I have always loved words and believed in their power. Henry Higgins eloquently explains my rationale.
Then there was Trenton. Trenton was one of my students who made one statement that struck me deeply. Trenton used an expletive in my classroom and after being gently scolded for having done so Trenton replied, "But Mme. Pilling, it's just a word".
Abstract
From cuneiform to hieroglyphics to text messages and Snapchat, writing has been an essential means of human communication for thousands of years. Perhaps more than ever before, students are communicating via text. In the NLGL cohort I have come to understand that literacy does not mean now what it meant in the past and it is incumbent upon us as educators to properly instruct our students how important words are, the weight they carry and the change they can effect on our Global Community. It is now especially important that we teach students that truly, the pen is mightier than the sword and, this statement being true, we must arm them well.
How can we teach students to uderstand the weight of words and the value of vocabulary? By using World Language Standards, making connections between a student's native language and the target language and by implementing research based practices into our teaching, we can teach students the importance, meaning and power of words. I found that by using these approaches I was able to reach students and show them that words do matter whether speaking them or writing them.
From cuneiform to hieroglyphics to text messages and Snapchat, writing has been an essential means of human communication for thousands of years. Perhaps more than ever before, students are communicating via text. In the NLGL cohort I have come to understand that literacy does not mean now what it meant in the past and it is incumbent upon us as educators to properly instruct our students how important words are, the weight they carry and the change they can effect on our Global Community. It is now especially important that we teach students that truly, the pen is mightier than the sword and, this statement being true, we must arm them well.
How can we teach students to uderstand the weight of words and the value of vocabulary? By using World Language Standards, making connections between a student's native language and the target language and by implementing research based practices into our teaching, we can teach students the importance, meaning and power of words. I found that by using these approaches I was able to reach students and show them that words do matter whether speaking them or writing them.
Conclusion
Rita Bean and Alison Dagen write, "...all literacy acts (reading and writing) are inherently historical, social, cultural....Literacy acts arise out of the ways in which people in a particular society think about, use, understand and value literacy."
Teachers have a powerful influence on society. We can help children understand how important words are and why they matter not just in the classroom but in the world. We can teach our students not only to value, but to love language by making our classrooms interactive, collaborative, and by tapping in to the natural curiosity with which we are all born. As educators, we can help our students understand that sometimes just a word can change the world.
Rita Bean and Alison Dagen write, "...all literacy acts (reading and writing) are inherently historical, social, cultural....Literacy acts arise out of the ways in which people in a particular society think about, use, understand and value literacy."
Teachers have a powerful influence on society. We can help children understand how important words are and why they matter not just in the classroom but in the world. We can teach our students not only to value, but to love language by making our classrooms interactive, collaborative, and by tapping in to the natural curiosity with which we are all born. As educators, we can help our students understand that sometimes just a word can change the world.