### ACTIVITY 9: Discussion with Mentor Teacher ### ACTIVITY 10: Observation of Grade R Learner

Certainly! Here’s how you can approach these activities and how you might design your questions and observations: ### ACTIVITY 9 **Discuss the Approach with Mentor Teacher** 1. **Questions to ask your mentor teacher about their approach:** - "What is your primary approach to teaching language in the classroom?" - "Do you use any specific methods or models, such as phonics, whole language, or balanced literacy?" - "Can you give examples of activities or lessons you use to enhance language development?" - "How do you integrate speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in your lessons?" - "How do you address the diverse language needs of students in your classroom?" 2. **Example answers (hypothetical):** - *Primary Approach*: "I primarily use the balanced literacy approach, which incorporates elements of both phonics and whole language strategies." - *Methods/Models*: "I use a mixture of teacher-directed and student-centered activities, like guided reading sessions, shared reading, and independent reading." - *Activity Examples*: "For instance, during circle time, I read a big book aloud to the class, ask predictive questions, and later have the children draw their favorite part of the story." - *Skills Integration*: "I integrate skills by having students write about the stories we read, practice new vocabulary words, and engage in group discussions." - *Addressing Diversity*: "I provide differentiated instruction by offering various levels of reading materials and scaffolded support as needed." 3. **Observation Examples:** - During a guided reading session, the teacher uses a small group format to give focused instruction on reading strategies. - The teacher incorporates interactive read-alouds to build listening skills and foster a love for reading. - Group activities where children collaborate on story sequencing or word matching games, integrating social and linguistic skills. ### 9.1 Compare mentor teacher's approach with language acquisition theories 1. **Theories of Language Acquisition:** - **Behaviorist Theory (Skinner)**: Focuses on imitation, practice, and reinforcement. - **Nativist Theory (Chomsky)**: Suggests an innate ability for language acquisition. - **Social Interactionist Theory (Vygotsky)**: Emphasizes the role of social interaction and scaffolding in language learning. - **Cognitive Development Theory (Piaget)**: Connects language development to cognitive stages of development. 2. **Comparison**: - The balanced literacy approach used by the mentor teacher aligns well with Vygotsky’s Social Interactionist Theory as it emphasizes student interaction during group activities and the shared reading experience. - The use of scaffolded support and differentiated instruction can also be linked to Vygotsky’s concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), where learners receive the help they need to accomplish tasks just beyond their current ability. - Elements of the behaviorist theory are present in the way the teacher uses reinforcement and practice with activities such as word matching games and predictive questioning during read-aloud sessions. ### ACTIVITY 10 **Observe Learners for Emergent Reading** 1. **Choose a learner and explain signs/behaviours indicating emergent reading abilities:** - **Observation Criteria**: - Recognition of letters and words. - Understanding that print carries meaning. - Ability to predict what will happen next in a story. - Attempts to "read" aloud using picture clues. - Engagement in storytelling or story re-telling. - Correctly holding a book and following the text from left to right. 2. **Example for one learner (hypothetical scenario)**: - **Chosen Learner**: Emma - **Signs/Behaviours**: - Emma recognizes and can name several letters of the alphabet. - During a story session, she points to pictures and makes connections with the text, saying things like, "Dog!" when she sees a picture of a dog. - She often imitates the teacher's storytelling by holding a book correctly and "reading" the story to her peers using the pictures for guidance. - Emma shows excitement when it's reading time and likes to choose her favorite books, suggesting she understands that books are sources of stories and information. ### Conclusion By thoroughly documenting your observations and discussions, you’ll be able to draw valuable insights into how theoretical approaches to language acquisition are applied in practical classroom settings and appreciate the developmental stages of emergent reading in young learners.