the word that starts with the target sound
                      Says the word out loud, signs it and selects the correct picture.

Instructional Procedure
                       - model
                       - guided practice
                       - independent practice

Andragogy - Man-leading

Six Principles of Adult Learning

1. Adults are internally motivated and self-directed.
2. They bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences.
3. They are goal-oriented.
4. They are practical - relevancy -oriented.
5. They like to be respected.

This is what I learned during my training in Teaching Phonics at ELTC Bandar Enstek.

What Reading Means to Me and my Children

Reading meant shared time with my father. Reading meant time allocated to my inner self. Reading means joy. Rereading selected books means reliving my childhood, redrafting the journey of my life, revaluing judgements made, and redesigning the rest of my life. But mostly, reading means shared moments with my children.
Reading has made my children critical. They do not take anything at face value. They always ask first..." So what Amma?" They then go further and ponder.... "What if?" I believe the reason they adore Dr Who (the TV series) is because they are not bound and limited in their ability to imagine and think beyond the box formal schooling has drawn them into. They can watch the current BBC version of Sherlock and appreciate the wit and the characterizations of the protagonists. They are
selective of the movies they watch. They appreciated what was put in the trilogy Lord of the Rings movie yet disagree with the inclusions of characters not in The Hobbit book.
My children grew up with the best of idols, imaginary they may have been, and could relate their experiences with these characters. I did not dictate moral values to them. They know what their
mother expects of them. They introduce books to me now, books I had not had time to discover.
We do not have a TV set in our living room. We have books. The living room is our personal corner...where we cozy up with cups of steaming hot coffee (and tea...) and books. We talk about the characters like we know them personally. Sherlock, Watson, Atticus, Elizabeth, Darcy, and even Hamlet and Iago join in our conversations. It is great company that we keep.
These are treasured times. These are the most precious memories.

The Magic of Storytelling

"If there is one universal thread that binds all people together, it is their need for stories." - Lisa Lipkin

Bedtime storytelling could feel like a chore, but here are three great reasons to do so:
1. It provides your own imagination a workout - more so when you include sensory details, setting, conflict, twists and dialogue.
2. It forces you to turn off your inner editor - please improvise and let the character lead you forward.
3. You have a captive and honest audience.

Ref: Creative Storytelling: Choosing, Inventing, and Sharing Tales for Children by Jack Maguire.

My Coaching Reflections

Lesson1: Teachers need to know and trust me. Together we have to build relationships and plan with an end in mind.

Lesson 2: The development process has to be collaborative and actively sustained, with a regular cycle of trying, reflecting and adjusting.