Teaching literacy can be difficult. It is more than teaching reading skills. Literacy includes reading, writing, comprehension, speaking and creating oral, visual and print texts. While it appears to be all-encompassing, there are a few techniques that can make the literacy teaching experience easier.
Consider these tips:
Prepare in advance
It might go without saying but preparation is key to a good learning experience for students. A well-prepared lesson means students are more engaged and can achieve better learning outcomes. Preparing ahead of time also means you can meet the curriculum without hassle and you’ll have less bored students. You can use resources such as LiteracyPlanet to complement your class work too.
Get to really know your students
Talk to your students and discover what motivates them. Ask them questions such as what is their favourite type of lesson, what are their favourite types of activities and so forth. Getting to know your students means you’re likely to plan better for literacy work. When you use real-life literacy examples that they can relate to, it’s more likely to stick in their brain as well! Try exploring literacy through some of their favourite songs, books, or any other interests.
Try hands on learning
By making your learning more hands on, the children will have more fun and be more engaged. One great way is to incorporate technology into the classroom. LiteracyPlanet is one example of fun, hands on learning – there’s thousands of interactive games for students to choose from. Students get to complete missions and create their own personalised Avatar!
Set challenges
Setting challenges is a key tool in making literacy learning fun. You could set a reading challenge or assign a series of missions in LiteracyPlanet. You could award the first three winners with a prize to keep motivation high.
Include drama
Consider utilising drama in your english class. Get students to role play and improvise scenes to shake things up. This is a great way to improve oral english skills and have fun while you’re at it. It’s also a great confidence boost especially for the more shy students in the class.
