BACHELOR OF TEACHING PROGRAMME (PISMP) TEACHING OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (TESL) YEAR 2 SEMESTER 2 (@0!8) Notes TSLB3093 LANGUAGE ARTS IN THE PRIMARY ESL CLASSROOM Lig eZ |CONTENT OUTLINE 1. Introduction to Language Arts * Definition of Language Arts ‘+ Role and purpose of language arts in the primary ESL classroom * intra and inter personal development * linguistic development * aesthetic development * moral values 2. Selection and adaptation criteria of material/ activities and techniques for young learners + Language level and potential Visual features Interest Cultural content © Moral values 3. Strategies / techniques in Language Arts * Songs, poetry, jazz chants * Stories ‘+ Dramatization * Visuals © Music © Art/ creative works © Multimedia 4. Children’s Literature © Definition of Children’s Literature ‘+ Types of Children’s Literature © Children’s Literature in KSSR «Poetry = Graphic + Drama novels therapy ‘© Benefits of bibliotherapy ‘* Multicultural elements ‘* Developmental appropriateness * Choice of books 6. Types of assessment in Language Arts. + Portfolio + Aural-oral assessment Poetry recital * Choral speaking + Dramatization + Jazz chants + Storytelling * Written assessment + Play soript + Jaz chants + Stories = Poems * Critical responses + Reflections 7. Activities to explore and exploit stories in the primary ESL classroom 8. Activities to explore and exploit poetry in the primary ESL classroom 9. Activities to explore and exploit drama in the primary ESL classroom4.4. Definition of Language Arts INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE ARTS Fes, 8. & Ros, .P (206) integrating language as trough erate ‘nd mate unt, Lodo Paaton + The study and improvement ofthe aris of the language. + Traditional primary division of LGA: Literature & Language (linguistics and specific languages) + To show appreciation of and demonstrate understanding of texts read, sing songs, recite Thymes and poems and produce creative works for enjoyment. ‘+ Components: Ustening [understanding spoken language ‘Speaking | communicating ideas through oral language Reading understanding written language Writing ‘communicating through written language Viewing ‘understanding visual images and connecting them to accompanying spoken or written words Visually presenting information through images, either lone or along with spoken or Representing | written words Viewing ~ interpreting visual media + Comprehending media by using the same thinking skils needed for comprehending print material that is read. ‘+ Requires critical analysis of the material on the Internet to ensure the reliability of information Visually Representing - communicating through visual images ‘© collect and organise information, decide on the best way to convey it to others, and produce ‘a visual product to accomplish this communication, often incorporating print and sound {including speech) with the visual images — to convey information or sway opinion ‘= organising and representing an event or sequence of events for the pleasure or diversion of an audience — to entertain people 4.2 Role and purpose of language arts in the primary ESL classroom Premlata et (2014, Songs and post for young lems module Intra and inter personal development 1.GAdIG) Cprotave ene ‘© Intrapersonal development = inspires pupils to develop and believe in their abilities and have _an understanding of themsel snowing wh at they can do © Interpersonal development The ability to work with others by understanding others and building a positive social relationship and learning how to work asa team. * Linguistic development o LAasa model of language use = Shows how vocabulary, grammar and patterns of discourse may be used effectively in various forms of writing to convey a message, appeal to the senses and evoke a response * Pupils learn the formal conventions of written language * Stories and poems with repetitions aid in their learningExposed to the shape a piece of writing can take - ‘Once upon a time, .. and “1. They lived happily ever after.’ give them a sense of opening and closina of apiece of narrative. © Figurative language © Sharpens the pupils’ eyes and imagination, stimulating them to view the world in creative and imaginative ways. © Other reasons: + helps children improve their listening and sound discrimination skills + aids in learning to read and also become better individuals in the future = to enrich pupils’ English vocabulary, to improve their grammar and accents + lea how to pronounce words with the appropriate stress and intonation * as a classroom activity use for learning structures. Repeiitive structures help pupils in practising the particular structure again and again. This is useful as they provide reinforcement of the linguistic functions. = promote listening and speaking exercises practices through different tasks. = provides a fun and interesting way to leam the language structure and grammar. + provides a nice way to introduce, practice, and review vocabulary. + are useful to practice writing and reading skills, Aesthetic development ‘© appreciation & criticism of what is considered beautiful / ugly - art for art's sake The pleasure one gets from reading a novel, hearing a poem or watching a play It touches our imagination and emotions and we respond to it. With exposure, pupils will be able to make judgement and appreciate it. ‘AD could be fostered by including activities, e.g. Performing plays, readers’ theatre and choral reading. Moral values © Moral values helped improve students’ academic achievement and communication skills thus promoting a stronger sense of independence and self-confidence. © These outcomes of character education lead to the creation of trusting learning environments where students feel good about themselves and others. © LAteach children about the quality and traits of good character, values of generosity, kindness, honesty, tolerance, trust, integrity, loyalty, faimess, freedom, equality, and respect of and for diversity - help pupils become responsible, respectful, contributing members of our democratic society. ‘© Moral values are embedded in the genres, Discuss and highlight the values. ‘0 By discussing them in relation to books and other texts, pupils feel safe exploring big questions, determining and questioning their points of view, and coming to terms with how to articulate their own beliefs.24 22 SELECTION AND ADAPTATION CRITERIA OF TOPIC 2 MATERIAL / ACTIVITIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR YOUNG LEARNERS: Rath Abul Rahen ot (214). Chi’ Moreture(LGA90196) Language level and potential cyber PoM. suitable for your pupils’ proficiency level ~ the text should neither be too difficult nor too easy ‘When selecting texts, you will need to consider their readability level (the combination of lexical and structural difficulty). ‘A text should be at the right level of linguistic difficulty (both lexical and structural difficulty) for the pupils. Lexical difficulty refers vocabulary or words while structural difficulty refers to the sentence lenath, complexity and grammatical structures. Ways to assess the pupils’ language level: * Get know their vocabulary range and structures that the pupils are familiar with. = Note down all the new and difficult words or phrases that are found in the literary text that you are considering for the class or the library. ‘When we assess the children's book language level, we need to bear in mind the following: + simple and direct language + simple phrases or sentence patterns + limited amount of text on each page + repetitive text which offers a reader friendly experience for beginning ESL leamers Pupils’ ability ‘Age group (levels and types of levels in both reading and developmental). Other questions to ask on your search for the right books are, * provide enjoyment, positive experience, & teach them something along the way + Willit get them asking appropriate questions? * Will you be able to draw from itor transition into other activities, if that is a goal? Length and Number of words, Ratio of Easy to Harder High Frequency Words, Sentence or Phrase structure, Vocabulary (Krasher’s “i+ 1"), Ideas Visual features To present the abstract concepts in simpler terms to enable students to easily understand such information — help the content delivery. Sustain focused-attention and interest of the students. (remember the information taught, enhance the students’ retention of information) Foster the students’ concentration, comprehension and retention of the information Contribute to students’ learning experiences - Illustrations with vivid colours and details allow ‘students’ imaginations to travel to other times and places (Diamond & Moore, 1995). Exploring the visual details of an environment helps students with reading or language challenges have a better understanding of the context of the reading material. Illustrations: Provide cultural information, and promote dynamic exchanges among diverse pupils as each person shares his/her interpretation of the story. Assist struggling readers by providing indicators in the story line to help them anticipate and predict the content of the text Improve their comprehension with visual information that can be more accurately interpreted than language-based information.23 24 Picture books are usually written in easy-to-read language, often containing some patterned ‘elements, The pictures add a large amount of contextual support to the text, which is usually ‘short in length. Text format is usually very inviting with large fonts, and plenty of space between lines and in margins. Poetry and songs often have distinct and detectable rhyme and rhythm patterns that make the texts highly predictable. The melody of songs adds another layer of contextual support that increases the predictability and memorabilty of the texts. Books with a lot of visual features help provide scaffolding as pupils begin by “reading the pictures.” This method can build confidence and independence. Teachers want to try a stair step approach with picture books that address the same topic or theme at various levels of complexity. Repetition of vocabulary and ideas is an excellent technique for language development Interest Pupils develop as thoughtful readers when they are pursuing content that interests them. Pupils’ interests change with age. % 6 - 8 years old: Stories about animal and nature, + 8 - 10 years old: continue to be interested in nature and animals and begin to develop interest in adventure and familiar experiences Pupils’ with different genders have different interests, + Boys in the fifth and sixth grade are interested in war, travel and mystery. + Girls prefer animal stories westems and fairy tales. 4 As they grow older, boys prefer science fiction, mysteries, adventure stories, biographies, history and stories about animals and sports. + In contrast, girls prefer mysteries; romances; stories about animals, religion, careers, humorous stories and biographies. Teachers should not develop stereotyped views about children's preferences. Informal conversation can uncover children's interests, Ask a child to describe what he or she likes to do and read about. Teachers record this information when working many children. Cultural content The content needs to be familiar enough so that + pupils have the relevant schemata or prior knowledge + it motivates the pupils to read on + it challenges the pupil's thinking and promotes new knowledge or perceptions. + it helps readers in comprehending text better if the language is simple and they can associate the content to their culture Ideally, the content should not be culturally biased. However, fluent readers with high level proficiency can be given text that are culturally unrelated because they can both identify forms and interpret meanings. They pay more attention to overall prediction of meaning rather than reading word by word. Pupils would have difficulty in effective comprehending if they are given a culturally unfamiliar text because they presuppose cultural background knowledge and experiences that they do not have. Fiction titles that spring from the pupils’ cultures are ideal in provi comprehension as well as for identifying with story characters. 1g familiarity for ease of 6Moral values. Children’s literature reflects the philosophy of the culture in which it is written. The purpose is to entertain, teach a valuable life lesson and lay a foundation for future learning. Puritan children's literature was intended to provide religious and moral education, but in modern times that purpose has diminished in importance, and the focus has tured to teaching children about valuing themselves and respecting others. ‘Values can be communicated to children at all stages of development. ‘ Early as the first stage, birth to kindergarten, children become familiar with literature through nursery rhymes, folktales, picture books, cereal boxes and anything else that shows that fun and profit can be gained from the printed word. Children at the concrete operational stage can lear great truths while experiencing imaginative works of literature for the sheer joy they provide. Children’s literature contains moments of crisis, when characters make moral decisions and contemplate the reasons for their decisions. Teachers should ensure that the level decisions that the characters are making s relevant to pupils’ age level so they can appreciate those decisions. Teachers need to ensure that there are moral values which children can distinguished from the characters, plot or themes. Teachers should highlight moral values amongst children by mentioning moral values explicitly after children have read their books.32 34 TOPIC3 | STRATEGIES / TECHNIQUES IN LANGUAGE ARTS | Songs, poetry, jazz chants Types of SONGS: Folk songs, Blues, Ballad, Lullaby, JazzPop songs, Children songs, ett. Techniques: + Fillin-blanks (Omit words 4 Group discussion sensibiy) Rearranging + Spotting the mistakes (Choose 4% Reteling words sensibly) Doing the actions + Changing the order of verses Composing follow-up verses, etc. ic Poem — dramatizes action through monologue or dialogue 4 Narrative Poem — tells a story % Lyrical Poem - expresses personal thoughts and emotions, for e.g. about subjectiove or anything that stirs emotions + Epic Poem — long and serious that tells the story of a heroic figure. Techniques: 4 Marching to rhymes + Poem puzzles Poem Pictures ‘ Word match % Listening to rhymes + Performance (Recitation) % Finger poems and action poems 4 Recording, etc. Poem posters + Sequencing Stories Questioning ‘+ Hypothesising Text Part- Students play the parts in text» Performance - simulations, reading aloud, Associations - Context analysis role-playing, staging the story, etc. Dramatization Telephone Conversation + Pantomine —miming/playing dumb Soliloquy! Thought Tracking — get into the characters ‘skin of the character and think from his or * Story Telling her point of view + Passing The Face (within @ circle) Role Playing «Hot Seating-playing characters JAM (Just-A-Minute) take turns to {ind/pairs/orps) discuss a topic Visuals Spot the differences between two pies + Homonyms in pictures’ form (gold or Memory Game goal, hole or hold, coal or cold) Word Order Game (with pictures) «Language Games Pictorial Word Game (finding objects beginning with a particular letter, finding ‘small words within a picture/word)Music 3.6 Art/ creative works + Comic strips Pupil identifies details and uses information to construct meaning and make inferences. + Have students look through the comic strips in today's newspaper for a character who is most like them. They can make a list of the things they have in common with this comic character as well as the differences ‘Pictures stories Student organizes ideas and information for creative writing % Use pictures from the paper to tell a story - to explore how photographs can tell stories. Steps: * Pupils look through the photos in today’s paper. = Pupils choose three photos and cut them out without captions. ; * They paste each picture on a separate sheet of paper. * Pupils staple the sheets together in the order they will appear in the story. = Pupils write out each story in the form of captions below each picture ‘+ Before and after 4 Student creates a story in which ideas and details are in a logical order. + Steps: = Pupils find a photograph in the newspaper that interests them. + Teacher facilitates them to think about what is going on in the picture. * Pupils explain and write what they think happened just before the picture was taken and predict what they believe will happen afterwards. 3.7 Multimedi ! , Goreng-goreng! Justifications of using any strategy or technique in LGA: ‘Motivates students to learn English Develops students’ communicative competence Widens students’ knowledge about the culture of English Creates a conducive teaching environment in the classrooms Provides opportunities for English teaching outside the classroom peers44 ; jigcnne va (han, ¥.(007,The lof cies terten teaching ot Definition of Children’s Literature ght ong leree Taven PHO, face, Goes ot Waka + Literature that is designed to help children to understand, and emphasize with, the world views and experiences of others, including other children. * The material created for and widely read, viewed and heard by children, that has an imaginative element.” * Children lear better on their own, actively and in-depth about something via Children’s Literature. + Aims: * To help pupils improve their English through reading simple fiction To provide a continuum for the literature component introduced in secondary schoo! To create an enjoyable learning environment * Objectives + To instil and inculcate the reading habit among pupils. * To enrich pupils’ vocabulary and language content. * Toenhance pupils’ thinking skills. + To promote cultural understanding in the Malaysian context * Toimprove English language proficiency of pupils. * To provide lively, enjoyable and high-interest readings ‘Types of Children’s Literature icture * provide “visual experiences’ which tell stories with | The Tale of Peter Books pictures. Rabbit by Beatrix + There may or may not be text with pictures in the book. | Potter Picture Story| + contain pictures or illustrations that complement the | Alice's Adventures Books story, often mirroring the plot in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Traditional [> Stories that are passed down from generation to | Little Snow White Literature generation changing slowly over time. + E.g. folktales, folklore, fairy tales, fables, legends, myths. Historical | Stories portraying a time period in the past. ‘Steps to Freedom Fiction + To convey information about a specific time period or|by Dr. Susan historical event Shafer Modern ‘+ Animaginative tale that requires young readers to accept | Where the Fantasy elements and story lines that clearly cannot be true. | Mountain Meets ‘+ They are contemporary stories that are imaginative tales. | the Moon by Grace Un Realistic] + Stories that are similar to historic fiction, except, these | Pictures of Hollis Fiction are based on current issues. Woods by Patricia + It features children 2s the main characters and allow | Reilly Giff young readers to experience different things. In Non-fiction’ |* The non-fiction books help readers learn more about real| The Life and Books by Charles Micucci formational |__ things and provide young readers information. Times of the Ant 10jography * A true life story that someone has written about another Person. ‘* Can be extremely motivating to young children He rescues the Birds (Abraham Lincoln) by Noah Brooks Poetry ‘+A thythmical composition of words expressing an| The Bee's Knees attitude, designed to surprise and delight, and to arouse | by Roger ‘an emotional response. * Pieces of writing that involve rhythm, rhyme, literary devices and creativity. * To introduce children to different writing styles using verses. Drama + It takes the form of a story presented to an audience through dialogue and action. ‘+ The story is conveyed using the theatre elements: acting, costumes, props, scenery, lighting, music & sound. 43° Children’s v v v v rature in KSSR Aims of Children’s Literature KSSR: Create interest in pupils towards literature by introducing them to a variety of literary texts of different genres. Provide pupils with an early beginning and foundation to literature. Develop pupils’ understanding of other societies, cultures, values and traditions that «will help pupils in their emotional and spiritual growth. Expose pupils to the aesthetic use of the English language. GENRES POEMS (COMPILATION) THE SHORT STORY | THE GRAPHIC NOVEL (YEARS 4, 5 and 6) (YEAR 4) Sand Castle by J. Patrick Lewis ‘Sounds Like Magic by Celia Warren Holiday Memories by June Crebbin ‘At The Playground by Brian Moses Clap Your Hands by Pam Gidney Woodpecker by Brenda Williams Grandma's House by Pamela Mordecai 8. Noisy Food by Marian Swinger NOORONE The King of Kites by Judith Heneghan and Laure Fournier (YEAR 5) And Something Weird Happened by Pamela Rushby (YEAR 6) Akbar’s Dream by Jane Langford (YEAR 4) The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (YEAR 5) Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (YEAR 6) ‘The Wizard of Oz by "52 53 its of bibliotherapy Using the reading of books as a way to heal pupils or solve a problem (Alex, 1993). ‘The process of mending one’s life by reading books and it is therapeutic. ‘AS you read, a dialog begins to take place between you and the author. You interpret what YoU read in light of your own experiences, and thus become a part of the book. Types of bibliotherapy: + Clinical Bibliotherapy The use of literature and facilitative processes by skilled mental health or medical clinicians in meeting a deliberate therapeutic goal for the purpose of assisting individuals in dealing with severe disorders and traumatic life experiences ‘ Developmental Bibliotherapy The use of literature and facilitative processes by skilled helpers(teachers) to assist individuals in dealing with life transitional and normal developmental issues. Benefits: + To assist children in building confidence and self-esteem + To normalise a child's world by offering coping skills 4 To reduce their feelings of isolation 4 To reinforce their creativity, and problem solving skills & To give parents an opportunity to discuss the children’s issues with their children Multicultural elements Multicultural literature is literature that focuses on: + People of colourlrace + Persons with disabilities + Religious minorities + The aged + Regional cultures Importance: “+ for improved reading achievement among culturally & linguistically diverse pupils {for creating classrooms where all students are valued. to perpetuate and dissolve stereotypes fo understand and respect one another's cultures while recognising the shared histories and experiences that unite us 4 to support diversity in the curriculum and raise consciousness on cultural issues 4 to develop positive attitudes towards differences + to gain skill that foster collaboration and positive interactions + tohelp children identify with their own culture, exposes children to other cultures, and opens the dialogue on issues regarding diversity (Colby & Lyon, 2004). + provide pupils with coping strategies that they can use in their lives to solve problems. + increase their ability to be empathetic (lear how others think and feel) eee Developmental appropriateness. Refers to activities, lessons and materials that links with a child’s mental and physical ability The best conditions for learning resembles an environment that has a vision of where kids need to be (goals), knows where kids are at (assessment), and understands how to help them leam (lessons) all within a developmentally appropriate framework 12‘+ Dimensions of developmental appropriateness: ** Age appropriateness + The universal, predictable sequences of growth and change changes occur in all domains of development - physical, emotional, social, and cognitive. = Knowledge of typical development of children within the age span provides a framework from which teachers prepare the learning environment and plan appropriate experiences. ‘* Individual appropriateness * Each child is a unique person and comes to school with an individual pattern and timing of growth, as well as an individual personality, leaming style, and family background. Cultural appropriateness * It recognizes the importance of the knowledge of the social and cultural contexts in which children live to ensure that leaming experiences are ‘meaningful, relevant, and respectful for the children and their families. 5.4 Choice of books ‘+ Criteria when choosing stories for bibliotherapy: ‘+ The child's emotional and chronological age + The teacher should know the material It should be related to the child's circumstances and feelings % Illustrations should be clear and colourful. Characters in illustrations should preferably be depicted in active poses rather than passively, but it shouldn't divert the child's attention 4 Characters should model healthy adaptation patterns + There should be a character suitable for identification. The hero in the story should also be portrayed realistically, for instance s/he must have feelings such as uncertainty, fear and anger. S/he must portray unacceptable behaviour such as being naughty, while people stil accept him/her 4 There should be other characters in the story that are more or less the same as those in the chila's situation 4 Long, complicated stories must be avoided as it is time consuming. It may also be difficult to remember the whole story with all the plots. When using bibliotherapy with children, stories should take about 30 minutes or less to read % The teacher should know the child's reading ability 4 Unacceptable characters in the story give the child the chance of projecting negative feelings To summarise, the book chosen must ‘address the needs of the pupil(s) you're focusing on and the main character must have similar problems. + have characters who make good choices when solving their problems as they shouldn't imitate a bad model «be briefas often pupils with E(emotional)/BD (behaviour disorder) have short attention spans and working with a longer book requires a great deal of concentration 13egies for presentation Pre-reading '* To activate pupils’ background knowledge. ‘+ Teacher introduces the theme and allows pupils to compare their experiences with those in the book as well as make predictions. Guided reading * involve an adult reading the story aloud to the pupil(s). * Afier the story has been presented, teacher can allow pupils to journal or reflect in some other way before discussion begins. Post-reading ‘* Incorporate “SOLVE” model developed by J.W. Forgan. discussion + The steps include: Pupils identify the problem Pupils find solutions to the problem ¥ Pupils look for obstacles that might get in the way of the possible solutions ¥ Pupils look at the solutions again and choose the best solution Y- Pupils try out the solution chosen. Pupils evaluate the outcome. Problem solving] |» To reinforce the lesson of the story in an engaging manner Reinforcement activity |+ E.g. skits, small group work, artwork, etc. ‘Stops to Implement Bibliotherapy confidence with the pupil Develop rapport, trust, and] Teacher creates a trusting relationship with pupils before they begin bibliotherapy. They don't share deep emotions with adult they don't trust. personnel who may assist. identify other school | Teacher obtains help from other school personnel. E.g. counsellor, psychologist, administrator, social worker, nurse etc. Solist suppor’ fromthe | Parents provide suppor and source of information in regard to heir pupi's parents or guardians child's behaviour. pupil is experiencing. Define a specific problem the | Teachers observe pupil behaviours and talk to pupils about feelings they may have about: school, social situation, etc. address the problem, Create goals and activities to | Decide a specific goal and defined outcomes. therapy and its activities should be evaluated for their effectiveness. appropriate for the situation Research and select books | Criteria of book selection: (a) appropriateness for pupils’ developmental age & reading ability () the portrayal of the topic of interest (e.g., homelessness); (c) realism and honesty of character portrayals, and (4)literary quality pupil Tniroduce the book to the | In the introduction of bibliotherapy materials, care and sensitivity should be employed. The teacher should explain to a pupil that he ‘or she has noticed a specific behaviour, and suggest working on it together through an activity (.e., bibliotherapy). Incorporate reading activities | Pupils should interact with the bibliotherapy literature as they would with any other literature. Teacher can lead activities used {or all other books with bibliotherapy books (e.g., vocabulary) activities Implement post-reading | Teacher leads pupils to discuss how the book relates to their own lives and situations. Pupils can also make creative projects related to the story. Teacher meets each pupil individually to discuss the work done and their feelings about the book. bibliotherapy on the pupil. Evaluate the effects of | Once the pupil has completed the bibliotherapy book and projects, the teacher should reflect on the effectiveness of bibliotherapy for that pupil. In addition, the teacher should note successes and areas for improvement. 49 March D018), Frenatan (20 assessment. Reteve 125, 4 Pode 1 re a ‘= A collection of pupil work that allows assessment by providing evidence of effort and ‘accomplishments in relation to specific instructional goals (Jardine, 1996). + _E.g. Showcase portfolio, Process portfolio, Evaluation portfolio, Online or e-portfolio + Its often used as an evaluation tool used to document pupil leaming through a series of pupil-developed artefacts. ‘© Itoffers an altemative or an addition to traditional methods of grading and high stakes exams. «Portfolio assessment gives both teachers and pupils a controlled space to document, review. and analyse content leaning. + Atits best, portfolio assessment demands the following: clarity of goals ‘explicit criteria for evaluation ‘work samples tied to those goals pupil participation in selection of entries teacher and pupil involvement in the assessment process self-reflections that demonstrate pupils’ metacognitive ability (their understanding of what worked for them in the learning process, what did not, and why). «Advantages in using portfolios in assessment (Brown & Hudson, 1998): + enhances student and teacher involvement in assessment; * provides opportunities for teachers to observe students using meaningful language; = to accomplish various authentic tasks in a variety of contexts and situations; permit the assessment of the multiple dimensions of language learning: «provide opportunites for both students and teachers to work together and reflect on what it means to assess students’ language growth; «= increase the variety of information collected on students; and make teachers’ ways of assessing student work more systematic A558 6.2 Aural-oral assessment 63 Written assessment 6.2.1 Poetry recital 63.1 Play script 6.2.2 Choral speaking 6.3.2 Jaze chants 6.2.3 Dramatization 6.3.3 Stories 6.24 Jazz chants 6.3.4 Poems 6.25 Storytelling 6.3.5 Critical responses 6.3.6 Reflections 18Mi (la-t6 Mar 2019, Storytelling Steps: c. Share the story with an audience a. Choose a suitable story d. Observe children's responses to storytelling b. Prepare the story for telling ‘e. Encourage children to be storytellers Shared Reading An interactive reading experience Reading of a big book or enlarged text as guided by a teacher or other experienced reader. SR is generally accomplished using an enlarged text SR involves children in reading together by pointing to or sliding below each word in the text ‘SR models the reading process and strategies used by readers The teacher deliberately draws attention to the print and models early reading behaviours ‘such as moving from left to right and word-by-word matching ‘SR creates a risk-free environment, allowing children to focus on the enjoyment of the story. ‘The selected book must have: the possibilty of multiple readings for enjoyment a repeating refrainithyme to increase the enjoyment of reading the story over and over Teaching methods Initial reading (done by teacher) follows this pattem: Gather children in an area close to the book. ‘The book must be easily seen by the children. Introduce book (share theme, examine title, cover, illustrations, etc. make predictions) Excite student's imagination and relate prior experience to text Concentrate on enjoying the text as a whole (Read with few stops) Encourage students to use background knowledge to make predictions Encourage spontaneous participation in the reading of the story Discuss personal responses to the book Be positive in accepting/encouraging children’s responses Teacher is almost entirely responsible for the reading of the text. Close Reading- (Subsequent readings) Direct children's attention to various aspects of the text, and reading strategies, and skills. Many of the strategies needed for independent reading can be taught during shared reading, especially when shared reading takes place with a small group versus the whole class. Identify vocabulary, ideas and facts, discuss author's style, skill, and viewpoint. Remember to focus on the enjoyment of the story. Try not to draw attention away from the story with too many teaching points or too much attention to detail Experiment with intonation and expression, discuss colourful phrases or words. Attend to teaching points as they arise. Benefits of Shared Reading: Rich, authentic, and interesting Provides opportunities for the teacher to model reading for the children. 16‘+ Opportunities for concept and language expansion of pupils if teacher guides pupils reading a challenging reading text ‘+ Awareness of the functions of print + Familiarity with language patterns + Improve word-recognition skills as children interact several times with the same selection. ‘+ Individual needs of students can be more adequately met. Accelerated readers are challenged by the interesting, natural language of selections. Because of the support offered by the teacher, students who are more slowly acquiring reading skills experience success. Role Play = A form of unstructured drama + Astudent looks at the topic from the perspective of a character, who will fect and be affected by the topic. The instructor provides the setting and the characters, but the students have fo decide their characters’ lines and directions. * Generally, the students will need to do some research to make informed decisions from their characters’ perspectives. This research opportunity can easily become an inquiry element. Reader's Thoatre + Areading activity in which students, while reading directly from scripts, are able to tell a story ina most entertaining form, without props, costumes, or sets. + Pupils are not asked to memorize their lines. They are, however, encouraged to use intonation and gestures appropriate to their characters and their characters’ words. + Reader's theatre is a simple, effective and risk-free way to get children to enjoy reading. + As children write, read, perform and interpret their roles they acquire a better understanding of the literature. + Itinvolves children in oral reading through reading parts in scripts. The emphasis is mainly ‘on oral expression of the part. Reader's Theater is “theatre ofthe imagination”. Benefits of Reader's Theatre: = It provides repeated reading practice to build fluency. = Itimproves students’ confidence in, and enthusiasm for reading. = tis an enjoyable change of pace from everyday practice sessions. = Itcreates images by suggestion that could never be realistically portrayed on stage. + Itfrees the performers and the audience from the physical limitations of conventional theater, letting the imagination soar. = Itinvolves children in understanding their world, creating their own scripts, reading aloud, performing with a purpose, and bringing enjoyment to both themselves and their audiences. imagination of the perceptive silent reader. Story Grammar + Itis believed that regardless of age or culture, when individuals retell stores, the retells follow a pattern. This pattern is referred to as story grammar. + Story grammar involves ¥ expression of the character's problem or conflict ¥ a description of attempts to solve the problem ¥ an analysis of the chain of events that lead to resolution ¥ analysis of how characters react to the events inthe story 7A. Activities before reading i. Using illustrations ‘+ Exploit pictures to help the child understand and visualise the story ‘+ Illustrations in the book can be used to introduce the story, elicit vocabulary they know, introduce dificult words in that story, and generally excite the interest of the child for the story. ‘+ Teacher asks pupils to look at the picture before reading, and ask questions based on the itustrations. + Learners will be introduced to vocabulary, willbe able to understand the text better, and will 'be more engaged in the reading task (was I right? Is ita necklace or a watch?) Pre-teaching vocabulary ‘+ Teaching thematic vocabulary earlier before introducing a story with specialist vocabulary. ‘= E.g. Teacher can use activities to practise the names of the animals in a particular story 2s well as use flashcards to introduce the animals before introducing stories of animals. lil, Introduce the theme ‘Teacher familiarises learners with the topic before reading, by trying activities related to the topic, by setting a task to find out about the topic or by discussion (in your own language with lower level learners if you ike). iv, Input cultural background © Many stories assume a knowledge of cultural norms. Children are interested in finding out the differences between their own culture and the children’s lives in other parts of the world. ‘= Teacher could use pictures of the places mentioned in the book before children read or listen to the story. B. Activities during reading i. Use a variety of ways to read Younger learners will want to read/hearior listen to the story several times, particularly the shortor,flash-animated ones. This should not be discouraged as it helps learners to equate ral and written forms which is important for the development of reading skills. ‘+ Inthe classroom itis important to vary the kind of reading, such as: Using a data projector for a class to listen tolread a story as a whole-class activity 4 Reading the whole or parts of the story to a class with the text + The learners can read by themselves silently, either on-screen whether at school or even as homework 4 Some stories can be read as texts with illustrations and then children can watch the flash movie version, or this order could be reversed. Sustaining reading + For long story to keep the class motivated to read. + The teacher stops at convenient ‘clff-hanger’ points and ask the class ‘what happens next?" ‘+ This use of prediction skills makes the leamers want to read on to the end of the story to find out i their own idea is correct. ‘© Could be done as a ‘guessing game' if the teacher is controlling the pace of reading 18iii, Total Physical Response With very young or active learners the story can be mimed while the teacher reads or the children listen. A story like ‘The Snowman’ could be used for this. The actions of waking up, running into the garden, building the snowman and the ‘melting’ are all easy to mime. Iv. Characters and voices |i stories which have a lot of characters you could ask students to read the dialogue of the characters. The teacher could read the dialogue of characters in different voices first. v. Vocabulary help !f a child is reading individually at school or at home they could also use dictionaries to check on the meanings of unknown words, if the leamer is at a high enough level to use this independently C. Post-reading activities |. Quick comprehension check + Can be done when pupils have finished reading the story, or at the end of each page of text. ‘This may take the form of a few ‘gist’ questions about the text in oral or written form, asking children for a response e.g. why is this person sad, which character did the children like etc. Make a poster / illustrate the story + You can use any story as an opportunity for some creative drawing and illustration, perhaps with vocabulary labels in English * For example, in the story ‘Carnival Crime’, you could ask a leamer to: ©. draw the camival costumes in the story and label them ©. design their own carnival costume or a costume for a festival in their country iii, Stimulus for writing Many stories lend themselves to acting as a stimulus for creative writing, depending on the level of your learners. Younger learners or learners who have a lower level of English could use one of the simpler stories as a model for a story of their own. iv. Role-playlacting out Interpreting stories as role-play can be as simple or complicated as you like. It could start with rmiming basic actions, then speaking or improvising dialogue. In the classroom the teacher will need to be organised in advance with moving furniture, providing simple props etc. You could even use facepaints. 19ACTIVITIES TO EXPLORE AND EXPLOIT POETRY IN Te Soles THE PRIMARY ESL CLASSROOM 4. Reading Poetry Aloud to Children + Poetry should be introduced first and frequently to children in an oral form. Most poetry is best read aloud. Moreover, children’s oral language is the basis for their later acquisition of literacy. + Teachers need to practice reading the poems ahead of time and frequently. Keep in mind that poetry should be read for its meaning and enunciated words clearly. Pay attention to the poet's punctuation and slow down your normal reading pace to give full value to each sound. + Some poems need to be performed and dramatized. Using your voice to make special effects, such as variations of volume, pitch, and speech rate, and even a dramatic pause. + Brief encounters with one to three poems at atime are best. Too many poems in one sitting ‘may overwhelm students or make the reading tedious. + After reading the poem, be sure to announce the name of the poet so that children discover the writers they especially enjoy. = Some poems warrant discussion. Children can take the opportunity to tell how the poem made them fee! or what it make them think about. 2. Choral Poetry = Choral poetry consists of interpreting and saying a poem together as a group activity. Children enjoy this way of experiencing poetry because they have a participatory role in the activity. + Short, humorous narrative poems are good first choices. + Options for reading a poem chorally include unison, two- or three-part, solo voices, cumulative build-up, and simultaneous voices. + Poetry selected and arranged for dramatic choral readings on a particular theme infuses an interesting variation into choral poetry. = Incorporating action, gestures, body movements, and finger plays can produce more interesting and enjoyable presentation 3. Learning to Write Poetry = Children need to be very familiar with poetry of many kinds before they should be expected to compose poems. + Teachers often start the writing of poetry as a collaborative effort. The class brainstorms for ideas and then composes the poem in groups or pairs, + Children’s poetry follows no absolute rules; perfection of form should not be a goal. They should be reminded that poetry is a form of communication and that they should think of an idea, feeling, or event to write about in their poems. + Teachers can encourage children to compile personal and class anthologies of their own poems or their favorite poems. + Teachers can encourage children to model the works of professional poets by attempting imitation of a whole poem or of specific techniques. + Teachers can read aloud many poems of one poetic form, and then analyze the form to reveal the characteristics of its structure. 20ACTIVITIES TO EXPLORE AND EXPLOIT DRAMA IN TOPIC 9 THE PRIMARY ESL CLASSROOM Creating and adapting stories/poetry into a drama script Suggestions to help teachers adapt stories or poetry into drama scripts: 1) Choose a story or section of a book that is between 3-5 minutes long and photocopy it. Decide what characters and narrators are needed and assign a marker colour to each. !) Highlight all dialogue with the appropriate marker. Iv) The text thatis leftis narration. Assign narration creatively by determining which character it pertains to and splitting it between the character and the character's narrator. ¥) Add creative touches wherever possible. 4 vi) You are now ready to assign parts and rehearse. Review “pupil objectives” with the students, Make sure they take the work seriously and adhere to the objectives. i) Drama from Picture Books ‘* Using children’s picture books to start lessons ‘+ Tuma picture book into a drama lesson, such as simple story dramatization. ‘+ Pupils act out the story after reading a story to the class ii) Problem-Solving Exercise 1. The teacher chooses for this exercise a story which has a lot of physicality, and some knotty problems. 2. Tell the students to be thinking, while listening to the story, about what some of the problems might be when they try to act out the story. 3. Once the story is finished, discuss the problems that need to be solved before acting out the most exciting scenes. fii) Soundtrack 14. Teacher reads the story, show the pictures, fairly quickly, stopping at every picture if the book is short or at the most exciting ones if tis longer. 2. When you stop at a picture, ask students to imagine what are all the sounds they might hear in the depicted scene to make all a complete soundtrack 3. Practice making the sounds while watching the teacher "conduct"—indicating louder or softer, and eventually cutting the sound off like an orchestra conductor. 4. Do this with each picture. Then return to the beginning of the book and teacher read it agai but this time the sounds happen automatically when each picture is revealed. This results in a smooth telling of the story with a running soundtrack. iv) Narrative Pantomime 2B 1. Each person finds his own personal space in the room - no interaction between the children 2. As the teacher reads or tells a simple story, each person, on his own, “acts it out.” 3. Each student simply goes through the physical movements of protagonist of the story, and concentrates on the five senses~on really “experiencing” the character's adventures. ¥) Instant Illustrations 1, Read a book to the class but don't show them the pictures. aa2. Explain to them that while the illustrator has on look, there are many possible ideas. With young ones have each student make his own illustration, but sometimes with older children you expect them to work together to create one definitive picture, 2a about how the scenes in the story might vi) Reader's theatre (theatre of the imagination) 1. Story or script selection 5. Practice and Rehearsal 2. Supporting activities 6. Performance 3. Teacher's modelling 7. Discussion 4. Role assignments TEACHING STRATEGIES ties for the Pre stage — warming up to loosen up the students, especially shy and introvert ’) Guess the Leader AA student is chosen to guess the leader. The student is asked to wait outside the class. The rest of the class sits in a circle so that they can see one another. One student is chosen to be the leader. Cue cards are given to this leader who mimes the character or action written on the cards. The rest of the students follow the actions of the prompter. The student outside the class is then asked to come in and sees the mime that is going on. The leader has to change his actions every 15-20 seconds for the others to follow. This will allow the student “guesser” a chance to find out who the leader is. When preparing the cue cards, itis best to write the characters or actions that the students will read about in the drama that is taught. ii) Picture the story ‘© Break kids up into groups of six and ask them to sit ina circle on the floor. «Place a few props in the center of the group, for examples scarves, hats,feathers, ropes, money etc. It is @ good idea to have one prop per child. ‘= Ask each group to focus on the props putin front of them without discussing them. «Ask the children to close their eyes and try to imagine the story that is being told using these props. Play a piece of music while their eyes are closed. An instrumental piece is best. Movie soundiracks can be good for creating mood. * When the music is finished, ask the children to share their stories and images with one another. Ask each group to choose one person's idea, or combine several ideas to put a movement piece together fo tell a story, using the props to perform for the rest of the class. Activities for the “while” stage Presentation of drama — to know the plot, theme or setting of the drama, Drama activities are conducted for the presentation or practice of certain teaching points, e.g. activity to practice or present vocabulary or to practice a language skill New dialogues ‘Act on impromptu basis. Students pick out certain parts from the leamed drama text. They read those parts aloud. Other pupils listen and mime the dialogue. A variation to this activity is for the pupils who pick out the parts of the dialogue from the drama and make variations to the dialogue. They read aloud the newly structured dialogue and concurrently, other pupils listen & mime the dialogue. 2Guessing the character 1. Students are given cue cards with names of characters from the drama that they have learned. 2, They mime out the characters and other students guess the characters. For example, if a ‘student gets the card with fairy godmother and Cinderella written on it, he or she mimes a fairy godmother and Cinderella. 3. Other students then guess the characters that are mimed. iil) Guessing the costume 1, Students who receive the cue card with the name of a character have to describe the costume in a non-verbal manner, using his or her hands only 2. The other students in the group have to guess the character. 3. A variation to this is instead of naming the character, they read out a line fro which belongs to the character. 4, For example, a king wears a crown, robes and has a sword while a witch has ragged clothes and a pointed hat. ym the drama Activities for the “post” stage Carry out after pupils have already finished reading the whole drama. These activities can also be considered after the teacher has done the main teaching points of the lesson. 1) Chain story ~ for consolidating understanding of the plot 4. Pupils receive the slips of paper with drama plot which has been separated into sentences, They mime the sentence that they received. ‘After watching every pupil to mime their pars, they decide on the order They then mime again, this time in order of the plot. {A follow-up activity to this is to have the students write out the plot of the mimes. li) Story telling with objects 4. Students sit in their respective groups. 2. Students of each group are to put into an envelope one object each such asa coin, an eraser, pencil and a pen. 3. Each group exchanges their envelope with another group. 4. The group now opens the envelope and looks through the objects that they receive. 5, The teacher now gives each group a part from the drama that they have learned. &._ Using the objects, the pupils of each group act out the part of the drama given to them. For example, ifthe group has an eraser, pencils and coins and they are to act out Cinderella. The students acting as fairy godmother can use the pencil as magic wand, the eraser is the pumpkin and the coins are the white mice. 23