Reading - A Classroom Dripping With Print!
An interesting and insightful read from Jill Eggleton - if you want children to catch language your space/classroom has to drip with print!
Your classroom should be a place of belonging for all children, and this environment should be one they are proud of. A place where they belong. Jill mentions that "all work on the walls should be for all students, not just one". I think this is something that you forgot or you miss the point - why are you putting this on the wall - and who is it for? It is there to just look good?
You need to saturate, surround and immerse the walls with language - this is a literacy resource. What great reading practice for all children. Jill clearly mentions that all work on walls should be correct - children will take that language and start to learn it, write it and use it - you want them to be able to use the correct language and learn the correct spelling.
In an older classroom, you have the ability to highlight the strong language used in a task. Jill states, "I would also use this opportunity to highlight some elements of languages, such as imagery, strong verbs, similes, personification, or selective adjectives. I added these words to the display along with the student’s published writing."
This is great - children seeing this language used every day is vital for them to gain a strong understanding of it.
Jill puts 5 minutes a day aside for the children to read the words. They would chant and clap the words/syllables together. Ensuring all children know what is on the walls - this is a great strategy. She finishes her reading by mentioning the walls are a free resource - always accessible!
Why not I say - let's ensure our walls are dripping with print!
