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Week Nine: Multimodal Text

A resource which I found and observed on placement was the student2student reading program which The Smith Family own and operate. Being placed at an EAL/D school where over ninety-five per cent of students spoke different mother tounges, made it almost impossible to conduct running records based on their level of language, literacy and literature skills. 

In the attached video, Claire describes how this program has made it helpful and easier to read confidently and aloud without hesitation. She was given a reading buddy who phone calls her to read aloud and discuss the book together. 

This is a multimodal program as it encourages students to listen to each other over the phone or in class, visually encourage them to read the words off the page and linguistically being able to decode the English language. 

I would use this program as a mentor in my classrooms as I believe the buddy system encourages students to work to their full potential and learn from one another. Allocating confident students with struggling students will build a stronger community in the classroom of reading, writing, speaking and listening. 

Claire’s story - The Smith Family’s student2student reading program 2015, YouTube, The Smith Family,July 5 retrieved 18 September 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDdQcbYQcbU>

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Prompt Eight: Running Records of EAL/D Learners. 

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Prompt Nine: Multimodal Text

The Student2Student program which I observed during and around placement, is an excellent multimodal resource as it reduces the reading gap in primary aged students between the low socio-economic, EAL/D and high socio-economic groups. Each student is given a reading buddy who encourages them to read aloud and build their literacy, language and literature skills in English. 

As my placement had over ninety-five per cent of EAL/D learners, this program has encouraged them to seek alternative ways to improve their English skills in reading, speaking and language. The video attached shows Claire’s story of how this program and multimodal process of learning has improved her confidence to read confidently aloud. 

I would use this program as a mentor in all my classes, as I believe that students perform to their full potential when they learn alongside students their age. It is evident that students feel pressured and hesitant to learn in a one on one session with the teacher. Using this program in the classroom will also encourage students to build confidence in reading aloud as well as make sense of the text they have just read. 

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Prompt 3: Children’s Literature

Story Box is an online educational website that encourages all primary aged students to read and build imagination. This website uses a wide range of multi-media techniques such as videos, activities and most importantly, being read to. Students can build their literacy and language skills by following along with the reader and reading aloud. With a click of a button, students, teachers and parents can access a wide range of stories that come to interest with them, such as gain full access to overview a summary and details of any story. This website also caters for a range of student needs such as, providing closed captions for the deaf and hearing impaired, videos of the picture book to observe the images, and someone to read aloud for those who struggle to read by themselves. Even though this website offers a free thirty-day period, those who choose to go beyond that time will need to pay extra for additional resources. This ensures that all students can have unlimited access to an ever-changing library, a range of stories, genres and themes as well as classroom and home activities.

Storyline Online Public Service Announcement - 30-second spot for broadcast, 15/2015, Youtube, SAG-AFTRA Foundation, 15 December, retrieved 24 July 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-ilAWWfXcI#action=share>.

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Prompt 2: Writing Poster

Students in the class I volunteer at, often struggle to form clear and concise sentences. The teacher and I needed to come up with a clever solution to bring SWAG into their writing. The digital example attached is a similar replica of the bookmarks given to all the students to remember their SWAG.

SWAG stands for:

S – Starts with a Capital:  W – Written Neatly:  A – A Space Between : G – Given Punctuation

Placing these bookmarks in their writing books, essentially allows students to revisit their SWAG writing skills and overlook potential mistakes. I believe this tool is essential for all primary schools, as it encourages students to check their work before they hand it to the teacher. This can be used in all classrooms and boost student confidence in their writing skills. 

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Prompt 1: 

Looking back on my childhood, I clearly remember loving the Judy Moody book series. I was very fascinated to follow along with her adventures and the endless moods she brought along the way. My all-time favourite book would be ‘Judy Moody Predicts the Future’, as I too, bought myself a mood ring just like her to foretell the future.

My classroom teacher would always encourage us to read books that can explore our imagination. She gave us class time to silently read stories that we enjoyed, which made it easier for me to imagine, plan and write adventurous narratives. She would also delegate a good forty-five minutes to read aloud to the class and get us to imagine the story in our minds, as well as discuss the novel altogether. 

Having the choice to read either silently and actively in class has made a huge impact on my Literacy development. I’d wish to continue this strategy in my teaching career, as I would like to see my students using literacy as a form of developing their reading, writing and speaking skills.