Culture. A tiny word for such an important and universal meaning. Culture is communication and communication is culture. I introduced the "cultural iceberg" today to portray how we only see 1/4 of a culture, while the rest, 3/4 of a culture are hidden to us. We learn through communication and social interaction. We can learn to understand and appreciate other cultures if we take the time to listen. Listening to folktales can teach us how other cultures think and feel. We can find themes that are universal and touch us all.
Language Arts
I love teaching language arts. I love language and all its nuances, caveats, and complexities. Words are the stuff that make it seem so real. You can imagine just about anything, create or destroy anything with words. "The pen is mightier than the sword!" In 2015 it is more apropos to say the keyboard is mightier than the sword.
The language arts pre-assessment was given August 20th and review of the scores indicates the need to create two reading groups. One group will focus primarily on phonics, fluency, and syntax construction; and the other group will receive direct instruction in the mechanics of writing, parts of speech, affixes, root words and vocabulary enrichment. I will transition them into figurative language second semester and culminate in a writing project like creating a classroom newsletter. Both groups will participate in a literature unit on folktales that explores myths, legends, fables, tall tales and fairy tales.