Welcome to English Language Arts!

• Engaging with Texts

Our focus is not just on learning about texts, but actively engaging with them. Students will explore a range of literary genres, including novels, short stories, poetry, drama, and non-fiction.

Some key activities include:

• Close Reading: Students will engage in detailed analysis of texts to understand deeper meanings and nuances.

• Textual Evidence: Emphasis on finding and citing strong evidence to support interpretations.

• Literary Analysis: Understanding themes, character development, and the authors’ intentions and purposes across genres.

• Discussion: Engage in thoughtful debates to deepen their understanding and connect the texts to their own lives and current social issues. 

• Constructing Texts

Learners will not only consume literature but also create their own texts. They will become proficient writers, learning to craft various types of texts with clarity and purpose. This includes:

• Writing Process: Students will practise brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing to produce their own work.

• Text Types and Purposes: Writing narrative stories, essays, debate arguments, poetry, and research papers. Students can experiment with different styles and voices, using descriptive language and literary devices (metaphor, foreshadowing, rhyme etc.) to enhance their writing.

• Research and Synthesis: Conducting research projects that require the integration of multiple sources and viewpoints.

• Language and its Power

Students will develop a strong command of language and how to use it effectively. This area covers:

• Grammar and Usage: Mastery of standard English conventions.

• Vocabulary Development: Expanding academic and domain-specific vocabulary.

• Rhetorical Skills: Using language strategically to persuade and inform. Learning about the nuances of language and how word choice impacts meaning.

• Entering the Conversation

Learners will be encouraged to view themselves as active participants in ongoing conversations about literature, culture, and society. Activities will include:

• Collaborative Discussions: Engaging in group discussions that require critical thinking and respectful dialogue and debate. Students will reflect on their own viewpoints and consider diverse perspectives.

• Presentation Skills: Respond to texts through writing, presentations, and creative projects that communicate ideas clearly and effectively.

• Digital Literacy: Using technology to enhance learning, collaborate, and share their ideas with a wider audience.

This ELA course is designed to prepare and support students as they develop the skills necessary for academic success and lifelong learning in the world beyond the classroom. Through engaging with texts, constructing their own, and actively participating in discussions, students will develop a strong foundation in English Language Arts that will serve them throughout their academic and professional lives. 

I am looking forward to taking you on this journey through the rich landscape of literature and language, and having a marvellous year of exploration, creativity, and growth together!

For any questions or more information, please feel free to contact me: gerth@woodlandstarkenya.com

Warm regards,

Teacher Gerrie

Term 1: What have we been doing in ELA?

Since the theme of this term is “Pulse”, we started the year with Edgar Allan Poe’s suspenseful classic short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Students learned about character, setting, and how to identify the different elements and events that create the plot of a story. Students explored literary devices—such as metaphor, imagery, symbolism, and point of view—and discussed how Poe creates tension and engages the reader. They learned valuable skills, such as summarising, rewriting from a different perspective, and creating an adaptation of original source material.

Next, we are focusing on the essentials of informational writing and research. Students are learning how to structure a research essay, craft a thesis, evaluate credible sources, take notes using the Cornell Method, and cite information accurately. These skills are essential for academic success and will be reinforced through guided activities and individual projects. The research topics were all related to "Pulse & Heart". We learned some fascinating things about the use of AI in cardiology, how the ancient Greeks and Vikings viewed the heart, and an answer to the question if you could actualy die from a broken heart. At the end of this unit the Enjuba learners all presented their research projects in a TED Talk to their parents and peers.

We are also discovering the pulse of poetry. Students learn to appreciate and various poetic forms and devices. We are studying stress, metre, rhyme schemes, alliteration, and metaphor, to help students develop a deeper appreciation of poetic language and expression. We use a variety of source material, ranging from Shakespearian sonnets, over Japanese haikus, to songs by Eminem. The goal is that learners by the end of this term will be able to write and perform their own poetry on stage, which they successfully did.

Finally, in our recent lessons, we explored the classic novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and its adaptation "Wicked" to deepen students’ understanding of literary and cinematic techniques. Students compared and contrasted the original novel’s opening scene with its movie adaptation, analysing how changes impacted tone, mood, and storytelling. They also examined the the text and the movie script to infer character motivations and uncover nuanced perspectives, discussing how the portrayal of the characters shifts between the two works. Through this process, we explored themes of perspective, symbolism, and adaptation, fostering critical thinking and creative discussion about how stories evolve across different mediums and time periods.