The power of the real world
Teacher Glenda Pearce
| Year
|
Level
|
Duration
|
| 9
|
5-7 (This unit could be used to cater for gifted and talented students in the mainstream)
|
9 weeks
|
| Achievement Objective Being Assessed
|
Learning Outcomes
|
| Interpersonal Speaking and Listening Level 5-6
|
In literary circles, talk coherently, confidently and clearly, engaging in discussion of the texts and materials being employed in the unit. Communicate information, ideas and opinions, respecting and responding to others.
|
|
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Speak confidently and clearly, recounting experiences and events about the person read about in the autobiography/biography, organising material effectively and using the book as a reference.
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|
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Listen for purpose, key information and evidence. Interact appropriately, exploring understanding, sustaining and encouraging discussion .
|
| Presenting Level 5-7
|
Design and construct an informative classroom wall poster, Powerpoint, or cube that combines and/or integrates verbal and visual language features to communicate information, ideas and narrative, to be used as a visual aid in an oral presentation to an audience of students, teachers and parents.
|
|
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Evaluate the effectiveness of verbal and visual features chosen and used for a particular purpose.
|
| Processes
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| Processing Information
|
Ask questions, listen to others, observe, perceive, select, interpret, note take and outline, interview and survey, analyse and organise, and record key facts, experiences, ideas and quotations from texts, to use in a range of products.
|
| Close Reading
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Explore the language style and conventions of prose fiction, diary, autobiography and biography, static image and Powerpoint. Reinforce existing genre knowledge through use in optional activities.
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| Thinking Critically
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Identify, clarify, question and discuss, interpret and analyse a range of effects in texts (oral, aural, visual, written) identifying attitudes and beliefs and relating them to personal experience and knowledge of other texts (Social, cultural, political and historical). Organise material in a range of methods for specific purposes. Demonstrate flexible, fluent creativity.
|
| Supporting Achievement Objective
|
Learning Outcomes
|
| Listening to Oral Texts Level 5-6
|
Listen to and respond to a wide range of texts, distinguishing between main and supporting ideas, understanding some abstract concepts, and recognising implicit and explicit messages.
|
| Viewing Level 5-7
|
Read visual texts, including static or moving images, analysing different texts, comparing how verbal and visual features are organised and combined for different meanings, effects, purposes, and audiences.
|
| Creative Writing Level 5-7
|
Choose a creative "option" from a
creative_writing (RTF 10KB)
, or create one of your own choice (negotiated with teacher), to supplement the presentation.
|
| Transactional Writing Level 5-6
|
Write clear, coherent, explanations and factual accounts, and express and argue a point of view, linking main and supporting ideas, and structuring material in appropriate style/s.
|
|
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Write a 500 - 750 word- processed, illustrated, critical report, review or human interest feature about their person for publication in a book, aimed at teenagers, about people with interesting lives. (If Powerpoint used, use this as written form)
|
| Personal Reading
|
Read two further autobiographies/biographies or diary style texts of their own choice and at a suitable reading level. These will be logged and count towards reading requirement. (Could use Unit Standard 8808
).
|
| Using texts
|
Tell or retell a story, informally, about clowns.
|
Introduction
The aim is to integrate the entire term's work to a common broadbased theme study that focuses on non-fiction genres - autobiography, biography, diary - rather than a set of separate strands. The theme asks students to consider the value of non-fiction. What can "real world writing" offer? What lessons can be learned from the subjects and/or authors of non-fiction? While assessment of all achievement strands is possible, teachers might choose not to set all the assessments. Students read texts of their own choosing, with a selected focus of their own choosing, and respond to the texts in a range of ways. Teacher talk is minimal, with the thrust of the unit self-paced, supported by collaborative work in groups when certain "content" aspects of the unit need to be addressed. Teachers should undertake diagnostic assessment ( pre-test of core knowledge) in order to prevent teaching content that students have already mastered. Teaching "for all" should only occur in areas of content or process, or product (presentation) when this information is needed by all. Students who have mastered the required skills are exempted from the set tasks. Appropriate "process" pace by pre-testing, reducing the time on repetitive work, and allowing individual progression is implemented. The final products that will demonstrate understanding include a selection of visual, oral and written options. The audience of the product is wider that just their class mates and their teacher.
This is a real world study that involves reading about the issues, problems of real people in a real world, and the solutions they found. Non-fiction is not often selected as a unit of study, yet offers a myriad of opportunities for gifted students to read about gifted people - the "significant" achievers, who have faced obstacles of various kinds, and have lessons to share. Accounts of true bravery, courage, sacrifice, optimism, sacrifice, perseverance and commitment are meaningful, valuable "bibliotherapy" - as well as providing a platform of role-modelling, identification and tolerance.
Questions that require Higher Order Thinking, a wider range of thinking processes; and open-ended questioning are stressed (rather than task and questions being restricted to lower cognitive levels). Teacher talk time is reduced to allow longer periods of concentration on tasks. Few lessons are taught to the whole class. Assessments are built from assignments that are largely independent and autonomous, with teacher acting as a consultant. Learning is facilitated rather than "taught". This also means that students' time-management skills are employed, that they are involved in the evaluation of their own work, and the expectation is that the final product is of a very high quality. Students are encouraged to achieve excellence.
Teaching and learning activities
Select and adapt these learning activities to best meet the needs of your students, and to fit the time available:
Pre-assessment strategies
There will need to be a range of diagnostic pre-assessment tools to ensure that the teacher recognises prior learning, and establishes what can be compacted, or omitted, and plans effectively to meet actual learning needs, whilst providing challenging and motivating processing activities that lead to a range of products. For instance, vocab cluster is used as a diagnostic, and then throughout the unit to check whether key vocabulary is understood. Close reading of texts provides diagnostic information as to writing skills, such as providing evidence of thinking behind the conclusions being drawn. The paragraph construction is taught in an explicit, collaborative manner with elements of deconstruction and co-construction. These strategies have proved valuable for all students.
These are listed in the Learning Activities suggested list, as well under Assessment.
The starters:
Hooking in
- In pairs, list 20 famous people alive today, as well as the reason for which they are famous. Share the list with another pair. Do you have anyone the same? Who are they? Why do you think you come up with the same names?
- Complete the
greats (RTF 25KB)
in a group of three. You need to have four names for each domain. Two names must be people who are still alive (or died very recently). The other two names should have accomplished their achievement prior to 1900. After fifteen minutes, you may join forces with another group of three, and share. Do you have anyone the same? Who are they? Why do you think you can up with the same names?
Discuss: The Enduring Achievement Hypothesis:
"Great achievers, whose fame endures long after their deaths, are those who dared to be different. Corollary: Those who are famous, or achievers in ways which do not lead to enduring fame, are those who comply with accepted norms. They may be considered different from much of society, but will conform to a group within it. Those who so conform, such as sporting heroes, pop stars and actors, are more likely to achieve fame and fortune within their lifetime than those who dare to be different. However, their fame will not last beyond a generation or two." - Lynne Kelly
- In groups of four, students share read (or silently - group preference) the
case_study (RTF 6KB)
. Discussion question: Enduring Achievement Hypothesis - True or False? Any other comments?
Discussion (pair/share/groups) by students about who their "heroes" are. Is there anyone they would like to learn more about? Why are books written about people's lives and when? (Are they written when they are still alive?) Why would you want to know about the past? Useful sites could be Biography
or The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
.
Clarify unit outcomes for students - in particular, the purpose. Why are we choosing to read biographies and autobiographies, diaries? What do we learn from reading non-fiction rather than fiction? This leads well into diagnostic activity 1.
Diagnostic Activities
-
cluster (RTF 68KB)
using words associated with this genre. Done in pairs. Teacher observation - to monitor prior knowledge, and work ethics, group attitudes, interpersonal interaction, processing skills. Are students able to group/classify the 20 words according to their understanding of the meanings? The words they don't know at this stage can be put to one side.
- Writing Diagnostic about first days/ first experiences/ first perceptions of events or situations (not people). Draft from brainstorm. Get students to change the first person to third. This allows discussion about voice and the idea of truth. For instance, do you always tell everyone about everything to do with your life/situation etc. Should you? When writing in the third person, does the author know everything about the writer? How do they know this is the truth? (Alternatively, this task could be done by reading extracts form the Starter autobiographies or diaries).
-
diary (RTF 11KB)
. Features of autobiography (could be done in conjuction with close reading of starters)
Use KWL
organiser.
- Teacher read orally to students extracts from "
go_ask_alice (RTF 10KB)
" and "Chinese Cinderella". Students write responses to close reading questions which will give information to diagnose whether students are writing paragraph construction, and/or are able to provide evidence for what is required in SEXY (Statement, Explanation, Example, You add) Framework. Collect in, mark and record.
- Needs to be a diagnostic on students' ability to note take, select key facts, trash and treasure - from oral and written sources. Teachers could design these - I would use a text such as "The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank" edited by Willy Lindwer. This text is a collection of the stories of six women who knew Anne Frank. Visual organisers available on Curriculum Resources
. Alternatively, the ARB
site has ready made assessment diagnostics
Learning task 1
Learning task 2
Learning task 3
Learning task 4
Learning task 5
Assessment
Students plan their presentations/products in draft form and peer review (in groups) each others' work before they make their final copy to present.
Pupils self assess and peer assess and the teacher assesses using the assessment schedules.
Two have been constructed for use/exemplification:
For alternatives, see also:
Further activities and ideas:
Resources
Electronic
Print
- Callum, Alison. (1997) English, Form 4 Study Guide. NZ: ESA Publications
- Cox, Alan & Burgess, Linda & Mohekey, Sandra. (1996) Writing and Presenting for Senior Students. New Zealand: Longman.
- Forte, I. and Schurr, S.(1996) Integrating Instruction in English. Australia: Hawker Brownlow
- Hill, Janne. (1998) On Target : Creating a Textbook for a Purpose. Melbourne: Heinemann.
- Houston, Mary E. (1998) English, Form 3 Study Guide. NZ ESA Publications Ltd, 1998. Part 4, Visual language
- Pilot, M. (1996) Chapter 7 Non-fiction in ESA Year 11 English. Auckland: ESA Publications
- Kelly, L. (1994) Challenging Minds Victoria Hawker: Brownlow
- Ministry of Education, (2003) Effective Literacy Strategies Years 9 - 13 Wellington: Learning Media
- Whitehead, D (2004) . Top Tools for Teaching Thinking New Zealand: Pearson
- Yen Mah, Adeline, Chinese Cinderella Puffin Text taken from pp 128 - 130
Audio - Visual
- Ministry of Education (2004) Interpersonal Speaking and Listening - Discussion Exemplar Tapes Wellington: Learning Media
- Visual Learning (2002) NCEA Exemplar Tapes for Oral presentations Level 1, 2 and 3 Wellington: Visual Learning Educational
- Ministry of Education (2004) CD Rom of Visual Exemplars Wellington: Learning Media
- Helpful Tips for Assessing 90374
