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Our changing world

An integrated unit of work incorporating reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Writers: Jenni Bedford and Breda Matthews

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the following people who contributed their expertise and time to this project:

• Dr. Mark J. Costello: Associate Professor of Ecology at Auckland University
• Matt Maitland: Open Sanctuary Coordinator for the Auckland Regional Council
• Tessa Irving: Engineer

The authors whose texts have been adapted:

• Dave Galloway and Richard Gribble: e-vibe Environmental Education Newsletter, No.10, May, 2005.
• David Harris: X-zone: Who's for Dinner. 2005. Lindfield, NSW: Scholastic (To be re-published in the forthcoming Selections series).
• David Harris. Interview: Ken de la Motte. X-zone: Who's for Dinner. 2005. Lindfield, NSW: Scholastic (To be re-published in the forthcoming Selections series).
• Raymond Huber: Marine worms: The weird and the wonderful. Connected 3., 2006. Wellington: Learning Media.
• Andrew Innes: The Secret Life of Estuaries. Connected 3., 2006. Wellington: Learning Media.
• Bill O'Brien: The Sands of St Clair. Design in Action, Selections. 2007. Wellington: Learning Media.

Media files

Audio

algal-blooms (MP3 4MB)

ken-de-la-motte (MP3 5MB)

15009-task2-element2 (MP3 4MB)

Video

Element 1 Task 2 video: Pests

mattcrop-fixing-tki-au (MOV 3MB)
mattcrop-fixing-tki-sm (MOV 5MB)
mattcrop-fixing-tki-md (MOV 10MB)

Bicycles in Asia: Unit Standard 2986 - Version 6

Writer: Margaret Johnston

• text (Word 147KB)
• TeachersNotes (Word 28KB)
• Student Sheet and Assessment Activity (Word 71KB)
• AssessmentSchedule (Word 67KB)

Inglewood children talk about a tornado: Unit Standard 15009

Teachers notes

These tasks have been pre-critiqued by a moderator of ESOL unit standards. It cannot be said that they have been moderated because they have not been through the formal NZQA moderation process.

Resources

"A Bit of a Blow" by David Hill, in Choices Emergency 111, Also in School Journal, Part 2 Number 1, 1991.

Use the audio tape that accompanies the School Journal.

Learning tasks

Task 1

Start the tape at the beginning of side 2.

Task 2

Use the first part of the second section – from the first question, "Well, first of all, what is a tornado?" to the interviewer's statement, "But the destruction wasn't funny."

Student sheet (Word 26KB)

Assessment schedule - Task 1, Element 1 (Word 48KB)

Assessment schedule - Task 2, Element 2 (Word 57KB)

Anwar: Unit Standard 17363

(In Survival, pp. 12-19, Choices. 2001. Wellington: Learning Media.)

Writers: Michelle Sim (Mairehau High School) and Tonya Justice (Aranui High School), written at a Christchurch College of Education, Teacher Support Services workshop.

• TeachersNotes (Word 26KB)
• StudentSheet (Word 27KB)
• AssessmentActivity (Word 63KB)
• AssessmentSchedule (Word 51KB)

Energy from food: Unit Standard 17363

(Shooting for Her Goal, pp 16 - 17 in Applications, 2001. Wellington: Learning Media.)

Writer: ESOL Advisors, Christchurch College of Education

• TeachersNotes (Word 25KB)
• StudentSheet (Word 28KB)
• AssessmentActivity (Word 38KB)
• Energy from Food-AssessmentSchedule (RTF 22KB)

Cycling in Christchurch: Unit Standard 17363

Writer: Pat Syme

• text (Word 123KB)
• Notes (Word 24KB)
• Student Sheet and Assessment Activity (Word 67KB)

Letter to the editor: Unit Standard 17370

Teacher: Judy Simpson

The activities lead up to a summative assessment, ESOL Unit Standard 17370

Teaching and learning activities

What is an issue?

Vocabulary definitions

1. Students write their own, predicted meanings for the vocabulary (Word 38KB) , and check these later in the unit, as the words come up.
2. The teacher writes the following questions on the blackboard: What is an issue? What topics or issues are in the news right now?
3. Discuss these questions in class, and then the students can skim read (Word 20KB) two or three news articles and orally report back on one of these to their neighbour and then to a larger group. If practicable, link students to a news site such as The NZ Herald. The front pages of newspapers can be used otherwise.
4. Homework: see if there are any noticeable differences between current New Zealand newspaper issues and the newspaper issues from the students' home countries (Online Newspapers website).

Focusing on issues

Beginning to think about point of view

1. Students recall yesterday's New Zealand newspaper issues and the teacher writes these on the blackboard. Then overseas newspaper issues (students' homework) are recorded, the teacher focusing on the controversial and trying to elicit other points of view. The teacher models the use of appropriate cohesive words (such as: whereas, however, on the other hand).
2. Students and teacher negotiate and choose one of these issues and brainstorm points of view, writing these on the board. The teacher writes two headings on the blackboard: pros / cons, and sorts one viewpoint into each. The students then complete the task by sorting the remaining points of view and writing them into their books.
3. The teacher chooses one main idea and students suggest explanations or examples which support it. This main idea and supporting explanations/examples are then written up by the teacher into a paragraph and the students copy the model.

Unpacking a letter to the editor

1. Display the word "graffiti" to the class. Tell students they are going to read a letter (Word 24KB) about this issue, written by a teacher. Ask them to predict what they think the point of view will be. Read paragraph one, using cooperative reading. The students can check to see if their predictions were right. The teacher displays the opening paragraphs in letters expressing a point of view usually include three things:

   • the topic
   • the writer's point of view
   • the main reasons for this point of view.

   The students can identify these in the letter.

2. Then use the following jigsaw activity for paragraphs 2, 3, 4 and 5.
3. Groups 2, 3 and 4: second, third and fourth paragraphs.
   • What is the main point in your paragraph?
   • What are the explanations, the examples?
   • Group 5: final paragraph.
   • What opinion does the writer express?
   • What action does the writer suggest?
4. Back in their home groups, without the original text, the students each take a turn to summarise the main points, explanations and examples, and the recommendation in the conclusion. The students listen and record the summaries in their books.
5. The groups then try to reconstruct the first paragraph onto OHT. The class examines each group's opening paragraph and comments on its strengths before looking again at the original.

Connectives and modal verbs

1. The teacher and students study the original text. The teacher explains connectives and modals to the students by highlighting examples of these in the text. The students try to find further examples and highlight them. The students will need more highlighting practice with other texts. Students can create pointsofview (Word 35KB) using connectives and modals and then work in pairs to identify these in each other's text.
2. For more examples of letters, see Tearaway or the New York Times student letters site.

Preparing to write

Instructions for students (preparing to write)

1. Your task is to write a letter to the editor saying what you think about your chosen topic. It is important to make your ideas into a strong argument. You will need to write a rough copy (draft) first. Then check your work to make sure that you have used the best words to give your opinion. Proof-read your work to make sure your spelling, punctuation and grammar are correct. Then write your final copy.

Instructions for students (organising your ideas)

1. Introduction
   • Begin with "Dear Editor" or "Sir/Madam".
   • Introduce the topic or issue that you are writing about.
   •  Make a clear, short statement giving your opinion on the issue.
   • Outline the (three) main points you are going to make in the next three paragraphs of the letter.

2. Body

   Write three paragraphs. In each one.

   • State the key point of your paragraph. It must be one of the main points that you made in your Introduction.
   • Add more information to explain your key point.
   • Give an example of your key point.
3. Conclusion
   •  Sum up your opinion on this topic.
   • End your letter by suggesting some kind of action.
4. Language
   • Use simple, formal language.
   • Do not use slang or contractions (for example, won't, you're, it's)
   • You can use "I" or "we" to show that this is your opinion but mostly just state your opinion.
   • Do not use you when you are explaining your ideas, for example, "If you saw the mess you would do something about it."
   • Write in full sentences.
   • Use sequencing words to join and/or order your paragraphs, for example, first, second, another reason, finally, to conclude.
   • Use causal, comparative and conditional connectives, for example, therefore, as a result, however, on the other hand, even though, if.
   • Use modals, for example, should, would, can.
5. Writing the draft copy

Instructions for students (editing and proof-reading)

1. Carefully check your writing to see if you can improve the words you have used.
2. Proof-read to make sure the spelling, punctuation, and grammar are correct.
3. Writing the final copy.
    
4. Final proof-reading.

Note: This unit standard requires two letters to the editor, or one letter and one editorial.

Banana in a nutshell

Writer and film director: Roseanne Liang

Learning task 1

Learning task 2

Learning task 3

Learning task 4

Learning task 5

The big "C"

Writer: Margaret Johnson

Curriculum links

This unit standard is derived from reading language achievement objectives up to and including Level 7: close reading, exploring language, using texts, processing information, thinking critically.

While the subject matter in this Unit Standard may not at first appear to be relevant to ESOL students, it will be at least partly familiar to students who have studied Biology Level 1 Achievement Standard 90166 (Describe the functioning of human digestive and skeletomuscular systems). In this AS knowledge is required of some named malfunctions of the digestive system. One of these is bowel cancer. However it should be possible for other students to pick up the necessary information from the recommended texts.

Guidelines for use

• Class time will be spent establishing prior knowledge, pre-teaching vocabulary and teaching language features and text structure.
• Students will then read several texts, applying this knowledge.
• This will be followed by formative and summative assessments. Students will complete ONE of the two required assessment activities for US 12420. Students will develop close readings of provided texts on the topic of cancer. Other texts with a similar focus could also be included as material for further close reading activities.

While tasks are supplied for some of the texts used, teachers will need to design tasks to activate prior learning and pre-teach vocabulary for each other new text chosen. Research has shown that making links with students' prior knowledge is vital to the learning process. Some suitable web pages to access for ideas on how to do this are:

• KWL
  A chart where students list things they already know about the topic, what they want to know and what they have learned later in the topic.
• Structured overviews
  These are an arrangement of keywords and concepts which can help to tie new information to existing knowledge.
• Graphic organisers
  Graphic organisers can be used to record information that students already know about a topic.
• There are several useful websites with strategies that can be used for pre-teaching vocabulary in the following website in ESOL online under Teaching strategies.
• When pre-teaching vocabulary it is useful to include words from the Victoria University of Wellington Academic word list. These are words which students are likely to encounter at tertiary institutions.

Conditions

• This activity requires both classroom and homework time.
• Students should be given class time to become familiar with vocabulary and language features and aspects of text structure.
• Closer analysis of other texts could be done in class or at home.

The first formative assessment is more scaffolded. For more information about scaffolding there is a useful article on the NCREL website about scaffolding. This assessment is a practice run so is an open book assessment done after some group work.

For summative assessment, teachers must be satisfied that the close reading work is the student's. Students should complete close reading activities in class. If the close reading activity is to be used for summative assessment, teachers should ensure that the extent of teacher input does not compromise assessment validity; in other words, the work is the student's, not the teacher's.

Teachers may guide students actively through the initial tasks. When completing close reading activities for summative assessment, students can compare their answers to those in the initial tasks to ensure that their close reading answers are at an appropriate level.

Students should have several opportunities during the year to develop their close reading skills.

Note: Teachers using this unit will need to check that it accords with their school assessment policy.

Teaching and learning activities

Learning task 1

Learning task 2

Learning task 3

Learning task 4

Assessment

This assessment is to be completed individually, in class and under exam conditions. It cannot be taken out of class.

SlayingDragons (Word 1MB)

See the AssessmentSchedule (Word 59KB) which is linked to the When they told me ... text indicating the level of answers required. Successful completion of this task will fulfil part of the range statement (one of two close readings) for the level 2 Unit standard 12420: Read transactional text closely.

Other texts (or text extracts) with a similar focus to texts included in this unit could also be included as material for a second close reading activity to complete the range statement for this unit standard. The questions could be adapted as required. A second close reading activity could also be completed using the Getting Around unit.