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Education 472 ?
Lang uage Arts
Intersession, Summer 1977.
Instructor: Paul Clements
This course is offered to people interested in developing a
lively language arts curriculum for children at the elementaryl
intermediate grade levels.
Through a series of mainly practical workshops, the course will
explore the topics outlined below. Additionally, it can cover
items of interest raised by students during course sessions.
The work will be based on
language (write, talk and
have something to say and
'someone' need not always
teacher who will invariab
communication.
the assumption that children use
think) most effectively when they
someone to whom to say it. That
be the teacher, although it is the
ly provide the stimulous for effective
The course will be concerned with the fostering in children of
an enjoyment and excitement in the use of the language. In order
to achieve this, teachers must discover their own enthusiasm for
the possibilities of words. The course will stress, therefore,
the development of the teacher's (or student teacher's) own
resources, as well as providing opportunity for work in curriculum
content, teaching methods and other practical classroom techniques.
Although there can be no hard and fast rule.sfor the division of
time in each of the course sessions, it is expected that, overall,
the course will be structured around three major blocks of activity:
1:
First hand student participation in the processes
making up what we call language arts. This will
involve work in writing, improvised drama, group
discussion and soi.on0
2:
Study of specific topics related to the development
of professional expertise in language arts - an
individual (and quite possibly, tentative) philosophy
of English teaching which will determine curriculum
content and classroom practice.
3:
Work on individual or group projects and assignments,
study sessions etc.
The topics to be covered will include:
CREATIVE OR PERSONAL WRITING
Language, experience and the use of the imagination; stages in the
process of creative writing, from idea to first draft and beyond;
criteria for the evaluation of composition.
F.
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CLEAN' 'ENGLISH
Fostering clarity of thought and expression; the conventions
of speaking and writing, including elements of usage, spelling,
punctuation etc; receiving ideas and listening.
DEVELOPMENTAL DRAMA
What is it ? Relevance to child development; its possibilities
in the classroom; techniques of teaching; related oral work.
LITERATURE
Most obviously poetry and prose for children; also, other
experiences of language offered for children and other sources
which investigate the ideas which lie between people - comics,
television, movies, etc. Teacher as storyteller.
DEVELOPMENTAL READING
The act of reading; development of reading programmes; keeping
abreast of the reading levels of individual children; teaching
reading.
GRAMMAR & USAGE
What's 'correct' and why. The structure of language. The
appropriateness of direct teaching of language.
EXTRA-MURAL ACTIVITY
While it is understood that each student's own commitments will
determine how far he or she is able to participate in any extra-
mural activities, it is hoped that through the course people will
be able to attend together events such as theatre performances,
exhibitions and other cultural (or even not-so-cultural) affairs.
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There is no obligatory pre-reading but the following texts will
be referred to and are warmly recommended:
CLEGG J.D. (Ed) The Excitement of Writing
Schloken, N.
HOURD,.Marjorie The Education of the Poetic Spirit
Heinemann, London, 1949
MOFFETT, James ?
Teaching the Universe of Discourse
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1968
MOFFETT, James ?
A Student-Centered Language Arts Curriculum K-13
H
ou9itOn Mifflin Company, Boston, 1973.
PENNER, P.C. & ?
Learning Language
McCONNELL R.
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MacMillan of Canada, 1977
WAY, B. ?
Development Through Drama
Longmans, London, 1967.
