This reading resource should be suitable for children around the age of seven to eight years.

My focus is on teaching reading skills using the dialogical approach (Lian, 2014). The intended outcome is the understanding of the many forms messages can be delivered in. I will be using constructivism as my teaching approach. The children will lead the project, with support as required. The project may go beyond five lessons. We will be creating “a message in a bottle”, taking into account three important areas.

These are :

•Social Capital (connecting children to people).

•Symbolic Capital (designing a personal product).

•Educational Capital (creating a positive interactive, purposeful, engaging, learning environment where communication verbally and non-verbally exists collectively with information technology (Lian, 2015)).

As Ken Robinson stated “Ability is dormant until the right conditions come along then they will flourish under certain circumstances” (Robinson, YouTube, viewed, February 2015).

Lesson Plan Design and Direction

Goals

This reading resource, as a short term goal, will address the following outcomes, as per ACARA (2014):

•Understand that languages have different written and visual communication systems, different oral traditions and different ways of constructing meaning. (ACELA1475)

•Understand that successful cooperation with others depends on shared use of social conventions, including turn-taking patterns, and forms of address that vary according to the degree of formality in social situations. (ACELA1476)

•Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others. (ACELT1596)

•Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations. (ACELY1676)

•Use software including word processing programs with growing speed and efficiency to construct and edit texts featuring visual, print and audio elements. (ACELY1685)

Our long term goal will be to foster and build with the children ways in which we can address the National Australian Curriculum collaboratively. We will use the guidelines from the curriculum to build on the children’s skills and knowledge through the seven general capabilities of:

•Literacy•Numeracy•Information and communication technology (ICT) capability•Critical and creative thinking•Personal and social capability•Ethical understanding•Intercultural understanding

Rationale

This reading resource will highlight student peer connection, high order thinking, and understanding of the different cultures within the world around us. Skills used will include comparing, contrasting and evaluating along with hands on explorative learning. This resource should create an initial student vision that will be enhanced and built upon throughout the lessons. The purpose is not so much the teaching of reading but more about the comprehension of communication, looking through a critical lens, while purposefully engaged. These lessons encourage dialogic reading by giving the children ownership of their individual project. The teacher assumes as much of an audience perspective as possible, moving away from the teacher as being the centre and encouraging control by the children (Lian, 2014).

Professor Maryanne Wolf noted through her PowerPoint, The Science of the Reading Brain, “We do not learn words, we learn their use” (Lian 2014).

Furthermore, the Australian Curriculum states “Critical and creative thinking are essential to developing understanding in English. Students employ critical and creative thinking through discussions, the close analysis of texts and through the creation of their own written, visual and multimodal texts that require logic, imagination and innovation. Students use creative thinking when they imagine possibilities, plan, explore and create ideas and texts” (ACARA 2014).

My lesson plans clearly include all of these essential components to enhance reading comprehension.

Lesson 1

Resources

Computer Room with Internet Access, Interactive Whiteboard.

Use the whiteboard to play video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRlm_zd9j-g Disney’s Genie in a bottleQuestionsHas anyone ever picked up a bottle with a genie in it on the beach?Has anyone ever picked up a bottle with anything else in it on the beach?What other things could be in it ?•money, drink, sea creatures, message,Has anyone ever sent a message in a bottle?

Play video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsWA9iN1ehMA bottle with a message found after a 1200 km journeyPoints for discussion can include how it was picked up by the News channels, the distance travelled, the important information in the message to enable contact, the language (nationality of the message), the reason for the message, ocean currents and how people can communicate “face to face” across the world (Skype) and making friends.

The first lesson is designed to create excitement, purpose and awareness of outcomes associated with messages. Create and save a first draft of a message from each student for later reference.

Mention, enthusiastically, to the children, how you would love to send a message in a bottle telling the finder all about yourself and Australia but would not know where to start. Ask for their help. What if each person creates a page or pages about themselves, and where they live, what they do and anything else they want the finder to know, especially in another country and I can look at them and get ideas. Suggest the students choose between Word, Publisher or PowerPoint to create the message. Students draft message will be used as a later reference.

Browse the students work as they are composing and exclaim how great all the messages are looking and perhaps everyone should send a message in a bottle. Create enough excitement in the idea to get the class in agreement. Ensure them you can actually make it happen as you will be going fishing/beach /excursion etc after five lessons.

Lesson 2This lesson includes peer review and group discussion on message content. It is also designed to explore the concept of a different written language as well as considering locations outside Australia, when reading or writing a message. Explore written language translation.

Resources

Computer Room with Internet Access, Interactive Whiteboard, Publisher , PowerPoint.

Recap briefly on the last lesson.Hand out individual copies of the messages created in the last lesson randomly but without student identifiers on themAsk each student, in turn, to read the message they have been given and then ask for input as to how they assess the information and what can be added. Make a list on the whiteboard. Ensure each student can access this list later in the lesson. (e.g. shared directory)Explain there is neither a right or wrong way to create your message and it is up to the individual to decide the content of their message.

Play Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u-M2-EfdbYA message in a bottle in a different language.Create a discussion of what you would be thinking if you found a bottle on the beach with a message in it. Fame (News Report/ Sixty Minutes), reward, pirate treasure map.The boy in the video does not sound Australian. Play that section a few times and ask for ideas as to what country the bottle may have landed in.Stop the video at 1.12 and express how you cannot understand the message and ask for help from the class. Ascertain it is a different language (French) Briefly mention the marks above the characters (diacritical) and how this means the letters sound different in French.Pose the question “What if someone finds your message and does not read English?” How can you help them to understand your message? Create a discussion about this.

Lesson 2 continued

If we wanted to translate this message ourselves, how could we do it? Create a discussion.

Suggest they could use a program that could help them.

Ask them to go to the internet site http://imtranslator.net/translate-and-speak/

Work with the students to try and decipher the message. Encourage students to move chairs around a computer in groups of three.

Create a discussion as to how the girls’ email address was no longer used as the bottle had been floating for eight years. Discuss ways to add return contact information to the messages. Add that one bottle actually travelled for nearly 100 years.

Students will use the remainder of the lesson , in peer group discussion, reviewing and updating their messages.

Lesson 3This lesson is designed to raise awareness of symbols as reading resources across different cultures. It explores creating a story without words, and highlights the necessity to put yourself in the readers shoes to create the desired outcome from your message. Students continue with developing their message.

Hold up a white piece of blank paperAsk the class if they can get any message from this blank piece of paper. One message may be “has anyone got a spare pen I can use?” Reach the conclusion that a message needs to be written on the page for someone to read..Write “FISH – five dollars each” on the paper and hold it up again. Ask for someone to read this.Who can read what this says?Raise another question and encourage discussion. If I stood up in a classroom in China (I don’t speak Chinese) and the students did not understand English, what could I put on this paper for them to read and understand this message?

Resources

Computer Room with Internet Access, Interactive Whiteboard, blank sheet of paper, page with fish diagram, ear phones, scanner , pencils.

Hold up the paper with the fish and hand on it and ask someone to read it.

Create a discussion on better ways to write it – five dollar signs instead of a hand, a cross on the eye to show the fish has been made ready for sale etc.

Create a scenario around if you were travelling in France/ Europe/ overseas. How could people read you were Australian?– kangaroo on T shirt, map of Australia on your backpack, Australia flag, accent when you speak etc Emphasise that you do not need written words to read a message.

= $

Lesson 3 continued Play Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=684YKPx0sCw Creating a story without words.Play the clip in its entirety.Step through it again in sections and create discussion as to what students are reading from that part of the message.

Pose questions such as what type of large fish (whale) first swallowed the bottle and how did he spit it out ?(water spout).What mood was the fisherman in just before the bird picked up the bottle?(happy – music signs mean whistling or singing)How do we know the girl who picked up the bottle at the end was curious? (question marks)

Point out to the class that this story would be readable regardless of which language you spoke.

Create a discussion about what students might add to their message to help if someone picked up their message and did not speak English. (unique Australian pictures, photos (self or otherwise), symbols -flag, map etc.) Parent permission forms may be required if students wish to include photo. All non digital pictures can be scanned in.

Play Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixSUBl1WNxk Story with captionsCreate discussion as to what the story is about.Discuss the moods of the animals and how this could be read without words. (Rabbit happy, deer scared, wolf angry, bear sullen)Discuss why the rabbit did not get eaten – created his message to get the best results for his requirement. Create a discussion as to what message, about themselves, each student is hoping to be read by a person who finds their bottle. (happy, healthy, friendly)Discuss the animals language and how, without understandable text, we cannot fully understand the story as we do not speak animal language. By using a combination of pictures and text, we can understand the message.

Lesson 3 continued Create a discussion as to how a person can tell if what they have written does not have spelling or grammar errors and relays the desired message to the reader. (E.g. Spell checker, grammar checker, other people to read.)

Ask students to go to http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php?sitepal

Explain they can now put on their headphones and see how their message sounds to another person by typing in sections at a time. Offer individual support if the need arises.

Offer this site www.clker.com/search/australia/

if students wish to include any symbols of Australia in their message.

Create a discussion around how you create a mental picture of a person by the words in a message. Give examples such as fierce dragon slayer or a princess in a castle. It is however, much clearer when you see a picture of that person. The school policy does not allow student photos in the public domain. However, students can still draw a picture of themselves.

Ask students to go tohttp://www.colorwithleo.com/art_portraitfun.php

Here, if they so decide, they can create a self portrait, print it out and then modify it by hand if they so desire. The finished picture can then be scanned back into the system and put in their message.

Students to use the remainder of the lesson developing their message

Lesson 4Create awareness of distance, other countries, other languages, ocean currents, consequences of the message. Finish message composition.

Display map of the worlds currents – real time on the white boardhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2553087/Hypnotic-interactive-globe-reveals-planets-powerful-sea-currents-REALTIME.htmlCreate a discussion about how the currents might move the bottle’s (message) around the world. Explore floating times based on previous examples.

Ask students to get into groups of four, Choose a leader and then load the following interactive map of the world in their browser. Students to remember this grouping.http://www.mapresources.com/world-digital-raster-vector-illustrator-map-mc-eur-072945.html and then double clip on the map.

Exclaim how there are so many countries, you have no idea which one would be best for your bottle to wash up on. Ask for help from the class and then ask each group to come up with a country and a town they would like their bottle to be found and a bit about that place. Create group discussion about each choice. i.e. Would they like a friend in this country and why? Will the finder have the means to contact you? Language differences. Is this a country where you might be on the news and be on television? It might be a country you would like to visit if you made a friend there. Explore language issues.

Resources

Computer Room with Internet Access, Interactive Whiteboard, blank sheet of paper, page with fish diagram, camera, scanner

Lesson 4 continuedAsk students to go to the following sitehttps://translate.google.com/#en/su/Hello%2C%20I%20am%20from%20Australia

Here students can decide whether they want to include a short message in a different language to bolster their chances of return contact, based on where they think their bottle may end up.

Allow the students to keep working on their message for the remainder of the lesson but stress that this is the deadline.

For homework, ask students to find a suitable bottle to bring in lesson five. Quickly brainstorm choices of bottles, plastic versus glass, sun damage, breakability, waterproofing etc.

Lesson 5

Resources

Computer Room with Internet Access, Interactive Whiteboard, scanner, bottles with caps including spares, corks, alfoil, duct tape, sticky tape. Printed students messages with names attached.

Hand out the printed messages to the appropriate person who created it.

Break students into their previous groups of four, teacher to support decision making as required.

Create discussion and evaluation within each group regarding individual message content. Each group leader/spokesperson will then , in turn, share the highlights of their combined creations, in turn, with the class for discussion and evaluation.

Students will be given time to reassess their message and return to their computers to modify if they so decide to.

All students should then have a printed copy ready for placing in the bottle. (If necessary, another lesson may be required.)

Brainstorm the method to actually incorporate the message into the bottle including bottle sealing, sun damage (using alfoil around the paper as a sun reflector ) Alfoil will reflect the sun but may look like a fishing lure to the fish.

Students to group into original four again and complete their bottles as they decide. Teacher to assist as required.

Direct the students to stick a name tag on their own bottle and then collect the bottles.

Brainstorm a method and a place to put the bottles in the ocean with the best chance of the bottles drifting out to sea. Include

an excursion to the coast, using a fisherman or a family outing on the weekend.

Review students finished work for comparison with the initial draft in lesson 1.

This lesson involves peer group discussion, assessment and further critical thinking.

Evaluation and Assessment

The assessment of these lessons will draw on the student’s abilities to self assess verbally with their peers as the lessons move forward. This assessment is to promote learning in the context of reading. As a teacher I will need to evaluate the children’s interest, and may have to consider modifications on the way. It will be necessary to consider the children’s prior knowledge and any additional support that may be required (Lian 2015).

We will look at the short term goals and identify with the children through discussion if some or all of these goals have been met. The assessment, will include, in a follow up lesson, a discussion with the teacher and children, as a whole group, to summarise what the students have learned and where to now?

Not all students learn at the same rate or at the same age level. This variation in each student’s rate of learning must be accounted for when evaluating the required content descriptions for a particular year. Some students may have already achieved competency in a concept or skill whereas another student may need explicit assistance to reach the required level, in a concept or skill, for this stage. (ACARA 2014)

References

ACARA General Capabilities, viewed, February 12 2015, http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/english/general-capabilities

ACARA Curriculum Browser, viewed, February 13 2015, http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Browse?a=E&a=M&a=S&a=H&a=G&a=ENB&a=CNC&a=da&a=dr&a=ma&a=mu&a=va&a=DI&a=DE&a=HPE&y=3&y=4#page=2

Charles Darwin University: Lian, A (ELA200 2014/2015)PPT & PDF Lecture for Collaborate Session, viewed January 2015, https://online.cdu.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-1751073-dt-content-rid-3672546_2/xid-3672546_2

Assignment 2 Collaborate Discussion Channel, YouTube, viewed February 3 2015, <http://youtu.be/kDjP5LZLJAc>

Confucius quote, viewed February7 2015, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/confucius108960.html

Damasio, A. (2014). The brain - creativity, imagination, and innovation, Ross Institute Summer Academy, Ross Institute YouTube Channel, Retrieved November 22, 2014, viewed January 25 2015,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUZd66Lu4Y8

Learning clips, YouTube, viewed January and February 2015,<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRlm_zd9j-g> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsWA9iN1ehM><https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u-M2-EfdbY> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=684YKPx0sCw> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixSUBl1WNxk>

References continued

Internet resources, viewed January and February 2015,<http://imtranslator.net/translate-and-speak><http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php?sitepal><www.clker.com/search/australia/> <http://www.colorwithleo.com/art_portraitfun.php> <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2553087/Hypnotic-interactive-globe-reveals-planets-powerful-sea-currents-REALTIME.html><http://www.mapresources.com/world-digital-raster-vector-illustrator-map-mc-eur-072945.html> <https://translate.google.com/#en/su/Hello%2C%20I%20am%20from%20Australia>

Robinson, K. Educational Channel, viewed February10 2015, <http://youtu.be/-ShctujUcyI?t=34m37s>

Teaching method, viewed February 7 2015,<http://www.flickr.com/photos/65802285@N06/6596766449/>