Text
The Rainbow Fish has lots of dialogue to demonstrate interaction, whereas Rumpus at the Vet has none. Pfister, plays on the reader’s feelings to make the story emotive. Feelings of, loneliness, selfishness, sadness and happiness play a big part in the story. Whereas the Author used the theme of humour in Rumpus at the Vet to enrapture his audience. The vocabulary in both books is used with children in mind; the words are easy to understand, even though some are difficult to read.
Conclusion
The books are very different in many ways. However, in my opinion they are both excellent examples of enchanting texts for children. Both authors capture their audience using contrasting styles of writing. Although both texts were written to be read to children, I feel that older ones could enjoy reading them by themselves, especially Rumpus at the Vet.
I have selected The Rainbow Fish to discuss how I would use this piece of text in the classroom.
The learning objectives that I would use for the lesson are taken from The National Literacy Strategy, Year 2 term 1. Although there are many ways that this text could be used I have chosen these objectives:
Word Level Work
Word recognition, graphic knowledge and spelling:
7 – To use word endings e.g. ‘s’ (plurals) ‘ed’ (past tense) ‘ing’ (present tense) to support their reading and spelling.
Sentence Level Work
Grammar and punctuation:
2 – To find examples in fiction and non-fiction, of words and phrases that link sentences e.g. after, meanwhile, during, before, then, next, after a while.
Text Level Work
Comprehension and Composition:
5- To identify and discuss reasons for events in stories linked to plot.
The learning objectives should be written on the board so that all pupils are aware of them. Furthermore, the teacher should read the objectives out so that all pupils are aware of what they are.
The Lesson
During the focused word part of the lesson, the teacher would discuss plurals and how they are distinguished. Explaining that when there is more than one object it is called a plural and quite often, we just add an‘s’ or ‘es’ depending on how the word is spelt. The teacher could ask the children to give some examples which she could write on the board for reference, using two columns to see if the children could see any patterns between adding ‘s’ and ‘es’. Then in another column, the children could give examples of verbs, giving their past and present tense. She could then go on to consolidate that words in their root form can have different endings added, according to how many there are, or by their tense.
Next, the teacher could go on to explain that she would read The Rainbow fish to the children and they should try to listen out for words that are plurals and have endings to show which tense the story is in. Also during the reading of the story, the teacher would like the children to think about how the story is linked together by using adverbs of time. The teacher could explain that rather than use ‘and then’ as children quite often do, there are alternatives such as meanwhile, during, after and next. These links make the story more interesting and flow chronologically.
Reading the text
The first page (see appendix) describes the Rainbow Fish’s “sparkling silver scales” the teacher could wait for the children to notice that there is a plural in this phrase, and if they do not notice she could point it out and ask what the word would be in its singular form. If the children are not sure about plurals and did not like to ask, this could give them a better understanding. The teacher could show the children the pictures to give them a visual image of the fish. The story starts in the present tense
“Come on, Rainbow Fish, Come and play with us!” But the Rainbow Fish would just glide past,
After looking at the picture with the children, the teacher could ask what tense did they think that this part of the story was in, and which words indicate this. The third page begins with an adverb of time “One day” which links the introduction of the story to the main event. The teacher could ask a less able child how and which words show that the next part of the story is about to begin. It is important that all children are involved in the discussion of the text as less able children can often be overlooked. The next page starts in the present tense, and then goes into the past as the little fish explains to other fish what has happened with the Rainbow Fish (see appendix). The class should be asked which words or phrases indicate that the tense has changed. Again, it is imperative that all abilities are aware of the tense change. Page five uses the same adverb of time, “one day” to link the next event in the story, when the Rainbow Fish meets the starfish. Page six uses the adverb:
Then suddenly two eyes caught him in their glare……
The rest of the text should be used in the same way, asking pupils as they go to point out adverbs of time and plural endings. The teacher should make sure all pupils are involved in the discussion and that everyone understands the learning objectives.
Group and Independent Work
All the children could be asked to write a short story using adverbs of time to link the plot, and use plurals to show there is more than one object. The below average pupils could use a cloze text and fill in the adverbs and plurals. If they finish before the end of the lesson, they could draw pictures to illustrate the story. The more able pupils should be expected to write a more detailed story with plenty of description and incorporate techniques that they have learnt. The teacher should work with a group of children to assist them with any problems that occur. From time to time, the teacher should make sure that the rest of the class is on task and are not having any problems. For the pupils that finish early, an extension activity could be provided. This could be that they write a list of adverbs of time that could be used in a story, with the aid of a dictionary or thesaurus.
The Plenary
The children could come back as a group for the plenary. As a group, the class could discuss reasons for events that happen in the Rainbow Fish story, or the stories that they have written, by cause and effect. Some of the pupils could read their stories out to the rest of the class and the audience could note plural endings and adverbs that have been used.
Assessing Speaking and Listening Skills
This report shows how children can be assessed on their speaking and listening skills. The National Curriculum (1999 p44) states that “pupils learn to speak clearly, thinking about the needs of their listeners” in key stage 1. These skills appear to be often overlooked due to constant testing of reading and writing achievements. In addition, it can be difficult to show concrete evidence of speaking and listening skills. However, I feel that more emphasis should be placed on developing these skills to achieve a more holistic approach to the curriculum. To investigate the possibilities of how assessments can be carried out and recorded, it was necessary to study EN1 speaking and listening, programme of study in the National Curriculum. This document stresses that pupils should join in during group discussion and participate in a range of drama activities in different circumstances. So that a better understanding of how children develop these skills, it was required to study two pupils over a period to see how speaking and listening plays a part in their school life. Also, it was necessary to keep records of their progress to enable an accurate assessment.
Assessment of Speaking and Listening
The two pupils chosen for this task are year two pupils. A girl and a boy were chosen to see if there were any gender differences. Primarily a plan was undertaken to establish when speaking and listening could be assessed. After carrying out some observations, I thought that assessments could be made during:
- Individual reading sessions;
- Assemblies;
- Circle time;
- Discussions in lesson times;
- Playtime;
- Group reading.
I decided to ask the teaching staff, how they made their assessments. I had suspected that this area, lacked attention: my suspicions were confirmed. I could not find any written evidence that assessments were being recorded. The teachers explained that they made mental notes and ‘just knew’ the level of their ability. However they did give me some ideas of how these assessments could be recorded, but I wondered why they were not put into practice. One aspect that I found surprising was that we had just had an OFSTED Inspection and there were no comments concerning speaking and listening records. I can only deduce from the information that OFSTED do not comment on this, and hence the reason for lack of records kept. As a large proportion of the programme of study for English is speaking and listening (EN1). I will endeavour to keep appropriate records when I qualify as a teacher.
To make accurate assessments of the two pupils chosen for this assignment, I thought that a checklist would be the most appropriate method. The list that I produced is as follows:
Assessment Sheet for Speaking and Listening
Individual Reading Sessions
Throughout my experience as a Learning Support Assistant, I have had a lot of experience with individual reading with pupils. I have always taken a few minutes to ask the child how they are and if they have had a good weekend etcetera. I think it is important to have a good rapport with every child, and this has always been a good way for children to have a little individual attention. Given consideration to this, I feel that it is a good time to assess their speaking and listening skills. The pupil is unaware that they are being assessed and are in a situation where they are very comfortable. Moreover, if this is a normal occurrence they will talk with ease and speak freely. After the initial conversation, the discussion could move to their feelings and views on the book that they are reading. There could then be a comparison between colloquial and academic conversation.
Speaking and Listening During Assembly
Children can easily be observed on their listening skills when participating as an audience during assembly. The only problem is, they can appear to be listening but their mind could be elsewhere. The only way to establish if they have listened is to ask questions after. At the school where I work, children perform an assembly as a class once a term. This is an ideal opportunity to assess how pupils perform in a challenging situation.
Circle Time
Children often find it easier to talk and air their grievances during circle time. They do not seem to feel under any pressure to perform, as they may in normal lesson time. Hence, another chance to assess in relaxing circumstances.
Discussion During Lesson Time
During lessons, assessments can be carried out. It can easily seen be if the children are paying attention, and if unsure, they can be questioned about the topic to find out if they have been paying attention. In a situation where there are many children, it would be wise to keep mental records of two or three children at one time to make accurate assessments. The information collected should then be written down as soon as possible to avoid inaccuracies.
Playtime
This can be a good time to find out the extent of pupil’s vocabulary as a child that may not have much to contribute during school can often have much more to say during playtime. Of course, the conversation will be a bit different during social activities but some children are more confident in this kind of environment.
Group Reading
Some pupils excel during group reading, as they like to perform in front of a crowd. Conversely, other children feel anxious about the prospect of talking in a group. The best way to approach this situation is to gradually encourage pupils to take part in the discussion of the text, and progress onto a more lengthy conversation. Their reaction to speaking within a group could also be recorded in their assessment.
Pupil Profile
For the purpose of this assignment, I will call the pupils ‘A’ and ‘B’ for confidentiality reasons.
Pupil A
Pupil A is a six-year-old boy. He has an unstable home life as his mother and father have divorced and the mother has remarried. He comes from a large family, four brothers and two sisters. The family speaks colloquially and do not reprimand the children when using bad language.
Pupil B
Pupil B is a six- year- old girl. She comes from a stable home and has a brother. Discipline is good within the home.
Assessing the Pupils
To obtain an accurate assessment in two weeks, I decided that it would be beneficial to assess many different situations. The two pupils were taken out of the classroom individually to read their book. Pupil A’s reading ability is six months below his chronological age. He is currently reading ‘Kipper’s Dog’, which is part of the Oxford Reading Tree scheme. We always begin our reading sessions with a brief informal chat about how they are feeling. On asking Pupil A how his weekend went, he said:
You wouldn’t like Ben, he is really naughty
I commented that I know Ben as he is in the school and I thought he was a nice little boy. He then replied:
But he is different at home, he swears at my mum
I tried to focus the conversation around positive things that had happened at home but he was insistent about his brother. As I did not want to discuss his personal life, I proceeded to talk about the book that he was reading. He went to great lengths telling me about the book and the story line. By his reaction, he obviously enjoyed reading this book, but I know from his reading record that he does not read at all at home. After a discussion and some reading, ‘A’ was very reluctant to go back to class. He finds one to one attention stimulating and enjoyable.
Pupil ‘B’ has a reading age nine months above her chronological age, and is reading
‘Egyptian Adventure’ another Oxford Reading Tree book. When she came to read to me, we discussed her weekend and she happily told me:
We went to the adventure playground with Chloe and had a McDonalds afterwards
She proceeded to open her book and look what page she was up to, so I assumed that she did not want to talk any further. I asked her if she liked the book and what the story was about and she politely told me about the story and said the book was “okay”. She was very well mannered but lacked enthusiasm in her speech, although her reading was quite expressive.
Assessment during Assembly
The whole of the class performed an assembly on the theme of ‘traditional tales’. Pupil ‘A’ and ‘B’ had small parts, as did the rest of the class. They both spoke clearly and accurately and appeared to enjoy the activity although ‘B’ was a bit nervous before they went into the hall. They were both aware of when it was their turn to talk, which showed good listening skills.
Circle Time
During circle time, we were discussing ‘making new friends’. Pupil ‘A’ found it difficult to not talk until its was his turn and had a lot to say when it was his turn. When he did speak, he rushed and became a bit mixed up. ‘B’ said she liked her friends and did not want any more: she used good intonation when speaking.
Discussion during Lesson Time
‘A’ kept trying to distract the other boy on his table and kept making comments to start an argument. ‘B’ worked quietly and when she did talk, it was mainly about the work that she was doing.
Play Time
I planned to listen to the children’s conversation to see how they talked to each other without an adult involved, but this proved difficult as they kept trying to include me into the conversation. However after a while ‘A’ used short incomplete sentences to talk to his friend, e.g. “ gotta car here” and “play football” Whereas ‘B’ talked confidently to her friends listening to them appropriately.
Group Reading
Pupil ‘A’ again was very eager for it to be his turn to read, so did not listen very well when it was others turn to read. He kept reading along with the child that was reading. This caused a bit of tension during the session. He kept making remarks like, “I wonna read as well” and “my turn” this disturbed the flow of the session and made it less enjoyable for all. Pupil ‘B’ took her turn to read and listened when it was the others turn. During the discussion part of the session, she contributed well and put her hand up when she wanted to speak.
Attainment Target 1: Speaking and Listening
Assessing pupil ‘A’ I would suggest he was the low end of level one. This is because he could talk about immediate things, conveying simple meaning to subjects that interested him, and could sometimes listen to others such as in assembly time. Although his sentences were very short and incomplete when chatting to his friends in the playground, he showed that he could talk properly in assembly. I feel that this is because of his home life and his family generally talk in this manner at home. I think that he could extend his ideas and accounts of occasions if guided by an adult.
I would assess pupil ‘B’ as a definite level two. She started to show confidence when speaking and appeared to listen at appropriate times. She used good intonation while speaking in circle time and this is a factor in suggesting she is a level two. Although these assessments were only taken over a few weeks, I am aware that pupil ‘B’s’ vocabulary has grown over the year and this is another factor when awarding level two. When she becomes more confident speaking to an audience and more evidence of listening skills are found, she may be a level three.
Conclusion
My observations showed that assessment of speaking and listening do not appear to be carried out fully, with appropriate records kept. It was difficult to ascertain if there were any gender differences as their personal lives were so different and insufficient pupils to make an accurate evaluation. The assessments that I made were carried out over a period of two weeks. Therefore, it would be difficult to assess the children properly. However, the assessments were carried out to the best of my ability during the given time allowed. I found the observations valuable and will endeavour to carry out full assessments when I am a Qualified Teacher.
References
Department for Education and Employment (1999) The National Curriculum London: HMSO.
Sandra Goss Language and Literature for Teachers EDS25-3 page
