reading & Writing
Bay County Academy recognizes
the importance of fostering reading for enjoyment, while
also teaching students
to read for information. In addition it is also a priority
to prepare our students to communicate orally and in written
expression. We accomplish these goals using a variety of
tools and methods.
In grades K-5, Scholastic Literacy Place is used for reading
instruction. Also, the Four Blocks method of instruction is
used on the Kindergarten through third grade classrooms. This
method incorporates four parts of instruction including Guided
Reading, Self-selected reading, Writer's Workshop and Working
with Words. About Four Block Instruction During Guided Reading, the
teacher reads a selection to and with the class, pointing
out certain words, word patterns, parts of the book and
thoughts the selection provokes. This time gives all the children
the
opportunity to understand and participate.
In Working with
Words, the teacher leads the students through activities
to master spelling and phonics by learning about letter sounds
and word patterns. The Writer's Workshop and Self-selected reading
portions of the day are the times for the most individualized
instruction. In Writer's Workshop, the teacher
model writes for a few minutes, demonstrating a rule or technique
she may
feel the students need to see. The students then move to their
journals where they can choose any topic about which to write.
After some writing time, a few students a day share, and the
class has the opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions,
learning and teaching each other editing skills.
During Self-selected reading, the
students choose any book to read silently. The students
conference with the
teacher to discuss comprehension and read a passage. Each
day a few students share their reading selection. In all,
the Four Blocks method of teaching Language Arts promotes
the love of reading. In
our upper grades, the teachers use components
of the Four Blocks in addition to their Prentice-Hall Literature
Textbook and novel studies. The novels the students read are
directly connected to the topics they are covering in Paragon
humanities, our Social Studies program. Students have the
experience of learning about certain times and events in history
and then they read a novel about a child during that time
period. Students come away with a better understanding not
only of literature, but also of a culture and people.
Below are some links to websites that can help
students with homework or activities to do at home:
ABSOLUTELY WHOOTIE: STORIES TO GROW BY: Entertaining
fairytales and folk tales from around the world. Respond online
to questions that follow each story, and click to see what
other kids had to say, too. Stories are illustrated by kids,
too! http://www.storiestogrowby.com
Zuzu: An e-zine featuring the artwork, writing,
and opinions of young people. http://www.zuzu.org/
ABCs of the Writing Process ~A Universal Process
for Any Writing Task ~ The purpose of this site is to provide
a user friendly online resource, for students or teachers,
no matter what they are being challenged to write. http://www.angelfire.com/wi/writingprocess/
Children's Express is a place for children to
speak out on issues and topics that affect their lives and
future. http://www.cenews.org/
Complete Works of William Shakespeare Discussion
area, complete works, resources on the Internet, chronological
listing of plays, frequently asked questions, quotations,
glossary. http://the-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/works.html
The Concord Review, Inc. Essays by high school
students. - the only quarterly journal in the world to publish
the academic work of secondary students. http://www.tcr.org
Keeping A Dream Journal: A how-to article on
keeping a dream journal that encourages writing as well as
methods for encouraging early observation of purposeful thought
through writing and memory. http://home.earthlink.net/~mariejudson/DreamJournal.htm
Virtually Yours. Midlink magazine Kids' Magazine,
award-winning, by and for middle schoolers http://longwood.cs.ucf.edu/~MidLink/
Kotowaza on the Web: Kotowaza means proverbs
in Japanese; students' writings about Kotowaza. http://www.kobe-school.net/kotowaza/
Essays Students from around the world have contributed
essays about their Communities http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/Eyes97/essays.html
Vocabulary puzzles 5th grade and up. http://www.vocabulary.com
Web-based Language Arts/Writing program Grades
3 through 8; "The Neverending Tale" is a choose-your-own-path
writing medium that can be used for both creative and expository
writing. http://www.coder.com/creations/tale/
FairyTale Godmother: The theme for this site
is enchantment, stories about fairies and magic, accompanied
by illustrations. Activities at the site include word find
puzzles, a Java-based painting game, and an imagination game
where words are interchanged to create new ideas. In "Wild
Imagination Maker," click on the window image to see a randomly
generated idea for a story. http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/
Guide To Grammar and Writing http://cctc.commnet.edu/HP/pages/darling/grammar.htm
GRADE LEVEL: 9-12 Online "lessons" explaining grammar rules
and problems, categorized in levels -- "Sentence Level," "Paragraph
Level," and "Essay Level" -- with subtopics --- includes online
quizzes for most lessons --- See past questions and answers
from the "Ask Grammar!" section or pose new questions. Great
resource for Language Arts students. t/chronology.html#toc
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