Module 3: Literacy/Numeracy

Literacy
We did a lot of reading in the module on the wonderful eworkshop.ca website. The following are some "aha" moments that came from those readings.

1. Guided Reading: Picture Walk

As a secondary teacher I've had very little opportunity to facilitate this kind of activity. Visual learners will gain a better understanding by watching other students act out the story. Kinesthetic learners will gain a greater understanding by participating in the story hands-on. I wonder if this type of activity could be modified for older students or if they would just find it silly.

2. Independent Reading: Word Solving Strategies

I thought the word solving strategies were wonderful for beginning readers. I believe experienced readers also do this, but without formally going through the steps. It's always interesting when I ask my students to guess the meaning of a word before they look it up. These strategies might be helpful reminders for them to have up in the classroom.

3. Shared Reading: Think, Pair, Share

I practise this technique often in my teaching but have never heard it called this before. Also, I often don't give them much time to think individually before they pair up. Especially with the younger students, I think it's important to give them time to formulate their thoughts before they have to share them with others.

My Wish:

I have used literature circles before but learned some new roles for students through the videos on the eworkshop site. I would like to know more about other options for roles in the literature circles. I would like to know more about the purpose of the artful artist (as mentioned in the Independent Reading section under Fluent readers in the Literacy Modules for K-3), as well as the literary luminary(as seen in Segment Four of Active Learning- Literature Circles for Literacy Modules Grades 4-6). I am unclear as to the relevance of the artful artist in certain situations and wonder if that role might be eliminated in certain curricula. The second role, the literary luminary, was not defined in the video and thus I am unclear as to what his or her purpose is.

Numeracy

This was a really helpful section for me because it focused on math which is a subject I am not as comfortable with. Our task was to create a professional plan to guide us in leading a division meeting discussion and presentation on the eworkshop site and fractions — how learning supports the students’ understanding of Big Ideas.

Click here to view my presentation.