EDU213 – Teaching English Curriculum and Pedagogy

Task Three – Lesson Plan

Sharon Pacey (1017065)

Semester One, 2017

INTRODUCTION TO CLASSROOM

The following information about my class composition and progression has been considered in structuring this lesson plan. Class Composition

There are 28 students in the class, with three groups for Guided Reading and Guided Writing activities. Students are moved between groups fluidly, in accordance with teacher observation of their reading and writing achievement progressions.

o Language Lemurs (16 students). These students are working at the target level for Year 5. They have appropriate skills and pre-requisite knowledge for the primary course content.

o Grammar Gorillas (8 students). These students are struggling with certain pre-requisite knowledge in either reading or writing. Their reading abiities may not yet be at the expected level for Year 5. Certain EAL/D students are included in this group while they build their English language skills. Visual aids are used frequently for the Grammar Gorillas to assist both EAL/D students and those whose reading and writing skills still require additional prompts. Also within this group is Lucy. Lucy is an intelligent and artistic child, but is a very visual learner, who can struggle to understand the conventions of reading and writing. She benefits from the visual cues used within the Grammar Gorillas.

o Alliteration Apes (4 students). These students have shown an aptitude for reading and/or writing, and absorb new learning very quickly. They need to be challenged within their activities, and Guided Reading or Guided Writing strategies are designed to push them to delve deeper into each learning area.

Reading and writing groups will often have a different composition, as the individual students may operate at very different levels in terms of their reading and writing skills. This particular literacy block requires students to stay within their groups due to the scaffolding of learning, especially within the Language Lemurs activities.

Note on Learning Progression – Grammar Gorillas

Several students within the Grammar Gorillas are not yet proficient with the ACARA content descriptor ACELA1493 (adverb group/phrases and prepositional phrases). Care should be taken to assess whether these have been used properly in the guided writing activity. Even if noun or adjective groups/phrases have not been successfully created, positive feedback should be provided for the correct use of propositions.

Note on Resources

Resource templates are included in this lesson plan. Click on the blue reference number to access them. The reference number and sample work product will need to be deleted before printing.

LESSON PLANNING

Date: 15th April

Lesson Title: Painting Pictures with Words

KLA(s)/Subjects English

Year level(s): 5

Duration of lesson: 90 minutes

Curriculum content and learning context

ACARA Content Descriptors Learning goals for the lesson

Year 5 ACELA1508 Understand how noun groups/phrases and adjective groups/phrases can be expanded in a variety of ways to provide a fuller description of the person, place, thing or idea. Elaborations:

learning how to expand a description by combining a related set of nouns and adjectives – ‘Two old brown cattle dogs sat on the ruined front veranda of the deserted house’

observing how descriptive details can be built up around a noun or an adjective, forming a group/phrase (for example, ‘this very smelly cleaning cloth in the sink’ is a noun group/phrase and ‘as pretty as the flowers in May’ is an adjective group/phrase)

During this lesson students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to: 1. Recognise noun groups/phrases and adjective groups/phrases and

understand how to transfer mental images from the writers imagination to the reader.

2. Deconstruct a noun group/phrase to identify the basic meaning, and

appreciate the impact of the descriptive devices. 3. Turn a simple sentence into noun groups/phrases or adjective

groups/phrases.

Resources Safe and Supportive Learning Environment

Book – The Garden of the Empress Cassia (Gabrielle Wang)

(pages 34-45)

Storyboard for the book (already on classroom wall)

Guided Reading – Language Lemurs - A3 paper or butcher paper - Coloured pencils or markers - Graphic organisers

Guided Reading – Grammar Gorillas - Teacher’s sketch off the Garden of the Empress Cassia

Class rules – wall poster in classroom

Time indicators

What the teacher will do What the students will do Differentiation required

Introductory Note to teacher: In today’s literacy block, the class will be reading the next chapter in “The

Garden of the Empress Cassia” by Gabrielle Wang (pp 34-45). Shared reading and writing activities will include reading this chapter,

introducing the concept of adjective and noun groups/phrases, and how these writing mechanisms enhance the description of people, places and things (ACELA1508).

Guided reading and writing will focus on the use of noun and adjective groups/phrases within the learning abilities of each student group.

Independent reading and writing will require students to use their newly acquired skills to identify the use of these mechanisms in the current and previous chapter, and to create their own clause.

Teaching strategies to be used: graphic organisers, innovation on story, word lists, sketch to stretch, open mind portratis and creative writing.

Mark and Ian are struggling

with ACELA1493. Their guided writing work can be adapted to have them write about something that Mrs Sternhop did rather than descriptive phrasing.

Jenny is articulate in her speech, and I believe that she can easily complete the task verbally. However, she is less successful in converting this to a written format. For this reason, she is to be partnered with Amanda, whose writing abilities are at a higher level. Their skills are complementary to each other.

- Paper for drawing - Coloured pencils or markers

Guided Reading – Alliteration Apes - Graphic organisers - pens

Guided Writing – Language Lemurs - Butcher paper on easels for word walls - pens / pencils

Guided Writing – Grammar Gorillas - Open Mind Portrait templates - Prompting questions - Sentence helpers - Coloured pens / pencils

Guided Writing – Alliteration Apes - Ipads (preloaded with http://www.literacyshed.com/the-images-shed.html)

Time indicators

What the teacher will do What the students will do Differentiation required

9.00 – 9.05

Lesson Introduction and Engagement

Instruct students to have their text, spelling books, workbooks and journals on their desks, ready for lesson. Open the text to page 34.

Reinforce classroom behaviour expectations:

- Be safe - Be respectful - Be responsible - Be an active learner

Teacher to advise students that we will be reading the next chapter in “The Garden of the Empress Cassia” (“the text”). Ask for a recap on what has happened so far.

(WALT) Advise that focus will be on how writers can use syntax to create vivid descriptions. Today this will focus on noun groups/phrases and adjective groups/phrases. Confirm prior learning of what nouns, adjectives and phrases are.

(WILF) Teacher is looking for students to understand what these terms mean, to identify them and to create their own noun groups/phrases. This will involve digging deep into their vocabularies for descriptive words.

(TIB) “This is important to learn because it will help you analyse texts effectively, to create your own descriptive texts and narratives, and to describe places and people more vividly to your friends and other people. Your writing and conversations will be more entertaining and will interest people.” Ask students for examples of when using more vivid descriptions may be useful.

Lesson Introduction and Engagement

Students retrieve their materials for lesson.

Students participate in discussion about the text so far. Teacher to draw on students who may not volunteer to contribute. (Students may refer to storyboard on wall).

Students participate to confirm prior learning.

Students listening.

Students listen then participate in class

discussion to answer question.

9:05 – 9:15 Lesson Content – Shared Reading

Read the new chapter as a class and use the examples that will be used in book for a think aloud.

- How does this sentence or paragraph make you feel? - Can you describe the images in your mind when you read it? - Why do you think that is?

Discuss how the use of the noun groups/phrases and adjective groups/phrases to provide descriptions affect what students imagine the garden to be like, both physically and atmospherically. Use prompts (what can you see / hear / smell. How does it make you feel?).

Update storyboard.

Lesson Content – Shared Reading

Participate in shared reading, reading passages aloud as called upon by teacher.

Class discussion of questions.

Class discussion of how students

visualise the garden.

Class discussion to update storyboard for the new chapter.

Time indicators

What the teacher will do What the students will do Differentiation required

9:15 - 9:25 Lesson Content – Shared Writing

Consider the sentence “The plane barely missed Mrs Hatchett’s old red pick-up truck, just scraping the roof with its wheels”.

Deconstruct the sentence into phrases on the whiteboard with class discussion, and simplify the sentence to compare the altered effect, “The plane almost hit a car”. Secure agreement from class that this is correct.

Re-write the sentence with a different scenario (for example, rebuilding the simple sentence “I could not see in the dark and I tripped over”. Class discussion to build detail into the scenario and construct a more descriptive sentence, incorporating adjective and/or noun groups/phrases. For example, “I had to feel my way to the bathroom in the middle of the cold, dark night, blindly stumbling over my careless brother’s discarded schoolbag”.

Lesson Content – Shared Writing

Find passage in their texts.

Participate in class discussion to simplify the sentence.

Contribute scenarios and descriptors to

construct the detailed sentence.

9:25 – 9:45 Lesson Content – Guided Reading

Instruct students to split into their reading groups. They will be staying in these groups for writing today.

Lesson Content – Guided Reading

Move quickly into their current reading groups.

Guided Reading – Language Lemurs Graphic Organiser

Activity

Deconstruct noun groups/phrases from text to create a simple sentence without detailed phrasing. Describe how the feelings and images projected from the simple sentence are different from the original sentence, and how noun groups/phrases make the story more interesting.

Content

Teacher to explain task and aim – breaking down noun groups/phrases to a simple sentence and discuss how this affects our visualisation of the scene as a reader.

Teacher to use small group discussion to model how the first sentence “Along the shore, willow trees dipped their long green plaits into the lake, while lazy goldfish kissed the underside of the water looking for insects.” can be simplified to “There were trees by the shore and fish in the lake.” or similar. This requires teacher to discuss how to:

- Break the sentence into sections - Identify the “best” words and remove them first - Remove descriptors (adjectives, adverbs, similes and metaphors) - Identify specific verbs and nouns to “all-purpose” words (eg plaits –

branches, goldfish – fish) (ACLA1512)

Instruct students to read each sentence aloud.

Students listening to aim.

Discussing sentence with teacher and nominating words to remove and ways to simplify the sentence.

Students confirm the result and explain why.

Students read the original and simplified sentences aloud as a group.

Time indicators

What the teacher will do What the students will do Differentiation required

Prompt discussion – how does this impact the natural intonation of the reader, the images in their heads and their visions of the scene described?

Further discussion – How do noun groups/phrases make the story more interesting?

Instruct students to work with their elbow buddies for next part. Teacher provides the second excerpt to copy on onto their A3 pieces of paper:

“The Garden of the Empress Cassia was completely surrounded by a long wall, its stop snaking like a flying dragon. In the wall, fan-shaped windows framed a mountain view or a creamy white peony flower.”

Students to work in pairs to deconstruct this sentence in the same way. Their challenge is to turn it into the most boring sentence possible! Discuss with their partners how this changed the book

Teacher to observe while working with other groups.

EARLY FINISHERS – Draw a picture of the starting sentence. Now read the “boring” sentence. Would they know what do draw? What might a reader draw instead?

Group discussion, facilitated by teacher.

Group discussion, facilitated by teacher.

Students work with elbow buddies to complete activity.

Guided Reading – Grammar Gorillas Sketch to Stretch

Activity

Use a Sketch to Stretch strategy, including labelling and descriptors, to visualise and draw either the wall around the castle or the garden itself (both described on page 38). The focus is not on the artistic quality and should be a sketch only. Discussion follows to recognise how the use of noun/group phrases has contributed to student visualisation of the island.

Content

Teacher to explain the task and aim – visualise, sketch and label a specific scene from the text and consider how the words have built the images in their minds.

Teacher to provide his/her own sketch (here) of how he/she imagines the island and ask students to make comments on what they see.

Teacher to then explain his/her visualisation of the island (after discussion).

Students then to sketch their own visualisation of either the fence around the island or part of the island gardens with as much detail as they can. Emphasise that focus is not on artistic quality but putting their visualisation on to paper.

Instruct students to label their sketches with descriptive groups and phrases from the text to illustrate their thinking. (7 minutes).

Teacher to move to next group once students are engaged in the activity

Students listening to aim.

Students examine and comment on teacher’s sketch.

Students prepare their own sketches. They may discuss with each other as they work.

Time indicators

What the teacher will do What the students will do Differentiation required

and return on completion, 7 minutes.

Teacher provides instructions for presenting sketches, facilitates conversation and observes for formative assessment.

Teacher to use anticipated questions to draw out how the use of noun group/phrases and adjective group/phrases that have influenced the drawing.

Students then present the sketch to peers and groups for their comments on what they see, before explaining the drawing themselves.

Group discussion, facilitated by teacher.

Guided Reading – Alliteration Apes Graphic Organiser Ask the Author Activity

Students will examine the noun groups/phrases more carefully to analyse word choice, specifically the application of verbs to objects that do not work in a literal translation, but make sense in the text, such as the “the trees dipped their long green plaits”. A graphic organiser will be used to examine why specific words have been used, rather than more literal alternatives, and how this impacts on the visualisations that the text creates in the reader’s mind.

Content

Teacher to explain task and aim – understand the creative use of verbs within noun/adjective groups/phrases, using graphic organisers to work through this process.

Discussion to confirm prior knowledge of how noun groups/phrases and adjective group/phrases affect visualisation of a place or thing in writing.

Teacher discussion – Use the example of “dipped” to discuss whether trees can really “dip” in a literal sense. Use the graphic organiser to model thinking processes for literal alternatives and whether these are as effective, to discuss why the author chose the word and the image it creates in the reader’s mind, and what other words would be effective in the phrasing.

(Teacher to move to next group once students are engaged in this and return on completion, 10 minutes).

Teacher asks students to explain their analysis to him/her, and asks questions to encourage deeper thinking and clarity of expression.

(Time permitting) Teacher instructs students to spend another 5 minutes to find another noun or adjective group/phrase to apply this exercise to and

Students listening to aim. Group discussion.

Group discussion.

Students to work in trios to complete a graphic organiser for “the fish kissed the underside of the water” and “Her [Mrs Sternhop’s] body melted into each hole and crevice”. They are then to present their graphic organiser to each other and to brainstorm other possible words as a group. There is no limit on word choices, as long as students can justify “why they work”. Students have 10 minutes to do this.

Group explanation to teacher.

Students complete activity.

Time indicators

What the teacher will do What the students will do Differentiation required

explain why the specific word within the phrase is effective (or ineffective). They may use a blank graphic organiser.

EARLY FINISHERS – Can you create your own group/phrase about a feature in the garden, using a word that is not a literal match to convey an image to the reader?

9:45 – 10:05 Lesson Content – Guided Writing

Students are to remain in the same groups for this exercise, as the guided writing activities will scaffold on guided reading activities.

Lesson Content – Guided Writing

Remain in their groups and keep work from Guided Reading handy.

Guided Writing – Language Lemurs Innovation on Story Word Lists

Activity

Change the context of the target sentence to an Australian scene, with The Garden of the Empress Cassia located by an Australian river. Rebuild their simple sentence from Guided Reading to describe this scene using descriptive noun groups/phrases.

Content

Teacher to explain task and aim – to create their own noun or adjective groups/phrases from their deconstructed sentences (from guided reading).

Teacher discussion – what if this was the Garden of the Emporer Sam Thaiday” and it was located at Coochin Creek? What kind of trees would there be? What animals would be in the water and running around? (possible answers – gum trees or wattle trees, bream, bull sharks, seagulls, turtles, lizards, platypus)

Instruct students to use butcher paper on an easel to build a word list to describe the tree/s and animal/s that would be in an Australian scene. They have 5 minute to build as many words as they can.

(Teacher to move to next group once students are engaged in this and return on completion, 5-7 minutes).

On return, explain next step of the task is to work with their elbow buddy again. They are to choose words from the list and turn the simple sentence from the Guided Reading activity into a new sentence that describes this scene. They can refer to the original sentence for inspiration.

EARLY FINISHERS – Add another sentence to build the image more, include some other plants or animals. If multiple students finish early, and time allows, swap sentences and draw each other’s descriptions.

Students listening to aim.

Group discussion.

Students listen and then build their

word lists.

Students working in pairs to construct their descriptive groups/phrases.

Time indicators

What the teacher will do What the students will do Differentiation required

Guided Writing – Grammar Gorillas Open Mind Portrait

Activity

Use an open mind map to descripe the features and personality of Mrs Sternhop. Use the mind maps to construct simple noun group/phrases to describe her. All students in the class have prepared open mind maps previously and are familiar with the device.

Sequence

Teacher to explain task and aim – use an open mind map to fill in Mrs Sternhop’s characteristics and then use this to create noun groups/phrases.

Teacher to ask students what they think about Mrs Sternhop? Does she remind them of anyone, why? This is a brief conversation to focus student’s attention on the character.

Teacher to instruct students to create open mind maps of Mrs Sternhop before she entered the garden. Instruct students to draw her on the open mind portrait template and write words to describe her underneath, including her physical features and personality. Encourage students to discuss with each other while working (using inside voices!). Provide prompting questions to students.

Teacher to move to next group once students are engaged in this and return on completion (5-7 minutes).

On return, discuss the words that students have chosen and why.

Explain that the next step of the task is to work with their elbow buddy again. Students will use the words and pictures from the portraits to write a sentence. They are to choose words from the list and turn the simple sentence into noun groups/phrases with their elbow buddy. Sentence formats are provided through cloze activities as a guide.

EARLY FINISHERS – How would you change your open mind portrait of Mrs Sternhop to describe her after she left the garden? Could you write a sentence about why she was different?

Students listening to aim.

Group discussion.

Students create their mind maps, including both words and images.

Group discussion.

Students listening.

Students create their sentences.

Guided Writing - Alliteration Apes Creative Writing DIY Cloze Exercise Activity

Students to name and describe a visual stimuli. Working in pairs, they are to write two sentences, one with noun groups/phrases, the other with adjective groups/phrases to describe this. They will then re-write the sentence, excluding all nouns, and pass it to another pair to solve.

Sequence

Teacher to explain task and aim – to look at a photograph and create noun and adjective groups/phrases to recreate the image in the mind of the

Students listening.

Time indicators

What the teacher will do What the students will do Differentiation required

reader.

Teacher discussion to confirm prior knowledge of how noun groups/phrases and adjective group/phrases affect visualisation of a place or thing in writing.

Teacher to instruct students to open http://www.literacyshed.com/the-images-shed.html on their ipads (these have been pre-loaded). They have two minutes to choose an image from the page. Continue instructions before this activity takes place. Due to the multiple steps in this activity, each direction should be written on the whiteboard for students to refer to.

Teacher instruction - Students are then to work with their elbow buddy to create two sentences, including noun groups/phrases and adjective group/phrases to describe the setting and characteristics (weather, smells, sense of place etc). Encourage students to create their own word lists to assist with this, starting with how the photo makes them feel, then why this is the case

Students are then to re-write the sentence with all nouns deleted.

Teacher to move to next group once students are engaged in this and return on completion (12 minutes – notify group when first two minutes for image selection expire).

Each pair passes their work to another pair to fill in the cloze exercise and determine the missing vowels. (2 minutes).

Teacher facilitates discussion on how answers were determined.

EARLY FINISHERS – Can you make changes to your work to describe your back yards instead of the mythical garden?

Students open link on ipads.

Students working in pairs to build their word lists and create their noun and adjectives groups/phrases.

Students re-write their sentences with the nouns removed.

Students pass their cloze exercises to their neighbours to complete.

Group discussion.

10:05-10:15 Independent Reading Word/Phrase Search

Re-read previous and current chapter (time permitting) to identify other adjective/noun groups/phrases and think about how they affected their experience as a reader.

Teacher to use this time to inspect work product from group reading and writing.

Students work on activity independently.

Time indicators

What the teacher will do What the students will do Differentiation required

10:15-10:25 Independent Writing Daily Journal

Students to write their own noun groups/phrases or adjective groups/phrases in their daily journals, about something that happened today. It could be about eating breakfast, the trip to school or even this lesson.

Teacher to use this time to inspect output from group reading and writing.

Students work on activity independently.

10:25-10:30 Lesson Conclusion

Teacher to prompt summary discussion with children:

- “Who can tell me what we have learned today?”. Teacher to prompt students if no voluntary answers.

- Continue questioning to confirm descriptions of noun groups/phrases and adjective groups/phrases, how they make descriptions in a text , and how the different activities helped this learning.

- “Who can come up with some groups/phrases to tell me how they are feeling right now, or about today’s lesson?”

Teacher to tell children he/she is very happy with their work today and the effort they have put in. Make specific comments as appropriate to what actually occurred in lesson.

Instruct children to tidy away their materials and get their mathematics materials out for next lesson. If the teacher has not seen any students’ work, instruct them to bring it to desk.

Lesson Conclusion

Class discussion confirming learning.

Students to tidy up per teacher

instructions.

Scaffolded Learning and Formative Assessment

Assessment during this literacy block is to be undertaken formatively throughout the lesson.

General Observation

Student participation in class discussions (Oral - vocabulary, speech, articulation and expression).

Student participation in class discussions (Reading – fluency, comprehension, meaning making).

Student participation in group discussions (Oral - understanding of device, vocabulary, speech, articulation and expression).

Student activities (Writing - handwriting, holding pen, vocabulary, spelling, text/word/letter level knowledge, punctuation, fluency and expression).

Student activities (Reading – comprehension, fluency, meaning making).

Observation – Language Lemurs (Guided Reading)

Knowledge and identification of grammatical terms and devices – such as adjective and phrase – in sentence deconstruction (prior years’ curriculum).

Difference between all-purpose and specific words (Year 5, ACEA1512).

Vocabulary, speech, text/word knowledge and comprehension in discussions and sentence deconstruction.

Observation – Language Lemurs (Guided Writing)

Vocabulary and correct use of verbs, adjectives and adverbs in generating word lists.

Writing skills (letter formation) and spelling skills in generating word lists.

Correct use of grammar, including prepositions, conjunctions and punctuation, in groups/phrases construction (prior years’ curriculum).

Level of writing ability in groups/phrases construction. This should include the ease or difficulty with which the text is constructed.

Observation – Grammar Gorillas (Guided Reading)

Vocabulary used in sketch to stretch activity.

Level of detail incorporated into sketch.

Ability to interpret peer sketches (comprehension)

Ability to explain student’s own sketch (fluency, vocabulary and expression).

Ability to identify how noun groups/phrases have influenced student thinking (comprehension, meaning making, text analysis).

Observation – Grammar Gorillas (Guided Writing)

Vocabulary used in verbal description of Mrs Sternhop (including comprehension).

Vocabulary, writing skills (letter formation etc.) and spelling used in open mind portrait and creation of written text.

Leve of detail incorporated into open mind portrait.

Ability to construct noun group/phrases from portrait, including the use of grammar, the level of detail and sophistication of writing attempt.

Text level knowledge through need to reference sample sentence structures in creation of written text.

Scaffolded Learning and Formative Assessment

Observation – Alliteration Apes (Guided Reading)

Understand that words can be used in a different manner than their literal translation through personification and figurative language, in order to create an image in the reader’s mind.

Ability to evaluate the use of word choices in text and understand why the words are chosen.

Vocabulary and metaphor skills in considering alternative words.

Ability to explain and justify word choices.

Observation – Alliteration Apes (Guided Writing)

Ability to communicate the physical nature and atmosphere of a visual scene in a written text (fluency).

Correct use of prepositions, conjunctions and punctuations in line with previously learned curriculum contents.

Ability to discern missing nouns in cloze exercises (comprehension)

Vocabulary and knowledge of grammar devices in changing words within peer’s work.

Justification of Teaching Strategies

The ability to engage students was a primary factor in selecting all strategies.

Guided Reading

Graphic Organisers require students to deconstruct their allocated sentences. By comparing the original and updated sentence, they appreciate the difference that noun and adjective groups/phrases make to the reader’s experience and demonstrate their understanding of grammatical terms.

Sketch to Stretch is a non-threatening opportunity to increase, with self-generated visual aids, for students who struggle with text level knowledge and expressive writing. Students are able to exercise and extend their vocabulary, and to take the first step towards understanding noun and adjective groups/phrases. They are useful for EAL/D students within the class, for whom visual cues are vital.

For students who are quick grasp the specific writing device, Graphic Organisers provide an opportunity to delve deeper into the phrases and to analyse individual word choices. They demonstrate their understanding of personification and figurative language within a text and explain the impact on the reader’s experience.

Guided Writing

Innovation on Story, complemented by Word Lists, permit students to demonstrate both reading and writing skills. They are challenged to create a scene in the reader’s mind, using the tools – but not the words – of the selected text.

Open Mind Portraits allow students to work within their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), by first employing vocabulary skills to provide describing words and images, before creating their own sentences. By breaking down the groups/phrase creation into two steps, the process is simplified for students who may struggle with creating the latter activity without scaffolding. Once again, the visual component assists EAL/D students.

Creative writing and a student-generated Cloze Exercise provide advanced learners with an opportunity to demonstrate their creative writing skills while also having fun in challenging each other.

DIPPED Willow trees dipped their long green leaves into the lake.

Do trees really “dip” their branches?

Why did the author choose this word?

What literal words could be used? 1, Better / worse / same? 2. Better / worse / same? 3. Betters / worse / same?

What other words would be effective? 1, Better / worse / same? 2. Better / worse / same? 3. Betters / worse / same?

How does this word choice effect your

visualization of the scene/?

Why?

Why?