Following on from a raging storm the previous night, I dragged a large log (part of a tree fallen down in the playground) into the classroom and into he middle of the mat.
This was the day Jude Parks, our wonderful Literacy Facilitator, was visiting Room 3.
There was some discussion regarding jumping on teachable moments and she observed as the children sat round describing the log, feeling it, smelling it, looking at the moss that covered it. Through the discussion vocabulary was explored, and new vocabulary gifted and used (including students offering translations of words in samoan).
The following day, after a PLD staff meeting lead by Jude on the importance of giving students the opportunity to speak and build oral language, we revisited the log.
This time the students wrote down their vocabulary and descriptive phrases. I facilitated by giving them prompts.
"What does it smell like?"
"It is as heavy as what?" when adjectives were given.
"Does this log remind you of an experience you have had?
Once the students brainstormed vocabuary. I introduced the photo of the forest. "Talk about what you see in the ngahere (forest)."
This was followed by a video clip of New Zealand rainforest, with bird calls, streams running through and views of the canopy. Again the children talked about what they saw and heard.
Rainforest Video
Finally it was time to write a story about the forest. Children had plenty to draw on they planned their writing drawing on vocabulary that had been explored earlier, and produced descriptive pieces of writing.
Significance
The significance of this is the valuable opportunity to develop oracy. The gifting, exploring, sharing, and playing with vocabulary lead to beautiful writing by the students. Children were motivated to talk, and share their ideas through their writing.
I felt that students sharing the translation of vocabulary in their own language shows the connections they were making, and their want for communication in both English and Samoan, and the value they place on this.
Learning
Key learning I gained from this is that vocabulary has to be connected to experience. Giving multiple opportunities to build up, and on their vocabulary and ideas (physical log, photo of the forrest where it could have come from, video and connections to own experiences), allowed them to build understanding and image the meaning behind words.
Relating the object to their own memories triggered prior knowledge and experiences that many expressed through their writing.
Having something real to touch, smell, look closely at triggered students sharing the translation of words in their own language. This was the first time a particular student had openly offered this language to me and the rest of the class.
Jumping on teachable moments gave them something real, concrete, and in context. It is easy to just touch on these moments during a lesson, but the depth that came from continuing to explore the subject, drawing out vocabulary, experiences and knowledge and plenty of opportunities for student talk took the learning to a new level.
Where to next? To be observant of opportunities like this in the future. To see objects and experiences from the students perceptions. I will try to not assume that students have vocabulary, meaning and knowledge, and instead help to build this through experiences such as these.
