Review of EAL self–study task: Charlotte Ramsden

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The book chosen by Charlotte 'The Wolves in the Walls', it also has a supporting CD, I can see how this could be really useful to use with children with EAL. The activities chosen are a great way of encouraging children to engage in dialogue. By having the children imagining they are other animals gives all children thew opportunity to express themselves at a similar level, removing some of the barriers language might bring. Incorporating ICT to present their story would be a fun way for children to express themselves and also be kept to assess children's development.

It sounds like a great book and is definitely one I will be looking up in the future.

: 26 Jan 2012 16:06 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Teaching pupils with EAL

Chosen text:

Handa's Surprise by Eileen Browne.

This book was brought to my attention during a recent music seminar where I saw it's potential to be used to support children with EAL. The particular merit of this story include:

• Clear sequence and pattern of animals and fruit.
• Use alliteration, e.g. 'sweet smelling', and 'ripe red'.
• Bright colourful illustrations, which support the text but also hold further information that can be used to explore the story.
• The book is written in an active voice.
• The story introduces, fruit, animals, numbers and colours. These can all be used to build on a childrens existing knowledge.

Supporting pupils in year one with EAL.

Learning objectives

Strand 7 Understand and interpreting texts

Strand 8b Visualise and comment on events, characters and ideas, making imaginative links to their own experiences.

Quadrant A (high context, low cognitive demand)

Activity one would focus on children's listening skills. After sharing the story with the group, bring in the real fruit that is used in the story, oranges, pineapples etc. This would provide a link between familiar fruits they may recognise, it also gives the story context that children can associate to. Have the fruit all in a basket and re-read the story. When each fruit is read out in the story have one child go a pick that fruit out. Children could also stand in a row in the correct order, showing the sequence of the story.

Quadrant B (high content, high cognitive demand)

Activity two would be a role play. It would be cross curricular as puppets could be made of the animals in the story, either glove puppets or pictures coloured in and placed on sticks. Working in mixed ability groups of three, with the EAL in the centre, the two other children acting as the 'more knowledgeable others'. This would increase and discussion and involve interaction with all three children. Have the three children re-enact the story in the correct sequence.

Quadrant C(low content, high cognitive demand)

Activity three would be a conservation poster, Give each group an animal to create a information poster for that animal. Supply the children with resources to research information about the animal, books, internet, fact sheets, pictures. Have a success criteria for each poster to find out; food they eat, habitat they live in, country they are from, how they move e.g. fly, swim. The poster offers opportunity for collaborative learning, and also reduces the pressure of producing a purely written piece of work but will encourage some form of writing. It also provides cross curricular links with geography and art.

: 22 Jan 2012 11:20 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Update to 'The Silver Child'

Follow-up to The Silver Child from Timothy's blog

Well that wasn't quite how I expected it to end! There has been a further character inroduced to the story called Helen, and Milo has made a complete transformation, somewhat different to the boy who first came to Cold Harbour. The book has ended on a complete cliff hanger and is virtually begging me to start the new book in the series - I wasn't even aware that it is was part of a trilogy, bring on 'Silver City' the second book of the trilogy.

: 01 Nov 2011 20:05 |  Tags: PGCE English Reading Teacher Taska |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The Silver Child

I have to admit to not being an avid reader of fiction books. You're more likely to find me with my head buried in a travel book, dreaming of far flung lands, or having a look into the lives of the rich and famous and actually realising that actually they're not much better off! However, since I realised that I should be taking a greater interest in children's books (for obvious reasons), I've noticed what I've been missing out on.

Currently I'm immersed in 'The Silver Child', a fantasy tale of children with special gifts drawn together to an abandoned wasteland called Cold Harbour. Abandoning their homes, none of the children quite know why they were drawn to such a dangerous, desolate place, and why they feel the need to stay when they all had warm beds and families waiting for them at home. Each child has the gift of a special skill, I suppose you could say it's a bit like the X-Men, maybe that's why I'm enjoying it. Although these children were not born with these skills, more of a mutation really, it is only now that they have discovered them, since arriving at Cold Harbour. At the stage I am at in the book I have been introduced to five characters, all with one thing in common, a deafening but silent roar they can all hear, like nothing they have ever heard. I feel as though I am the sixth character at the moment, I also have no idea why these children have been brought together, or what this mysterious roar is? I'm eager to find out the reasons for them being called to Cold Harbour and to find out what happens next...

I think this would be a great book for children, it has plenty of imagination that can be used to develop their own pictures of the characters in the story and you never know who or what is going to turn up next. It can be a bit crazy and at times a bit dark but keeps you turning the pages to find out that little bit more.

: 28 Sep 2011 16:39 |  Tags: PGCE English Reading Teacher Taska |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem