Week 2 - Assignment 1

Write a short reflection on your understanding of the ELA instruction and post it on your blog.

The Common Core for ELA has five major parts and they are reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. The reading portion is like a staircase. With each increasing grade level the content should be more complex and challenge the students a little more. It is also designed to increase the comprehension level of the students from one grade level to the next. The Common Core for ELA is not a curriculum but it can be incorporated in to a school’s existing curriculum. The Common Core for ELA encourages students to read various types of literature and text that can help broaden their knowledge.

The writing standards of the Common Core indicate that students are able to write a variety of compositions such as narrative, argumentative, informational or explanatory and research projects. It’s important to incorporate the writing skills from the early stages of elementary school since this will be the foundation for the later years. The speaking and listening standards focus more on the academic discussions of students in peer groups or a whole class setting. Formal presentations are also recommended to be a part of the curriculum to allow students to practice and enhance their public speaking skills. Finally, the language standards focus on building the students’ vocabulary through reading, instruction and discussions. The standards indicate that students should be able to express themselves well in formal and informal situations.

 My understanding of ELA instruction is that it needs to be broken down into manageable parts for the students. When students are overwhelmed with too many tasks during ELA instruction, it takes away their focus from the main part of the lesson. In order to make my ELA instructions more effective, I think about all the different types of learners I have in the classroom. First, I try to keep in mind my students’ interests and expose them to those reading materials. Then slowly I add the targeted materials that will improve their phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Understanding how my students learn best and how I can motivate them to become more engaged in classroom activities plays a huge role in my classroom instruction planning. Teaching in a culturally diverse school for many years, I have realized the significance of exposing my students to literature from around the world by incorporating it into my curriculum. In addition, assessing my students on regular basis helps me ensure my instructions are effective and on target.