Problem Based Enhanced Language Learning

iteachELLs, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University

Teachers: Abigail Vogt, Meghan Barry, Grade/Subject: 10th Grade Biology

Lauren Thomas
Title of Experience: Food Fight!

Problem: How do we, as biochemists, inform the public about the many
misconceptions surrounding good/ bad foods in our society?
Time Frame: The lesson will cover five standards over seven 50 minute sessions.

Content Standard(s):
S 1. C 1. PO 1. Evaluate scientific information for relevance to a given problem.
S 1. C 3. PO 3. Critique reports of scientific studies (e.g., published papers, student
reports).
S 1. C 4. PO 4. Support conclusions with logical scientific arguments.
S 2. C 1. PO 3. Analyze how specific changes in science have affected society.
S 2. C 2. PO 1. Specify the requirements of a valid, scientific explanation (theory),
including that it be: logical subject to peer review public respectful of rules of
evidence

ELP Standard(s):
SV. S1. HI-5: summarizing main ideas/concepts and key points/details of presentations.
SV. S1. HI-6: responding to social conversations by rephrasing/ repeating information,
asking questions, offering advice, sharing ones experiences, and expressing ones
thoughts.
SV. S1. HI-7: offering and justifying opinions and ideas in response to questions and
statements in academic discourse.
SV. S1. HI-8: following multiple step directions, instructions, and procedures which
include prepositional phrases.
SV. S2. HI-1: producing sentences with accurate pronunciation, intonation and stress.
SV. S2. HI-4: participating in formal and informal socio-functional communication tasks
using complete sentences.
SV. S2. HI-7: report detailed information on a topic supported by concrete details,
commentary, and examples in complete sentences.
SV. S2. HI-8: delivering a prepared presentation that includes the main idea, detailed
information and explanations, and a valid conclusion in simple, compound, complex,
and compound-complex sentences.
SV. S2. HI-11: providing and justifying an appropriate response to given formal and
informal situations.

Content Language Objective (Language Function + Content Stem + Supports1) (5

pts):
Students will be able to assess and summarize research to compose a public service
announcement to inform the community about a nutritional trends by evaluating
online literature, creating illustrations, diagrams, and drawings while working in a
cooperative group setting.

1 World Class Instructional Design and Assessment Consortium (2012). Model Performance
Indicator. Retrieved from https://www.wida.us/downloadLibrary.aspx
Sub-Objectives:
SWBAT evaluate scientific documents for relevant information as it pertains
to their chosen nutritional trend.
SWBAT recognize bias and critique inaccuracies present in scientific
documents/ arguments.
SWBAT justify their research findings by means of presenting a PSA to their
peers in the form of a poster.
SWBAT analyze how changes in nutritional trends have affected agriculture
and food business in todays society.

Materials:
Post-It Notes (About 5/ student)
Computers (For research and typing, 1/ student)
Poster board (1/ group)
Construction Paper (# varies as needed)
Markers (# varies as needed)
Printer Paper (# varies as needed)
Scissors (# varies as needed)
Tape/ Glue (# varies as needed)
Lab Notebooks/ Pens and Pencils (1/ student)

Vocabulary taught prior to the Vocabulary developed during lesson

experience (social): (academic):
Protein Bias
Lipid (Saturated fats, Unsaturated Gluten
fats, Trans fats) Genetically Modified Organism
Carbohydrate (GMO)
Calories Organic vs Inorganic
DNA Public Service Announcement (PSA)
Genetics Misconception
Nutrition
Disease (Diabetes, Autoimmune, etc.)

Academic Conversation (5 pts):

What language function will students have the opportunity to practice? How will this
language be explicitly taught? How will this language be applied and practiced?
Students will learn to recognize bias and inconsistencies within the
language of current scientific literature. Students will demonstrate their
ability to use evidence in supporting their claim through a PSA that will be
either written or oral in presentation.

Language Functions: Asking Questions, Predicting, Agree/ Disagree,

Summarizing

Language of Analysis:
After analyzing the evidence, we can determine ________.
After careful examination of _______, it seems like _______.
Because of ________, it is believed that ___________.
The main reason we are convinced of _____ is because of ________.
The article is misleading because it does/doesnt show ___________.
The [research/data/facts] suggest ________, but some argue ________.
Establish the Problem (5 pts):
How will prior knowledge be accessed? How will the problem be introduced to
students? How will students inquire about the problem (optional planning tool
attached) How are students using language (reading, writing, listening, and/or
speaking) and how are they being supported?
Problem Day (1): Preferably on a Friday

This lesson would be best to start on a Friday. The students can use the information
they gained from the first lesson to think about their given topic over the weekend.
The students may even want to interview a few family members or friends about their
given good/bad food.

Interview Questions
1) What comes to mind when you hear the word (given topic)?
2) Why do you think (given topic) is good/ bad for you?
3) Do you think these foods have a bad rap or should be really stay away from
(given topic)?
4) Have you read anything about (given topic) on social media? Maybe in a
magazine?
5) What kind of advice would you given people when discussing (given topic).

Students would summarize these interviews in their lab journal.

Students will be divided into groups (the groups will be pre-set based on a varying
level of English proficiency). Each group is given a stack of sticky notes and a paper
with a key topic (Gluten, Genetically Modified Organism, or Organic vs Inorganic) on it.
The students will have five minutes to, individually, write down all the information
they know about the topic they are given. Each new idea will be written on a new
sticky note. After the five minutes is up, students will display all their sticky notes for
everyone in the group to see. As a group, the students will organize the sticky notes
into categories based on commonalities. There should be roughly three to five
categories at the end of time, about ten minutes. Once each group has categorized
the sticky notes, each group will share with the class what their topic was as well as
what the distinct categories are and why the group categorized them the way they
did.

Prior Knowledge: The prior knowledge of students will be accessed by them thinking
up and writing down all they know about the bad food topic they are given.
Introducing the Problem: in the group and whole class discuss students will come
across information that is creating misconceptions about the different bad foods in
our society.
Inquiry: the whole class and group discussions will be the starting inquiry process for
students. The will days that follow for students to inquire more with student lead
research.

Language Use: Students will be writing down all the information they know about
the given topic and then sharing, vocally, with their group and the class.
Creating the Experience (5 pts):
How will students work together to develop and present solutions? How are students
using language (reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking) and how are they being
supported?
Research Days (2 and 3)
Article Round-Up: Students will research the inconsistencies in their prior knowledge
of bad/ good foods within their groups. Students will search for 4 different articles
(1/ student). A few days prior to this lesson, students were taught how to find
trustworthy articles worthy of citing. They were also taught how to annotate articles.
Therefore, each student will be required to turn in their annotated article. Once each
student in the group has found an article of worthy credentials, they will come
together and give each other a summary of the article they found. As each student
shares their summary, other group members should be journaling the student's
response and begin comparing the new-found information with what they knew
before their research.

Journaling: What did you notice about their summary? Was the article saying the
food was good or bad? How does this new information contrast from what you thought
you knew about these foods before researching? What claims can you make now that
you have this information? These questions should be answered for every
article in your group (4 total).

Student will discuss their journals as a group and prepare a new claim about
their food citing the information they found. This claim should include:
Whether or not they food is good or bad for you, who should eat their food
and what kind of evidence they have to support their claim.

ELL Research Support: Google phrases that can be used to aid ELLs in their
initial searches for articles.
1) (Given topic) is bad for.
2) The effect of (given topic) on
3) Myths surrounding (given topic)
4) Is (given topic) good or bad for you?
5) Who can eat (given topic)?

Group Work Day (4). See Evaluate for PSA instructions and Day 5 activities.

Cafeteria Presentation Day (7)

Public Service Announcement Tune-Up (see Day 4 - Evaluate for information on
PSA): Students will use the feedback given from their in class PSAs and fine-tune their
PSA. The students should focusing on their language of analysis given during
their academic conversations. Students are required to tune-up 3 sections of
their PSA. A tune-up consists of the student using their sentence frames during
different sections of their PSA.

Journaling: Overall, how would you rate (on a scale of 1 - 5) your groups delivery of
the PSA? Which section did your group struggle with the most? During what portions
of the PSA did your group lack using the language of analysis? How could you
incorporate this type of language in your PSA?

Presentations: Students will present their PSAs to other students in their school
during lunch time. The students will be expected to act professionally and inform their
fellow students about their topic as much as possible. Students should be excited to
show their peers how the information they found unravels the misconceptions their
generation has about certain foods.

Academic Conversation: How does the evidence I gathered change the way I think
about the food topic we were assigned? What evidence do I have to support my new
claim about this food? How can I use the language of analysis to create a more
informative way to present my PSA?

Evaluate (5 pts):
When and how will you use formative and summative assessments to measure
student progress and learning (content and language)?
Public Service Announcement Day (5)
Formative Assessments: Journaling - As seen in the last two sections, students will
be asked to answer specific questions in their journals to track their understanding of
their misconceptions and new found knowledge about whether or not their food was
good or bad for humans.

Annotations - During days 2 and 3, the students are researching articles and finding
a certain article worthy of citing. Each student is required to annotate their article with
at least 5 annotations. These annotations should consist of: Something that
surprised you, something that matches with what one of your group members already
know about your topic, two things that contradict with what your group members
thought they knew about your topic and an analysis of one statistic. Language of
analysis should be observed.

Student-Teacher Discussions - As the students research and discuss the

information they dug up, the teacher will be floating from group to group checking to
make sure that students are really zeroing in on cite-worthy articles and seeing how
the student applies the information in the articles to their given topic. If a student is
off-course, the teacher should be able to steer the student in the right direction.
Language of analysis should be observed.

Summative Assessment (PSA) - Students will create a Public Service

Announcement intended to inform the public about the common myths about their
assigned food fad. Their display should be visually appealing, attention-grabbing,
colorful, and informative. Illustrations are encouraged. Students are expected to use
their poster to address the commonplace myths associated with their topic, as well as
the facts that set those myths straight. Students are required to support their new
findings with evidence from their articles. Citations for any researched information
should be included (preferably on the back of their display). This will serve as their
display on Cafeteria Presentation Day. Language of analysis should be observed.

Group Work Day for PSA Tune-Up Day (6)

After the students have presented their PSAs to one another, each group must tune-
up their PSAs with the peer feedback. These students should emphasize using the
language of analysis in their PSA. Each student will record what changing they
made and why in their science journals.
Rubric for Group Research
Student Name: ________________________________________
CATEGORY 4 3
Group Timeline Group independently
develops a reasonable,
complete timeline describing
when different parts of the
work (e.g.,planning, research,
first draft, final draft) will be
done. All students in group
can independently describe
the high points of the
timeline.
Delegation of Each student in the group
Responsibility can clearly explain what
information is needed by the
group, what information s/he
is responsible for locating,
and when the information is
needed.
Plan for Students have developed a
Organizing clear plan for organizing the
Information information as it is gathered
and in the final research
product. All students can
independently explain the
planned organization of the
research findings.
Quality of Researchers locate at least 3
Sources reliable, interesting
information sources for their
ideas or questions.
Number of The group used 4 information
Sources sources.
Rubric for Public Service Announcement
2 1
Group independently Group independently Group needs adult
develops a timeline develops a timeline help to develop a
describing when most describing when most timeline AND/OR
parts of the work will parts of the work will several students in the
be done. All students be done. Most group cannot
in group can students can independently describe
independently independently the high points of the
describe the high describe the high timeline.
points of the timeline. points of the timeline.
Each student in the Each student in the One or more students
group can clearly group can, with in the group cannot
explain what minimal prompting clearly explain what
information s/he is from peers, clearly information they are
responsible for explain what responsible for
locating. information s/he is locating.
responsible for
locating.
Students have Students have Students have no clear
developed a clear plan developed a clear plan plan for organizing the
for organizing the for organizing the information AND/OR
information in the final information as it is students in the group
research product. All gathered. All students cannot explain their
students can can independently organizational plan.
independently explain explain most of this
this plan. plan.
Researchers locate at Researchers locate at Researchers locate at
least 3 reliable least 2 reliable least 1-0 reliable
information sources for information sources for information sources for
their ideas or their ideas or their ideas or
questions. questions. questions.
The group used 3 The group used 2 The group used 1- 0
information sources. information sources. information sources.
Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Myths Three myths are Two myths are One myth is No myths are
discussed during discussed during discussed during discussed during
the PSA. the PSA. the PSA. the PSA.

Facts Three facts are Two facts are One fact is Three facts are
discussed during discussed during discussed during discussed during
the PSA. the PSA. the PSA. the PSA.

Images Images grab the Images grab the Images are Images are not
attention of the attention of the relevant to the PSA relevant to the
audience. Images audience. Images but do not draw PSA.
are highly relevant are somewhat much interest or
to the PSA and add relevant to the PSA add value to the
value to its and add value to presentation.
presentation. its presentation.

Color/ Neatness Color makes the Color makes the Colors are used No color or
PSA excitable and PSA appealing. excessively. Effort neatness.
appealing. Colors Colors are not in presentation is
are not used used excessively. unclear/ lacking.
excessively. Effort Effort is shown in
is shown in the the presentation of
presentation of the the PSA.
PSA.

Evidence All three facts and Two facts and the One fact and/ or No evidence was
the claim are claim are the claim is used to support
supported with supported with supported with facts/ claim.
evidence found in evidence found in evidence found in
researched researched researched
articles. This articles. This articles. This
evidence is evidence is evidence is
displayed and displayed and displayed and
discussed. discussed. discussed.

Claim/ Claim is clear, well- Claim is clear, Claim is discussed There is no claim.
Language of developed, relevant and at the beginning of
relevant and discussed at the PSA. Language of
Analysis discussed at the beginning of PSA. analysis is used to
beginning and end Language of discuss claim.
of PSA. Language analysis is used to
of analysis is used discuss claim.
to discuss claim.