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Shanbally NS School Plan for English
Vision.
Language is a central factor in the expansion of the child's knowledge, skills and attitudes. In Shanbally National School we would hope our language policy gives every child this opportunity for development according to their own potential. Language learning is an integrated process in which it is difficult to separate the functions of oral language, reading and writing. All three are intimately related and each interacts with the others.
A large part of the child's language experience is verbal so it is vital that we as a staff recognise the importance of oral language as a learning and teaching medium both in and out of school. The development of literacy is a principal concern of our teachers. It is our vision that the skills of reading, writing and comprehension would be developed in a continuous systematic fashion throughout a child's schooling.
In Shanbally National School we also recognise the dual function of language learning and learning through language. Our school motto is "Nach deas a bheith óg" so in keeping with the spirit of this statement, we would hope to foster an appreciation of language and literature throughout the classes.
Aims.
To enable the child to read and write independently.
To promote positive attitudes and develop an appreciation of the value of language , spoken, read and written.
To create, foster and maintain the child's interest in language.
To develop the social importance of language , speaking and listening for different purposes.
To develop confidence and competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Strands and Strand units.
Considerations made in drawing up the whole school plan:
The teaching of English will be a language based process, integrating the Strand Units:
Each unit will address the Strands:
These strand units reflect the contribution oral language, reading and writing make to that particular facet of the child’s development. They contain the detailed elements of curriculum content.
Timetable:
The time allocated for English is three hours/week in the infant classes and four hours/week from first class to sixth class.
Within this timeframe, oral language would be given 1¼ hours/week. This would be subdivided into ½ hour for oral discussion, ½ hour for poetry and ¼ hour for storytelling.
The strands Reading and written activities would be given two hours/week. Library and I.T. skills-1/2 hour. Phonological awareness and spelling-3/4 hour. Handwriting: ½ hour.
School Planning for Language: English
Strand Unit :Oral Language
Junior and Senior Infants
The child should be able to:
1. experience, recognise and observe simple commands.
2. listen to stories, rhymes songs and respond to them through discussion, mime and role-play.
3. use verbal and non-verbal cues.
4. plan, predict and speculate.
5. provide descriptive detail of things and events.
6. use conjunctions on but because.
First and Second Class
The child should be able to:
listen to stories, descriptions, rhymes and poems and respond to them.
give and follow instructions and directions.
use appropriate verbal and non-verbal behaviour in order to secure and maintain the attention of the listener.
express in mime various emotions and reactions.
engage in real and imaginary situations to perform social functions
eg. greeting others
using the telephone
requesting information
give a description, ask and answer questions on it.
use nonsense verse words, rhymes and jokes.
Third and Fourth Class
The child should be able to:
listen to and retell stories and poems and predict.
give and follow instructions.
explore the impact of verbal and non-verbal cues.
make a presentation - logical sequence - summarise - prioritise - justify - argue - persuade and question.
discuss the meaning and origin of words including idioms (local words) encountered in reading and writing.
play synonym and antonym games.
become familiar with the function of words without necessarily using technical grammatical terms
Noun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb, Pronoun, Preposition
practise the common social functions cf. no. 5 First and Second Class.
use improvisational drama to re-create well-known characters.
experience and enjoy playful aspects of language.
Fifth and Sixth Class
The child should be able to:
listen, re-tell and summarise.
give and follow directions.
interpret verbal and non-verbal cues.
recognise, identify and use formal parts of speech and grammar.
debate, argue, discuss, listen, justify and respond to local national and world events.
discuss personal ideas they have encountered through multi-media format.
listen and respond to authors, poetsetc. in order to experience different genre, dialects and accents.
ICT in the English Plan in Scoil Náisiúnta Seanbhaile
We in Shanbally N.S. acknowledge that computers and other items of information and communication technologies enrich the teaching and learning of language considerably.
The following are among some of the ways in which they are used in our school:
· Computers are a major contributor to a print-rich environment. Using programs inevitably involves the reading of on-screen instructions and following direction, all of which demand a level of literacy. Children's use of computers will therefore foster their awareness of print and encourage the development of reading skills.
· Computer programs are available to support the development of word identification, spelling and other reading skills. Many of these programs use a `games' approach to encourage and reward the learner. These packages usually have a number of levels of difficulty which may be chosen by the teacher or the learner and some incorporate a recording of the pupils' achievements which may assist the teacher with assessment. Some of those used in our school include "The Computer Classroom", "Sunny Street", "Wellington Square". See full list in Appendix below.
· Many children's books are now available in multimedia and cd-rom formats. These `books' may be read by the child from the screen or the child may listen as the story is `told' and illustrated by the computer. Words and sentences are shown and highlighted as they are read by the narrator and the child may select items of interest in the pictures about which further information is then made available. Examples used in our school are the "Oxford Reading Tree" and the "Oxford Literacy Web".
· Reference books that are available in CD-ROM form in Shanbally NS include "Encarta Encyclopedia", and "Interfact". These visual and sound elements add greatly to the attractiveness of this type of reference work and can enhance children's understanding of the textual information.
· Word-processing programs are ideally suited to the process writing approach. By creating documents in computer files children draft, edit and redraft with ease while mechanical copying and rewriting may be avoided.
· Computers can also enhance the standard of presentation of a child's work, giving him/her an added pride in the final product. This is particularly important for children who may have motor control difficulties.
· Connection to e-mail and the internet will give children access to another form of communication, enhance their language awareness and give them an added incentive to develop language skills. Through the internet children may gain access to a wide range of literature, textual information and visual images. Exchanging letters, messages, poetry, stories and details of projects with other schools and children are excellent ways in which information technology may encourage writing and reading abilities.
- Interactive Whiteboards have ben installed in all mainstream classrooms in Shanbally NS.