Learning task 2: Lesson outlines
Preparatory work for US 12420: Reading skills
- Hand out
version 1 (Word 37KB)
of the formative reading text for US 12420, "Driving while Asian".
- Give text to students to read for homework and get them to answer these questions:
- What is the text mainly about?
- Where would they be likely to find an article like this - in a magazine, text book or brochure, etc? (in fact they will be given this information at the beginning of the assessment task)
- What is the writer's purpose? (This can be equally as important as the main idea, and often helps pinpoint the main idea.)
- Discuss answers to the questions above. Students compare their answers with a partner. Get students to share their answers with the whole class and write them on the board.
- Give out
findingMainIdeas (Word 48KB)
. Students follow steps 1 to 4 for the version 1 "Driving while Asian" text.
- Now give two more short texts for students to practise finding main ideas. These texts could be articles exploring the driving in New Zealand topic or other topics.[Suggestions: New Zealand Listener archive]) Students follow steps 1 to 4 and identify main ideas in selected articles.
- Expressing the main ideas of texts:
- Record information from the version 1 "Driving while Asian" text on the left hand side of the whiteboard.
- Use the joint construction method to write 2 -3 sentences expressing the main idea.
- Divide the class into small groups and get them to write their own paraphrases for the other practice texts from [2] above.
- Feedback as whole class to compare answers.
- Analysing the significance of the main idea:
- Read the Performance Criteria 1.2 to the class then hand out Explaining Significance of the Main Idea in order to explain the performance criterion.
- Students go through the matching exercise in the worksheet. [Answers: 2. politically important 3. historically important 4. physically important 5. personally important 6. culturally important].
- Get students to analyse the significance of the main ideas of the two practice texts in the last exercise.
Identifying the language features of a text
So far, students have become familiar with the first and second performance criteria for US 12420, but they have not yet studied language features or techniques for shaping the text.
Complete the
Language features resource sheet (Word 36KB)
matching exercise:
- Cut along the line on table to give three columns: the definition; the example; the effect. Copy these columns onto three different colours of cardboard. Cut the columns into each of the language features, Divide students into small groups and give each group one set of cards for each activity.
- Students then match the definition to the correct example and effect. In this way they will learn to link language features with examples. Note that the effects listed in both language activities provide initial descriptions of effects only. A more detailed description of each effect is required to meet the standard for 12420.
- Use the practice texts the students used for finding main ideas, and the "Driving while Asian" text to give them practice identifying some of these language features.
Identifying techniques used to shape the text
The techniques chosen should be relevant for most of the text, that is they should "shape" the text. Look at the "Driving while Asian" text. Identify anecdotes and examples of Asian driving habits throughout the article. Using anecdotes or examples is one technique the writer has used to shape the text. Discuss the effects created by using this technique.
Students can also use their jigsaw reading texts to practise finding main ideas, explaining the significance of main ideas, and finding language features and techniques for shaping the text.
Hand out
Getting Around Driving while Asian (Word 806KB)
of the formative reading text for US 12420, "Driving while Asian". Read and discuss the
questions (Word 25KB)
. Students should write answers as a formative activity.
Students compare their answers to those in
Getting Around Exemplar A (Word 24KB)
. Now compare answers in
Getting Around exemplar B (Word 21KB)
to those in Exemplar A. Look at the answers for each question in turn, first in Exemplar A then in Exemplar B. Read the annotations underneath each answer. What differences do you notice between answers in each exemplar?
Look at Exemplar A's answers to 1.2 and 1.4. Unit standard 12420 requires analysis to meet both these performance criteria. As a class, talk about the higher level of interpretation evident in the 1.2 and 1.4 answers compared to the explanation required for pc 1.1 or the description required for 1.3.
The summative assessment can be done whenever you feel students are ready. This may be after giving feedback on the formative assessment and after further practice on weak areas.
Possible essay topic link to English 2.2.
Published on: 14 Jul 2009
