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Bicycles in Asia: Unit Standard 2986 - Version 6

Writer: Margaret Johnston

• text (Word 147KB)
• TeachersNotes (Word 28KB)
• Student Sheet and Assessment Activity (Word 71KB)
• AssessmentSchedule (Word 67KB)

Inglewood children talk about a tornado: Unit Standard 15009

Teachers notes

These tasks have been pre-critiqued by a moderator of ESOL unit standards. It cannot be said that they have been moderated because they have not been through the formal NZQA moderation process.

Resources

"A Bit of a Blow" by David Hill, in Choices Emergency 111, Also in School Journal, Part 2 Number 1, 1991.

Use the audio tape that accompanies the School Journal.

Learning tasks

Task 1

Start the tape at the beginning of side 2.

Task 2

Use the first part of the second section – from the first question, "Well, first of all, what is a tornado?" to the interviewer's statement, "But the destruction wasn't funny."

Student sheet (Word 26KB)

Assessment schedule - Task 1, Element 1 (Word 48KB)

Assessment schedule - Task 2, Element 2 (Word 57KB)

Anwar: Unit Standard 17363

(In Survival, pp. 12-19, Choices. 2001. Wellington: Learning Media.)

Writers: Michelle Sim (Mairehau High School) and Tonya Justice (Aranui High School), written at a Christchurch College of Education, Teacher Support Services workshop.

• TeachersNotes (Word 26KB)
• StudentSheet (Word 27KB)
• AssessmentActivity (Word 63KB)
• AssessmentSchedule (Word 51KB)

Energy from food: Unit Standard 17363

(Shooting for Her Goal, pp 16 - 17 in Applications, 2001. Wellington: Learning Media.)

Writer: ESOL Advisors, Christchurch College of Education

• TeachersNotes (Word 25KB)
• StudentSheet (Word 28KB)
• AssessmentActivity (Word 38KB)
• Energy from Food-AssessmentSchedule (RTF 22KB)

Cycling in Christchurch: Unit Standard 17363

Writer: Pat Syme

• text (Word 123KB)
• Notes (Word 24KB)
• Student Sheet and Assessment Activity (Word 67KB)

Letter to the editor: Unit Standard 17370

Teacher: Judy Simpson

The activities lead up to a summative assessment, ESOL Unit Standard 17370

Teaching and learning activities

What is an issue?

Vocabulary definitions

1. Students write their own, predicted meanings for the vocabulary (Word 38KB) , and check these later in the unit, as the words come up.
2. The teacher writes the following questions on the blackboard: What is an issue? What topics or issues are in the news right now?
3. Discuss these questions in class, and then the students can skim read (Word 20KB) two or three news articles and orally report back on one of these to their neighbour and then to a larger group. If practicable, link students to a news site such as The NZ Herald. The front pages of newspapers can be used otherwise.
4. Homework: see if there are any noticeable differences between current New Zealand newspaper issues and the newspaper issues from the students' home countries (Online Newspapers website).

Focusing on issues

Beginning to think about point of view

1. Students recall yesterday's New Zealand newspaper issues and the teacher writes these on the blackboard. Then overseas newspaper issues (students' homework) are recorded, the teacher focusing on the controversial and trying to elicit other points of view. The teacher models the use of appropriate cohesive words (such as: whereas, however, on the other hand).
2. Students and teacher negotiate and choose one of these issues and brainstorm points of view, writing these on the board. The teacher writes two headings on the blackboard: pros / cons, and sorts one viewpoint into each. The students then complete the task by sorting the remaining points of view and writing them into their books.
3. The teacher chooses one main idea and students suggest explanations or examples which support it. This main idea and supporting explanations/examples are then written up by the teacher into a paragraph and the students copy the model.

Unpacking a letter to the editor

1. Display the word "graffiti" to the class. Tell students they are going to read a letter (Word 24KB) about this issue, written by a teacher. Ask them to predict what they think the point of view will be. Read paragraph one, using cooperative reading. The students can check to see if their predictions were right. The teacher displays the opening paragraphs in letters expressing a point of view usually include three things:

   • the topic
   • the writer's point of view
   • the main reasons for this point of view.

   The students can identify these in the letter.

2. Then use the following jigsaw activity for paragraphs 2, 3, 4 and 5.
3. Groups 2, 3 and 4: second, third and fourth paragraphs.
   • What is the main point in your paragraph?
   • What are the explanations, the examples?
   • Group 5: final paragraph.
   • What opinion does the writer express?
   • What action does the writer suggest?
4. Back in their home groups, without the original text, the students each take a turn to summarise the main points, explanations and examples, and the recommendation in the conclusion. The students listen and record the summaries in their books.
5. The groups then try to reconstruct the first paragraph onto OHT. The class examines each group's opening paragraph and comments on its strengths before looking again at the original.

Connectives and modal verbs

1. The teacher and students study the original text. The teacher explains connectives and modals to the students by highlighting examples of these in the text. The students try to find further examples and highlight them. The students will need more highlighting practice with other texts. Students can create pointsofview (Word 35KB) using connectives and modals and then work in pairs to identify these in each other's text.
2. For more examples of letters, see Tearaway or the New York Times student letters site.

Preparing to write

Instructions for students (preparing to write)

1. Your task is to write a letter to the editor saying what you think about your chosen topic. It is important to make your ideas into a strong argument. You will need to write a rough copy (draft) first. Then check your work to make sure that you have used the best words to give your opinion. Proof-read your work to make sure your spelling, punctuation and grammar are correct. Then write your final copy.

Instructions for students (organising your ideas)

1. Introduction
   • Begin with "Dear Editor" or "Sir/Madam".
   • Introduce the topic or issue that you are writing about.
   •  Make a clear, short statement giving your opinion on the issue.
   • Outline the (three) main points you are going to make in the next three paragraphs of the letter.

2. Body

   Write three paragraphs. In each one.

   • State the key point of your paragraph. It must be one of the main points that you made in your Introduction.
   • Add more information to explain your key point.
   • Give an example of your key point.
3. Conclusion
   •  Sum up your opinion on this topic.
   • End your letter by suggesting some kind of action.
4. Language
   • Use simple, formal language.
   • Do not use slang or contractions (for example, won't, you're, it's)
   • You can use "I" or "we" to show that this is your opinion but mostly just state your opinion.
   • Do not use you when you are explaining your ideas, for example, "If you saw the mess you would do something about it."
   • Write in full sentences.
   • Use sequencing words to join and/or order your paragraphs, for example, first, second, another reason, finally, to conclude.
   • Use causal, comparative and conditional connectives, for example, therefore, as a result, however, on the other hand, even though, if.
   • Use modals, for example, should, would, can.
5. Writing the draft copy

Instructions for students (editing and proof-reading)

1. Carefully check your writing to see if you can improve the words you have used.
2. Proof-read to make sure the spelling, punctuation, and grammar are correct.
3. Writing the final copy.
    
4. Final proof-reading.

Note: This unit standard requires two letters to the editor, or one letter and one editorial.

Banana in a nutshell

Writer and film director: Roseanne Liang

Learning task 1

Learning task 2

Learning task 3

Learning task 4

Learning task 5

Learning task 2

Language features of a report

1. See English Online Features of text forms, Reports, to teach the language features and text structure typical of a report. Read through with students. Students should highlight unfamiliar text.
2. Make a list of new vocabulary and pre-teach some of it using teaching strategies outlined in the guidelines above.
3. Teachers could get them to copy out the list of language features and the typical structural features.
4. Teachers could distribute copies of the text (Word 28KB) and students could look for the structural and language features mentioned and highlight and label any that they can find. This could be done as group work and an annotated copy of the text submitted for the teacher to check.
5. Teachers will then need to give feedback once these have been marked. Alternatively students could relay answers to the whole class and receive feedback as a group.

 Identifying the language features and text structure

The objective of this task is to give students practice at identifying the language features and text structure typical of a report. This exercise involves predicting, learning vocabulary, reading and scanning also.

Divide the class into groups. Each group should do AnalysingAReport (Word 30KB) based on the Reuters article "Getting your fill of fibre cuts cancer risk, say scientists".

Give each student his/her own copy of the task. See answers (Word 54KB) .

A group report should be submitted to the teacher by each group. After marking the group report the teacher could issue copies of the answers and go through these with students. Alternatively students could relay answers to the whole class and receive feedback as a group.

The same sort of exercise should be done several times with different texts if time allows. Other texts are given separately as possible texts:

• The Gene Seekers by Bill O'Brien, published 2001 for the Ministry of Education by Learning Media. This is a small booklet in the Applications series which gives information about a Māori family in which large numbers of people have had stomach cancer. They discuss this with genetic scientists to try to find the gene responsible. This text helps to fulfil the 'inclusiveness' requirement mentioned in special note number five in the Unit Standard.

In each case get students to look for the main idea and analyse the significance of it. Identify the language features and structure of the text and say why these techniques have been used.

Learning task 3

Language features of a recount

See English Online Features of text forms, Recounts, to teach the Language Features and text structure typical of recounts. Treat as for reports. Teachers will find Patterns of text: genre useful. In this, there is a paragraph about the purpose of a recount.

Group work

Student language objectives include predicting, learning vocabulary, reading and comprehension, recognising language features and text structure typical of a recount. Teacher should organise students into small groups.

1.  Each group needs to discuss and answer the sheet Analysing a Recount (Word 30KB) relating it to the text A cancer survivor shares her story (Word 43KB) from Tearaway magazine.
2. Each student will need to have a copy of the sheet.
3. A group report should be submitted to the teacher by each group.
4. See Answers-recount (Word 33KB) .
5. After marking the group report the teacher could issue copies of the answers and go through these with students.

Learning task 1

Vocabulary tasks - GM industry text

Teacher reads text 1 GM industry falling apart worldwide (Common Dreams website) to the students.

Students read "GM industry falling apart worldwide" from Line 1 to Line 60 circling any unknown words with a pencil.

Working with a partner students complete the Vocabulary Word Matching Sheet for Lines 1 to 60 (Word 46KB) Vocabulary Word Matching Sheet for Lines 61 to the End (Word 46KB) as far as possible before using an English dictionary. Discuss answers as a class.

Each student makes their own set of vocabulary cards for the words that they do not know as follows: write the unknown word on one side of the card and on the back write the meaning in their own language. They may also add a sentence or anything else that will help them remember the meaning such as a drawing (Nation's vocabulary cards). Demonstrate how to use the cards and pupils practise testing each other.

Homework is to learn all the words for a test.

Students suggest what strategy they could use to handle the words that they still do not know - that is the words that they circled in pencil but are not high frequency words.

At the beginning of the next lesson allow five minutes practice with the vocabulary cards and then get students to complete the Vocabulary Test Sheet for Lines 1 to 60 (Word 40KB) and Vocabulary Test Sheet for Lines 61 to the End (Word 41KB) individually. Students then work in pairs to complete the sheets. Answers are discussed in class and each pupil marks their own work. Words not known should be learnt.

Repeat all the above steps with the same article from line 61 to the end. Include revision of the strategies for determining the meaning of unknown low frequency words.

3 level guide - GM Industry text

This 3 level guide aims to help the students to:

• become aware of a range of arguments against the production of genetically modified food;
• gain knowledge of the current position in New Zealand i.e. the moratorium to be lifted in October;
• start to formulate their own ideas for or against the production of GM foods and express these orally.

Note: GM industry falling apart worldwide on which the 3 level guide is based is anti-GM foods, but students will also be exposed to a text promoting GM foods.

Teacher instructions

1. After reading the article and clarifying any necessary vocabulary students should be given the Level 1 statements to complete individually. Students need to give reasons by finding the evidence in the text to support their answer.
2. Next, students work in mixed ability groups of three to five students to discuss their answers and give their reasons. Agreement should be reached. The teacher should circulate around the room to identify misunderstandings and areas of disagreement.
3. Following this the class wide discussion should clarify only points of disagreement or misunderstanding.
4. Complete Level 2 and 3 statements in a similar way.
5. Level 1 statements are what the author actually says and Level 2 what the reader has to infer, while Level 3 is what the reader thinks and what the author is getting at.

3 Level Guide Student Sheet (Word 30KB)

3 Level Guide Teacher Sheet (Word 30KB)