I like this image but I am bothered that those 2 donuts are upside down. Just me?

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(Note the program of studies is from 2000, so there is reference to outdated forms such as CDROM and card catalogs, yet the term “media” does help us to include all modern forms of text that have evolved since then)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

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

Why do I read business articles? Because they are often the source for amazing ideas to use in the Language Arts classroom.  This Forbes’ article about the Limerick Butler poet Stephen Clare inspired my take on Fresh Poems in the Classroom.

Stephen Clare sets up his typewriter and creates “fresh” poems for people in under 10 minutes.

He requires two things to create poems… a WHAT and a WHO

• WHAT is the topic for the poem?
• WHO is the poem for?

The customer talks to him as he writes. Stephen’s creative process determines the length and the structure of the poem, he lets the poem take the lead.

This magic can happen in the classroom too! Here’s how!

Setting Up This Experience in the Classroom

Immerse students in poetry. Explore many different kinds, not just ones that rhyme.

Here are some handy lists.

30 Books of Poetry for Young Readers

20 Best Poetry Books for Kids

Practice writing poems together as a class. Model first as a teacher (I DO, STUDENTS WATCH), then together as a large group and in small groups (WE DO TOGETHER) and then as individuals (YOU DO ON YOUR OWN).

After writing a few different types of poems, set up students in pairs to write “Fresh Poems”.  Encouraging students to share topics that are meaningful to them and to carefully consider who could the audience of their poem could be. This opens the audience to other students in the class and in the school, in addition to other school staff and to family at home.

However, reality is that writing a poem without scaffolds can be challenging. While some students can listen to another student’s ideas and create a poem, most cannot. Here are some ways to support the student writer of “fresh poems.”

Have poem templates for students to use with prior instruction of how to create with them.  These are the same templates students have explored in class to write poems.

Consider an organizer for holding the ideas of the student “customer”.  One option is to have a paper for students to make a jot list or perhaps a series of boxes on a page for students to create quick drawings with/without words.

If you have access to Google Apps, perhaps have the student “customer” speak into Google Docs using the voice typing feature found on the toolbar under “tools”. The benefit of  voice typing is that the poet can use these captured words, already typed into a doc to create the poem without worrying about the initial step of idea capture.

Finishing ideas can include no tech, meaning hand printed on a page.  It can also be low tech, using a word publishing technology to create a polished poem using typed words and found images. A high tech option would be using BookCreator, to include pictures and words in an eBook format.

Here are some other places online to create or learn how to write poems.

Poster My Wall

Poetry Templates from READWRITETHINK.org

Poetry Templates from Teach-nology

Using Google Slides to Make a Poster

How to Write Free Verse Poetry

Enjoy this process, make tweaks as you find out what works for your students. I think it is important to emphasize the beauty in the personalized gift of writing. Celebrate these newly created poems by bringing in those that are receiving the poems. As an extension, set up a FRESH POEM REQUEST box where students can fill out a form to request a fresh poem. The form should include, the name of the person requesting the poem, the topic for the poem and for who the poem is for.

I look forward to hearing how you used “fresh” poems in your classroom. Please make note in the comment section.

Here’s a bonus for you! I created this Poetry LiveBinder and you might find it helpful as you explore poetry in your classroom.

Until Next Time,

Coach Clark