Enhancing Reading Skills Through Diverse Textual Analysis for Year 4 Students

1. A Resource for Teaching Reading: Identifying the different kinds of texts, and putting them to practicein fun and creative ways. For Year 4’s By: Elisabetta Gagliardo

2. What is a Teaching and Learning Context? • A teaching and learning context is the place or situation where things are understood, learned and taught. The characteristics of this situation influence on how concepts are learned or can influence what is been taught (LovoToKnow,2014). • The social environment is also classified as the teaching and learning context. How is the teacher and student relationship? Are the students’ ideas and interpretations having a say? Are students’ participating actively in their education? Is the classroom setting and child seating arrangements complementing the children's’ comforts? These factors make up a teaching and learning context, and have a lot to do with effective learning (Penn State, No date).

3. Long Term Objective for this teaching and learning sequence Low order skills: Students’ respond to texts drawn from a range of cultures and experiences. Throughout this teaching sequence students’ will be exposed to 3 YouTube clips presenting past events. These clips are from a range of different places, and are presented in different ways, and children will be challenged to respond to these footages by having discussions with one another. By the end of this teaching sequence students’ will understand and learn the differences from reports, recounts and stories. All low order skills above are mentioned on ACARA. High Order skills: Students’ will learn to extract, interpret and critically analyze information from the footages presented to them, and then produce and present their own stories, recounts and reports that have to do with the footages and reports viewed on YouTube. All high order skills above are mentioned on ACARA.

4. Lesson 1- Introducing texts -1 hour and 10 minutes-

5. The Goal for this lesson Low Order Skills: Students understand and develop an awareness of the difference between stories and recounts. Students’ gain a high insight into what it means thinking in the shoes of someone else. High Order Skills: The low order skills mentioned above then assist children when working in pairs and choosing whether to write a recount or story. Students’ have to think critically on how to think in the shoes of the animals and individuals presented in the two YouTube footages. Aim for all pairs to have finished writing their stories/recounts by the end of the lesson.

6. Resources and Materials • Tennis ball: To be used for the hot potato game at the start of the lesson. • Smart board/ internet: The Smart board and internet will be used for viewing the YouTube clips. • Links for viewing YouTube clips. • Students’ personal stationary: For completing tasks.

7. To Begin 1. To have a happy class start the lesson with a hot potato game, where the students’ have to make a story together. How it works: the students’ spread out throughout the classroom, and throw the ball to each other. The student who throws the ball first has to begin the story by saying one word. The next person the ball is thrown to has to say the next word, and so on making a story in cooperation by one word at a time. The students’ have to think critically and fast to be able to find appropriate words which give the story sense (4 min).

8. 2. Introducethe lesson by explaining that texts have different purposes. Briefly ask the students’ what stories are to them, and ask them what they think reports and recounts are. Be sure to involve the words: informative, fiction and non-fiction (3 minutes). Stories Reports Recounts

9. In the 19th Century the didactic literacy pedagogy was the founding approach to literacies. A didactic approach is about understanding what authors are really meaning , it is about learning to respect the text, and about knowing the correct way of writing; it been only one (Mary Kalantzis & Bill Cope 2012). Instead the introduction of the lesson in the previous slide encourages the voice of the students’, as they are given the chance to express what stories are to them, and are asked what they think recounts are, not what they know recounts are or what they have heard recounts meant. Here the role of the teacher is merely to guide the students’. This is very much a modern way of teaching, and is known as the shared evaluation pedagogy. The shared evaluation pedagogy is when a teacher does not force her interpretations or theories of texts or concepts on the students’, but instead permits the students’ to express themselves and discuss the matters in this case what stories, reports and recounts are amongst themselves and with the class. The essential point of this pedagogy is to take the students’ ideas seriously (AniaLian).

10. 3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekmMD8oYtJ0 View the above YouTube clip on humans saving 30 dolphins who were beached by the shore. 4. After watching the clip give students’ 2 minutes to discuss with the person sitting next to them what happened in the clip. Encourage them to discuss how the footage made them feel, and to discuss whether they liked or didn’t like it, and why.

11. The clip above only presents the visual image of the event. Analyzing and Interpreting: Students’ have to analyze the footage to be able to interpret the situation, as there are no spoken words telling the audience what happened. This allows the children to try to interpret and express what they saw and think happened in the clip without having the influence of a reporter or individual stating what has occurred. AniaLian states that language is used with other means of communication like pictures. In this case the image is the footage. Evaluating: The language will be created by the students’, when they talk to each other about the clip, and later on in the lesson when they will be asked to write about it. This is a form of inclusive teaching, because instead of already having the report, story or recount written or told the children have the important role of trying to understand the event by viewing the clip and talking with one another about it; sharing and understanding the event through their own lenses (Ana Lian).

12. Low order skills support the high order skills. Low Order Skills:Engaging in conversation and discussion using active listening behaviors and contributing ideas and information. (ACARA). High Order Skills: When participating in the above activities students’ undertake Interaction. While interacting they are asked to evaluate what they analyzed and interpreted. These are all higher order skills (ACARA).

13. 5.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq1qYF6XddcAfter watching and discussing upon the dolphin clip, watch this link which is on a lion re-uniting with its saviour. 6. Then give the students’ two minutes to discuss how this clip made them feel, and to tell each other what they heard and understood from the person who was reporting the message. 7. Ask the students’ to discuss with you and one another what they think the difference was between how the lion clip and the dolphin clip were presented (2 minutes).

14. Contrastingly to the dolphin footage the clip of the lion above has spoken words reporting what happened on top of the imagery. Analyzing and interpreting: The students’ therefore do not only have to analyze the image, but they also have to interpret what is been said by the reporter. Like AniaLian states: “The more form of communication, the better the communication”. In this case the ‘forms of communication’ are the footage and the reporters spoken words. Evaluating: In step 6 when students’ discuss about what they have seen amongst themselves they are joining both the meanings they grasped from the imagery and the spoken text and creating a synthesis, as like the above states the more communication the better the communication, so therefore the more communication the better the children can evaluate upon the message the footage is trying to express.

15. 8. Divide the students’ in pairs and explain the next activity to them. Students’ have the choice of writing either a story or a recount together with their pairs on either of the clips previously viewed. Explain to the children the options they have when writing their stories or recounts. Give them some of the following ideas: • Write a recount in the place of one of the humans trying to save the dolphins. What was going on in the mans mind? How was he feeling? What happened? What did he see? • Write a recount in the place of the lady who saved the lion. What actually happened? You have the freedom to invent this. • Write a recount as if it was you who saved the lion. • Write a story in the place of a dolphin, and how his life was after the encounter or his life before the encounter (3 minutes). • Be sure to tell the students’ that these are just ideas, but that the alternative choices are unlimited, as long as the root of their stories/ recounts are based on either one of these clips. 9. Send the students’ back to their desks, and give them 5 minutes of brainstorming time before encouraging them to start writing their stories or recounts. 10.The pairs write their stories/recounts. As the teacher you must continuously be going around assisting students’ in anything they need. (40 minutes).

16. Interaction: Students’ work together by discussing whether to write a recount or story. They come up with ideas together, and cooperate with one another to come up with a story or recount on their own. The more we search for meaning and observe and examine texts the more we allow students’ who have difficulties with tasks to understand and go about the tasks. The teacher becomes more supportive as she is providing more tools (AniaLian). Having exposed the children to viewing two different stories reported in different ways caters for a wider range of students’ as each individual interprets things differently (CSUS education, no date). Students’ are given a wider choice on what to write about, as some students’ might find the dolphin clip interesting and helpful to them, or they might find the lion clip with the reporter voice in the background more interesting and useful to them, as the communication expressed through words is more easily comprehended by them, or due to the emotion felt when viewing the clip the message was more successfully transferred (National Institute of Health, No Date) The activity that encouraged students’ to discuss with one another about what they saw gives students’ clearer ideas and facilitates their brain storming when working together and deciding on what to write about. Creating Texts: Students’ then begin writing their texts, and by doing this they exercise not only their critical thinking, as they have to think critically to put themselves in the place of the people or animals presented in the clips, but they also exercise their writing skills. Those been: Text structure, sentence forms, word choice, grammar, punctuation and spelling.

17. Low order skills support the high order skills. Low Order Skills:Interacting by discussing and deciding what to write about. Contributing ideas and information (ACARA). High Order Skills: When participating in the above students’ create texts using appropriate text structure, sentence forms, word choice, grammar, punctuation and spelling(ACARA).

18. Lesson 2- Presenting texts • -1 hour and a half-

19. The Goals for this lesson Low Order Skills: By the end of the lesson each pair should have typed up their stories, re-read them and developed supporting images using power-point presentation. Students’ should have the power-point presentation with the pictures supporting the text saved on a USB, and the word documents printed. By the end of the lesson pairs take turns to present their texts with the supporting images behind on the smart board. High Order Skills: The goal is to get the students’ so interested that when they present one another their texts students’ show active signs of listening, interest and ask questions to their peers at the end of their presentations.

20. Resources and Materials • Computer/Internet: For students’ to play games on and for the students’ to type up their stories and recounts and develop their power point presentations. • Smart board: The Smart board will be used for viewing students’ pictures during their presentations. • USB’s: Must go to each pair to save PowerPoint presentations so they can easily be transported to the Smart board when the pairs are presenting.

21. To Begin 1. Give the students’ 5 minutes playing time to play a game from the UK’s website TopMarks. This is the link to the sight: http://www.e-learningforkids.org/language-arts/lesson/putting-words-together/

22. 2. Instruct the students’ to get in their pairs to begin typing up their stories/recounts. Instruct the students’ to re-read their texts to correct any errors and then to print them off. 5. Then students’ can begin constructing their PowerPoint presentations with the corresponding pictures (40 minutes). 4. Student presentations (50 minutes).

23. Interaction: Students’ interact with one another and practice their team-working skills when having to type up the stories/ recounts and when having to construct the corresponding images to the text on PowerPoint, this is because pairs must do these tasks together. Students’ re-read their work to polish them up, and find supporting images for the texts they will present to the class. This better develops the communication of the texts, and helps to get the students’ message across to the rest of the class, because like mentioned above AniaLian states that the more communication the better the communication. Presenting: Students’ take turns to present their recounts and stories. When students’ present their texts the pair cooperates together as one child reads and the other flicks through the corresponding images at the appropriate times. Students’ practice speaking clearly, recognizing others contributions and using appropriate volume and pace. Purposeful learning is one of the greatest keys to giving children motivation when completing tasks (Sarah Lynn, 2010). That is why it is so important for students’ to present their work to the class at the end, so that they can show of their work, and that when they are undertaking writing their texts they have the motivation that their stories and recounts are not for nothing, but that they are been made to show the rest of the class and to shine.

24. Low order skills support the high order skills. Low Order Skills: Correcting their work and presenting work together. Finding corresponding images for the texts. Recognizing other contributions, turn taking, using appropriate pace and volume and speaking clearly when presenting. Contributing ideas and information (ACARA). High Order Skills: The above assist students’ when undergoing interaction (ACARA).

25. Lesson 3 The Report Approach -1 hour and 20 minutes-

26. The Goals for this lesson Low Order Skills: Throughout this lesson students’ will have the possibility to acquire skills in turn-taking, speaking clearly and using appropriate pace and volume. High Order Skills: To under go the low order skills above students’ will cooperatively produce filmed reports on provided I pads to present to the class in the next lesson.

27. Resources and Materials • Smart board /Internet: for viewing Raccoon attack report. • I pad’s: For filming reports • Student Stationary (Pencils and paper): Incase students’ want to write down what to say in their reports instead of speaking spontaneously.

28. 1. Watch Raccoon attack report on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiFjWeR-Ehw 2. Give students’ 2 minutes to discuss what they heard in the report amongst themselves.

29. 3. Form groups of four to produce reports. Inform the students’ that they will be producing reports to later present in front of the teacher and the class (2 minutes). 4. Give students’ 1o minutes brainstorming time were they will decide what to do for their reports. They don’t have to write anything, but they will be given I pads to film themselves and the scenery. They can invent an event that happened and report upon it, or they can follow on from the lion clip and pretend to be the lady who saved the lion. They can follow on from the dolphin clip and re-produce it this time with a reporter, or they could simply have the report consisting of reporters interviewing people who witnessed the ‘dolphin saving’ scene. The filmed reports should consist of reporters, actors and scenery. 5. Students’ begin filming reports. Allow students’ to wonder around the school premises. Be sure to keep them under your watch, and move around from group to group to see what they are up to and to help them in anything they need (1 hour).

30. Interacting: Students’ interact with one another in the groups of four by having to brainstorm ideas together, and filming together. This is a very fun activity for the students’ are not only given I pads, but are given a say and have to work together to produce constructive and engaging reports. Team work allows the possibility for kids to expand their vocabulary, helps them feel a valued part of society and teaches them to have patience. (Susann Revermann). Creating Texts: By doing the following activity students’ practice creating spoken texts, and work together to establish the best way of presenting them through technology in this case been the I pads. Today many people encourage the use of new technologies, because they can be of great use to us and can be used in many different creative ways (Maryanne Wolf).

31. Low order skills support the high order skills. Low Order Skills: When filming reports students’ undergo turn-taking, practice the art of speaking clearly and using appropriate volume and pase. High Order Skills: Interaction (ACARA). (When filming students’ interact with one another, as they make decisions together and team-work by encouraging each other to undertake the above low order skills efficiently to achieve outcomes).

32. Lesson 4 Investigating Texts – 1 hours and 30 minutes-

33. The Goals for this lesson Low Order Skills: Students’ will engage in conversation when discussing upon what kinds of texts are been presented in front of them. Students’ will express their understandings of what texts, reports and recounts are by investigating different books and completing an investigation form on each of the books. High Order Skills: By completing the investigation forms students’ describe the difference between imaginative (stories), recounted and reported texts.

34. Resources and Materials • Computer/Internet: For viewing students’ Filmed reports • I pad Cord: To connect different I pads to smart board when presenting reports. • Smart board: For viewing reports • About 90 books (ranging from been reports, stories or recounts): Students’ will investigate what form of writing the books are written in. • Lab Coats and Magnifying Glasses: For when students’ investigate the books, to help them feel part of the scene and to make the activity funner.

35. 1. View all students’ filmed reports on the smart board (40 minutes). 8. Put the students’ in pairs. Each pair will be given 4 books, lab coats and magnifying glasses. The books will be a mix between reports, stories or recounts. The children have to investigate the books using also their magnifying glasses just for fun, and answer the questions on the investigative sheet provided. The investigative sheet will have a space for the investigators to sign, saying (at the top of the sheet that the following book mentioned) was investigated by them. (To make them feel professional and like real investigators). (30 minutes).

36. Interaction: Students’ interact with one another by investigating the books together. It is important the students’ are given the chance to investigate the books, so that they can have an exposure to the written forms of recounts, stories and reports and understand how they are written. When investigating students’ will engage in discussions and contribute their ideas about the texts. Interpreting and analyzing: Students’ will interpret the text by understanding what form the text has been written in by analyzing it. Evaluation: Students’ will evaluate their findings and interpretations by discussing together and then jotting down their conclusion on the investigative sheet.

37. Low order skills support the high order skills. Low Order Skills: Students understand how the different forms of texts (in this case been reports, recounts and stories ) are constructed when written. (ACARA). High Order Skills: Students’ engage in discussions (interaction) when actively investigating books. Students’ interpret, analyze and evaluate the texts after understanding what reports, recounts and stories are constructed like when written. (ACARA).

38. Lesson 5 Students’ produce their own text on a touching event -1 hour and 30 minutes-

39. The Goals for this lesson Low Order Skills: Students’ create drafts of the text they have chosen to write, and then type them up on the computer adding possible changes to improve spelling, punctuation and meaning. They then find appropriate pictures to support their texts and paste them into the word document. Children then print of the texts to then be hang up around the classroom and enjoyed by the class, and class visitors. High Order Skills: The higher order skill been achieved in this lesson is that of producing and creating the final piece of text to be hang around the classroom at the end of the lesson.

40. Resources and Materials • Smart board/ Music: Smart board to play some meditation music • Students Stationary (books, pencils, rulers and rubbers): To produce text drafts • Computers: To type up final products.

41. 1. Start the lesson with a meditation session with relaxing music in the background were you ask students’ to imagine they are in a place they love, with people they love, doing things they love (7 minutes). 2. Have a class discussion on what people imagined and then ask the students’ some of the most touching events they have experienced or heard about (7 minutes). 3. Instruct the students’ that they have the choice to write a report, recount or story on a touching event, and then send them of to their desks instructing them to take out their writing books, a ruler for a margin and their rubbers (3 minutes). 4. Draft writing time: (40 minutes). 5. Now Students’ will be writing stories up on the computer, finding pictures and printing the final product. As the teacher be walking around constantly helping children to produce better written sentences and helping them to express themselves better. (30 minutes). 6. Instruct each child to hang their final product somewhere around the classroom (5 minutes).

42. Interaction: By meditating and interacting students’ then brainstorm ideas on what to write about in their own texts. Creating Texts: Students’ write texts and in- cooperate supporting images. Writing on their own increases their ability to work independently, as this is important (Smarter Scotland, 2011).

43. Low order skills support the high order skills. Low Order Skills: Students re-read their work, type the stories, recounts or reports up on the computer and then find corresponding images to match up with them. (ACARA). High Order Skills: Students’ create texts independently (ACARA).