ENGLISH LITERATURE UNIT. Topic: I Belong Year level: Foundation

ENGLISH LITERATURE UNIT Topic: I Belong Year level: Foundation Topic Explanation: Students will be looking at a range of texts that have been chosen specifically due to their association with the concept of belonging. The students within the class have rich, cross-cultural backgrounds and will benefit from looking at diversity, inclusion and belonging. Students will be introduced to a range of high quality literary texts suitable for their age group. They will experience the author within and understand diversity of expression within texts and amongst peers within the class. AIMS: Literature and context Students will recognise that texts are created by authors who tell stories and share experiences that may be similar or different to students own experiences (ACELT1575) Responding to literature Share feelings and thoughts about the events and characters in texts (ACELT1783) Examining literature Recognise some different types of literary texts and identify some characteristic features of literary texts, for example beginnings and endings of traditional texts and rhyme in poetry (ACELT1785) Creating literature Retell familiar literary texts through performance, use of illustrations and images (ACELT1580) STUDENT OUTCOMES: Students will be able to identify a poem. Students will create a story about their family and their place using drawing and/or writing with themselves as the main character. Students will know that an author writes stories. STUDENT ASSESSMENT: FORMATIVE: Students will be assessed formatively via the following strategies listed below on an ongoing basis throughout the unit. Reading response journal teacher to review on a regular basis. Gives opportunity for the teacher to guage students readiness for the next step and adjust next lesson if needed and ensure that each student is making progress. Students use an exit card at the end of the unit in reading prose (see below). This is used as a tool to gauge wether the student has grasped the key vocabulary meaning of author. The class poem is another example of a formative assessment piece, anecdotal notes to be taken on each student s contribution. 1

Anecdotal observation during each lesson, recorded in a table with each student s name with space to comment. Notes may or may not be taken on each student in every lesson and is used to check each student s general progress. (See rubric below) Formative Assessment - Anecdotal record sheet: NAME - Brayden Foundation Year Date Topic/text type Comments 30/6/13 Lesson 2 Tom Tom Draw and discuss diversity. Demonstrates appreciation for diverse perspectives during discussion. Has listened and responded to texts using pictures. 7/7/13 Lesson 3 - Tom Tom (story map) Has shown great enthusiasm. Was very confident during discussions today. EXIT CARD Name: I know what an Author is I think I know what an Author is I do not know what an Author is 2

STUDENT ASSESSMENT: SUMMATIVE: 1. This assessment task is comprised of two elements. Firstly, students are assessed at the end of the six week unit on writing prose using the rubric below. The assessment task requires the student to make a page of a class book. Each page must contain a picture of the student as the main character with as much detail as possible. The picture must also contain members of their family and a special place. The students will either write at least one simple sentence about the pictures of themselves and their family member/s and place or have a scribe write for them. 2. Secondly, the student is required to identify and point to a poem in the room (there will be a number around the class room on the walls). A rubric (below) is used to record the students outcome. This assessment takes place at the end of the sis week unit on reading poetry. Summative Assessment Rubric: NAME: DATE: Excellent Good Poor COMMENTS Student understands that an author is someone who writes stories writes stories. Student has created a story about their family and their place using drawing and/or writing with themselves as the main character. Summative assessment rubric assessing identification of a poem: Has the student been able to identify a poem in the class room? Name Brayden Emma Yes/No Yes No STUDENT SELF ASSESSMENT: Students are using a reading response journal. This journal assists in the development of students thoughts about their own learning. 3

There are also opportunities for students to respond and reflect on their own learning through discussion and group sharing time which happen throughout the unit. The exit card plays a role in both summative assessment of the student and students self-assessment. Students are beginning to grasp the notion of monitoring their own learning. SELF ASSESSMENT (TEACHER): Each lesson (recorded in a teaching journal) Explanation of concepts clear enough? Time constraints sufficient? Enough explicit teaching and scaffolding? Were the resources suitable and was there enough? Were the students engaged? Was it appropriate for the skill level and interest of the students Was it delivered at an appropriate pace? READING AND VIEWING: PROSE foundation year SEQUENCE OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES (Lessons) Introductory: Lesson 1. Introduction: ACTIVITY Students (whole class) seated on the mat in a circle Say we will be looking at a few very special books for the next six weeks. I will show you the very first one in a moment. I want you to listen carefully and look at the pictures because we will be talking about it after I have read it Read Tom Tom. Use expressive voice. Take it slowly. Draw children into the wonderful life that Tom Tom leads. Discuss the pictures and the story as we go. Look for opportunities to question whether Tom Tom s life is similar and different to the children s own. On page 2 of the story, draw attention to the large family that Tom Tom has, ask how many brothers and sisters and cousins do you have? After reading page 13, ask who stays at their grandma s house sometimes? Explicit Teaching/Group Exploration: Ask, Now, this is such a lovely story. Who enjoyed it? I wonder who wrote this story? How would we find out? How about the pictures? Draw children into the idea of authors. Authors tell stories and share experiences. Illustrators work with the Author to help tell the story in the pictures. Ask What is the first letter? Go slowly, letter by letter sounding out the word with the children write on IWB. Re-cap what is an author Check for understanding. WEEK(S) Week 1 Monday 10mins 5mins 4

Individual Exploration: Students to be grouped into threes a piece of A3 paper for each group. Students to talk about Lemonade Springs. Draw what they think Lemonade Springs would look like. Conclusion: Reflect as a group on the pictures the students have created. Ask students to identify and discuss the similarities and the differences. Support all interpretations. 10mins 5mins Explicit Teaching/Group Exploration: Lesson 2. Read Tom Tom. Introduce idea of a story map about the story Tom Tom. Demonstrate/model on IWB with whole class, what happened in the story? students to contribute. Divide students into groups of three. Students to create a story map together. Week 2 Monday Individual Exploration: Lesson 3. Read Tom Tom. Continue with group story maps. Reflect on story maps. Consider diversity. Lesson 4. Introduce next book, read Oliver Bright. Re-cap what is an author? Check for understanding. Discuss pictures and use of labels etc. as reading, consider differences. Introduce the Reading Response Journal. Ask students to respond (draw/write) to the statement my favourite part of the book was.. in their reading response journals. Lesson 5. Read Oliver Bright. Re-cap what is an author Check for understanding. Individual Discuss pictures, format. Ask student to respond to this question (draw/write) in their reading response journals did the story Oliver Bright remind you of anything in your own life? Draw below. Label if you can. If you need my help to write, please ask me or the SSO to help. Discuss the book in relation to students own experience (family). Week 3 Tuesday Week 4 Monday Week 5 Monday 5

Concluding (exit card) Lesson 6. Read Oliver Bright and Tom Tom. Discuss the similarities and differences of the two stories. As a group list the similarities on the board, then the differences. In the reading response journals, students draw their favourite character Tom Tom or Oliver Bright Group sharing time learning so far, discussing favourite characters and parts in books. What is an author? Student to respond to exit card independently. Week 6 Monday READING: POETRY foundation year SEQUENCE OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES (Lessons) Introductory: READ A POEM A DAY! ACTIVITY WEEK(S) Lesson 1. Introduction: Students sitting on the mat together facing the IWB. Say I am going to show you a video clip of something I remember from when I was very young, perhaps your age, you may have heard or seen this or something like this before? Show the YouTube clip (The Muppet Show 1977) There Was and Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc_xo2an_ia Play again, sing together, and clap along. Week 1 Wednesday 10mins Explicit Teaching/Group Exploration: Put the words of the poem/song on the IWB. Ask Has anyone heard this before? Say This is another kind of way to tell a story but this type of story has a very special name, do you know what it is? It is a poem Say Everybody say with me POEM! Write the word poem on the IWB. Show the words to the old lady who swallowed a fly on the IWB. Discuss the format short sentences, goes downwards etc. Put a copy of the laminated poem up in the room. Play Ring a ring a Rosie with the children, with actions. Ask students if they know any other rhymes or poems with actions, begin a group list of poems we know. Students can add to the list as they discover more. Incey, Wincey spider, round and round the garden etc. Sing rhymes with actions, share enjoyment with students. 15mins 6

Conclusion: Recap what a poem is short lines, goes downwards. Demonstrate again with There was an old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Play YouTube clip again. Sing along. 5mins Explicit Teaching/Group Exploration: Lesson 2. Re-cap what is a poem? Check for understanding. Ask for poem suggestions for the wall. Read Isabella s Garden, demonstrate the rhythm. Draw in reading response journal If you could have your very own garden, what would it look like, what plants would grow in it. Would there be any animals, people? Introduce the established potted herb garden for the students to care for. Lesson 3. Read sense poems http://www.stephanietrain.com/speakout/writingguide/fivesenses.html Put the poems up around classroom and show on IWB. Discuss the senses, talk about smell, sound, taste, feel and sight. Explore the herb garden, draw the herbs. Brainstorm together words/pictures about smell, taste etc. of the herbs. Lesson 4. Read sense poems - http://www.youngwriters.co.uk/sense%20poetry%20examples.pdf Take students out for a nature walk (school grounds bushland and creek). Ask students to identify sounds, smells, textures, colours etc. together outside. Make rubbings, drawings on a large poster sized piece of strong paper. Lesson 5. Read Isabella s Garden. Back in the class, whilst looking at and reflecting on drawings of herbs and brainstormed sense words, start a class sense poem. As a class, with the form of the sense poem about the herbs; smells like. Etc. students contribute words to make a class poem Week 2 Wednesday Week 3 Wednesday Week 4 Wednesday Week 5 Wednesday Concluding (summative Assessment): Lesson 6. Complete poem together. Publish poem and laminate ready for class. Teacher to read poem to children Students have been working on learning the poem to share in a recital for the buddy class. Buddies then read poems to the students for the rest of the class. Take one student at a time with the SSO and teacher say point to a poem in the classroom record response on rubric) Week 6 Friday 7

WRITING: PROSE SEQUENCE OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES ACTIVITY WEEK(S) Introductory (prose): Lesson 1. Explicit Teaching/Group Exploration: Week 1 Thursday Introduction: Introduce the activity I am an author! Today we will begin to make our own page of a big book that will be shared in the classroom. The book will be full of pages that we have made. We will each have a lovely big piece of paper to write and draw a story with ourselves as the main character. The story will be a bit like Tom 10mins Tom and a bit like Oliver Bright but instead, it will be about all of you. Demonstrate the process with an A3 sheet of paper say This is a page about you and your family but it may also be about your place or your house (show the books again). I want you to begin by drawing yourself in the middle. This is a large piece of paper but we will need to use the rest of the paper around you to draw your family over the next few weeks so make sure you are not too small or not too big (give example). Demonstrate with a sheet of paper, use myself as an example. The page has a picture of me in the middle. Model detail, describe out loud as I go ask students to make suggestions about what I can add to make myself look more like me. Discuss as I draw, model diversity in families and confidence and creativity. Have a range of materials, collage, paint, crayon etc. Model freedom of expression but attention to detail. Remind students that their page will be very different to mine and that is great! 5mins Individual Exploration: Students to begin to draw/create themselves in the middle of the page and write me, (own name). Support students where necessary. Encourage freedom of expression. Conclusion: Discuss that I am an author now and that each student will also be an author when their picture joins mine in the class book. Read Oliver Bright again. Discuss possibilities for creating our own pages. Students to bring magazines, fabric, old clothes, photos etc. from home send a note home. 10mins 5mins 8

Individual Exploration: Lesson 2. Demonstrate/model next stage family. Students to help build picture with ideas. Show Oliver Bright again and explore techniques of collage, pencil, crayon, watercolour paint etc. and encourage experimentation with materials. Encourage freedom of expression here as this is your very own page. Students to continue to work on their page, starting to include their family using bits and pieces from home. Lesson 3. Students to start adding in their family. Make sure students understand that the more detail the better. Encourage students to add special adults, pets, favourite neighbours or friends if they like. Students to start drawing their place, home or park or favourite place, could be grandma s house or a neighbours. Lesson 4. Introduce next step, writing the sentence or labelling (if ready). Demonstrate and model with whole class. Involve students; ask for help for what to write. Students to begin to write and SSO and teacher scribe. Lesson 5. Continue building picture detail and sentences. Say Perhaps you may like to think about what you love about your family, think about what you love to do with your family, is there a favourite place you like to go to together, maybe you could draw you and your family there? Also, don t forget to tell us about your house or a favourite place you like to go. I want you to tell me as much as you can with your picture. Encourage students to write for themselves and have a go, however, support those who need more help where needed. Scribe for those who need with the SSO and teacher. Extend students where need be and support those who need more help. Concluding: Lesson 6 (summative assessment). Assessment takes place whilst students submit their finished page ready for binding into the big book, students are asked to identify independently what an author is. Book has been completed each page to be assessed. Read pages to class. When book is completed, students read their page at parent teacher night (class museum is also presented as part of the History component of the curriculum). Class reflection on learning. Discussion about diversity within the class. Week 2 Friday Week 3 Friday Week 4 Friday Week 5 Friday Week 6/7 Friday/Monday 9

TEACHER REFERENCES and RESOURCES: YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc_xo2an_ia Sense poems: http://www.youngwriters.co.uk/sense%20poetry%20examples.pdf http://www.stephanietrain.com/speakout/writingguide/fivesenses.html Other Resources: Herb selection (in pots) Fabric, magazines, postcards etc. for collage. Art materials Notes for students to bring materials from home Reading journals Teaching journal A3 good quality paper Interactive White Board and Laptop Laminator Reference Book: Tompkins, G. E. (2004). Sharing the Pen, Interactive Writing for Young Children. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Jan, L. W. (2009). Write Ways. Victoria: Oxford. BOOKS: Title - Tom Tom Author - Rosemary Sullivan Illustrator - Dee Huxley Title - Me, Oliver Bright Author - Megan de Kantzow Illustrator Sally Rippin Title - Isabella s Garden Author - Glenda Millard Illustrator - Rebecca Cool Title Poems for Young Children Author Compiled by Tig Thomas Art Director Jo Brewer 10