Floods

The first great flood that washed the Earth involved Noah and the Ark.Recently we have seen on the local and international arena that floods are causing destruction. Families are being uprooted, animals, villages lost under mudslides are some of the effects of such floods. How do you think children your age feel about these dreadful disasters. How can you help? Y

Vowels- Long and Short sounds

A E I O U

We are very little creatures,
All of different voices and features:
One of us in glass is set,
One of us you’ll find in jet.
T’other you may see in tin,
And the fourth a box within.
If the fifth you should pursue,
It can never fly from you.

Jonathan Swift



This lyrical poem describes quite simplistically the vowels in English grammar. This poem seems to have been written for oral delivery to aid children in the memorization of these vowels. An important element is the end rhymes that add to the singsong quality of the poem. From a linguistic point of view, to phonetically learn the vowels one must be aware of their long and short vowel sounds. Stressing on initial vowel sounds is a useful strategy for beginning readers.
This poem caters to a more mature student maybe around 8 / 9 years of age, who in appreciating the direct images of the poem may also come to appreciate the underlying lesson being highlighted.

Let's take another look at dictionaries

Roe, Smith and Burns (2005) identify dictionaries as valuable tools that help in completing many kinds of reading tasks. They can help students determine pronunciation, meaning, derivations and parts of speech for words they encounter in reading activities.

They can also help with word spellings if children have some idea of how the words are spelled and need only to confirm the order of letters within the words.

Picture dictionaries are used primarily for sight word recognition and
spelling assistance. Children can be introduced to picture dictionaries as early as the first standard. They can learn how dictionaries are put together and how they function by making their own picture dictionaries.

As a study method technique children need to learn three important skills: alphabetic order, using guide words and locating variants and derivatives.

Culture

Considerable interest in today’s society is placed upon differences in cultural identities. Socially their manifestation in our society seems inclusive. Divali, Eid-ul-fitr and Emancipation are all public holidays in our country. As one line of the National Anthem of Trinidad and Tobago declares, ‘Here every creed and race finds an equal place.’ Despite these aims the citizenry of our nation still operate in socially stratified circles that promote oppressive concepts of different ethnic groups within the society. These factors affect the ability of pupils to meaningfully participate in national issues.

The fact that different cultural perspectives offer its own unique problem places the school in an even more difficult situation. . The relationship between education, religious beliefs and practices can profoundly shape cognitive and affective aspects of individual behaviour of present and future generations of ‘ Trinbigonians’. Provided that an environment can be created where all students and staff feel equally valued. The issue here is how can teachers influence relationships between multicultural communities, the school and the wider society.
Happy Emancipation!

Excellent Reading Teachers

International Reading Association.(Jan, 2000)., A position statement of the international reading association., USA.


Excellent reading teachers affect children's reading achievement and their motivation to read. They are knowledgeable about the sequence of children's reading development. They assess student's progress using a variety of assessment tools e.g samples of student's writing, reading, inventories, anecdotal records, observation checklists etc. They also use this knowledge to plan instruction in response to children's needs.

Excellent reading teachers are familiar with children's literature and a variety of genres. They have supplement material and rich classroom libraries. They read to their students and provide time in class for children to read independently. Classroom schedules are predictable and children know what is required of them through the day.