Literature-Based Learning: Teaching Creative Language Arts Strategies - EDU-X711R

Course Description

Creatively Tie Standards with Literature to Boost English Language Arts Skills

This course provides K-6 teachers with creative strategies to teach English Language Arts skills. Teachers will be equipped with methods for teaching a variety of language skills based on grade level and student needs:  verb usage and meaning, word categorization to understand concepts, compound word knowledge and connections, using sentence-level context clues to determine meaning, synonym knowledge to support understanding, comma usage for introductory words/phrases, and context clue analysis by accessing a variety of reference materials. These new skills, activities, research and directed lesson plans will provide new and engaging lessons for students.

During this course, participants will:

• Conduct research on active listening and describe how it enhances student learning
• Conduct research on an English Language Arts standard of your choosing to achieve a better understanding and create more meaningful lessons
• Conduct research describing how using children's literature can enhance and support student learning
• Prepare, teach and reflect on one directed lesson provided in the course using one of the books from the course list
• Create, teach and reflect on an additional creative lesson using the same book
• Create a story bag/box/basket using any book from the course and align it to a different language arts standard
• Final Project Part A:  Create a Sea Festival focusing on the elements from the course and include student assessments through games/events/prizes at the festival
• Final Part B:  Reflect on the course activities and strategies studied throughout the course

Learner Outcomes

• Teach language arts strategies creatively
• Conduct and provide research on children's literature, a chosen English Language Arts standard, and Active Listening techniques
• Develop lesson plans that connect standards and literature
• Design a standard and literature-based story box
• Create a culminating project, a Sea Festival, that incorporates all the strategies and knowledge acquired in this course
• Reflect on and review the knowledge gained in this course

Course Details

Number of Units: 3.0 graduate level extension credit(s) in semester hours

Who Should Attend: This course provides continuing education for K-6 teachers who want to increase motivation and learning with their students by using children's literature with creative strategies.

Course Materials:  No text required, however there is a requirement to have access to one of six listed children's books (titles provided in the course) that can be readily found in either your classroom, your school or public library, or purchased at your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com. This course can be completed with or without students present.

Testimonials

"This course has equipped me with teaching methods that I will continue to learn about and implement into my teaching career. All of these creative ways to teach language arts supports and engages students. Once the brainstorming and creativeness of the activities really got going, I found myself having fun and often forgetting this festival was just pretend." -- Joanna Johnson, TK-12 Independent Study Teacher, Institute of Excellence, Cottonwood, CA

"Creating and planning a Sea Life Festival was just what I needed. I was able to embark upon a new adventure. To be able to plan something new, fun, and engaging was both purposeful and meaningful. This was epic. I have planned this to take place with my entire first grade team. This will now be an ongoing event which we will host for years to come. This festival could definitely be designed and created to focus on other curricular areas as well." -- Ericka, 1st Grade Educator, San Clemente, CA

Applies Towards the Following Certificate(s), Professional Programs and Series

• Literacy Toolbox Series : Courses - Enroll in One or More