First Impressions of English Language Arts in the BC Curriculum

Upon my initial reading of the Integrated Resource Package (IRP) for English Language Arts I was scared as I found it was a lot of information that was difficult to read. I found the idea of using this document daunting because I knew that it was something I would be working with for the rest of my career. Although there was a lot of information that seemed overwhelming one quote in particular stood out, “ “A literacy of thoughtfulness is primarily a process of making meaning (not just receiving it) and negotiating it with others (not just thinking alone).  It is fundamentally constructive” (Brown, as cited in Ministry of Education and Ministry Responsible for Multiculturalism and Human Rights, Vol. 1, 1991, p. 29)”(IRP, 17) Before entering the education program I thought that literacy simply meant being able to read a piece of text and understand it. Now, from reading the IRPs and participating in class discussions I realize that it is much more than that. Being literate means being able to extract meaning and discuss one’s findings from written words, images, songs and more. Furthermore, it is the ability to express your thoughts in any medium and explain them.

Upon further digging in the IRPs and getting a chance to read and discuss the Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLOs) I discovered how important and useful the IRPs were for teaching. I feel that the PLO’s are valuable because they provide teachers with a list of guidelines, which provide a framework in which to teach and clear goals to focus on. For example, in the PLO’s one thing that grade threes are expected to do is listen purposefully to understand ideas and information, by identifying the main ideas and supporting details, generating questions and visualizing and sharing (IRP, 60). In addition to outlining what students need to learn, statements like this one give teachers the freedom to choose how they want to teach. As a result, teachers are allowed to be creative with their lessons and put their own personal stamp on their classroom. Also, teachers may gain a better understanding of the class they are about to teach by reading the PLO’s pertaining to the grade below. Although I was initially afraid of working with the IRPs, I am now excited as in them I see the potential for interesting, fun and meaningful lessons.