During PSI I was teaching a language arts novel study on The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. During this unit we explored the different elements of a narrative--setting, plot, flat characters, round characters, protagonists, antagonists, conflict, narration, tense, genres, themes, vocabulary words, and the culture of Afghanistan. Prior to reading we learned about the cultural differences between Canada and Afghanistan and discussed the importance of learning about and being respectful to other cultures. One way we showed respect to Afghan culture was having a vocabulary sheet of different words and making sure we used correct language when discussing our novel. Alongside respecting cultural differences we also explored the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution of the plot; as well as the different conflicts that are present throughout the novel.
Throughout my few weeks doing the novel study I continued to teach my students more and more information. Every new element I introduced I made sure to add in a reason why they were learning everything they were learning. Whether these reasons be because it will be important to know for their upcoming PAT's, or is something they are going to need to know for high school. I felt that I continued to give them reasons for why we are learning what we are learning, however I wanted to show them more. I then went through all the general learner outcomes and the specific learner outcomes within the Alberta Program of Studies. I reworded every outcome the students had been learning and made a checklist. I then handed out the "I can" worksheet and told students that these are all of the outcomes they have met for their Language Arts curriculum. I found that showing them all of the mandatory outcomes they had completed in only a few weeks helped them immensely as they were able to physically check off everything they had learned. This also was a great way to give me yet another chance to tell students the reasons I am teaching them specific things while telling them once again that everything they are learning now is the scaffolding for what they will begin to learn in high school. By linking everything I taught them and giving them exact examples of when they will be using this information again I believe it encouraged them to listen and speak up when they were not understanding something. This is a worksheet that I would change and use for any grade I teach in PSII, PSIII, or when I am a full-time teacher. Making sure I connect the Alberta Program of Studies to the students is very important, and I learned that by telling students the exact GLO's and SLO's they are meeting was a great way to do so. Below is the worksheet as well as the lesson plan I made for the day I distributed the worksheet. Throughout my lesson plan I ensured that I added when we learned each point so the students could remember when they learned that specific concept. Prior to reminding them when we had learned a concept, I told them when they would be applying that concept in Grade 6, High School, or their everyday lives. Adding these reminders helped students to feel more accomplished as they were able to recall when they learned each concept over the past few weeks.