yr3 hsie austr u r standing in it
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This assignment first introduces the rationale and local demographic info as it affects childrens
schooling and a myriad of other factors related to it, then the choice of topic or lexical theme
(Great Barrier Reef) is explained and how the chosen 5 texts, or more accurately, meaning-making
extracts (or chains-of-signs, according toKress and Bezemer, 2009) help develop and consolidate
the new knowledge. Research findings from the referenced below readings are used to substantiate
the points made and outcomes aimed at; and finally, a detailed analysis of language features of one
text, in this instance, aposterproduced by Marine Park Authority (Australian Government agency) is
attached in the Appendix.
The rationalefor changing the topic of this assignment and choosing a mainstream public primary
school scenario, the Great Barrier Reef as HSIE section in Heritage Listed Sites of Year 3 HSIE
moduleAustralia, You Are Standing In Itover a private ELICOS college and Australian Naval Fleet
Review and upcoming events in Sydney topic is the longevity, the practicality and the variety of
texts and tasks that can be worked on and saved, edited and polishedfor use in later years. I have
a personal interest in this topic too: my son is in Year 2, will be studying this topic next year, we
enjoyed our holiday in Port Douglas, been to the Great Barrier Reef and took part in all the offered
activities. The photos taken, as Freebody (2008) explains, would provide the experience side to the
topic and make it more interesting and relevant to students. This assignment material, edited after
the markers feedback is received, can be offered to school as a unit of work or a collection of
learning sequences to choose from should they decide to accept it for next years Year 3 HSIE
module Australia, You Are Standing in It.
Demographics.Over 80 per cent of children in our local school speak languages other than English at
home, come from low income families and have very few opportunities outside the class to learn
about Australia. Therefore, the role of the classroom teacher is to be an ESL teacher as well as the
content teacher. The school employs 2 bilingual Teacher Aides who do not have TESOL training. To
be able to read successfully, as Heath (1994) explains, children need to become (again) active in
searching for meaning in books, able to decontextualise that meaning and knowledge, and link it to
other aspects in their environment. (Heath, 1994, p.92) Table-top activities widely used in our local
school are a very good way to decontextualise the meaning from books or other lesson materials,
and consolidate that new knowledge under teachers guidance.Since these table-top activities are
usually done in small groups, it is usually possible to group children not only according to their level
of proficiency in English with tasks pitched to their i+1(Krashen as referenced and cited extensively
in Lightbown & Spada, 2011), but also based on personal compatibility or interests of the children.
Decontextualisation and understanding of the text comprehension and production dialectic or text-
in-and-out-of-context is emphasised in another publication (Freebody, 2008). The author, in
asserting that there must be a proactive approach to literacy and, namely, text construction, goes
further by highlighting that interpreting and producing texts is a way of rendering experience more
understandable, of transforming experience... (Freebody, 2008, p.117). This has important
implications not only on the choice of resources, but more importantly, on the way these resources
are presented to the learners. The chosen topic Great Barrier Reef with the obvious learning
activities link to an excursion to the Sydney Aquarium and watching the movie Finding Nemo will
reenergise and motivate the students, enable them to understand better what they (possibly) could
not entirely understand from the printed texts, give them an opportunity to practice both the targetlanguage and informal social skills (often lacking) in English. According to Freebody, the experience
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=AQbyjeOQdvIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+sage+handbook+of+writing+development+p.167&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LUOhUqTYMMvfkgWhmYHoCQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttp://books.google.com.au/books?id=AQbyjeOQdvIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+sage+handbook+of+writing+development+p.167&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LUOhUqTYMMvfkgWhmYHoCQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttp://books.google.com.au/books?id=AQbyjeOQdvIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+sage+handbook+of+writing+development+p.167&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LUOhUqTYMMvfkgWhmYHoCQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://books.google.com.au/books?id=AQbyjeOQdvIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+sage+handbook+of+writing+development+p.167&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LUOhUqTYMMvfkgWhmYHoCQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false -
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side is very importantthe learning will be more actively informed (Freebody, 2008, p.117) and
could be used as a momentum for higher level scaffolding.
The role of personal experience, as well as of experiential learning is also mentioned in Donovan and
Smolkin (2001) quoting Rutherford (1991): The learning of science begins with a childs personal
experience of this world, ... questions, not answers,...with finding out, not being told; with
butterflies and Tinkertoys, not books.(Donovan and Smolkin, 2001 p.415) This statement can be
extended to other areas of learning, not only science. Discovery learning is very rewarding and
motivating, however, learning from books can be made motivating, rewarding and interesting too.
It is important to discuss the selection and, possibly, development of appropriate resources here. My
generation (pre-world-wide-web) studied using textbooks and limited teacher-developed resources.
Nowadays the availability of resources is significantly wider, however this does not always translate
to better choices. For example, many ELICOS colleges in Sydney use graded Headway, Cutting
Edge and other courses published in the UK or the USA; many websites designed for information or
teaching purposes have the look and feel of commercial dont leave before you buy portals. One of
the most difficult problems to overcome in resources research is to find material with content
suitable for children rather than adults. Board of Studies NSW, the decision-making body of all public
schools recommends a topic for Stage 2 (Year3) Information Report writing Singapore is a bustling,
modern Asian city providing a high standard of living(Board of Studies NSW, K-6, p.224). This is a
High School-level writing topic in view of Primary teachers I spoke to recently. In some staff rooms
there are lists of websites withwww.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au, www.factmonster.comand the like,
which seem to be universal and a quick answer to almost anything, however not many teachers
put in the necessary extra work of customising the worksheets or editing the downloaded texts let
alone matching those (not only the title and the topic) against the curriculum and unit-of-work goals.
Donovan and Smolkin (2001) studied 10 teachersselections of childrensbooks, and the underlying
assumptions, as noted by the teachers on the feedback forms as to the use of the selected books to
teach 2 modules of science Life Cycle and Properties of Matter at primary school level. Among
the teachers most frequent comments were good graphics (drawings and photos which made the
books visually appealing), content, readability, and whether or not the book had multiple uses and
was suited to the particular age. The teachers also made a point that entertaining stories and texts
that both entertain and inform would make more interesting and valuable lessons compared to
lessons based on information reports with their unsuitability for reading aloud.
The authors warn via a voice of 1 out of 10 teachers that learning science via stories may cause
confusion about stance in texts (Donovan & Smolkin,2001, p437) and add missed opportunities
and misinformation to their concerns. The researchers also make a striking discovery that none of
the teachers addressed the issue of genre other than describing 2 books provided as fun stories.
Only one teacher had selected a sizeable collection of genres, and even this teacher could not
comment nor positively identify any genres other than nice ... presentation.
There are several flaws in this research, it seems that some of the very general comments like nice
to read are not a true reflection nor should these be seriously considered as relevant feedback,
however, several important findings are made, and the main argument, proven successfully on this,
however small, sample of primary school teachers is that teachers want to inform AND entertain.
http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/http://www.factmonster.com/http://www.factmonster.com/http://www.factmonster.com/http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/ -
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The surveyed teachers view purely informative texts as difficult to read, boring and something that
should happen later at school.
Genre is not the main consideration when selecting resources. This finding mirrors the experiences
of my many colleagues and my own. Theme or module (unit of work etc) would dictate the choice of
content and some materials, and those in turn can be adapted, reworded, transformed if necessary,
or developed from scratch, which can be very time consuming, but when done properly, matched
perfectly to the TLC dots. It is important, however, to develop the genre control skills in students
for a myriad of reasons, the main one being a genres social purpose. If students know how to
inform, instruct, argue and agree, they will recognise these social features in the texts they are given
and will be able to identify the pattern structure, which in turn makes dexontextualisation easier.
There is a lengthy (stating the obvious and irrelevant to the publications theme) discussion of what
a caterpillar does NOT eat, the explanation how the writers poetry or aesthetical cocoon won
over the scientifically correct chrysalis in A Very Hungry Caterpillar( Donovan & Smolkin, 2001 p.
436). The researchers comment on the questionable suitability of the 2 chosen books to teach Life
Cycle, however, they themselves make assumptions on the way those teachers would use the
books with incongruent to the actual facts information. Were the teachers, the researchers or both
Judging the book by its cover?
It is regrettable that the study did not look a step further and show how the chosen books were
actually used (if they were used) in the classrooms by the teachers, how the students responded,
what learning outcomes were met, where there were gaps, confusion, etc. In the context of this
study probably the only advantage of using stories other than affect (visual appeal) would be more
effective vocabulary acquisition of list items (provided that the teacher edited the stories) compared
to learning the vocabulary as list items from an Information Report (Lightbown & Spada, 2011)
Most likely, the selected books were supplemented by other paper or medium-based resources
(provided by the school or brought in). As technology use in classroom grows, so does the potential
for producing and using high-tech materials such as CD-ROMs, presentations for screen projectors,
class computers or material for interactive whiteboards, and, of course, numerous educational
websites which give a different perspective on how a text, and learning material in general, are
organised in an interactive medium. As Kress and Bezemer (2009) explain, without understanding
the conventions or code of such resources it is difficult to read them or even see their value as it
may be encoded in Signs requiring understanding of social semiotic production (Kress and
Bezemer, 2009, pp171-172)
What do the above publications mean for the selection of appropriate resources and techniques for
teaching the chosen Unit of work? In addition to previously justified resources (The model text of
Information Report Sharks(provided by NSW Board of Studies K-6 Syllabus, p.227), theposter
(cause and effect explanation: how Climate Change affects the Great Barrier Reef(in which I would
probably draw students attention to the 2 errors rather than ignore them in the text of the poster,
to emphasise that it is human to make mistakes)). The compulsory set of resources would also
include awebsitedevoted to the Great Barrier Reef, starting with its history, andtentativelyan
excursion to the Sydney Aquarium and viewing the Disney movie Finding Nemo.A number of
other resources produced with different tenor and register variables are referenced here and are
http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/855fbeaf-0799-466f-b06e-fca03fcaf691/k6engmodules_syl.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/855fbeaf-0799-466f-b06e-fca03fcaf691/k6engmodules_syl.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/855fbeaf-0799-466f-b06e-fca03fcaf691/k6engmodules_syl.pdf?MOD=AJPERES -
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available for the teachers, who would make their own judgement as to the suitability and learning
value for their students.
I would not hesitate in recommending the Finding Nemo movie and would not, contrary to
Donovan & Smolkin (2001) be deterred by inaccuracies (for example, Bruce, the Shark becomes the
fishes friend and swears not to eat them) there is plenty of news coverage on shark attacks, the
children of this age are unlikely to venture in deep enough waters to be exposed to real life threats
from the sharks, and will be informed and alerted continuously at school and by media. In discussing
the movie and doing the activities related to it I would draw the students attention to this fib as
well. The benefits of the social aspects, experience, medium alteration to name a few, far outweigh
the search of true factual information.
TheYoutube activity(with some answers provided below the clips) and thechild-friendly website
with characters telling the story of the Great Barrier Reef, engaging and easy, bullet-pointedReef
facts websitewould be very useful resources for independent workto allow for students varying
levels of English proficiency: some students may want to complete all three sets of activities in their
entirety, some may only be able to understand a small part of each text. The colourful moving
images provide visual stimulation and add to the excitement and students motivation to work on
the topic. The teacher can choose to pair up a native speaker or a student with higher level of
English with a lower English language ability buddy to work on these.
I would also recommend and be happy to help design a set of re-usable models or stencils for
table-top activities - to consolidate what the children learned from the texts, the websites, their
excursion and the movie: create a scene activity for example, where a group of children make
paper models of fish, coral, seaweed etc., and arrange these in their Sea and then tell another
group about their scene, or create a cause-and-effect Effects on the Great Barrier Reef diagram
similar to the one they would have made for Water Cycle in Year 2, or usingsticker books as a
guide, draw their favourite part, and so on.
In conclusion, I would like to add my own observations and beliefs from many years of teaching at
almost all levels: neither resources (book selections) nor curriculum knowledge (syllabus) alone
provide for excellence in teaching. It is the teachers skill and knowledge of the above, his or her
attitudes, creativity and dedication, the desire to fulfil the students learning ambitions, ability to
sense the shifts in class dynamics and act on those, and nonetheless importantly, linking those to
flow seamlessly from one learning sequence to another to achieve the curriculum, students
personal development and own satisfaction (very important in my experience) goals.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewformhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewformhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewformhttp://squidsquad.com.au/reef-bits.htmlhttp://squidsquad.com.au/reef-bits.htmlhttp://squidsquad.com.au/reef-bits.htmlhttp://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://bks5.books.google.com.au/books?id=-kGQPQAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&imgtk=AFLRE73ZHSbz3PQRb3eX8dgZVbJVcVTjRVigetVegr8jHRyqfTBLaikvnwDloFkPJXPFSWMHyQlCXW5W3BjADc-lZx4t1N7RmzrgMqWDhAyUo7x97_uq86A_8FmzJ04Ct0LKqH3iBRh8http://bks5.books.google.com.au/books?id=-kGQPQAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&imgtk=AFLRE73ZHSbz3PQRb3eX8dgZVbJVcVTjRVigetVegr8jHRyqfTBLaikvnwDloFkPJXPFSWMHyQlCXW5W3BjADc-lZx4t1N7RmzrgMqWDhAyUo7x97_uq86A_8FmzJ04Ct0LKqH3iBRh8http://bks5.books.google.com.au/books?id=-kGQPQAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&imgtk=AFLRE73ZHSbz3PQRb3eX8dgZVbJVcVTjRVigetVegr8jHRyqfTBLaikvnwDloFkPJXPFSWMHyQlCXW5W3BjADc-lZx4t1N7RmzrgMqWDhAyUo7x97_uq86A_8FmzJ04Ct0LKqH3iBRh8http://bks5.books.google.com.au/books?id=-kGQPQAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&imgtk=AFLRE73ZHSbz3PQRb3eX8dgZVbJVcVTjRVigetVegr8jHRyqfTBLaikvnwDloFkPJXPFSWMHyQlCXW5W3BjADc-lZx4t1N7RmzrgMqWDhAyUo7x97_uq86A_8FmzJ04Ct0LKqH3iBRh8http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://squidsquad.com.au/reef-bits.htmlhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewform -
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References
Climate Change impacts on the Great Barrier Reefa poster produced by Australian Government,
Marine Park Authority, available from
http://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdf
viewed October 2013
Donovan C. and Smolkin L., 2001.Genre and other factors influencing teachers book selections for
science instruction.Reading Research Querterly, Vol 30, N 4 International Reading Association.
Freebody P., 2008.Critical Literacy Education: On Living with Innocent Language Encyclopaedia
of Language and Education, 2nd
Ed, Vol. 2
Gibbons P. 2006. Second Language Learning and Teaching. In: Bridging Discourses in the ESL
Classroom. Continuum, London.
Great Barrier Reef (for Kids)available from http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-
reef-facts/for-kids/- viewed October 2013
Heath S.B., 1994.What No Bedtime Story Means: Narrative Skills at Home and School. - Language
and Literacy in Social Practice. Multilingual Matters
History of the Great Barrier Reefavailable fromhttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.php
viewed October 2013
Kress and Bezemer, 2009Writing in a Multimodal World of Representationfrom The SAGE
Handbook of Writing DevelopmentSAGE Publications LTD, London, available via SAGE eLibrary.
Lightbown P. and Spada N. 2011. How languages are learned, OUP, 3rd Ed.
The Great Barrier Reef 2Youtube clip available fromhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-
jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewformviewed October 2013
Squid SquadReef Bitsavailable fromhttp://squidsquad.com.au/reef-bits.htmlviewed October
2013
http://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewformhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewformhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewformhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewformhttp://squidsquad.com.au/reef-bits.htmlhttp://squidsquad.com.au/reef-bits.htmlhttp://squidsquad.com.au/reef-bits.htmlhttp://squidsquad.com.au/reef-bits.htmlhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewformhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QuN-jwg7YyoN59h0lZTmiLrRnNdUEvI9Knvkz6TTaGo/viewformhttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://www.greatbarrierreef.com.au/great-barrier-reef-facts/for-kids/http://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdf -
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Appendix. Assumptions, Learning sequences and text analysis.
As per Yr 3 HSIE guidelines, approximately 8 weeks are allocated toAustralia, you are standing in it
and it is assumed that at least some of the planned outcomes are achieved prior to commencing the
topic of Great Barrier Reef via work on Sydney Heritage Listed sites Hyde Park Barracks, The
Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House the Blue Mountains and, possibly, some other prominent
landmarks such as Uluru or The Great Ocean Road. It is assumed that students prior experiences
with written genres allows them to differentiate between factual and fictional texts, and work on
this unit should help understand the distinction.
It is important that before commencing students are familiar with some geographic terminology (the
concept of distance may still be challenging for many students however), as per the syllabus
significant natural, heritage and built features in the local area, NSW and Australia, and their uses
and management and care of features, sites, places and environments (K-6 Syllabusp. 81)
A suitable warmer would be a re-cap of the kinds of heritage listed sites and their features(buildings, land areas (parks), land formations (e.g. Blue Mountains), that these can be specific
(Opera House) or very vague (Tasmanian Wilderness), can include man-made or natural (dead or
live) features, they can be even under water, like shipwreck sites. Then a show of hands to name
some states in Australia and their location, possibly with some info about them. Then either in a
playful put on your wings, we are flying to Queensland! or more seriousaka weather-forecast-
zoom-in on North-East Queensland, hovering over the GBR... I personally always start building the
field with elicitationstudents are proactive, sharing what they know, and with the right (and
motivating) approach even the shy ones would hopefully participate. Students vocalise and teacher
jots down ideas associated with pictures of scuba divers, coral and fish, floods and storms damage,
sugar cane farms, estuaries with muddy waters near the ocean, etc. Building the field could also
include fragments of TV news footage about QLD floods, and other visuals. To avoid marginalising
and putting some students at a disadvantage, images of Nemo and friends should possibly be saved
for laterthis will also bring the class discussion closerto the point in terms of vocabulary learning
and forming a narrative.
Reading and discussing a printed text (History of the Great Barrier Reef,for example) would be my
next chosen activity, followed by a visit to the library to do some activities on the computer, then
closing in on inhabitants of the Great Barrier Reef the Information Report Shark by Board Of
Studies NSW, followed by (the next days work) work on understanding the causes and effects of
Climate Change on the Great Barrier Reef poster.(analysed below the Shark Report)
.
Shark ReportText Structure
General statement
identifies andclassifies thesubject
of the information
report
A shark is a type of fish that lives in the sea. It is one
of the largest sea creatures. There are over 350
species. A shark is shaped like a torpedo. It has
rough skin like sandpaper. Instead of bones it has
elastic cartilage which helps them to move easily. It
can grow up to 8 metres.
Language Features
Use of present tense,
typical of much scientificwriting
Use of technical
language, eg elastic,cartilage, plankton
http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/41178/GBRMPA_Reef_Beat_Poster_3.pdfhttp://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.phphttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPEREShttp://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/38883454-0dd3-4ac0-bca6-f2dcee8bf3ab/k6hsie_stg2_unitsofwork.pdf?MOD=AJPERES -
8/13/2019 Yr3 HSIE Austr U R Standing in It
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Description
appearance
habitat
behaviour
breeding
Sharks are found in all oceans around the world. The
type of shark found will depend on the waters
temperature. A shark has to keep moving when it is
asleep because it will either sink or suffocate. It has
to keep moving because it needs to breathe through
its gills to keep alive.When sharks are hungry, they look for food.
Different sharks eat different food.
Harmless sharks eat plankton but harmful sharks eat
meat.
Sharks have up to forty two babies (which are called
pups) at a time. When the pups are born, they leave
straight away because the mother shark does not
have teats. Some sharks have their pups in different
ways, some lay eggs while others have them alive.
When they are born they need to defend themselves
because they have no one to help them.
Use of word families tobuild information,
eg shark, fish, sea,
species, oceans, water,gills, plankton
Use of shark asbeginning
focus (theme) for organisinginformation in the clause. This
pattern plays a part in the
successful organisation of thetext.
Use of noun groups to
build descriptions, eg
different sharks, harmlesssharks
Use of relating verbs, egA shark is a type , it
has rough
The posters intended audience is older and more proficient in English than Yr 3 students at the local
school, however, its visual appeal and valid (complementing images) can be made digestible by the
students here by using it after the less demanding texts and spending time on more than the 2
language features below. It is assumed that some work has been previously done on cause and
effect explanations, like in Yr 2 Water Cycle and some units in Yr 3. Metaphors like Sea change
probably need to be explicitly explained at this level, however, some children may be able to handle
the polysemy well.
Analysis of 2 features (nominalisationand cause and effector arrow verbs) on theexample of the poster:
Climate Change - Impacts on the Great Barrier ReefThe real sea changeClimate changeis one of the greatest threats to coral reefs worldwide. More than 30 percent of coral reefs throughout the world have already been affected and scientists fear that60 per cent of reefs may lose many corals by 2030 due to increased coral bleaching.The Great Barrier Reef is one of the largest and healthiest reef systems in the world and cancope with stressbetter than most reefs, but it is not immune to climate change.
Impacts on coral reefsthe ecosystem effectAlready, coral bleachingand other signs of coral stress are evident. But climate changeaffects more than corals. Seabirds, marine mammals, turtles, plankton, invertebrates,marine plants, fish and habitats such as wetlands and islandsare also under threat.Because plants, animals and habitats are integrally connected, the impactsof climatechange will have far reaching impactson every part of the coral reef ecosystem.
affectto make a difference (often negative or bad) to cause an effect (physical oremotional)elevateto raise, make higherintensifyto make smth more intense (or stronger, faster, larger etc)can floodto cover with water, to submerse due to a floodimpact (on)similar to affect above to cause a change
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8/13/2019 Yr3 HSIE Austr U R Standing in It
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lead toto take smth to a new (changed) state, form etcmake smth+verb/ adjectiveto create conditions for a new (changed) state, actionreduceto make smaller, here: to prevent something from happeningmagnify
Rising sea levelIncreased sea levels elevatethe risk of coastal flooding from storm surges and intensifycoastal erosion. Rising seawater can floodimportant bird and turtle nesting sites, wetlandareas, mangroves and coastal towns.
Changing ocean circulationOcean currents transport oxygen, nutrients and an array of marine life. These oceanconveyor belts connect reefs to each other and connect the coastline to the Great BarrierReef. Changes in ocean circulation impactfood webs and influence the productivityof theecosystem.
Altering rainfall, drought and run-off patternsRain patterns are changing. Some places are drier while others receive more rain. Intenserain leadsto increased erosion and floodwaters that carry sediments, nutrients andpesticides to the Reef impactingon the plants and animals that live there.
Ocean acidificationHigher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are absorbed by the oceans, affectingthechemistry of the ocean and makingit more acidic.This reducesthe growth rateand strength of corals and affectsthe limestone foundationsof the Reef.
Increasing frequency of intense stormsMore intense storms will magnifyphysical impactson coastal areas, mangroves,seagrass beds, shallow reef habitats, islands and coral cays in the Great Barrier Reef.
Increasing sea temperatureIncreases in sea temperature resultsin more frequent mass coral bleachingand a
decrease in the overall growthof the Reef. Temperature increases will impact othermarine animals such as fish, turtles and seabirds.
Nominalisation:
Climate change Long-term (longlasting) change in climate because of higheratmospheric temperature
coral bleaching When coral loses colour and turns whitealso because of temperatr
coral stress Unhealthy state in coral caused by typhoons, floods, crown-of-thornsstarfish, higher temperatures and other factors
(physical) impacts How something causes or makes changes in something else
erosion Surface soil washed away by water
productivity How well a system or group can work together to a common goalgrowth rate How fast something grows
overall growth How everything in the (Reef) environment grows
To conclude the work on the unit and to highlight the importance of preservation and maintaining
balance in nature avideo reportabout the new crown-of-thorns-starfish outbreak. I would
suggest this as Information and some discussion only.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/qld/a/19714478/fears-crown-of-thorns-starfish-plague-will-wreak-havoc-on-great-barrier-reef/http://au.news.yahoo.com/qld/a/19714478/fears-crown-of-thorns-starfish-plague-will-wreak-havoc-on-great-barrier-reef/http://au.news.yahoo.com/qld/a/19714478/fears-crown-of-thorns-starfish-plague-will-wreak-havoc-on-great-barrier-reef/http://au.news.yahoo.com/qld/a/19714478/fears-crown-of-thorns-starfish-plague-will-wreak-havoc-on-great-barrier-reef/