EDLA309 Melissa Gallo

Anne Scott S00122173

Assessment Task 3 Literacy Planning Year 5

Focus and rationale for planning

Using the website My Place I chose to focus my Year 5 literacy planning on
Episode 20 | 1818: Charles - The Convict. I chose this particular topic as it
appealed to me the most as I was browsing the different aspects on the website. I
thought you would be able to do a variety of interesting tasks related to
persuasive arguments in the literacy lessons based on this content of the unit.
Over the five literacy lessons I aim to prepare the students for a focus on writing
a persuasive text type. Through these activities the students will be able to
understand and distinguish the structure and language features of a persuasive
text.

Justification

Classrooms comprise of a diverse range of students abilities, interests and so
forth. Considering the diversity of cultures and language in Australian society,
teachers will inevitably work with children of different cultural backgrounds
who speak English as an additional language (EAL). Therefore, it is our
responsibility as teachers to acknowledge and take account of the diversity of the
language and cultures of the children. All these aspects present teachers with a
challenge in planning a unit of work that supports all students learning needs.
Teaching and learning programs need to include appropriate challenges for all
students in the class, to support them to achieve a level of success comparable to
their knowledge and skill levels. To help cater for the different learning needs of
students, teachers can offer modifications to what students learn (content), how
students learn (process) and how students demonstrate what they have learned
(product).

The series of five literacy lessons I planned include a variety of different tasks
and opportunities to cater for all these needs. Each lessons begins with a whole
class focus to help activate prior knowledge and/or to introduce the topic, which
EDLA309 Melissa Gallo
Anne Scott S00122173

provides an introduction to the following tasks in the lesson. The lessons include
a combination of individual, partner and group-centered activities. This allows
for students of different abilities to work in various situations and bounce ideas
off each other. The method of scaffolding is used throughout most of the lessons
to provide students with support and guidance. Verbal interactions such as
questions, prompts, and discussion are effective scaffolding practices during
learning activities that are applied. This particular communication is helpful for
ESL students as they get the opportunity to practice speaking and listening to the
English language. Use of explicit teaching strategies including modeled and
guided practice are implemented in preparation for independent practice
(Hannell, A., Scotney, D., Lane, F., Robertson, M., Pratt, G., Lorenzo, M., & Alley, R.,
2008, pg. 19).

In the unit of work there is a strong focus on oral language, this is shown in
session 1 during class reflection where each group reads their situations
description and presents their point of view to the class, also in session 3 where
students partake in a debate. Incorporating speaking into a mainly writing
activity is beneficial by allowing students to listen to others and practice the
English language which in turn will help develop their fluency. Teachers should
stress the uses of spoken language as a tool for inquiry and discussion as
students seek to understand the world in which they live and take an active role
in it (Smith, 2001, pg. 8). Oracy should be a tool for students to use for critical
understanding. The teachers roll is to support the students through their
learning, Teacher-student interaction is of extreme importance to model the
language and encourage students to interact with one another (Hannell et al.,
2008, pg. 21).

Students need to be able to build on their knowledge of everyday and literate
spoken language to develop understandings of written genres, and they need
support to develop insights into the distinctive rhetorical structures and
grammatical patterns of these genres. As they progress through school they need
to be able to read texts where information and arguments are organised in ways
that differ from spoken language, and they need insights into the increasingly
EDLA309 Melissa Gallo
Anne Scott S00122173

abstract and metaphorical language of academic written texts (Hammond, 2012,
pg. 226). In the series of five lessons through the persuasive text activities the
students are able to gain this knowledge and apply it in their persuasive writing
skills.

Learning to read in a new language requires students to engage with new social
and cultural understandings, strategies and concepts, and to process unfamiliar
information, content knowledge, and learning strategies. Students with limited
first language literacy cannot rely on the transfer of linguistic and conceptual
knowledge that is assumed in much second language and bilingual literature, and
so a key prerequisite to academic success and integration is the development of
foundational literacy tools such as comprehension and vocabulary skills and
knowledge (Miller, 2013, pg. 37).

An understanding of the diverse linguistic and cultural background of these
students, their educational needs, and of ways of addressing these needs, is thus
essential knowledge for teachers to have (Hammond, 2012, pg. 224). The lessons
also cater for gifted students literacy learning needs by including challenging
activities and probing their thinking. The unit of work demonstrates the ability
to scaffold literacy learning to cater for these diverse student needs.

Word count: 765











EDLA309 Melissa Gallo
Anne Scott S00122173

References:

Hammond, J. (2012). Hope and challenge in The Australian Curriculum:
Implications for EAL students and their teachers. Australian Journal of
Language and Literacy, Vol. 35, (No. 1), pg. 223240.

Hannell, A., Scotney, D., Lane, F., Robertson, M., Pratt, G., Lorenzo, M., & Alley, R.
(2008). 10 ways I support all literacy learners in my classroom.
Practically Primary, Vol. 13, (No. 3), pg. 19-21.

Miller, J. (2013). Communicative Literacy Pedagogy: Engaging EAL students in
Reading Comprehension. English in Australia, Vol. 48, (No. 1), pg. 36-45.

My Place. (2013). My Place. Convict: Teaching and Learning Activities. Retrieved
from: http://www.myplace.edu.au/home.html

Smith G., Patricia. (2001). Talking Classrooms: Shaping Childrens Learning
Through Oral Language Instruction. International Reading Association.

Wing Jan, L. (2009). Write Ways: Modelling Writing Forms. Third Edition. South
Melbourne: Oxford University Press.