Haiku with Gemma

Haiku is an old form of Japanese poetry. Many Haiku themes include nature, feelings or experiences and usually they use simple words and grammar. The most common form for Haiku is three short lines. The first line usually contains five (5) syllables, the second line seven (7) syllables, and the third line contains five (5) syllables.

Haiku doesn’t rhyme! A Haiku must “paint” a mental image in the reader's mind.

We learn how to write Haiku from Gemma.

Here is an example of her work:

Eyes softly searching
Eyes creating dialogue
Eyes that know your soul

Language Program Year 4 2010

English program Year 4 2010

RATIONALE:

Literacy is defined as the ability to read, use written information and to write appropriately, in a range of contexts with many different purposes and also the ability to communicate with a wide variety of audiences. Literacy is integrally related to learning in all areas of the curriculum and enables all individuals to develop world knowledge, understanding and deep thinking skills.

Reading and writing, when integrated with speaking, listening, viewing and critical thinking, constitute valued aspects of literacy in modern life. It is important that students develop the literacy skills needed in a world that is rapidly changing due to cultural diversity, mass communication, technical advancement and digital technology.

AIMS:

• To provide the opportunity for all children to develop their capacity and extend their ability in all three dimensions: reading, writing, oral language.
• To encourage students to explore the meaning of texts, including multimedia and to comprehend how meaning is conveyed.
• To develop the knowledge of how language is used along with related text structures and features.
• To enhance teacher skills to facilitate students’ learning related to acquiring the knowledge, skills and personal qualities of literacy.
• To use explicit teaching to enable students to become competent at reading, viewing and listening critically. This also applies to thinking, speaking and writing clearly and confidently.
• To empower students to apply their knowledge and skills in a variety of situations.
• To integrate the learning of literacy across all areas of the curriculum.

CONTENT:

The English program will cover the three dimensions:

- Reading
- Writing
- Oral Language (Speaking and Listening)

IMPLEMENTATION:

General
- English to be explicitly taught on a daily basis.
Programs will be sequential, developmental and matched to the needs of individual children.
- Intervention programs will be offered in consultation with the Special Needs Team. English as a Second Language (ESL) student will be provided with additional language assistance as deemed necessary.
- First Steps Writing inservice sessions will be attended
- Growth in multimedia means that students need to develop comprehension and research skills, such as discriminating and questioning, to effectively use these multiliteracies. The English program will be flexible, adaptive and creative in order to embrace new technologies..
- Consideration will be given to ensure that both girls and boys have relevant learning activities.
Reading
- Read Aloud, Shared or Modelled Reading, with an explicit teaching focus, will occur each day with the whole class.
- Students will be engaged in sustained, purposeful Independent Reading every day to build a love of reading, reading stamina and reading competence.
- The Smartboard program will complement the reading program by allowing students more access to such components as ebooks, research opportunities and appropriate software.
- Guided Reading sessions will be taken each day.
- Students will have a Classroom Library to which students have contributed ideas and take responsibility. From this library, students will select their weekly texts for Independent Reading.
- Selected students will articulate their new learning during Share Time, e.g. What have I learnt today to make me a better reader?
- Comprehension will be an integral component of all reading sessions as the gaining of meaning from a text provides the purpose of reading. The aim is to develop in students a higher level of understanding and the ability to think deeply/critically about their reading.
- The focus of teaching comprehension skills will be on building strategies to use on continuous text i.e. books.

Writing

• Students will learn to control language and apply the grammatical structures of English, by learning to spell and use punctuation effectively.
• Daily handwriting sessions will concentrate on letter formation, pen/pencil grip, size, speed and style of writing.
• One hour session of writing to be taken daily. Each structured session has a focus; a daily independent writing time; a publishing time; a share time. Teaching strategies will include shared, modelled, interactive, guided and independent writing.
• There will be a balanced approach to the text types (genres) to be taught.
• Students can compose writing in a variety of forms:

Recount
Information Report
Procedure
Explanation
Description
Narrative
Exposition
Discussion


Oral Language (Speaking and Listening)
- A rich oral language in discussions has a vital role in providing scaffolded learning experiences for students.
- Quality dialogue promotes greater student awareness of the world around them.
- Teaching will be explicit to ensure that the students understand what skills they are being taught when doing the task and what links they can make to prior knowledge.
- Effective oral language includes auditory and listening skills; correct pronunciation; adequate description; the ability to categorise; accurate grammar; developing sentence structure; ability to formulate questions; social skills of communication.
- Speakers and listeners co-construct meaning through their conversations, using verbal and non-verbal behaviour and both have active roles in this meaning-making process.
ASSESSMENT:

Assessment enables us to provide ongoing information about each child’s development in English using a variety of assessment tools, including self and peer assessment, to assess each child’s progress. Assessment will be in accordance with the school’s Assessment and Reporting policy.

EVALUATION OF PROGRAM:

The English Program will be reviewed and revised as needed. This will ensure that the above aims are being met. The Torrens Primary School Scope and Sequence will provide guidelines for auditing the effectiveness of the teaching of English.

Spelling program rationale and aims

RATIONALE:

Spelling is a thinking process and is an integral part of the writing program. It is developmental as with all language learning. Good spelling is a factor of effectively relaying meaning when writing.

AIMS:

- Develop an interest in words, explore words and learn how words are constructed.
- Encourage risk-taking and to attempt words that they need.
- Proof read, edit and correct own and partner’s work.
- Develop and reflect on their own spelling strategies.
- Teach spelling within the context of an inclusive, holistic curriculum so that it is relevant to their needs.
- Explore the links between word meanings in the context of writing.
- Encourage the use of resources to find the correct spelling.
- Help learners to become confident, competent writers.

Year 4 Spelling test

Click on the image to make it larger.

(This test is from the Wedgewood Park Primary School site, in Victoria.)

Spelling Program Year 4

Spelling Program:

single sounds
2 letter words
3 letter words
rhyming words/ long words/ short words
segmenting words into syllables
sight words/ word banks/ class lists
consonant digraphs (ck, ch, sh, th, wh)
initial double consonants (bl, fl cl, pl, sl, br, dr, fr, cr, gr, pr, tr, sm, sn, st, sk, sp, sc, sw, tw)
double consonants (ll, tt, gg, ss, dd, zz, mm, nn, ff)
final double consonants (_nt, _ ft, _ st, _mp, _nd, _sp, _ng, _lm, _ct, _lk, _lt, _nk)
tri consonant blends (scr, str, spr, thr, shr, squ, spl)
grouping of words according to sound patterns/ visual patterns
high frequency words taken from children’s reading and writing and added to class lists
vowel digraphs (ee, oo, ay, oy)
word families (ar, all, qu, er, ir, ur, or)
long vowels (a-e, o-e, i-e, u-e, e-e)
syllabification -2 syllables…compound words
homophones (plain plane) and homonyms
antonyms / synonyms
Finding words within words
Word building games
Use mnemonics
Use dictionaries / alphabetical lists
Develop word banks on theme, topic, high frequency and interesting words
Proof reading strategies
Adding ed, ing
Plurals
Word sort- meaning / letter patterns / sound
Rules … silent e / plurals
Endings…tion….ious….ight
Begin to make spelling generalisations
Use double letters correctly
Use visual knowledge of common English letter sequences
Use knowledge of word meanings and derivations
Extended bank of known words
Suffix, prefix
More difficult homophones, homonyms, compound words
Have a go at specialised words…science
Willing to use a range of resources
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia words
Continue to model and teach mnemonics and proof reading strategies
Silent letters
Contractions
Words with unusual or irregular spellings
Consonant diagraphs (ph, gh, kn, gn)
Irregular diagraphs (aw, au, ei)
Word origins
Advance use of dictionaries and thesaurus
Word play…crosswords
Words with multiple meanings

Circle Time for class meetings

In our class we use circle time after SRC meetings, during discussions of the Fish Philosophy and when we have problems at school we need to address. We also use it for fun drama games such as the Key Game, when we are having a reward for working together cooperatively.

Working with Ground rules
(Adapted from Just Schools, Chapter 7, B. Hopkins)

The ground rules need constant review.
A simple sentence completion activity can be used repeatedly over several weeks to reinforce what each member of the group needs from each other. Examples of sentences to pass around:

I don’t feel respected when …
I do feel respected when …

I don’t feel safe when …
I do feel safe when …

I don’t feel valued when …
I do feel valued when …

The leader starts this activity, so they are taking the first risk, not asking anyone to do something they are not willing to do themselves, and modelling the nature of the contribution.

Working with Ground rules
(Adapted from Just Schools, Chapter 7, B. Hopkins)

Another circle time convention is that no one has to contribute, and so the right to pass is introduced early on. If a talking stick is being used it can simply be held for a short time and then handed on, or the word ‘pass’ can be said.
It is always a good idea to go round a second time because people who passed on the first round have had time to think and may now like to contribute.

Respecting the Guidelines
(Adapted from Just Schools, Chapter 7, B. Hopkins)
What happens if the guidelines are forgotten or ignored by someone? A restorative approach is for those affected to meet and hear from each other how the situation has impacted on them and for all sides to agree on an acceptable way forward.
Here are a few quick suggestions for dealing with problems as they occur:
1. Respond at once by expressing how the situation has affected you and what you need in order to move on and then by asking the other people involved what happened from their perspective and what they want to happen. This can often lead to a quick resolution with no bad feelings.
2. In the middle of a circle time lesson this approach can be widened out to the whole class to great effect because it demonstrates how thoughtless behaviour in a room is likely to have an effect on most people in the room. Try using a ‘go-round’ starting with yourself:
‘When someone talks loudly during the lesson I feel angry because …’
Then invite the entire circle to complete the same sentence. Be prepared for some to feel differently.
Now go around again and maybe start with what you would like to happen in general terms without making practical suggestions. See what comes from them, and in particular those whose behaviour has been causing you distress, this is a ‘no blame’ approach.
‘What I would like to happen is …’
This approach can help the whole class take responsibility for their behaviour and the smooth running of the lesson.

Respecting the Guidelines (cont.)
(Adapted from Just Schools, Chapter 7, B. Hopkins)

3. Failing this, arrange for a longer conversation with those involved after the lesson when tempers have cooled and people have had time to reflect. Be prepared to hear the reasons behind the behaviours and what the students needed that they were not getting.
The emphasis is on:
• What is the meaning behind the behaviour?
• Who has been affected by the behaviour?
• What was everyone feeling and thinking then and now?
• How can the harm caused be repaired?
• How can the matter be put right as far as possible to everyone’s satisfaction and so that people’s needs can be met?
• What can be done to avoid the same situation happening again?


A Circle Time Structure
(Adapted from Just Schools, Chapter 7, B. Hopkins)

A circle time session may include:
• A gathering – a go round in the circle when everyone makes a very small contribution, maybe completing a sentence suggested by the leader.
• A mixer – a game that ensures everyone mixes up and sits with people they do not usually work with
• Focus activity – a slightly longer theme based activity (listening skills? Negotiation skills? Planning? Private reflection and drawing? Citizenship issues?)
• A review of what has been learnt using a circle go-round or in pairs
• Another game – if time, preferably a cooperative one
• A closing – ‘One thing I have enjoyed this time …’

Computer Club

Computer Club is open at lunch times on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Topics taught include - according to appropriate student levels:

- Kidpix - mouse manipulation and a beginning animation program
- Kahootz - an advanced animation program
- Google Earth - mapping skills
- Google Maps - get directions skills and location and mapping skills
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 - PSE6 - manipulation of photos, applying filters, resizing, saving correctly for school and for web use, cropping, enhancing, working with layers, digital scrapbooking
- Internet safe use
- introduction to safe blogging practices
- typing skills
- research skills
- PowerPoint Presentations
- Publisher for class newsletters