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Teacher: Phil Coogan
Year: 9-10
Level: 3-6
Achievement objective being assessed
English:
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
Supporting achievement objectives
Assessment
Formative
Processes
Exploring Language:
Language learning focus
Students will:
Extension:
How the language learning outcomes will be achieved:
This unit is designed to allow students within a junior secondary class to choose fiction or non fiction texts to complete this self-paced and self directed assignment.
Select and adapt these learning activities to best meet the needs of your students, and to fit the time available:
Learning task 1
Learning task 2
Learning task 3
Learning task 4
Learning task 5
For an alternative assessment involving an oral book review, see this Assessment Resource Banks activity (ARB username and password required to view this resource)
Before issuing the assignment try some of the activities from the Logging up reading mileage unit to get your students thinking about reading and its importance.
More importantly students need to be enthused about:
Try some of the following during an initial reading/library period:
Above all, be as knowledgeable and passionate as you can about the books you are introducing.
Use your teacher's normal format for presenting an assignment. This will probably include your name, the book you have chosen and the due date for the work.
The Cover
Analyse the cover as a static image. Use this to help you decide how the layout, dominant image, use of symbols, use of colour, font (especially the font used for the title) and background help convey the main message or idea of the cover.
Keep a log as you read your book. The log should comprise brief entries completed after each reading session. The log should be written in role as either the main character or a minor character who is aware of most of what is happening in the book. The log should:
Choose a climax, an exciting moment, a turning point in the story or a key revelation about a character. Photocopy this section of the book (which should be no longer than one page) and use the guide below to explore how the author has helped create a mood of excitement or tension or sadness or regret or revealed something significant about a character.
Before starting, look at this from a key moment from Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden as a guide to your own analysis.
Read your selected passage closely, several times, and write about how the following helped contribute to the mood or reveal something significant about a character. You need to include at least one example of each technique you mention.
First, describe the mood created or the nature of the character revelation.
Provide an overall summary of your selected passage, saying whether you found it effective or not. Did you feel the panic, excitement or sadness? Did you get a deeper or different understanding of a character? Which of the above techniques were most important in achieving these things?
Have your analysis assessed by a peer using the close reading assessment schedule.
Refer back to the question you asked in the pre reading learning task. Was it relevant to the story? Was it answered? What was the answer? Was this disappointing? Surprising? Satisfying? Why?
Other people your age may (or may not) be interested in reading your book. Your task is to write a review of your book for publication.
First, familiarise yourself with what a good review should contain and read this review to get an appreciation of reviewing style.
Then word-process your review.
Proof-read your review, then have a peer assess and proof-read it using the transactional writing assessment schedule. Make any suggested changes and corrections, then publish.
Expected time frame: 1-2 lessons
These learning activities are designed to activate the prior knowledge and lexis of students and to extend their topic-specific vocabulary. See activating prior knowledge for more information. A number of collaborative oral and reading vocabulary activities are included to give students many opportunities to use key vocabulary in different ways. Teachers should choose from this range of activities to suit different learner needs.
Finding out about learners’ prior knowledge
1. Activating prior knowledge
Brainstorming
Ensuring learners know the content and language learning outcomes
Share the learning outcomes with your students, for example:
Giving learners many opportunities to first notice then use new language
2. Pre-Teaching Key Vocabulary
3. Reviewing key vocabulary
Expected time frame: 2-3 lessons
These learning activities are designed to further revise and embed student understanding about how a volcano works in a practical and collaborative context. An opportunity for students to evaluate and reflect upon their contribution to the group task is provided.
Planning learning tasks so that all learners are actively involved
Working in pairs or groups of 3, students make a cross-section model of a volcano. They may use electronic and print resources to guide them in this process. Explain to students that their model volcano must be cone-shaped and include at least the following: a central vent, a magma chamber, magma, lava on top.
Include opportunities for monitoring and self-evaluation
Discuss with students how they can ensure that they work effectively with their partner(s) to complete this task. The value of assigning specific group roles or tasks to ensure that all students participate should be discussed. Explicit reference to key competencies of managing self and relating to others could be woven into this discussion. A list of group guidelines or rubrics could also be co-constructed with students and used for self and peer evaluation upon completion of the task.
As an alternative to making the model, especially if class time is limited, students could find and/or adapt a cross-section accessed online. This could be incorporated into a Powerpoint for the summative assessment task below. Based on your knowledge of your students, you will need to decide whether labels can be included in the cross-section used in the summative assessment task.
Adapted from English Online Unit
Adaptions for ESOL Students: Jenni Bedford, Margaret Kitchen and Breda Matthews
Year: 10
Level: 4-6
Supporting achievement objective
Exploring Written Language:
Students will develop a piece of writing describing their memory of a journey they have taken.
ConditionsThis activity should be worked on in the classroom under teacher supervision to ensure authenticity. Teachers may guide students actively through the initial exercise helping them to identify techniques mentioned. Teachers may show how the techniques used in the exemplars can be applied to students' own writing.
Between drafts, teachers can advise students that their writing may need further work on ideas, language, structure or accuracy in spelling, punctuation or paragraphing but not correct errors. Students should have access to dictionaries to check their writing. Word processing is acceptable providing it is done under teacher supervision.
Resources provided linked to the unit plan: thematic unit, planning chart (Word 43KB) , content card (Word 43KB) , Stylistic Suggestions (Word 31KB) , Structure (Word 34KB) , Characterisation (Word 47KB) , exemplars of student work ( Writing for Publication Exemplar A not achieved (RTF 12KB) , Writing for Publication B (RTF 19KB) , Writing for Publication C (RTF 15KB) , Writing for Publication Exemplar D (RTF 11KB) ), Assessment schedule (Word 50KB) (as indicated in the unit plan)
Student Instructions
In this activity, you will develop a piece of writing of at least 300 words where you describe your memories of a journey you have taken. Your writing will build a picture of your experience for the reader suitable for publication in a class magazine.
Before you begin writing, you will look at exemplars of student writing and focus on techniques you could use to develop your own writing effectively.
You will be assessed on
Preparing for learning
Scaffolding learning
Effective feedback
Learning task 1: Reading about journeys
Learning task 2: Developing ideas
Learning task 3: Reading about one student's journey
Learning task 4: Drafting a piece about your journey
See the assessment schedule which is also linked to the exemplars.
English Exemplar Project: Personal Experience Writing levels 1-5
This unit highlighted the need to focus on:
Ask students to look through the short story and note the structure of the text, any differences in format, or any unusual words. Discuss why the author has used these devices. Encourage the students to make predictions about the setting, plot, characters and theme.
Give English language learners the opportunity to re-read the text several times. They would also benefit from hearing it read aloud.
Students from diverse backgrounds bring a variety of experiences to the classroom that, if explored, will enrich all students' learning. In effective classrooms, teachers and students together construct a culture that values the strengths of all participants and values their interests, abilities, cultures and languages. Students and teachers shift among the roles of expert, researcher, learner, and teacher, supporting themselves and each other.
Modelling and group work are effective ways to provide feedback and reinforcement. These strategies allow students to see, hear and participate in the construction of solutions to the tasks we set students.
See Word clusters (Word 37KB) and Say it (Word 53KB) .
See Annotating exemplars (Word 52KB) and Joint construction before independent writing (Word 63KB) .
Planning for Content and Language Learning Across the Curriculum
Teaching and Learning Strategies
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