LITERACY
Literacy is:
“the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning to enable an individual to achieve his or her goals, to develop his or her knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in the wider society.”
(UNESCO)
It is of popular belief that individuals need literacy and essential skills to participate fully in social, cultural, economic and political life. Literacy is a key component to all subject areas taught and therefore literacy strategies are incorporated in the delivery of each subject area.
The four key areas of our literacy curriculum are:
Writing
Reading
Oral Communication
Media Literacy
What Is Balanced Literacy?
Balanced Literacy is a framework designed to help all students learn to read and write effectively. The program stands firmly on the premise that all students can learn to read and write. This balance between reading and writing allows students to receive the teaching needed in order to succeed, while allowing students to work at a level that is not frustrating for them.
Balanced Literacy is an integrated approach to teaching language arts. The framework consists of a number of elements that provide large amounts of reading and writing tasks on a daily basis. These authentic opportunities for reading and writing are arranged on a continuum based on more or less teacher support. Some reading and writing tasks are modeled by the teachers and others are accomplished with the support of the teacher, leading to tasks that are done independently by the child.
Unit 1 -
Unit 2 -
Unit 3 - The Human Footprint: Becoming Responsible Global Citizens
Big Questions:
- How do the human behaviours of extracting/ harvesting natural resources impact the environment
- What responsibility do we have to preserve these resources?
- In what ways does human settlement impact the environment? In what was does the environment impact human settlement?
Big Ideas:
-Natural events and human activities that change Earth’s physical features can have social, political, environmental, and economic consequences.
-Human settlement can cause social, environmental, and economic problems. Earth’s physical features can be created or changed by both natural processes and human activities
-We need to develop sustainable communities that function within the limits of our physical environment.