unit 1: kids say

Hilary L Chow 7

[ENGLISH STUDIES]

Unit 1 – Kids SayClass: 4B Length of lesson: 35 minutes

Class profile: The class has a total of 18 pupils with 10 boys and 8 girls. They are in general very able learners aged 9 to 11. They all come from affluent local families except for a girl who was born in England to an English father and a Chinese mother. Most of them enjoy English as a language but not the English lessons. The class is as a whole unrulywith a few male students often misbehave and disrespect the teacher.Theme:Kids SayObjectives:To enable learners to construct an argument.To enable learners to write an argumentative essay. Specifically in this lesson, to enable learners to prepare for an essay.To introduce learners the concept of mind-mapping.Language foci: Communicative functions -

To express their opinions and convince others. Language skills -

Stock phrases such as ‘I think’, ‘in my opinion, ‘I believe’, ‘for example’.Present simple tense to list simple arguments.

Assumed knowledge:What arguments, facts, and opinions are.Potential problems and solutions:Some students may misbehave, shout and walk around in the classroom. I will need to be firm and stop those behaviour at once before they roll into more disruptive ones.Materials and aids:Worksheet

Procedural stages

TimeInteraction

Procedure Purpose

5 minutes

T Ss

Introduction

Settles students down for the lesson.Introduces the theme and the task of the lesson – the first lesson in a series to write an argumentative essay.

To prepare learners for the lesson.To give students an idea of the outcome of the lesson and how it fits within the bigger context.

5 minutes

T Ss

Mind-mapping

Introduces the concept of mind mapping: Its uses, its form, and an execution.Asks students to mind map for bothpoints to support a notion and notsupport first.

To enable learners to brainstorm ideas for a piece of writing.To enable learners to make a decision based on actual facts and convincing reasons.

5 minutes

Ss T

Mind-mapping (students)

Students will be asked to draw To give students a hand-on practice

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Baccalaureus Educationis, Magister Educationis

Hilary L Chow Page 17

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their own mind maps, and then be invited to share them as a demonstration.

on how mind maps work.

5 minutes

Ss T

Arguments and examples

Asks students to write their stance and arguments out, then leads them to write an example each.

To enable students to transform mind maps into sentences.To enable students to support theirown arguments.

5 minutes

Ss T

Suggestions

Leads students to think of suggestions for the future. Demonstrate Write independently Sharing.

To enable learners to write a conclusion.

5 minutes

Ss T

Background

Elicits responses from students onthe background after introducing the idea of a background.Demonstrate Independent writing Sharing

To enable learners to think broadly.

5 minutes

T Ss

Conclusion of the lesson

Revisits all sections of the plan,and reorders them for a proper piece of writing (responses will be elicited from students, but teacher expects the need to teach it explicitly).

To enable learners to structure an essay based on their plans.

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Writing an ArgumentSome non-fiction topics give you the chance to express your opinion. When you use facts to support your opinions, you’re making an ARGUMENT. A good writer makes strong arguments.

Part A - Read this essay.

1.CHECK the author’s opinion about animal tests. a. The author thinks animal tests are necessary. b. The author thinks animals tests are a waste of lives.

2.List the facts that the author used to support that opinion.

1._________________________________________________________________

2._________________________________________________________________

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Why were they chosen?Animal tests should be banned. Animal testers want us to believe thatif they give up their old habit, sick children with different diseases and accident victims will die. But the most significant trend in research in recent years has shown that animals rarely serve as good models of the human body.

Studies published in medical journals have shown again that animal testers are often wasting lives—both animals’ and humans’—and precious resources by trying to infect animals withdiseases they would never have normally contracted.

Most animal tests are not related to human health, as they do not contribute meaningfully to medical advances and many are undertaken simply out of curiosity.

Plus, no matter how many animal tests are undertaken, someone


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Read this essay.

1.CHECK the author’s opinion about ten cents. a. The author thinks pennies are useful. b. The author thinks pennies are a waste of money.

2.List the facts that the author used to support that opinion.

1._________________________________________________________________

2._________________________________________________________________

When you’re writing an argument, your topic sentence is your opinion. (Read the animal tests and the penny story again for examples.) It’s really important that your readers know right away that you’re writing an argument.

Part B - Fill in the blanks to make some quick arguments.

Topic: Pupils’ right to vote

What’s your opinion? Pupils should get to vote.

Why? (support with facts) Because the government makes laws that affect pupils.

Don’t forget to fill in the ‘Why’ with a fact. That makes it D


It Just Doesn’t Make Cents.Ten cents are a waste of money. That’s right! It costs almost twenty cents to make one new ten cent. Ten cents aren’t even useful. They don’t work in gumball machines or most anything else. Yet every year, we keep making more. It’s simply doesn’t make sense to keep making cents. Join the fight!


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an argument!

Topic: Pupils going to school at night

What’s your opinion?

Why? (support with facts)

Topic: Pupil bringing pets to school



Topic: Pupils keeping wild animals as pets



Topic: Pupils having no assignments


Why? (support with fact)

Topic: Pupils driving cars, buses, and aeroplanesD



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Why? (support with facts) Why Give Children the Right to Vote

Children can’t vote. In most countries, the votingage is 18. Yet if you think about it, there is no reason why the minimal age is so high. In my opinion, children should be given the right to vote.

( ), younger people are more open-minded. Adults often vote without looking into the facts and only by feelings. For example, with rules about privacy on the internet or gay marriage, adults tend to have fixed views and don’t look for the evidence. Ithink being younger may make you more active, more concerned, and more informed than older people who aremore fixed in their views.

( ), children have more information. Like adults, children are influenced by the media, butthey also are informed by their parents and teachers. So for example, adults can get facts from one place, but children get to listen to different people’s opinions before they make a decision. I believe when you listen to more opinions, you make better decisions.

( ), giving children the vote is good for the future of the society. By giving them the right to vote, they will build up the habit to care about the world and express their views. For example, children will start reading the news at an early age and will likely to continue when they grow up. It is obvious that when they become adults they will be people who have always known about the world.D



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( ), children should have the right to vote. Children are more open-minded with generally more sources of information, and they will be better prepared for our future. The only question is where weshould set the minimal age at: 14? 12? 10? 8? In my opinion, we should do more research on this to give asmany children the right to vote as we can.

Rethinking HomeworkAfter spending most of the day in school,

children are given homework to be completed at home. Even though many people think they are good, I think they should be banned.

( ), homework is bad for children.Homework makes children very tired and unhappy, andgive time little time to have other activities. Forexample, if you have lots of homework to do after school, you will not be able to attend piano or swimming lessons. I believe it is bad for children if they do not do other things.

( ), homework does not help children learn. No evidence has shown that homeworkhelps children learn. For example, children may notdo homework seriously and so they may just write random words. When most children just do homework poorly, they cannot help children learn.

( ), homework gives teachers and parents more work. When there is homework, someone D



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has to check them. For example, if there is a worksheet for children to do, the teacher will needto mark all of them the next day. Teachers are already very busy preparing the lessons, and homework is just extra work to them.

( ), I think teachers should not give children homework. They are bad for children, they do not help children learn, and they give teachers and parents more work. If teachers want toknow if children have learned well, they can try toask children to do work in class, but not at home.

Students Should be Allowed to Bring Pets to SchoolNowadays, people worry a lot about pupils’ safety in school.

They fear that if we do not protect them in every way we can, they

may be hurt. That is why they do not allow kids to bring pets to

school. However, I think kids should be able to bring pets to

school.

( ),

__________________________________________________________. If the

animals are kept as pets at home, they cannot be that dangerous. For

example, dogs may bite people, but if it has been a child’s pet, it

probably will not attack people because it has been tamed. Since

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pets do not attack easily, I think kids should be able to bring

them.

( ), if we leave them at home, they will be bored.

(Explain+Example:)_________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________. It is cruel if we do

not take good care of our pets, and leaving them at home alone

would be cruel.

( ),

__________________________________________________________. We

cannot control who our pets like, so when they play with other

people’s pets, we will also need to befriend them. For example, if

my lizard wants to play with someone’s puppy, I will need to stand

next to them and chat with the puppy’s owner. This would be a good

way to make friends.

( ), students should bring pets to school because

there are many benefits.

(Conclusion:)______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________. However, to make sure children pay attention

in class, schools need to have an area for them to put their pets

during class.

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Hilary L Chow

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Should homework be banned?Reasons to support:

Reasons not to support:

Your opinion:

(I think…)D



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List three reasons why you support or do not support

it:

(Because…)

1) _______________________________________________

_____________

2) _______________________________________________

_____________

3) _______________________________________________

_____________

Give three examples referring to the above:

(For example, …)

1) _______________________________________________

_____________

2) _______________________________________________

_____________

3) _______________________________________________

_____________

Give one to two suggestions for the future:

(In the future, we/they should…)

1) _______________________________________________

_____________

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2) _______________________________________________

_____________

What is the background?

(Nowadays, people think…)

______________________________________________________

___________

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unit 1: kids say

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