ENGAGING NORMAL (TECHNICAL) STUDENTS THROUGH RICH TEXTS

Jeyalaxmy Ayaduray (ELIS)Caroline Patricia Thomas (Anderson Sec Sch)

Zulfikar Ali Bin Said Akbar (Deyi Sec Sch)

OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

• Background • N(T) Pedagogic Framework• Overview of Resource Package• Hands On• Q & A• Evaluation & Close

BACKGROUND• profile of students

- reluctant readers

- disengaged learners

• “eye generation” - multi-sensory learning environments incorporating images,

sounds and symbols

• supplement textbook resources

EL SYLLABUS 2010• Overarching aim of EL teaching and learning in

Singapore

- to develop “effective language use”

• Emphasis of EL Syllabus 2010 N(T)

- functional fluency• The EL Syllabus 2010 N(T) identifies specific SSAB/ Items

and Structures that should be taught so that pupils can achieve the relevant Learning Outcomes (LO).

2Shared Language

Experience

Teacher’s Support and Scaffolding

bGroup/Pair Speaking/ Writing/

Representing

To help build confidence before independent

work

cGuided

Speaking/ Writing/

RepresentingSmall group

instruction with less proficient learners. Teacher scaffolds with appropriate

language items and vocabulary and

relevant structure for the types of

texts.

dIndependent Speaking/ Writing/

Representing

A continuum of learning

a(i)Directed Reading/ Listening/ Viewing

and Thinking Activity

Explicit Teaching of phonics, vocabulary, and SSAB, items and structures

a(ii)Experience-

based Learningsmall group activities for differentiated learning,

3Production/ Publication/

Representation

Ongoing Assessment and Feedback, Revisit and ReinforceSSAB, Items and Structures

1Pre-unit

Assessment(needs analysis)

4Post-unit

Assessment(more formal, summative)

A PEDAGOGIC FRAMEWORK FOR EL N(T) STUDENTS

(CPDD, 2010)

WHAT ARE RICH TEXTS?

• Literary and informational/ functional texts which are well-written and engaging.

• Rich in content and concern themselves with a variety of ideas, issues, topics and themes.

• Texts can be multimodal.(EL Syllabus 2010)

RESOURCES USED

• YouTube videos / excerpts of films• Articles (online & print)• Magazines• Brochures

8

Week 1 Learning Experience Skills

Lesson 1 Introduction to Travel and Holidays- Buzz on holiday destinations - Watch YouTube video on Australia- Travel personalities

Speaking and RepresentingListening, and ViewingReading and Viewing

Lesson 2 Deconstruction of a travel brochureWhat goes into creating travel brochures - Focus on organisation and language features of brochures- Impact of visuals and text (what impact does it have , if visuals are not present) (Use flip charts and get students to move around and comment)- Complete a worksheet

Reading and ViewingSpeaking and RepresentingWriting and Representing

Lesson 3 Designing a travel brochure (part 1) - Search for and extract information required for a tourism brochure that would appeal to tourists considering travelling to Singapore. - Teacher guides students in extracting information from the Web Modelling Guided Practice Independent Practice

Listening and Viewing, Speaking and Representing Writing and Representing

Lesson 4 Designing a travel brochure (part 2)- Complete brochure - Gallery Walk- Vote for the Best Travel Brochure

Reading and ViewingSpeaking and RepresentingWriting and Representing

RESOURCE PACKAGE ON TRAVEL & HOLIDAYS – OVERVIEW OF A 2-WEEK PLAN

9

RESOURCE PACKAGE ON TRAVEL & HOLIDAYS – OVERVIEW OF A 2-WEEK PLAN

Week 2  Learning Experience  Skills

Lesson 5 Planning for a holiday (Part 1)Looking at schedules and scan for information

Resources :- Groupons- Zuji Travels- Hotel rates - Airline form (Use multimodal resources e.g. pictures of pilots, RSAF Team, flights etc.to introduce lesson)Complete graphic organiser/plans for travel schedule

Reading and ViewingWriting and Representing

Lesson 6 Planning for a holiday (Part 2)- Complete Matching Itineraries with Travel Personality worksheet - Plan a travel itinerary using template provided

Speaking and RepresentingWriting and RepresentingReading and Viewing

Lesson 7 Planning for a holiday (Part 3)- Presentation of holiday plans- Peer Assessment using rubrics

Listening and Viewing Speaking and Representing

Lesson 8 Planning for a holiday (Part 4)- Complete a jigsaw dialogue- Role Play based on dialogue- Extension Activity – Functional Writing Activity: Write an e-mail to a Customer Service Officer

at Fly to Australia to book a family holiday to either Melbourne or Sydney.

Listening and Viewing, Speaking and RepresentingWriting and Representing

Lesson 1: Introduction to Travel and HolidaysDuration: 60 mins

Summary: In this lesson, students will be introduced to the theme of Travel and Holidays, where they are exposed to international tourism videos, and find out more about travel personalities.

Objective: Students to share holiday experiences, and practise: listening and viewing speaking and representing

1 Class discussion: Ask students the following to facilitate discussion on travel and holidays: - What they do when they travel - What they look forward to when they are on holidayTurn to their partner and discuss their last holiday or the place(s) they heard that their friends/family had travelled to.

10 mins

2 Pre –viewing activity - Students attempt pre-viewing question in worksheet on Tourism Australia

Viewing activity- Students watch video to answer the viewing activity question. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pOVfJwBd5s

Post-viewing activity - Students complete the worksheet.- Teacher elicits responses from students

15 mins

3 Travel Personalities- Teacher distributes article on travel personalities to students.- Students break into 6 groups (5-6 in each group) with each group assigned one personality. Students

read their travel personality on their own and discuss with their group members so as to have a deeper understanding of it . (Teacher distribute s butcher paper to each group to display their personality in point form.)

- Each group should present, in a few sentences, the main characteristics of that personality. - Students listen to podcast and match the characters in the clip (6 characters) to their travel

personalities.- Each group gives their answers . Teacher elicits from students justification for their choices.

20 mins

5 mins

5 mins

4 Teacher wraps up by asking students to think about their own travel personality. 5 mins

SAMPLE LESSON PLAN

Name: ________________________________ ( ) Class: _______ Date: ___________Read the following article on Travel Personalities and listen to the podcast. Match the character (A, B, C, D, E, or F) with his/her travel personality. Travel PersonalitiesThere are many kinds of travel personalities, and often we’re a bit of a mixture of them ourselves.Still, if you’re planning to journey somewhere it can be good to know what kind of traveller your companion is before you head off together. For instance, do they count every last cent or tend to splurge it all at once? Can they cope with changes to the schedule if the bus or train is late? Do they want to sleep out under the stars or stay in hotels?And finding out your own travel personality might help you in preparing for your next trip too. Do you seek places that are out of the way or prefer to tick off the must see sights of Europe? Do you plan your travel meticulously in advance, work it out as you go along, or prefer to join a guided tour?

The Adventurer

The adventurer likes “off the beaten” destinations and will often want to exert themselves physically while on holiday. They usually travel more places and more often than anyone else seeking adventure at every turn. In fact non-travel life can be rather boring for the adventurer, and they are always on the lookout for the next trip. The adventurer doesn’t follow rigid schedules, loathes tours and seeks freedom at all costs. They’re happy to sleep pretty much anywhere, love new cultures and people and often act impulsively. If you’re not of the same frame of mind you probably won’t seek the adventurer as a travel companion, but that probably suits the true adventurer quite well; they’re often very happy with their own company exploring new places.Character: ____

SAMPLE WORKSHEET

The Traveller

The traveller is not usually a first timer. They’ve been around a bit and done a lot of the sights, but now they want something more. They might branch off into adventurer travel, or seek out opportunities to volunteer, work abroad or simply stay somewhere longer to really get a richer experience of the culture or place. They enjoy the travel part of the journeys they undertake as much as the destination.

Character: ____

The Planner

The planner will tend to have their itinerary mapped out on an Excel sheet before they depart with every hotel night, travel destination and experience accounted for and marked on a 24 hour time graph. This helps them prepare for travel and gives them a sense of control over unknown destinations. However, planners can get frustrated if the travel doesn’t go according to schedule and often don’t allow time for just sitting in a cafe, being impulsive or staying somewhere another night, if they really love it. They can make good travel companions if you don’t want the hassle of preparing the trip yourself, as you can count on the fact the planner has taken care of it. The planner can be a first time traveller, but they may also just like to be in control over every aspect of their itinerary.

Character: ____

The Tourist

The tourist tends to travel to popular destinations in order to tick off the sights. They will tend to stick to the beaten track and feel happiest amongst the droves all visiting the same places, and then boast about all the places they’ve been to afterwards. They’re likely also to buy t-shirts like “I love NY” and wear them proudly. The good thing about the tourist is they’re usually very happy doing this kind of travel. They’ve got nothing to prove and don’t look down at other tourists, although they may occasionally complain about the crowds.

Character: ____

The Relaxer

Relaxers don’t really care where they go on holiday they’ve just gone there to chill. These are the kind of people who have worked hard and just want to do nothing when they’re on holiday. They tend to book into a beach resort and not move for the rest of the week. They’ll go out to dinner, perhaps at the same place every night, drink cocktails, maybe go on a day tour, but would be just as happy to stay in bed all morning or sit by the pool or beach the rest of the day. In other words they won’t venture far or fast. If you want this kind of holiday they’re great people to hang out with, otherwise it can be hard to get them moving.

Character: ____

Frugal Traveller

The frugal traveller has saved every last penny to get on their trip and will happily skip a meal and stay in the cheapest places just to make the holiday last a bit longer. This is the kind of travel we’ve all had to do when we were students, but for some it does become a permanent mode of travel. It’s okay to travel with a frugal traveller if you have the same economics, otherwise the disparity can become noticeable.

Character: ____

Adapted from http://www.travelwireasia.com/2012/12/what-kind-of-traveller-are-you-6-travel-personalities-unearthed/

Name: ________________________________ ( ) Class: _______ Date:___________ Pre-viewing activity List 3 things that you know about Australia

a) _________________________________b) _________________________________c) _________________________________

Viewing activityWatch the Tourism Australia video clip and list what you see according to the categories in the table below:

Places

Animals

Activities

Post-viewing activity Have you been to Australia before?

If your answer is Yes, would you like to go there again after watching this video? Why? If your answer is No, would you like to go there? Why?

WHO AM I AS A TRAVELLER?

Individual Work

• Listen to the podcast.• Identify the travel personalities and complete the

worksheet.

Pair Work

• Take 2 mins each to share with your partner, your travel personality.

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

• AfL is concerned with: - gathering feedback on learning and teaching, and

- using the feedback to make learning more effective and teaching better suited for pupils’ needs and abilities.

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING (AFL) FRAMEWORK

Questions to ask at each key stage: Why? Who? What? How? When? Where?

TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT

Integrate assessment with teaching and learning identify long-term and short-term goals establish standards and criteria select appropriate assessment methods/

schedule maximize pupil involvement

Interpret assessment information in relation to learning outcomes analyze all assessment information look for overall patterns assess performance against learning goals/

criteria check trustworthiness formulate judgment

Use feedback to inform teaching and learning decide on what to do with

judgments provide appropriate

feedback, if necessary e.g. to pupils, parents

make clear recommendations as necessary e.g. for pupil improvement, for curriculum change

RECORD RECORD

RECORD RECORD

PLAN ASSESSMENTS

MAK E PROFESSIONAL J UDGEMENTS

PROVIDE APPROPRIATE FEEDBACK OR ADVICE

Monitor and collect information while pupils are still learning ensure multiple sources of information e.g. pupils, peers, teachers ensure multiple samples of performance i.e. not one-off ensure multiple methods of collecting information e.g. observation, inquiry, reflection, test ensure multiple modes and tasks

COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT PUPILS’

LEARNING

(CPDD, 2001)

PLAN ASSESSMENTS

COLLECT INFORMATIONABOUT PUPILS’ LEARNING

MAKE PROFESSIONAL JUDGEMENTS

PROVIDE APPROPRIATE FEEDBACK OR ADVICE

MONITORING STUDENTS’ LEARNING

• Feedback from multiple sources - teacher assessment (rubrics, observations, conferencing, questioning) - peer assessment (rubrics, checklists) - self - assessment (rubrics, checklists)

RUBRIC FOR PEER ASSESSMENTPresenter’s name: _____________________________ ( )

Weak ExcellentThe presenter spoke clearly and fluently. 1 2 3 4The presenter spoke at an appropriate pace. 1 2 3 4The presenter used facial expressions to express feelings.

1 2 3 4

The presenter maintained eye contact throughout his/ her presentation.

1 2 3 4

The presenter performed confidently. 1 2 3 4

I was interested in the presentation (style/ content). 1 2 3 4

I liked it when the presenter …

The presenter was good at …

Next time, I suggest that the presenter …

Other comments …

No. Plan Time Resource/RemarksLesson 1 • Students recap articles on Justin Bieber,

President Obama & Korean Dropbox, Ronaldo and Rihanna by skimming all the articles on inspirational figures discussed in weeks 2 & 3.

• Teacher explains the meaning of the word controversial relating it to positive and negative traits and actions of the character.

• Teacher divides students into groups of 4-5. Students focus on 2 personalities (Ronaldo and Rihanna) and discuss why they are controversial.

• With the 2 articles , students complete the worksheet on the controversial nature of the personalities chosen.

• Students present the information gathered. Teacher encourages students to share their thoughts and opinions.

10 mins

5 mins

20 mins

10 mins

Class sharing15 mins

Articles for reference:Justin Beiber, Barack Obama, Korean Dropbox, Ronaldo and Rihanna

For reference and recapLife of Rihanna https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GajTNS7w23A Ronaldohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voreKz1rLPc

Articles on:Rihanna and RonaldoWorksheet on Rihanna & Ronaldo

TERM 3 : SAMPLE LESSON PLAN ON INSPIRATIONAL PERSONALITIES

Areas for discussion Negative Points Points to defend herself / counter-argument

Attire

Achievements

Personal Life

POINTS OF DISCUSSION FOR DEBATE - RIHANNA

Enjoyed the activities on travel as I got to use ICT. I also learned about the background of famous people.

Enjoyed the debates as well as got to learn how to plan an itinerary for travel. Stories from inspirational characters was motivating.

STUDENTS’ VOICES

I enjoyed learning more about celebrities like Rihanna. It is different from the usual classroom lessons and I prefer it compared to merely doing classwork and worksheets. Overall, it was more fun to search for information on our own rather than being fed information by the teacher.

It was fun to learn more about the lives of celebrities. I really enjoyed doing group work with friends. Learning from each other was more fun than just doing worksheets. We should do more projects like this, and less routine classwork.

STUDENTS’ VOICES

TEACHERS’ VOICES

When I was assigned to teach English to a Secondary 3 NT class, I found it to be very overwhelming initially. This was not due to classroom management issues. I was more worried about creating and conducting interesting and engaging lessons. I wanted to deliver lessons that not only could help the students do well in their exams but also provide them with authentic learning experiences that were applicable to their everyday lives. In a way , these lessons helped me to achieve my objectives. The students were very keen and enthusiastic as they could relate to the content that was taught. They also felt a greater sense of ownership of their learning. They were engaged in group discussions or independent work where they had to source for information.

Fadzly Samsuri, EL Teacher

TEACHERS’ VOICES

The use of Justin Bieber was appropriate because they all knew who he was and they enjoyed the video about the baby dropbox to a point that they wanted to keep watching it instead of going for their recess.

Mrs. Loy (EL teacher) went through words and phrases that were new to the students and from my observation, in the retelling portion a number of them actually used those words and correctly too! They were very engaged when writing down what they remembered from the story. Some pairs even made it a friendly competition to see who had more details.

Venessa Karasu (AED)

As a member in the planning committee, I enjoyed the creative and interesting suggestions given by the teachers in the committee as they were the ones directly involved in delivering the lesson prepared for the students. Hence, the ownership and responsibility to create lessons that were engaging for their respective students helped in the smooth planning and creating of resources. It was indeed heartwarming to know that all the teachers were indeed forthcoming in contributing to the development of the resources. Most importantly, our students enjoyed their learning experiences !

Carol (Senior Teacher)

TEACHERS’ VOICES

Planning the lessons was an exciting task for me as it gave me the opportunity to utilise interesting material such as those that involve travelling and icons of popular culture, into lessons for our students. Observing the classes in progress and seeing how the students were enjoying the learning process also gave me a sense of satisfaction. I had benefited most from the interaction and collaboration with the teachers from other schools, who brought along their valuable experience and varied knowledge and skills sets to each meeting.

Ali

TEACHERS’ VOICES

References• Curriculum Planning & Development Division. (2001). Assessment

Guidelines. Singapore: Ministry of Education.

• Curriculum Planning & Development Division. (2010). English Language Syllabus 2010: Primary & secondary (Normal Technical). Singapore: Ministry of Education.

• Curriculum Planning & Development Division. (2010). Guide to the English Language Syllabus 2010 (Normal Technical). Singapore: Ministry of Education.

• Riddle, J. (2009). Engaging the eye generation: Visual literacy strategies for the K-5 classroom. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.