What do you expect English Language Arts to look like/sound like/be like in the Elementary School classroom?

(Grades 4-5)

I expect English Language Arts in a grade 4 to 5 classroom setting will encompass some key themes: building on previous knowledge, critical literacy, expanding and exploring communication, and addressing relevant themes.

I expect that building on previous knowledge would be an integral part of any lesson regardless of age group, but perhaps more so with these students purely because they are older and would have more experiences to share. Students at this stage should be encouraged to explore and experiment in articulating the wealth of personal experiences, feelings, thoughts, and opinions they have to draw from. While including technical aspects like essay composition and grammar, I would hope that the emphasis would be placed on experimenting with various elements of language, such as different writing styles and mediums of communication.

Critical literacy will be especially important for this age group as they may be increasingly seeking out their own sources of information and entertainment without guidance or censorship. Online communication alone opens up a huge window of information, opportunities, and dangers that children of this age may already be exploring independently. Information and misinformation will also be pouring in from many sources- peers, television, and advertising to name a few. By exploring current themes relevant to the students, such as peer pressure, drugs, or climate change, a Language Arts classroom will be an environment where students are challenged to critically evaluate messages and ideas.

Strengthening the sense of classroom community, as well as creating avenues of dialogue between students and their larger community, could empower and encourage students to share their knowledge and opinions with a wider audience, get involved in their community and realize their potential and ability to affect change.

Introduction

Hello! My name is Amber and I am back at school learning how to be a teacher! This blog will be a reflective blog that is meant to help me sort out thoughts on topics we cover in our language arts class. I'm sure it will provide me with plenty of opportunity to revisit ideas and even change my mind on more than a few. The importance of self-reflection by both the student and the teacher is a vein we keep returning to throughout this program so here we are. I have never blogged before so bare with me and feel free to send any tips my way on making a more enjoyable and engaging blog reading experience!

Virtually all of my teaching experience has been overseas so as a student revisiting the study of language, this class will be very interesting for me. Communication was such a huge part of my life living and teaching abroad and I grew to realize it encompassed so much more than words alone. I'm hoping this course will give me more insight into the subject so I can effectively engage students in creative communication!

This is a "general" blog in that it does not exclusively focus on one age group. Instead, within our trio of class bloggers, we will alternate the focus age group on each post, which I will include in the title.