Essay Examples - Teaching Essays
A rationale making appropriate reference to academic texts which discusses the teaching methods, groupings, linguistic profile of the identified texts, links to the National Literacy Strategy and National Curriculum, Excellence and Enjoyment.
The following is a rationale which discusses the teaching methods, groupings and linguistic profiles of a children's book 'Frog is Sad' by Max Velthuijs. The focus will be using the above text as a basis to teach writing to a whole class of children in Key Stage One, Year Two. It will detail a series of teaching methods, what the purpose of the method is and how that is beneficial to the children I will draw on documented theory and evidence to verify and confirm my ideas.
Firstly I will give a brief overview of the chosen text, it is about a frog who is feeling sad and one by one his friends try to cheer him up finally the rat is successful by first making him cry by playing a beautiful song on his violin. This story lends itself nicely to using in Year 2 Term 1 covering objectives T10 'to use story structure to write about an experience'; T11 'to use language of timeto structure a sequence of events'; S2 'to find examplesof words and phrases that link sentences' and S4 'to reread own writing for sense and punctuation'. The National Literacy Strategy (2001)pg26.
There are three linguistic skills, reading, writing and oral interaction and all play a part in ensuring the child becomes proficient at writing.
There is a strong cycle that links reading, discussing, telling, listening and writing. The National Literacy Strategy Writing Flier 2 (2001).
We might claim that experiences of listening to book language help children move from being talkers and listeners to becoming readers and writers. Whitehead (1990) pg 117
Both of the above quotations reiterate my view that the three linguistic skills are very much interwoven, with that in mind my chosen lessons for teaching writing would begin with listening to the chosen text getting the children discussing it ensuring they become very familiar with the story. This is drawing their attention to the structure of the sentences and use of time connectives so they are already familiar with it before embarking on their own writing. As the DfEE Developing Early Writing document agrees these skills are imperative for children to develop as writers.
Text Cohesion - throughout the primary years children should learn how to link sentences. In Reception Year and Key Stage One, they should be able to create a coherent sequence of ideas.
Sentence Construction and Punctuation - in Reception Year and Key Stage One the representation of ideas in sentences is a characteristic of written text which children need to be made aware of through reading and eventually learn to control in writing. Written sentences are differently structured to spoken utterances which can rely on gesture, intonation and stress to fill out the speaker's meaning.
Developing Early Writing (2001) pg11
For the discussions children would have carefully chosen talk partners so that the conversation flows but remains productive.
In the DfES document Excellence and Enjoyment the principles of learning and teaching are outlined as follows
Good learning and teaching should ensure every child succeeds and provide an inclusive education within a culture of high expectations.
Build on what learners already know - structure and pace teaching so that students know what it is to be learnt, how and why
Make learning vivid and real develop understanding through enquiry, creativity, e-learning and group problem solving
Make learning an enjoyable and challenging experience - stimulate learning through matching teaching techniques and strategies to a range of learning styles
Enrich the learning experience build learning skill across the curriculum.
Promote assessment for learning make children partners in their learning. Excellence and Enjoyment 2003) pg29
Make learning vivid and real develop understanding through enquiry, creativity, e-learning and group problem solving. Taking this principle as a starting point I would make the teaching vivid and real and develop understanding through creativity by looking at 'The Frog is Sad' and turning it into a drama activity. As a whole class activity I (as the teacher) would go into role as Rat and would be asking the children for their advice and ideas on how to cheer Frog up, thus bringing the story alive. As the teacher I would then scribe a list of the children's suggestions and ask them how we could turn this into a story of our own. This activity has got the children visualising what is possible and got them exploring ideas as a group. This creativity in itself is promoting motivation for the actual task of writing.
Story writing is magical -its appeal lies in the creation of imaginative worlds. Stories help us to enthral, to intrigue, to entertain, to wonder and to bring our world and ourselves alive. The National Literacy Strategy Writing Flier 2 (2001).
This quotation shows how story writing itself is motivational but bringing the task alive through drama initially, adds to the children's enthusiasm.
So now the class need to move on to actual writing but it would be detrimental to send the class off with the compiled list of new events and ask them to turn it into a story. What they produce would not be as successful as it could be. I as the teacher would produce a piece of writing with the children through shared writing.
Shared writing is a powerful teaching strategy and the principal means of teaching writing. It is much more than merely scribing for pupils, writing down their ideas like an enthusiastic secretary. Developing Early Writing (2001) pg 13
This technique lets the teacher work with the whole class regardless of the children's ability they can all be engaged with shared writing. The following is taken from the Developing Early Writing document and details the overwhelming benefits of shared writing. it enables teachers to
Work with the whole class, to model, explore and discuss the choices th writers make at the point of writing, rather than by correction, demonstrating and sharing the compostional process directly.
Make links between reading and writing explicit by reading and investigating how writers have used language to achieve particular effects and by using written texts as modelsa for writing
Scaffold some aspects of writing, eg the spelling and transcribing, to enable children to concentrate on how to compose their wreitng, eg through the choice of words and phrases and ways of constructing sentences to achieve particular purposes or effects,
Focus on particular aspects of the writing process; while supporting others
- planning
- drafting
- revising
provide an essential step towards independent writing by helping children to understand and apply specific skills and strategies.
WRITING PLAN
REHEARSE SENTENCES ORALLY
CONSTANTLY AND CUMMULATIVELY REREAD
DISCUSS AND EXPLAIN
TO CHECK MISCONCEPTIONS
DELIBERATE ERROR.
PAGE 13 DEVELOPPING EARLY WRITING
Word choice and modification
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Beginning from reception year children should draw from their reading an increasingly rich vocabulary, and learn to select words and phrases that add colour and precision to their writing refine its meaning and are appropriate to its audience and purpose. Pg 11 2001 developing early writing
PAGE 13 DEVELOPING EARLY WRITING
Children's entitlement to a rich, broad and balanced set of learning experiences can only be guaranteed if they have firm foundations for their learning. Literacy and numeracy cannot and should not supplant a broad and balanced curriculum, but they are children's key to the wider world of learning. High standards in literacy are a particularly strong predictor of later successes. Pg 27 Excellenc and Enjoyment 2003
Bibliography
DfES (2003) Excellence and Enjoyment
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