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Introduction to first issue – The Population Explosion
In this learning task students are exploring the question ‘Is the growing population really putting pressure on the earth or is it just a myth?’. Students will be exploring statistics, identifying reasons why the population has grown so rapidly, investigate the consequences of the growing population and ways in which different countries have tried to curb the growth using various methods.
Students will be considering the following questions:
At the end of this series of tasks students will be required to research an issue in depth, complete an inquiry in to an issue and then write an essay explaining their chosen issue, why it is an issue and ways in which the issue could be addressed.
In order for students to do this they need to be supported through the process of finding, interpreting and evaluating information. Whilst some students are already adept at finding and using information it is still valuable to expose them to different strategies.
As a modelling exercise the first issue studied (population) will be used to support students through an essay writing process. Students will be expected to write an essay:
‘Explain why the population has grown so rapidly, why it is an issue and ways in which this could be solved.’
Students are expected to include specific examples of ways in which some countries have attempted to reduce population growth, for example China and the one child policy. It is also expected that students include topic specific vocabulary within their essay.
It is valuable to have the data from diagnostic testing available to assist in this process. For example an asTTle writing task focusing on explanation can provide valuable data identifying where the students are at. It is also valuable to have discussions with other departments about what they would expect an essay to look like, for example English, History and Geography all require essay writing skills at NCEA level.
Make connections to prior knowledge by referring back to the picture dictation task that students had previously completed. Ask students to revisit their word brainstorms with words relating to this particular issue. As a class compile a word list of associated words.
An Anticipatory Reading Guide is used to assess the students’ knowledge before beginning a lesson. It enables the teacher to gain a picture of exactly what the students already know about this topic. It also gets the students thinking about what some of the issues relating to population growth may be and provides an opportunity at the end of this learning phase for students to reflect on whether they would change their decisions.
Using the graph discuss with the class the fact that the world’s population began increasing rapidly over a short period of time. Ask them if they can think of any reasons for this? Discuss the development of health and hygiene practices over time and what impact this may have had.
Preview and predict/Asking Questions
Previewing a text enables students to predict the content they are likely to come across. By using this strategy students’ are able to check their predictions and identify new information being introduced. (ELP Page 64)
By asking questions before, during and after reading students are able to clarify their purpose for reading. Students are able to utilise the knowledge they already hold and also clarify new knowledge gained.
In this section of learning students will be introduced to a range of texts providing information about poverty stricken areas such as Ethiopia and parts of South Africa. By reading these texts it is hoped they will gain an understanding of the issues arising from poverty which in many cases is a result of population growth and lack of resources.
Introduce the text ‘ Rural Poverty in Ethiopia’
Present a summary to the students of the headings/subheadings from the article. Ask them to make notes under each heading about what they would expect to find in each section.Ask the students to read the first section of the article – An agrarian society in a land of drought. What do they think will be discussed next? Can they identify any words they do not know? How can they determine the meaning of these words from the article itself?
As students read they should be checking their predictions and ticking them off if they feel they are correct.
What the teacher is looking for: Are the students’ making logical predictions from the headings or from their previous reading of a chunk of text?Are they engaged in the task?Are they monitoring their understanding by highlighting words they are unsure of?
As students read ask them to write down any questions they may have about Ethiopia/poverty/causes that have arisen because of what they are reading or thinking. Can they find the answers to any questions within the text? Introduce students to the idea that often because of poverty lack of rain etc people migrate to the cities in search of better opportunities. What impact could this have on the cities/housing/land use?
Students click on the Poverty: Facts and Stats link. Ask students to choose 4-5 facts about poverty that they find interesting. They write these facts down and then write an explanation about why they found these facts interesting. They can also use these facts to help support the essay that they will write.
Skimming and scanningOnce they have practised this strategy a number of times students will be able to use skimming and scanning in their independent reading in order to find and locate information quickly. By skimming and scanning students develop the ability to read more efficiently by gaining an overview of the text and what it is about. They can then decide on other strategies that may help them.
Choose an article or articles from the Global Issues website from the Human Population or Poverty section on the site. It may be that the teacher can choose more than one article and get students to work as pairs or groups. These articles could be printed or alternatively students read them directly from the website. Explain to students how skimming and scanning strategies. Give them 60 seconds to skim-read headings, subheadings and some of the words they think are key to the topic. Ask the students to jot down these key words.
Discuss their findings. Then give the students another 3-5 minutes to scan for three or four key points that expand on the headings from the text. In pairs or small groups get students who have read the same article to compare their ideas or findings. An extension on this is to repeat the exercise with students swapping articles. Do they identify the same key words/ideas? Share their findings with the class. It is also effective to have a series of questions that the students answer more in depth relating to the article. What the teacher is looking for:
How has population growth been defused? Introduce to students the idea that different governments around the world have tried various methods to curb population growth. Ask students if they know what some of these methods may be? (for example, students may know about China’s 1 child policy.)
A useful article about population control in China can be found at: http://countrystudies.us/china/ 34.htm
This article can also be used to practice skimming and scanning or previewing and predicting. Students’ can predict why they think China introduced birth control methods sch as the one child policy and what impact this could have on society.
Use this issue to introduce the students to a supported essay writing process. This essay can then be used to assess where the students are at and also their understanding of the topic. By providing the students with writing frames to guide them and modelling the expectations and structure students become more aware of what is expected.
A useful piece on India: India government launches new program to control growing population
Explain why the population of the world has grown so rapidly, why it is an issue and ways in which this could be solved. It is important that students know what they are doing, why they are doing it and how to do it. For many students, writing an essay is challenging. By going through a scaffolded process the teacher support can slowly be removed, enabling students to become independent learners.
Textbook Case Study. If the textbook is available there is a useful case study on Auckland’s transport woes on pages 12 and 13. This is an excellent case study for identifying viewpoints. The activities on these pages involve analysing population growth in NZ and looking at solutions to Auckland’s transport problems. Formative Assessment - Essay on Population Growth.
Introduce students to the essay question they are expected to respond to. Explain why the population of the world has grown so rapidly, why it is an issue and ways in which this could be solved.
When writing, students should be asking themselves a range of questions to prompt their thinking and ideas. For the purpose of modelling asking questions go through the process with the students. The four stages of writing can be covered at various points over this process but should be repeated throughout the unit in order for students to develop independence and understanding.
(refer to ELP Years 9 to 13 page 135)
For the purpose of this essay begin with a guided writing task where the teacher and students collaborate together to develop the plan, language and ideas they will use in the task. Students learn how to brainstorm, plan ideas and draft a piece of writing. It is important to explain to students that as part of their summative assessment they will be expected to write an essay on a chosen issue and that the next steps will assist them with being able to do this independently.
Forming intentions:
Clarify the purpose and the audience with the students. Who exactly are they writing for? What sort of language may be used?
Discuss that there are essentially three parts to the essay question that require answering.
Ask students to complete a brainstorm either as a class or in small groups using the topic specific language, ideas or knowledge they now have about each aspect of the question. These ideas can be recorded on the chart. Ask a series of questions of students to ensure they have fully understood the topic and areas which may require further teaching. What the teacher is looking for: Do students appear to have an understanding of the topic?Are they extending their understanding by learning from others and trying new ideas?
Composing a text
Students can now be introduced to a writing frame. A writing frame is a skeleton outline of a planned text that includes prompts for learner writers. This outline summarises the structure of the planned text and what should be included in each section. The prompts, which may include key questions, key points or sentence starters, are designed to help students fill in the outline. (ELP page 141)By using a writing frame a teacher is providing the students with a structure for a draft piece of writing. These can be used collaboratively or by individual students. When students become familiar with using a frame they can develop the ability to use them independently within their writing. The teacher can work through the writing frame as a whole or complete some sections with students while other sections are filled out independently. Writing frames can vary in complexity – some have wordbanks, others have fewer prompts for more able students. It may be that more than one frame may be developed for a particular topic or task to cater for the ability levels within the group.
Introduce students to the Population Explosion writing frame. Explain the writing frame in detail and also how it matches the structure of an essay with introduction, paragraphs and conclusion. It is also an appropriate time to introduce students to the concept of the acronym ‘SEX/SEE’ – statement, explanation, example. As a class work through the writing frame, thinking out loud to complete each section and encouraging the students to share their thoughts and ideas from the brainstorming session. Depending on the ability levels within the class the teacher can either:
What the teacher is looking for:
If students have been working independently to complete the frame, ask them to read back responses to either a partner or the class in order to clarify their ideas. This enables them to revise their thinking – has appropriate language been used? Have ideas been linked? Will the writing engage the intended audience? Students then write their essay in published form – proof reading, completing the text and then making it available to the intended audience for feedback. It is important to use this essay to guide next teaching steps.
Students need written feedback on this essay so that they are aware of the steps they may need to take in the final assessment. It is also beneficial to provide students with the self assessment schedule for ‘explanation’ found at the Assessment Resource Bank – WL3712. This allows students and teachers to assess their essays for structure and content. Students will revisit the essay writing process in the summative assessment task. Therefore the skills needed should be practised within the context of the next issue studied also. This may build on the use of frames or writing outlines or reduce the need for scaffolds because of student ability or knowledge of structure.
To set the scene for this unit, watch a video or read articles about refugees and immigration:
Note: Many schools pay an annual fee to Copyright Licencing to allow the recording of documentaries etc for classroom use.
Ask the class to discuss their observations of immigrant and refugee stories.
Formative reading text 1: CulturalCrashCourse (Word 831KB)
Teacher Anne Girven
YEAR
LEVEL
DURATION
Achievement Objective Being Assessed
Learning Outcomes
Processes
Supporting Achievement Objective
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
schedule (RTF 21KB) self_assessment (RTF 230KB) National Exemplar Project: Explanation
Read a selection of spider stories, eg. Anansi the Spider. Discuss what students have found out from the stories about spiders. Students work in pairs noting information, explanations from their reading. Discuss and compare the information from their readings of "spider" fiction and non-fiction.
School Journals (Learning Media):
Other Spider Stories:
Using the information learned during the reading sessions, teacher model writing a myth to explain a natural phenomenon. See the Myths and Legends unit.
Read the myth 'Cry Baby Moon' to the class - (by Katarina Mataira and Tere Wai Kemp). Discuss and examine purposes of myths.
Read another 'Moon' myth. Identify similarities/differences. Group activity, retell a 'moon' myth - role play, finger puppets.
Introduce other myths through shared, guided, independent reading.
Discuss:
Collect and read myths/legends from a particular country.
Read Greek/Maori myths/legends, build up a chart of the gods/goddesses included in the stories and add the characteristics of each.
Teacher the retelling of a familiar myth.
The Encyclopedia MythicaA searchable encyclopedia containing over 4200 articles about gods/goddesses, heroes, supernatural beings and legendary creatures and monsters from all over the world (Aztec, Celtic, Chinese, Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Haitian, Hindu, Japanese, Latvian, Mayan, Native American, Norse, Persian, Polynesian and Roman).
Animal Legends24 stories about animals, such as "How the Kangaroo Got His Tail".
Folk and Fairy Tales: Website Links
Aboriginal myths and legends
Legends
Native American myths and legends
Native American Traditional Storytelling
Greek myths
Greek MythologyInformation about Gods/Goddesses, Heroes/Heroines, Lovers and Creatures.
Legend of the Minotaur
Daedalus and Icarus
Teacher models the writing of an original myth to explain the creation of some natural phenomena. Explore the use of similes/metaphors to create images or word pictures to make text rich and interesting.
Similes
We use similes in our writing to create images or word pictures that make it rich and interesting. In a simile we say that one thing is like something else and this is why similes usually start with like or as, as in these examples:
The sun is like a golden orange in the sky.
He wandered lonely as a cloud
Exploring Language (p.54), A Handbook for Teachers, Ministry of Education 1996, Learning Media Wellington N.Z.
Metaphors
A metaphor is a kind of word picture. If you say that something is something else, or speak of it as though it is something else, you are using a metaphor.
Look at these examples.
Knowledge is a key that opens many doors.
She hit the ball so hard that it rocketed across the net.
In the first sentence knowledge is a key. In the second sentence the ball is spoken of as though it is a rocket.
Writers use metaphors to strengthen the meaning of what they are writing about. They are so common in our everyday speech that you probably use these word pictures all the time.
For example
burning the candle at both ends - getting up early and going to bed late playing second fiddle - taking a less important role and not being in the limelightskating on thin ice - taking risks that might be dangerous
Exploring Language (P 54,55), A Handbook for Teachers, Ministry of Education 1996, Learning Media Wellington N.Z.
Students in groups of three create an explanation (oral or written form) for:
Application of understandings gained through previous guided reading and writing experiences. These are shared with the rest of the class.
Comparison of myths/legends across different cultural settings eg. travel - air, sea. * How did Maui travel ? * What resources were available to him ? * How did Icarus travel ? * What resources were available to him ?Students tape stories - retelling a favourite myth - develop awareness of structures.
Illustrated wall stories (based on the reading to, with and by approaches) - plot sequences, purpose, audience.
The Aboriginal myths about the creation of the world have been an important part of Aboriginal culture for thousands of years. These stories come from a time long, long ago (well before the dawn of time) called the Dreamtime.
One of these is the story of Wanmirri who, with his three brothers, learned how to light the sky at night so no-one need be afraid of the dark. These four young men of the tribe threw their boomerangs into the campfire where they caught alight. Then they hurled their blazing weapons into the sky where they and their four owners have been lighting the night sky ever since. This is how stars were put in the sky.
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