Teaching and learning sequence
Arguing a Point: Part A
Author: Belinda Wallace (adapted by Lyn Bareta and Christina Smith)
Last updated: May 2009
What do my students need to learn?
What are my students’ current strengths and learning needs?
Identify students’ strengths and learning needs by having them play a role in a paired debate, which they self, peer and teacher assess, using criteria from NZ Exemplars and the Achievement standard Deliver an oral presentation in a formal setting 90058. Record feedback on next steps on the feedback sheet.
The
example scenario (Word 28KB)
describes how one year 11 teacher might have interpreted such results.
Curriculum links
Principles: Which principles underpin you planning in this sequence?
Values: Which values will you model and explore as you teach this sequence?
Key competencies: The following competencies are specifically developed in this unit:
- Thinking: draw on their own and others’ knowledge to evaluate and challenge points of view and assumptions
- Relating to others: share ideas and recognise different points of view.
Learning Area: English
- Processes and strategies AO: Which processes and strategies will you want students to use?
- Mode: Listening and Speaking
- Curriculum level: Up to level 6
What do I need to know and do?
Select from and adapt the teaching and learning tasks below to meet your students’ identified learning needs. You could use the
learning needs questions (Word 20KB)
to help you adapt the sequence to these needs.
Some students may need scaffolding through multiple opportunities for using the language.
Learning tasks
- 1)
Learning task 1: Engaging your learners in an argument!
Expected time frame:
1 lesson
The teacher models a persuasive argument and the students then complete a paired debate on a contentious topic which is self/peer assessed.
- 2)
Learning task 2: Building on identified strengths
Expected time frame:
30 minutes
This task involves clarifying the purpose of the task and the learning expectations for the whole class and for individual students.
- 3)
Learning task 3: What is an argument?
Expected time frame:
1-2 lessons
This task involves exploring the concept of argument and the relevance of this to the students’ lives.
- 4)
Learning task 4: Listening and responding to arguments
Expected time frame:
2 lessons
This task involves using the radio documentary
Kevin Sentence (Word 33KB)
to guide students’ listening and responses to:
• the nature of the sentence given to a young Canadian man who drove while drunk
• the voices of the people involved in the trial.
- 5)
Learning task 5: Is there a "right answer"? Listening to each other
Expected time frame:
1 lesson
This task involves discussion of an argument for which there is no clear answer to develop students’ understandings of logically reasoned argument.
- 6)
Learning task 6: Assessment
Expected time frame:
6 lessons+
This task describes ways in which the students' learning in this sequence might be assessed. What is the impact of the teaching and learning?
What is the impact of the teaching and learning?
Use a range of assessment processes to investigate the success of the teaching.
Assessment: Students plan, develop, rehearse and perform spoken argument on a contentious issue. For students at or beyond level 6, this may be used for assessment for AS90058 (English 1.7): Deliver and oral presentation in a formal situation
.
Next steps for learning: Note and give constructive feedback and feed forward on the students’ strengths and needs in terms of communicating a meaningful argument in clear, formal English, supporting their arguments with logical and reasoned evidence, and using language to express opinion and to give reasons.
Informing your future teaching:
- Students can transfer their learning to written language, using Arguing a Point B and might work towards AS90053 (English 1.2): Produce formal writing
- How effective have your chosen teaching approaches and strategies been? Build on what worked well and address any less effective areas.
