Names: Leanne Matthes, Sarah Thirsk, Kassidy Madigan, Carolyn Garnier and Cassidy Olson
- Brainstorm a list of at least 10 activities that you could do with this book that would emphasize orality and help children build on their oral language skills:
- An art activity with clay
- Seasons
- Moon phases
- Hello / Goodbye being integrated into a lesson somehow
- A story telling activity where they create something similar
- Explaining what the seasons mean to them
- Foods and recipes
- Discussing death, grieving process
- Telling stories about elderly people the students know
- Connecting animals, memory and history
Things to think about:
Do any of the activities engage multiple modes (e.g. representation/images as well as written and spoken language).
Do any of the activities give opportunities for learners to engage their imagination? To share about their feelings and identities?
Do any of the activities encourage playing with language. Think about semantics, syntax, phonology, pragmatics.
Are there opportunities for learner choice?
- Choose one activity. Expand on it. What would the teacher do/say. What would the learners do/say?
Students would pick a season and come up with their own story relating to that season. They would share the story in a specific setting (partners, small groups). They could represent their story in a drawing, clay sculpture, or written work. Students could talk about and compare and contrast the different seasons and how each student’s stories compare. Teachers could help facilitate the activity by asking open ended questions or giving students chances to make up a story if they can’t or are not comfortable sharing a personal story.
- What is the language or literacy goal (or big idea) that you are working on through this activity? Are there any other big ideas you are exploring in the activity (e.g. content goals).