Teaching Literacy Using Multimodal Literature Across All Subject Matters
Essential Question: To what extent can multimodal literacy extend beyond the confines of English Language Arts and be implemented into all subject areas?
I strongly believe that at an elementary level, even more specifically in Division 1 (K – 2), students should be exposed to as much literature and literacy opportunities as possible. It is so important at their young age to build a strong and solid foundation in literacy while the material is still very new and unfamiliar. It is through consistent exposure to wide variety of multimodal literacy that students will be better able to thrive academically and draw ties to curriculum that they are learning. Throughout the course of my final practicum, I would like to take this opportunity to explore the role of multimodal literacy and how it can extend beyond the confines of an English Language Arts class. I would like to accomplish this by reading or presenting my students with as much (applicable) multimodal literacy as possible throughout the course of my time there in subjects that they may not otherwise be presented with literacy in. For example, what role does multimodal literacy take in physical education classroom? How will that look differently in a music classroom, or social studies.
As a part of my personal inquiry project, I have put together a collection of books, primarily picture books, that can be implemented into all different subject matter rather than just English Language Arts. Having taught Grade 2 in my final practicum, much of the literature mentioned will best fit the Grade 2 Alberta Curriculum but would be suitable for all grades Kindergarten - Grade 5. Each subject matter comes equipped with the literature that I brought into my classroom and how I used it, as well as additional literary resources that could be brought into the classroom again organized by subject matter.
What I learned...
Over the course of my final practicum, I have found that my students were much more receptive to content they were learning in other courses when they had some sort of cue for their minds or a story to connect the information to. It not only aided in making the information they were taking in more accessible to the class but also made it much easier to remember moving forwards. If students found themselves in a funk and couldn't quite remember that one thing we'd talked about they were able to think back to the stories we had read and how it related to the information that we had been learning about. Additionally, with the constant exposure to literature (across all subject matters) literacy improved and language increased amongst the students in my class. After completing this project I am even more of a strong believer in the importance of teaching in a cross curricular fashion, but even more importantly by teaching literacy in all things, and at all times and in all places.