Carolyn Wilhelm, a teacher in grade K-2 sets up her lesson using the 5
components of the ELA format.
Reading: Carolyn uses an all-time children’s favorite book
to read aloud to her class. Her students then share their thoughts and connect
the book that was read to them to another form of literature which is being taught
to them and they will be able to identify as “Found Poetry” later in this
lesson. All this takes place during the first session of the Found Poetry
lessons.
During the Second session the focus is shifted to Writing;
Students plan their own Found Poem and then share notes to come up with the
best beginning for their poem. Students continue to share phrases and words
until all students have shared a line and the poem is complete.
The third session has Carolyn handing out a printed copy of
the poem. The students are encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings
about the poem. Students then communicate their lines and make necessary changes
and adjustments to their poem. Students are prompted on how to create a good
oral presentation. Here the focus is on Language, speaking and listening.
During the fourth and final session the students present
their work to family, friends and/or other classes. Students also relate to the
audience how they have created this poem.
When reading through Carolyn Wilhelm’s lesson it struck me
as being a wonderful and exciting learning experience for the children. The
students are taught to communicate with one another and together create a poem
and eventually a presentation which they can really claim their own. Unlike students
who are given a poem to read aloud, these students wrote the script for their
presentation all by themselves. This makes the children feel proud and accomplished.
By creating a small presentation the children are also learning some basic skills
of public speaking, during session 3 Carolyn prompts her students on how to
create a good oral presentation this way the students will be more confident
with their presentation and they will feel good with their work.
It's never too early to encourage kids to stand up in front of people and perform. Performance doesn't have to be learning lots of lines for a play or spectacle; it can be as simple as singing a song, telling about a picture they drew, reciting a favorite poem or even doing a Sunday school talk. The more we encourage young kids to speak, the greater the likelihood that their self confidence will increase with each experience. Everyone has a story to tell and wants someone to listen.
ReplyDelete