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Week

6
Criteria
Lecture: Jann
Teaching Writing

Tutorial:
The Daily 5

Readings:

Literacy: Reading,
writing and
childrens literature
Ch. 29

Literacy: Reading,
writing and
childrens literature
Ch. 3

First Steps
Writing

Everything I Know

Interesting Aspects

Great resources and information about teaching writing that I will definitely
use in my teaching career

Dictagloss activity: Was very difficult for me even as an adult. Can see the
purpose and usefulness of this task in the classroom as builds vocabulary,
grammar and spelling skills. Great activity for EALD students

Interesting that Teaching Writing lecture occurred a few days before my


literacy observation, where they use 6+1 traits of writing. Was able to see
what effective teaching of writing looks like in practice

As my tutorial presentation topic, I learnt a lot about The Daily 5. Was


interested in hearing from Jann that the CAF strategy was added to The
Daily 5 after it received criticism for not including aspects such as
comprehension, accuracy, fluency and vocabulary.

Takes a lot of persistence and teacher effort to set up until class is in


routine

Perhaps would work best as a whole-school approach so there can be


consistency amongst students, grades

Visual and verbal arts work together to create picturebooks. Picturebooks


can be used in any primary aged classroom. There is a great range and
great quality of picturebooks available e.g. Home and Away, John
Marsden

John Marsdens writing topics are simple, short, but spark creativity

Modelled writing just as important as modelled reading

Authors chair: allows students to share works and have others ask
questions such as why did you choose that ending? etc

Text forms seem different to text-types. Notion of social purposes behind


texts (eg writing to instruct, persuade, socialise, recount). Relates to
Literacy Observation teachers ideals.

Importance of refining writing not sure this is what I was taught. More in
depth than just draft, check spelling and create good copy

Questions Raised

Allowed me to question how I feel about myself as a writer. I can see that
as a student of the 90s, I was taught how to write using various text types.
Has this hindered me from being able to write freely? I feel that I need
more structure in writing activities

Was able to see a fantastic literacy block, with a focus on writing. The
teacher was enthusiastic, favoured critical pedagogy and even stated that
she never teaches about text types explicitly, rather allow for student-
centred activities to occur in the classroom. This differs from other teachers
I have witnessed on prac, who have been very rigid in their approaches to
writing. Is there a great divide in the teaching realm of how to teach
writing? Is this old vs new teachers only?

How many schools/classrooms use the Daily 5?

How many have tried it, but not persisted when setting it up, and therefore
just adapt it to suit their needs?

About Writing,
John Marsden

If youre trying to
teach kids how to
write, Marjorie
Frank

Please dont ask
me to write

English as an
Additional
Language or
Dialect: Teacher
Resource

Synopsis:
Not unlike other KLAs, our personal attitude towards writing will affect how we teach it. There are different instruction procedures for teaching writing, as well as different
forms of writing. Providing students a reason and a desire to write will influence their writing.
The Daily 5 is one literacy program that can be used in the classroom. Though it takes time and effort to implement and introduce thoroughly, the program is most
beneficial as a whole-school approach.

Week 7
Criteria
Lecture:
Grammar

Interesting Aspects

We need to explicitly teach grammar rules and functions

Students learn to communicate effectively through coherent, well-structured


sentences and texts (e.g. NOT PM Readers. So what is place of PM Readers? Is
it best to do balanced approach? Yes)

We need to be teaching the nitty gritty of grammar in primary school, as by


high school these skills are expected, but not taught. Students will get left
behind

Questions Raised

As teachers, it is our responsibility to scrub up in areas we dont fully


understand. However, people are probably ignorant to the fact that areas of
their grammar need adjusting. What sort of professional development exists
to help people examine their grammar status?

(Even though we are primary teachers) What resources/additional help is


there for students whose grammar is subpar in high school?

Relates to SBS Insight Episode: Reading Between the Lines. Around 44% of
adult Australians have literacy levels that make everyday tasks very difficult.

If we do not teach these skills explicitly, and make sure there is proper
intervention at an early age, we will just be adding to these statistics.

Allowing students to play with language, and providing quality resources will
make grammar and punctuation exciting

Tutorial:
Visual Literacy

Evolving definition of visual literacy

Are teachers explicitly teaching visual literacy?

Activities include: writing about perspectives, discussing images as class

Relates to the Production trait of 6+1 traits that I have recently seen on
observation

How are students being taught to use skills of visual literacy as producers?
Tutorial presentation didnt really focus on this area.

The Tutorial stated that visual literacy is difficult to define. After reading the
chapter in the textbook, Im not sure that it is. Visual literacy is as the
textbook stated, however you must also take into account social/historical
contexts, and understand that its definition will evolve as society evolves

First Steps resources are fantastic. Can you purchase these?

There is a shift away from text-types, however I feel that some visual
literacy/viewing skills are specific to text types, e.g. Comics, recipes, letters.
On literacy observation, teacher stated that she does not teach text types
explicitly, but rather let students develop the NEED for the text types. Her
example was if they were to write a persuasive text, she would ask them to
write a letter persuading people to think in a particular way/do a particular
thing. And then from that, create a persuasive speech. No frameworks, just
student-led, student-created works. How many teachers are still teaching
text-types like I was in the 90s?

Readings:

Literacy: Reading,
writing and
childrens literature
Ch. 30


First Steps: Viewing

Defines visual literacy as: the ability to read signs, images, pictures,
perspectives, focalisation, shape and form; the ability to analyse the power of
images in particular contexts
Various aspects include: background, landscape, lines, space, time, visual
syntax, sequencing, causality, connections, direction

First Steps: Viewing lists various Viewing Strategies: predicting, connecting,


comparing, inferring, imagining, self-questioning, synthesising, self-
monitoring, skimming, scanning. These seem to connect skills of visual print
and images

Synopsis:
It is highly important that pre-service teachers take responsibility for their knowledge in grammar. Similar to mathematics, if there is an area of grammar that we are
unsure of and therefore would struggle to teach, we must take action to eradicate this problem. Grammar metalanguage must be used explicitly in the classroom. Teachers
should not water down terms.

It is vital for students to become visually literate. Visual Literacy skills must be taught explicitly. Students must develop proficiency in reading and producing visual literacy.

Week 8
Criteria
Lecture:
Literacy Blocks

Interesting Aspects
Great information on Literacy Blocks

Questions Raised

Do these approaches get tiring? Do students bore of doing the same thing?
Some people are recommending only using these formats for 3/5 days of the

Highlighting importance of: modelling, conferencing with students, cognitive


closure, SMART goal setting with students, individual practice

week.

Never program alone. On prac the teacher didnt want to program with other
grade teachers. Made it difficult at report time to standardise student results
across grade and provide consistency

What percentage of schools use a whole-school approach for literacy? On last


prac, there was no consistency across school except for spelling list program all
classes used (my observations - very boring, uninventive, not stimulating for
students, not student directed)

WHY are schools only using homework tasks like LCWC? Are teachers lazy? Do
they just get these homework sheets from a program, and then not adapt?

What do Inquiry/Integrated approaches for spelling look like? Would


integrated approaches be to choose spelling words based on other KLA that is
the focus/host subject?

Information on two different approaches (though there are many, many more)
1.

Inquiry

I read, You read

Teacher conferencing with students while others do sustained silent


reading
o

Intervening at point of need

Modelling

Shared (teacher and student) writing

Literacy rotations

Closure: What did we learn about ____ today?. Let students give
answer, come up with definition. Write it up and display it in class

2.

Integrated

Relates to UBD. Backwards by design.

Focusing on host subject/topic first, and developing program from that.


Creating assessment and then choosing how you will get the students to
reach this.

Each teacher will have different style. Learning is related to relationship.


Regardless of the style, if the students have respect and love for their teacher,
they will love the learning they receive. Relates to AITSL Standard 1: Know
Students and How They Learn
Tutorial:
Spelling

4 main spelling knowledges: phonological, visual, morphemic, etymological


(history, origin, language derived from). Understanding which of these you
are. This will affect how you teach
o

Homework tasks of LCWC might be effective, but perhaps


implementing activities of the other 3 knowledges of spelling would
help thorough learning.

Spelling strategies are different to spelling rules

Great resources: Banagrams, look and find in classrooms

Related to the Literacy Observation at Trinity (Yr 5 classroom): teacher

explicitly taught rules and strategies though made these meaningful to


students. Allowed students to create their own spelling words for the week
Readings:

Literacy: Reading,
writing and

childrens literature
Ch. 12

A lot of planning is required for successful literacy blocks

Some schools have quite detailed literacy programs, whereas others are quite
vague, short & undetailed. What are the different requirements at different
schools in terms of programs and detail public vs Catholic vs independent?

Is using packaged programs even worth it if so much adapting must take place?

Like all learning, literacy programs must be designed based on assessment of


students current knowledge
Packaged programs must cater for diversity, and teachers must adapt
Importance of intervention programs such as Reading Recovery & Minilit
(prac). Gives students basic skills but must also be integrated into class
Not sure I have seen a full 90-120 minute literacy block on prac ever

Synopsis:
The Literacy Block is a vital component of every primary classroom. It takes a lot of organisation, preparation and planning for successful literacy blocks to occur. However,
teachers must be flexible in their approach and teach to the needs of the students at all times (therefore, plans change). Various approaches exist such as integration and
inquiry, though teacher enthusiasm and teacher-student relationship will allow any program to be successful. Spelling and grammar must be taught explicitly whilst also
giving students authentic application.

References:
Centres, L. & Development, P. (2016). MiniLit Program | MultiLit. Multilit.com. Retrieved 28 September 2016, from
http://www.multilit.com/programs/minilit-program/
First Steps: Viewing Resource Book. (2013).
First Steps: Writing Resource Book. (2013).
Reading Recovery: a research-based early intervention program - home. (2016).Curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 28 September 2016, from
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/earlyyears/reading_recovery/
SBS,. (2016). Reading Between the Lines. Retrieved from http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/tvepisode/reading-between-lines
Trait Definitions. (2016). Education Northwest. Retrieved 28 September 2016, from http://educationnorthwest.org/traits/trait-definitions
Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holiday, M. Literacy.

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