Jimmy Hunt

30052409

Assessment 3Unit Overview

Grade 3

Posters of Foreign Countries

10 lessons

Rationale for the unit

Students in this unit will expand their understanding of the world around us, comparing Australia to geographically similar countries in Africa, South America and Oceania. Independent research will see students discover environmental, historical and cultural information which will be shared in class discussions. Intercultural understanding and environmental awareness will be thoroughly developed and built upon from previous experiences, along with key literacy and information technology skills. Students will further their abilities to utilise online texts, phonics and word knowledge, understand differing points of view, use paragraphs appropriately, plan, draft and publish texts, edit texts, and write neatly by hand. Students will work independently, in pairs, and in groups throughout the unit as they research, compile, edit, publish and present reports on countries. Each lesson focuses on an individual skill, pacing the unit comfortably and avoiding the typical pressure of a project deadline.

Project based learning offers an alternative to the traditional schooling which sees many students do the bare minimum and become disengaged (Buckmiller & Kruse, 2015). Authentic integration of technology increases student competency (Cydis, 2015). Frequent reflection in discussions provides an opportunity to improve and learn from things good or bad (Churchill, 2013). Combining these three elements creates an engaging and effective unit.

Unit objectives

· Develop research skills by studying print and digital resources

· Analyse texts for relevancy, appropriateness and accuracy

· Identify important information about a topic

· Develop a greater appreciation for international cultures through investigative education

· Express information through writing and illustrating

· Refine material into major points

· Convey the importance and relevance of facts

· Be competent at editing work by oneself and others

· Write multiple, distinct sentences on a chosen country

· Demonstrate a strong understanding of chosen country’s location, culture, history and customs

· Display an ability to work individually and independently

· Reflect and act upon feedback positively

Curriculum

Content Description

Standard

Geography

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Location of major countries of Africa and South America in relation to Australia and their major characteristics including the types of vegetation and native animals in at least two countries for both continents (VCGGK077)

· using geographical tools, such as a globe, a wall map or electronic atlas, to identify the major countries of Africa and South America and their relative locations

· using a printed or electronic atlas to identify the main characteristics of the continents of Africa and South America

By the end of Level 4, students identify and describe spatial characteristics, and the characteristics of places and environments at a range of scales. They identify and explain interconnections and identify and describe locations, including Australia’s neighbouring countries and Africa and South America.

They identify responses to a geographical challenge and the expected effects.

They collect and record relevant geographical data and information and represent data and information in tables, simple graphs and maps of appropriate scale that conform to cartographic conventions. They interpret data and information, and use geographical terminology, to identify and to develop descriptions, explanations and conclusions.

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Location of Australia’s neighbouring countries and the diverse characteristics of their places (VCGGK078)

· using a globe to locate New Zealand, the Pacific Island nations, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Indonesia, labelling them on a map, and identifying the direction of each country from Australia

· describing the similarities and differences between their local place and places in neighbouring countries in their natural and human characteristics

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Types of natural vegetation and the significance of vegetation to the environment, the importance of environments to animals and people, and different views on how they can be protected; the use and management of natural resources and waste, and different views on how to do this sustainably (VCGGK082)

· exploring how vegetation produces the oxygen all land animals (including people) breathe, protects land from erosion by water or wind, retains rainfall, provides habitat for animals, shelters crops and livestock, provides shade for people, cools urban places, produces medicines, wood and fibre, and can make places appear more attractive

· explaining how people’s connections with their environment can also be aesthetic, emotional and spiritual

English

Reading and Viewing: Text structure and organisation

Identify the features of online texts that enhance navigation (VCELA247)

· becoming familiar with the typical features of online texts, for example navigation bars and buttons, hyperlinks and sitemaps

By the end of Level 3, students understand how content can be organised using different text structures depending on the purpose of the text. They understand how language features, images and vocabulary choices are used for different effects. They read texts that contain varied sentence structures, a range of punctuation conventions, and images that provide additional information. They apply appropriate text processing strategies when decoding and monitoring meaning in texts, and use knowledge of letter-sound relationships, and blending and segmenting to read more complex words. They can identify literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different parts of a text. They select information, ideas and events in texts that relate to their own lives and to other texts.

Reading and Viewing: Phonics and word knowledge

Understand how to apply knowledge of letter–sound relationships, and blending and segmenting to read and use more complex words with less common consonant and vowel clusters (VCELA249)

· using strategies such as sounding out, chunking and blending of uncommon consonant and vowel clusters to problem solve words, for example 'machine' and 'spoil', in shared or guided reading

Reading and Viewing: Texts in context

Identify the point of view in a text and suggest alternative points of view (VCELY255)

· recognising that there is more than one way of looking at the same event and that stories seen through the eyes of one character privileges some aspects of the story over others

Writing: Text structure and organisation

Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of written texts (VCELA259)

· noticing how longer texts are organised into paragraphs, each beginning with a topic sentence/paragraph opener which predicts how the paragraph will develop and is then elaborated in various ways

Students' texts include writing and images to express and develop in some detail experiences, events, information, ideas and characters. They demonstrate understanding of grammar and choose vocabulary and punctuation appropriate to the purpose and context of their writing. They use knowledge letter–sound relationships and high-frequency words to spell words accurately, and can write words with complex consonant and vowel clusters. They reread and edit their writing, checking their work for appropriate vocabulary, structure and meaning. They write using joined letters that are accurately formed and consistent in size.

Writing: Creating texts

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (VCELY266)

· using print and digital resources to gather information about a topic

· selecting appropriate text structure for a writing purpose and sequencing content for clarity and audience impact

· using appropriate simple, compound and complex sentences to express and combine ideas

· using vocabulary, including technical vocabulary, relevant to the text type and purpose, and appropriate sentence structures to express and combine ideas

Writing: Creating texts

Reread and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure, grammatical choices and punctuation (VCELY267)

· using glossaries, print and digital dictionaries and spell check to edit spelling, realising that spell check accuracy depends on understanding the word function, for example there/their; rain/reign

Writing: Creating texts

Understand the conventions for writing words and sentences using joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size (VCELY268)

· practising how to join letters to construct a fluent handwriting style

Prior knowledge

· Identify and describe the features of places at a local scale and how they change, recognising that people describe the features of places differently

· Describe and explain where places and activities are located

· Identify how people are connected to different places

· Represent data and the location of places and their features by constructing tables, plans and labelled maps

· Interpret data and information to draw conclusions and describe the direction and location of places, using terms such as north, south, opposite, near, far

· Representation of the location of places and their features on maps and models, including a globe, and the location of the major geographical divisions of the world in relation to Australia

· Definition of places as parts of the Earth’s surface that have been given meaning by people, and how places can be defined at a variety of scales

· Connections of people in Australia to other places in Australia and across the world

· Natural, managed and constructed features of places, their location and how they change

· Reasons why some places are special and some places are important to people and how they can be looked after

· Activities in the local place and reasons for their location, and the influence of purpose, distance and accessibility on the frequency with which people visit places

· Know some features of text organisation including page and screen layouts, alphabetical order, and different types of diagrams

· Recognise most letter–sound matches including silent letters, trigraphs, vowel digraphs and common long vowels, and understand that a sound can be represented by various letter combinations

· Discuss different texts on a similar topic, identifying similarities and differences between the texts

· Understand how texts are made cohesive by the use of resources, including word associations, synonyms, and antonyms

· Create short imaginative, informative and persuasive texts using growing knowledge of text structures and language features for familiar and some less familiar audiences, selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose

· Reread and edit text for spelling, sentence-boundary punctuation and text structure

· Write words and sentences legibly using upper- and lower-case letters that are applied with growing fluency using an appropriate pen/pencil grip and body position

Key teaching strategies

· Inquiry-based learning

· Individual work

· Teacher-led classroom discussion

· Authentic learning

· Reciprocal teaching

· Integrated studies

· Project-based learning

Assessment

· Analysis of student writing

· Contribution to discussion

· Several skill demonstrations

· Student oral reports

· Demonstration of editing

· Handwriting samples

· Discussions

· Oral presentations

· Probing questions

· Student reports

Resources

· National Geographic Kids – facts about countries: www.natgeokids.com

· Worldatlas – maps and information: www.worldatlas.com

· Wikipedia – user-created encyclopaedic website: en.wikipedia.org

· Google Images – image search website: images.google.com

· Lonely Planet – travel website: www.lonelyplanet.com

· TripAdvisor – travel review website: www.tripadvisor.com

· Pinterest – idea-sharing website: www.pinterest.com

· School library

Lesson 1

Curriculum

Learning Intentions

Activities

Assessment

60 minutes

· Inquiry-based learning

· Teacher-led classroom discussion

· Authentic learning

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Types of natural vegetation and the significance of vegetation to the environment, the importance of environments to animals and people, and different views on how they can be protected; the use and management of natural resources and waste, and different views on how to do this sustainably (VCGGK082)

· Identify Australia’s location on a world map

· Know how to use several resources for researching

· Know basic geographical information about Australia including population, climate and attractions

· Understand informational report format including simple, formal language and distinct paragraphs

· Understand the requirements for making a poster for this unit

· Research Australia’s location, population, climate, attractions

· Discuss note taking strategies

· In pairs, research information about Australia as nominated by teacher

· Write informational report-style paragraph

· Compile with pictures and choose the best to stick to poster

· Numerous discussions throughout lesson

· Analysis of notes taken

· Analysis of paragraph written

Writing: Text structure and organisation

Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of written texts (VCELA259)

Writing: Creating texts

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (VCELY266)

Lesson 2

Curriculum

Learning Intentions

Activities

Assessment

60 minutes

· Inquiry-based learning

· Teacher-led classroom discussion

· Authentic learning

· Reciprocal teaching

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Location of major countries of Africa and South America in relation to Australia and their major characteristics including the types of vegetation and native animals in at least two countries for both continents (VCGGK077)

· Locate South America, Africa and Australia on a map

· Know of two countries in South America, two in Africa and two in Oceania

· Know how to research native animals and vegetation of countries

· Be able to recognise and utilise hyperlinks and other navigational resources in websites

· As a group, explore the world on the Worldatlas website using an interactive whiteboard, including South America, Africa and Oceania

· In groups, research vegetation, climate, native animals of two countries in South America, Africa and Oceania

· Discuss findings with the class orally and with iPads

· Select one country each for the poster

· Numerous discussions throughout lesson

· Observation of presentations

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Location of Australia’s neighbouring countries and the diverse characteristics of their places (VCGGK078)

·

Reading and Viewing: Text structure and organisation

Identify the features of online texts that enhance navigation (VCELA247)

·

Lesson 3

Curriculum

Learning Intentions

Activities

Assessment

60 minutes

· Inquiry-based learning

· Individual work

· Teacher-led classroom discussion

· Authentic learning

· Integrated studies

· Project-based learning

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Location of major countries of Africa and South America in relation to Australia and their major characteristics including the types of vegetation and native animals in at least two countries for both continents (VCGGK077)

· Use books to research and cross-check information

· Describe characteristics of countries in South America, Africa and Oceania

· Discuss environments in relation to people, animals and sustainability

· Use phonics and word knowledge to read complex words

· In the school library, find and cross-check geographical and language information on chosen country, keeping a list of unfamiliar words

· Use phonics and word knowledge to read unfamiliar word list

· Whole-class discussion on environmental impact and sustainability

· Observation of research

· Student reports of unfamiliar words

· Contribution to discussion

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Location of Australia’s neighbouring countries and the diverse characteristics of their places (VCGGK078)

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Types of natural vegetation and the significance of vegetation to the environment, the importance of environments to animals and people, and different views on how they can be protected; the use and management of natural resources and waste, and different views on how to do this sustainably (VCGGK082)

Reading and Viewing: Phonics and word knowledge

Understand how to apply knowledge of letter–sound relationships, and blending and segmenting to read and use more complex words with less common consonant and vowel clusters (VCELA249)

Lesson 4

Curriculum

Learning Intentions

Activities

Assessment

60 minutes

· Individual work

· Authentic learning

· Reciprocal teaching

Writing: Text structure and organisation

Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of written texts (VCELA259)

· Write an informative report using paragraphs appropriately

· Reread and edit texts

· Use joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size

· Collaboratively read and edit a short text for handwriting

· Collaboratively read and edit a short text for paragraphs

· Write a two paragraph report on the geography and language of chosen country

· Probing questions during whole-class editing activity

· Handwriting in reports

Writing: Creating texts

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (VCELY266)

Writing: Creating texts

Reread and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure, grammatical choices and punctuation (VCELY267)

Writing: Creating texts

Understand the conventions for writing words and sentences using joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size (VCELY268)

Lesson 5

Curriculum

Learning Intentions

Activities

Assessment

60 minutes

· Individual work

· Authentic learning

· Reciprocal teaching

Writing: Text structure and organisation

Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of written texts (VCELA259)

· Write an informative report using paragraphs appropriately

· Reread and edit texts

· Use joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size

· In groups, reread and edit report on geography and language from previous lesson

· Rewrite report on the geography and language of chosen country based on group editing suggestions

· Handwriting in reports

· Editing of reports

Writing: Creating texts

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (VCELY266)

Writing: Creating texts

Reread and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure, grammatical choices and punctuation (VCELY267)

Writing: Creating texts

Understand the conventions for writing words and sentences using joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size (VCELY268)

Lesson 6

Curriculum

Learning Intentions

Activities

Assessment

60 minutes

· Inquiry-based learning

· Individual work

· Teacher-led classroom discussion

· Authentic learning

· Integrated studies

· Project-based learning

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Location of major countries of Africa and South America in relation to Australia and their major characteristics including the types of vegetation and native animals in at least two countries for both continents (VCGGK077)

· Use the internet to research and cross-check information

· Describe characteristics of countries in South America, Africa and Oceania

· Discuss environments in relation to people, animals and sustainability

· Use phonics and word knowledge to read complex words

· Discuss two texts with contrasting views

· Use computers to find and cross-check touristic and culinary information on chosen country, keeping a list of unfamiliar words

· Use phonics and word knowledge to read unfamiliar word list

· Orally report to class on conflicting information

· Probing questions during contrasting texts discussion

· Observation of research

· Student reports of unfamiliar words

· Oral report

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Location of Australia’s neighbouring countries and the diverse characteristics of their places (VCGGK078)

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Types of natural vegetation and the significance of vegetation to the environment, the importance of environments to animals and people, and different views on how they can be protected; the use and management of natural resources and waste, and different views on how to do this sustainably (VCGGK082)

Reading and Viewing: Phonics and word knowledge

Understand how to apply knowledge of letter–sound relationships, and blending and segmenting to read and use more complex words with less common consonant and vowel clusters (VCELA249)

Reading and Viewing: Text structure and organisation

Identify the features of online texts that enhance navigation (VCELA247)

Reading and Viewing: Texts in context

Identify the point of view in a text and suggest alternative points of view (VCELY255)

Lesson 7

Curriculum

Learning Intentions

Activities

Assessment

60 minutes

· Individual work

· Authentic learning

· Reciprocal teaching

Writing: Text structure and organisation

Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of written texts (VCELA259)

· Write an informative report using paragraphs appropriately

· Reread and edit texts

· Use joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size

· Individually read and edit a text for handwriting and paragraphs

· Write a two paragraph report on the touristic and culinary information of chosen country

· Editing of text

· Handwriting in reports

Writing: Creating texts

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (VCELY266)

·

·

·

Writing: Creating texts

Reread and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure, grammatical choices and punctuation (VCELY267)

·

·

·

Writing: Creating texts

Understand the conventions for writing words and sentences using joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size (VCELY268)

·

·

·

Lesson 8

Curriculum

Learning Intentions

Activities

Assessment

60 minutes

· Individual work

· Authentic learning

· Reciprocal teaching

Writing: Text structure and organisation

Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of written texts (VCELA259)

· Reread and edit texts

· Use joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size

· In pairs, edit report on touristic and culinary information

· Rewrite report on touristic and culinary information based on editing suggestions

· Handwriting in reports

· Editing of reports

Writing: Creating texts

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (VCELY266)

Writing: Creating texts

Reread and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure, grammatical choices and punctuation (VCELY267)

Writing: Creating texts

Understand the conventions for writing words and sentences using joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size (VCELY268)

Lesson 9

Curriculum

Learning Intentions

Activities

Assessment

60 minutes

· Inquiry-based learning

· Individual work

· Teacher-led classroom discussion

· Authentic learning

· Integrated studies

· Project-based learning

Reading and Viewing: Text structure and organisation

Identify the features of online texts that enhance navigation (VCELA247)

· Use the internet, books and magazines to find images

· Download, scan and print images

· Lay out an aesthetically pleasing and functional informational report

· Collaboratively find images online and download

· Collaboratively find images in the library and scan

· Independently find suitable images in books, magazines or online for report

· Print and stick images and report to poster in an aesthetically pleasing and functional manner

· Questions during discussion

· Demonstration of finding, downloading, scanning and printing images

· Layout of poster

Reading and Viewing: Texts in context

Identify the point of view in a text and suggest alternative points of view (VCELY255)

Writing: Creating texts

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (VCELY266)

Lesson 10

Curriculum

Learning Intentions

Activities

Assessment

60 minutes

· Inquiry-based learning

· Individual work

· Teacher-led classroom discussion

· Authentic learning

· Reciprocal teaching

· Integrated studies

· Project-based learning

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Location of major countries of Africa and South America in relation to Australia and their major characteristics including the types of vegetation and native animals in at least two countries for both continents (VCGGK077)

· Summarise key points of text

· Orally present information to class with visual aids

· Watch demonstrations of good and bad oral presentations

· Discuss good and bad points

· Prepare presentation of poster

· Present to class

· Descriptions of good and bad presentation skills

· Presentation of report

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Location of Australia’s neighbouring countries and the diverse characteristics of their places (VCGGK078)

Geographical Knowledge: Diversity and significance of places and environments

Types of natural vegetation and the significance of vegetation to the environment, the importance of environments to animals and people, and different views on how they can be protected; the use and management of natural resources and waste, and different views on how to do this sustainably (VCGGK082)

Lesson 1

Topic: Australian Geography

Learning Intentions:

· Identify Australia’s location on a world map

· Know how to use several resources for researching

· Know basic geographical information about Australia including population, climate and attractions

· Understand informational report format including simple, formal language and distinct paragraphs

· Understand the requirements for making a poster for this unit

Resources:

· iPads or computers, the school library, printer and paper, writing paper, pencils, large piece of poster card

Lesson Outline

Introduction:

“What do you know about Australia? Where is it? What is the population? What’s the weather like? What are some of the unique things here? How do they affect people here? How can we find this information? Today we’re learning to research things and take notes, then practice writing them into a short report.”

· Discuss research resources in the library, including the internet, books and magazines.

· Discuss note-taking strategies.

Teaching strategy/Learning Activity:

Students will:

· In pairs, research information about Australia including location, population, climate, culture and history

· Write informational report-style paragraph

Teacher will:

· Assist students, suggest students who may help others, assess relevance of resources

Concluding strategy:

· Discuss what students found

· Select reports to stick on a poster with pictures

· Explain to students that they will create a poster like this in the coming lessons

Assessment:

· Discussion throughout lesson

· Analysis of notes taken

· Analysis of paragraph written

Self-reflection (anticipated self-questioning)

· What worked well?

· What didn’t work well?

· Were the students engaged?

· Did the lesson run in a timely fashion?

· Did I facilitate the lesson well?

Lesson 10

Topic: World Geography

Learning Intentions:

· Summarise key points of text

· Orally present information to class with visual aids

Resources:

· Pencils and paper

Lesson Outline

Introduction:

“In the last lesson we finished our posters and I bet you’re excited to share them with everybody. Well I still have the poster we created together in the first lesson so I’m going to present it to you, but I’m going to do it twice – two different ways. After that, I want you to tell me which presentation was better, and why.”

· Orally present the poster poorly; making no eye contact, speaking too quietly, going off topic, etc.

· Present the poster well using a clear voice, making eye contact, with short and relevant sentences

· Ask the students which was better, probing to clarify good and bad presentation techniques

Teaching strategy/Learning Activity:

Students will:

· Prepare presentation of poster, making notes to read and memorise

· Practice in groups, offering constructive feedback

· Present to class

Teacher will:

· Ensure students’ presentation notes are adequate

· Encourage students to practice in groups offering constructive feedback

Concluding strategy:

· What do we know about these countries?

· How do you think these environments affect the people living there?

· What makes a good written report? Why?

· What makes a good presentation? Why?

Assessment:

· Descriptions of good and bad presentation skills

· Presentation of report

Self-reflection (anticipated self-questioning)

· What worked well?

· What didn’t work well?

· Were the students engaged?

· Did the lesson run in a timely fashion?

· Did I facilitate the lesson well?

References

Buckmiller, T. & Kruse, J. (2015). Writing the book ...literally : the convergence of Authentic Intellectual Work (ATW) and Project-Based Learning (PBL). Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 12(3). Available from http://ro.uow.edu.au/

Churchill, R. (2013). Teaching: making a difference (2nd ed.). Milton, Australia: John Wiley & Sons Australia.

Cydis, S. (2015). Authentic instruction and technology literacy. Journal of Learning Design, 8(1). Available from https://www.jld.edu.au/