Advanced search

Learning task 2

Oral anecdotes - personal "spider" experiences

In pairs, students discuss their experiences with spiders. Share with another group. Encourage active listening and questioning.

Role play. Students act out some of their spider experiences/feelings. Talk about what to look for when someone is scared eg How do they stand? How do they breathe? What do their eyes look like?

Construct two graphs to depict students' ideas and feelings toward spiders before and again at the end of the unit. Discuss why some people are afraid of spiders.

Spiders and insects

As a class discuss:

• What is the difference between an insect and a spider?
• What do we know about spiders?
• What do we want to find out about spiders?
• Where would we find spiders?

 Chart responses, eg.

• What do spiders need to spin a web?
• How do spiders spin a web?
• What do spiders eat?
• Where do spiders get food?
• How do spiders get food?
• Do other animals eat spiders?
• Are spiders themselves food?
• How do spiders hide from their enemies and not get eaten?
• What colour are spiders? Are all spiders brown? Black? Red?

Facts about spiders:

Spider Facts

Assessment Resource Bank activities

Features of insects and spiders
Students match features to spiders or insects.

Life cycle

Read and discuss the life cycle of a spider.

Close reading/Shared reading

Use models of explanation (see  The Best Nest and  Why Does Earth Need the Atmosphere?) writing to share with the class. Read the explanation with the students. Talk about the explanation - How do we know this is an explanation? What impact does the explanation have on us as the readers? How would the author have gathered this information?

1. Discuss and identify which explanations are about the "why" and which are about the "how". Talk about what it is in a sentence that tells us about these differences.
2. Identify action verbs and discuss their functions in organising explanations. Action verbs can be identified and discussed in terms of their function as part of a
3. sequence of processes that explains how things happen or work, or which explain why one action causes another action.
4. Discuss use of conjunctions to link groups of processes, eg. first, next, then, when, because, so that, therefore. See Exploring Language - Complex Sentences.
5. Continue, each day, to read about spiders and gather information about spiders.
6. Discuss and list facts about spiders found in the reading. Record on large chart.
   • How are spiders special? (Arachnids)
   • What can we say about them?
   • How could we observe spiders?
   • Discuss how we could safely (for the spider) set up a vivarium?

Assessment Resource Bank activity

Features of a spider

Learning task 3

Instructions/Explanations

Close read instructional/procedural texts to the students.

Assessment Resource Bank activity:
How to Make a Plaster Mask
Provide opportunities to discover the differences and the similarities between explanations and instructions:

• Explanations and instructions include a sequence of events.
• Instructions usually don't state reasons for the events.
• Explanations involve the stating of reasons for an activity or process.

Focus attention on the need to add reasons when writing an explanation. Together list the language and text features that will be the focus for later writing.

Observation

Set up a vivarium for student observation. Students use a magnifying glass to observe spiders and write a brief explanation of their observations. Discuss how the vivarium may help to find answers to our questions: What we want to find out about spiders.
Collect, observe and make notes on changes for several days.

• Have any of the spiders died? Why?
• Have you seen any of our spiders with eggs?
• Have any spiders been born?
• Where did the new spiders come from?
• Where are the eggs?
• What did you observe through the magnifying glass?
• At the end of a week summarise the information from the observations. What have we found out about spiders?

Outside the Classroom (this could be a homework activity for a week). The students keep a record of the number of different spiders they see.

Information gathering

Shared reading - read and discuss how the spider uses a web to catch prey.

• Spiders Catch Prey

Discuss different types of webs and how different spiders catch their prey. Discuss how camouflage helps spiders catch their prey and also helps them hide from their enemies.

Shared writing

Teacher models writing an explanation: "How a spider catches its prey". Teacher introduces the explanation_checklist (RTF 16KB) Students identify the checklist points using the teacher modelled writing.
Teacher models how to use a flowchart or  cluster diagram, organising ideas into sequential order, thinking carefully how to start and end the explanation. Model how to select the best and most relevant ideas. Ask students for ideas, encouraging them to participate in the modelling process. Talk about the audience for their writing. Who will read it? How will this affect your planning?

Spider venom

Read How does a spider use its venom?
Discuss:

• Are all spiders harmful to humans?
• Do all spiders bite?
• Which kinds of spiders have been known to kill humans with their bite?
• If not all spider bites cause death, in what other way can spider bites be harmful?

Students complete venom activity.

Using the explanation model students brainstorm and plan an explanation: "How a spider uses its venom"
Students plan and write their draft explanation and with a peer use the explanation checklist. Students peer_conferencing (RTF 21KB) with each other, commenting on and questioning each other's explanation.

Learning task 3 - Examine an exemplar

a) The following visual exposition exemplar is based on the Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet. The visual exposition focuses on specific themes from the play and has been created without sound effects, voiceover or music.

While reading the exposition for the first time, consider the ideas it communicates and record the pressures that were faced by Romeo and Juliet.

NOTE: This should be viewed in 1080p for maximum clarity of text.

Record the colours and images that were associated with these pressures.

• How was layout (where things were placed) used to associated particular images with ideas and other objects in the panels?
• Why do you think these colours and images were chosen? How might viewers respond to them?
• What other visual language features were there in the exposition and how did they communicate ideas from “Romeo and Juliet?”
• Write a short phrase that describes the themes that were presented in the visual exposition.
• Overall, what do you think were the most effective aspects of the exposition?
• How could it be improved?

b) Read over the annotation for the exemplar (Word 33KB) and discuss the techniques that stood out.

c) This exemplar has no sound effects, music or voice-over to create effects and communicate further meaning. There are a number of ways these techniques could be incorporated into the text.

Explain how you could use voice-over, music and/or sound effects to further communicate the ideas from “Romeo and Juliet.”

Learning task 6 - A progression of ideas

a) An effective way to communicate complex ideas is to start off simple and add detail and explanation as you go. Your audience or readers are more likely to understand complex ideas if they are communicated in a progression - starting out simple and adding necessary detail as the text progresses. Visual expositions are particularly good for this as you are able to show a progression of shots or panels (one after another) to build up the audience’s understanding of your reading of the ideas from the source text.

Each panel may be composed of a number of images and text and can be divided into distinct parts. Within these parts you can plan the progression of a number of different ideas which all contribute to your thematic focus. NOTE: refer back to the exemplar and its annotation for more on its four main parts: background, foreground, sky and text.

b) Part of the challenge with communicating complex ideas is to figure out what simple idea to start with and then how you can compose your panels and use visual language techniques to fully communicate the various meanings and ideas.

Consider what progression of images from panel to panel you could use to best develop meaning. Don’t worry too much about how you will produce these images, just imagine the most ideal images you would have in it.

Consider how the “Romeo and Juliet” exemplar uses the following techniques and decide how you will use:

• Dominant images for your panels - what will you use here?
• Background colours or scenes - what mood and other meanings do you want to communicate in each panel and overall? Is there a change in the course of the source text and then in your visual exposition? What colours will you use for your text?
• Visual symbolism - what things, that your viewers will understand, can you use to stand for some of the important ideas from the source text?

Complete the tutorial and planning template on “ Planning for a progression of ideas (Word 49KB) .”

Learning task 9 - Decide on the best tools

a) Now you should consider which tools will be the best for developing your visual exposition. There are some tools listed below to help you with this. Some are open source software, others are websites that provide tools that are usable online.

Whichever tools you use, it is likely you will need to manipulate graphic files by cutting out images and combining them with other images and using text and colour on your visual exposition.

b) When converting images to film and editing video, most tools are fairly similar to use. Windows Movie Maker and imovie in particular are simple to use for stringing together images and/or video and for adding sound.

If you are working in a group, you should aim to use the existing expertise within your group and build further expertise individually. You may decide to assign roles to each group member depending on which tool they wish to use. All group members should be involved in the planning and understand how the ideas are being developed and communicated in your visual exposition.

• GIMP - a powerful graphics manipulation tool.
• Official GIMP tutorials (beginner tutorials will get you started)
• Windows movie maker - A easy to use video editing tool. Can be downloaded from the Microsoft website.
• Audacity - an open source sound recording and editing tool. Easy to record sound files for voiceover.
• Audacity tutorials
• Inkscape - A powerful vector editing tool. Good for creating images from scratch. An electronic alternative to drawing your own images and scanning them.

Progress and achievement

Each learner is on a unique pathway of development. Although there is wide agreement about what they can be expected to achieve at particular points in their progress, there are always variations in students' expertise and in their routes and rates of progress. Whatever level a student has achieved, it is important that teachers recognise what they already know, and can control and build on their expertise in any given learning context.

The English learning area and the  Progression in English levels 6–8, as well as the Principles, Vision and Key Competencies of The New Zealand Curriculum provide a starting point for what students are expected to be able to know and do in any particular year level.

Snapshot 18: Using the AOs to identify learning needs
This snapshot describes how the teacher of an all-boys class went back to the curriculum to identify and plan for the learning needs of their students – with results that surprised everyone.

Questions to think about in your school context

The following questions can be used when planning your next steps:

• What information have I gathered from my inquiry? Where can I go next?
• What knowledge and skills do the students need?
• What are the students' strengths? What evidence informs this?
• What are the students' learning needs? What evidence informs this?
• How can I most effectively change what I am doing with my students in order to achieve better outcomes?

Assessment processes

"Assessment processes" means more flexible and variable assessment strategies or activities that are designed to improve teaching and learning. Such processes are part of the ongoing interaction between teaching and learning. Much of the evidence gathered will be 'of the moment', with analysis and interpretation taking place in our minds as we seek to shape our actions to ensure students’ progress.

Examples include: informal observation, teacher-student conferences, using exemplars, and records of how students make meaning of information as they listen/read/view text and create meaning for others through speaking, writing, and presenting text. Student voice and reflections are also extremely valuable insights into where your students are with their learning.

Snapshot 11: Reflective journals
This snapshot describes how a teacher greatly enhanced the effectiveness of her feedback by introducing her students to the use of reflective journals.

For more information on assessment processes:

• Overall Teacher Judgments (OTJs)
• Moderation
• Assessment Online
• New Zealand Curriculum Assessment (pp. 39–41)
• Assessment for learning

Assessment for learning
Judy Maw, assistant principal and network learning facilitator, discusses student first assessment in an English context.

Analysis and use of assessment information

Teachers of English can reflect on these three questions to guide them in using assessment information.

• How can I use what I learn about students’ strengths and needs to plan for further learning?
• How can I support students in self-regulating their learning?
• How can I monitor the effectiveness of my teaching practice?

Snapshot 1: Ngā hau e wha
This snapshot describes how a school used close reading of Māori and Pasifika poetry to address the diverse needs and interests of its students.

Key resources

• Assessment Online
• Assessment Resource Banks: English: The diagnostic assessment tasks in English (developed by NZCER) allow teachers to investigate a particular focus for assessment (for example, inference) in depth. They cover all curriculum modes, from levels 2 to 5.
• Literacy Learning Progressions: This resource shows English teachers the knowledge and skills that students need to meet the reading and writing demands of the New Zealand Curriculum, from school entry to the end of year 10.
• Thinking About How Language Works
  This resource from the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) provides teachers with additional information about language that will help them to analyse student responses to Assessment Resource Bank items. It will be of use when analysing responses from students with English as a first or subsequent language. 
 

Teachers can also refer to the relevant sections in the Effective Literacy Practice books:

• Effective Literacy Practice in Years 1 to 4 (pp. 61–69): This resource helps us develop our understandings of what we do that leads to improved literacy outcomes for students in years 1–4. Pages 61–69 discuss analysing and using assessment information. They are available from  Down the Back of the Chair.
• Effective Literacy Practice in Years 5 to 8 (pp. 62–71): This resource helps us develop understandings of what we do that leads to improved literacy outcomes for students in years 5–8. Pages 66–71 discuss analysing and using assessment information. They are available from  Down the Back of the Chair.

Learning task 6

Big Idea - Musical instruments must make the air vibrate before we can hear music. The materials used in musical instruments are chosen for their properties of vibration.

A question for the class - Ever thought how large groups of people heard plays and music before concerts and amplifiers?

Want to know how the Ancient Greeks and Romans performed in theatres without electric amplifiers and speakers? View clip.

Students discuss the reason the Ancient Romans and Greeks built theatres in the way they did 2000 years ago? Can students identify buildings of similar design?
 
Building styles have changed with the use of electric amplifiers and sound systems but the next challenge is to develop a non-digital, non-electric musical instrument.

Students will be given the time and opportunity to plan and record how they will construct their own non digital/non electronic instrument from everyday items. Students can select to construct their own string, wind or percussion instrument.

Instrumental design can be original or acknowledge cultural and personal significance to the student.

The teacher shares with students how everyday items can become instruments. View some clips to support in idea development.
 
The voice as a non electronic instrument

Singing wine glasses with Steve Spangler.
The slip and slide technique in wine glasses containing water - varying tone, pitch, volume

Make a home made Xylophone with glasses and water

How to make a Vuvuzela sound

Create a musical instrument

Students will be given time to plan, construct, experiment and tune their instrument for performance.

Students will create and present a poster (PDF 63KB) explaining how their musical instrument has been constructed. It is a requirement that the instrument produces sound.

Once the instruments have been constructed students will perform either on their own or in a group of three (possibly one wind one string, and one percussion).
 
Students will also be expected as part of their performance to explain their understanding of sound and use scientific vocabulary and meaning (eg. waves vibration, tone, pitch, wavelength and volume)

The information needs to be presented as an explanation.

Choices of presentation could include:

• iMovie
• Power Point / Photo Story 3
• Comic Life / Free hand cartoon sequencing
• Photo storyboard with captions
• Audio recording
• Live performance to the class/peers

The style in which the information is presented is up to the students. It could be presented as a – rap, poem, chant, song, David Attenborough style commentary etc.

Assessment Opportunities

Students will peer assess presented work based against an agreed class criteria in terms of their scientific understanding and use of science specific vocabulary.

As a summative assessment the teacher will also assess the students against the agreed criteria in terms of their scientific understanding and use of science specific vocabulary when sharing their explanation.

Possible examples would be:

• Students’ ability to define how sound is created and transmitted
• Student’s ability to select and explain the meaning of two new Sound words, their meanings and giving real life examples
• Students are able to demonstrate, using their instrument, and explain …

Teacher support and background knowledge of what an Explanation contains can be found at e-asTTle Teacher Resources.

Resources for teacher modelling, scaffolding and student participation in understanding the structure of an explanation can be found at:

• Writing Fun
• The New Zealand Curriculum Exemplars - Written Language
• Assessment Resource Bank

Learning task 1

Activating prior knowledge and introducing them to the topic. Identifying text features and how they help us understand a text/find information

1. Introduce the topic to students through a picture dictation task (ELP Years 9 to 13, page 48). Explain to students that over the course of this unit they will be exploring issues facing the earth and its inhabitants. The purpose of picture dictation is to get students thinking about what these issues are and how they can be represented in a visual format.Students are also listening carefully to oral text which helps them to identify key vocabulary or ideas. Read each issue out to the students twice. They are to draw an image that they feel represents this issue. Once all 5 issues have been read students first discuss their recollections of the issues with another student. This enables them to clarify their understanding. Students then write down their recollections of what the issues are in their own words. OPTIONAL: Give students a copy of the issues (exactly what you read). The issues can be read directly from the text book ‘Earth Under Pressure’, page 2 or alternatively write 5 statements relating to the issues you have decided to focus on. For the purpose of this unit, students will explore two issues as a class and then complete an inquiry in to an issue of their choice.

   What the teacher is looking for:

   • Can the students understand the statements read and translate them in to visual images?
   • When rewriting the visuals back in to words are they able to use topic specific vocabulary?
   • Do they show an understanding of the words/ideas?
2. To get students thinking about vocabulary associated with the issues ask them to brainstorm words/ideas that they think are linked to each issue. Students create a mind map of their ideas and then add these to a class brainstorm that can be displayed in the classroom. They can then refer back to this throughout the course of the unit and add to it. This is also a good indicator of what prior knowledge they already have. For example: Are they aware of any topic specific vocabulary already? Can they define these?

Introducing Students to topic specific vocabulary

The following links have valuable information outlining why it is important for students to be exposed to and to understand key vocabulary.

http://arbs.nzcer.org.nz/research-and-articles#vocabulary-and-comprehension

http://arbs.nzcer.org.nz/research-and-articles#science-vocabulary

1. Provide the students with a selection of newspaper headlines that contain specific topic related, technical terms, for example: Biodiversity, recycling, bio-degradable, quota sample headlines.
   Students highlight or underline the words in each headline that they feel are specifically topic related. At this point students create a glossary in their books that they can add to during the unit. This can then be referred to over the course of the unit. The glossary should contain all topic specific vocabulary and the appropriate definitions. It is a good idea for students to include in the glossary their own definition as well as the dictionary definition.

2. Ask them then to write down the definition for each word (1. Their own definition. 2. The dictionary definition.) Allocate each student with a word that they are then to illustrate for a word wall in the classroom. This activity also provides an opportunity for students to explore the vocabulary associated with the topic in other ways for example root words/prefixes/suffixes.

   An alternative or additional learning task to focus on vocabulary is to do a Term/definition mix and match. Have words and definitions cut up and laminated. Students then match the definition to the key term. This activity is a good pair/small group task which students can collaborate on to get the correct pairs. This can also be used as a clustering activity where students group together words that they feel belong in a particular group, for example words related to endangered species. Can they identify words that belong in more than one group? Students should do the clustering task in pairs or small groups so that discussion is taking place around what the words mean and how they could group together. Students are then able to identify words they already know and be introduced to new words. It also enables peer discussion and support for students at a range of levels.

Orientation to the textbook

“Visuals are a central feature of many texts. Students need to learn about the purposes of visual features and the relationships between visual and written aspects of texts in order to comprehend and interpret such texts.” ELP Years 9 to 13, page 84.

More about orientation to the text:

https://arbs.nzcer.org.nz/how-understanding-text-features-benefits-reading-comprehension

Introduction to textbook - ‘EARTH UNDER PRESSURE, People, Pests and Pollution’. This textbook makes use of a range of text features to convey various types of information. Text features used include: Graphs, tables, diagrams, headings, Photos, sub-headings, bold/italics, colour, activity boxes. As outlined in the ‘Literacy Learning Progressions’ page 18 students at Year 10 are often required to read texts that include the following:

• complex ideas and multiple items of information (in both longer texts and short, information-dense texts);
• academic and content-specific vocabulary that expresses abstract concepts relating to a range of topics within and across curriculum areas;
• terminology, text structures, and conventions that may have different meanings or function differently in different curriculum areas;
• non-sequential organisation, which may include complex sections and graphics that are not clearly linked to other parts of the text.

To introduce the students to text features choose 1 to 2 pages within the text that make use of a range of features. Photocopy and cut the page in to segments and allocate each segment to a student or pair of students. Students are then required to identify the key ideas that are presented in their segment and report these back to the class. (Refer to page 84, ELP Years 9 to 13). Students then move in to small groups and see if they can identify ways in which the different segments may relate to each other or how they present information that is not referred to in the written text. As a class discuss how the different kinds of information complement and support each other.

What the teacher is looking for:

• Are the students becoming aware of how written and visual information within a text can support each other?
• Are the students critically analysing the quality of the information presented?
• Over the course of the unit:
• Are the students showing in independent tasks that they are noticing and making use of all the information presented in the text?

This is an activity that may require revisiting over the course of the unit. It is also important to expose students to a variety of texts so when using a new resource with students , brainstorm as a class the text features that they can identify within a particular text and why they think this particualr feature may have been used. Constant reinforcement means that students’ will develop the ability to quickly identify text features and why they may be important. A cross curricular approach to this is also valuable. For example, can the science and maths teachers of this class run a session on text features within their textbooks? This then enables students to develop transferrable strategies for developing understanding. Students then also develop the realisation that their ability to find information within a text is not isolated to one particular area. If students are conducting research it is also valuable to run this exercise with a piece of text from an electronic source as many students struggle to find reliable information due to their inability to find information within a website.

Providing opportunities for reflection

Learning logs or reflection logs provide the opportunity for both students and teachers to reflect on the learning process and identify next steps.

At this stage in the unit introduce a reflection log to the students. The reflection log can be completed weekly, daily or lesson by lesson. It provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their own learning (what they have learnt), what they would like to learn, what they have found interesting and what they might need to relearn (or would like retaught). By reading their reflection logs the teacher is able to gain a picture of what they are learning, what they may need to reteach or explain in a different way and ideas for next steps.