Last post, I unpacked the grade 4 Language Arts illustrative outcomes to highlight that there are many skills, processes and content to begin planning your year.

I want to make it clear: the outcomes are the basis of your teaching and not a teaching resource.

By following the outcomes, you have a solid base to select other resources and materials with confidence; you will not find yourself wondering if you are on track with language arts.

Today let’s look a the notion of  “text”.

Text as defined in the program of studies: “texts refer not only to print but also to oral and visual forms that can be discussed, studied and analyzed. In addition, texts are affected and influenced by how they are transmitted, whether by computer, television, radio or book. Students need knowledge, skills and strategies in all six language arts to compose, comprehend and respond to such texts.”

Oral texts include storytelling, dialogues, speeches and conversations.

Visual texts include pictures, diagrams, tableaux, mime and nonverbal communication.

Combinations of oral, print or visual texts include videos, films, cartoons, drama and drum dancing.

Take a moment to think about your classroom.

Have you considered all the different types of text, beyond printed books?

 

 

In the program of studies examples of actual titles and other types of text are referred to in the illustrative outcomes for each grade level .

Types of text are noted in 2.2 (experience various text) and 3.2 (use a variety of sources) for each grade level.

(Note the program of studies is from 2000, so there is reference to outdated forms such as CDROM and card catalogs, yet the term “media” does help us to include all modern forms of text that have evolved since then)

Let’s go deeper…

Grade 4

2.4 Experience various texts.

experience oral, print and other media texts from a variety of cultural traditions and genres, such as personal narratives, plays, novels, video programs, adventure stories, folk tales, informational texts, mysteries, poetry and CDROM programs

3.2 Use of a variety of sources. 

locate information to answer research questions, using a variety of sources, such as maps, atlases, charts, dictionaries, school libraries, video programs, elders in the community and field trip.

This is what grade 4 looks like.

Visual Text	Short Text	Long Text	Informational	People and Places
Posters	Cartoons	Adventure Novels	Articles (paper and digital - web)	Museums
Plays	Comic Strips	General Novels	Advertisements	Field Trips
School Performances	Poetry	Historical Novels	Jingles	Elders in the Community
Logos	FolkTales	Mysteries	Reference Books (Textbook, atlas, dictionary,maps)	Libraries or Learning Commons

Note: printed/digital text can be long or short.

Looking for more ideas…

In most schools, there are Fountas and Pinnell Assessment Kits. Within those kits is a book called the Continuum of Literacy Learning. This book is a guide to teaching the whole year. Refer to the Read Aloud and Shared Reading sections for other text ideas.

Public libraries also have a digital collection. Digital collections include read along books (books that have words on the screen that are read to students), audio books (listen to the book, no text provided) and regular digital books.  Public library collections can be used in the classroom and at home. Students have free access to public libraries.

Below is a list of  my other favourite sources of digital text

• Gocomics.com  is an excellent source for comics/cartoons. Note that full panel comics are published on Sundays.
• Dogonews.com has a variety of news articles for kids.
• Wonderopolis.com is a treasure trove for interesting wonders and has a read aloud feature.
• Kidshannon.com is a portfolio for illustrators with a variety of visual texts. This is also a great source for writing prompts. Specifically, this site addresses outcomes that refer to illustrators, for example: grade 4 -2.2.-discuss a variety of oral, print or other media texts by the same author, illustrator, storyteller or filmmaker.
• commonlit.org is a site for articles that can be displayed, printed or sent to google classrooms. I found this site had interesting topics with readability levels that supported my struggling readers in junior high. This is also a site to share with your K and E teachers.

Take a moment or several, to explore these sites and begin to a list of “texts” that you would like to have in your classroom. Don’t forget the content areas that you will be teaching.  Are there text connections to Science, Math and Social?

Next time we will go deeper in our discussion of classroom libraries.

Until Then,

Love ya!

Coach Clark

Brandi, how do I plan for Language Arts, it’s so big and confusing?

Yep! This is a common feeling from language arts teachers.

How do you make a plan?

All other subjects have units that are nice and tidy.

Not language arts, it’s the beauty and the curse!

Many teachers want to pull a Grande, “Thank you, next!”

But, wait!

I fell in love with planning. So can you!

First, you need to find your standards or program of studies.

What is that? It’s EVERYTHING!!!!

In Alberta you find them here.

It all begins there.

This is a key visual from the Alberta Assessment Consortium. Notice the start (Orange) – WHAT WILL THE STUDENTS LEARN?

Next year I will be a Learning Coach and a Grade 4 teacher.  So I will be using grade 4 to illustrate the planning process.

The first thing I did was read the grade 4 illustrative outcome document and make it into a Google Slide Presentation.

Why? Cause it looks so much prettier AND you can have a place to brainstorm or collaborate with grade partners.

Then I thought I would go through and code the outcomes and examples using different colors.  (Note I didn’t completely finish, but I wanted to share the slides for you to use.)

In this way, I could truly see what was embedded in grade 4 language arts.

Out of curiosity, I wanted to see if I could create a checklist of content/skills. (see below)

So much became obvious when I did that.

There is much more to language arts than reading books and writing stories.

According to the program of studies, there are a variety of formats to read and gather information

We need to understand that students who struggle with reading novels and writing stories, can excel at creating a rap, making a newscast or performing a recipe.

Celebrate all the ARTS in Language Arts –  reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and representing.

Of course, the program of studies is older than dirt, so please add those natural tech connections.

And say “Thank you, Next” to CD ROMs!

As I continue to create my plans, I will post my progress. This is just the beginning. It’s getting messy, so stay tuned!

Until Next Time,

Coach Clark

Grade 4 – CHECKLIST

TEXT TYPES (have a variety or oral, written, media texts and experiences)

 

• Posters

• Cartoons

• Comic Strips

• Mysteries

• Folktales

• Poetry

• Informational texts

• Adventure stories

• Novels (books)

• Videos

• Newspaper articles

• Textbook

• Maps, atlases, charts, junior dictionary, school libraries, elders in the community, field trips, museums, websites

• Advertisements, signs, logos and jingles

• Plays

• School performances

• Storybooks

• Historical Novel

 

READING

 

• Strategies for unfamiliar words

Student 1: I reread when I don’t understand.

Student 2: I look at the pictures.

Student 3: I break a word into parts.

Student 4: I sound words out.

Student 5: I skip the word, finish the sentence, then go back and try to figure it out.

Student 6: I think about where I’ve heard a word before and think of how it fits with the sentence

• Monitor for understanding (inferences and predictions)

• Reread

• Make and revise predictions

• Preview sections of print text – skim

• Develop own opinion based on ideas

• Respond personally

• Reflect personal responses

• Sentence starters  (reader response)

• I liked/disliked the character when …

• I liked how the author/speaker/filmmaker …

• In my opinion …

• I think the author/speaker/illustrator should have

• Express preferences (using evidence from personal experience and text)

• Identify other perspectives

• Note similarities and differences (also between self and other cultures)

• Make general evaluative statements

• Connect own ideas, opinions and experiences (to oral and visual representations)

• Identity the general impression and main idea

• Comprehend new ideas

• Recall important points

• Communicate ideas and information

• Describe experiences

• Find details

• Use ideas and concepts

• Locate and understand

• Identify and discuss

• Describe and compare

• Use a pre-established criteria to give feedback (2 I like – 1 I wonder)  I think the main character…It would be nice to know more about…I was wondering why you…I thought the ending..
• Select preferred forms
• Write a letter (Pen Pal)
• Retell

• Express personal opinions

• Talk about books
• Paint a scene

WORD STUDY

• Prefixes and suffixes EXAMPLE re- (again), pre- (before), un- (not), bi- (two), and suffixes, such as -less (without),
  • root words,
  • compound words,
  • syllabication,
  • contractions and

• complex word families

• Extend sight word vocabulary (use webs/maps/themes/topics)

• Wordplay, repetition and rhyme (arrangement/repetition of words)

• onomatopoeia and alliteration

• Identify simple and compound structures in your writing

• Identify correct pronoun and noun agreement, use in writing

• Identify past, present and future action

• Identify and reduce fragments and run-on sentences

• use alphabetical order
• Collect words related to interest and topics of study

SPELLING

• Identify and apply common spelling generalizations

• Change y to i to add es

• Change y to i to add er and est

• Change y to i to add ing and ed

• locate words

• Spell check (confirm spellings)

 

TEXT ARTISTRY

• colour, font size and style (cartoons)

• Repetition is used to reinforce a message – rules, warnings, persuasion, promoting products (advertisements,logos, signs, jingles)

 

TEXT FEATURES

• use text features, such as headings, subheadings and margin organizers, picture captions, questions, chapter introduction and summary, maps, legends, questions in text

• Use indices, legends, charts, glossaries, typographical features, guide words

• Use headings (to organize writing)

• Use display labels (to access information)

• photographs, captions, maps and artifacts

 

REVISION and EDITING (Conventions)

• Revise first draft by adding detail to explain emotion

• Revise to ensure an understandable progression of ideas

• Revising and editing language (e.g insert, delete, view. format, cut, copy, paste, spell check, format, fonts, ident)

• Editing for clarity

• Deleting for abundance

• Clip pictures from magazines (collage)

• Edit for subject-verb agreement

• Capitalize beginning of quotations and organizations (add previous years)

• Use commas after introductory words and citing addresses

• Use quotation marks for passages of dialogue

• Write legibly

 

SPEAKING and PRESENTING

 

• Speaking – expression, speed, volume, clarity

• Audience influences vocabulary, style and language

• Presentation – informative and entertaining

• Adjust volume, tone of voice, gestures

• Recognize English and language from other cultures

• brainstorm questions to ask a guest speaker

 

LITERARY ELEMENTS

• Character, theme, setting, style, illustrations (variety including other cultures)

• Connect the thoughts and actions of characters

• Identify main events, causes and describe how they influence subsequent events

• Identify and explain events among events, setting and main characters

• Demonstrate clear relationships between character and plot

• identify the speaker or narrator

• Place a favorite character in a new setting (write about it)

 

 

AUTHOR STUDY

 

• Favorite author

• Same author, illustrator, storyteller, film maker (author study)

 

ORGANIZATION

• Focus (topics)

• Draft and discuss

• Outline

• Sequential order

• Logical sequence

• Frame (comics and cartoons)

• Focus topics

• use organizational patterns of expository texts

• Explain organizational structure (recipe)

• Organize ideas using appropriate categories, chronological order, cause and effect, posing and answering questions

• Record information in categories on a semantic map/web

• Organize ideas into sections

 

FILM STUDIES

• long shot for the setting, close-up for dialogue, cut/fade for change of setting and voice-over for narration (film studies)

• Combine detail, voice over, music and dialogue – sequence of events

 

RESEARCH SKILLS

• Identify information sources that inform, persuade, entertain

• Develop and follow a class plan for accessing and gathering ideas

• Write key ideas

• Make note of key images, phrases, images by subtopic

• Examine gathered information

• Search for more information

• Communicate ideas and information

• Record the authors and titles of sources (list alphabetically)

• Give constructive feedback, ask relevant questions, and express related opinions

• Collaborate to achieve group goals (Do group research)

• Ask for and provide assistance (in groups to achieve group goals)
• Identify strengths and areas for improvement in research process – What worked well? What could I do next time?

Planning my research-selecting my resources-organizing my data, recording my information, evaluating

• Assess group process, using established criteria, and determine areas for improvement – Yes No Sometimes – Did we complete our assignment? Did we take turns without interrupting? Did we stay on task? Did we encourage everyone to share their ideas? What can we change next time?

ORAL LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Greeting guests appropriately

• Identify and use appropriate language in school and other contexts

• Ask relevant questions

• Respond to questions

• Present a poem

• Present to peers (topics of interest)

• Select and use visuals

• Dramatizes  (add props, pictures, backgrounds and artifacts)

• Presenting – cue cards, props and music

• Use a painting to add detail for a backdrop

 

GOAL SETTING

• Identify areas for achievement and areas for enhancement

 

READING and CREATING

• Journal entry

• Diary entry

• Science Log

• Mathematics Log

• Reading log

• Dialog Journal

• Poetry reading (poems)

• Science Experiments

• Comic Strips

• Cartoons

• Magazine pictures

• Advertisements, signs, logos and jingles

• Reader’s theatre (reading, creating, presenting)

• Produce narratives

• Thank you letter

• Picture

• Recipe

• Personal Phone List

• Class Scrapbook

• Email

• Bulletin board display

• Produce Narratives (individual and collaborative)

• Create a wordless picture book (for example buddy gr. 1 class)

• Make a book cover

• Create posters

• Create a collage

• Create a diorama

• Create a trifold

• Autobiographical sketch

• Produce oral, print and other media texts

• Presentation

• Backdrops/Puppet play

• Short Reports

• Talk shows

• Writing instructions

• Rap

• Newscast

• Act out

 

 

TEXT and TECH TOOLS

• Draw (sketch)

• Paint

• Chart (individual and group)

• Create a KWL chart

• Storyboard (pictorial and/or words)

• Story map

• Idea Web

• Cluster diagram

• Venn diagram

• Create a timeline

• Legend with illustrations

• Graph

• Topographical relief map

• Make labels for a collection

• Select visuals, prints or other media

• Follow a class plan (for research)

• Create a class calendar of events

• Computer drawing program – google drawings

• Computer geography program – google earth

• Video program – video (YouTube etc)

 

INSPIRATION FROM…

• Hobbies

• Collections

• Experiences

 

THINKING and DOCUMENTING PROCESSES

• Brainstorm

• Listening

• Webbing

• Discuss

• Compare

• Ask questions

• Critique

• Paraphrase

• Comment

• Share (personal responses) (ideas) (information) (resources)

• Talk

• Describe

• Relates

• Record

• Make a list

• Use Jot notes

• Surveys

• Document (with photographs)

• View (watches)

• Review

• Explains

• Summarize

• Report