Language
Reading
Review reading strategies:
- self-monitoring
- sequencing
- summarizing
- questioning
- analysing
- evaluating
Read poetry, scripts, picture books, graphic novels, short stories, non-fiction reports, and novels and use critical thinking skills to generate high-level questions and formulate effective responses
Present book reports in different ways (e.g., as a book club, as a podcast, as an online blog, as a video review, as a written report)
Conduct literary analysis of a variety of texts using depth and complexity icons
Writing
Review types of writing (e.g., descriptive, narrative, expository, persuasive)
Write a variety of pieces and apply the writing process in order to create a finished and polished product
Review language conventions in paragraphs, correct errors, refine expression, and present work effectively
Proofread and edit a variety of written pieces considering appropriate vocabulary, punctuation and grammar
Oral Communication
Students will speak with clarity and coherence and will use appropriate tone, pitch and volume when presenting to the class.
Students will also demonstrate their attentive listening skills by listening with purpose.
Media Literacy
Students will identify some media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used to create meaning.
tHE q-cHART
The purpose of the Q Chart is to encourage questioning before, during and after reading. Although it is applicable to any other aspect of learning such as math, science and social studies, this organizer is a way for students to pose question that further their comprehension of texts and media they experience. Some questions have answers that are embedded in the text and can be answered with careful reading to acquire facts, and others that require more in-depth reflections based on the text's information, message, story line etc.
How To Use It!
You will notice that there are question pronouns along the left side ( the 5 W's and How) and along the top are verbs that develop the question further. The verbs along the top such as "is" are conjugated according to the subject ("What are the characters doing about the problem?") or the tense (What was the problem for the Titanic?)
You will also notice that there are quadrants to the Q Chart. Each quadrant identifies certain types of questions that can be posed before, during and after reading.
Red Quadrant (Knowledge/Factual)
For the most part, questions that are posed from this quadrant can be answered by reading the text further, or by referring to another source for an answer. i.e. "What does "biodiversity" mean?" A question that may be answered from reading further into the text. "What is this section about?" A question that may be answered using text features or perhaps can be answered by reading/rereading a section to gather facts.
Yellow Quadrants (Analytical and Prediction)
Questions in these quadrants are more analytical and require students to use what they have read to pose more in depth questions. "How did the advertisement use persuasion to sell its product?" (analytical) "Why will the main character feel bad about his actions?" (prediction) To answer the questions, the reader must use more of the information that they have acquired to find answers that may not be obvious and/or require them to draw on background knowledge.
Green Quadrant (Synthesis and Application)
This quadrant involved application and synthesis of the text. "Why should I be concerned about biodiversity?" (Synthesis) or "How will I help support my local environment?" (application).
As students move through the quadrants from Red to Green, they will be required to think more critically about the texts and/or media they encounter. The goal of a Q Chart is to have students using all of the quadrants before, during and after reading. In addition, they should be posing more in-depth questions that can be found in the Yellow and Green quadrants.
