MATL Unit Overview (UBD)

Title of Unit

Fostering Self-teaching Through Integrating Available Resources

Grade Level

Secondary Cycle 1, Year 1

Subject

ESL (Core)

Time Frame

3 Lessons

Unit #:

Authors

Inga Ivanova and Yu-Ti Eva Huang

Stage 1 Desired Results

Established Goals:

Produce texts by comparing students first language with target

language (English)
Learn how to do research and be critical about the content found.

Students will understand that

The available resources around them can contribute a great deal to

their own English learning and writing
The importance of being critical when looking for information
Learning can be interesting and fun
How to use their existing knowledge to learn something new
The difference between formal and informal use of language

Relevance:

Essential Questions:

Student will know

How and where to look for the resources they need to help with their
English writing
How to express their thoughts in a structured way
The structures for writing (informal) letter or e-mail
How to incorporate information from their research into written and
oral text
How to ask and answer simple questions

They will build their own personal inventory of writing and production
resources.
Students will learn how to communicate with the world in written form
according to social norms.

How can you write a letter or an email to a person you admire or care in
English?
What knowledge do you need to express yourself thoroughly and clearly as
you can do in your first language when writing a letter?
How being able to do research can help you in life?
What knowledge can you transfer from your native language to learning
English?
Why proficiency in English is considered important?
How self-learning can help you in your everyday life?
How social norms shape our everyday communication?

Students will be able to

Produce an English letter or an email with proper formats and proper styles
Compare structures in English and their first language
Work in groups
Conduct basic research

Cross Curricular Competencies:

Broad Areas of Learning:

Uses information
Adopts effective work methods
Uses information and communication technologies
Achieves his/her potential
Cooperates with others
Communicates Appropriately

Universal Design for Learning:

Citizenship and Community Life

Media Literacy

Further considerations: Multiliteracies, Higher Order Thinking, Technology

By using Internet for research students will have access to various types of
material presentation such as text, diagrams, video and audio.
Students will be motivated throughout the unit by means of involvement in the
choice of the topic as well as group work during research. Student centered
classroom that we will have will also help stimulate students interest and
participation.

Tablets (1 per group of 4-5 students)

Access to Multimedia
Use Online resources to conduct research ( video, audio, text)
Critical approach to the choice of sources and use of available technology
(Multiliteracy)
Use of Multiple Intelligences (Logical-Mathematical, Linguistic,
Interpersonal, Intrapersonal)

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks:
Through writing an English letter or email and researching needed or
missing material, students will show their understanding of proper
English vocabulary use, sentence structure and writing formats.

Other Evidence:
Participation in Group and Pair Work, use of Sandwich feedback strategy,
use of Fish Bone Organizer and class discussions will be used to monitor
students progress.

Feedback will be provided in several steps, such as peer evaluation

feedback, consultation of online resources and grammar reference
books as well as teachers feedback. The different steps of feedback
and self-correction can help students improve their English writing.

By comparing students work at the beginning of the class and the work in
the end of the unit, the teacher can well understand the students learning
results. Students themselves can also compare their own work before the
feedback from the available resources, peers, and teachers, and the work
after their correction.

FORMATIVE - Assessment FOR learning

Mini text production
Students will receive individual feedback from
teacher on strengths and weaknesses of their
writing.
Peer evaluation
Peer feedback will give students an idea about
their progress. Teacher will check on it and
provide necessary help and remarks.

FORMATIVE - Assessment AS learning:

Self-correction
Self-correction will provide a more autonomous
feel to the work as well as teach students to
incorporate feedback in their corrections.
Question Box
Exit Card
Exit Discussion
All three activities provide an opportunity to
reveal weak spots in the learning process and
improve them along the way.

SUMMATIVE - Assessment OF learning:

Students final letters or emails
The vocabulary accuracy (comparing to their original writings in
their first language), sentence structure complexity, and the
proper letter or email format will be the main points for
evaluation.

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Learning Focus:
Understand students writing ability
Introduce available resources
Detail:
Introduction
Short text production
Students write 4-5 sentences in English about themselves
Group Research
In groups of 4-5 students conduct research on the types of
letters existing and the differences among them.
Fish Bone Organizer (BM, p.102)
The findings are put in the organizer
Take Call Outs (BM, p.17)
Compare the findings
Decision on what type of letter to write and to whom.
Exit Card
Students write down 2 points that they enjoyed during the
lesson and 2 points that they did not like

Learning Focus:
Produce a personal letter or email in their first
language to a person they choose
Be familiar with classroom, school, community and
online resources

Key ideas:
Test what students already know about
English writing
Foster resources using and peer
learning

Key ideas:
Brain storm the content of the letter,
and write its outline in their first
language
Go through the available resources to
find out the content in English and the

Assessment:
Mini text production
Formative assessment that allows to check
students existing knowledge.
Exit Card
Formative assessment that allows to check
students understanding of material as well as
weak points to work on.

Assessment:
Peer evaluation
Formative assessment that will help students
reflect on and rethink their initial work
Question Box
Formative assessment that helps teacher

Detail:
Letter outline
Students produce a letter outline in their native language.
Letter Draft
Students produce their first letter draft in English (Use of
dictionaries, consultation with peers or online resources is
allowed)
Introduction of Sandwich Feedback Strategy
By teacher
Pair/peer Feedback
Students exchange letters, correct them and give feedback
(Use of dictionaries, consulting grammar reference books and
online sources is allowed)
Pair/Think/Share
Students discuss and share experiences about similarities
and differences of letter structures and word use in English
and their Native language
Question Box
A box for additional questions is introduced

Learning Focus
Finalize their letters or emails through group
research and self-correction
Assign Dialogue Journal
Explain the long term goal -- online language
exchange

Detail:
Group Research
Students research appropriate words and word combinations
used at the beginning and in the end of letters in English as
well as polite expressions. They add the findings to their Fish
Bone Organizer
Production of Final Version of the Letter
According to the findings and peer feedback from the
previous class, students proofread the initial draft.
Dialogue Journal
Students will be introduced to Dialogue Journal that will b
Online Language Exchange
Explain the follow-up online language exchange opportunity
Exit Guided Class Discussion
Students come back to the initial Essential questions of the
unit and analyze their progress.

proper format for writing a letter or an

email in English
Learn how to give and use feedback

understand the weak/missing areas in student

knowledge and understanding

Key ideas:
Students should be able to correct their
own writing
Students provide comments about their
use of resources and their achievement
in the end of this unit
Self-teaching and self-learning
opportunity will be offered (dialogue
journal)
Learning motivation will be promoted
(online language exchange)

Assessment:
Students final letters or emails
(see the rubric)
Summative assessment that will show how
effectively students can implement their findings
in structure, vocabulary and cohesiveness of the
text.
Exit Discussion
Students will analyze their progress and give
feedback on their group work, peer progress and
effectiveness of the unit in general

Letter & Email Rubric

Criteria

Core

Salutation and
Closing

Use basic writing skills to

establish, maintain, and
enhance personal
relationships

Salutation and
closing have no
errors in placement,
punctuation or
capitalization.
Sentences and
paragraphs are
complete, wellwritten, varied
sentence structure
and vocabulary.

Salutation and
closing have few
errors and are
placed
appropriately
All sentences are
complete and well
written with no
fragments or runons. Paragraphing
is generally well
done.
2-3 errors in
capitalization or
punctuation in
body of letter that
do not interfere in
meaning.

Salutation and
closing have 3 or
more errors. One
or both not
correctly placed
Most sentences
are complete and
well written.
Paragraphs are
unorganized.

Salutation and/or
closing missing

Several errors in
grammar or
spelling in body of
letter that interfere
in meaning.

Many errors in
spelling and/or
grammar in body
of letter that make
the letter illegible.

Legibly written,
easy to read with
1-2 distracting
errors.

Several distracting
errors that make
portions difficult to
read.

Many distracting
errors making it
illegible.

Body of
Letter

Uses Basic
Writing
Conventions

Use an introductory
paragraph, supporting
paragraphs, and a
concluding paragraph to
organize both written and
oral presentations

Use basic punctuation

correctly

No errors in
grammar or spelling
in body of letter

Know and correctly spell

level appropriate high
frequency words

Many sentence
fragments or run
on sentences. No
evidence of
paragraphing

Use correct verb tense

when writing

Neatness
Use correct letter
formation in print and
cursive

Legibly handwritten
or typed with no
distracting errors.

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