Grade 6: Language: Oral Communication: Extending Understanding
1.6 extend understanding of oral texts by connecting, comparing, and contrasting the ideas and information in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights; to other texts, including print and visual texts; and to the world around them (e.g., use dialogue or drama to explore similarities and differences between ideas in oral texts and their own ideas)
The English language is complex and allows students to make many mistakes. When it comes to writing and using literary terms, we don’t always use proper grammar and punctuation, and sometimes our thoughts are not always expressed clearly. With my curriculum theory, hopefully students will be more open to making mistakes and receiving feedback that will help them to make progress with their work. Experiences provided in language should allow students the freedom to learn the concepts in a way that is most beneficial to them. For example, understanding literary works can be helped with the use of movies, plays, music, and other sources. It is important for the teacher to provide experiences that develop children’s understanding of the subject matter being taught. To help grasp the concepts, offer the students an opportunity to learn within a social context, so that they can achieve a group experience. Language is something to learn by doing, rather than sitting at a desk and writing.
WHAT: In order to teach Shakespeare you need to submerge yourself in Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s famous plays include Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, Othello, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, and Merchant of Venice, to name a few. Shakespeare has been a cornerstone of English literature for centuries and continues to be renowned not only for his command of language but for his poetic portrayal of the best and worst of human motivations and behaviour. Virtually every high school’s language curriculum requires a study of some of Shakespeare’s work, and it is often dreaded by the students.
HOW: How do you teach students a form of the English language from the 16th century? Modern day society has made it quite easy to understand the relevance of Shakespeare’s stories by providing resources that entertain us as they educate us. One of the greatest way to learn a Shakespeare play is to see it performed on stage as they do at the Stratford Festival. Not only do the plays get reenacted but can sometimes be reformed into a more modern day piece. For example, Macbeth was presented a few seasons ago and portrayed in modern day Africa with an integrated cast. Even in such a modern setting, the story rang true. However, not all schools have the means to provide field trips so another option is to use movies that students can relate to, such as She’s the Man and its take on Twelfth Night.
WHY: Through these experiences, it offers students the chance to learn Shakespeare through social interaction. By seeing the different portrayals, students can choose from a list of Shakespearean plays and work together to compare and contrast the ideas to other modern stories. They can develop an appreciation of how true stories and true art are timeless, reflecting constants of human behaviour. An option for the students to present their work through acting gives opportunities to work together as a group and thus as a cohesive group. This gives them the chance to explain why learning Shakespeare is so important and remains a significant part of our English literature.
WHERE/WHEN: As a teacher, I would give students the opportunity to work together in groups to study the play they are learning. This will include time watching a movie or going on a field trip to see a live play. Students would be given quality class time to connect to the play and find other sources that help them to understand its contexts and relate it to other materials. This will also include time in the computer lab. When presenting, students are given the chance to use the classroom or a place outdoors to present their work.
1.6 extend understanding of oral texts by connecting, comparing, and contrasting the ideas and information in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights; to other texts, including print and visual texts; and to the world around them (e.g., use dialogue or drama to explore similarities and differences between ideas in oral texts and their own ideas)
The English language is complex and allows students to make many mistakes. When it comes to writing and using literary terms, we don’t always use proper grammar and punctuation, and sometimes our thoughts are not always expressed clearly. With my curriculum theory, hopefully students will be more open to making mistakes and receiving feedback that will help them to make progress with their work. Experiences provided in language should allow students the freedom to learn the concepts in a way that is most beneficial to them. For example, understanding literary works can be helped with the use of movies, plays, music, and other sources. It is important for the teacher to provide experiences that develop children’s understanding of the subject matter being taught. To help grasp the concepts, offer the students an opportunity to learn within a social context, so that they can achieve a group experience. Language is something to learn by doing, rather than sitting at a desk and writing.
WHAT: In order to teach Shakespeare you need to submerge yourself in Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s famous plays include Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, Othello, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, and Merchant of Venice, to name a few. Shakespeare has been a cornerstone of English literature for centuries and continues to be renowned not only for his command of language but for his poetic portrayal of the best and worst of human motivations and behaviour. Virtually every high school’s language curriculum requires a study of some of Shakespeare’s work, and it is often dreaded by the students.
HOW: How do you teach students a form of the English language from the 16th century? Modern day society has made it quite easy to understand the relevance of Shakespeare’s stories by providing resources that entertain us as they educate us. One of the greatest way to learn a Shakespeare play is to see it performed on stage as they do at the Stratford Festival. Not only do the plays get reenacted but can sometimes be reformed into a more modern day piece. For example, Macbeth was presented a few seasons ago and portrayed in modern day Africa with an integrated cast. Even in such a modern setting, the story rang true. However, not all schools have the means to provide field trips so another option is to use movies that students can relate to, such as She’s the Man and its take on Twelfth Night.
WHY: Through these experiences, it offers students the chance to learn Shakespeare through social interaction. By seeing the different portrayals, students can choose from a list of Shakespearean plays and work together to compare and contrast the ideas to other modern stories. They can develop an appreciation of how true stories and true art are timeless, reflecting constants of human behaviour. An option for the students to present their work through acting gives opportunities to work together as a group and thus as a cohesive group. This gives them the chance to explain why learning Shakespeare is so important and remains a significant part of our English literature.
WHERE/WHEN: As a teacher, I would give students the opportunity to work together in groups to study the play they are learning. This will include time watching a movie or going on a field trip to see a live play. Students would be given quality class time to connect to the play and find other sources that help them to understand its contexts and relate it to other materials. This will also include time in the computer lab. When presenting, students are given the chance to use the classroom or a place outdoors to present their work.