Week 1 Term 3 - Words have power.

 WORDS HAVE POWER. 

Words gives us the power to articulate, express, assert, affirm and communicate what we are thinking. As teachers we want our students to be able to articulate their opinion and to be critical thinkers. This is not possible if our students do not bank 'words' and understand the depth and richness that words in their literacy. As an English teacher I take for granted the importance and richness in words. It is an important part of literacy that I need to prioritize into my teaching more. I would like to make the teaching of word groups, an explicit part of my practice as it will not only enrich my learning but also strengthen the learning of my students. 

At the end of Term 2 Ms George and I were approached by Dr Jannie with a proposal to work together with the English Department and our junior school focusing on word groups. The idea is to integrate word group activities as a do now activity at the beginning of every lesson, much like a jam session, focusing on a word that connects with the key concept of your learning program. Dr Jannie is has started this week working with my Year 9 English class - 9KLe. The focus for this class is to introduce the idea of word groups and to get the students engaged in what word groups are. We are at the beginning stages and already I am excited to see how this is panning out. I am going to share on how it started and what Dr Jannie has covered so far with the students. 

WHY ARE WORDS POWERFUL?

Dr Jannie's WORDS presentation 

Before the lesson started Dr Jannie asked me if I could put the students into groups of 2 so that they could have small group discussions and work together. Dr Jannie spent the first part of the lesson talking to the students about the power of words. She asked the students 'why are words powerful?' The students discussed this question in pairs and then Dr Jannie asked the students for their feedback. The student feedback was great and highlighted how they interpret the power of words in their own lives. "It expresses how you feel", "Words can help you to communicate", "Words help to show you who you are", "It helps you to connect" - what I loved about this discussion is that the students had to think about the impact words have in their lives - it is a tool to connect and communicate, it is something that they use every day. She explained that the word group journey that she has created is a 6 part series and that they will be focusing on the first part in the lesson. 

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS WORD?

Dr Jannie's presentation: Springboard Word. 

Following the class discussion Dr Jannie directed them through the next phase. This next phase brings the student's focus to one word. In our initial meeting Dr Jannie wanted to know what theme I was going to cover in Term 3 with 9KLe. I told her that the theme that I was going to cover links to a major idea in our Term 3 extended text (Hatchet) which is 'survival'. The spring board word is survival and Dr Jannie asked the students 'what do you know about this word?' Again, the students discussed this in depth in pairs and were asked to give their feedback at the end of the small group discussion. The feedback was interesting, thoughtful and for some students a little out of the box. Regardless, the students were engaged. They said "it means to escape", "trying not to get in danger or die", "perserverance" - what I loved about this phase is that the students were able to draw on their own experience or interpretation of the word. Dr Jannie navigated her way through the class discussion in way that was both affirming and respectful for the students. 

CONNECTING IMAGE + WORD. EXPLAIN THE CONNECT

The next part of the session was centered around connecting the word to a visual concept. Dr Jannie showed three visual concepts that she found that is connected to the word 'survival'. 

Dr Jannie's presentation: Visual Concept linked to Word. 

She asked the students to discuss what is the connection between the visual concept and the word survival. The students discussed what they thought the link was with the image and word, which much like the earlier discussions, was an interesting talking point. The students were able to share what they thought the connection for each image and this was the perfect segue for the final part of the do now activity. 

FIND YOUR CONNECTING IMAGE FOR SURVIVE

This final leg of the do now activity enables the students to use their imagination, their own creative drive to find a visual concept and connect it to 'survival'. The students were given instructions to work in pairs, find an image and include it in the shared powerpoint and then be ready to explain to the rest of the class what the image is and how it links to 'survival'. 

The students shared what the image is and the relationship between image and word. The way the activity was framed from the outset enabled the student to share in depth. Dr Jannie provided a platform for the students to share comfortably with each other and to confidently explain how they think the image and word connect with each other. 

MY THOUGHTS

I enjoyed the first session. I think that my students enjoyed the session as well. A fundamental basic element in writing and reading is knowing and understanding of words. What I have learnt from Dr Jannie and this first initial activity with word group is that this is something that is worth exploring with your students. I have spoken about this before, but I often fall into the machinery of teaching life - my time and practice is measured against the demands of the education system. Exploring the beauty of words can get lost or even diminished because of the demanding nature of the curriculum. The curriculum in secondary teaching does not always allow time and space to focus on the beauty of language. I can see now that this is a worthwhile pit stop to take. It allows students to unpack the strength that words can give in reading and in writing. It is important for our young people to see that words are powerful, that words are an integral part of how we communicate in life. Why not spend time exploring the very thing that we use everyday and understand it more. I am excited to continue this journey with Dr Jannie and 9KLe. 

Week 10 Term 2 - End of Term 2 Reflection

Both my Level 2 and Level 3 students are working on a writing assessments - 91104 (Connections Report L2) and 91478 (Connections Report L3). The premise of the assessment is to write a report that focuses on a major theme, topic or thesis statement and explore texts that show or have a relationship to the theme. Over the last few weeks I have read and marked a number of connection reports and what impresses me the most is that the students have explore (in a critical way) how the texts connect to the theme. It is refreshing and enlightening to see how my students have interpreted the assessment. The power of reading is that it can take you into a new world and space, it can also provide a perspective that you would not normally understand or appreciate. 

Going through the reports and seeing what the students have written, providing feedback - have all led to me to reflect on myself and my journey this term. What is the key theme for me this term and what are the connections that I have made with this theme? My Level 2 students are currently working on their final draft of their Connections Report and have been using the writing framework as a guide. The writing framework is the vehicle to help the students organize and more importantly focus on the theme and how each text connects to it. I am going to use the same framework to talk about my connections - what the main theme for me was this term and what were my connections or points that helped me to stay connected. 

91107: Connections Writing Frame: Introduction

My introduction: 

Maya Angelou writes "I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." This quote resonates with me. Some of the experiences that I have gone through this term have been mentally and emotionally challenging. I will admit that there have been times where I have summoned myself to the challenge and sort of given into it. Maya Angelou concludes the quote by saying 'but I refuse to be reduced by it', for me this part of the quote resonated with me in that in my own personal challenges I have had to - at some point - not allow the frustration or the stress become something that can suffocate me or something that I become. If anything the challenges that I have experienced have been a lesson for me, a lesson in what I need to prioritize and focus on. The key theme that summarizes Term 2 for me is 'the value of self-care'. My journey over the last 10 weeks reflect one where I have learnt (the hard way) how neglecting yourself mentally, physically and emotionally can impact your work, your relationships - everything. There have been a few important texts that have helped me journey through this lesson and that have a signification connection to my theme 'the value of self care'. I want to specifically focus on ONE text which is talking to others and explore how it connects to the theme. 

91107: Connections Writing Frame: Text 1 Outline

My Text 1 outline: 

Talking to others is a text that I came across late into Term 2. The premise of this text is about the importance of talking to people when you are experiencing stress, uncertainty, frustration - all of the above. This is a text that I did not consider exploring because at the time I felt that I needed to be confident in what I was doing (even if I was not) and just keep going for the sake of momentum. The problem is that in the momentum I ended feeling really out of place and unhappy. The significant connection that this text has to the theme of 'the value of self-care' is that talking to others about what is going is a form of self care. It is a release, not a burden, to share what is going on with yourself to others. Not just sharing to anyone and everyone, but to people who you know and trust. A key takeaway from this text that I enjoyed was to that talking to others can bring clarity and perspective. I found myself sitting IN my thoughts and because I was not talking to others about it, I could not see through it. The clarity, perspective and peace that I have felt since sharing my thoughts with my close circle has been liberating. I feel lighter and not has bogged down as I had earlier on this term. I believe that the purpose of this text is to encourage everyone - I mean everyone - regardless of your age, your gender, your position - that we all experience some type of stress or hurt and that talking to others (as simple as it sounds) can be the best way to remedy the hurt. The hurt and stress will always be there but how we approach it and deal with it can help us experience it in a more healthy way. This is not just something that I can relate to but I believe that everyone can relate to. 

91107: Connections Writing Frame: Conclusion

My conclusion:

Talking to others is the text that had the most significant connection to my chosen theme 'the value of self care'. Talking to others about you truly feel, about what is heavy on your heart can be daunting, it is an incredibly vulnerable thing to do but it is also empowering. Empowering in the sense that you have been able to express and identify what is on your mind and you feel safe to share it with someone. What I have learnt from this text is that I am human and that I need to be real with myself. I know that people feel comfortable talking to me about their problems and I understand that part of my job is to listen and to be present. I became engrossed in this that I really felt voiceless. Talking to others aligns itself with the value of self care because the best care we give ourselves is attention and the need to be heard. We are able to share our story in the hope that we can find some healing in it, in the hope that we can find some closure in it. As Maya Angelou states "I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it" I too feel changed through the challenges I experienced. At time I felt bad and angry that I got myself to this point. But even more so I am grateful for this as I have learnt so much. I do not feel engrossed by the stress. I am determined to do better for myself. 

I am grateful for Term 2 and the lessons learnt. I am looking forward to the break!