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.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Spelling program rationale and aims
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
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
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 …’
Monday, March 1, 2010
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
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Signpost Maths Year 4 Term 1
Click on the picture to make it bigger. The pink colour is taught to my own class, the black colour is taught to the streamed class.
Make your own map
Create a map of a "new" state in Australia.
- Draw an outline for it then decide on a name for the new state.
- Draw in the landforms (mountains, deserts etc.) and bodies of water (lakes, rivers, oceans).
- Creatively name them, e.g. Shark Bay.
- Design 10 different symbols to use in a key.
- Include the capital city.
- Remember to put in a compass!
Examples of landforms:
caves, volcanos, monolith rocks, gold, minerals, tree,grass, jungles, coal, canyons, mountians, fruit.
Examples of bodies of water:
gulf, swamp, dam, bay, reef, river, ocean, sea, cape, billabong, beach, strait, sound, lake, waterfall, bight, channel, marsh.
Extension activity:
- Draw your own treasure map.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Valuable writing tips
Can be found in the professional readings How To Write Yourself Sane.
Tips include the following models:
- Write to release pain or express joy.
- Set aside time to write.
- Resist the urge to be afraid of your feelings.
- Find focus in your writing.
- Decide what you will do with your writing.
Your poems, recipes, anecdotes, journal entries or stories can be self published into a hard bound book with blurb.com. I have made 16 so far. My best is a trip report with photos and journaling.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Year 4 writing - adjectives
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more scrumptious and delectable...
Your task today is use descriptive and creative adjectives to describe chocolate!
Monday, February 22, 2010
2010 Year 4 Listening and Speaking
Click on an image to see it clearly.
Listening activities:
Listening is making sense of oral language. Teachers should engage students in listening with a purpose, and support and encourage them to do this. Many opportunities for teaching listening skills and strategies can be incorporated into daily classroom language experiences.
The following activities enhance students' listening skills and strategies (as well as supporting the other language strands): reading along, choral reading, tape recordings, and sing-alongs.
It is important to give students guidance and explicit instruction that develop active listening skills and strategies. Balance direct instruction, guided listening, and independent listening.
- Reading Aloud: Read aloud every day to students. It is an important means of teaching listening and a powerful means of developing and expanding students' language repertoire and vocabulary. It is also important for modeling reading strategies
- Establish a practice of reading to the class from a variety of fiction and nonfiction books at least once a day.
- Read interesting articles from newspapers, magazines, and resources relevant to studies in other subject areas. Students, as a follow-up, should summarize what they have heard, put events in order, dramatize the story, answer questions about who did what, or participate in other activities to support their learning.
- Read aloud a poem each day (i.e., poetry pauses) to help students develop an awareness of the language, rhythms, and imagery of poetry.
- Provide many opportunities for students to hear a range of oral texts including: announcements, apologies, awards, concerts, conversations, dialogues, directions, discussions, dramas, explanations, speeches, songs, illustrated talks, improvisations, instructions, interviews, introductions, invitations, jokes, meetings, monologues, newscasts, oral interpretations, proverbs, problem-solving groups, puns, radio plays, reader's theatre, rebuttals, riddles, rules, slogans, songs, speeches, storytelling, sports casts, talking circles, testimonials, tributes, voice mail messages, weather forecasts, and others.
- In Talking and Sharing Circles during SRC meeting time: Give students, in small groups or as a class, an opportunity to share and discuss their ideas, stories, puppet plays, and written work. In turn, they give their peers an opportunity to practise listening behaviours and to provide helpful feedback.
- Use Listening and Media Centres (DVD sets, Hairy MacLary): The Smartboard can be used in addition to reading aloud to students. It gives students opportunities to experience a text a number of times. Using a Smartboard, students can use DVDs to listen for enjoyment, to listen as they "read along" with the text.
- Use Listening Games: Listening games can help students focus their listening, concentrate, and learn a number of listening skills and strategies
Our class listening includes:
Before Listening
What is the speaker's purpose?
What is my purpose for listening?
Will I need to make notes?
Which strategies could I use?
Which one would work best?
During Listening
Is my strategy still working?
Am I putting information into categories?
Is the speaker giving me clues about the organization of the message?
Is the speaker giving me non-verbal cues such as gesture and facial expressions?
Is the speaker's voice giving me other cues?
After Listening
Do I have questions for the speaker?
Was any part of the message unclear?
Are my notes complete?
Did I make a good choice of strategies? Why or why not?
Speaking Activities:
- speeches, can include: Demonstrate a science experiment, magic trick, hobby,
sport, or favorite recipe.
- book reports
- debates
-
In evaluation speaking/communication skills, consider the capacity to learn and understand new ideas and ways of working quickly by:
- expressing ideas succinctly
- ustifying, qualifying and explaining what they say
- using language in ways that reflect an appreciation of the knowledge and interests of specific audiences;
- ability to take on demanding tasks – researching, comparing and synthesising information from a range of different sources, including ICT;
- ability to argue and reason.
In Year 4:
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Groupings for student work
Maths groups are streamed across Year 4, between the three classes according to individual student needs.
Reading groups are formed to address the shift in emphasis from learning to read in the lower primary school, to reading to learn in the upper primary years, coupled with the need for an increased reading load across content areas.
Children work individually, in pairs or in cooperative groups.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Class Enrichment Activities and Special Needs
"There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people."
We will focus on cross-curricular enrichment activities that can work with an extended-day program. Children's creativity will be enhanced with a wide variety of crafts, puzzles, games, and outdoor activities that will help extend many classroom topics. We build skills in critical thinking, listening, memory, visualization, and concentration through singing, hands-on science experiments, physical education games, word puzzles, art projects, challenges, Science experiments and more.
Further activities:
- Class scrabble games
- Class chess games and class puzzles, for appropriate levels of interest
- Digital scrapbooking for those who work at an advanced level at Adobe Photoshop elements 6.
- Class research challenges on topics of relevance/interest to the students.
Special needs programs will be set in place in the following ways:
- Student assessment for special needs with Special Needs team with ILPs written where necessary.
- Streamed Mathematics.
- Working to appropriate level in classroom and homework tasks.
