This activity was born out of our desire – the Grade 4 teacher and mine– to create a partnership that will blend drama and research skills, writing skills and a love of literature, art appreciation and their social studies unit on medieval times.
As a primary teacher and former literacy teacher on special assignment, I know the importance of making connections in reading – text to text, text to self and text to world. We need to find ways to engage learners, using multiple intelligences.
Throughout the early 1800s the government attempted to establish publicly funded education in Upper Canada but made only marginal inroads.
In the next few pages you will find stories written by ETFO members who are using the arts to provide their students with rich learning experiences, experiences that not only improve their understanding of and appreciation for artistic endeavour, but also improve their literacy.
Literacy has become a priority in Ontario schools: uninterrupted literacy blocks are now part of the daily timetable in many primary and junior classrooms.
This is the first of a four-part history of Ontario public elementary teachers and their federations. We will learn about ETFO and its predecessor organizations, the challenges they faced and the victories they achieved.
Would Boys do Better in School if More of Their Teachers Were Men?
The 2006 ETFO Annual Meeting was the first without elections.
Last year delegates decided to elect leaders for two-year terms;this year they spent four days focusing on Federation business.
It’s spring and the playground at Chatham’s Queen Elizabeth II School is alive with the steady beat of jump ropes slapping the asphalt and the sounds of kids repeating age-old chants: “One potato, two potato, three potato, four…”