Bridging the Gap

 

What is Literacy if the essence is lost at the foundation stage? Every developmental mile stone that is skipped in the literacy journey, has a way of hunting any educational system. After my experience with three secondary school students from different schools, who could not read nor write well, a question refused to leave me. Did they pass through foundation stage? If yes. Then what went wrong?

Literacy focuses more on reading (decoding words) and the ability to spell (encoding). This goes down to applying the knowledge of phonics in early years teaching. Beyond having the knowledge of phonics, which should be a criteria for any educator who is interested in result, every educator should have the skill of teaching kids how to read and write.

Having thrown this light, it is paramount therefore that educators always trouble shoot, to find out reasons why their students are not reading or spelling well at a particular age. The earlier this is spotted, the better chances of developing the reading and writing skills of learners.

For learners to be able to read, they must be able to decode sounds. This invariably means that building the reading skill must begin early with learners being able to identify individual sounds. Kids should be able to link letters to sounds from their early age.

Helpful tips

1.     Make sure your leaners know their individual letter sounds. Don’t assume they do, because of their age, you might be shocked when you assess them.

2.     Make sure they are able to identify the individual sounds that forms a word. Depending on the age, it could be two, three, or four letter words.

3.     Make sure they can blend sounds to form two, three or four letter word, according to their age and mental ability.

4.     Let them know the difference between vowel and consonant sounds. This depends on the age and class. There is no need to rush, if your learners are not there yet. Focus on result, and check from time to time if your teaching is effective. If it is not, provide extra support.

5.     Introduce them to CVC words and how to blend consonant and vowel sounds to form them.

6.     Expose them to digraphs, and teach them how to blend them with other sounds to form words

7.     Form simple sentences based on the sounds and words you have taught and have them read

I hope this helps …

Differentiation

One of the challenges that confront the twenty first century teachers, is being able to deliver their subject based content to suit various types of learners. This is what differentiation in a lesson plan is all about.

Understanding your students is key to helping you deliver your content.  This is because it gives you an edge, and allows you to meet various learners’ need, by exploring different learning styles.

Teaching has gone beyond the conventional way of a teacher just standing in front of a board, and hoping that all learners would follow. It is more of strategies geared towards meeting different learners’ need, where students do not just learn, but learn with ease, enjoying the process as they go.

What is the teacher’s responsibility then? Everyone who has embraced teaching as a profession should improve and expose themselves to different teaching methods. It is accepted today, in most private schools, that there is no dull child in a class. Every child has a peculiar way of learning, which should be discovered.

If you believe that you are born for the teaching job, then you need to know that it is more than just your paper qualification or pay pack. It is about who you are, and how you do what you do. Meeting the different learners’ need, should be a drive.

Image from teachers.org

Download Lesson Plans on Grammar

‘Show’ Not ‘Tell’

 

I am sure you must have heard this phrase several times, especially from creative writing instructors.  Writing experts believe that your writing is more interesting if your readers are drawn into your world of imagination by drawing inferences.

‘Show’ not ‘Tell’, is a technique in writing which is employed to provide details about characters or settings. These details, help readers to figure out some information about characters and settings.

I will like to draw examples from two of my students’ write ups. It was really interesting reading their work as they try to use this technique.

1. Tell: John is angry

    Show: John flung all the documents on his table and kicked the chairs beside it. He held his head in both hands, tightly gnashing his teeth and roaring like a hungry lion.

2. Tell: John is sad

   Show: John opened his room and sluggishly sat on the bed shaking his head. He finally rested his head on his hands and gave a heavy sigh.

DIVINE EZE OGBONNA (SSS 2, WINNERS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY, PORTHARCOURT)

1. Tell: John is angry

   Show:  The rage in his breath as he walked to-and fro the room, muttering words that no one could hear. John walked out of the room banging the door behind him and breaking the nearest breakable he could lay his hands on.

2. Tell: John is sad

   Show:  The misery on John’s face left him in deep thoughts, as he sat quietly at the corner of his bed one afternoon. As tears rolled down his cheeks, goose bumps filled his entire body, making him breathe heavily.

OBOT DEBORAH ELIJAH (SSS 2, WINNERS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY, PORTHARCOURT)

 

It is your turn. Figure out this character

1. Show: Joana slowly opened the door which made a screeching sound as it gradually opened. She bent to dodge from a dangling cobweb which seemed to have formed a net at the entrance of the house.  She moved towards the dinning and made patterns on the table. She tried talking, but was greeted by her own echo.

     Tell:

2.   Show:

      Tell: Joana is nervous

Happy World Teachers' Day

Have you ever worked before without a pay? maybe not. well for a few, the answer may be a 'yes'. I fortunately belong to that minority. It is not stupidity, far from it; it is passion. It is good to work for money, after all, that's why we work, to make ends meet, but more importantly, it is better to be driven by passion in what you do. This is because when the chips are down, passion can keep you going, and you know what, it pays at the end of the day. This is coming from the experience of doing something that I have always loved.                                                                           

Teaching is a passion that is rewarding. The fulfilling thing about this profession is not just standing in front of students and feeling superior; it is impacting something that might stay with the next generation and help to prepare them for life. Knowing then that educators are saddled with the responsibility of not just building the intellect of young minds, but also helping their all round development; every teacher must raise the bar higher.

Teachers are great builders. They are a major step in the bridge that takes our young ones to the top. So if you are a teacher and love what you do, keep at it. The greatest reward is in the lives of the children that we are impacting.  Happy World Teachers's Day to every teacher out there!

The Three Little Pigs

It was another exciting period, as I listened to my young writers give their different perspectives on the story of The Three Little Pigs. The ideas are so interesting; please enjoy reading their stories!

A story by Zoe Nnaji (7 years old)

Once there were three little pigs. One day, the three little pigs were reading some books about wild animals. One reading about a lion, the other about a snake and the last little pig read about a crocodile. They mimicked the animals they were reading about.

Then when the animals that they were reading about heard the three little pigs mimicking them, the animals started chasing them. The pigs ran and ran, then thought of an idea. They decided to disguise themselves as other animals.

So when the wild animals saw them, they did not recognize them and kept looking for them.

 

A story by Gemma Worukwo (7 years old)

Once upon a time, there lived three little pigs. They lived in a small hut near the forest. One day, they heard a loud sound. The three little pigs were so scared, so they followed the sound and entered into a lion's cave. One of the pigs unknowingly woke up the lion, and the lion started chasing them. So the pigs decided to hide in the bush and set a trap for the lion. The lion fell into the trap, and the three little pigs lived happily ever after without fear of the lion.

 

A story by Elnathan Adegboro (6 years old)

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs who built three boats. The first pig’s boat was built with straws; the second pig built his boat with sticks, while the third pig built his boat with iron.

There came a big bad wolf one day, with his pirate boat wanting to destroy the three boats built by the three pigs. Two of the boats were destroyed, but the boat that was built with iron could not be destroyed.

The other two pigs learnt that it is better to build with a strong material and the three little pigs lived happily ever after.

 

A story by Olivia Nnaji (6 years old)

One day, the three little pigs were playing outside their house. As they were playing, a big bad wolf quietly entered their house and destroyed everything in the house. When the three little pigs entered the house after playing, they saw their house, and it was a mess.

They blamed the cause on themselves and started fighting one another. They injured themselves and were about going to the hospital when they saw some marks on their wall. They recognized where it came from; it came from the paw of  the big bad wolf. The three little pigs then apologized to themselves and became friends again.

 

A story by Victor Stanley (6 years old)

There were once three little pigs that visited a Juice Shop. The first pig ordered for a  strawberry juice, the second pig ordered for a lemonade juice and the third pig ordered for a pineapple juice. When they had finished with their drinks, they discovered they had no money to pay for them. So they had no choice, but to work for the juice maker in exchange for the money before he let them to go.

 

A story by Daniel Iheme (7 years old)

Once upon a time, there lived three little pigs.  The first pig was a scientist; the second pig a doctor, while the third was a basketball player. 

One day, when the first pig went to his computer laboratory, he found out that a rock was about to fall and immediately he informed the other pigs. The second pig listened to the first pig, but the third pig who was a basketball player refused to follow the others out of where they lived. The third pig did not follow his friends because he didn't believe in science. All he was interested in was to prepare for the next game he had. So the other pigs left him.

One day, when he was trying out his basketball skill, he felt the ground shaking and was so scared. As soon as he looked up he saw a huge rock falling and ran as fast as he could.

The third little pig didn’t make it, because as soon as the rock hit the ground, the ground opened up and he fell and died.

Do your kids have potentials to write? Then what are you waiting for? Enrol them today in our online Creative Writing Class. Send an SMS to +2347042256896 indicating your interest.

Nachy Writing Academy: Raising the next generation of Writers.

                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young Writers Write: The Rain

I was  happy hearing my young writers share their experiences of 'The Rain'. It was so interesting to know that these young minds are busy observing and seeking for ways  to express their thoughts and imagination. You never know how deep they can think, until you listen to them.  Enjoy reading their poems. 

THE WINDY NIGHT

A poem by Ugonnaya Daniel Iheme, 7 years old

Calvary Garden Nursery and Primary School, Lagos, Nigeria

In the darkest night

There came a stormy wind

Then what followed 

Was the rain beating

Against the bushes

And the roaring thunder

I also saw lights in the sky come and go

The streets were flooded

It all began with just a wind

A WINDY DAY

A poem by Zoe Nnaji, 7 years old

New Land Elementary School, Lagos, Nigeria

I went outside to play

But it was too windy

I went back inside to take a short nap

I woke up and it started drizzling

I thought the rain was about to stop

But it started raining heavily

I was so surprised

The wind brought the rain

I had to go back to sleep

A SCARY NIGHT

A poem by Olivia Nnaji, 6 years old

New Land Elementary School, Lagos, Nigeria

I was at home when it started to rain

The rain didn't scare me until the thunder came

The thunder and lightening scared me so badly

I quickly ran and hid under the bed

It didn't take long and the rain stopped

I came out from under the bed so happy

A COLD NIGHT

A poem by Victor Stanley, 6 years old

Vine International School Iwofe, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

It was a cold night

I could feel the chills all over my body

I hurriedly closed the windows

I reached out for my coat

As I lay on my bed

To enjoy the night sleep

I covered myself

With my blanket to keep warm.

A RAINY DAY

A poem by Adegboro Elnathan Ohunoluwa, 6 years

Vine International School, Port Harcourt

It was raining,

I needed an umbrella

A pair of boots

And a rain coat.

To go home

I got an umbrella,

A rain coat and a pair of boots.

The street was flooded

But I had to get home

It was such a wet day

A CLOUDY DAY

A poem by Gemma Chimenum Worokwo, 7 years

Bloombreed Montessori School, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

It was a cloudy day

No one could see

Because the sky was cloudy and dark

I thought it was night again

But I noticed that it wanted to rain

It didn’t take a long time

The rain started to drop

It was so heavy

That I went back to sleep.

Nachy Writing Academy is ready to discover that writing gift in your child. Give us a call to enroll  in our Online Creative Writing Class. Together, we can build the next generation of writers. See you at the top!

JSS 2 FIRST TERM ENGLISH

JSS 2  ENGLISH

First Term Examination PART A

SECTION 1: COMPREHENSION

Read the following passages carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate of the options lettered A – E.

Anoka’s problem started the day Solo his father received his army discharge gratuity. For three years he had gone to Nigerian Army Pensions Office (NAPO) in Beku begging to be paid his gratuity of Four Hundred Thousand Naira, but he always returned home with a baleful story of a corrupt bureaucratic bottle-neck that was denying him his entitlement. Finally, he was paid after bribing the pension officer and the desk clerk who on all occasions previous to his payment had always looked at him like a dog eying a fat bone. 

It was evening so he hurried back home for fear of running into one of the armed robbery bandits infesting Beku. When he got home, he went straight to his big iron box and put inside it. Sometime in the midnight, his wife tapped in her effort to wake him up when she heard the creaking of their door; but he slept on with his usual nasal strains. She had to squeeze his nose before he could wake up. However, the door was burgled and the unwelcomed visitors made away with Solo’s money, while he helplessly wailed and cursed the day he was born.

As for Anoka who grunted while the raid lasted, he had to drop out of school few months later because his parents could not afford to pay his tuition.

Questions

1.Solo was (a) Anoka’s uncle (b) Anoka’s father (c) Anoka’s son (d) Anoka’s son – in – law (e) Anoka’s brother

2.Who went to the Nigerian Army Pensions Office (NAPO) at Beku? (a) Anoka (b) Beku (c) Solo (d) Solo’s wife (e) Anoka’s parents

3.According to the passage, the gratuity was not initially paid because(a) the officers at the Nigerian Army Pensions were sick (b) the Nigerian Army Pensions Office was non – existent (c) the Nigerian Army Pensions Office had gone bankrupt (d) the officials at the NAPO were corrupt (e) there was no gratuity to be paid

4.Where was the money kept? (a) The money was kept under a pillow (b) The money was kept in a bowl. (c) The money was kept in a bottle (d) The money was hidden under a bushel (e) The money was kept inside a big iron box.

5. Who were the unwelcomed visitors mentioned in the passage? (a) Solo’s friends (b) Anoka’s cousins (c) bandits (d) Solo’s neighbours (e) NAPO officials

SECTION 2: Grammar

Fill the blank spaces with the suitable word from the options

6. She is the......... of all the girls (A) tallest (B) taller (C) tall (D) high

7. My copy is......... than yours (A) good (B) best (C) more better (D) better

8. Thank you for returning my call so.............. (A) quickly (B) quick (C) quicker (D) quickest

9. According to the recent election's results, the Democrats are ---- of the four main political parties.(A) the smaller ( B) the  smallest (C) much smaller (D) smaller

10. She was wearing a pair of...................... Shoes (A) beauty (B) red beautiful (C) beautiful red (D) beautifully red

11. The fruit was............ Ripe and ready to be eaten (A)  fully (B) much (C) too (D) very

12. The boy 's father warned him not to........... With bad friends (A) be familiar (B) engaged (C)  go out (D) keep company

13. My mother in law who is my wife 's........ Will visit us next month  (A) grand mother (B) mother (C) old woman (D)  sister

14. The staff gave the Director  a..............  Ovation (A) sitting (B)  sounding (C) standing (D) surprising

15. Microsoft ware was________by an American, Bill Gates. (A.) developed  (B) . invented    (C.) introduced (D) made   

16. “I am hungry” is re- written in reported form as _______ hungry. (a) He said he was (b) He says I was (c) He said I am (d) I am (e) I was

17. The police came much later after the robbers _______. (a) had gone (b) has gone (c) has went (d) have go (e) have gone

18. The statement “We ate yam”, re –written in the passive form will be ________. (a) We have eaten yam. (b) Yam is eating (c) Yam is eaten. (d) Yam was eaten. (e) Yam was being eaten.

19.The GSM operators have _______ assurance to make enough cards available. (a) gave (b) give (c) given (d) gives (e) giving

20.The patient was discharged _______ the hospital yesterday. (A) around (b) at (c) from (d) in (e) with

SECTION 3 : Speech Work

Identify the words with the same Phonetic sound

21. /p/ (a) pick (b) psychology (c) psychotic (d) psalm (e) philosophy

22. /t/ bath (b) jumped (c) path (d) these (e) thin

23. /f/  (a) Philosophy (b) Psychology (c) chose (d) past (e) moist

24. /g/ (a) great (b) mail (c) cheese (d) live (e) cat

25. m/ (a) make (b) nick (c) van (d) nail (e) great

PART  B: (answer 3 questions from this section,  one from Essay ,  then all questions form Grammar and  Speech work )

In less than 250 words, write an Essay on any of these topic :

1.      What I do every day

or

2.      A place of interest I have visited

Grammar

3.      Form one sentence each  with

      (a) Transitive verb

(b)     Intransitive verb

(c)    Present continuous tense

(d)    Past perfect tense

(e)     Simple present tense

Speech work

4. Write 3 words that have 3 consonants Cluster at the initial positions

5. Write 3 words that have consonants Cluster at the final position