Day 7 Teaching of Reading – Literacy
Read aloud poem: The Letters at School by author of Very Naughty Letters – Mary Mapes Dodge delights all readers with her skillful presentation of the alphabet. Enjoy!
The Letters at School
by Mary Mapes Dodge
One day the letters went to school,
And tried to learn each other;
They got so mixed ‘t was really hard
To pick out one from t’ other.
A went in first, and Z went last;
The rest all were between them,–
K,L and M, and N, O, P,–
I wish you could have seen them!
B,C,D,E, and J, K, L,
So jostled well their betters;
Q,R,S,T–I grieve to say–
Were very naughty letters.
Of course, ere long, they came to words–
What else could be expected?
Till E made D,J,C, and T
Decidedly dejected.
Now, through it all the Consonants
Were rudest and uncouthest,
While all the pretty Vowel girls
Were certainly the smoothest.
And simple U kept far from Q,
With face demure and moral,
“Because,” she said, “we are, we two,
So apt to start a quarrel!”
But spiteful P said, “Pooh for U!”
(Which made her feel quite bitter),
And calling O,L,E to help,
He really tried to hit her.
Cried A, “Now E and C, come here!
If both will aid a minute,
Good P will join in making peace,
Or else the mischief’s in it.”
And smiling E, the ready sprite,
Said, “Yes, and count me double.”
This done, sweet peace shone o’er the scene,
And gone was all the trouble!
Meanwhile, when U and P made up,
The Cons’nants look about them,
And kissed the Vowels, for you see,
They couldn’t do without them.
Read aloud story: La Diablesse from Folklore and Legends of Trinidad & Tobago
Book by Gérard Besson. I always look forward to the read aloud as they relax me and stimulate my imaginative juices which puts me in readiness to absorb the day’s lesson.
We were reminded to keep Howard Gardner’s ‘8 ways of being smart’, multiple intelligence modalities at the forefront of our mind:
- Musical-rhythmic and harmonic
- Visual-spatial
- Academic-Linguistic-verbal
- Logical-mathematical
- Bodily-kinesthetic
- Interpersonal
- Intrapersonal
- Naturalistic
- Existentialist-spiritual (added after 1999)
- Teaching-pedagogical (proposed addition in 2016)
We explored the benefits of literacy to the individual, family, community and the wider society. Literacy helps us negotiate and make informed choices, evaluate situations and circumstances, innovate and advance technologically. It was stated that literacy gives people the power to heal their lives and achieve their goals. Those are actualities I subscribe to. In my estimation information literacy which is the ability to know where and how to access information is of great importance. Critical literacy which helps a person discern and discriminate information, ask questions and formulate perceptions from interactions with people, media and their environment is essential and beneficial to navigating through life. Added to those two, quantitative literacy which measures one’s ability to interact with numbers, fill forms and grasp mathematical information, would be my third essential literacy modality.
We touched on the factors affecting the learner’s reading ability which include the learner’s physical ability, such as, sight, hearing and speech. The learner’s mental health and their attitude affects the learner’s ability to absorb. Based on my experience as a student in school, the teacher’s attitude equally affects the learner’s ability to learn.
The introduction of poetry in a lesson has major benefits as it:
- reinforces vocabulary and grammar skills
- supports the building blocks of literacy
- stimulates learning in a fun way
- promotes memorization through rhyme and cadence
We were introduced to the acrostic poem using each letter of our first name:
Motion and movement keep her balanced
Alluring but amusing, she makes you laugh what a talent!
Likeable and loveable if you decide to get close
Authentic, a true friend and confidante at your side through your best and worse
Inspiring others by her quest to excel, so stay around her and you can only do well
Kindhearted loyal friend to ensure you will never see hell
Adaptable with a resilience to life’s circumstances & tres belle!
21.04.2021
